Written Answers of 20 March 1995

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Prisons
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the planned timetable for the extension of existing prisons with new house blocks; and what are his estimates of the cost of the programme.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Doug Hoyle, dated 20 March 1995:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the timetable and cost of the programme currently underway to build additional houseblocks at existing prisons.
  Construction of most of the houseblocks in question has now begun (the last two are programmed to start in May this year). Although completion dates vary, it is planned that six of the new blocks will be ready for use by early 1996, and the remaining ten will become available for occupation during the course of the 1996–97 financial year. The overall cost of the programme is £115 million, including £31 million for ancillary facilities needed to support the increases in population at the establishments concerned. When complete, the programme will deliver 2,000 places.

  Mr. George Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the net operating cost per prisoner place for each of the prisons and remand centres excluding contracted-out prisons in England and Wales from 1 April 1994 to 31 March 1995. [14571]

  Mr Michael Forsyth
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. George Howarth, dated 20 March 1995:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the net operating cost per prisoner place for 1994–95 for each of the prisons and remand centres in England and Wales, excluding contracted out prisons.
  Figures for 1994–95 will be published later this year in the Prison Service Annual Report for 1994–95. Figures for 1993–94 have been published in Section A of Part Two of the Prison Service Annual Report and Accounts, a copy of which is in the House of Commons Library.

  Private Sector Contracts
  Mr. George Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the names of those companies who have won contracts to run court or prison escort services; and what was the cost of those contracts in each case.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison 2
  Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. George Howarth, dated 20 March 1995:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about companies who have won contracts to run court or prison escort services and the cost of the contracts.
  Four contracts have been awarded for prisoner escort and custody services. The names of the contractors and the estimated cost of the contracts over five years at time of award, are as follows:

  Area 3—Securicor Custodial Services Ltd:

  £96 million

  Area 4—Group 4 Court Services Ltd:

  £47 million

  Area 6—Group 4 Court Services Ltd:

  £69 million

  Area 7—Group 4 Court Services Ltd:

  £41 million

  The cost of the contracts for Areas 3 and 7, which are already in operation is 25 per cent below the cost of previous arrangements. This represents a saving of £10 million a year. The cost of the contracts for Areas 4 and 6 is estimated to be 15 per cent below the cost of previous arrangements. This represents a saving of £13 million a year.

  Mr. George Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the companies which have won contracts to run contracted-out prison establishments; and what was the cost of those contracts in each case.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. George Howarth, dated 20 March 1995:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the companies who have won contracts to run contracted out prisons and the cost of the contracts.
  Four contracts have been awarded for contracted out prisons. The names of the contractors and the estimated cost of the contracts over five years at time of award, are as follows:

  Wolds Prison—Group 4 Remand Services Ltd:

  £21.5 million

  Blakenhurst Prison—UK Detention Services Ltd:

  £57 million

  Doncaster Prison—Premier Prison Services Ltd:

  £66 million

  Buckley Hall Prison—Group 4 Prison Services Ltd:

  £33 million

  The cost of these prisons is 15–25 per cent below the cost of comparable public sector establishments. This represents a saving of £5 million a year from the four prisons already under private management.

  Key Performance Indicators
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the latest figures for the key performance indicators for each prison from 1 April 1994 to the latest available date.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
  3
  Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Doug Hoyle dated 20 March 1995:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the latest figures for performance against the Prison Service's key performance indicators from 1 April 1994 to the latest available date.
  The available information is set out in the enclosed tables. I should explain the following points:

  KPI 1 escapes:

  the attached figures show the number of escapes from each prison, including escapes from escort outside the prison (but excluding prisoners who were immediately recaptured) from 1 April to 31 December 1994 inclusive.

  KPI 2 assaults:

  the attached figures show the number of offences of assault by prisoners on staff, prisoners and others which are proved in disciplinary proceedings and which result in a punishment being awarded, and the rate of assaults as a proportion of the average population (expressed at an annual rate), from 1 April to 31 December 1994 inclusive.

  KPI 3 overcrowding:

  no prisoners have been held three to a cell in units of accommodation certified for one person during the current financial year.

  Young offender institutions

  KPI 2: Assaults

  Closed

  KPI 1: Escapes

  Number

  Percentage of average population

  KPI 5: Regime Hours

  KPI 6: Time Unlocked (Weekdays)

  Aylesbury

  0

  71

  43.5

  26.5

  9.3

  Castington

  0

  51

  24.6

  24.3

  9.3

  Deerbolt

  4

  57

  19.8

  25.1

  10.8

  Dover

  0

  29

  14.5

  23.4

  9.2

  Glen Parva

  2

  127

  22.2

  22.5

  9.0

  Guy's Marsh

  0

  14

  10.2

  42.0

  13.3

  Hollesley Bay1 (Warren Hill)

  0

  29

  11.6

  27.4

  8.0

  Huntercombe

  0

  29

  17.4

  26.4

  10.4

  Onley

  2

  126

  35.8

  24.0

  12.0

  Portland

  0

  28

  10.1

  29.6

  10.7

  Stoke Heath

  1

  44

  22.2

  28.9

  12.5

  Swinfen Hall

  0

  13

  9.6

  30.8

  10.1

  Werrington

  9

  62

  77.3

  42.3

  13.5

  Wetherby

  7

  26

  24.4

  37.8

  12.0

  1 Includes Hollesley (open prision) for assaults.

  KPI 2 Assaults

  KPI 1: Escapes

  Number

  Percentage of average population

  KPI 5: Regime hours

  KPI 6: Time unlocked (weekdays)

  Open YOIs

  Hatfield

  —

  12

  9.9

  38.4

  13.3

  Prescoed1

  —

  —

  —

  43.2

  —

  Thorn Cross

  —

  20

  15.9

  46.4

  12.5

  Remand Centres

  Brinsford

  3

  94

  27.5

  23.7

  9.9

  Feltham

  0

  172

  28.8

  32.3

  8.0

  Hindley

  1

  59

  27.9

  22.6

  8.5

  4

  KPI 4 sanitation:

  96 per cent. of prisoners had access to sanitation 24 hours a day at the end of January 1995. We are on course to provide all prisoners with access to sanitation at all times by the end of February 1996.

  KPI 5 purposeful activity:

  the attached figures show the average number of hours a week which prisoners spent in regime activities in the period 1 April to 31 December inclusive.

  KPI 6 time unlocked:

  the attached figures show the average number of hours which prisoners were unlocked on weekdays at the end of January 1995.

  KPI 7 visits:

  all establishments have provided prisoners with the opportunity to exceed minimum visiting entitlements throughout 1994–95.

  KPI 8 cost per place:

  information about the average cost per prisoner place for individual establishments is not available in a meaningful form until after the end of the financial year, because of variations in the phasing of expenditure in-year. Figures for 1993–94 are published in the Prison Service's Annual Report for that year, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

  5

  KPI 2: Assaults

  KPI 1: Escapes

  Number

  Percentage of average population

  KPI 5: Regime hours

  KPI 6: Time unlocked (weekdays)

  Lancaster Farms

  0

  63

  24.3

  23.6

  12.0

  Low Newton

  0

  38

  20.8

  23.0

  8.5

  Moorland

  0

  114

  33.0

  25.2

  10.5

  Northallerton

  0

  31

  25.4

  23.8

  10.3

  Reading

  0

  36

  27.3

  27.0

  10.5

  Rochester

  2

  53

  29.3

  30.6

  11.5

  1Precoed appears under Usk for assaults and time unlocked.

  Female establishments

  KPI 2: Assaults

  KPI 1: Escapes

  Number

  Percentage of average population

  KPI 5: Regime hours

  KPI 6: Time unlocked (weekdays)

  Local

  Holloway

  5

  127

  34.3

  20.2

  9.5

  Pucklechurch

  0

  32

  67.7

  17.8

  12.0

  Closed

  Bullwood Hall

  1

  16

  17.6

  31.1

  12.5

  Cookham Wood

  0

  20

  18.0

  30.0

  10.5

  New Hall

  3

  41

  31.6

  28.3

  12.0

  Styal

  1

  28

  16.2

  35.1

  13.3

  Open

  Askham Grange

  —

  1

  1.3

  48.9

  24.0

  Drake Hall

  —

  3

  1.8

  37.1

  24.0

  East Sutton Park

  —

  0

  0

  37.1

  24.0

  Local Prisons/Adult Remands

  KPI 2: Assaults

  KPI 1: Escapes

  Number

  Percentage of average population

  KPI 5: Regime hours

  KPI 6: Time unlocked (weekdays)

  Bedford

  1

  24

  10.5

  22.9

  10.0

  Belmarsh

  0

  75

  13.5

  15.9

  11.2

  Birmingham

  1

  73

  12.7

  20.9

  7.2

  Blakenhurst

  0

  77

  16.4

  26.2

  14.0

  Bristol

  0

  21

  6.3

  23.3

  11.8

  Brixton

  1

  68

  15.1

  19.4

  8.8

  Bullingdon

  0

  77

  16.6

  24.1

  10.5

  Canterbury

  0

  8

  4.2

  24.9

  12.0

  Cardiff

  0

  46

  14.9

  24.5

  11.9

  Chelmsford

  1

  25

  9.2

  16.1

  7.5

  Doncaster1

  1

  132

  36.2

  —

  12.0

  Dorchester

  0

  4

  2.7

  21.4

  10.3

  Durham

  2

  31

  6.8

  19.3

  10.5

  Elmley

  1

  47

  10.3

  23.0

  10.5

  Exeter

  1

  31

  10.5

  22.4

  9.0

  Gloucester

  0

  30

  16.1

  22.0

  9.5

  Highdown

  0

  60

  14.0

  21.3

  11.0

  Holme House

  2

  31

  6.8

  16.3

  9.0

  Hull

  1

  68

  23.1

  21.0

  12.0

  Leeds

  0

  118

  15.2

  15.8

  7.0

  Leicester

  1

  36

  14.3

  23.0

  10.0

  Lewes

  1

  25

  10.0

  18.2

  8.2

  Lincoln

  2

  35

  7.7

  20.3

  11.2

  Liverpool

  2

  55

  6.1

  17.7

  7.2

  Manchester

  1

  56

  9.0

  19.9

  13.1

  Norwich

  1

  41

  14.7

  22.4

  9.0

  Pentonville

  2

  68

  12.6

  28.0

  10.5

  Preston

  1

  48

  13.0

  19.1

  6.5

  67

  Local Prisons/Adult Remands

  KPI 2: Assaults

  KPI 1: Escapes

  Number

  Percentage of average population

  KPI 5: Regime hours

  KPI 6: Time unlocked (weekdays)

  Shrewsbury

  1

  26

  12.7

  21.9

  10.0

  Swansea

  4

  27

  17.2

  22.1

  12.0

  Wandsworth

  0

  112

  16.8

  24.2

  10.0

  Winchester

  0

  29

  9.9

  22.1

  7.5

  Wolds

  0

  39

  16.4

  22.5

  13.8

  Woodhill

  0

  81

  20.8

  24.8

  12.0

  Wormwood Scrubs

  0

  38

  6.3

  22.9

  11.2

  1Doncaster opened June 1994. A comparable figure is not available for regime hours. Figure for time unlocked is agreed performance as specified in the establishment contract.

  Performance against key targets

  Dispersals

  KPI 2: Assaults

  KPI 1: escapes

  Number

  Percentage of average population

  KPI 5: Regime hours

  KPI 6 Time unlocked (weekdays)

  Frankland

  0

  40

  12.7

  20.3

  10

  Full Sutton

  0

  53

  13.1

  25.1

  10.5

  Long Lartin

  0

  29

  10.9

  22.4

  11

  Parkhurst

  0

  30

  17.5

  19.1

  10.3

  Wakefield

  0

  24

  4.6

  21.0

  11.4

  Whitemoor

  6

  90

  25.5

  21.3

  10.3

  Category B

  KPI 2: Assaults

  KPI 1: Escapes

  Number

  Percentage of average population

  KPI 5: Regime hours

  KPI 6: Time unlocked (weekdays)

  Albany

  0

  15

  4.8

  26.0

  11.3

  Blundeston

  0

  25

  8.7

  23.6

  12.0

  Dartmoor

  3

  29

  7.4

  24.4

  10.0

  Garth

  0

  19

  5.0

  20.2

  9.1

  Gartree

  0

  8

  3.9

  28.9

  12.3

  Grendon

  0

  4

  5.3

  28.8

  13.0

  Kingston

  0

  2

  1.9

  26.5

  12.5

  Maidstone

  0

  23

  6.7

  22.0

  11.4

  Nottingham

  1

  8

  5.2

  26.0

  12.0

  Swaleside

  1

  41

  10.9

  23.4

  10.0

  Open Prisons (male)

  KPI 2: Assaults

  KPI 1: Escapes

  Number

  Percentage of average population

  KPI 5: Regime hours

  KPI 6: Time unlocked (weekdays)

  Ford

  —

  5

  1.5

  37.5

  13.3

  Hewell Grange

  —

  1

  0.8

  42.6

  24.0

  Hollesley Bay1

  —

  —

  —

  39.0

  24.0

  Kirkham

  —

  1

  0.3

  49.0

  13.5

  Leyhill

  —

  0

  0

  40.7

  24.0

  Morton Hall

  —

  2

  1.7

  47.3

  24.0

  North Sea Camp

  —

  0

  0

  62.8

  16.5

  Rudgate

  —

  1

  0.5

  47.7

  14.0

  Spring Hill

  —

  1

  0.7

  39.8

  16.0

  Standford Hill

  —

  2

  0.7

  42.3

  14.5

  Sudbury/Foston

  —

  1

  0.3

  45.7

  14.5

  1Hollesley Bay: assault figures appears under Warren Hill.

  8

  Prisoners
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average number of hours prisoners spent out of cell for each of the last 20 years.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Doug Hoyle, dated 20 March 1995:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the average number of hours prisoners spend out of cell for each of the last 20 years.
  At the end of March 1994, prisoners were spending an average of 10.6 hours out of cell on weekdays. In January 1995 (the latest available information), this figure had increased to 11.2 hours.
  It is not possible to provide figures for each of the last 20 years, as information on the average number of hours prisoners spend out of cell was not collected before April 1993, when the Prison Service became an executive agency. Nor is it possible to provide average figures for 1993–94 and 1994–95. The information which is routinely collected and monitored relates to the number of prisoners unlocked for at least 12 hours on weekdays, which is one of the Service's key performance indicators, not the average time prisoners are unlocked.

  Young Prisoners
  Mr. George Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of recorded incidents of self-harm among 15-year-old boys and girls by individual penal institution in each of the last 10 years.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. George Howarth, dated 20 March 1995:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of recorded incidents of self harm among 15 year old boys and girls in each penal institution in each of the last 10 years.
  I regret that the information you have requested is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Illegal Immigration
  Mr. Gale
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what measures he proposes to take to control, at the channel ports of entry, illegal immigration from the rest of the European Union into the United Kingdom;

  (2) what measures he proposes to take to control further illegal immigration.

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  Immigration officers apply a document check to all passengers arriving at Dover, and examine non-EEA nationals to assess their admissibility under the immigration rules. In addition, immigration officers conduct surveillance on car and freight traffic to combat clandestine immigration by concealment in vehicles and containers. The number of clandestine entrants detected in the Dover area increased from 256 in 1993 to 379 in 1994.

  My right hon. and learned Friend recently announced measures, including additional resources for the
  10
  immigration and nationality department and the immigration appellate authorities, aimed at speeding up the processing of asylum applications.

  We have been examining further ways in which the system of immigration control can be made more effective and hope to bring forward new measures shortly.

  Mr. Gale
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he proposes to instigate within the Council of Ministers further to control illegal immigration into the European Union through all European Union ports of entry.

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  The Government strongly support measures to combat illegal immigration into the European Union and are participating actively in a number of measures currently under consideration in the third pillar. They do not at present have any separate initiatives of their own to propose.

  Wandsworth Prison
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reports he has received from the governor of Wandsworth prison in respect of the background details of the suicides that have taken place in Wandsworth prison in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 20 March 1995:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about what reports he has received from the governor of Wandsworth prison in respect of the background details of the suicides that have taken place in Wandsworth prison in each of the last three years.
  Each death in custody is always the subject of an internal Prison Service investigation, the results of which are then reported to Prison Service headquarters. Each of the six suicides which have occurred at Wandsworth prison in the past three years was reported in this way. Ministers are not routinely briefed on the content of these investigation reports.

  Mr. Abeey Dykes
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to deport Mr. Abeey Dykes following his conviction. [14430]

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  The question of deportation will be considered in the light of whatever sentence is imposed by the court.

  Street Watch Schemes
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a list of all the street watch schemes, by police force area, which have been registered with his Department. [14368]

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  It is not a requirement to register street watch schemes with the Home Office.

  I have today placed in the Library a list of all the street watch schemes, by police force area, which are known to us.

  We are working closely with forces in England and Wales, and Crime Concern, for the development of street

  11
  watch. Where they are established, street watch schemes have been very successful in reducing crime.

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total number of civil servants employed by(a) his Department, (b) the agencies under his Department's responsibility, and (c) public and other bodies under his Department's responsibility for each year since 1979, divided into (i) full-time equivalents, (ii) overtime, (iii) casuals and (iv) other; and whether he will also provide for each year his estimates of (A) civil service job reductions due to privatisations, (B) civil service job reductions due to contracting out, (C) civil service job reductions resulting from other transfer of responsibilities, (D) the total of all other staff undertaking work for his Department or its agencies without being categorised as civil servants, including external consultants, researchers, agency secretarial staff and staff substitution and (E) total manpower expenditures, in 1994 prices. [14765]

  Mr. Howard
  The civil service covers the permanent staff of central Government Departments and next steps agencies. The staff of other bodies are outside the civil service.

  The annual publication "Civil Service Statistics" gives details of the number of civil servants employed by my Department and its agencies, including full-time equivalent staff and casuals, from 1993 onwards, and of staff leaving the civil service.

  "Public Bodies", published annually since 1982, contains staffing information for those bodies not covered by "Civil Service Statistics".

  Details of running costs and civil service pay bill for my Department can be found in annexe 3 of my Department's annual report (CM 2508). Annexe 4 gives details of overtime from 1989–90 onwards.

  Copies of all of these publications are available in the Library.

  The remaining information sought could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Polling and Public Survey Organisations
  Mr. Donohue
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the employment of polling or public survey organisations by his Department during the current and previous financial years, on the organisations employed by his Department, on the values of individual contracts for these services, on the total amounts of money spent and on the purposes of the research undertaken by these organisations. [14514]

  Mr. Howard
  The polling and public survey organisations employed by the Home Department since 1 April 1993 are in the following list, together with the purpose of research undertaken by those organisations. The fee paid to successful contractors is not shown as this is regarded by the Central Statistical Office as a matter of commercial confidentiality. The total amount of money spent was £661,000.
  12

  Organisation

  Purpose of Research

  1.

  Carrick James

  Cycle helmets

  Fieldwork:

  April 1993

  Purpose:

  Survey of young people between the ages of 10–16 years in Great Britain regarding cycle riding, cycle helmet wearing and advertising recall.

  2.

  Cragg Ross Dawson

  Specials Creative and Development Research

  Fieldwork:

  April 1993

  Purpose:

  Reactions for new advertising campaign on the views of Specials.

  3.

  Harris Research Centre

  Eleven discussion groups plus an interview survey of 1,200 women and ethnic minorities in England, Scotland and Wales.

  Fieldwork:

  June—July 1993

  Purpose:

  To explore reasons why potentially eligible women and members of ethnic minority groups might wish or not wish to apply for work as firefighters.

  4.

  Sample Surveys

  Car Crime Advertising

  Fieldwork:

  September 1993

  Purpose:

  To examine recall of car crime campaign and changing attitudes to car crime.

  5.

  GFK Marketing

  Smoke Alarms Home Audit

  Services

  September 1993

  Fieldwork:

  Purpose:

  To measure smoke alarm ownership and maintenance procedures.

  6.

  OPCS

  Omnibus Survey questions on public experiences of and attitudes towards the police. 2,000 adults in England and Wales.

  Fieldwork:

  October 1993

  Purpose:

  To assess public response to the police service Quality of Service Programme.

  7.

  BMBR

  Special Constables Recruitment advertising research

  Fieldwork:

  November 1993

  Purpose:

  To examine awareness of the attitudes towards Special Constabulary, including recent recruitment advertising.

  8.

  Research Surveys of Great Britain

  Witness intimidation: Strategies for prevention

  Fieldwork:

  November—December

  Purpose:

  1993

  One public survey was carried out by Research Surveys of Great Britain to obtain information on people's experience of intimidation. (Another survey was done by Home Office Staff).

  13

  Organisation

  Purpose of Research

  9.

  BMRB

  Smoke Alarms Post Advertising Research

  Fieldwork:

  January 1994

  Purpose:

  Survey of adults in England and Wales regarding smoke alarm ownership and maintenance carried out on them.

  10.

  Reflexions Market

  Special Creative

  Research Ltd.

  Development

  Fieldwork:

  February 1994

  Purpose:

  A survey of a number of adults in England asking the opinions of new advertising executions for the specials; including perceived target audience, communication, motivation potential (to joining the specials), style and tone of voice of advertising.

  11.

  BMBR

  Smoke Alarms

  Fieldwork:

  February 1994

  Purpose:

  Post advertising campaign survey to measure fire precautions in general.

  12.

  BMRB

  Specials Advertising

  Fieldwork:

  Evaluation

  Purpose:

  March 1994

  Awareness of advertising, knowledge, awareness of specials.

  13.

  BMRB

  International Commercial

  Fieldwork:

  Crime Survey

  Purpose:

  March—April 1994

  Information gathered will help development of national and local government strategies for crime prevention. All Businesses could benefit; reduction in crime should also benefit customers.

  14.

  SCPR

  Survey of offenders on probation.

  Fieldwork:

  Purpose:

  April 1994

  The survey aimed to give a picture of the types of offender on probation and to provide quantitative information on the workings of the probation service.

  15.

  NOP

  Assessing the expandable side-handled baton

  Fieldwork:

  May 1994

  Cost:

  £3,888

  Purpose:

  Part of a project to assess the merits of expandable side handled batons involved a face-to-face survey to assess the attitudes of the public towards the acceptability of the new baton.

  14

  Organisation

  Purpose of Research

  16.

  Tim Grosvenor Associates

  Fifteen discussion groups amongst residents of five areas currently served by 'Parish Special Constables.'

  Fieldwork:

  May—June 1994

  Purpose:

  To assess public reactions to the Parish Special Constables initiative.

  17.

  NOP

  Partners against Crime Campaign

  Fieldwork:

  September—October 1994

  Purpose:

  To assess level of support for local community crime prevention and Neighbourhood Watch

  18.

  Public Attitude Surveys Ltd.

  Immigration and Nationality User Survey

  Fieldwork:

  October 1994

  Purpose:

  People in the Granada TV region were surveyed on the qualitative survey of applicants and representatives to establish the most important quality of service aspects from a users prospective.

  Concentrates on issues such as provision of information, speed of response, clarity of correspondence, etc. if not concerned with users' perception of the decision.

  19.

  OPCS

  Census of mothers in prison

  Fieldwork:

  November—December 1994

  Purpose:

  A survey of imprisoned mothers to determine their numbers, and arrangements for the care of their children.

  20.

  SCPR

  Survey of 500 persons living in the London area and currently eligible to apply for United Kingdom citizenship. Applicants and non-applicants questioned about their reasons for applying/not applying.

  Fieldwork:

  February—April 1995

  Purpose:

  To assist workload planning by B4 Division of Immigration and Nationality Department.

  21.

  RSGB

  Omnibus Survey questions on attitudes to gambling and casinos.

  Fieldwork:

  February 1995

  Cost:

  £3,000

  Purpose:

  To provide background information for a review of current policy on gambling.

  Commission for Racial Equality
  Sir Ivan Lawrence
  : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the next quinquennial review of the Commission for Racial Equality is due to take place. [15446]

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  The quinquennial review of the Commission for Racial Equality is now beginning and it will continue into the summer.

  Publicity and Publications
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total expenditure of(a) all forms of publicity and (b) all publications and pamphlets produced for his Department and for all the agencies and public bodies for which his Department is responsible for each year since 1979, including the budgeted figure for 1995–96, (i) including and (ii) excluding privatisation-related expenditures and expressed in 1994 prices; and if he will supply information for the period from 1 April 1993 to 1 March 1995 showing (1) the nature and (2) the purpose of each publicity campaign and of each publication involving the expenditure of more than £50,000. [14630]

  Mr. Howard
  [holding answer 17 March 1995]: Publicity campaigns and publications involving expenditure of more than £50.000 between 1 April 1993 and 1 March 1995 were as follows:

  a) television advertising to encourage home owners to purchase, install and maintain smoke alarms;

  b) press advertising to encourage applications to the accelerated promotion scheme for graduates in the police;

  c) television and press advertising and the publication of brochures to recruit more special constables;

  d) television advertising to encourage people to register to vote;

  e) press advertising to encourage the public to renew passports in good time;

  f) press advertising to encourage people to become members of boards of visitors;

  g) press advertising to encourage applications to the Prison Service accelerated promotion scheme;

  h) the production of leaflets to support the "Make a Difference" initiative to encourage more people to undertake voluntary work;

  i) the production of a booklet advising on protecting people and property against bombs;

  j) television, radio and press advertising and publications about car crime prevention;

  k) publication of the Citizenship Foundation pack "You, Me, Us" designed to help primary school children develop their moral and social responsibility reasoning;

  l) publication of the home security leaflet and poster "Beat the Burglar";

  m) publication of the truck theft leaflet, poster and sticker "A load on Your Mind";

  n) publication of "Your Practical Guide to Crime Prevention" advising on security on a wide range of subjects;

  o) television, radio and press advertising to encourage the general public to get involved in preventing crime in their community and publication of the booklet "Partners Against Crime"; and

  p) publication of the leaflet "Domestic Violence—Don't Stand For It" directed at victims of domestic violence.

  The other information requested could not be provided without disproportionate cost.

  Transport Accidents (Legal Process)
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he or his Ministers have had with the Attorney-General, the Lord Chancellor and the Transport Secretary on reforms to the legal process of inquiry and potential prosecution following transport accidents leading to injury or death.

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  [holding answer 15 March 1995]: Discussions between Ministers are confidential. However, a Home Office-led interdepartmental group of officials was established in November 1990 to consider the relationship between coroners' inquests and public inquiries into disasters. Its membership included officials from the Lord Chancellor's Department and the Department of Transport.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total number of civil servants employed by(a) his Department, (b) the agencies under his Department's responsibility and (c) public and other bodies under his Department's responsibility, for each year since 1979, divided into (i) full-time equivalents, (ii) overtime, (iii) casuals and (iv) other; and whether he will also provide for each year his estimates of (A) civil service jop reductions due to privatisations, (B) civil service job reductions due to contracting out, (C) civil service job reductions resulting from other transfer of responsibilities, (D) the total of all other staff undertaking work for his Department or its agencies without being categorised as civil servants, including external consultants, researchers, agency secretarial staff substitution and (E) total manpower expenditures, in 1994 prices. [14764]

  Mr. Ian Taylor
  The civil service covers the permanent staff of central Government Departments and next steps agencies. The staff of other bodies are outside the civil service.

  The annual publication "Civil Service Statistics" gives details of the number of civil servants employed by my Department and its agencies, including full-time equivalent staff and casuals—from 1993 onwards—and of staff leaving the civil service.

  "Public Bodies", published annually since 1982, contains staffing information for those bodies not covered by "Civil Services Statistics".

  Details of running costs and the civil service paybill for my Department can be found in the tables on pages 97 and 98 of my Department's annual report (CM 2804). The table on page 99 gives details of overtime from 1989–90 onwards.

  Copies of all of these publications are available in the Library of the House.

  The remaining information sought could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Konver II Programme
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list those projects that have been submitted to the European Union for inclusion in the Konver II programme. [14332]
  17
  Mr. Eggar
  I have not sent any projects to the European Commission. The hon. Member has misunderstood the procedure.

  On 1 July 1994, the Commission published a notice outlining the purposes of Konver grants, setting out criteria for geographical eligibility, and inviting national programmes, not projects, to be sent to it by 1 October. After revising its views on the determination of the eligible geographical areas, it subsequently amended the date for programmes to 1 March 1995, when the British programme was duly sent. On 21 December 1994, the Commission determined the financial allocation available to each member state and drew up a "provisional" list of eligible geographical areas.

  The national programmes set out the purposes for which member states propose to use Konver grants in more detail, but consistently with the terms of the notice. They do not describe individual projects. They also include member states' final proposed lists of eligible areas.

  When, later this year, the British programme has been agreed with the Commission, applications for grants to individual projects will be considered by the Government in accordance with the terms of the programme. Allocations and payments of grant will proceed thereafter.

  I am aware that many prospective applicants have, on their own initiative, been preparing applications for some time. The Government offices in the English regions, the Scottish Office, the Welsh Office and Northern Ireland Departments will be glad to advise them, so far as is possible while the final terms of the British programme—like those for other member states—are not yet agreed with the Commission.

  Deregulation Advisory Committee
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what results have been achieved following the establishment of the deregulation advisory committee; how many members it comprises; how many sub-committees it contains; how many members comprise those sub-committees; what is the total cost of public funds of the initiative in terms of(a) staff salaries, (b) office costs and (c) incidentals and if he will make a statement on the progress he hopes to make in the next three months. [14812]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  The deregulation task force has 16 members, including the chairman, the right hon. Francis Maude. It has a flexible working structure. At present, it is focusing on 10 broad areas of work: small business/licensing, enforcement, tax, health and safety, food and drink, environment, financial services, employment, transport and longer-term issues. Fourteen additional business representatives currently assist the task force on particular issues.

  Task force members are not paid for their work, but they receive travel and subsistence expenses. Administrative support for the task force is provided by the deregulation unit in my Department, which also has the overall task of stimulating and monitoring progress to minimise regulatory burdens. Details of the total running costs of the deregulation unit are available in the DTI annual report which was published on 2 March and is available for inspection in the Library of the House.

  The deregulation task force will issue its first annual report soon.

  Telecommunications
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) when he expects to present to Parliament the official text of part II of the European Green Paper on telecommunications liberalisation;

  (2) when he expects to produce the explanatory memorandum from the Government on the implications of the European Commission Green Paper, part II, on telecommunications liberalisation.

  Mr. Ian Taylor
  I expect to submit to Parliament shortly the official text of part II of the European Commission's Green Paper on the liberalisation of telecommunications infrastructure and an explanatory memorandum on it.

PRIME MINISTER

  Lockerbie
  Mr. Tam Dalyell
  To ask the Prime Minister what representations he has received from Sir Charles Powell about the western response to the destruction of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie. [15102]

  The Prime Minister
  None.

  Terrorist Organisations (Disarming)
  Rev. Martin Smyth
  To ask the Prime Minister when a Minister first intimated publicly that the Government's position on disarming terrorist organisations had changed to allow Ministers to discuss the possibility and modality of disarming. [14854]

  The Prime Minister
  The Government's line regarding dialogue with Sinn Fein and the decommissioning issue has been consistent throughout. It is important not to confuse the issues of ministerial participation in exploratory dialogue and Sinn Fein participation in inclusive talks.

  We have always made it clear that, in judging the right time for ministerial involvement, we have to be clear that Sinn Fein is willing to address all necessary issues and that progress has been made in having serious and substantive exploration of them. Ministers need to be clear that, if and when they take part, constructive discussion, particularly in achieving substantial progress on the decommissioning of arms, would be facilitated and accelerated by their joining the dialogue.

  But, as a matter of principle and political reality, Sinn Fein cannot be admitted into an inclusive political talks process until substantial progress has been made on the decommissioning of weapons. This is exactly the point my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland made in Belfast on 14 December last year.

  Public Holidays
  Sir David Steel
  To ask the Prime Minister what is his policy in respect of the entitlement of employees of the NHS to time off on the national holiday planned for 8 May; and if he will make it his policy that the status of the employers within the health service will have no bearing upon employee entitlement to public holidays. [14694]
  19
  The Prime Minister
  It is the Government's policy that the national holiday on 8 May will be observed by all national health service employers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, instead of the customary bank holiday on May 1. In recognition of the different traditions regarding bank holidays in Scotland, it will be for NHS employers in Scotland to decide whether or not to give staff a holiday on 8 May.

  Entitlement to bank and public holidays for NHS staff employed on national terms and conditions is governed by an agreement of the General Whitley Council.

  Royal Family (Publicity Services)
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Prime Minister what was the expenditure for each year since 1984 in support of the royal family in respect of publicity services; and if he will provide a breakdown between different members of the royal family. [14611]

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 27 March 1995]: Expenditure by COI on publicity services for the royal household for each year since 1984–85 is as follows:

  1984–85 £182,000

  1985–86 £172,000

  1986–87 £181,000

  1987–88 £205,000

  1988–89 £183,000

  1989–90 £375,000

  1990–91 £292,000

  1991–92 £318,000

  1992–93 £237,000

  1993–94 £290,000

  Further information is not available in the form requested.

EMPLOYMENT

  Unemployment Benefit
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 24 November 1994,Official Report, column 267, if he is now able to publish research carried out by his Department on the lengths of periods of disqualification from unemployment benefit following a finding of voluntary unemployment. [14369]

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

  Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Mr. Harry Barnes, dated 20 March 1995:
  The Secretary of State has asked to reply to your question about research we commissioned into periods of disqualification from unemployment benefit.
  When I wrote to you on 24 November, I undertook to forward the results of this research, which were expected by the end of 1994. May I reiterate my letter to you of 18 January which contained details of the findings.
  Information about periods of disqualification from unemployment benefit, including those imposed following a finding voluntary unemployment, was gathered as part of research we commissioned into wider adjudication issues. I am enclosing an extract from the research data which provides a snap shot picture of average periods of disqualification imposed during October 1994. The results show
  20
  that 29% of disqualifications overall are for the full six months and that the average period for the remainder is 89 days. For leaving voluntary cases the proportion of disqualifications for the full six months is 25%.
  I hope this is helpful.
  NB: I have arranged for a copy of the annexes to be placed in the Library.

  Polling and Public Survey Organisations
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the employment of polling or public survey organisations by his Department during the current and previous financial years, on the organisations employed by his Department, on the values of individual contracts for these services, on the total amounts of money spent and on the purposes of the research undertaken by these organisations. [14511]

  Miss Widdecombe
  The Department funds a comprehensive range of research and evaluation work to assist in achieving the aim of promoting a competitive, efficient and flexible labour market. The forward programme is advertised in the Employment Gazette and potential contractors, some of whom may conduct polling and public survey work, are invited to register an interest in projects within the programme. Contracts are awarded following competitive tendering in line with Government purchasing procedures. Details of all research and evaluation work commissioned within the Employment Department group are published in our annual reports on research and in regular research updates in the Employment Gazette.

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total number of civil servants employed by(a) his Department, (b) the agencies under his Department's responsibility and (c) public and other bodies under his Department's responsibility, for each year since 1979, divided into (1) full-time equivalents, (2) overtime, (3) casuals and (4) other; and whether he will also provide for each year his estimates of (A) civil service job reductions due to privatisations, (B) civil service job reductions due to contracting out, (C) civil service job reductions resulting from other transfer of responsibilities, (D) the total of all other staff undertaking work for the Department or its agencies without being categorised as civil servants, including external consultants, researchers, agency secretarial staff and staff substitution and (E) total manpower expenditures, in 1994 prices. [15096]

  Miss Widdecombe
  The civil service covers the permanent staff of central Government Departments and next steps agencies. The staff of other bodies are outside the civil service.

  The annual publication "Civil Service Statistics" gives details of the number of civil servants employed by the Department and the Employment Service agency, including full-time equivalent staff and casuals, from 1993 onwards, and of staff leaving the civil service.

  "Public Bodies", published annually since 1982, contains staffing information for those bodies not covered by civil service statistics.

  Details of running costs and the civil service pay bill for the Department can be found in annexe A, table (iv)

  21
  of the Department's annual report, Cm 2805. Table (iii) gives details of overtime from 1989–90 onwards.

  Copies of all of these publications are available in the Library.

  The remaining information sought can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Burns International
  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what contact his officials have had with Burns International to discuss a variation to the tender to provide his Department with office services; and if he will make a statement; [14874]

  (2) if he will make it his policy to ensure that a full cost assessment is made of any changes proposed by Burns International in its tender for office services and that they are compared against the cost of the in-house bid. [14876]

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

  Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Mrs. Ann Taylor, dated 20 March 1995:
  The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions relating to various aspects of the recent successful tender by Burns International (Burns) for Regional Office Support Services within the Employment Service (ES).
  22
  My decision to award contracts to Burns in ES Northern Region, Office for Scotland and Office for Wales was reached following a market test carried out in accordance with Efficiency Unit guidance. It represents best value for money for the ES and therefore better value for money to the taxpayer. Since that decision in January, discussions have taken place between Burns and my people focusing on aspects of service delivery and final contract price. Such post tender negotiations, with our preferred tenderer, are part of our standard procurement process and are undertaken in order to finalise contractual detail prior to contract signature. I can assure you that any changes proposed by Burns in order to meet the requirements set out in the competition for this work will not involve amending the price that they will charge the ES.
  Within ES market testing, it is our policy to ensure that any variations to the tender price which result from post tender negotiations are fully assessed in line with Efficiency Unit guidance. This assessment involves full financial comparisons with the tender proposals of other bidders, including the in house bid team, to ensure that the preferred tenderer continues to offer the ES best value for money.
  I hope this is helpful.

  Stockport and High Peak Training and Enterprise Council
  Mr. Booth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress Stockport and High Peak training and enterprise council is making in meeting the criteria for the award of a three-year licence. [15442]

  Mr. Paice
  I am pleased to announce that Stockport and High Peak training and enterprise council has now completed the process of meeting the rigorous standard we set for the award of the new three year licences. Its licence will be effective from April 1995.

TREASURY

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total number of civil servants employed by(a) his Department, (b) the agencies under his Department's responsibility and (c) public and other bodies under his Department's responsibility, for each year since 1979, divided into (i) full-time equivalents, (ii) overtime, (iii) casuals, and (iv) other; and whether he will also provide for each year his estimates of (A) civil service job reductions due to privatisations, (B) civil service job reductions due to contracting out, (C) civil service job reductions resulting from other transfer of responsibilities, (D) the total of all other staff undertaking work for his Department or its agencies without being categorised as civil servants, including external consultants, researchers, agency secretarial staff and staff substitution and (E) total manpower expenditures, in 1994 prices. [15091]

  Mr. Nelson
  The civil service covers the permanent staff of central government departments and next steps agencies. The staff of other bodies are outside the civil service.

  The annual publication "Civil Service Statistics" gives details of the number of civil servants employed by my Department and its agencies, including full-time equivalent staff and casuals, from 1993 onwards, and of staff leaving the civil service.

  "Public Bodies", published annually since 1982, contains staffing information for those bodies not covered by "Civil Service Statistics".

  Details of the running costs and civil service pay bill for my Department can be found in table 12.2 of my Department's annual report, Cm 2817. Table 12.3 gives details of overtime from 1989–90 onwards.

  Copies of all these publications are available in the Members' Library.

  The remaining information sought could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Barings Bank
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date requests to close the New York office of Barings by the Securities and Exchange Commission were first communicated(a) to the Bank of England or (b) departmental officials.

  Mr. Nelson
  [holding answer 13 March 1995]: On (a) as my right hon. and learned Friend told the House on 27 February, Official Report, columns 693–704, he has asked the Board of Banking Supervision to investigate fully and urgently all aspects of the Barings episode and to report back to him. He expects to publish the full report subject only to the need to protect the legitimate confidentiality of innocent third parties and any other legal constraints. On (b) Treasury officials were not approached.

  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date concerns expressed by Mr. James Bax as to Barings operations in Singapore in a memo of 1992 were first drawn to the attention of representatives of the Bank of England or departmental officials.

  Mr. Nelson
  [holding answer 13 March 1995]: There was no requirement to bring this to the attention of the
  24
  Treasury, and no one did so. As for the Bank, my right hon. and learned Friend told the House on 27 February, columns 693–704, that he has asked the Board of Banking Supervision to investigate fully and urgently all aspects of the Barings episode and to report back to him. He expects to publish the full report subject only to the need to protect the legitimate confidentiality of innocent third parties and any other legal constraints.

  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what communications were received by Treasury officials as to developing problems at either Barings in the United Kingdom or in Singapore from overseas financial authorities in each of the last 24 months separately.

  Mr. Nelson
  [holding answer 13 March 1995]: None.

  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Barings ever discussed with the Bank of England or Treasury officials a dispensation enabling Barings to breach rules in respect of cap on investments rules in the period between 1 December 1994 and 26 February 1995.

  Mr. Nelson
  [holding answer 13 March 1995]: Such dispensations are not matters for the Treasury and officials were not approached. As for the Bank, my right hon. and learned Friend told the House on 27 February that he has asked the Board of Banking Supervision to investigate fully and urgently all aspects of this episode and to report back to him. He expects to publish the full report subject only to the need to protect the legitimate confidentiality of innocent third parties and any other legal constraints.

  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date the Bank of Japan was approached by Barings in January 1995 on matters relating to exposure in the Market first made known to Bank of England and or departmental officials.

  Mr. Nelson
  [holding answer 13 March 1995]: There would have been no need for any such information to be made known to Treasury officials and, as far as I can ascertain, it was not. As for the Bank, as my right hon. and learned Friend told the House on 27 February he has asked the Board of Banking Supervision to investigate fully and urgently all aspects of the Barings episode and to report back to him. He expects to publish the full report subject only to the need to protect the legitimate confidentiality of innocent third parties and any other legal constraints.

  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date warnings by SIMEX in January and February as to Baring's exposure in the market were first communicated to the Bank of England and or departmental officials.

  Mr. Nelson
  [holding answer 13 March 1995]: Treasury officials received no such information. As my right hon. and learned Friend told the House on 27 February columns 693–704, he has asked the Board of Banking Supervision to investigate fully and urgently all aspects of the Barings episode and to report back to him. He expects to publish the full report subject only to the need to protect the legitimate confidentiality of innocent third parties and any other legal constraints.

  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has on the number of banks which have closed in the last 30 years; on what dates they closed; and what was the value of their assets.
  25
  Mr. Nelson
  Full information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The following table lists United Kingdom authorised banks which have entered into administration, liquidation or provisional liquidation since 1980. It does not include banks which have ceased to be authorised by the Bank of England but which remained solvent. In most cases the value of assets has been taken either from statements of affairs or press releases and will be best estimates made at the time.

  United Kingdom authorized banks which have closed since 1979

  Closure date

  Value of assets £

  Merbro Finance

  1982

  4 million

  First Guarantee Trust

  1982

  3 million

  Chancellor Finance

  1983

  1 million

  Goodwin Squires Securities

  1983

  negligible

  Trinity Trust and Savings

  1983

  4 million

  Bremar Holdings

  1984

  22 million

  Castle Court Trust

  1984

  7 million

  Cross and Bevingtons Finance

  1984

  negligible

  St. Martin le Grand Securities

  1984

  negligible

  Eastcheap Investments

  1984

  1 million

  Spring Gardens Securities

  1986

  1 million

  Oriental Credit

  1986

  10 million

  PL Investments

  1987

  1 million

  Consumer Credit Investments

  1987

  1 million

  British and Commonwealth Merchant Bank

  1990

  410 million

  Authority Bank

  1991

  49 million

  Chancery1

  1991

  164 million

  Edington

  1991

  33 million

  Wallace Smith Trust

  1991

  215 million

  Bradford Investments

  1991

  1 million

  BCCI (United Kingdom branches)

  1991

  $3.2 billion

  Rafidain Bank (United Kingdom branch)2 3

  1991

  201 million

  National Guardian Mortgage Corporation

  1992

  12 million

  Mount Banking Corporation

  1992

  188 million

  Deacon Hoare

  1992

  1 million

  Equatorial Bank

  1993

  83 million

  Roxburghe Bank

  1993

  34 million

  Wimbledon and South West Finance3

  1994

  24 million

  Baring Bros and Co. Ltd.3

  1995

  5.2 billion

  1 Came out of administration and is now subject to company voluntary arrangement.

  2 In provisional liquidation

  3 Still authorized under the Banking Act.

  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which local authorities or Government bodies had money deposited with Barings bank.

  Mr. Nelson
  It is for individual authorities and Government bodies to decide what details to disclose about their use of bank accounts. In any case, following ING's takeover of Barings, depositors' funds have now been unfrozen.

  Monetary Policy
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the extent to which the deflationary measures which he has taken since August 1994 will benefit the financiers of the real economy at the expense of manufacturing industry; and what steps he will take to prevent this.
  26
  Mr. Nelson
  The role of monetary policy is to deliver low inflation. Monetary policy has been tightened since August 1994, so as to take no risk with inflation. A stable macro-economic environment with low inflation is the best way to ensure sustained real growth and will benefit all sectors of the economy.

  Manufactures
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list for each year since 1970 the United States and United Kingdom trade surplus/deficit in manufactures as a percentage of gross domestic product, the terms of trade for manufactures and the change in the relative unit value of exports of manufactures compared to each other and to the main manufacturing countries.

  Mr. Nelson
  The value, and united values for UK imports and exports of manufactures, and relative export unit value indices for the United Kingdom, United States and other main manufacturing countries can be found in the "Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics" published monthly by the Central Statistical Office. UK GDP can be found in "Economic Trends, Annual Supplement" also published by the Central Statistical Office. Alternatively, the data can be found on the Central Statistical Office's computer database.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the change in relative export unit values for manufactures since 1979, together with the change in import penetration and in the United Kingdom share of the export trade in manufactures.

  Mr. Nelson
  Estimates of import penetration and the UK share of world trade in manufactures can readily be derived from figures for import volumes, domestic demand, manufacturing export volumes and world trade in manufactures. These data and figures for relative export unit values for manufactures can be found on the central database of the Central Statistical Office, which can be accessed through the House of Commons Library.

  Exchange Rates
  Sir Ralph Howell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the £/DM exchange rate in 1965, 1975, 1985 and currently.

  Mr. Nelson
  At close on Wednesday 15 March, sterling stood at DM2.22. Information on sterling's exchange rate against the deutschmark can be found in table 7.1 of "Financial Statistics" published by the Central Statistical Office; a longer back-run of data is available in the annual supplement to "Economic Trends", also published by the CSO.

  Export Values
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects United States relative export values for manufactures to fall to the 1978–80 average; and if he will publish a table showing United Kingdom export unit values for manufactures relative to those of the United States for each year since 1987 and for each quarter since the third quarter of 1992.

  Mr. Nelson
  [holding answer 13 March 1995]: It is not the Government's practice to publish forecasts of relative export values for the United States.

  Unit value export prices of manufactures for the main manufacturing countries can be found in the "Monthly

  27
  Review of External Trade Statistics", published monthly by the Central Statistical Office, or on the Central Statistical Office's computer database.

  Taxpayers
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers there were in the last financial year whose taxable earnings averaged £1,000 or more per day.

  Sir George Young
  [holding answer 14 March 1995]: A reliable estimate is not available.

  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the benefits of introducing a higher marginal income tax rate for those taxpayers earning more on average than £1,000 per day.

  Sir George Young
  [holding answer 14 March 1995]: We believe that high income tax rates damage incentives and growth. Our policy is to have a tax system with low marginal rates—so that people keep more of every extra pound they earn—and a broad tax base.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  Boxing
  Ms Jowell
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what was the total amount spent by his Department on boxing in schools for each of the last three years. [14691]

  Mr. Sproat
  My Department has not given any direct funding for boxing in schools in the last three years. However, through Sportsmatch, it awarded a grant of £5,000 in October 1994 to the non-contact "Kid Gloves Scheme".

  Digital Audio Broadcasting
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) what action his Department is taking in response to the Radio Authority's second policy statement on digital audio broadcasting; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) what plans his Department has to bring forward legislative proposals to encourage the development of digital audio broadcasting in the United Kingdom;

  (3) when his Department plans to bring forward proposals for a regulatory and licensing regime for digital audio broadcasting; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The Government hope to set out later this year a regulatory framework for digital broadcasting. We, therefore welcome this publication which is a useful sttement of the Radio Authority's current position.

  Water and Sewerage
  Mr. Nicholls
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is the cost of his Department's expenditure on water and sewerage in(a) the current year and (b) each of the three previous years.

  Mr. Dorrell
  My Department did not occupy its own HQ premises until May 1993. Only in one of our buildings, occupied since October 1993, do we pay water charges directly. The following is a breakdown of those charges along with those of my agencies.
  28

  £

  1994–95

  DNH (Grove House)

  1,516

  Royal Parks Agency

  213,339

  Historic Royal Palaces Agency:

  Her Majesty's Tower of London

  16,426

  Hampton Court Palace

  41,886

  Kensington Palace

  1,853

  Banqueting House

  2,512

  1993–94

  DNH (Grove House)

  683

  Royal Parks Agency

  166,754

  Historic Royal Palaces Agency:

  Her Majesty's Tower of London

  15,476

  Hampton Court Palace

  17,954

  Kensington Palace

  1,735

  Banqueting House

  2,351

  1992–93

  Royal Parks Agency

  129,278

  Historic Royal Palaces Agency:

  Her Majesty's Tower of London

  14,271

  Hampton Court Palace

  14,911

  Kensington Palace

  1,598

  Banqueting House

  2,165

  1991–92

  Royal Parks Agency

  188,335

  Historic Royal Palaces Agency:

  HM Tower of London

  9,174

  Hampton Court Palace

  17,044

  Kensington Palace

  1,465

  Banqueting House

  1,964

  Television Reception
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what estimate he has of(a) the erection costs and (b) the annual rental, insurance and technical maintenance costs which fall on communities of below 200 inhabitants that are dependent upon the provision of a private booster mast for the reception of television broadcasts. [14573]

  Mr. Dorrell
  [holding answer 17 March 1995]: The Department does not hold this information. The current "Self Help Television" guidance booklet, issued by the BBC and Independent Television Commission, includes some indicative figures but suggests that communities should seek a quote from a competent television engineer and obtain estimates from manufacturers and installers. The BBC or ITC will offer advice to groups about the possibilities of self-help schemes.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the total number of civil servants employed by(a) his Department, (b) the agencies under his Department's responsibility, and (c) public and other bodies under his Department's responsibility, for each year since 1979, divided into (1) full-time equivalents, (2) overtime, (3) casuals and (4) other; and whether he will also provide for each year his estimate of (A) civil service job reductions due to privatisations, (B)

  29
  civil service job reductions due to contracting out, (C) civil service job reductions from other transfer of responsibilities, (D) the total of all other staff undertaking work for the Department or its agencies without being categorised as civil servants, including external consultants, researchers, agency secretarial staff and staff substitution and (E) total manpower expenditures, in 1994 prices. [15089]

  Mr. Horam
  The civil service covers the permanent staff of central Government Departments and next steps agencies. The staff of other bodies are outside the civil service.

  The annual publication "Civil Service Statistics" gives details of the number of civil servants employed by my Department and its agencies, including full-time equivalent staff and casuals, from 1993 onwards, and of staff leaving the civil service.

  "Public Bodies", published annually since 1982, contains staffing information for those bodies not covered by "Civil Service Statistics".

  Details of running costs and the civil service pay bill for my Department can be found in chapter 7 and tables 8.4 and 8.5 in chapter 8 in my Department's annual report, Cm 2820. Table 7.7 gives details of overtime from 1989–90 onwards.

  Copies of all these publications are available in the Library of the House.

  The remaining information sought could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the total number of civil servants employed by(a) his Department, (b) the agencies under his Department's responsibility and (c) public and other bodies under his Department's responsibility, for each year since 1979, divided into (i) full-time equivalents, (ii) overtime, (iii) casuals and (iv) other; and whether he will also provide for each year his estimates of (A) civil service job reductions due to privatisations, (B) civil service job reductions due to contracting out (C) civil service job reductions resulting from other transfer of responsibilities, (D) the total of all other staff undertaking work for his Department or its agencies without being categorised as civil servants, including external consultants, researchers, agency secretarial staff and staff substitution and (E) total manpower expenditures, in 1994 prices. [14768]

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The civil service covers the permanent staff of central Government Departments and next steps agencies. The staff of other bodies are outside the civil service.

  The annual publication "Civil Service Statistics" gives details of the number of civil servants employed by the Lord Chancellor's Department and its three agencies, HM Land Registry, the Public Record Office and the Public Trust Office, including full-time equivalents and casuals from 1993 onwards, and of staff leaving the civil service.

  "Public Bodies" published annually since 1982, contains staffing information for those bodies not covered by "Civil Service Statistics".
  30
  Details of running costs and the civil service pay bill in cash terms for the Lord Chancellor's Department and its agencies can be found in chapter A, tables 4 and 5, chapter C, and Chapter D, tables 5 and 6, of the departmental report of the Lord Chancellor's and the Law Officer's Departments, Cm. 2809. Chapter A, table 5, and chapter C give details of overtime from 1989 onwards.

  Copies of all these publications are available in the Members' Library.

  The remaining information sought could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Industrial Injury
  Ms Lynne
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many claims under £2,500 for industrial injury have been made since 1990; and how many to the same amount were made in the previous four years.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  This information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Water and Sewerage
  Mr. Nicholls
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the cost of his Department's expenditure on water and sewerage in(a) the current year and (b) each of the three previous years.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  Expenditure by the Lord Chancellor's Department on water and sewerage was:(a) £556,394 in the current year to the end of January; and (b) £857,977 in 1993–94, £772,652 in 1992–93 and £840,024 in 1991–92.

  Mr. Darius Guppy
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if the application for legal aid by Darius Guppy has been approved; and what assessment he has made of whether the proceeds of the crime of which Mr. Guppy was convicted have been accounted for.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  Mr. Guppy has made a number of applications for legal aid in the past 12 months, in respect of various proceedings. Most recently, his application for criminal legal aid to Redbridge magistrates court was granted on 24 February 1995. The confidentiality provisions in section 38 of the Legal Aid Act 1988 prevent the disclosure of information on an applicant's financial means.

HEALTH

  Health Records (Access)
  Mr. Henderson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she now intends to make regulations under section 8(3) of the Access to Health Records Act 1990 in order to provide a complaints procedure for patients who
  31
  have been denied access to their health records under the Act, in line with the commitment given by the Under-Secretary of State for Health on 4 July 1990.

  Mr. Sackville
  Complaints about non-compliance with the Access to Health Records Act in relation to hospital records can already be made, using the hospital complaints procedure. We are considering the need for regulations under the Access to Health Records Act and will make an announcement in due course.

  Depo-medrone
  Mr. Godsiff
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what approach her Department has made to Upjohn, the manufacturer of depo-medrone, to request it to vary the provisions of the licence so as to include epidural use; and if she will publish the details of discussions and correspondence that have taken place between her Department and Upjohn.

  Mr. Sackville
  No such approach has been made to Upjohn. The present product licence for depo-medrone does not recommend the use of the product by the epidural route. The company holding the licence for the product would be required to provide the necessary supporting information to the Medicines Control Agency to support any changes to the licence. Correspondence between companies and the Medicines Control Agency regarding product licences are commercially confidential.

  Mr. Godsiff
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment she has made of the frequency with which(a) depo-medrone and (b) other drugs are used for purposes for which they are not licensed;

  (2) what is her Department's policy regarding the use of (a) depo-medrone or (b) other drugs for purposes which are not licensed.

  Mr. Sackville
  Information regarding the use of medicines in an unlicensed manner is not available centrally since doctors are not obliged to report such usage. In accordance with the exemption in section 9 of the Medicines Act 1968, if a doctor believes that the use of an unlicensed medicine, or use of a licensed medicine in a manner which is not specified in the product licence is appropriate for a patient, he or she may administer it on their own responsibility. They may also seek advice from relevant professional bodies, but it is for doctors to use their training, knowledge and experience to weigh carefully the likely benefits of a medicine against the anticipated risks before choosing the most appropriate treatment for a particular patient. It is also for doctors to discuss the risks and alternatives of any proposed treatment and to obtain the patient's consent before administering it.

  Mr. Godsiff
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the outcome of discussions between departmental officials and relevant medical professional bodies concerning current clinical practice referred to in her answer to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett), on 21 October 1993,Official Report, columns 315–16; and what specific advice her Department has issued to doctors on this issue.

  Mr. Sackville
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Mandelson) and to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr.32
  Blunkett) on 2 March 1994, column 757. We have decided that no further guidance on depo-medrone is needed at present.

  Mr. Godsiff
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the use of polyethylene glycol as one of the constituent parts of depo-medrone.

  Mr. Sackville
  Polyethylene glycols of various molecular weights and grades have been used extensively in the pharmaceutical industry, as solvents, vehicles and solubilising agents. Depo-medrone is a licensed medicinal product. A product licence is granted only after the careful consideration of evidence to demonstrate to the licensing authority that the product is safe, efficacious and of satisfactory quality for the indications and routes of administration intended. The assessment includes not just the active drug substance but an assessment of the whole formulation of the product, in the context of the terms of the licence. This includes the safety of any excipients such as polyethylene glycol.

  Intensive Care Beds
  Mr. Sims
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many intensive care beds are currently operational in(a) London and (b) the rest of England and Wales: and what were the corresponding figures for the last five years.

  Mr. Sackville
  Information is provided in the table on the average daily number of available designated intensive care beds in London and the rest of England. In addition to these services provided in units designated as intensive care units, intensive care can also be delivered in a variety of hospital departments, such as neo-natal intensive care, coronary care units, accident and emergency departments, renal units and high dependency units. Information relating to Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

  London

  England 1

  1989–90

  484

  2,033

  1990–91

  459

  2,024

  1991–92

  459

  2,017

  1992–93

  480

  2,045

  1993–94

  501

  2,105

  1 Excluding London.

  NHS Expenditure
  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State of Health what was the expenditure on the NHS in each year since 1965 showing any percentage increase or decrease from the pervious year taking account of(a) inflation, (b) NHS inflation, (c) the impact of demographic changes on activity and unit costs and (d) the impact of technological advance on activity and unit costs.

  Mr. Sackville
  The information available is shown in the table. We have no means of adjusting these figures for the impact of demographic changes on the national health service as a whole or of technological change.

  Information on estimated growth in demand for hospital and community health services from demographic changes is in the departmental report (Cm 2812).
  33

  Gross National Health Service expenditure1

  £ million

  Year

  Cash

  Adjusted by general inflation2 (1993–94 prices)

  Percentage change over previous year

  Adjusted by NHS inflation (1990–91 prices)3

  Percentage change over previous years

  1971–72

  2,000

  14,251

  —

  16,554

  —

  1972–73

  2,281

  15,029

  5.5

  17,433

  5.3

  1973–74

  2,592

  15,980

  6.3

  18,075

  3.7

  1974–75

  3,426

  17,653

  10.5

  17,976

  -0.5

  1975–76

  4,511

  18,530

  5.0

  18,377

  2.2

  1976–77

  5,149

  18,634

  0.6

  18,546

  0.9

  1977–78

  5,689

  18,123

  -2.7

  18,817

  1.5

  1978–79

  6,525

  18,697

  3.2

  19,531

  3.8

  1979–80

  7,755

  19,040

  1.8

  19,344

  -1.0

  1980–81

  10,103

  20,964

  10.1

  19,890

  2.8

  1981–82

  11,329

  21,434

  2.2

  20,557

  3.4

  1982–83

  12,353

  21,818

  1.8

  21,027

  2.3

  1983–84

  13,114

  22,135

  1.5

  21,279

  1.2

  1984–85

  14,102

  22,664

  2.4

  21,567

  1.4

  1985–86

  14,923

  22,737

  0.3

  21,695

  0.6

  1986–87

  16,044

  23,729

  4.4

  21,942

  1.1

  1987–88

  17,653

  24,789

  4.5

  22,354

  1.9

  1988–89

  19,628

  25,834

  4.2

  22,595

  1.1

  1989–90

  21,148

  26,017

  0.7

  22,946

  1.5

  1990–91

  23,673

  26,963

  3.6

  23,673

  3.2

  1991–92

  26,813

  28,734

  6.6

  —

  —

  1992–93

  29,393

  30,292

  5.4

  —

  —

  1993–94

  30,419

  30,419

  0.4

  —

  —

  1994–954

  31,946

  31,320

  3.0

  —

  —

  1995–965

  33,441

  31,753

  1.4

  —

  —

  1 Information on National Health Service expenditure is not available on a comparable basis before 1971–72.

  2 Measured by the GDP deflator.

  3 Figures for NHS inflation not available after 1990–91.

  4 Forecast outturn.

  5 Plan.

  St. Mary's Hospital
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement about St. Mary's hospital and its energy-saving potential.

  Mr. Sackville
  St. Mary's hospital is the first of two demonstration hospitals in which a range of energy-saving technologies are being used. The aim is to achieve significant savings in fuel consumption and reduce environmental pollution.

  First and second year appraisals have identified significant reductions in fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, increasing from 35 per cent. fuel savings in year one to 44 per cent. in year two. This equates to annual savings of £51,000 in fuel bills and a reduction of 1,000 tonnes in carbon dioxide emissions.

  Practice Nurses
  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the annual change in pay received by practice nurses in each regional health authority in each of the last five years. [15370]

  Mr. Malone
  This information is not available centrally.

  Female Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health. what was the percentage of female obstetricians and gynaecologists in each of the last five years. [13328]

  Mr. Malone
  The information is shown in the table.
  34

  Females obstetricians and gynaecologists—England (whole time equivalent) 1989–1993

  As at 30 September

  Percentage

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  Female

  22

  22

  23

  24

  26

  1. Grades covered are: consultant, staff grade, associate specialist, senior registrar, registrar, hospital practitioner and clinical assistants.

  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets have been set in the last 10 years in relation to the increase in the number and percentage of female obstetricians and gynaecologist; and when they should be achieved. [13329]

  Mr. Malone
  None. In the 10 years between 1983 and 1993, the percentage of female consultants in obstetrics and gynaecology rose from 11 to 15 per cent.—an increase of 8.8 per cent. per annum between 1988 and 1993. The number of female consultants in the specialty rose from 80 to 130. Some 35 per cent. of senior registrars in the specialty are women.

  National Continence Day
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial support she has given and will be giving to National Continence Day; and if she will make a statement. [14231]

  Mr. Bowis
  The Department is providing £160,000 this year to support National Continence Day, which will be held on 21 March 1995, and for on-going work in this area.
  35
  Over 3 million adults and half a million children in the United Kingdom are estimated to suffer from incontinence. The majority of them—around 70 per cent.—could be successfully treated. Many others could have their quality of life improved by the provision of the right type of incontinence aids, but only one in six sufferers seeks help.

  The Department of Health, working jointly with the Continence Foundation, has produced publicity items which refer people to their pharmacists for advice or give the numbers of the Continence Foundation and the Enuresis Resource and Information Centre helplines.

  NHS Trusts
  Mr. Clapham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many NHS trust hospitals published annual accounts for 1993–94; what was the total amount paid by those hospitals in salaries and expenses to their chief executive; and what was the total amount paid by those hospitals in salaries and expenses to their boards of directors; [14770]

  (2) which NHS trust hospitals pay their chief executives more than £75,000 per annum; and if she will give the amount of the salaries; [14771]

  (3) which NHS trust hospitals paid their board of directors more than £400,000 in 1993–94. [14772]

  Mr. Malone
  All 292 national health service trusts in operation in 1993–94 published annual accounts for that year. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Redmond) on 16 February, column 808 in respect of the available information on remuneration of members of NHS trust boards.

  Polling and Public Survey Organisations
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the employment of polling or public survey organisations by her Department during the current and previous financial years, on the organisations employed by her Department, on the values of individual contracts for these services, on the total amounts of money spent and the purposes of the research undertaken by these organisations. [14500]

  Mr. Sackville
  This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Lynfield Mount Hospital
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will instruct Bradford Community Health trust to make public the report of the external review team into the secure unit at Lynfield Mount hospital in Bradford. [14813]

  Mr. Bowis
  The Bradford Community Health national health service trust has agreed to prepare copies of the report, suitably edited to preserve confidentiality of patients and staff. These will be made available to the hon. Member and other interested local bodies shortly.

  General Practitioners
  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) patients there are on general practitioners' list and (b) full-time equivalent general practitioners in each family health service authority area. [15081]
  36
  Mr. Malone
  This information is contained in "General Medical Services Statistics", which are published twice yearly, copies of which are available in the Library.

  GP Fundholding
  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what comparative assessment she has made of the benefits and costs of joint commissioning and general practitioner fundholding. [15085]

  Mr. Malone
  General practitioner fundholders are able to achieve improved patient benefits because they purchase services directly on behalf of their patients and ensure services are more sensitive to individual patient needs. This is the crucial difference between fundholding and other models of purchasing. Fundholding GPs, like other GPs, should be involved in health authority purchasing.

  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average amount spent in the private sector by fundholders in each year since 1991–92. [15035]

  Mr. Malone
  I refer the right hon. Member to the reply my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State gave the hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn) on 9 December 1994, column 401.

  St. Bartholomew's Hospital
  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what legal restrictions there are on future uses of St. Bartholomew's hospital site. [15084]

  Mr. Malone
  This is a matter for the North Thames regional health authority. The right hon. Member may wish to contact Sir William Staveley, the chairman, for details.

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total number of civil servants employed by(a) her Department, (b) the agencies under her Department's responsibility and (c) public and other bodies under her Department's responsibility, for each year since 1979, divided into (1) full-time equivalent, (2) overtime, (3) casuals and (4) other; and whether she will also provide for each year her estimates of (A) civil service job reductions due to privatisation, (B) civil service job reductions due to contracting out, (C) civil service job reductions resulting from other transfer of responsibilities, (D) the total of all other staff undertaking work for the Department or its agencies without being categorised as civil servants, including external consultants, researchers, agency secretarial staff and staff substitution and (E) total manpower expenditures, in 1994 prices. [15094]

  Mr. Sackville
  The civil service covers the permanent staff of central Government Departments and next steps agencies. The staff of other bodies are outside the civil service.

  The annual publication "Civil Service Statistics" gives details of the number of civil servants employed by the Department and its agencies, including full time equivalent staff and casuals, from 1993 onwards, and of staff leaving the civil service.
  37
  "Public Bodies", published annually since 1982, contains staffing information for those bodies not covered by "Civil Service Statistics".

  Details of running costs and the civil service pay bill for the Department can be found in table 12 of the Department's annual report (Cm 2512). Table 13 gives details of overtime from 1989–90 onwards.

  Copies of all of these publications are available in the Library.

  The remaining information sought could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  GP Remuneration
  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the published and non-published research done by her Department or commissioned by it on variation of general practitioner NHS income in each of the last five years. [15082]

  Mr. Malone
  Each year, the Department of Health and the General Medical Services Committee jointly commission an inquiry into the gross earnings and expenses, from all sources, of a sample of general practitioners. Surveys are conducted by the Inland Revenue and the results are reported, in confidence, to the Review Body on Doctors and Dentists Remuneration.

  GP Staff
  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many whole-time equivalent staff are employed by GPs in each family health service area; and if she will break down the figures by staff category; [15005]

  (2) how many (a) practice nurses and (b) practice managers there are in each family health service area. [15005]

  Mr. Malone
  The information is contained in "GMS Statistics 1 April 1994 England and Wales", copies of which are available in the Library.

  GP Fundholders
  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average amount spent by fundholders out of savings in extending premises and the average amount of improvement grants given to non-GP fundholders in the latest available year. [15003]

  Mr. Malone
  Information on the amount of savings spent by general practitioner fundholders on premises improvements is not available centrally. However, the National Audit Office report on GP fundholding estimates, from regional health authorities, that about one-third of savings have been used to improve practice premises for the benefit of patients, for example, to provide a wider range of services.

  In 1993–94, about £26 million was spent on improvement grants for all GPs in 1993–94. A breakdown of this figure between fundholders and non-fundholders is not available centrally.

  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the average savings by fundholders in each year since 1991–92. [15007]

  Mr. Malone
  Average savings made by fundholders in the first three years of the scheme were £50,000 per fund in 1991–92, £50,000 per fund in 1992–93 and £55,000 per fund in 1993–94. These savings are being reinvested 38
  in improving patient care. Following independent audit by the Audit Commission, fundholders savings are held by family health services authorities on behalf of the patients of fundholders.

  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has about the total savings by individual GP fundholders; and what information she has on how these savings are being spent by individual GP fundholders. [14990]

  Mr. Malone
  Regional health authorities are responsible for managing the fundholding scheme in their area. Information about an individual fundholder's savings is not routinely held centrally.

  Consultant Clinics
  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average annual number of consultant clinics held in(a) fundholding practices and (b) non-fundholding practices. [15036]

  Mr. Malone
  This information is not available centrally.

  Hospices
  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total number of hospices and Macmillan services in each region; and what information she has on the number of hospices in each European country. [15083]

  Mr. Sackville
  The available information is shown in the tables.

  Table 1: In-patient palliative care units and Macmillan services by region, England (January 1995)

  Region

  In-patient units

  Macmillan Services

  Anglia and Oxford

  20

  61

  Northern and Yorkshire

  26

  83

  North Thames

  19

  79

  South Thames

  25

  54

  North West

  27

  86

  South and West

  27

  61

  West Midlands

  11

  52

  Trent

  10

  57

  Total

  165

  533

  Sources:

  St. Christopher's Hospice Information Service and Cancer Relief Macmillan Fund (for Macmillan services).

  Table 2: Palliative Care Services (Including Day and Home Care) by European Country (October 1994) (NB. These figures are approximate)

  Country

  Palliative Care Services

  Austria

  4

  Belgium

  20

  Bulgaria

  1

  Croatia

  1

  Cyprus

  1

  Czech Republic

  7

  Denmark

  1

  Finland

  4

  France

  32

  Germany

  35

  Gibraltar

  1

  Greece

  2

  39

  Table 2: Palliative Care Services (Including Day and Home Care) by European Country (October 1994) (NB. These figures are approximate)

  Country

  Palliative Care Services

  Hungary

  2

  Iceland

  1

  Italy

  169

  Lithuania

  1

  Luxembourg

  1

  Malta

  1

  Netherlands

  5

  Norway

  4

  Poland

  30

  Portugal

  2

  Romania

  3

  Russia

  12

  Spain

  60

  Sweden

  10

  Switzerland

  7

  Total

  417

  Source:

  St. Christopher's Hospice Information Service.

  Performance-related Pay (Nurses)
  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates she has made of the costs of introducing performance-related pay for nurses. [14991]

  Mr. Malone
  The Government are proposing local pay for nurses which does not mean individual performance-related pay. Local pay provides the opportunity to reward the contributions which staff make to the provision of high-quality, cost-effective patient services. Arrangements for calculating local pay are a matter for individual trusts or other employers.

  Efficiency Savings
  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what total NHS efficiency savings, in real terms, are expected in each of the next five years. [14992]

  Mr. Sackville
  Hospital and community health services are expected to improve their efficiency by at least 3 per cent. in 1995–96, equivalent to an extra £600 million for patient care. No decision has been taken on the efficiency target for 1996–97 or any subsequent years.

  Cardiac Bypass Operations
  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cardiac bypass operations were done in each of the last five years; what projections she has on the likely numbers of these operations in each of the next five years. [14993]

  Mr. Sackville
  The number of cardiac bypass operations is as follows:

  1988–89: 10,203

  1989–90: 11,402

  1990–91: 13,195

  1991–92: 14,850

  1992–93: 17,119

  It is for each district to make an assessment of future demand.

  Casualty Departments
  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patient episodes there were in casualty departments in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [15001]

  Mr. Sackville
  This information is available in Department of Health statistical bulletin 12/94, copies of which are available in the Library.

  London Chest Hospital
  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has in relation to the London Chest hospital. [15002]

  Mr. Malone
  Ministers await the outcome of public consultation conducted by East London and The City health authority.

  Ministerial Visits
  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many fundholding and non-fundholding practices she and her Ministers have visited in the last year. [15004]

  Mr. Sackville
  A total of 40.

  Contracting Costs
  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has done on the comparative administrative costs of contracting on a cost per case basis and for block contracts; and what are the findings. [15008]

  Mr. Malone
  None. Health authorities and fundholding general practitioners are responsible for selecting the most appropriate type of contract to suit their patients' needs, taking account of value for money and the characteristics of the service being purchased.

  Dental Services
  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists who have not given notice to leave the dental list have given written notice to each family health service authority to de-register some or all of their continuing care arrangements for adult patients in each month since July 1992; and how many patients have been de-registered by family health service authority and in total.

  Mr. Malone
  [holding answer 13 March 1995]: Information about the numbers of patients de-registered will be placed in the Library.

  At the latest date for which figures are available, there were 20,712,569 adult patients registered with national health service dentists, an increase of 0.6 per cent. on July 1992.

  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many family health service authorities have referred patients who have been unable to obtain treatment from a general dental practitioner to(a) the community dental service, (b) the hospital dental service and (c) a salaried dentist in each month since July 1992.

  Mr. Malone
  [holding answer 13 March 1995]: The available information is shown in the tables.
  41

  Table 1: General Dental Service: number of Family Health Services Authorities who referred patients to the Community Dental Service, Hospital Dental Service or a Salaried Dentist in each month from July 1992 to July 1994

  England

  Month

  Number of FHSAs

  1992

  July

  42

  August

  35

  September

  30

  October

  33

  November

  34

  1993

  December/January

  36

  February

  33

  March

  30

  April

  31

  May

  32

  June

  30

  July

  34

  August

  30

  September

  31

  October

  33

  November

  30

  1994

  December/January

  38

  February

  34

  March

  37

  April

  33

  May

  35

  June

  33

  July

  38

  1. The Christmas period totals cover the months of December and January.

  Table 2: General Dental Service: number of Family Health Services Authorities who referred patients to the Community Dental Service, Hospital Dental Service or a Salaried Dentist in each month from August 1994 to February 1995

  England

  Number of FHSAs referring patients to salaried

  Month

  dentists

  CDS

  HDS

  1994

  August

  15

  14

  4

  September

  12

  20

  7

  October

  12

  16

  4

  November

  12

  15

  4

  1995

  December/January

  12

  20

  6

  February

  12

  25

  5

  1. The Christmas period totals cover the months of December and January.

  2. Information is only available from August 1994.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWALTH AFFAIRS

  Middle East
  Sir Ivan Lawrence
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Britain's role in facilitating progress in the middle east peace process.
  42
  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's visit to Israel, the occupied territories and Jordan demonstrated our strong support for the peace process and the strength of our bilateral relations. The Prime Minister announced an additional £7 million of aid for the Palestinians, bringing our total package to £82 million over three years.

  Wartime Intelligence Material
  Mr. Allason
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will declassify the wartime decrypts designated(a) ZGA, German naval attachés in Tokyo, (b) ISOS, Alwehr traffic, (c) ISK, Alwehr machine cipher traffic, and release them to the public Record Office.

  Mr. Hurd
  Following the release of the Dir/C archive in 1993 and 1994, GCHQ is continuing to review wartime intelligence material issued by the Government code and cykpher school. This includes the material referred to by my hon. Friend which will be reviewed in turn for possible release. One of these reports, on communications between Berlin and the naval attaché in Tokyo, is already in the Public Record Office as Z/P/ZG/248 in ADM223/4.

  China (HIV-AIDS)
  Miss Lestor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has had from organizations and individuals concerned with HIV and AIDS about the Chinese Government's refusal to allow people with HIV and AIDS entry into China, with particular reference to the fourth world conference of women in Beijing.

  Mr. Baldry
  We have had some queries from non-governmental organizations who are concerned with AIDS asking whether people with HIV or AIDS will be able to enter China to attend the UN fourth world conference on women in September. We have raised this with the Chinese who have stated that their existing HIV-related entry restrictions will continue to apply. We are considering with our EU partners what further action to take.

  Visa Applications
  Mrs. Wise
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth affairs what is the current waiting time for interview for applications for settlement visas in(a) Bombay and (b) Islamabad.

  Mr. Baldry
  Waiting times to first interview for applicants in settlement queues in Bombay and Islamabad as at 31 December 1994.

  Months

  Bombay

  Islamabad

  Queue 1:

  Persons with a claim to the right of abode, dependent relatives over 70 years old, special, compassionate cases.

  —

  3

  43

  Months

  Bombay

  Islamabad

  Queue 2:

  Spouses and children under 18 years.

  3

  3

  Queue 3:

  Finance (e) s and others applying for the first time for settlement.

  3

  6

  Queue 4:

  Re-applicants.

  5

  9

  Sierra Leone
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British passport holders remain in Sierra Leone; and what advice they have been given about their continued presence.

  Mr. Baldry
  Some 800 British passport holders remain in Sierra Leone. Of these, approximately, 350 have the right of abode in the United Kingdom.

  Since 26 January the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been advising dependants and those with no pressing reason to stay in Sierra Leone to leave.

  Diplomatic Relations
  Mr. Parry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those countries whose existence Her Majesty's Government officially recognise.

  Mr. Baldry
  The countries whose existence we officially recognise are as follows:

  Afghanistan

  Albania

  Algeria

  Andorra

  Angola

  Antigua and Barbuda

  Argentina

  Armenia

  Australia

  Austria

  Azerbaijan

  Bahamas

  Bahrain

  Bangladesh

  Barbados

  Belarus

  Belgium

  Belize

  Benin

  Bhutan

  Bolivia

  Bosnia and Herzegovina

  Botswana

  Brazil

  Brunei

  Bulgaria

  Burkina

  Burma

  Burundi

  Cambodia

  Cameroon

  Canada

  44

  Cape Verde

  Central African Republic

  Chad

  Chile

  China

  Colombia

  Comoros

  Congo

  Costa Rica

  Croatia

  Cuba

  Cyprus

  Czech Republic

  Denmark

  Djibouti

  Dominica

  Dominican Republic

  Ecuador

  Egypt

  El Salvador

  Equatorial Guinea

  Eritrea

  Estonia

  Ethiopia

  Fiji

  Finland

  France

  Gabon

  Gambia, The

  Georgia

  Germany

  Ghana

  Greece

  Grenada

  Guatemala

  Guinea

  Guinea-Bissau

  Guyana

  Haiti

  Holy See

  Honduras

  Hungary

  Iceland

  India

  Indonesia

  Iran

  Iraq

  Irish Republic

  Israel

  Italy

  Ivory Coast

  Jamaica

  Japan

  Jordan

  Kazakhstan

  Kenya

  Kiribati

  Kyrgyzstan

  Korea

  Korea (North)

  Kuwait

  Laos

  Latvia

  Lebanon

  Lesotho

  Liberia

  Libya

  Liechtenstein

  Lithuania

  45

  Luxembourg

  former Yugoslav

  Republic of Macedonia

  Madagascar

  Malawi

  Malaysia

  Maldives

  Mali

  Malta

  Marshall Islands

  Mauritania

  Mauritius

  Mexico

  Micronesia

  Moldavia

  Monaco

  Mongolia

  Morocco

  Mozambique

  Namibia

  Nauru

  Nepal

  Netherlands

  New Zealand

  Nicaragua

  Niger

  Nigeria

  Norway

  Oman

  Pakistan

  Palau

  Panama

  Papua New Guinea

  Paraguay

  Peru

  Philippines

  Poland

  Portugal

  Qatar

  Romania

  Russia

  Rwanda

  St Kitts and Nevis

  St Lucia

  St Vincent

  San Marino

  Sao Tome and Principe

  Saudi Arabia

  Senegal

  Seychelles

  Sierra Leone

  Singapore

  Slovakia

  Slovenia

  Solomon Islands

  Somalia

  South Africa

  Spain

  Sri Lanka

  Sudan

  Suriname

  Swaziland

  Sweden

  Switzerland

  Syria

  Tajikistan

  Tanzania

  Thailand

  Togo

  46

  Tongo

  Trinidad and Tobago

  Tunisia

  Turkmenistan

  Tuvalu

  Uganda

  Ukraine

  United Arab Emirates

  United States

  Uruguay

  Uzbekistan

  Vanuatu

  Venezuela

  Vietnam

  Western Samoa

  Yemen

  Zaire

  Zambia

  Zimbabwe

  Mr. Parry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the countries with which Her Majesty's Government does not have diplomatic relations; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  The countries with which we do not have diplomatic relations are as follows:

  Bhutan

  Iraq

  Korea (North)

  Libya

  Korea
  Mr. Parry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on what decision was reached concerning diplomatic relations following discussions held in Geneva between representatives of Her Majesty's Government and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

  Mr. Goodlad
  We have discussions with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the UN framework, but it would be premature to establish diplomatic relations.

  Tiger Conservation Schemes
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make additional resources available for tiger conservation schemes. [13019]

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by the Minister of State, Foreign Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for Eddisbury (Mr. Goodlad)Official Report, column 763, on 27 October 1994, and the statement made by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment and Countryside, on 24 November 1994, Official Report, columns 24–42.

  Social Development Summit
  Mr. Brandreth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will evaluate the progress made at the world summit for social development; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Negotiations on the declaration and programme of action for the United Nations world summit on social development were successfully completed in Copenhagen during the summit, 6 to 12
  47
  March 1995. The final official text of the summit declaration has not yet been published.

  Newspaper Announcements
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list, by type and number, the announcements placed by(a) his Department and (b) the Overseas Development Administration in (i) The Times, (ii) the Daily Telegraph, (iii) The Independent and (iv) other publications in the last 12 months for which information is available. [14337]

  Mr. Baldry
  The only announcements we issue concern official functions and diplomatic appointments. We do not keep a record of this information.

  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much(a) his Department and (b) the Overseas Development Administration have spent listing official engagements in newspapers in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [14336]

  Mr. Baldry
  Nothing.

  Service Attaches
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on service attachés; defence advisers and support staff in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [14334]

  Mr. Goodlad
  The costs of service attachés, defence advisers and support staff met by the FCO are included with all other diplomatic service staff costs. Since the expenditure is not accounted for separately, it would be possible to identify it only by incurring disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which costs incurred by service attaches; defence advisers and support staff are met by his Department; and if he will give a breakdown of these costs for each overseas post. [14335]

  Mr. Goodlad
  The FCO meets the cost of residential and office accommodation for service attaches, defence advisers and their support staff. In addition, some local administration costs are met such as utilities and some communications. The expenditure is included with that for all other diplomatic service staff. Since it is not accounted for separately, it would be possible to identify it only by incurring disproportionate cost.

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the total number of civil servants employed by(a) his Department, (b) the agencies under his Department's responsibility, and (c) public and other bodies under his Department's responsibility for each year since 1979, divided into (i) full-time equivalents, (ii) overtime, (iii) casuals and (iv) other; and whether he will also provide for each year his estimate for (a) civil service job reductions due to privatisations, (b) civil service job reductions due to contracting out, (c) civil service job reductions resulting from other transfer of responsibilities, (d) the total of all other staff undertaking work for his Department or its agencies without being categorised as civil servants, including external consultants, researchers, agency secretarial staff and staff substitution and (e) total
  48
  manpower expenditures, in 1994 prices. [14767]

  Mr. Goodlad
  The civil service covers the permanent staff of central Government departments and next steps agencies. The staff of other bodies are outside the civil service.

  The annual publication "Civil Service Statistics" gives details of the number of civil servants employed by my Department and its agencies, including full-time equivalent staff and casuals—from 1993 onwards—and of staff leaving the civil service.

  "Public Bodies", published annually since 1982, contains staffing information for those bodies not covered by "Civil Service Statistics".

  Details of running costs and the civil service pay bill for my Department can be found in table 36 of my Department's annual report—Cm 2802. Table 37 gives details of overtime from 1989–90 onwards.

  Copies of all of these publications are available in the Members' Library.

  The remaining information sought could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Menwith Hill Station
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many GCHQ staff are located at Menwith Hill station in north Yorkshire; what are their main duties; to whom they report; if they are required to obtain warrants from him or Ministers in other Departments to intercept communications; how many warrants have been issued in each year from 1992 to date to GCHQ staff at Menwith Hill station; and if he will make a statement. [14811]

  Mr. Hurd
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answers given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Armed Forces on 9 March 1995,Official Report, column 346. All interception of communications on public telecommunications systems in the UK is subject to the provisions of the Interception of Communications Act 1985. It is not our policy to comment on the detailed operations of the intelligence and security agencies.

  Polling and Public Survey Organisations
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the employment of polling or public survey organisations by his Department during the current and previous financial years, on the organisations employed by his Department, on the values of individual contracts for these services, on the total amounts of money spent and on the purposes of the research undertaken by these organisations. [14499]

  Mr. Baldry
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for Eddisbury (Mr. Goodlad), on 27 October 1994,Official Report, column 761. The FCO has not conducted any public opinion surveys since January 1994.

  The purpose of the research undertaken by public survey organisations is to provide information useful to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as background for Government policy.

  Lockerbie
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Belgian Government concerning the public statements given by Ruber Orian concerning extradition and aspects of the Lockerbie case. [15103]

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  None.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Exhibitions
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an application for an exhibition to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Royal Assent for the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall. [15250]

  Mr. Michael J. Martin
  I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from Monday 15 May to Friday 19 May 1995.

  Mr. Rogers
  To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an application for an exhibition relating to Adult Learners Week to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall. [15122]

  Mr. Michael J. Martin
  I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from Monday 8 May to Friday 12 May 1995.

  £

  Heating

  Lighting

  Repairs and maintenance

  Furnishings

  1991–92

  200,000

  130,000

  9,706,000

  —

  1992–93

  202,000

  140,000

  8,311,000

  —

  1993–94

  219,000

  141,000

  8,506,000

  890,000

  1994–95

  216,000

  157,000

  7,580,000

  1,008,000

SCOTLAND

  Brucella Melitensis
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many cases of brucella melitensis were reported in each year since 1985.

  Sir Hector Monro
  No cases of brucella melitensis have been recorded in Scotland since 1985.

  National Continence Day
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what financial support he has given and will be giving to National Continence Day; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) what representations he has had regarding the forthcoming National Continence Day; and if he will make a statement.

  Energy Efficiency
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee if he will conduct a survey of the energy efficiency of(a) the heating and (b) the lighting in all the buildings for which the House of Commons Commission is responsible.

  Mr. Ray Powell
  A survey of energy efficiency has already been undertaken and was considered by the Committee last summer. The Director of Parliamentary Works was asked to report progress on the matter on an annual basis. The next such report is expected by July.

  Consultants
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission whether the House of Commons Commission employs, on a consultancy basis(a) an architect and (b) a designer.

  Mr. Beith
  Yes.

  Heating and Lighting
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick upon Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission how much was spent by the House of Commons Commission, in each of the last five years on(a) heating, (b) lighting, (c) repairs and maintenance and (d) office furniture.

  Mr. Beith
  Prior to 1991–92 the Department of the Environment was responsible for these matters and expenditure records are not available. Figures for office furniture are not recorded separately from general furniture and furnishings. The figures given are for total House of Commons expenditure on new furnishings and maintenance of existing furnishings.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  A total of £10,500 has been allocated to fund National Continence Day in Scotland. The resources are being directed towards the servicing of a telephone helpline facility at the Continence Resource Centre, Southern General Hospital NHS trust, Glasgow and also the printing and distribution of information leaflets and advertisements in some Scottish newspapers. No representations have been received. The Scottish Office is happy to support the campaign to raise awareness of this condition and to encourage sufferers to seek advice and treatment.

  Water and Sewerage
  Mr. Nicholls
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the cost of his Department's expenditure on water and sewerage in(a) the current year and (b) each of the three previous years.
  51
  Mr. Lang
  The charges for water and sewerage for the buildings occupied by the Scottish Office for the relevant years were:

  Date

  £

  1991–92

  473,079

  1992–93

  343,771

  1993–94

  320,574

  1994–95

  413,726

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

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 9 March 1995]: The proportion of women as a total of those selected for fast-stream entry to the Scottish Office in 1991 and 1992 can be found in the Civil Service Commissioner's report for the relevant years, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

  The figures for 1993 and 1994 are 36 per cent. and 50 per cent. respectively.

  Temporary Contracts
  Ms Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland for this year and each of the past five years, how many employees in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies for which his Department is responsible who have been employed on temporary contracts of(a) 51 weeks or (b) fewer than 51 weeks duration are re-employed in the same or similar position at a later date.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 15 March 1995]: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Ms Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what positions in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies for which his Department is responsible are filled by employees who are employed on temporary contracts of(a) 51 weeks or (b) fewer than 51 weeks duration.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 15 March 1995]: At 1 March 1995, the number of casual staff, expressed as full-time equivalents, employed in the Scottish Office core was 146.5. A further 111.5 casual staff were employed in its executive agencies, excluding the Scottish Prison Service. The following table shows the grade equivalents at which these staff were employed:

  Number of casual and permanent staff in post (full-time equivalents) the Scottish Office and its executive agencies

  SO Core

  Agencies Exclude SPS

  SPS

  Quarter

  Permanent

  Casual

  Total

  Percentage Casual

  Permanent

  Casual

  Total

  Percentage Casual

  Permanent

  Casual

  Total

  Percentage Casual

  1989

  1 April

  6,273.0

  257.5

  6,530.5

  3.9

  0.0

  0.0

  0.0

  0.0

  3,803.5

  10.0

  3,813.5

  0.3

  1 July

  6,239.0

  364.5

  6,603.5

  5.5

  0.0

  0.0

  0.0

  0.0

  3,884.5

  9.0

  3,893.5

  0.2

  1 October

  5,683.0

  219.5

  5,902.5

  3.7

  0.0

  0.0

  0.0

  0.0

  3,858.5

  8.0

  3,866.5

  0.2

  52

  Casual staff employed by the Scottish Office and its executive agencies (other than SPS) at 1 March 1995 (full-time equivalent)

  Grade equivalent

  SO Core

  Executive agencies (excluding SPS)

  Administration

  EO

  —

  1.0

  AO

  6.0

  —

  AA

  121.0

  48.5

  Professional

  Gr 6

  0.5

  —

  Gr 7

  0.5

  —

  SEO

  2.5

  1.0

  HEO

  —

  5.5

  EO

  9.5

  1.5

  AO

  1.0

  9.5

  AA

  1.0

  20.5

  Industrial

  Industrial

  4.5

  24.0

  At 1 January 1995, the Scottish Prison Service employed 45.0 casual staff.

  The length of contract tends not to be set at a fixed length in advance, but is subject to on-going review.

  Ms Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidance has been issued in respect of the recruitment and appointment of non-permanent employees in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies supervised by his Department.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 15 March 1995]: At present the Scottish Office and its executive agencies, excluding the Scottish Prison Service, generally recruit staff, excluding casual appointments, on fixed-term appointments for initial periods of two or three years with the possibility of extension or making permanent.

  Ms Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the full terms of employment as specified to employees in his Department and all executive agencies for which he is responsible who are employed on a temporary contract of(a) 51 weeks or (b) fewer than 51 weeks duration.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 15 March 1995]: I am placing in the Library the terms of employment for casual staff in my Department and executive agencies. Casual staff are not normally employed on a continuous basis for a period exceeding 12 months.

  Ms Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many employees in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies supervised by his Department have been employed on temporary contracts of(a) 51 weeks or (b) fewer than 51 weeks duration for this year and each of the past five years, in each case specifying what percentage of the respective total work force these employees constituted.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 15 March 1995]: The information requested is shown in the following table. The official staffing returns from which this information has been extracted do not include details on length of contract.
  53

  Number of casual and permanent staff in post (full-time equivalents) the Scottish Office and its executive agencies

  SO Core

  Agencies Exclude SPS

  SPS

  Quarter

  Permanent

  Casual

  Total

  Percentage Casual

  Permanent

  Casual

  Total

  Percentage Casual

  Permanent

  Casual

  Total

  Percentage Casual

  1990

  1 January

  5,703.5

  162.5

  5,866.0

  2.8

  0.0

  0.0

  0.0

  0.0

  3,822.0

  7.0

  3,829.0

  0.2

  1 April

  5,703.0

  218.0

  5,921.0

  3.7

  572.0

  26.0

  598.0

  4.3

  3,999.5

  7.0

  4,006.5

  0.2

  1 July

  5,649.5

  199.0

  5,848.5

  3.4

  579.5

  104.5

  684.0

  15.3

  3,977.5

  3.0

  3,980.5

  0.1

  1 October

  5,642.0

  155.0

  5,797.0

  2.7

  584.0

  101.5

  685.5

  14.8

  3,944.5

  4.0

  3,948.5

  0.1

  1991

  1 January

  5,632.0

  166.0

  5,798.0

  2.9

  591.5

  26.5

  618.0

  4.3

  3,906.5

  4.0

  3,910.5

  0.1

  1 April

  5,475.0

  103.0

  5,578.0

  1.8

  807.0

  145.5

  952.5

  15.3

  4,004.0

  4.0

  4,008.0

  0.1

  1 July

  5,427.5

  178.0

  5,605.5

  3.2

  812.0

  146.5

  958.5

  15.3

  4,086.0

  4.0

  4,090.0

  0.1

  1 October

  5,360.5

  134.0

  5,494.5

  2.4

  835.5

  107.5

  943.0

  11.4

  4,109.0

  5.0

  4,114.0

  0.1

  1992

  1 January

  5,343 5

  152.5

  5,496.0

  2.8

  840.0

  55.0

  895.0

  6.1

  4,202.0

  6.0

  4,208.0

  0.1

  1 April

  5,147.5

  78.0

  5,225.5

  1.5

  984.5

  74.5

  1,059.0

  7.0

  4,228.5

  8.0

  4,236.5

  0.2

  1 July

  5,140.5

  133.0

  5,273.5

  2.5

  993.5

  161.0

  1,154.5

  13.9

  4,257.0

  8.0

  4,265.0

  0.2

  1 October

  5,180.0

  160.0

  5,340.0

  3.0

  990.5

  77.0

  1,067.5

  7.2

  4,479.5

  11.0

  4,490.5

  0.2

  1993

  1 January

  5,218.5

  170.0

  5,388.5

  3.2

  1,003.5

  58.0

  1,061.5

  5.5

  4,523.5

  10.0

  4,533.5

  0.2

  1 April

  4,923.0

  149.0

  5,072.0

  2.9

  1,175.0

  104.0

  1,279.0

  8.1

  4,625.0

  19.0

  4,644.0

  0.4

  1 July

  5,073.0

  204.5

  5,277.5

  3.9

  1,205.5

  170.5

  1,376.0

  12.4

  4,653.0

  18.0

  4,671.0

  0.4

  1 October

  5,058.0

  168.5

  5,226.5

  3.2

  1,191.0

  89.0

  1,280.0

  7.0

  4,607.0

  17.0

  4,624.0

  0.4

  1994

  1 January

  4,924.5

  151.5

  5,076.0

  3.0

  1,185.0

  58.5

  1,243.5

  4.7

  4,600.0

  16.0

  4,616.0

  0.3

  1 April

  4,835.0

  142.5

  4,977.5

  2.9

  1,199.5

  57.5

  1,257.0

  4.6

  4,498.5

  14.0

  4,494.5

  0.3

  1 July

  4,557.5

  136.0

  4,693.5

  2.9

  1,358.0

  174.5

  1,532.5

  11.4

  4,472.5

  22.0

  4,440.5

  0.5

  1 October

  4,498.0

  125.5

  4,623.5

  2.7

  1,308.0

  106.0

  1,414.0

  7.5

  4,408.5

  32.0

  4,453.5

  0.7

  1995

  1 January

  4,428.0

  140.0

  4,568.0

  3.1

  1,299.5

  91.5

  1,391.0

  6.6

  4,271.0

  45.0

  4,316.0

  1.0

  Notes:

  1. Historic Scotland became an Executive Agency on 1.4.90.

  2. Scottish Fisheries protection Agency became an Executive Agency on 1.4.91.

  3. Scottish Agricultural Science Agency became an Executive Agency on 1.4.92.

  4. Scottish Office Pensions Agency became an Executive Agency on 1.4.93.

  5. Student Awards Agency for Scotland became an Executive Agency on 5.4.94.

  6. Traditionally, staff in the Scottish Prison Service have been shown separately from Scottish Office staff. Prior to the Scottish Prison Service becoming an Executive Agency on 1.4.93, staff in Prisons HQ (179 at 1.4.93) were included in Scottish Office Core. Since that date they have been included in SPS figures.

  Council Tax
  Mr. Dunn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the band D council tax for 1995–96 for each local authority in Scotland.

  Mr. Kynoch
  [holding answer 17 March 1995]: The information requested is given in the following table:

  Local authority

  Band D council tax £

  Borders

  413

  Central

  444

  Dumfries and Galloway

  406

  Fife

  491

  Grampian

  409

  Highland

  424.12

  Lothian

  490

  Strathclyde

  451

  Tayside

  475

  Orkney

  467

  Shetland

  428.22

  Western Isles

  524

  Berwickshire

  58.5

  Ettrick and Lauderdale

  108

  Roxburgh

  107

  Tweeddale

  90

  Clackmannan

  186

  Falkirk

  104

  Stirling

  133

  Annandale and Eskdale

  124

  Nithsdale

  129

  Stewartry

  89

  Wigtown

  123

  54

  Local authority

  Band D council tax £

  Dunfermline

  124

  Kirkcaldy

  163

  North East Fife

  158

  Aberdeen City

  190

  Banff and Buchan

  99

  Gordon

  90

  Kincardine and Deeside

  64

  Moray

  99

  Badenoch and Strathspey

  99

  Caithness

  86

  Inverness

  118

  Lochaber

  142

  Nairn

  114

  Ross and Cromarty

  149

  Skye and Lochalsh

  115

  Sutherland

  102

  East Lothian

  130

  Edinburgh City

  245.36

  Midlothian

  150

  West Lothian

  91

  Argyll and Bute

  188

  Bearsden and Milngavie

  130

  Clydebank

  167

  Clydesdale

  190

  Cumbernauld and Kilsyth

  186

  Cumnock and Doon Valley

  190

  Cunninghame

  165

  Dumbarton

  199

  East Kilbride

  169

  Eastwood

  99

  Glasgow City

  225

  Hamilton

  194

  55

  Local authority

  Band D council tax £

  Inverclyde

  167

  Kilmarnock and Loudoun

  151

  Kyle and Carrick

  220

  Monklands

  233

  Motherwell

  179

  Renfrew

  189

  Strathkelvin

  240

  Angus

  99

  Dundee City

  233

  Perth and Kinross

  110

  Source:

  Press details checked, where available against statistical returns to the Department.

ENVIRONMENT

  Bed-and-breakfast Accommodation
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the yearly cost of bed-and-breakfast or temporary accommodation in the London borough of Wandsworth in each year since 1980.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  The net costs of housing homeless households in bed-and-breakfast accommodation, as reported by Wandsworth on its revenue outturn returns, for the years 1990–91—the earliest period for which revenue outturn data are available—to 1993–94 were as follows:

  £000

  1990–91

  1,069

  1991–92

  1,132

  1992–93

  1,314

  1993–94

  898

  Data on local authorities' expenditure on bed-and-breakfast accommodation are also published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy in its annual "Homelessness Statistics Actuals" publication. Copies of these publications, which are available for all years since 1979–80, are in the Library.

  County Councils (Cash Reserves)
  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the amount of cash reserves held by each county council.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 13 March,Official Report, column 421.

  Local Government
  Mr. David Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those local authorities which have established an office in Brussels; what is the cost of these offices; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  My Department does not collect this information.

  New Homes
  Mr. Fraser
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many new homes were completed privately by housing associations and by local authorities in 1994(a) in England and Wales, (b) in Southwark and (c) in Lambeth.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  It is estimated that housebuilding completions in England and Wales during 1994 amounted to 125,800 private enterprise dwellings, 33,700 housing association dwellings and 1,400 local authority dwellings; a total of 160,900 dwellings.

  During the 12 months up to the end of September 1994, housebuilding completions in the London borough of Lambeth were reported at 96 private enterprise and 195 housing association dwellings; a total of 291 dwellings. Figures for the last three months of 1994 have not yet been sent to the Department.

  Figures for Southwark are not available as this local authority has not sent the Department any statistical returns about housebuilding in its area since March 1986.

  Business Rates
  Ms Lynne
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will amend regulations so that all security measures taken by small businesses are excluded from being taken into account when business rates are set.

  Mr. Robert. B. Jones
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Normanton (Mr. O'Brien) on Tuesday 21 February,Official Report, columns 139–42.

  Radioactive Waste
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the method being adopted to evaluate the submissions made in response to the consultation paper circulated as part of the review of radioactive waste management policy.

  Mr. Atkins
  We have received a large number of responses to the review of radioactive waste management policy. Each of these is being given careful consideration. A statement of conclusions will be made in due course.

  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what reports he has received concerning breaches of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 by the disposal to sea from nuclear facilities of radioactive acid.

  Mr. Atkins
  My Department has received no such reports.

  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent incidences of significant environmental contamination by radioactive tritium have been reported to his Department by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution; and what steps have been taken to discover the cause of such contamination.

  Mr. Atkins
  There have been no recent instances of significant environmental contamination by radioactive tritium reported by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution. Disposal of radioactive waste, including tritiated material, is regulated by HMIP under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993. As part of this regulatory function the inspectorate carries out a monitoring programme to confirm that the environmental impact of such disposals is minimal. The results are published in HMIP's annual monitoring programme
  57
  report on radioactive substances, a copy of which is in the Library. The most recent report for the calender year 1993, shows an increase in the levels of tritium in the leachate arising from some landfill sites. An investigation and an enhanced monitoring programme have been instigated to examine this issue. The quantities of radioactive tritium are, however, such that the radiological impact of these discharges is negligible.

  Rural Development Commission
  Mr. Robert Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the items of expenditure by the Rural Development Commission in north Yorkshire during the last financial year.

  Mr. Atkins
  The Rural Development Commission provided financial support for numerous schemes and individuals in north Yorkshire in 1993–94. Expenditure by programme was as follows:

  Programme

  £000

  Redundant Building Grants

  340

  Loans and ACCORD

  864

  Marketing Grants

  34

  Partnership Workspace

  413

  Wholly Funded Workspace

  1,015

  Rural Development Programme

  215

  Rural Counselling Grant

  12

  Training and Enterprise

  5

  Village Hall Legislation Scheme

  15

  New Entrants Training Scheme and Productivity Centre

  21

  Total

  2,940

  In addition, the commission provided a grant of £125,000 for Yorkshire rural community council in support of the council's work across the whole of Yorkshire.

  Mr. Robert Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the current financial support provided by the Government for the Rural Development Commission in north Yorkshire.

  Mr. Atkins
  The Rural Development Commission is funded in part by grant-in-aid from the Government and in part by receipts from its operations and services. The commission also administers the rural transport development fund on behalf of the Department of Transport.

  Government funding for the commission is not allocated to specific geographical areas. It is for the commission to decide where its money will be spent in accordance with its corporate plan.

  Sewerage (Rotherham)
  Mr. MacShane
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussion he has had with Yorkshire and Trent water companies to maintain improvements in sewage and sewerage in Rotherham.

  Mr. Atkins
  None.

  Housing in Multiple Occupation
  Mr. Jon Owen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total number of responses 58
  received by his Department to the consultation on licensing houses in multiple occupation; and what percentage of these responses was favourable to a licensing scheme.

  Mr. Bill Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made on the consultation paper "Houses in Multiple Occupation—The Case For Licensing"; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  The period for responses to my Department's consultation paper on the case for licensing houses in multiple occupation closed on 18 February: we have received 379 responses. Approximately two thirds were from local housing authorities and fire authorities. About three quarters of the responses were in favour of introducing some form of licensing system, although there was a wide variety of opinion on the details. We are now considering what action to take in the light of these, and an announcement will be made in due course.

  Local Government (Lancashire)
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received to date concerning his decision to refer back to the Local Government Commission its recommendations on Lancashire.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  We have not decided to refer Lancashire back to the Local Government Commission.

  Development Corporations
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out the method used by each development corporation to estimate the changes in employment in its respective area; and if he will make a statement. [14331]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  The urban development corporations undertake surveys of the businesses in their respective areas to obtain details of employment levels. They supplement that information with information on employment taken from planning and grant applications.

  Ofwat
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 9 March,Official Report, column 263, regarding charges by Ofwat, if he will give details of the normal Treasury accounting guidance of charging practices for Government Departments. [14515]

  Mr. Atkins
  Treasury accounting guidance for Government Departments is contained in the publication "Government Accounting", a copy of which is in the Library.

  Vanadium and Nickel
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is proposing to take to reduce levels of(a) vanadium and (b) nickel in the atmosphere to below the guidelines set by the World Health Organisation. [14681]

  Mr. Atkins
  I refer the hon. Member to my pursuant reply of Friday 17 March 1995,Official Report, column 732.

  Levels of vanadium and nickel measured in urban and rural areas in the United Kingdom on behalf of the

  59
  Department of the Environment have not approached or exceeded guidelines set by the World Health Organisation.

  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the ambient level of(a) vanadium and (b) nickel in (i) rural and (ii) urban areas in England expressed in nanograms per cubic metre at ground level. [14700]

  Mr. Aitkins
  Annual average concentrations of vanadium and nickel expressed in nanograms per cubic metre—ng/m3—measured by the Department of the Environment monitoring stations in England and Wales are presented in the table.

  Site

  Date

  Level (ng/m3) vanadium

  Level (ng/m3) nickel

  Urban Sites1

  Annual average

  Central London

  1991–1992

  15

  5

  Brent

  1991–1992

  —

  12

  Leeds

  1991–1992

  —

  15

  Motherwell

  1991–1992

  —

  9

  Glasgow

  1991–1992

  —

  9

  Rural sites2

  10-year average

  —

  —

  Chilton, Oxon

  1982–1991

  6.1

  3.3

  Styrrup, Notts

  1982–1991

  8.1

  5.6

  Wraymires, Cumbria

  1982–1991

  3.3

  2.6

  Source:

  1Digest of Environmental Protection and Water Statistics. HMSO No. 16, 1994.

  2Cawse P.A., Baker S. and Law, D.V. (1994) A Survey of atmospheric trace elements in Great Britain, 1972–1991. AEA/CS/18358008/REMA-039. AEA Technology, Culham, Oxon.

  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the current EU health guidelines for the level of(a) vanadium (b) nickel, (c) particles, (d) sulphur dioxide and (e) nitrogen dioxide expressed in nanograms per cubic metre, per day and annual average atmospheric concentrations. [14701]

  Mr. Atkins
  Air quality limit and guide values for concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and particulates, and a limit value for concentrations of lead, are specified, in terms of microgrammes per cubic metre, in European Council directives 85/203/EEC, 80/779/EEC and 82/884/EEC respectively. The table shows the values in microgrammes per cubic metre. These can be converted into nanograms per cubic metre by multiplying by 1000. The limit value for sulphur dioxide is dependant on the level of suspended particulates measured over the same period:

  ug/m3

  Nitrogen dioxide

  limit value 98 per cent. of hourly means

  200

  guide value 98 per cent. of hourly means

  135

  guide value 50 per cent. of hourly means

  50

  Lead

  limit value—annual average

  2

  60

  Reference Period

  Limit value for SO2

  Associated value for suspended particulates1

  Sulphur dioxide—limit values

  Year.

  80

  >40

  Median of daily values.

  120

  ≤40

  Winter (1 October to 31 March).

  130

  >60

  Median of daily values.

  180

  ≤60

  Year (made up of units measuring periods of 24 hours).

  250

  >150

  98 per cent, of daily values.

  350

  ≤150

  1 Measured by the gravimetric method.

  Reference period

  Guide value for SO2

  Sulphur dioxide-guide values

  Year. Mean of daily values.

  40 to 60

  24 hours. Daily mean value.

  100 to 150

  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the ambient level of(a) vanadium and (b) nickel in (i) rural and (ii) urban areas of Wales. [14698]

  Mr. Atkins
  No measurements are currently made of vanadium and nickel in air by the Department of the Environment in urban or rural areas in Wales, but the annual average levels of vanadium and nickel at a rural site in Wales in 1979 are presented in the table.

  Site

  Date

  Level (ng/m3) vanadium

  Level (ng/m3) nickel

  Rural site1

  Trebanos, West Glamorgan

  Average 1979

  7.3

  46

  Source:

  1 Cawse P A (1981) A survey of atmospheric trace elements in the UK. AERE-R 9886. Environmental and Medical Sciences Division, AERE Harwell, Oxon.

  Suffolk County Council
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to monitor the spending of Suffolk county council year on year and to improve the evaluation of what the authority bids for each year from his Department. [14617]

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  Local authorities do not make bids in respect of their general revenue spending. The Secretary of State announces his proposals for the local government finance settlement annually and he takes account of their representations before reaching his final decisions. Authorities are required to provide information about their budget requirements and their spending annually to my Department.

  Particulates
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those district and metropolitan councils that are monitoring particulate levels at ground level; and what results have been collected by his Department. [14699]

  Mr. Atkins
  Results of particulate monitoring undertaken by local authorities in collaboration with the Department of the Environment are available in "UK Smoke and Sulphur Dioxide Monitoring Networks Summary Tables for April 1992 to March 1993". Data on automatic fine particulate monitoring—PM10—are available in "Air Pollution in the UK: 1992–93". LR1000(AP).

  Both reports are available from the National Environmental Technology Centre, Culham, Oxfordshire.

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total number of civil servants employed by(a) his Department, (b) the agencies under his Department's responsibility and (c) public and other bodies under his Department's responsibility, for each year since 1979, divided into (1) full-time equivalents, (2) overtime, (3) casuals and (4) other; and whether he will also provide for each year his estimates of (A) civil service job reductions due to privatisations, (B) civil service job reductions due to contracting out, (C) civil service job reductions resulting from other transfer of responsibilities, (D) the total of all other staff undertaking work for the Department or its agencies without being categorised as civil servants, including external consultants, researchers, agency secretarial staff and staff substitution and (E) total manpower expenditures, in 1994 prices. [15088]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  The civil service covers the permanent staff of central Government Departments and next steps agencies. The staff of other bodies are outside the civil service.

  The annual publication "Civil Service Statistics" gives details of the number of civil servants employed by my Department and its agencies, including full-time equivalent staff and casuals, from 1993 onwards, and of staff leaving the civil service.

  "Public Bodies", published annually since 1982, contains staffing information for those bodies not covered by "Civil Service Statistics".

  Details of running costs and the civil service pay bill for my Department can be found in table 7 of my Department's annual report, Cm 2807. Table 8 gives details of overtime from 1989–90 onwards.

  Copies of all of these publications are available in the Members' Library.

  The remaining information sought can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Air Pollution Control
  Mr. Colin Shepherd
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the 1995–96 charging scheme for local authority air pollution control under part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. [15395]
  62
  Sir Paul Beresford
  Charges to cover the costs of local enforcing authorities in regulating processes which are subject to part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 were introduced in April 1991. With the approval of the Treasury, and following consultation with local authority associations and industry, my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Wales have made a revised scheme specifying the scale of fees and charges to take effect from 1 April 1995. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland is revising the identical, parallel scheme for Scotland on the same basis.

  The standard application fee is increased by £25 to £990, the application fee for a former Alkali Act works is increased by £15 to £595, the substantial change fee is increased by £15 to £635, and the annual subsistence charge is increased by £20 to £605. No change has been made to the remaining fees and charges.

  To help businesses with the budgetary planning, for the first time this year, the scheme will allow operators to pay their annual subsistence charge in quarterly instalments.

  The scheme will be laid before both Houses and a copy placed in the Library.

  Countryside Commission
  Mr. Dunn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the dates of appointment for each of the current members of the Countryside Commission and the total remuneration each has received to date. [14468]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  [holding answer 17 March 1995]: Dates of first appointment and total remuneration received up to 31 March 1995 are listed in the table. However, it should be noted that commissioners other than the chairman received no remuneration before 1 April 1992. The figures do not include expenses, which were dealt with in my hon. Friend's reply of 13 March, column 409.

  Date appointed

  Remuneration £

  Sir John Johnson KCMG

  1.4.91

  138,830

  Rachel Thomas

  1.10.87

  15,280

  David Retcher MBE

  1.7.88

  15,280

  Sarah Ward

  1.8.91

  15,280

  Sir Richard Carew Pole

  26.9.91

  15,280

  Professor Allan Patmore CBE

  28.9.92

  12,866

  Lord Denham

  1.8.93

  8,687

  Rodney Swarbrick CBE

  1.8.93

  8,687

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Disability
  Mr. Devlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what measures the Government are taking to help disabled people. [12989]

  Mr. Hague
  The Government's plans for ending discrimination against disabled people were set out fully
  63
  in the White Paper published on 12 January. These include new initiatives in education and transport, in addition to the measures in the Disability Discrimination Bill for new rights in employment and access to goods and services and the establishment of a National Disability Council. These proposals, which are clear, flexible and fair, have received widespread support.

  Housing Benefit
  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement about his proposals to restrict housing benefit expenditure. [12994]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  From October, we propose that housing benefit in the deregulated private sector will be limited for rents which are above the general level of rents for similar properties in the same area. Local authorities will have discretion to pay more housing benefit in individual cases of exceptional need.

  Mr. Etherington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the Income Support, Housing Benefit and Council Tax (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 1995 on the proposed changes to housing benefit eligibility of sentenced prisoners will come into force. [13000]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  The relevant regulations were laid on 10 March and are due to come into effect from 1 April 1995.

  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the total savings in housing benefit that will arise from his proposed changes in that benefit in the first year of operation. [13013]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  The savings to housing benefit from the restrictions on rents above the general level in the locality, the increase in non-dependent deductions, and the restriction on housing benefit claimants temporarily absent from home are estimated to amount to around £75 million in 1995–96.

  Unemployment
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what reforms of the benefit system he is planning to help unemployed people back to work. [13003]

  Mr. Lilley
  I have set in hand eight major initiatives to help unemployed people move back into work more easily and increase the opportunities and rewards of work.

  These initiatives include:
  a reformed system of benefits for unemployed people, focused on jobseeking;
  a £10 weekly premium in family credit for 345,000 families in full time work;
  the removal of barriers impeding the initial move into work; specific help with child care costs;
  a back to work bonus of up to £1,000 to encourage part-time work on benefit
  reducing costs on business to encourage employers to take on the long-term unemployed and to boost jobs
  and a pilot study of a new in-work benefit for people without children.

  Incapacity Benefit
  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what he estimates will be the increase in administrative costs for the Benefits Agency 64
  and his Department arising out of the introduction of incapacity benefit. [13004]

  Mr. Hague
  The increase is estimated to be about £55 million for 1995–96; £47 million for 1996–97; and about £2 million per annum thereafter.

  Child Support
  Mr. Miller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many absent parents he estimates will see a reduction in their maintenance assessment as a result of the introduction of the travel costs allowance in the child support formula. [13005]

  Mr. Burt
  It is estimated that, in the long run, 55,000 absent parents will benefit from this allowance each year.

  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received pressing for repeal of the legislation in response to his recent White Paper, "Improving Child Support".

  Mr. Burt
  None. Those responses received continue to support the principles of the Child Support Act 1991.

  Income Support, Leicester
  Mr. Jim Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants there are in receipt of income support in Leicester, South. [13006]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  The information is not available.

  Family Credit
  Mr. Rowe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what has been the total value of spending on family credit since its introduction. [13007]

  Mr. Burt
  Total spending on family credit from its introduction in 1988 to March 1994 was £4,076 million. Estimated expenditure for 1994–95 is £1,480 million.

  Benefit Payment Card
  Mr. Whittingdale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to introduce a benefit payment card. [13008]

  Mr. Lilley
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Somerset and Frome (Mr. Robinson) on 20 February 1995,Official Report, column 71.

  Pensioner Households
  Mr. Hendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioner households had(a) a fridge, (b) a car, (c) a freezer, (d) a telephone and (e) a television in 1979; and how many have them today. [13009]

  Mr. Arbuthnot
  The information is in the table.
  65

  Percentage of all pensioner households with access to consumer durables

  Pensioner couples

  Single pensioners

  All pensioners

  1979

  1991–92

  1979

  1991–92

  1979

  1991–92

  (a) Fridge or fridge freezer

  94

  99

  82

  98

  88

  99

  (b) Car/van

  48

  66

  21

  29

  34

  49

  (c) Freezer or fridge freezer

  42

  85

  21

  62

  32

  75

  (d) Telephone

  64

  95

  51

  88

  57

  92

  (e) Television

  99

  99

  92

  98

  96

  99

  Source:

  Households Below Average Income Series.

  Funeral Expenses
  Mr. Gunnell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has had from funeral directors about his proposals to cap payment of funeral expenses under the social fund. [13010]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received approximately 55 letters from individual funeral directors and two requests for meetings from funeral directors' national associations.

  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to receive the views of the Social Security Advisory Committee on his proposal to cap payments towards funeral expenses under the social fund. [13012]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  The Social Security Advisory Committee's report was received on 15 March in the Department. I am now in the process of considering the recommendations.

  Social Fund
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the jobseeker's allowance will be used in the same way as income support to decide the district allocation for social fund purposes. [14154]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  The income-related element of jobseeker's allowance will be used in a like way as income support for unemployed people when deciding on budget allocations to the discretionary social fund.

  Habitual Residence Test
  23. Ms Glenda Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received regarding the length of time taken to process appeals against the habitual residence test; and if he will make a statement. [13011]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  We have received a number of inquiries about the habitual residence test. I am unaware of any representations about the time taken to process appeals. The responsibility for administering and hearing social security appeals rests with the president of the independent tribunal service, who I understand has also not received any representations regarding this matter.

  Mortgage Interest Payment
  Mr. Mudie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to next meet the Council of Mortgage Lenders and the Building Societies Association to discuss payment of mortgage interest by his Department. [13015]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  Officials are engaged in on-going discussions with the Council of Mortgage Lenders and 66
  Building Societies Association on the proposals for income support mortgage interest.

  Young People (Income Support)
  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the number of 16 and 17-year-olds who have been refused income support since the entitlement was restricted. [13016]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  The information is not available.

  Rowntree Report on Inequality
  Mr. Dowd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to meet Sir Peter Barclay to discuss the findings of the Rowntree report on inequality in income and wealth. [13017]

  Mr. Burt
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security has no such plans. The Rowntree report was commented on by my right hon. Friend during the debate on Tuesday 14 February,Official Report, columns 812–826.

  Disabled People
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what new measures he is taking to assist disabled people; and if he will make a statement. [13204]

  Mr. Hague
  The Government's plans for ending discrimination against disabled people were set out fully in the White Paper published on 12 January. These include new initiatives in education and transport, in addition to the measures in the Disability Discrimination Bill for new rights in employment and access to goods and services and the establishment of a national disability council. These proposals, which are clear, flexible and fair, have received widespread support.

  Polling and Public Survey Organisations
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the employment of polling or public survey organisations by his Department during the current and previous financial years, on the organisations employed by his Department, on the values of individual contracts for these services, on the total amounts of money spent and on the purposes of the research undertaken by these organisations.

  Mr. Roger Evans
  Most of the Department's research contracts are let following a process of competitive tender. The Department announces its research programme annually and potential contractors are invited to register an interest in relevant projects.
  67
  A list of contracts let by the Department to polling or public survey organisations in the current financial year is set out below:

  Organisation Amount £

  British Market Research Bureau (BMRB)

  Contributions Agency Customer Survey 1994

  152,691

  Resettlement Agency Customer Survey 1994

  36,310

  Industrial Facts and Forecasting Research Ltd. (IFF)

  Forecasting demand for Social Security Advice Line for Employers

  42,594

  Staff Attitude Survey 1994

  86,362

  Market and Opinion Research International (MORI)

  Child Support Agency Customer Survey 1994

  265,531

  Child Support Agency Survey on the Phasing Option

  10,100

  Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS)

  Family Resources Survey (FRS) (joint project with Social and Community Planning Research)

  2,960,000

  Disability survey development work

  9,420

  Public Perceptions of Occupational and Personal Pensions

  40,000

  Retirement Survey follow-up

  395,166

  Study to compare the contents and methods of FRS and Family Expenditure Survey

  3,500

  Omnibus Survey on Contributions Statement

  8,800

  Public Attitude Surveys Ltd. (PAS)

  War Pensions Agency Customer Satisfaction Survey 1994

  92,837

  Educational Compliance Visits

  35,516

  Council Tax Benefit (Second Adult Rebate) Research

  7,656

  Housing Benefit: LA Anti-Fraud Incentives scheme

  25,397

  Income Support Review

  17,531

  Benefits Agency Customer Satisfaction Survey 1994

  208,738

  Research on the service provided by the War Pensions Welfare Service

  31,020

  Research Services Ltd. (RSL) Evaluation of One Stop Initiative

  63,620

  Social and Community Planning Research (SCPR)

  Industrial Injuries: Income and Resources of recent claimants

  12,244

  Women, Pensions and Divorce

  397,870

  Pension Scheme Dispute Resolution

  112,625

  Employers' Pension Provision

  177,300

  68

  Organisation Amount £

  Direct Payments of Mortgage Interest

  33,577

  Satisfaction with Benefits Agency Local Office Services

  38,230

  Customer Satisfaction: Methodological Issues

  18,115

  Secondary Analysis of Benefit Agency Customer Satisfaction Survey

  15,875

  Management of money in later life

  40,400

  The Department also commissions research from independent research institutes, universities and other non-survey research organisations. Full details of all projects commissioned as part of the research programme are contained in the social research yearbook published annually.

  In addition, the Department has contracted a number of market research agencies to develop and monitor public information campaigns and projects through the Central Office of Information.

  Research contributes to the development and implementation of new policies and the monitoring and evaluation of existing policies. It also plays an important role in providing customer feedback on the Department's services. The Department's external research budget for 1994–95 is £4,000,000.

  Cold Weather Payments
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) on how many occasions in each year since 1987 payments have been triggered under the cold weather payments scheme in each parliamentary constituency in Scotland; [14497]

  (2) if he will list all the weather stations which are used by his Department within Scotland to assess whether payments are necessary under the cold weather payments scheme and the parliamentary constituencies associated with each of these. [14483]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  Since 1991, the weather stations which are used for the cold weather payment scheme have been linked to post code areas to enable automatic payment. All weather stations and the areas they cover are listed in the schedules to the cold weather payment regulations, a copy of which is in the Library.

  Information is not available in respect of the number of occasions since 1987 payments have been triggered in each parliamentary constituency. The information that is available is in the statistical holdings section of the Library.

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the total number of civil servants employed by(a) his Department, (b) the agencies under his Departments's responsibility and (c) public and other bodies under his Departmnet's responsibility, for each year since 1979, divided into (1) full-time equivalents, (2) overtime, (3) casuals and (4) other; and whether he will also provide for each year his estimates

  69
  of (A) civil service job reductions due to privatisations, (B) civil service job reductions due to contracting out, (C) civil service job reductions resulting from other transfer of responsibilities, (D) the total of all other staff undertaking work for the Department or its agencies without being categorised as civil servants, including external consultants, researchers, agency secretarial staff and staff substitution and (E) total manpower expenditures, in 1994 prices. [15090]

  Mr. Hague
  The civil service covers the permanent staff of central Government Departments and next steps agencies. Some of the staff of other bodies are outside the civil service.

  The annual publication "Civil Service Statistics" gives details of the number of civil servants employed by this Department and its agencies, including full-time equivalent staff and casuals, from 1993 onwards, and of staff leaving the civil service.

  "Public Bodies" published annually since 1982, contains staffing information for those bodies not covered by "Civil Service Statistics".

  Details of running costs and the civil service pay bill for this Department can be found in figure 32 of this Department's annual report 1995–96 to 1997–98. Figure 35 gives details of overtime from 1989–90 onwards.

  Copies of all these publications are available in the Members' Library.

  The remaining information sought could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Temporary Contracts
  Ms Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what positions in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies for which his Department is responsible are filled by employees who are employed on temporary contracts of(a) 51 weeks or (b) fewer than 51 weeks duration.

  Staff employed on temporary contracts of fewer than 51 weeks

  1 April 1993

  1 April 1994

  1 January 1995

  Number

  Percentage of total workforce

  Number

  Percentage of total workforce

  Number

  Percentage of total workforce

  Department of Social Security

  2,729

  3.0

  3,176

  3.4

  5,205

  5.5

  Executive Agencies

  2,637

  3.0

  3,123

  3.5

  5,116

  5.6

  Notes:

  1. Part-time staff are counted as half-units and totals are rounded to whole units.

  2. Numbers of staff employed in the executive agencies are included in the departmental figures.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Lenient Sentences
  Mr. Hawkins
  To ask the Attorney-General what opportunities he foresees for further expansion of the system for prosecution appeals against over-lenient sentences. [12980]

  The Solicitor-General
  The Attorney-General's power to review a sentence was recently extended to cover cases
  70
  Mr. Hague
  [holding answer 15 March 1995]: As at 1 January 1995, there were no staff employed on temporary 1995, there were no staff employed on temporary contracts of 51 weeeks. The available information for those employed on contracts of fewer than 51 weeks is in the table. More precise details of the positions held could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Clerical, secretarial and support grades

  Executive and professional grades

  Department of Social Security

  5,068

  137

  Executive Agencies

  5,008

  108

  Notes:

  1. Part-time staff are counted as half-units and totals are rounded to whole units.

  2. Numbers of staff employed in the executive agencies are included in the departmental figures.

  Ms Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) for this year and each of the past five years, how many employees in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies for which his Department is responsible who have been employed on temporary contracts of(a) 51 weeks or (b) fewer than 51 weeks duration are re-employed in the same or similar position at a later date;

  (2) how many employees in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies supervised by his Department have been employed on temporary contracts of (a) 51 weeks or (b) fewer than 51 weeks duration for this year and each of the past five years, in each case specifying what percentage of the respective total work force these employees constitute.

  Mr. Hague
  [holding answer 15 March 1995]: The information requested for the period prior to April 1993 and concerning staff who have been re-employed is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  There were no staff employed on temporary contracts of 51 weeks as at 1 April 1993, 1 April 1994 or 1 January 1995. The available information is in the table.

  of serious fraud. All the most serious offences tried in the Crown court, which are those that give rise to greatest public concern, are now covered.

  Combat 18
  36. Mr. Madden
  To ask the Attorney-General what discussions he has had with the Director of Public Prosecutions and the head of the Crown Prosecution Service relating to prosecution policy concerning Combat 18. [12984]
  71
  The Attorney-General
  I frequently meet the Director of Public Prosecutions. Cases with a racial element are discussed as and when they arise.

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Attorney-General if he has now received a report from the Metropolitan police concerning Combat 18. [12986]

  The Attorney-General
  No. A report will be submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service by the Metropolitan police once they have concluded their inquiries.

  Barings Bank
  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Attorney-General what recent meetings he has held with the Serious Fraud Office to discuss Barings bank. [12985]

  The Attorney-General
  I frequently meet the director of the Serious Fraud Office to discuss matters of departmental interest, including particular cases.

  Asil Nadir
  Mrs. Roche
  To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement about the case of Asil Nadir. [12987]

  The Solicitor-General
  A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Asil Nadir. The Crown is ready to proceed as soon as he returns or is returned to the jurisdiction.

  Public Interest Immunity
  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  To ask the Attorney-General what changes he has made in his policy for advising on public interest immunity certificates since the prosecution of directors of Matrix Churchill. [12982]

  The Attorney-General
  Any advice in relation to public interest immunity is based on the law as it stands at the time that advice is given.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Security Forces
  Rev. Ian Paisley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to reduce the present numbers of security forces in Northern Ireland while IRA weapons are still outstanding; and if the release of prisoners will be negotiable.

  Sir John Wheeler
  Adjustments in the level of military support to the Royal Ulster Constabulary are based solely on the operational judgment of the Chief Constable and the General Officer Commanding. On the basis of their advice my right hon. and learned Friend was able to announce on 14 March the relocation to Great Britain of one of the two additional units deployed to Northern Ireland in 1992. The unit and its intended successor will be ready to deploy fully trained at short notice should the need arise.

  The decommissioning of arms is required in its own right and cannot be linked to prisons or other unrelated issues. We have made it absolutely clear that there is no. question of an amnesty. There are no political prisoners in the United Kingdom and those who have committed crimes must serve their sentences according to law.

  Telecommunications
  Rev. Ian Paisley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans exist to cut off British Telecom (Northern Ireland) from the rest of the United Kingdom network and allow it to stand alone as a separate business entity.

  Mr. Ancram
  I am not aware of any such plans, which would be a matter for the board of British Telecom.

  Rev. Ian Paisley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has for British Telecom (Northern Ireland) to be one of the first private sector companies to be established as a cross-border utility with joint Government-Executive influence.

  Mr. Ancram
  None.

  Brucella Melitensis
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of brucella melitensis were reported in each year since 1985.

  Mr. Ancram
  Brucella melitensis has never been recorded in Northern Ireland.

  National Continence Day
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has had regarding the forthcoming National Continence Day; and if he will make a statement; [14230]

  (2) what financial support he has given and will be giving to National Continence Day; and if he will make a statement. [14232]

  Mr. Moss
  No representations have been received about National Continence Day. The Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland is funding a freephone helpline and arranging publicity for National Continence Day. Health and social services boards in Northern Ireland will be distributing information leaflets, and continence advisers will be manning stands at shopping and health centres throughout Northern Ireland to support the campaign, raise awareness of this condition and encourage sufferers to seek advice and treatment.

DEFENCE

  War Widows
  Mr. Duncan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the number of living post-1973 war widows who have at any time been in receipt of an attributable forces family pension.

  Mr. Soames
  This information is not available. An attributable forces family pension ceases on death or remarriage and we have no record of whether those whose pensions ceased on remarriage are still living.

  Mr. Duncan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many post-1973 war widows in receipt of an attributable forces family pension have subsequently remarried, in each year for which figures are available.

  Mr. Soames
  This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
  73
  Mr. Duncan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the number of living post-1973 war widows currently in receipt of an attributable forces family pension.

  Mr. Soames
  I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 16 March,Official Report, column 719.

  Royal Flight
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions in 1993–94 the royal flight was used by(a) members of the royal family, (b) Ministers, and (c) others.

  Mr. Soames
  During financial year 1993–94, the Queen's flight was used by the royal family on 968 occasions; by Her Majesty's Government Ministers on 89 occasions; and on 21 occasions by other VIPs, such as visiting foreign dignitaries.

  Water and Sewerage
  Mr. Nicholls
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the cost of his Department's expenditure on water and sewerage in(a) the current year and (b) each of the three previous years.

  Mr. Freeman
  The statistics sought are not held centrally and could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

  RAF Recruitment
  Sir John Cope
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of potential pilots recruited into the RAF in each of the last five years had university air squadron experience;

  (2) how many potential pilots were recruited into the RAF in each of the last five years.

  Mr Soames
  The information requested is contained in the table below:

  Financial Year

  Total Number of recruits who entered pilot training

  Total former UAS

  Percentage former UAS

  1994–95

  70

  57

  81

  1993–94

  74

  52

  70

  1992–93

  116

  65

  56

  1991–92

  170

  68

  40

  1990–91

  254

  95

  37

  University Air Squadrons
  Sir John Cope
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total cost of the university air squadrons in each of the last five years showing(a) the cost of staff, (b) the cost of aircraft, (c) the cost of airfields and (d) other costs.

  Mr. Soames
  I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

  Sir John Cope
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many flying students joined university air squadrons in each of the last five years; and how many completed initial flying training with such squadrons.
  74
  Mr. Soames
  Information on the number of undergraduates who joined the university air squadrons as flying members is only available for the last three years, and is as follows:

  Financial year 1992–93: 348

  Financial year 1993–94: 346

  Financial year 1994–95: 404

  Information for earlier years could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The total UAS student pilot establishment is 725.

  Records are not maintained centrally on the number of UAS students who successfully complete the entire UAS flying syllabus. However, of those ex-UAS pilots who enter initial officer training each year, it is assessed that historically around two thirds will have successfully completed the UAS flying syllabus.

  In the future, the UASs are committed to train all potential pilots up to a common standard for entry into basic flying training in the Royal Air Force.

  Railway Wagons
  Sir Nicholas Bonsor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what military purpose his Department requires to purchase 27 45-tonnes pallet vans and 40 modified container flat wagons, as set out in contract number PDS1A/29; what consideration has been given to leasing or hiring such equipment; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  The railway wagons will be used at Army base ammunition and ordnance depots for movement of stores both within the depots and to deliver to other customers via the main line railway system. They are needed as part of the modernisation of the Army's wagon fleet and to meet the increasingly exacting health and safety at work regulations.

  In producing these wagons, full consideration was given to the options of leasing or hiring but the best value for money for the taxpayer will be achieved in this case by permanent ownership.

  Lobbying Companies
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when representatives of his Department last had a meeting with representatives from(a) PPAI International, (b) Lowe Bell Communications, (c) GJW Government Relations, (d) the Conservative Research Department, (e) Shandwick Consultants, (f) Ian Greer Associates Ltd., (g) the Market Access Group, (h) Westminster Strategy and (i) Barrington Jay and Company; and if he will give the subject of each meeting. [14339]

  Mr. Freeman
  There is no central record of any meetings between my officials and representatives of the companies listed.

  Newspaper Announcements
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list, by type and number, the announcements placed by his Department in(a) The Times, (b) the Daily Telegraph, (c) The Independent and (d) other publications in the last 12 months for which information is available. [14341]
  75
  Mr. Soames
  Announcements concerning events, functions and the like may be sent to newspapers, both from my Department's headquarters and from establishments and commands. It is then a matter for individual newspapers whether they publish the information provided.

  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent listing official engagements in newspapers in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [14340]

  Mr. Soames
  It is not my Department's practice to pay for listing official engagements in newspapers. Press releases and announcements are sent to newspapers, which will decide for themselves what they choose to publish.

  Overseas Posts
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 20 February,Official Report, columns 87–88, how much his Department spent on (a) pay, (b) allowances and (c) equipment and support costs for (i) services attachés, (ii) defence advisers and (iii) support staff in each overseas post for the last year in which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [14345]

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

  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 20 February,Official Report, columns 87–88, if he will give the official annual entertainment allowance currently at the disposal of service attachés and defence advisers in each overseas post; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Soames
  The current official entertainment allowance at the disposal of defence staff in each overseas post is given below.

  Annual Accountable Entertainment Allowance (AEA)

  Capital

  Country

  AEA for year 1994–95 (Sterling)

  Abu Dhabi

  UAE

  10,998

  Accra

  Ghana

  7,239

  Algiers

  Algeria

  4,198

  Amman

  Jordan

  12,976

  Ankara

  Turkey

  6,152

  Athens

  Greece

  18,016

  Bangkok

  Thailand

  4,902

  Beirut

  Lebanon

  3,560

  Belgrade

  Yugoslavia

  10,343

  Berne

  Switzerland

  8,190

  Bogata

  Colombia

  9,675

  Bonn

  Germany

  27,319

  Brasilia

  Brazil

  9,885

  Bratislava

  Slovakia

  5,000

  Bridgetown

  Barbados

  6,099

  Brussels

  Belgium

  13,348

  Bucharest

  Romania

  3,500

  Budapest

  Hungaria

  5,899

  Buenos Aires

  Argentina

  22,755

  Cairo

  Egypt

  16,188

  Canberra

  Australia

  15,115

  Caracas

  Venezuela

  8,604

  Copenhagen

  Denmark

  8,307

  Damascus

  Syria

  5,004

  Dhaka

  Bangladesh

  5,011

  Dublin

  Irish Republic

  6,296

  Guatemala City

  Guatemala

  4,660

  76

  Annual Accountable Entertainment Allowance (AEA)

  Capital

  Country

  AEA for year 1994–95 (Sterling)

  The Hague

  Netherlands

  24,677

  Harare

  Zimbabwe

  6,888

  Helsinki

  Finland

  11,790

  Islamabad

  Pakistan

  8,254

  Jakarta

  Indonesia

  5,824

  Kampala

  Uganda

  5,746

  Kathmandu

  Nepal

  3,160

  Kiev

  Ukraine

  4,811

  Kingston

  Jamaica

  4,474

  Kuala Lumpur

  Malaysia

  8,328

  Kuwait City

  Kuwait

  4,476

  Lagos

  Nigeria

  10,836

  Lisbon

  Portugal

  7,082

  Madrid

  Spain

  16,641

  Mexico City

  Mexico

  6,883

  Moscow

  Russia

  21,958

  Muscat

  Oman

  13,762

  Nairobi

  Kenya

  5,160

  New Dehli

  India

  9,725

  Nicosia

  Cyprus

  7,698

  Oslo

  Norway

  11,608

  Ottawa

  Canada

  15,594

  Paris

  France

  56,985

  Peking

  China

  7,778

  Prague

  Czech

  8,198

  Pretoria

  South Africa

  6,150

  Rabat

  Morocco

  7,914

  Riga

  Latvia

  2,000

  Riyadh

  Saudi Arabia

  21,281

  Rome

  Italy

  27,816

  Santiago

  Chile

  8,455

  Seoul

  South Korea

  14,338

  Singapore

  Singapore

  12,928

  Sofia

  Bulgaria

  4,566

  Stockholm

  Sweden

  26,408

  Tel Aviv

  Israel

  14,746

  Tokyo

  Japan

  33,064

  Vienna

  Austria

  8,377

  Warsaw

  Poland

  6,126

  Washington

  USA

  224,400

  Wellington

  New Zealand

  8,076

  Zagreb

  Croatia

  4,000

  Public Relations
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 14 December 1994,Official Report, columns 666–67, if he will list the publications produced by his Department's public relations section in (a) 1991–92, (b) 1992–93 and (c) 1993–94; and what was the cost of each, the number of copies produced, the number distributed, whether any charge was made and the level of each charge. [14338]

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

  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 14 December 1994,Official Report, columns 666–67, if he will list by title the films made by his Department's public relations section in (a) 1991–92, (b) 1992–93 and (c) 1993–94; and if he will give the cost of each. [14344]
  77
  Mr. Soames
  Films and videos produced by the Department's headquarters public relations staff are as follows:

  1991–92

  Britain in NATO

  Insurance for Peace

  RN in the Gulf

  Keeping the Coasts Clear

  Freedom of the Seas

  RN Presentation Team Film

  RAF Presentation Team Film

  1992–93

  Green Forces

  Low Flying

  Changing Horizons and Ship Class Videos

  Sound of Silence

  1993–94

  Protecting through Science

  Field Gunners

  The individual cost of each film or video is a commercially sensitive matter but overall the cost was just over £700,000.

  Ministerial Meetings
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many meetings have taken place in the last two years between representatives of his Department and Conservative hon. Members to discuss procurement decisions; and if he will give(a) the date, (b) the subject and (c) the names of the Ministers and hon. Members attending. [14343]

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

  Manadon
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to complete the sale of the Royal Navy's engineering school at Manadon, Plymouth. [14342]

  Mr. Soames
  The marketing campaign for Manadon is proceeding satisfactorily and prospective purchasers have been asked to submit details of their proposals and a financial offer by 26 April. It is too soon to say when assessment of the bids will be completed, but we aim to achieve a sale which will allow a smooth transition from naval to civilian use.

  Porton Down Experiments
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many(a) officers and (b) other ranks have volunteered since 1965 to participate in experiments at Porton Down. [14330]

  Mr. Soames
  This matter is 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 front Graham Pearson to Mr. Derek Fatchett, dated 20 March 1995:

  Question 12, Order Paper 14 March 1995

  1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking him how many (a) officers and (b) other ranks have volunteered since 1965 to participate in experiments at Porton
  78
  Down, 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. Our records indicate that the number of officers and other ranks who have volunteered since 1965 to take part in studies at Porton Down is as follows:

  Year

  Officers

  Other ranks

  Total

  1965

  17

  129

  146

  1966

  35

  114

  149

  1967

  44

  200

  244

  1968

  35

  228

  263

  1969

  47

  134

  181

  1970

  59

  268

  327

  1971

  57

  168

  225

  1972

  59

  299

  358

  1973

  63

  201

  264

  1974

  100

  204

  304

  1975

  41

  96

  137

  1976

  65

  189

  254

  1977

  37

  80

  117

  1978

  25

  79

  104

  1979

  37

  116

  153

  1980

  106

  234

  340

  1981

  61

  242

  303

  1982

  38

  123

  161

  1983

  36

  141

  177

  1984

  42

  89

  131

  1985

  52

  129

  181

  1986

  31

  65

  96

  1987

  29

  64

  93

  1988

  46

  90

  136

  1989

  31

  79

  110

  1990

  18

  65

  83

  1991

  9

  41

  50

  1992

  54

  58

  112

  1993

  23

  41

  64

  1994

  38

  66

  104

  Goddard Study
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 20 February,Official Report, columns 87–88, who carried out the independent review of attachés known as the Goddard study; and what was the total cost of the review. [14333]

  Mr. Soames
  The Goddard study was conducted by an air commodore, a lieutenant colonel and a higher executive officer, Development, supported by a personal assistant. The cost of staff time and travel and subsistence involved in this review was £65,000.

  Civil Service
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total number of civil servants employed by(a) his Department, (b) the agencies under his Department's responsibility and (c) public and other bodies under his Department's responsibility, for each year since 1979, divided into (i) full-time equivalents, (ii) overtime, (iii) casuals and (iv) other; and whether he will also provide for each year his estimates of (A) civil service job reductions due to privatisations, (B) civil service job reductions due to contracting out, (C) civil service job reductions resulting from other transfer of responsibilities, (D) the total of all other staff undertaking work for his Department or its agencies without being categorised as civil servants, including external consultants, researchers, agency secretarial staff and staff substitution and (E) total manpower expenditures, in 1994 prices. [14763]

  Mr. Freeman
  The civil service covers the permanent staff of central Government Departments and next steps agencies. The staff of other bodies are outside the civil service.

  The annual publication "Civil Service Statistics" gives details of the number of civil servants employed by my Department and its agencies, including full-time equivalent staff and casuals, from 1993 onwards, and of staff leaving the civil service.

  "Public Bodies", published annually since 1982, contains staffing information for those bodies not covered by "Civil Service Statistics".

  Details of operating costs and the civil service pay bill for my Department for the years 1989–90 to 1997–98 are contained in table 5 of my Department's annual report (Cm 2801), and table 4 gives details of overtime.

  "United Kingdom Defence Statistics" which is published annually contains more detailed information regarding recruitment and job reductions due to contractorisation and privatisation.

  Copies of all these publications are available in the Library of the House.

  The remaining information sought could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Polling and Public Survey Organisations
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the employment of polling or public survey organisations by his Department during the current and previous financial years, on the organisations employed by his Department, on the values of individual contracts for these services, on the total amounts of money spent and on the purposes of the research undertaken by these organisations. [14508]

  Mr. Freeman
  The following organisations have undertaken opinion surveys on behalf of the MOD since 1 April 1993:

  RSGB

  Reflexions

  MORI

  One World Research

  BMRB

  Research Services

  Diagnostics

  Andrew Irving Associates

  80
  The cost of the individual studies is commercially confidential information, but the total cost of all surveys was:

  1993–94: £129,000

  1994–95: £243,500

  The objectives of the research are to monitor the effectiveness of advertising in recruiting personnel to the armed forces and the attitudes of the public towards a career in the armed forces.

  Official Service Residences
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 20 February Official Report column 86–87 if he will give the annual entertainment allowance for each other official service residence for the latest year for which information is available.

  Mr Soames
  [holding answer 28 February 1995]: The current annual entertainment allowance at the disposal of the officers resident in my Department's official service residences is given in the table below:

  Residence

  Annual entertainment allowance 1994–95

  Comments

  1 (1)

  3,263

  2 (2)

  3,263

  3 (3)

  3,741

  4 (4)

  Vacant

  5 (5)

  7,470

  6 (6)

  1Not in receipt of EA

  7 (7)

  4,870

  8 (9)

  7,470

  9 (10)

  1,390

  10 (11)

  4,870

  11 (12)

  4,870

  12 (12)

  4,870

  13 (15)

  3,263

  14 (16)

  3,263

  Vacant from 1 May for disposal

  15 (17)

  4,870

  16 (18)

  4,870

  17 (19)

  7,470

  18 (20)

  4,870

  19 (22)

  2,080

  20 (23)

  4,870

  21 (24)

  7,470

  22 (25)

  2,255

  23 (26)

  4,870

  24 (27)

  4,870

  25 (28)

  7,470

  26

  4,870

  New residence

  27 (29)

  3,263

  28 (30)

  3,263

  29 (31)

  3,263

  30 (33)

  1Not in receipt of EA

  31 (34)

  7,470

  32 (35)

  1,390

  33 (36)

  4,870

  34 (37)

  3,263

  35 (38)

  4,526

  36 (39)

  6,314

  37 (40)

  8,212

  38 (41)

  3,263

  39 (42)

  2,080

  40 (43)

  3,263

  41 (44)

  1,390

  42 (45)

  2,080

  43 (46)

  4,870

  44 (47)

  4,870

  45 (48)

  3,263

  46 (49)

  3,263

  47 (50)

  2,080

  81

  Residence

  Annual entertainment allowance 1994–95

  Comments

  48 (51)

  3,263

  49 (52)

  7,470

  50 (53)

  3,263

  51 (54)

  7,470

  52 (55)

  3,263

  53 (56)

  11,147

  54 (57)

  11,888

  55 (58)

  7,470

  56 (59)

  3,263

  57 (60)

  4,870

  58 (61)

  3,263

  59 (62)

  7,470

  60 (63)

  1,390

  61 (64)

  2,080

  62 (65)

  3,263

  63 (66)

  2,139

  64 (67)

  3,263

  65 (68)

  4,870

  66 (69)

  3,263

  67 (70)

  3,263

  68 (71)

  3,263

  69 (72)

  4,870

  70 (73)

  3,263

  71 (74)

  3,263

  72 (75)

  9,056

  73 (76)

  6,241

  74 (77)

  3,263

  75

  7,470

  Omitted from previous list

  Note:

  1 The posts held by the occupants of residences 6 and 30 do not qualify for payment of Entertainment Allowance.

  Representational entertainment by these officers is funded through individual grants in aid.

  Properties no longer classed as OSRs

  (8) Vacant—declared for disposal

  Not in receipt of EA

  (14) OSR status removed

  (21) Vacant from September 1994—previous occupant EA = £4870

  (32) Vacant 31 January 1995

  Not in receipt of EA

  The numerical list given in my answer to the hon. Member on 21 July 1994, Official Report, column 560, has since been updated and the previous serial number is shown in parentheses.

LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Lord President of the Council, what was the total number of civil servants employed by(a) his Department, (b) the agencies under his Department's responsibility and (c) public and other bodies under his Department's responsibility, for each year since 1992, divided in (1) full-time equivalents, (2) overtime, (3) casuals and (4) other; and whether he will also provide for each year his estimates of (A) civil service job reductions due to privatisations, (B) civil service job reductions due to contracting out, (C) civil service job reductions resulting from other transfer of responsibilities, (D) the total of all other staff undertaking work for the Department or its agencies without being categorised as civil servants, including external
  82
  consultants, researchers, agency secretarial staff and staff substitution and (E) total manpower expenditures, in 1994 prices.

  Mr. Newton
  The annual publication "Civil Service Statistics" gives details of the number of civil servants employed by the Privy Council Office, including full-time equivalent staff and casuals, from 1993 onwards, and of staff leaving the civil service. I am not responsible for any agencies.

  Details of the running costs and the staff pay bill for my department can be found in the relevant annual report—Cm 2820, page 102.

  Copies of these publications are available in the Members' Library.

  The remaining information sought could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Correspondence
  Sir Richard Body
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for what reasons the letter dated 26 February sent by the hon. Member for Holland with Boston has not been answered.

  Mrs. Browning
  The letter was replied to today.

  New Forest Buckhounds
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will place in the Library a copy of the keeper's reports on the carcases of deer killed by the New Forest buckhounds on 6 March and 10 March. [14370]

  Mr. Jack
  Copies of the reports have been placed in the Library of the House.

  Livestock Exports
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give the type, value and number of livestock exported through(a) Dover, (b) Plymouth, (c) Brightlingsea, (d) Shoreham, (e) Coventry airport, (f) Swansea airport, (g) Humberside airport, (h) Grimsby, and (i) other (i) in the five months before October 1994 and (ii) since October 1994. [14155]

  Mrs. Browning
  Overseas trade data are not available in the form required.

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total number of civil servants employed by(a) his Department, (b) the agencies under his Department's responsibility and (c) public and other bodies under his Department's responsibility, for each year since 1979, divided into (1) full-time equivalents; (2) overtime, (3) casuals and (4) other—and whether he will also provide for each year his estimates of (A) civil service job reductions due to privatisations, (B) civil service job reductions due to contracting out, (C) civil service job reductions resulting from other transfer of responsibilities, (D) the total of all other staff undertaking work for the Department or its

  83
  agencies without being categorised as civil servants, including external consultants, researchers, agency secretarial staff and staff substitution and (E) total manpower expenditures in 1994 prices. [15091]

  Mr. Jack
  The civil service covers the permanent staff of central Government Departments and next steps agencies. The staff of other bodies are outside the civil service.

  The annual publication "Civil Service Statistics" gives details of the number of civil servants employed by the Department and its agencies, including full-time equivalent staff and casuals, from 1993 onwards, and of staff leaving the civil service.

  "Public Bodies", published annually since 1982, contains staffing information for those bodies not covered by "Civil Service Statistics".

  Details of running costs and civil service pay bill for the Department can be found in annexe 5 of the Department's annual report, cm 2803. Annexe 6 gives details of overtime from 1989–90 onwards.

  Copies of all of these publications are available in the Members' Library. The remaining information sought could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION

  Aid and Trade Provision
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to change the nature of the trade for aid provision. [13023]

  Mr. Baldry
  The results of a full review of the aid and trade provision were announced to the House on 17 June 1993 in a reply from my hon. Friend the Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale (Sir M. Lennox-Boyd) to my hon. Friend the Member for Croydon, South (Mr. Ottaway). These reforms are being carried through.

  Eastern Europe
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the level of aid to the east European countries from the know-how fund is expected to be in 1995–96. [13024]

  Mr. Baldry
  The 1995–96 planning figure for central and eastern Europe and former Soviet Union is £80 million.

  Rwanda
  Mrs. Gillan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current level of aid going to Rwanda. [13025]

  Mr. Baldry
  Since January 1995 we have pledged 11,000 tonnes of bilateral food aid worth more than £3 million and £6 million in other assistance to Rwanda. This brings our total assistance to the Rwandan crisis since April 1994 to nearly £80 million.

  Saharwi Refugees
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aid has been made available to Saharwi people in refugee camps. [13026]

  Mr. Baldry
  The UNHCR earmarked £4 million for the Saharwi refugees in 1994 and a further £4 million this year.

  The United Kingdom provides no direct bilateral aid, but helps indirectly through its contributions to UNHCR. ODA has provided over £20 million in 1994–95 for UNHCR's general programmes budget.

  Sri Lanka
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aid projects were discussed during his recent visit to Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement. [13027]

  Mr. Baldry
  I visited Sri Lanka on 14 to 16 November 1994. I was able to discuss with Ministers there the content of the aid programme in Sri Lanka which aims to reduce poverty; tackle environmental problems; strengthen human resource development; and promote good government. I was also able to see some of the relief and rehabilitation projects for families affected by the disturbances in the north and east which are financed by aid.

  Indonesia
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assurances he received, before February, prior to scholarship awards being granted to officers of the Indonesian police force that none of those officers had previously served in East Timor.

  Mr. Baldry
  None.

  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 3 March,Official Report, column 726, what assurances he obtained, before February, prior to scholarship awards being granted to officers of the Indonesian police force that none of those officers would subsequently serve in East Timor.

  Mr. Baldry
  The Indonesian national police force gave a commitment that officers who received scholarship awards under the police project would remain with the project for a minimum of five years.

  Mrs. Clywd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the dates, titles and reference number of evaluation studies relating to Indonesia published by his Department since April 1990, indicating in each case which of the documents relate to support given through the aid and trade provision.

  Mr. Baldry
  Since April 1990 ODA's evaluation department has published two evaluation reports relating to Indonesia. The "Evaluation of the Ombilin Coal Mine, Indonesia (1982–84)"—EV491 January 1992—was financed under the aid and trade provision. This project is also referred to in the "ATP Synthesis Evaluation Study"—EV490 November 1991. Both reports are available in the Libraries of the House,

  Mrs.Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if any Indonesian police officers who have received scholarship awards involving
  85
  training paid for by his Department had previously served in East Timor.

  Mr. Baldry
  Major Adjie Rustarn Ramdja served there in 1985 and Major Medhy Chumaedi served there before 1983.

  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 3 March,Official Report, column 726, what sources other than the Indonesian national police force have provided information that Indonesian police officers who have received scholarship awards paid for by his Department, have not subsequently served in East Timor.

  Mr. Baldry
  The United Kingdom managers of the Indonesia national police project have also provided this information.

  Third-world Countries
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what account is taken of poverty levels in third-world countries when they are considered for overseas aid; and if he will make a statement. [13205]

  Mr. Baldry
  The objective of the whole aid programme is poverty reduction through sustainable development. In allocating resources, the Government target in particular poverty reduction in the poorest developing countries. Nine of the 10 largest aid recipients in 1993–94 were low-income countries in Africa and Asia and, in the same year, over two thirds of our bilateral aid allocable by income group went to the poorest developing countries.

  European Democracy Programmes
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applications have been submitted by voluntary organisations located in the United Kingdom for funds under(a) the European Union's PHARE programme and (b) the European Union's TACIS democracy programme; if he will list those organisations which have been awarded such moneys; what is the range of these awards; and if he will make a statement. [14810]

  Mr. Baldry
  As of the end of 1994, the jointly administered PHARE and TACIS democracy programmes had considered a total of 88 applications from British based non-governmental organisations which met the eligibility criteria. Of these 22 were successful and the following awards have been made:

  Name of organization

  Amount (ecu)

  Penal Reform International

  69,650

  English Speaking Union

  69,864

  European Young Bar Association

  150,000

  Association mondiale des radiodiffuseurs communautaires—AMARC1

  116,210

  Article XIX, International Centre Against Censorship

  116,865

  PMA Foundation

  118,177

  AIRE Centre: Advice on Individual Rights in Europe

  85,887

  Historical Association

  150,000

  86

  Name of organization

  Amount (ecu)

  Penal Reform International

  52,605

  BBC World Service

  102,995

  Centre for Defence Studies

  81,700

  BEARR Trust—British Emergency Action in Russia and the Republics

  37,083

  AIRE Centre: Advice on Individual Rights in Europe

  80,608

  BBC Marshall Plan of the Mind Trust

  150,000

  British-Albanian Legal Association

  53,980

  Centre for Defence Studies

  50,000

  Bilston Community College

  94,398

  International Media Centre, University of Salford

  88,253

  Graphical, Print and Media Union

  134,219

  INTRAC—International NGO Training and Research Centre

  124,588

  Aga Khan Foundation

  193,970

  Verification Technology Information Centre—VERTIC

  190,000

  1 Application made from UK office.

  Yemen
  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he proposes to resume the bilateral aid programme to the republic of Yemen. [15251]

  Mr. Baldry
  We have recently informed the Government of the republic of Yemen that United Kingdom bilateral aid activity will resume at the start of the 1995–96 UK financial year.

TRANSPORT

  Polling and Public Survey Organisations
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the employment of polling or public survey organisations by his Department during the current and previous financial years, on the organisations employed by his Department, on the values of individual contracts for these services, on the total amounts of money spent and on the purposes of the research undertaken by these organisations. [14510]

  Mr. Watts
  The information requested is set out in the tables.

  Financial year 1993–94

  Name of polling or public survey organization

  Purpose of research

  Hampshire County Council

  After study of traffic calming measures

  Lincolnshire County Council

  After study of traffic calming measures

  Public Attitude Surveys Ltd.

  Customer satisfaction survey

  Research International

  Tracking research on road safety campaigns to test overall effectiveness and report on changes in attitude/behaviour

  87

  Financial year 1993–94

  Name of polling or public survey organisation

  Purpose of research

  Research International (Cont.)

  Survey to determine the public view on the acceptance of photacard driving licences

  Survey to determine the attitude of Vehicle Excise Duty evaders, and the effectiveness of advertising campaigns

  Ross Silcock Partnership

  Public Attitude Surveys to environmental and traffic schemes in Bypass Demonstration Project towns

  SDG Research

  Driver information survey

  Social and Community Planning Research

  Qualitative research into attitudes to cycle helmets

  Taylor Nelson Business Services

  Initial survey to determine the views and needs of the Surveyor Generals Organisation's customers prior to becoming the Marine Safety Agency

  Transport Studies Unit, Oxford

  Public perceptions of Red Routes

  Transport and Travel Research

  Bus Passenger Information Study

  Total expenditure

  £399,430

  Note

  The values of individual contracts are not listed as these are regarded as commercially confidential.

  Financial Year 1994–95

  Name of polling or public survey organisation

  Purpose of research

  Accent Marketing and Research

  Highways Agency image and awareness study

  Andrew Irving Associates

  Market research relating to the flotation of Railtrack

  Atkins, Wootton Jeffries

  Research study amongst goods and bus operators to determine views on the administration of the HGV and PSV operator licencing system

  Date

  Researcher

  Purpose

  Costs (excluding VAT)

  June 1994

  Advertising Principles Devonshire Hall

  To establish attitudes of dealers in new motor vehicles to the Agency's Select Registrations

  Contract price: £1,800

  Devonshire Avenue Street Lane Leeds, LS8 1AW

  Accredited Dealer scheme which allows new vehicle buyers the opportunity to buy from the Agency's Sale of Attractive Vehicle

  Actual spend: £1,800

  Registration Numbers via the motor dealer

  January 1995

  Enterprise Planning and Research Ltd.

  To establish why certain enquiries of the Agency's Sale of Attractive Vehicle

  Contract price: £12,750

  Victoria House 28–38 Desborough street

  Registration Numbers telesales hotline are not being converted into sales

  Contract spend: £12,750

  High Wycombe

  HP11 2NP

  88

  Financial Year 1994–95

  Name of polling or public survey organisation

  Purpose of research

  Babtie Traffic Ltd.

  Roadside interviews on A1/M1

  PAS Research Ltd.

  Parking surveys

  Surveys of acceptable noise levels Interview surveys

  Pinpoint

  High Risk Offenders Project (to obtain Socio Economic Group by postcode)

  Public Attitude Surveys Ltd.

  Customer satisfaction survey

  Research International

  Tracking research on road safety campaigns to test overall effectiveness and report on changes in attitude/behaviour

  Customer survey to determine the effectiveness of earlier procedural changes introduced to improve the service to DVLA customers

  Research to determine the level of accuracy of Driver and Vehicle records

  Ross Silcock Partnership

  Public Attitude Surveys to environmental and traffic schemes in Bypass Demonstration Project towns

  SDG Research

  Motorway and Trunk Road User Survey

  Social Surveyors (Gallup Poll) Ltd.

  Behavioural Psychology programme—Interviewing drivers about their behaviours and attitudes

  Smith and Williamson

  Establishment of a Customer Research plan within the Vehicle Testing Division of the Vehicle Inspectorate

  Taylor Nelson Business Services

  Customer Survey to re-examine the perception of MSA and its services following transition to Agency status

  Total expenditure

  £522,954

  Note:

  The values of individual contracts are not listed as these are regarded as commercially confidential.

  Road Maintenance
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if delays to motorists arising from structural maintenance of the road network are included in the assessment of the track costs of heavy lorries.

  Mr. Watts
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 February,Official Report, column 469.

  Channel Tunnel Rail Link
  Sir John Stanley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library the full text of the criteria and guidelines used to implement the unpublished hardship scheme for the channel tunnel rail link referred to in paragraph 38 of the report to Parliament by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration on the "Channel Tunnel Rail Link and Blight".

  Mr. Watts
  This scheme was operated by Union Railways following the Government's announcement on 22 March 1993 of a defined route for the channel tunnel rail link for consultation purposes, and applied to that part of the route that was not covered by existing safeguarding directions until February 1994 when further safeguarding directions were issued. No specific new guidelines were produced because, as the commissioner's report indicates, the scheme was similar to the British Rail 1988 scheme described in paragraphs 31 and 32 of his report, except that properties generally had to be within 67 m of the centre line of the consultation route, which served only as a "coarse sift" as to possible eligibility.

  British Rail
  Mr. Hanson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact of restrictions on through ticket purchase on British Rail trains on individuals with a visual disability.

  Mr. Watts
  This is a matter for the rail regulator, who is currently considering responses received to his consultation exercise on ticket retailing. He has a statutory duty to exercise his functions in a manner that protects the interests of disabled passengers and I would expect him to take this into account in reaching his decision on the requirements to be imposed on operators.

  Railtrack
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the name, location and acreage of each site or other property owned by Railtrack which is currently for sale; and if he will estimate the total value of those sites and properties.

  Mr Watts
  I am advised by Railtrack that the list of sites currently for sale is as listed. This includes several compulsory purchase orders, including the M11 extension transaction at Leyton. The list also includes sales where contracts have been entered into, but not yet completed. Estimates of proceeds are a matter for Railtrack.

  Sites

  Description

  Area (Acres)

  Aberdeen

  Ferry Hill

  2.0

  Borough Green

  Land at Station Road

  0.3

  Bradford

  Land adjacent Station

  16.0

  Bromley South

  Land adjacent Station

  1.1

  Enfield

  Land adjacent Station

  1.1

  Cambridge

  Former Coal Yard

  2.4

  90

  Sites

  Description

  Area (Acres)

  Camden Chalk Farm

  Stanley Sidings

  2.0

  Charing Cross

  Carrara House

  0.3

  Charing Cross

  Ship and Shovel

  0.1

  Chichester

  Land adjacent Station1

  2.6

  Eastbourne

  Former Goods Yard

  0.5

  Hemel Hempstead

  Land adjacent Station

  0.1

  Kentish Town

  Land at Spring Place

  0.4

  Kentish Town West

  Land at Artic Street

  0.5

  Leatherhead

  Land adjacent Station1

  2.5

  Leyton

  Part of Former Engineers Depot

  4.6

  Marylebone

  Land at Harewood Avenue1

  1.7

  Merthyr Tydfil

  Goods Yard1

  4.7

  Oxford

  Former Goods yard1

  5.9

  Radyr

  Former Goods Yard

  1.0

  Reigate

  Land at Station1

  0.6

  Silvertown

  Goods Yard

  5.4

  St. Leonards

  West Marine

  0.5

  Stevenage

  Coal Yard

  5.9

  Urmston

  Former Goods Yard1

  2.0

  Weymouth

  Land adjacent Station

  3.8

  1 These transactions are tied in with new or improved station facilities.

  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people are currently employed(a) in York and (b) in other locations by Railtrack's east coast and north east zones; and how many people will be employed (i) in York and (ii) in other locations after the two zones have been merged.

  Mr. Watts
  I am advised by Railtrack that the combined establishment of the company's north-east and east coast main line zones is 2,129, of which 521 posts are in York. I am also advised that the small number of staff likely to be displaced as a consequence of the merger of the zones will be offered alternative employment within the company.

  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the name, location, acreage and date of sale of each site or other property sold by Railtrack since its creation; and what is the total amount of money received from those sales.

  Mr. Watts
  I am advised by Railtrack that to date Railtrack has received £8 million in sales receipts from 134 individual transactions. This figure includes compensation from compulsory purchase orders, notably the Jubilee line extension scheme. Details of the individual transactions are commercially confidential.

  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date Railtrack's east coast zone and its north-east zone will merge; and where the headquarters of the new merged zone will be situated.

  Mr. Watts
  Railtrack's north-east and east coast main-line zones are scheduled to merge on 26 June 1995. The headquarters of the combined zone will be situated in York.

  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that the safety directorate of Railtrack should not be privatised. [14429]

  Mr. Watts
  No. The legislative framework for railway safety developed by the Health and Safety Commission ahead of privatisation will remain robust following the privatisation of Railtrack as a single entity.

  Kingskerwell Bypass
  Mr. Allason
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what date has been set to start work on the Kingskerswell bypass.

  Mr. Watts
  It is too early to say when this scheme may enter construction. Future progress will depend on the satisfactory completion of the statutory planning procedures and the availability of funds.

  Red Routes (Wandsworth)
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the present plans for implementing the red route proposals in the London borough of Wandsworth; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Norris
  The Traffic Director for London is considering a revised timetable under which Wandsworth's red routes would begin to come into operation later this year.

  Kent Coast Lines
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many carriages used currently by BR Network SouthEast's South Eastern train operating unit are due to be withdrawn from service on its Kent coast lines over the next 18 months; and if he will indicate the class numbers of these carriages and the dates they are expected to be withdrawn from service.

  Mr. Watts
  South Eastern has confirmed to me that over the next 18 months it is planning to withdraw progressively 116 class 411 coaches from service on Kent coast lines. The precise dates of the withdrawals have yet to be determined.

  Railways (Road Bridges)
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what statutory duties with regard to the maintenance and strengthening of road bridges over railway lines have been transferred from British Rail to Railtrack; and what will be their responsibility with regard to this strengthening necessary to take 40 tonne road vehicles. [14579]

  Mr. Watts
  Any statutory duties relating to the maintenance and strengthening of former British Rail road bridges now owned by Railtrack have been transferred to Railtrack so far as permitted under the provisions of the Railways Act 1993. Railtrack maintains its bridges to the standards set by the Railway Bridges (Load-Bearing Standards) (England and Wales) Order 1972; any strengthening beyond this level will be the responsibility of the relevant highway authority.

  Royal Train
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the individuals other than Her Majesty the Queen, who used the royal train in 1993–94. [14728]

  Mr. Watts
  I understand from British Rail that, between 1 April 1993 and 31 March 1994, the royal train was used by the following members of the royal family, other than Her Majesty the Queen:

  The Duke of Edinburgh

  The Prince of Wales

  The Princess Royal

  92

  The Prince Edward

  The Duke of Kent

  The Duchess of Kent

  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many and what occasions was the royal train used in 1993–94. [14729]

  Mr. Watts
  Between 1 April 1993 and 31 March 1994, the royal train was used on 47 separate occasions, involving use of the royal train coaches on 95 days, to enable members of the royal family to carry out official engagements.

  Compensation
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which court judgments delivered in the last two years have resulted in the Department needing to review its rules of compensation to take account of a reduction in property values resulting from its schemes. [14726]

  Mr. Watts
  I am aware of no judgments which have resulted in a need for change in the compensation payable under the provisions of the statutory compensation code. The Court of Appeal judgment in the case of the Secretary of State for Transport and Lt. Col. David Owen requires the Department to take into account loss in value of property when assessing whether its enjoyment is seriously affected and therefore whether it falls to be considered for discretionary purchase.

  Eurostar
  Mr. Rowe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely traffic demand on the proposed channel tunnel rail link following the inauguration of the Eurostar service. [14978]

  Mr. Watts
  I have not made any such assessment; it is for the operators and the channel tunnel rail link bidders to do so.

WALES

  Welsh Development Agency
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Welsh Development Agency in relation to his Department's agreement to the agency's three-year business plan with reference(a) to its projections of projected capital expenditure and (b) its conditionality on receipt of increased levels of grant from the European regional development fund.

  Mr. Redwood
  [holding answer 17 March 1995]: I met the chairman and board of the agency on 1 November 1994 to discuss its draft corporate plan. The agency quite properly plans its activities with reference to a number of factors, including the sale of capital assets and anticipated funding. In the event that the agency is more or less successful with its project bids for ERDF, the agency would need to adjust its levels of gross expenditure accordingly. Those ERDF projects are additional to the programme financed by grant-in-aid and asset receipts.

  Mr Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Welsh Development Agency concerning the future
  93
  headquarters location of the agency; and if he will make a statement. [15076]

  Mr. Redwood
  None.

  Company Liquidations
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to collect information pertaining to the number of Welsh businesses going into liquidation; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  No. Information is collected by the Insolvency Service, an executive agency within the Department of Trade and Industry, on liquidations in England and Wales. I do not consider that attempting a separate count for Wales could be justified in terms of the cost to public funds.

  National Continence Day
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what financial support he is giving to National Continence Day.

  Mr. Richards
  The Welsh Office has funded the cost of producing bilingual leaflets and Welsh language stickers, amounting to £3,273, which will support local NHS initiatives.

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what literature accompanying National Continence Day is to be published in the Welsh language; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Richards
  Welsh language stickers and bilingual bookmark style leaflets have been distributed widely.

  Mr Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has had regarding the forthcoming National Continence Day; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Richards
  The Welsh Office has not received any representations regarding the forthcoming National Continence Day, but a set of publicity material has been produced and widely distributed.

  Housing
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 13 March,Official Report, column 446, if he will publish his estimate of the extent of unmet housing need in terms of housing condition, population growth and housing location. [14575]

  Mr. Redwood
  Local housing authorities are responsible for assessing housing need. The 1991 census showed that there were more household spaces than households in Wales. I expect to publish the 1992-based household projections for the counties of Wales on 5 April 1995. These will inform local estimates of housing need. Local housing authorities also have available the results of the 1993 Welsh house condition survey, which I published last September.

  Building Signs
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 13 March,Official Report, column 445, on the recognition of Welsh Office funding, if he will define significant funding; to which current schemes the provisions would apply; and if the
  94
  provision covers European Community programmes where local authorities spend money in unison with Community money. [14616]

  Mr. Redwood
  These matters will be addressed in the proposals being drawn up by my officials.

  Civil Service
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total number of civil servants employed by(a) his Department, (b) the agencies under his Department's responsibility and (c) public and other bodies under his Department's responsibility, for each year since 1992, divided into (1) full-time equivalents, (2) overtime, (3) casuals and (4) other; and whether he will also provide for each year his estimates of (A) civil service job reductions due to privatisations, (B) civil service job reductions due to contracting out, (C) civil service job reductions resulting from other transfer of responsibilities, (D) the total of all other staff undertaking work for the Department or its agencies without being categorised as civil servants, including external consultants, researchers, agency secretarial staff and staff substitution and (E) total manpower expenditures, in 1994 prices. [15091]

  Mr. Redwood
  "Public Bodies", published annually since 1982, contains staffing information for those bodies not covered by "Civil Service Statistics".

  Details of running costs and the Civil Service pay bill for my Department can be found in table 10.01 of my Department's annual report (Command 2815). The table also gives details of overtime from 1991–92 onwards.

  Copies of all of these publications are available in the Library of the House.

  The remaining information sought could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Cardiff Bay Barrage
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the expected date for the publication of the firm proposals for the acquisition of land in south Gwent for bird habitat migration measures in relation to the Cardiff bay barrage; what consultation he has had with the two local authorities concerned; if the acquisition of the land required will be by voluntary or compulsory purchase; and if he will make a statement. [15080]

  Mr. Redwood
  I hope to make an announcement about the most appropriate site within the next two or three months.

  The consultation and land acquisition procedures are matters the development corporation are pursuing with the Land Authority for Wales.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to his answer of 14 March,Official Report, column 531, if he will give the dates of the answers in each category and state the underlying principle behind the increase in the numbers since 1 January of answers requesting a chairman or chief executive of a non-departmental public body to write in answer to a parliamentary question. [15078]
  95
  Mr. Redwood
  The dates are as follows:

  PQ number

  Date answered

  (a)

  168N

  30 January 1995

  114N

  7 February 1995

  41N

  10 February 1995

  38N

  10 February 1995

  146N

  15 February 1995

  153N

  15 February 1995

  104N

  23 February 1995

  (b)

  77N

  15 December 1994

  There is no underlying principle behind the increase in numbers of answers stating that a chairman or chief executive of a non-departmental body will write to the hon. Member.

  I or my Ministers answer on policy matters; the chairman or chief executive answer on day-to-day running and management of their organisation.

  Southern Damselfly
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures he is taking to prevent further loss of breeding populations of coinagroin mercuriale—the southern damselfly. [14877]

  Mr. Redwood
  The southern damselfly has been fully taken into account in the selection of conservation sites in Wales including both sites of special scientific interest and proposed special areas of conservation under the EC habitats directive.

  Killarney Fern
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measure he is taking to maintain six sites in Wales that contain trichomanes speciosum, Killarney fern, and to restore the population of Killarney fern to the site in Meirionnydd where it has been depleted by collecting. [14878]

  Mr. Redwood
  The Killarney fern is fully taken into account in the conservation strategies of the Countryside Council for Wales. Sites containing the largest populations are designated as sites of special scientific interest and great caution is shown on releasing information relating to the location of the fern. Proposals to reintroduce the fern in Meirionnydd are under consideration.

  Secondary School Reorganisation
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if his decision on the proposed reorganisation of secondary education in Ely will be based on the principle of commencement in September 1995. [15075]

  Mr. Redwood
  Yes

  European Regional Development Fund
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list in full the members of the single programming document monitoring committee for Wales of the European regional development fund and the offices and 96
  bodies they represent; if he will list the dates of each meeting that has been held and of the next meeting. [15079]

  Mr. Redwood
  The rural Wales committee and the industrial south Wales single programming document monitoring committee met on 16 and 21 February 1995 respectively. It is anticipated that the next meetings of the monitoring committees will take place late Summer 1995. The membership of those committees is set out in the following list.

  Rural Wales

  Mr. M. J. A. Cochlin (Chair), Welsh Office

  Miss E. N. M. Davies, Welsh Office

  Dr. M. C. Dunn, Welsh Office

  Mr. J. Burns, Department of Employment

  Mr. R. Liddell, DGVI European Commission

  Ms C. Wendt, DGXVI European Commission

  Mr. N. Scott, DGV European Commission

  1Mr. H. V. Thomas, Gwynedd County Council

  1Ms J. Jones, Powys County Council

  1Mr. D Bown, Dyfed County Council

  Mr. M. Royles, Dwyfor District Officer

  Mr. A. Carr, Aberconwy, Borough Council

  Mr. G. Davey, Montgomeryshire District Council

  Mr. H. James, South Pembrokeshire District Council

  Mr. D. L. Evans, Wales Council for Voluntary Action

  Mr. S. White, West Wales TEC

  Mr. W. R. Jones, Barclays Bank plc

  Mr. T. Jones, Farmer

  Prof. J. Hughes, Development Board for Rural Wales

  Mr. Pride, Wales Tourist Board

  Mrs. E. Allinson, Welsh Funding Councils

  1Two Monitoring Committee places are available to the County Councils and two of the three County Councils nominees attend meetings.

  Industrial South Wales

  Mr. M. J. A. Cochlin (Chair), Welsh Office

  Miss E. N. M. Davies, Welsh Office

  Dr. M. C. Dunn, Welsh Office

  Mr. J. Burns, Department of Employment

  Mr. R. Royce, DGV European Commission

  Ms C. Wendt, DGXVI European Commission

  Mr. A. G. Corless, West Glamorgan County Council

  Mr. M. J. Perry, Gwent County Council

  Mr. R. Leadbeter, Blaenau Gwent Borough Council

  Mr. M. Boaden, Merthyr Tidfil Borough Council

  Mr. I. K. Lewis, Port Talbot Borough Council

  Mr. G. Byrne, Cardiff City Council

  Ms. S. Stephens, Wales Council for Voluntary Action

  Mr. G. Vaughan, Mid Glarnorgan TEC

  Mr. R. Thomas, Eversheds Phillips and Buck

  Mr. A. Clegg, Railtrack

  Mr. G. Moore, Welsh Development Agency

  Mr. J. Pride, Wales Tourist Board

  Mrs. F. Pickard, Further and Higher Education Funding Councils

EDUCATION

  Local Education Authorities
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many local education authorities were affected by boundary changes in 1994–95; if she will list for each such local education authority(a) the number of

  97
  schools transferred to a new local education authority, (b) the name of the new local education authority, (c) the education component of the standard spending assessment and (d) the adjusted figure for the standard spending assessment after account has been taken of the boundary changes.

  Schools transferred

  Receiving LEA

  Education component £ million

  Adjusted SSA £ million

  City of London

  0

  0.783

  65.873

  Camden

  0

  78.775

  218.486

  Greenwich

  0

  114.265

  227.891

  Hackney

  0

  92.843

  247.328

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  0

  57.213

  164.606

  Islington

  0

  80,442

  214.504

  Kensington and Chelsea

  0

  37.272

  140.302

  Lambeth

  0

  102.068

  284.848

  Lewisham

  0

  107.987

  245.200

  Southwark

  0

  109.934

  273.412

  Tower Hamlets

  0

  120.163

  259.597

  Wandsworth

  0

  88.718

  240.671

  Westminster

  0

  59.934

  241.849

  Barking and Dagenham

  0

  65.688

  131.085

  Barnet

  0

  113.666

  227.343

  Bexley

  0

  84.537

  155.449

  Brent

  1

  Ealing

  106.318

  235.514

  Bromley

  0

  99.593

  194.122

  Croydon

  0

  114.342

  239.973

  Ealing

  0

  108.869

  241.671

  Enfield

  0

  112.192

  217.111

  Haringey

  0

  89.054

  213.600

  Harrow

  0

  70.409

  147.952

  Havering

  0

  84.067

  155.216

  Hillingdon

  0

  88.939

  177.762

  Hounslow

  0

  90.156

  178.744

  Kingston upon Thames

  0

  45.852

  95.320

  Merton

  0

  56.276

  124.808

  Newham

  0

  123.810

  259.435

  Redbridge

  2

  Barking

  94.245

  176.706

  Richmond upon Thames

  0

  44.331

  102.168

  Sutton

  0

  64.450

  124.886

  Waltham Forest

  0

  94.112

  200.246

  Birmingham

  0

  427.157

  880.278

  Coventry

  0

  115.727

  227.863

  Dudley

  0

  98.869

  198.376

  Sandwell

  0

  113.826

  232.447

  Solihull

  0

  69.171

  129.509

  Walsall

  0

  103.691

  206.172

  Wolverhampton

  0

  96.144

  196.072

  Knowsley

  0

  69.643

  139.138

  Liverpool

  2

  Knowsley

  202.743

  422.859

  St. Helens

  0

  63.280

  129.743

  Sefton

  0

  102.312

  205.107

  Bolton

  0

  95.727

  193.671

  Bury

  0

  57.847

  116.426

  Manchester

  0

  182.485

  420.956

  Rochdale

  0

  79.656

  159.566

  Salford

  0

  78.671

  180.186

  Stockport

  0

  86.091

  175.407

  Tameside

  0

  76.328

  155.265

  Wigan

  1

  Salford

  104.851

  206.143

  Barnsley

  0

  73.067

  149.575

  Doncaster

  0

  113.687

  216.492

  Rotherham

  0

  96.279

  184.544

  Sheffield

  0

  162.779

  377.290

  Bradford

  0

  201.941

  396.947

  Calderdale

  0

  72.840

  140.552

  Kirklees

  0

  136.679

  267.648

  Leeds

  0

  240.355

  512.221

  Gateshead

  0

  68.177

  153.191

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  0

  97.287

  224.010

  North Tyneside

  0

  65.412

  140.100

  South Tyneside

  0

  56.343

  120.377

  Sunderland

  0

  110.851

  227.641

  98
  Mr. Robin Squire
  The information requested is set out in the following table. Most local education authorities affected by boundary changes are not affected by school transfers. All the adjustments for boundary changes are included within the "other services" component of local education authorities' standard spending assessments.
  99

  Schools transferred

  Receiving LEA

  Education component £ million

  Adjusted SSA £ million

  Berkshire

  0

  273.303

  453.592

  Buckinghamshire

  1

  Berkshire

  244.491

  393.493

  Cambridgeshire

  0

  226.137

  380.909

  Cheshire

  0

  332,027

  552.612

  Derbyshire

  0

  302.839

  522.391

  Durham

  0

  206.861

  357.911

  East Sussex

  0

  212.497

  413.417

  Essex

  0

  540.456

  923.590

  Hereford and Worcester

  5

  Birmingham

  219.794

  364.554

  Hertfordshire

  0

  371.417

  610.165

  Humberside

  0

  310.831

  533.528

  Kent

  0

  559.063

  953.111

  Lancashire

  0

  483.978

  845.369

  Northumberland

  0

  107.600

  190.055

  Nottinghamshire

  0

  346.671

  589.856

  Staffordshire

  0

  348.788

  581.770

  Suffolk

  0

  205.854

  357.958

  Surrey

  1

  Berkshire

  299.400

  542.654

  Warwickshire

  0

  156.224

  260.819

  Colleges and Universities (Safety)
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans she has to require improved security and personal safety at colleges and universities.

  Mr. Boswell
  None. Colleges and universities are independent, autonomous bodies, responsible for their own affairs. Any arrangements that they make for security and personal safety on campus are for the governing body of each institution to determine. Ministers have no powers to intervene.

  Grants
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of students in full-time education received grants.

  Mr. Boswell
  Information is not available in the form requested.

  In 1992–93, 1,192,000 full-time students below postgraduate level normally resident in England and Wales were studying at publicly funded further and higher education institutions, including universities. In the same year, 864,000 students below postgraduate level held mandatory or discretionary awards from local education authorities in England and Wales. Some of these awards will have been to part-time students, some will have been for study at private institutions, and some will have been for fees only, not maintenance grants. Because the figures for students and award holders are not directly comparable, it is not possible to calculate the percentage of full-time students who received a grant.

  University Salaries
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what has been the average change in real terms of university salaries since 1979. [14463]

  Mr. Boswell
  Between April 1979 and April 1994, university academics' pay rose by 27 per cent. in real terms as measured by the new earnings survey. Definitional changes may have slightly reduced this figure.

  Teachers' Salaries
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what has been the average change in real terms of teachers' salaries in further education since 1979. [14461]

  Mr. Boswell
  It is not possible to provide a figure solely for teachers in further education. Between April 1979 and April 1994, the pay of staff in former local authority further and higher education rose by 31 per cent. in real terms, as measured by the new earnings survey.

  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what has been the change in real terms of secondary school teachers' salaries since 1979; [14460]

  (2) what has been the average change in real terms of primary school teachers' salaries since 1979. [14458]

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The average salary of a primary and secondary school teacher in Great Britain has increased by 60 per cent. in real terms between April 1979 and April 1994, as measured by the new earning survey. This compares with an increase of 37 per cent. in real terms in the average pay for all employees over the same period.

  Physical Education Curriculum
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what education and training is available in schools on coastal hazards and life-saving techniques. [14719]

  Mr. Forth
  The revised national curriculum for physical education requires that, by the age of 11, all pupils should be taught to swim unaided, competently and safely, for at least 25 m. They should also be taught the principles and skills of water safety and survival. Detailed advice on safe practice in teaching swimming and outdoor and adventurous activities is included in the handbook "Safe Practice in Physical Education" which was first published in 1985 by the British Association of Advisers and Lecturers in Physical Education. A revised edition of the handbook was published in 1990 with the approval and recommendation of the then Department of Education and Science. The handbook includes advice about
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  recommended teacher-tutor qualifications, supervision and pupil behaviour. The handbook is currently subject to further revision and will be republished later this year.

  Surplus Places
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many surplus places there are in Bolton's local authority(a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools; and what is the cost of such empty places. [14238]

  Mr. Robin Squire
  In January 1994, there were 2,187 surplus primary places and 2,000 surplus secondary places in Bolton LEA maintained schools, representing 9 per cent. and 10 per cent. of capacity respectively. We estimate that the cost of maintaining these places is in the region of £1 million. Not all these places are in practice removable. Increasing pupil numbers will fill many of them.

  Pupil-teacher Ratios
  Mr. Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the pupil-teacher ratio in(a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in Nottinghamshire. [14675]

  Mr. Robin Squire
  In January 1994, the latest date for which information is available, the pupil-teacher ratios within maintained primary and secondary schools in Nottinghamshire local education authority area were 22.9 and 15.8 respectively.

  Mr. Hicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the pupil-teacher ratio in Cornwall and the national average for(a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in each of the last 20 years. [15010]

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The information requested is shown in the table.

  Pupil: Teacher Ratios within maintained primary and secondary schools in Cornwall local education authority and England 1975–94—Position in January each year

  Primary

  Secondary1

  Year

  England

  Cornwall

  England

  Cornwall

  1975

  24.3

  26.0

  17.3

  17.6

  1976

  23.9

  25.4

  17.1

  17.5

  1977

  23.8

  25.1

  17.1

  17.5

  1978

  23.6

  24.6

  17.0

  17.3

  1979

  23.1

  24.2

  16.8

  16.9

  1980

  22.7

  24.0

  16.7

  16.8

  1981

  22.6

  23.9

  16.7

  17.0

  1982

  22.5

  23.8

  16.7

  17.1

  1983

  22.3

  23.6

  16.6

  17.2

  1984

  22.1

  23.7

  16.4

  17.2

  1985

  22.2

  23.5

  16.3

  17.2

  1986

  22.1

  23.5

  16.1

  16.9

  1987

  21.9

  23.2

  15.8

  16.8

  1988

  22.0

  23.4

  15.5

  16.6

  1989

  22.0

  23.1

  15.4

  16.4

  1990

  22.0

  23.2

  15.4

  16.1

  1991

  22.2

  23.3

  15.7

  16.4

  1992

  22.2

  23.3

  15.9

  16.4

  1993

  22.4

  23.4

  16.2

  16.9

  1994

  22.7

  23.3

  16.4

  17.3

  1Excludes Sixth Form Colleges which ceased to be classified as schools from 1 April 1993.

  Teachers
  Mr. Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what were the teacher numbers in(a) primary and (b) secondary education in 1979 and what are they now. [14679]

  Mr. Robin Squire
  Information on qualified teachers employed within maintained primary and secondary schools in England in 1979 and 1994, the latest date for which information is available, is shown in the table.

  Full-time equivalent (FTE)1 qualified teachers in maintained primary and secondary schools in England

  Position in January each year

  Primary

  Secondary

  1979

  192,500

  2226,800

  1994

  180,600

  178,800

  Includes the FTE of part-time qualified teachers. 2 Excludes sixth form colleges which ceased to be classified as schools from 1 April 1994.

  Mr. Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the average cost of employing a teacher for a year in(a) infant schools, (b) junior schools and (c) secondary schools. [14702]

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The Department's estimate of the average annual cost of employing a teacher in an infant school or in a junior school in Great Britain as at 1 April 1994 is around £23,600. The estimated average annual cost of employing a teacher in a secondary is around £25,700.

  Public and Polling Opinion Survey Organisations
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will make a statement on the employment of polling or public opinion survey organisations by her Department during the current and previous financial years, on the organisations employed by her Department, on the values of the individual contracts for these services, on the total amounts of money spent and on the purposes of the research undertaken by these organisations. [14509]

  Mr. Boswell
  The Department carries out regular market research to measure public awareness of key policy initiatives, to evaluate the effectiveness of its information campaigns and to inform the planning of future publicity activity.

  All departmental research is commissioned via the Central Office of Information, which contracts commercial research companies on behalf of the Department.

  The overall cost of completed market research carried out by the Department during the current and previous financial year is some £262,000. To give the cost of individual research surveys would compromise confidential tendering procedures.

  Sports Equipment
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recommendations her Department makes to schools and education authorities on improving safety in the use of sports equipment, with particular reference to portable goal posts, and on the purchase of all sports equipment. [14618]
  103
  Mr. Forth
  Detailed advice on safe practice in the use of sports equipment in physical education is included in the handbook "Safe Practice in Physical Education" which was first published in 1985 by the British Association of Advisers and Lecturers in Physical Education. A revised edition of the handbook was published in 1990 with the approval and recommendation of the then Department of Education and Science. The handbook includes advice about the safe use and maintenance of premises and equipment, recommended teacher or tutor qualifications, supervision and pupil behaviour. The handbook is currently subject to further revision and will be published later this year.

  School Budgets
  Mr. Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the budget, per head, in respect of children in school in each member of the European Union. [14673]

  Mr. Robin Squire
  Information on budgets is not collected centrally. Information on expenditure per pupil or student is shown in table P6 of the OECD publication "Education at a Glance", published in December 1993, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Business Funding
  Mr. Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress has been made in acquiring business funding for schools. [14672]

  Mr. Robin Squire
  There is already significant non-commercial private sector investment in schools. For example, business sponsors have committed over £37 million to city technology colleges and £7 million to technology colleges to date.

  In the context of the Government's private finance initiative, we are actively promoting and facilitating school and private sector partnerships to increase commercial investment in schools.

  School Places (Costs)
  Mr. Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the average cost of providing a place in a school per child for(a) infant schools, (b) junior schools and (c) secondary schools. [14703]

  Mr. Robin Squire
  Net institutional expenditure per pupil in LEA-maintained nursery and primary schools in England is estimated at £1,638, and in secondary schools £2,250, in 1993–94, the latest year for which figures are available.

  Equivalent information for grant-maintained schools is the responsibility of the Funding Agency for Schools. I will ask the chairman of the funding agency to write to the hon. Member.

  Information for independent schools is not available.

  School Reserves
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is her policy in respect of the putting of school reserves into special project accounts not counted in total reserves; and if she will make a statement. [14619]
  104
  Mr. Robin Squire
  This is not a matter on which my right hon. Friend has had occasion to give specific guidance to local education authorities.

  Pupil Numbers
  Mr. Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children are in(a) primary and (b) secondary education now and how many in 1979. [14678]

  Mr. Robin Squire
  Information on pupils is maintained primary and secondary schools in England in 1979 and 1994, the latest date for which information is available, is shown in the table.

  Full-time equivalent (FTE)1 pupils in maintained primary and secondary schools in England

  Position in January each year

  1 Primary

  Secondary

  1979

  4,444,500

  23,820,300

  1994

  4,093,500

  2,933,600

  1Each part-time pupil is treated as 0.5 full-time equivalents.

  2Excludes sixth form colleges which ceased to be classified as schools from 1 april 1993.

  Student Loans Company
  Mr. Stephen Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the estimated cost of the Coopers and Lybrand investigation into financial irregularities at the Student Loans Company. [14988]

  Mr. Boswell
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to him on 20 January 1995,Official Report, column 720.

  Cornwall Local Education Authority
  Mr. Hicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much was spent per pupil in Cornwall in(a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in each of the last 20 years at constant prices. [15009]

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The table below shows expenditure by Cornwall local education authority on(a) pre-primary and primary pupils combined, and on (b) secondary pupils from 1974–75 to 1993–94, the latest year for which provisional outturn figures are available.

  Cornwall County Council

  Spending per pupil (1994–95 prices)

  Year

  Nursery/Primary

  Secondary

  1974–75

  1,006

  1,832

  1975–76

  1,009

  1,836

  1976–77

  1,034

  1,807

  1977–78

  1,004

  1,744

  1978–79

  1,035

  1,779

  1979–80

  1,026

  1,747

  1980–81

  1,038

  1,597

  1981–82

  1,079

  1,651

  1982–83

  1,101

  1,669

  1983–84

  1,126

  1,699

  1984–85

  1,124

  1,681

  1985–86

  1,130

  1,723

  1986–87

  1,222

  1,886

  1987–88

  1,317

  2,033

  1988–89

  1,379

  2,164

  1989–90

  1,373

  2,123

  1990–91

  1,381

  2,192

  105

  Cornwal County Council

  Spending per pupil (1994–95 prices)

  Year

  Nursery/Primary

  Secondary

  1991–92

  1,534

  2,139

  1992–93

  1,584

  2,241

  1993–941

  1,566

  2,203

  1 Provisional>

  Mr. Hicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much was spent in total on education in Cornwall at constant prices in each of the past 20 years.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The following table shows total expenditure by Cornwall local education authority from 1974–75 to 1993–94, the latest year for which provisional outturn figures are available. These figures have not been adjusted for any changes of function.

  Cornwall County Council gross expenditure (1994–95 prices)

  Year

  £ millions

  1974–75

  145.5

  1975–76

  150.0

  1976–77

  154.8

  1977–78

  155.0

  1978–79

  161.0

  1979–80

  158.0

  1980–81

  161.2

  1981–82

  164.2

  1982–83

  163.9

  1983–84

  162.6

  1984–85

  163.4

  1985–86

  166.2

  1986–87

  177.4

  1987–88

  186.8

  1988–89

  195.0

  1989–90

  196.0

  1990–91

  207.5

  1991–92

  209.3

  1992–93

  226.8

  1993–941

  197.0

  1 Provisional.

  Civil Service
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the total number of civil servants employed by(a) her Department, (b) the agencies under her Department's responsibility and (c) public and other bodies under her Department's responsibility, for each year since 1979, divided into (1) full-time equivalents, (2) overtime, (3) casuals and (4) other; and whether she will also provide for each year her estimates of (A) civil service job reductions due to privatisation, (B) civil service job reductions due to contracting out, (C) civil service job reductions resulting from other transfer of
  106
  responsibilities, (D) the total of all other staff undertaking work for the Department or its agencies without being categorised as civil servants, including external consultants, researchers, agency secretarial staff and staff substitution and (E) total manpower expenditure, in 1994 prices. [15011]

  Mr. Boswell
  The civil service covers the permanent staff of central Government Departments and next steps agencies. The staff of other bodies are outside the civil service.

  The annual publication "Civil Service Statistics" gives details of the number of civil servants employed by the Department and its agency, including full-time equivalent staff and casuals, from 1993 onwards, and staff leaving the civil service.

  "Public Bodies", published annually since 1982, contains staffing information for those bodies not covered by "Civil Service Statistics".

  Details of running costs and the civil service pay bill for the Department can be found in table 22 of the Department's annual report Cm 2810.

  Copies of all of these publications are available in Library. The remaining information sought could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Class Sizes
  Mr. Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many primary school children in Nottinghamshire are taught in classes of more than 30 children; [14677]

  (2) how many secondary school children in Nottinghamshire are taught in classes of more than 30 children. [14676]

  Mr. Robin Squire
  In January 1994, the latest date for which information is available, 19,900 pupils were being taught in single teacher classes of size greater than 30 in maintained primary schools in Nottinghamshire local education authority area. The equivalent figure for maintained secondary schools was 2,100 pupils.

  Mr. Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many secondary school children are taught in class sizes of over 30. [14680]

  Mr. Robin Square
  In January 1994, the latest date for which information is available, 208,700 pupils were being taught in single teacher classes of size greater than 30 in maintained secondary schools in England.

  Mr. Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the average class size in each member country of the European Union for(a) infant schools, (b) primary schools and (c) secondary schools. [14674]

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The information requested is not available centrally.

  Yemen: Bilateral Aid
  Yemen: Bilateral Aid
  Overseas Missions: Cost Controls
  Overseas Missions: Cost Controls
  Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands: Right of Individual Petition
  Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands: Right of Individual Petition
  The European Movement: Grant
  The European Movement: Grant
  EU/Turkey Agreement: Mr. Karayalcin's Remarks
  EU/Turkey Agreement: Mr. Karayalcin's Remarks
  Gulf War: Alleged Use of Chemical Weapons
  Gulf War: Alleged Use of Chemical Weapons
  Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
  Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
  IVF Treatment: Reports on Children
  IVF Treatment: Reports on Children
  Habitual Residence Test
  Habitual Residence Test
  Charity Commissioners
  Charity Commissioners
  Wandsworth Prison: Report of Chief Inspector of Prisons
  Wandsworth Prison: Report of Chief Inspector of Prisons
  Videos: Classification Certificate Refusals
  Videos: Classification Certificate Refusals
  Extradition
  Extradition
  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991: Expert Advisers
  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991: Expert Advisers
  Dangerous Dogs: Police Powers
  Dangerous Dogs: Police Powers
  Commission for Racial Equality: Quinquennial Review
  Commission for Racial Equality: Quinquennial Review
  Ministerial Committee on Women's Issues
  Ministerial Committee on Women's Issues
  Air Pollution Control: Enforcement Costs
  Air Pollution Control: Enforcement Costs