Written Answers of 9 February 1996

HEALTH

  Community Psychiatric Nurses (Northumberland)
  Mr. Ronnie Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioner fundholders in the Northumberland health authority employed community psychiatric nurses in each year since 1992. [13485]

  Mr. Malone
  This information is not available centrally.

  Alternative Medicine
  Sir David Steel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how his Department encourages the provision of alternative medicine in the national health service. [13974]

  Mr. Horam
  As with other forms of treatment, it is for local purchasers to decide, in the light of available resources and competing priorities, on the purchase of the most appropriate forms of treatment to meet the assessed health needs of their population. The reforms we have introduced into the national health service have made it easier for those doctors who would like to provide alternative medicine services for their patients to do so.

  Departmental Publications
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health which of his Department's administrative manuals and internal guidance are now made public and which remain private. [14030]

  Mr. Horam
  My Department has a good record for publishing internal guidance documents. In the last 12 months, examples include:Department of Health: Public Health, the National Health Service and Social Care: Statement of Responsibilities and Accountabilities.
  NHS Executive Business Plan—1995–96.
  Guidance to NHS bodies—71 health service guidelines were issued in 1995.
  The NHS Priorities and Planning Guidance for 1996–97 issued to all health authorities, trusts and general practitioners and freely available to others who have requested them.
  Guide to the NHS, published in March circulated to all parts of the NHS to explain to staff and the public how the NHS works and the basis on which it works.
  The Medicines Control Agency's updating "Mail", issued bimonthly, giving guidance on new operational procedures and information on licensing times.

  Copies of these documents, along with the Department's own guidance to staff on the code of practice on access to Government information, issued in April 1994, have been placed in the Library.
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  This guidance makes it clear that any requests for information about administrative manuals and internal guidance should be dealt with in accordance with the code of practice. Each particular request should be individually assessed, and non-disclosure of information should occur only where the exemptions in part II of the code apply.

  Junior Doctors (Hours)
  Ms Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many junior doctors are currently working more than 72 hours per week. [14056]

  Mr. Malone
  Our task forces report that at 30 September 1995, there were 1,719 junior doctors and dentists contracted to work for more than an average of 72 hours a week. That is just 6.1 per cent. of the 27,994 junior doctors and dentists in England and includes 1,424 juniors in non-onerous posts where the limit on hours is not due to fall to 72 a week until the end of 1996.

  Spare Computer Capacity
  Mr. Miller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list all cases where spare computer capacity has been sold to other Departments since 1987, giving the Department and value of each contract. [14089]

  Mr. Horam
  We have not sold and do not sell spare computer capacity. The Department of Health's information technology infrastructure comprises personal computers on the desk, linked to servers in each office via local area networks which in turn are linked nationally via a wide area network. Any spare capacity, such as there is, does not lend itself to being sold for both technical and security reasons. The Department outsourced its mainframe computer capacity to the private sector last year following a market test.

  Central Sheffield University Hospitals Trust
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to dismiss the chairman of the Central Sheffield University Hospitals trust. [14524]

  Mr. Horam
  None.

  Paediatric Consultant Posts
  Mr. Wilshire
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many paediatric consultants have been employed by the NHS in each year since 1991. [14459]

  Mr. Malone
  The information is shown in the table.

  England hospital staff as at 30 September each year paediatric and paediatric Neurology Consultants

  Consultants

  Number

  WTE

  1991:

  Paediatrics

  789

  723.0

  Paediatric neurology

  16

  14.7

  Total

  805

  737.7

  1992:

  Paediatrics

  839

  768.6

  Paediatric neurology

  15

  13.5

  Total

  854

  782.1

  369

  England hospital staff as at 30 September each year paediatric and paediatric Neurology Consultants

  Consultants

  Number

  WTE

  1993:

  Paediatrics

  917

  842.1

  Paediatric neurology

  15

  13.7

  Total

  932

  855.8

  1994:

  Paediatrics

  996

  903.2

  Paediatric neurology

  13

  11.8

  Total

  1,009

  915.0

  WTE = whole time equivalent.

  Accident and Emergency Departments
  Dr.Hampson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will include in the next set of NHS performance tables information on the patients charter standard on emergency admission through accident and emergency departments [14909]

  Mr. Malone
  As my answer of 28 November, Official Report, Columns 601–02, implied there are no immediate plans to include information on trust' performance in meeting the patients charter standard on emergency admission through accident and emergency department.

  Disabled People
  Mr. Alfred Morries
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to limit direct care payments to physically disabled people under 65 years of age. [14162]

  Mr. Bowis
  The Government issued a consultation paper on 15 January 1996 on the Community Care (Direct Payments) Bill and copies are available in the Library. The paper sets out a number of alternatives as to which groups of people will be eligible in the first instance to receive direct payments in lieu of community care services, and seeks views We shall consider carefully the responses that we receive before deciding on the definition of eligibility to be used.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Asylum Seekers
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department of he will make it his policy that those asylum seekers who are granted exceptional leave to remain in the United Kingdom are not required to renew that leave that annually. [14128]

  Mr. Kirkhope
  Exceptional leave to remain is not a permanent status and it is appropriate to review periodically whether a person granted it continues to qualify. Although exceptional leave is normally granted for 12 months in the first instance, extensions are usually for a three-three period.

  Immigration Officers
  Mr. Henderson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigration officers there are under the enforcement directorate employed in the 370
  areas of (a) London (b) West London, (c) The south-west (d) the midlands, (e) Ease Anglia (f) the north-west (g) the north-east and (h) Scotland. 14239]

  Mr. Kirkhope
  The information set out in the table relates to warrant-holders at all levels in the enforcement directorate engaged in the enforcement of the immigration laws or in detention-related activities. In addition immigration officers within the ports directorate are engaged in after-entry enforcement work subject to the needs of the on entry control

  Number of immigration officers in the enforcement directorate

  Number

  London (excluding west London)

  153

  West London

  144

  South-west

  1

  Midlands

  33

  East Anglia

  1

  North-west

  13

  North-east

  7

  Scotland

  1

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Crown Copyright
  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the arrangements proposed for the administration of Crown copyright. [14926]

  Mr. Freeman
  The Government propose to privatise Her Majesty's Stationery Office during the summer of 1996. We shall retain a residual body, which will keep the title "HMSO", to administer Crown copyright and to fulfil certain statutory responsibilities and oversight of the Gazettes. The residual body could also administer parliamentary copyright if parliament so wished. Irrespective of the privatisation, we intend that administration of Crown copyright should be further separated from official publishing functions.

  The residual HMSO will continue to administer Crown copyright with a view to making official information as widely and readily available as possible, taking into account the need to protect the interests of the taxpayer.

  The Government will continue the existing arrangements for non-exclusive licensing of Crown material These include conscessionary arrangements for certain educational and non-commercial purposes. The Government will continue the existing policy of allowing secondary publishers without charge or prior permission and on a non-exclusive basis, to reproduce in value-added print format Acts, statutory instructions and statutory rules and orders. I have decided that this concession should now be extended to electronic and microform formats.

  Reproduction in printed format of quasi-legislative material will continue to be licensed on a non-exclusive basis according to the policy described in HMSO's "Dear Publisher" letter of 6 February 1995, reference QLM/2, and the Cabinet Office circular DEO (PM)(95)4), copies of which have been placed in the Library of House.
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  Protection and enforcement of Crown copyright will be a function of residual HMSO, in collaboration with the originating Department or agency. Where material created in Government has inherent commercial value and the interests of the taxpayer in recovering the costs of preparation and production can best be ensured by a commercial approach to copyright licensing and charging, this will be continued. The existing delegations covering Ordnance Survey and the Hydrographic Office will remain unchanged.

  Copyright and charging policy on the statute law database, a value-added electronic version of the whole statute book now in preparation by the Statutory Publications Office, will be decided nearer the time of implementation in 1997.

  On privatisation, Crown copyright will be retained by the Crown for all the Crown copyright material in the back catalogue of HMSO publications. The new owner will be licensed to reprint back list titles, but will have obligations to make them readily available. The aim will be to ensure the continuing availability of official publications in response to public demand. In respect of future Crown copyright material, the privatised Stationery Office will be required to be licensed, in the same way as other private sector publishers.

  Arrangements for printing and publishing Government material are already designed to secure best value for money in making information available to the public at least cost to taxpayers and purchasers of publications. Except for current arrangements covering certain documents published by order of Parliament, Departments are not tied to HMSO and there will be no change in competitive purchasing arrangements after privatisation of the Stationery Office. There will also be no change in the need to recover, where appropriate, the costs of preparation, production and dissemination of material. As now, some official publications will be made available free of charge while others will be priced.

  In addition to paper publications, I shall continue to encourage developments in publishing suitable information by electronic means, including the Internet, other on-line services and CD-ROMs. HMSO is now releasing on to its Internet service the summaries of more than 200 Acts of Parliament from 1984 to date, and is planning to publish henceforth on the Internet the full text of all new Acts.

  Parliament, rather than Government, is responsible for policy on charging for reproduction of parliamentary material, including Hansard and Select Committee reports.

  Deregulation Appeals
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress is being made towards the formulation of a model appeals mechanism as set out in the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994. [13645]

  Mr. Roger Freeman
  Following consultation on policy options relating to the model appeals mechanism last year, I intend to issue shortly a draft statutory instrument setting out the model for a further period of public consultation.
  372

  Government Surveys
  Mr. Nigel Evans
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the Government will undertake the independent study proposed by the deregulation task force into how the total burden of Government surveys might be reduced by up to 25 per cent. [14976]

  Mr. Freeman
  I have appointed Edward Osmotherly, chairman of the Commission for Local Administration in England, to chair a steering board to look at ways of cutting the burden of surveys on businesses. The terms of reference for the study are:To consider how Government survey compliance costs to business, particularly SMEs, might be reduced; to assess cumulative options for achieving reductions, in light of the Deregulation Task Force recommendation to examine a 25 per cent. saving; to consider any impact on the quality of essential Government statistics and associated policies; and to prepare advice by June 1996.

  Internet
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, if he will list all(a) Internet and (b) other computer network, sites or bulletin boards operated by his Department or containing information supplied by his Department, indicating for each site or bulletin boards (a) the inaugural date, (b) the timetable and policy in respect of updates, (c) the Internet, or other network address and (d) to whom the site or board is currently made available and the criteria which must be fulfilled by applicants for access. [14208]

  Mr. David Willetts
  CCTA, the Government Centre for Information Systems, which is part of the Office of Public Service, operates the CCTA Government Information Service on the Internet. This service was launched in November 1994 and provides front-end indexing and retrieval facilities to information from over 180 public sector organisations, of which 79 are based on the CCTA server. The Internet address is http://www.open.gov.uk/.

  Within the CCTA Government information service, the Office of Public Service has home pages for the Cabinet Office (http://www.open.gov.uk/co/cohome.htm), the citizens charter unit, and the machinery of government and standards group. There is also information on open government, competitiveness, civil service personnel statistics and public bodies, and home pages for CCTA, the Buying Agency, the Central Office of Information, the Civil Service College, and HMSO.

  The service is updated daily, although individual Departments are responsible for determining policy and practice for updating their own pages. Access to the service is freely available to all Internet users.

TRANSPORT

  British Transport Police
  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the future of the British Transport police under rail privatisation. [14520]
  373
  Mr. Watts
  As we have made clear on many occasions, the British Transport police will continue as a unified public force responsible for policing Britain's rail network.

  Saltaire Tunnel, A650
  Mr. Sutcliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the cost to public funds of investigating the option of the Saltaire tunnel on the A650. [14140]

  Mr. Watts
  The answer is £915,000.

  Heavy Goods Vehicles
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many spot checks were carried out on heavy goods vehicles and how many were found(a) not to have a valid heavy goods vehicle licence and (b) not to be insured in the last year for which figures are available. [14451]

  Mr. Norris
  During 1994–95, the Vehicle Inspectorate carried out a total of 243,128 roadside traffic enforcement checks of UK registered vehicles and prosecuted 169 cases for various categories of offence relating to vehicle excise duty, such as expired or no vehicle excise duty or incorrect rate. The Vehicle Inspectorate takes forward a vehicle excise duty offence only where it is one of a number of offences found and the figures given relate to cases brought for prosecution by VI only. If a single VED offence is found, it is reported to the local vehicle registration office for action. I understand from the DVLA that in 1994–95, 800 such cases were pursued, of which 466 resulted in successful enforcement action.

  We have no responsibility for the enforcement of insurance; this is a matter dealt with by the police.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects his Department's research into reducing water spray from heavy goods vehicles to be completed. [14488]

  Mr. Norris
  The report on the work currently commissioned with Transport Research Laboratory is expected to be delivered to the Department by the end of March 1996.

  Agencies (Reviews)
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the dates of each organisational and structural review of(a) the Highways Agency and (b) the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency since their creation. [14430]

  Mr. Norris
  The Highways Agency, which was created in 1994, carried out an organisational and structural review in its first year and embarked on a further review, which is still in progress, in November 1995.

  The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, which was created in 1990, carried out a pay and grading review in 1991–92; a senior structure review and reorganisation in 1993; job evaluation of senior posts in 1994; and a further reorganisation of its management structure in August 1994 in order to take forward its on-going change programme, including the restructuring of its local office network.
  374

  Vehicle Operator Licensing
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if inspections of operating centres are undertaken by traffic examiners prior to the issue of a goods vehicles operator's licence. [14431]

  Mr. Norris
  When considering an application for an operator's licence, a traffic commissioner will request an inspection of the operating centre by the Vehicle Inspectorate's traffic examiners where he has any doubts about the suitability of the proposed operating centre.

  Royal Train
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the future of the royal train when privatisation of rail services is completed. [14417]

  Mr. Watts
  The royal train will continue to be available for use by Her Majesty the Queen and other members of the royal family.

  Mr. Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has to seek private sponsorship for the cost of the royal train. [14342]

  Mr. Watts
  None.

  Driving Tests, Northumberland
  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what facilities are to be provided for residents of the Berwick and Alnwick areas to take the written part of the driving test. [14343]

  Mr. Norris
  Facilities for residents of the Berwick and Alnwick areas to take the written part of the driving test will be provided by dedicated theory test centres at Galashiels and Morpeth respectively. Initially, daytime test sessions at Galashiels are planned to be available on Mondays and Saturdays, and evening sessions on Fridays. Daytime sessions at Morpeth area planned for Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays and Saturdays, and evening sessions on Tuesday.

  Rail Franchise Agreements
  Mr. Coe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the franchise agreements and related documents for the LTS Rail, Great Western Trains and South West Trains passenger rail franchise. [13589]

  Mr. Watts
  [pursuant to his reply, 5 February 1996, c. 8]: On Thursday 8 February, the chairman of British Rail informed me that the British Railways Board had redeployed the managing director and finance director of LTS Rail. Their decision followed the completion by British Rail's internal auditors of an investigation into alleged ticket irregularities in the company. The investigation found no evidence that they had any involvement in the irregularities. Nevertheless, in the circumstances, the board believed that senior management changes were necessary.

  In the light of this decision, the franchising director has told me that he will not proceed with the completion of the franchise agreement. It remains his intention to transfer the LTS franchise to the private sector as soon as practicable, and he intends therefore to give previously

  375
  shortlised bidders the opportunity to re-tender for the franchise. Consequently, a franchise agreement and other relevant documentation for LTS Rail will be placed in the Library once it has been completed.

  I have consistently made it clear that irregularities of the sort which occurred on LTS Rail are completely unacceptable in either the public or the private sector. I welcome the fact that the systems put in place detected these irregularities so quickly and that the British Railways Board has taken decisive action.

  I share the franchising director's desire to see an early transfer of the LTS Rail franchise to the private sector on terms which satisfy his rigorous requirements and those of the Rail Regulator.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Magistrates Courts (Staffordshire)
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what representations he has received from members of the public and organisations within Staffordshire regarding the closure of magistrates courts within the county. [13728]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  In the last three months, my officials have received three representations against the closure of magistrates courts in Staffordshire.

  Ms Walley
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list for each magistrates court within Staffordshire, the number of cases held there in each of the last five years and the number of staff currently employed. [13725]

  Mr. Evans
  The numbers of defendants in criminal cases completed and civil applications in respect of which a final adjudication was made, in areas under the control of justices' clerks in magistrates courts in Staffordshire, for the last five years are shown in the table.

  At the end of September 1995, there were approximately 195 staff employed in the magistrates courts in Staffordshire.

  Number of completed cases in Staffordshire

  1991

  1992

  1993

  1994

  1995

  Cannock

  13,132

  13,016

  12,142

  19,357

  19,080

  Lichfield

  18,490

  16,384

  17,232

  19,798

  19,041

  Newcastle-under-Lyme

  13,730

  13,587

  11,113

  12,243

  13,167

  Mid-Staffordshire

  10,276

  10,156

  8,585

  1—

  1—

  Stoke on Trent

  26,121

  23,771

  23,387

  24,152

  25,888

  1 Mid-Staffordshire was amalgamated with Cannock on 1 January 1994.

  Ms Walley
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) if he will list the magistrates courts within Staffordshire that will be(a) closed and (b) merged as a result of his Department's proposals to rationalise the magistrates service; [13726]

  (2) if he will list those magistrates courts in Staffordshire that have been closed over the last five years. [13727]
  376
  Mr. Evans
  Magistrates courts are provided by the local paying authority for the use of the magistrates courts committee. Closure decisions are for the MCC to determine, although the paying authority may appeal to the Lord Chancellor against a proposed closure.

  Staffordshire MCC closed Eccleshall magistrates court in 1992 and Uttoxeter magistrates court in 1995.

  No decision has been made by the Staffordshire MCC to close or merge any other magistrates courts.

  Mary Bell Orders
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many Mary Bell orders are currently in force. [13681]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  The question concerns a specific operational matter on which the chief executive of the Court Service is best placed to provide an answer and I have accordingly asked the chief executive to reply direct.

  Letter from M. D. Huebner to Mr. Rhodri Morgan, dated 9 February 1996:
  The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department has asked me to reply to your Question about Mary Bell orders currently in force.
  The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

SCOTLAND

  Lockerbie
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 31 January Official Report, column 499, about the lapse of time since the destruction of Flight PA 103, what considerations he has given to implications of the statute of limitations for the prosecutions of those accused of the crime; and if he will make a statement. [13613]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Having consulted my noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate, I can confirm that the only time limits applying in this case are those which commence after the appearance of the accused on petition before a sheriff in Scotland. In terms of section 101 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975 an overall time limit of 12 months from the date of first appearance until the commencement of the trial would apply. This would also be subject to the custody time limits of(a) 80 days from full committal (which may be up to 10 days after first appearance) within which an indictment must be served and of (b) 110 days from full committal, within which time the trial must commence.

  Food Hygiene
  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the annual cost of implementing food and hygiene legislation. [13552]

  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  This information is not held centrally.

  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent representations he has had from local authorities on matters relating to food hygiene. [13581]
  377
  Mr. Robertson
  Officials of the Scottish Office regularly receive inquiries from local authorities about food hygiene matters. Within the last 12 months, formal representations have been received about the payment of the costs of a court case and procedures laid down in codes of practice. Representations were also received about the sale of raw goats' milk.

  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what support he affords local authorities who face legal action for implementing their statutory responsibility under food and hygiene legislation. [13554]

  Mr. Robertson
  Although my right hon. Friend provides around 85 per cent. of local authorities' total funding for non-housing net current expenditure, most of that support is provided by way of a block grant. No allowance is made, either in deciding the overall level of support or in the distribution of support among authorities, for expenditure resulting from legal action of any kind.

  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many prosecutions there have been of businesses for breach of the food and hygiene legislation in Scotland in each year since 1992. [13580]

  Mr. Robertson
  The following figures show the numbers of companies in Scotland against which proceedings were brought where the main alleged offence was a breach of the Food Safety Act 1990 or of food hygiene regulations.

  1992: 52

  1993: 34

  1994: 26

  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how he ensures that local authorities implement food and hygiene legislation. [13553]

  Mr. Robertson
  Local authorities submit quarterly statistical returns to the Scottish Office which summarise their activities carried out under food safety legislation.

  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent representations he has had from industry concerning food hygiene legislation; and if he will make a statement. [13582]

  Mr. Robertson
  During the last 12 months my right hon. Friend has received representations from the industry about the enforcement of food safety legislation and the sale of unpasteurised goats' milk.

  Industry guides to good hygiene practice are being developed by various sectors of the food industry in consultation with the Government and food legislation enforcers. These guides should help industry to meet their legal obligations and to ensure food safety.

  £ million

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  1994–95

  1995–96 forecast

  1996–97 planned provision

  Set-aside access scheme

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0.1

  0.5

  Environmentally sensitive areas

  0.9

  1.1

  1.1

  1.0

  1.0

  2.5

  5.0

  Farm conservation grant

  3.5

  3.5

  3.1

  5.3

  5.1

  3.8

  3.0

  Farm woodland premium

  —

  —

  —

  0.5

  1.1

  1.7

  3.0

  Habitats

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0.6

  Heather moorland

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  2.9

  Organic aid

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0.1

  0.2

  378

  Soft Cheese
  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions in the last five years he has reminded local authorities of their statutory responsibility to inspect the production of soft cheese. [13585]

  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  Guidance notes and code of practice No. 18 were issued on 7 November 1995 to all food authorities in Scotland in relation to their responsibilities under the Dairy Products (Hygiene) (Scotland) Regulations 1995.

  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met representatives of soft cheese producers; and what subjects were discussed. [13583]

  Mr. Robertson
  Although my right hon. Friend has not met representatives of soft cheese producers, they have regular meetings and correspondence with officials of his Department. The development of a code of best practice is currently under discussion.

  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the dangers posed to public health by listeria in soft cheese; and if he will make a statement. [13584]

  Mr. Robertson
  None. However, the current Scottish Office co-ordinated programme on listeria is concentrating on molecular techniques for identifying virulent strains, and on survival and growth of the pathogen in the gut, food and silage systems. The Expert Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food has been asked by the Scottish Office and Department of Health for an expert assessment of current scientific knowledge on the pathogenesis and virulence of listeria with particular emphasis on cheese.

  Countryside Conservation
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the annual expenditure figures and. forecasts, for the(a), countryside access scheme, (b) environmentally sensitive areas, (c) farm conservation grant scheme, (d) farm woodland premium scheme, (e) habitat scheme, (f) nitrate sensitive areas, (g) moorland scheme, (h) organic aid scheme and (i) countryside stewardship for each year between 1990–91 and 1997–98. [13634]

  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  [holding answer 5 February 1996]: There is no countryside stewardship scheme and there are no nitrate sensitive areas. Information about the other schemes is set out in the following table. Provision for 1997–98 has not yet been determined.
  379

  Beaufort's Dyke
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals have been made to him by the British Geological Survey for help with monitoring of explosions and related work at Beaufort's dyke and other arms dumps; when he expects to be able to respond; and if he will make a statement. [14112]

  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  [holding answer 8 February 1996]: Arrangements have been made to discuss the British Geological Survey proposals. My noble Friend the Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and the Environment will write to the hon. Member after these discussions have taken place.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

  Internet
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what web site her Department maintains on the Internet; what information is provided there; how often it is updated; what is the address; and if she or her Department answers questions and supplies additional information through the Internet. [7565]

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The Department for Education and Employment maintains a web site on the Internet, address http://www.open.gov.uk/dfee/dfeehome.htm. The site is frequently updated and carries a wide range of information pages, including the responsibilities of Ministers, departmental press releases, departmental charters, the 1994 and 1995 school and college performance tables, a guide to the school curriculum, information on nursery education, the national targets for education and training, details for young people and employers on modern apprenticeships and catalogues of careers publications.

  The site is also the UK's official site for the encouragement, promotion and development of lifelong learning and will be supporting the 1996 European Year of Lifelong Learning. The Department has an Internet E-mail address—info@dfee.gov.uk. This is sited within the public inquiry unit and it receives and responds to a small but steady stream of general education and employment-related inquiries from home and overseas. Ministers do not use the E-mail for answering inquiries.

  Schools Expenditure
  Mrs. Peacock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of each of the shire counties education budgets is currently spent on(a) school and (b) non-school expenditure; and what amount of money this represents per school pupil in each case. [14577]

  Mr. Robin Squire
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave to my right hon. Friend the Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Mr. Jopling) on 13 December 1995,Official Report, columns 698–700.
  380
  Mrs. Peacock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of each of the London borough's education budgets is currently spent on(a) schools and (b) non-school expenditure together with the amount of money this represents per school pupil in each case. [14578]

  Mr. Squire
  The following table shows for each London borough the percentage of net recurrent expenditure in 1993–94, the latest year for which figures are available, on:(a) pre-primary, primary, secondary and special schools; and (b) other education services, including education other than at school, adult education, continuing education, discretionary awards, youth and other community services, service strategy and regulation and education support services. The table also shows the amount per pupil which this expenditure represents, though in the case of non-schools expenditure school pupils are not the principal clients.

  London boroughs expenditure on education and its cost per pupil pre-primary/primary, secondary and special

  Net recurrent expenditure 1993–94

  Percentage of expenditure (a)

  Cost per pupil

  Percentage of expenditure (b)

  Cost per pupil

  Corporation of

  London

  45

  3,509

  55

  4,336

  Camden

  85

  2,353

  15

  430

  Greenwich

  88

  2,510

  12

  351

  Hackney

  87

  3,803

  13

  588

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  74

  2,996

  26

  1,028

  Islington

  89

  3,232

  11

  398

  Kensington and Chelsea

  80

  3,560

  20

  883

  Lambeth

  70

  3,626

  30

  1,586

  Lewisham

  92

  2,963

  8

  248

  Southwark

  81

  2,685

  19

  625

  Tower Hamlets

  91

  3,349

  9

  319

  Wandsworth

  79

  2,861

  21

  774

  City of Westminster

  78

  2,674

  22

  772

  Barking

  90

  2,168

  10

  252

  Barnet

  96

  2,374

  4

  88

  Bexley

  94

  2,103

  6

  130

  Brent

  91

  2,979

  9

  283

  Bromley

  89

  1,952

  11

  238

  Croydon

  84

  2,423

  16

  467

  Ealing

  91

  2,863

  9

  295

  Enfield

  94

  2,414

  6

  161

  Haringey

  95

  3,208

  5

  180

  Harrow

  92

  2,473

  8

  207

  Havering

  95

  2,124

  5

  112

  Hillingdon

  95

  2,572

  5

  148

  Hounslow

  93

  2,309

  7

  164

  Kingston upon Thames

  88

  2,130

  12

  279

  Merton

  90

  2,427

  10

  284

  Newham

  93

  2,543

  7

  203

  Redbridge

  94

  2,411

  6

  142

  Richmond upon Thames

  85

  1,869

  15

  319

  Sutton

  90

  2,114

  10

  243

  Waltham Forest

  87

  2,648

  13

  408

  Total

  88

  2,624

  12

  351

  Training and Enterprise Councils
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much each training and enterprise council held in reserves in 1994–95. [14543]
  381
  Mr. Paice
  A list of training and enterprise councils and their accumulated reserves at the end of the financial year 1994–95, as shown in their annual statutory audited accounts, is shown in the following table:

  Accumulated reserves

  TECs by region

  1994–95 £

  North-east

  County Durham

  7,059,949

  Northumberland

  6,035,186

  Teesside

  6,797,000

  Tyneside

  2,306,000

  Sunderland City (Wearside)

  3,134,941

  25,333,076

  Merseyside

  CEWTEC

  2,527,191

  Merseyside

  7,322,108

  QUALITEC

  1,125,814

  10,975,113

  North-west

  Bolton/Bury

  4,105,742

  Manchester

  4,595,103

  Metro

  758,502

  Oldham

  1,068,773

  Rochdale

  1,794,365

  South and East Cheshire

  2,486,013

  Stockport and High Peak

  2,763,406

  Cumbria

  2,699,300

  ELTEC

  3,334,181

  LAWTEC

  5,964,015

  NORMID

  2,457,461

  32,026,861

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  Barnsley/Doncaster

  3,394,000

  Bradford

  2,747,661

  Calderdale and Kirklees

  1,888,275

  Humberside

  5,809,949

  Leeds

  4,020,823

  North Yorkshire

  5,667,000

  Rotherham

  3,344,596

  Sheffield

  4,929,000

  Wakefield

  3,859,649

  35,660,953

  Eastern

  Bedfordshire

  955,622

  Cambridgeshire

  908,640

  Essex

  4,606,599

  Greater Peterborough

  1,483,695

  Hertfordshire

  3,250,000

  Norfolk and Waveney

  2,860,000

  Suffolk

  1,132,731

  15,197,287

  East Midlands

  Greater Nottingham

  1,577,000

  Leicester

  5,220,653

  Lincolnshire

  1,643,792

  Northamptonshire

  1,547,891

  North Derbyshire

  1,100,298

  North Nottinghamshire

  2,830,683

  South Derbyshire

  3,319,000

  17,239,317

  382

  Accumulated reserves

  TECs by region

  1994–95 £

  West Midlands

  Birmingham

  2,974,000

  Central England

  1,542,584

  Coventry/Warwick

  1,858,305

  Dudley

  1,217,650

  HAWTEC

  855,009

  Sandwell

  1,306,809

  Shropshire

  Staffordshire

  1,775,611

  Staffordshire

  5,244,000

  Walsall

  690,644

  Wolverhamton

  1,539,000

  19,003,612

  South West

  WESTEC (Avon)

  3,975,000

  Devon/Cornwall

  4,085,000

  Dorset

  2,891,076

  Gloucester

  2,639,077

  Somerset

  2,051,935

  Wiltshire

  1,523,106

  17,165,194

  London

  AZTEC

  3,513,182

  CENTEC

  2,723,980

  CILNTEC

  2,351,480

  LETEC

  6,025,164

  North London

  6,264,339

  North West London

  1,530,015

  SOLOTEC

  3,673,984

  South Thames

  0

  West London

  1,224,913

  27,307,057

  South East

  Hampshire

  4,836,520

  Isle of Wight

  781,212

  Kent

  4,804,187

  Milton Keynes/North Bucks

  928,501

  Heart of England

  2,693,042

  Surrey

  2,100,631

  Sussex

  5,484,000

  Thames Valley Enterprise

  4,998,768

  26,626,861

  Grand total

  226,535,331

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answer of 12 December,Official Report, column 563, if she will publish the training and enterprise council operating agreement in respect of priorities for training for work for particular age groups when a waiting list for entry may occur. [7644]

  Mr. Paice
  A copy of the training and enterprise council operating agreement has been placed in the Library. Schedule D of the agreement covers the requirements on TECs as they relate to training for work. Training for work is available to individuals aged 18 to 63.
  383

DEFENCE

  Porton Down
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 14 December 1995,Official Report, column 763, if he will make the film of LSD experiments on service personnel available for broadcast when recovered; and if he will make a statement. [14540]

  Mr. Arbuthnot
  This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from John Chisholm to Dr. David Clark, dated 9 February 1996:
  Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking if he will make the film of LSD experiments on service personnel available for broadcast when recovered has been passed to me to reply as the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency which includes the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.
  We are making arrangements for the transfer of the film material related to the field trials conducted with LSD to the Film Department of the Imperial War Museum which is an appointed place of deposit for public records.
  I am unable to give you a date of transfer at this stage as a number of administrative procedures, including the authorisation of the early release of some material under the Public Records Act, has to be completed before this can take place. I will write to you again to let you know the date from which they will be released to the Imperial War Museum.
  I hope you find this information helpful.

  Spare Computer Capacity
  Mr. Miller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all cases where spare computer capacity has been sold to other Departments since 1987, giving the Department and value of each contract. [14083]

  Mr. Arbuthnot
  Generally, spare capacity is not something that the Department builds in when designing its computer systems. On occasions, computer facilities may be made available to other Departments which have requested assistance and this would normally be on a repayment basis. However, no central record is held of the degree to which its computer systems might contain spare capacity or the extent to which it has been made available for use by other Departments. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  RB44 Light Vehicle
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which company carried out the repairs to his Department's RB44 light vehicle; how many vehicles were sent for repair; what was the total cost of repair; and who will pay this bill. [9952]

  Mr. Arbuthnot
  [holding answer 18 January 1996]: Modifications to the RB44 heavy utility truck in 1992 were made at the manufacturer's expense. Following the identification of continuing braking problems in 1993, and analysis of these by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, in consultation with the manufacturer, a further modification programme to 824 vehicles was started in October 1995 and is due to be complete by the end of
  384
  March 1996. The modification kits have been provided by the company, and about 100 of them have been fitted by the company, at its own expense. The remainder are being fitted by military or civilian personnel in unit workshops. The direct cost to the Department of carrying out these modifications is estimated at some £100,000. In addition, other costs to the Department associated with rectifying the problem include the analysis and trials of DERA at a cost of some £310,000 together with the costs of returning vehicles to serviceable and roadworthy condition and maintaining other vehicles used while RB44 have been out of service. The latter costs are not readily quantifiable. The total costs to the Department on this basis are assessed to be less than £1,000,000.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  National Insurance
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the ad hoc programme will be run to resolve the inquiries of Mr. Peter Sutton, national insurance number 25 06 52 67D, into his national insurance contributions as communicated to the hon. Member for Wakefield by the chief executive of the Contributions Agency in December 1995. [13621]

  Mr. Heald
  This is a matter for Mrs. Faith Boardman, the chief executive of the Contributions Agency. She will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Mrs. Faith Boardman to Mr. David Hinchliffe, dated 8 February 1996:
  As Chief Executive of the Contributions Agency, I have responsibility for answering questions about operational matters relating to the Agency and the National Insurance (NI) scheme.
  I have been asked to reply to your enquiry on behalf of Mr Peter Sutton, NI number ZS 065267D, regarding difficulties with his NI affairs.
  An amendment was introduced to the live code in late January 1996 to ensure no further occurrences such as Mr Sutton's can reoccur.
  The analysis work necessary for the Ad Hoc recovery program, referred to in my previous communication, to identify those affected in the same way as Mr Sutton has now been completed. I am however unable to state how many accounts were affected by the error due to the costs involved in obtaining the information. The programme work will commence on 12 February 1996 followed by a live run in early March 1996.
  I am sorry for any difficulties this has caused Mr Sutton, hopefully the action highlighted above will enable the situation to be finally resolved.

  Child Support Agency
  Mr. Bill Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the present number of(a) temporary and casual staff and (b) permanent staff employed by the CSA; and what is the number of DSS staff seconded to, or engaged in, CSA work within the agency. [13501]
  385
  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Miss Ann Chant. She will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Ann Chant to Mr. Bill Michie, dated 8 February 1995:
  I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the numbers of staff within the Child Support Agency.
  At 31 December 1995, the following staff were employed by the Agency in the relevant categories.

  Child Support Agency

  Belfast CSAC (Northern Ireland Civil Servants)

  Permanent staff

  6,221

  594

  Temporary and casual staff

  547

  110

  Notes:

  Staff shown as whole time equivalents.

  The Child Support Agency is an integral part of the Department of Social Security; everyone working for the Agency is a Department of Social Security member of staff.

  Benefit Claims
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of the claims which are disallowed are successful on appeal. [13175]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  The information is not available.

  Disability Living Allowance
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 29 January,Official Report, columns 584–85, how the figures for savings on the disability living allowance as a result of improving the quality and level of information to decision-makers were calculated. [13435]

  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  An examination of a statistically valid sample of new claims suggested that without further evidence the higher rate mobility component would be inappropriately awarded in about 12 per cent. of cases and inappropriately disallowed in a further 1 per cent. Further work to test the assumptions underlying these estimates is currently being evaluated.

  The estimated savings took account of factors including forecasts of new claims and survival rates, the proportion of cases already subject to further evidence, the rate at which cases are reviewed, and passporting on to other benefits.

  Cold Weather Payments
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what discussions his officials have had with those of National Grid in respect of the additional power required by the announcement of eligible areas under the cold weather payments scheme. [14046]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  No discussions have taken place between departmental officials and those of the National Grid. The impact of cold weather on demand for electricity is monitored separately from social fund cold weather payment triggers.
  386

TREASURY

  Income Tax
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the full year yield of restricting income tax reliefs and allowances to(a) £2,000, (b) £3,000, (c) £4,000, (d) £6,000, (e) £8,000, (f) £10,000 and (g) £12,000, indicating in each case the number of people affected. [14326]

  Mr. Jack
  The full-year yield of restricting income tax allowances and reliefs and the number of people affected at 1996–97 income levels are given in the table. The estimates do not take account of any behavioural effects which might result from the introduction of such a limit.

  Upper limit for total allowances and reliefs1 £

  Yield in full year £ million

  Number of taxpayers Thousands

  2,000

  18,300

  225,800

  3,000

  11,100

  225,800

  4,000

  4,800

  15,600

  6,000

  1,200

  1,200

  8,000

  700

  380

  10,000

  500

  190

  12,000

  400

  120

  1 Including only allowances and reliefs given at marginal rates.

  2 This will effect all taxpayers and bring a number of people into tax.

  Personal Equity Plans
  Mr. Pearson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the yield from imposing a ceiling of(a) £10,000, (b) £20,000 and (c) £30,000 on the amount that may be held a PEP by any one individual. [14331]

  Mr. Jack
  Total tax relief for personal equity plans is provisionally estimated at £425 million for 1995–96. Information about PEPs is derived from annual returns provided by plan managers. These show the total value of funds, amount of subscriptions received and number of investors, but do not include information on the distribution of the number of investors by size of total PEP investment on which to base estimates of the yield from imposing ceilings on the amount individuals may hold in PEPs.

  Accrued Income Scheme
  Mr. Tim Smith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the cost of complying with the accrued income scheme following the introduction of the loan relationships legislation; and what is the average annual yield from the accrued income scheme from personal taxpayers. [13797]

  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 8 February 1996]: The loan relationship provisions contained in the current Finance Bill will materially reduce the costs of compliance with the accrued income scheme, since companies will no longer be subject to it. So far as individuals are concerned, no yield is necessarily to be expected from the scheme, since it affords relief from tax as readily as it brings additional income into charge. The limited figures available suggest that the scheme does in practice generate a small net yield. its main purpose, however, is

  387
  to avoid the much larger loss of revenue which would arise in its absence, from tax-motivated "bond washing" transactions.

  Spare Computer Capacity
  Mr. Miller
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list all cases where spare computer capacity has been sold to other Departments since 1987, giving the Department and value of each contract. [14076]

  Mrs. Angela Knight
  So far as I am aware, no spare computer capacity has been sold by Her Majesty's Treasury to other Departments since 1987.

  Departmental Publications
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which of his Department's administrative manuals and internal guidance are now made public; and which remain private. [14027]

  Mrs. Angela Knight
  The Treasury makes available to the public a large number of publications on various issues, details of which are included in the Treasury's booklet, "Publications in Print". The booklet has been deposited in the Libraries of both Houses.

  Publications include guidance notes from the central unit on procurement, reports of the Treasury's fundamental expenditure review and a variety of other documents plus information via the Internet.

  Those manuals and guidance notes which are not published deal mainly with internal staff and security issues. No central record is kept.

  Pensions
  Sir Andrew Bowden
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what amount of trivial occupational or private pension can be converted into a lump sum; when the figure was last increased and from what sum; and what plans to increase it. [13785]

  Mr. Jack
  Under the rules for occupational pension schemes, commutation on grounds of triviality is currently permitted if the aggregate benefits, including the pension equivalent of any lump sum benefits, payable from all schemes in respect of the employment are not more than £260 per annum. If total benefits exceed that amount, any residual pension left after taking the normal lump sum retirement benefit cannot be commuted even though it may not exceed the triviality limit.

  The limit was increased from £104 to £260 in 1991.

  There are no existing arrangements under the personal pension scheme rules to allow the conversion of trivial pensions to lump sums. However, as from 6 April 1996 procedures will be in place to allow personal pension funds which are insufficient to buy a pension of at least £260 per annum and total £2,500 or less to be taken in cash.

  The Inland Revenue periodically reviews all administrative limits and announces any changes at the same time. The triviality limit for both occupational and personal pension schemes will be reconsidered at the time of the next review.
  388

  EC Legislation
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on which occasions in the last three years officials have vetoed draft EC legislation on the grounds that a fiche d'impact had not been correctly prepared. [136461

  Mr. Jack
  The correct preparation of fiches d'impact is a very important part of our consideration of proposals for EC legislation. It is one of the factors taken into account when Ministers consider the UK's negotiating position on a particular proposal.

  Tax Yield
  Mr. Andrew Smith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the yield in 1998–99 to the Inland Revenue forecast in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1996–97", resulting from the change to self-assessment, is attributable to(a) business growth and (b) changing from the previous year to current year basis. [13748]

  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 5 February 1996]: As I said in the debate on clause 112 of the Finance Bill, Official Report, 25 January 1996, column 530, just over £700 million of the 1989–99 self-assessment yield shown in table 5B.2 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1996–97" relates to income tax and class 4 national insurance contributions on the profits of trades, professions and vocations. This yield is almost wholly attributable to the interaction between the assumed growth in taxable profits and the move from the preceding year basis of assessment to the current year basis. If either of those factors were not present, there would be no significant effects on tax receipts from these sources of income attributable to self-assessment.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Civil Servants (Vested Interests)
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what assessment he has made of the proportion of his officials who have a declared interest in the arms industry; [12331]

  (2) in what form his Department's officials' declaration of vested interests are kept; and if he will make a statement. [12332]

  Mr. Hanley
  We are not aware of any such declarations in recent years, but a check of all personnel files would incur disproportionate cost. I also refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) on 1 February 1996,Official Report, column 854.

  Turkey (Helicopter Sales)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to ensure that helicopters sold by the United Kingdom to the Turkish Government are not used against civilians; and if he will make a statement. [12878]

  Mr. David Davis
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade on 7 February 1995,Official Report, column 229.
  389

  Uranium Sales
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received about the possibility of Russia selling weapons-grade enriched uranium to European nuclear research reactors; what assessment he has made of the implications of such sales for nuclear proliferation; and if he will make a statement. [14231]

  Mr. David Davis
  Euratom has since 1995 been negotiating with Minatom, the Russian nuclear ministry, about the possibility of acquiring non-irradiated highly enriched uranium from the Russian Federation for use in European research reactors. The material in question would be subject to Euratom and international safeguards and to stringent security arrangements and does not, therefore, create a proliferation risk.

  Spare Computer Capacity
  Mr. Miller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all cases where spare computer capacity has been sold to other Departments since 1987, giving the Department and value of each contract. [14080]

  Mr. Hanley
  The FCO diplomatic and aid wings have not sold spare computer capacity to other Government Departments since 1987.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Telecommunications Licences
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consideration he has given to amending telecommunications operating licences so that telecommunication companies are required to offer discounts and concessions to(a) pensioners and (b) pensioners who are in receipt of income support. [13550]

  Mr. Ian Taylor
  Modification of operating licences issued under the Telecommunications Act 1984 is a matter for the Director General of Telecommunications. He is currently consulting on a range of proposals intended to increase the range of tariff packages available to consumers, especially vulnerable users. There are no current plans to develop a special regime for pensioners, as vulnerable users may also come from other sections of society.

  Company Bills
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to encourage larger companies to pay smaller companies more speedily. [14465]

  Mr. Page
  The Government encourage all businesses to settle their bills on time. The 1994 White Paper, "Competitiveness—Helping Business To Win, Cm 2563, announced a number of practical measures to tackle the late payment of commercial debts. These included additional prompt payment requirements for Government departments and their agencies; further development of proposals for a British Standard for prompt payment and the implementation of proposals to require public 390
  companies to state their payment policies in their directors' reports. In addition, my Department has published a free guide to credit management and debt recovery for both buyers and suppliers.

  Balance of Trade
  Mrs. Jane Kennedy
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 25 January 1996,Official Report, column 316, what estimate he has made of (a) the visible trade balance, (b) the invisible trade balance and (c) the non-oil visible trade balance for 1995, as a percentage of gross domestic product. [14576]

  Mr. Page
  The information, which is available only for the first three quarters of 1995, is shown in the table.

  Percentage of gross domestic product

  Number

  Visible trade balance

  -1.6

  Of which: Non oil visible trade balance

  -2.2

  Invisible trade balance

  1.0

ENVIRONMENT

  Clinical Waste Incinerator (Bolton)
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received regarding the proposed clinical waste incinerator at Bolton general hospital; when a decision is planned to be made on the proposal; and if he will make a statement. [13630]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  Approximately 100 individual letters, 2,100 pro forma letters, and a petition containing some 300 signatures have been received concerning the appeal under part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 against refusal to authorise operation of the clinical waste incinerator at Bolton general hospital. The hearing into the appeal was attended by 34 members of the public, including representatives of Bolton Friends of the Earth and Clean Air Above All. Correspondence has been received from the appellant concerning the timing of the appeal decision.

  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State hopes to issue a decision on the appeal by the end of this month.

  Industrial Emissions to Air
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what provisions of the Clean Air Act 1993, controlling industrial emissions to air, he intends to repeal. [13674]

  Mr. Clappison
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Worsley (Mr. Lewis) on 22 November 1995,Official Report, column 116.

  Departmental Publications
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which of his Department's administrative manuals and internal guidance are now made public; and which remain private. [14033]
  391
  Sir Paul Beresford
  In line with the code of practice on access to Government information, my Department publishes an index of the explanatory material on how it deals with the public. Each of the manuals and the guidance notes listed in the index is available to the public or is available for public inspection.

  The Health and Safety Executive has a programme to make administrative manuals and internal guidance publicly available, except a small proportion coming within the exemptions in the code of practice on access to Government information.

  Beyond that, each request for access to manuals and guidance is treated on its merits. The case for allowing access to manuals and so on which are not made public is reviewed regularly.

  Hedgerows
  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the Government will publish their consultation paper on the draft regulations to protect important hedgerows as provided for by section 97 of the Environment Act 1995; and when he envisages the final regulations will be brought into effect. [14071]

  Mr. Clappison
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Glanford and Scunthorpe (Mr. Morley) on 20 December 1995,Official Report, column 1239.

  London Borough of Brent
  Mr. Boateng
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what complaints his Department has received alleging anti-competitive actions by the London borough of Brent. [14101]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  None.

  Planning Applications
  Mr. Faber
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 5 February,Official Report, column 39, concerning planning application No. W95/8535 at Folly lane, Warminster, if he will place the written representations he has received from individuals in the Library. [14392]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  No. Representations sent to the Secretary of State cannot be copied to third parties without the consent of the individuals concerned.

  Legislation (Compliance Cost Assessments)
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for primary and secondary legislation passed since 5 April 1995, which measures were subject to a compliance costs assessment; and what was the compliance cost in each instance. [13649]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  Details of compliance cost assessments for primary and secondary legislation passed in the first half of 1995 are included in a Command Paper, Cm 3075, which was presented to Parliament on 25 January 1996. Copies of the compliance cost assessments listed are available in the House libraries. Further Command Papers listing compliance cost assessments issued in the preceding six-month period will be published at six-monthly intervals.
  392

  EU Legislation
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how he ensures that the negotiating brief for his officials discussing EU legislation takes fully into account the need to minimise the burdens on United Kingdom business. [13714]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  Guidance on how officials are to apply deregulatory principles when negotiating EC legislation is contained in the booklet "Getting a Good Deal in Europe". This guidance has been supplemented by the recent publication of guidance on the preparation of compliance cost assessments, which stresses that the likely burdens on business highlighted by UK compliance cost assessments of EC proposals should be integral to the UK's negotiating strategy. Copies of both pieces of guidance are in the Library of the House.

  Water Leakages
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total leakage from(a) water company pipes and (b) domestic pipes in 1994–95 in gallons per day; and if he will publish statistics relating to water leakage from domestic pipes and company pipes, referred to in the oral answer of 15 February 1995, Official Report, columns 982–83. [14215]

  Mr. Gummer
  Estimated total leakage, in millions of litres per day, is given in Ofwat's 1994–95 report on the cost of water delivered and sewage collected.

  The levels of leakage from household and water company pipes are calculable from the same publication and show that the leakage from household pipes represented some 23 per cent. of the total. I regret if my right hon. Friend's earlier answer misled the House.

  English Partnerships
  Mr. Prescott
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each year since its inception(a) the expenditure and (b) the retained asset base of English Partnerships in each of its six regions. [14329]

  Mr. Gummer
  The pattern of English Partnerships' programme expenditure and the distribution of its asset portfolio between its six regions since it came into full operation on 1 April 1994 is as follows:

  £ thousand

  1994–95

  1995–96

  Asset portfolio as at

  Region

  Outturn development programme

  Anticipated development programme

  1 April 1994

  31 March 1995

  North-east

  47,661

  31,673

  98,595

  106,800

  North-west

  52,929

  51,149

  86,088

  84,000

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  43,786

  60,698

  40,198

  44,700

  Midlands

  63,433

  53,773

  14,305

  18,000

  South-east

  10,311

  26,831

  23,453

  22,100

  South-west

  7,260

  10,064

  4,361

  3,900

  Total

  225,380

  234,188

  267,000

  279,500

  Exhibition Centre, London
  Mr. Corbett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will establish a public inquiry into the
  393
  planning permission granted by the London Docklands development corporation to London International Exhibition Centre Ltd. for the construction of an 110,000 sq m exhibition centre on the site of the former royal docks. [14429]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  I expect my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to announce soon his decision on whether or not to call in for his own determination the planning application for which the LDDC has resolved to grant planning permission.

  Spare Computer Capacity
  Mr. Miller
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all cases where spare computer capacity has been sold to other Departments since 1987, giving the Department and value of each contract. [14081]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  No spare computer capacity has been sold by my Department to other Government Departments.

WALES

  NHS (Children's Services)
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what new measures he proposes to ensure an integrated child health service. [13813]

  Mr. Richards
  I do not, at present, propose any new measures to ensure an integrated child health service.

  Mr. Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his policy on children's services in the NHS. [13812]

  Mr. Richards
  The policy for children's services in the NHS in Wales is to promote improvements in health by providing the right guidance and care, by the right people, at the right time and place, whether in the hospital, surgery or in the home.

  Young People with Disabilities
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will establish in north-east Wales a consultant in rehabilitative medicine with the remit of improving the translation between paediatric and adult services for young people with disabilities. [13811]

  Mr. Richards
  The responsibility for the establishment of a consultant in rehabilitative medicine, in north-east Wales, is a matter for the relevant district health authorities or trusts to consider, having regard to locally assessed needs and circumstances.

  Consultant Paediatricians
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many consultant paediatricians there are in Wales; in which locations; and if he will make a statement. [13814]

  Mr. Richards
  Information on medical staff in the NHS in Wales is collected annually on the basis of the NHS trust or directly managed unit in which they work.
  394
  Provisional information on the whole-time equivalent number of consultant paediatricians in post on 30 September 1995 is given in the following table.

  Whole-time equivalent number of consultant paediatricans in post on 30 September 19951 (a)

  Number

  Bridgend and District NHS Trust

  3.0

  Cardiff Community Healthcare NHS Trust

  3.0

  Carmarthen and District NHS Trust

  1.0

  Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust

  1.8

  Clwydian Community Care NHS Trust

  2.0

  East Glamorgan NHS Trust

  4.0

  Glan Clwyd Hospital NHS Trust

  4.0

  Glanhafren NHS Trust

  3.5

  Gwent Community NHS Trust

  1.1

  Gwynedd Community Health NHS Trust

  1.0

  Gwynedd Hospitals NHS Trust

  2.6

  Llandough Hospital NHS Trust

  4.9

  Llanelli Dinefwr NHS Trust

  1.4

  Merthyr Cynon Health Unit

  4.0

  Nevill Hall and District NHS Trust

  2.0

  Pembrokeshire NHS Trust

  2.0

  Powys Health Care NHS Trust

  1.5

  Rhondda Health Care NHS Trust

  1.0

  Rhymney Valley Health Unit

  0.8

  Swansea NHS Trust

  3.5

  University Hospital of Wales Healthcare NHS Trust

  11.6

  West Glamorgan—District and East Health Units

  4.0

  Wrexham Maelor Hospital NHS Trust

  2.9

  Total

  66.6

  1 Includes consultants in the specialties of paediatrics, paediatric neurology and paediatric surgery.

  South Wales Sea Fisheries Committee
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he is taking to ensure that the services provided by the South Wales sea fisheries committee are maintained at present levels in the event of reduced funding from the new unitary authorities in South Wales. [14532]

  Mr. Hague
  None. Sea fisheries committees are statutory committees of local government. They are created under the Sea Fisheries Act 1966, and they are financed by means of a levy charged to their constituent councils in percentage proportions set down in the individual orders creating them.

  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the new unitary authorities in south Wales concerning the combined funding of the South Wales sea fisheries committee. [14537]

  Mr. Hague
  I am currently consulting interested authorities, in accordance with section 1 of the Sea Fisheries Regulation Act 1966, on proposals submitted by the south Wales sea fisheries committee for changes to that committee's constitution.

  Bristol Channel Aggregates
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the remit of his Department's steering group on the resources and constraints with regard to Bristol Channel aggregates; who are the members of the steering group; which organisations they represent; on what date they will commence their study; and when he expects its completion. [14534]
  395
  Mr. Hague
  The steering group will be convened when a contractor has been appointed to carry out the study. It is expected to include representatives from central Government, the Crown estate, mineral planning authorities, coast protection authorities, statutory conservation agencies, port authorities, fisheries organisations and dredging companies. The group's purpose will be to advise the Welsh Office about the research and how best to progress it. The project is expected to commence in the summer and take two to three years to complete. I will ensure that the hon. Member is informed of the steering group's composition when it is established.

  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the environmental impact on marine ecology and fisheries of aggregate dredging(a) from the Nash bank and (b) from the Bristol channel more generally. [14533]

  Mr. Hague
  An environmental assessment is being carried out as part of the application for a licence to dredge sand from the Nash bank. It will include a comprehensive assessment of the impact on the marine ecology and fisheries. A research project, "Bristol Channel Marine Aggregates: Resources and Constraints", which will begin this summer, will provide a systematic overview of the potential environmental impacts of dredging.

  Cardiff Bay Development Corporation
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Cardiff Bay development corporation concerning keeping the barrage construction contract within budget; and if he will make a statement. [14536]

  Mr. Hague
  I wrote to the chairman in January noting the good progress being made on barrage construction which is being managed within the figure announced to Parliament.

  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the difference between grant in aid to the Cardiff Bay development corporation for 1994–95 and the final outturn; and how it has arisen. [14531]

  Mr. Hague
  The grant in aid budget for 1994–95 was £52.272 million and the outturn was £57.237 million. Additional funds come from European regional development fund grants and other receipts.

  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Cardiff Bay development corporation concerning the outturn expenditure for the year 1995–96; and if his current estimate involves a variation relative to planned (i) expenditure by the corporation and (ii) grant in aid to the corporation. [14535]

  Mr. Hague
  None. The Cardiff Bay development corporation estimates its outturn for gross expenditure this year to be around £66 million supported by £57.541 million grant in aid. Planned expenditure at the start of the year was £65.283 million supported by £51.441 million grant in aid.
  396

  Hazardous Substances
  Mr. Sweeney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many hazardous substance consents were made by local councils in Wales in the last year; and if he will make a statement. [15057]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  In the period between 1 April 1994 and 31 March 1995, one hazardous substance consent was issued in Wales. Consents are issued under the Planning (Hazardous Substances) Act 1990, which came into force on 1 June 1992. The Act requires that the storage or use of certain substances on particular sites are consented to by the local council.

  The one consent issued was a deemed consent relating to a site where hazardous substances were already being stored or used before the Act came into force.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  National Lottery
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when her Department became aware of a family relationship between the director general of Oflot and directors of companies involved in running the national lottery. [9858]

  Mr. Sproat
  There is no known kinship between the director general of the national lottery and any of the directors of companies involved in the running of the national lottery. The Department became aware of an acquaintance between the director general and Mr. Menges on 15 December 1995. Mr. Menges's US investment company has a financial interest in GTECH and Mr. Menges is a non-executive director of GTECH. Mr. Menges is not involved in the running of the UK national lottery. The director general declared his acquaintance with Mr. Menges in February 1994, in accordance with agreed procedures for declaring any financial, personal or professional connections with any of the applicants for the licence to run the national lottery.

  Offa's Dyke
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans his Department has to preserve the section of Offa's dyke at Rhostyllen, near Wrexham, Clwyd, currently offered for sale; and if he will make a statement. [12871]

  Mr. Sproat
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, North (Mr. Jones) on 2 February 1996,Official Report, column 979.

  Windsor Castle and Uppark
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to her answer of 30 January,Official Report, column 693, over what period the £25.2 million for the restoration of Windsor castle will be raised. [14539]

  Mr. Sproat
  It is planned to raise the £25.2 million over the six years 1993 to 1998.
  397
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will place in the Library all documents relating to her Department's involvement with the aftermath of the fires at Windsor castle and Uppark. [11999]

  Mr. Sproat
  [holding answer 5 February 1996]: Copies of the report, "Fire Protection Measures for the Royal Palaces", produced following the Windsor castle fire, were placed in the Library of the House on 26 May 1993.
  398
  The annual report for 1994–95, "The Grant-in-Aid for the Maintenance of the Occupied Royal Palaces in England" reports progress with the Windsor castle fire restoration. Copies were placed in the Library of the House on 28 June 1995.

  Subsequent annual reports will update progress. A written record will be produced on behalf of the royal household when the restoration is completed.

  My Department was not involved in the aftermath of the fire at Uppark, which is owned by the National Trust.