Written Answers of 19 February 1996

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

  Hunting Engineering
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, representing the Church Commissioners, what investments the Church Commissioners hold in Hunting Engineering. [15164]

  Mr. Alison
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 13 February,Official Report, column 528. Hunting Engineering is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hunting plc, in which we hold no shares.

ENVIRONMENT

  Trust Councils
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his Department's policy in respect of trust councils. [15170]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  We have no plans for a trust councils initiative.

  Secure Accommodation
  Mr. Nigel Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the standard spending assessment for each local authority social services department for placing young offenders in secure accommodation for each year since 1988. [15439]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  There has been no separate standard spending assessment, or grant-related expenditure assessment in the case of years prior to 1990–91, for the placement of young offenders in secure accommodation. The need to spend on this function has, however, been taken into account in the personal social services element of authorities' SSAs and GREs.

  Solent Shellfish Beds
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 13 February,Official Report, column 481, if he will list the dates, positions, and results of the National Rivers Authority monitoring of the Solent under the shellfish waters directive for each month and year for which the NRA holds records. [15553]

  Mr. Clappison
  The NRA has monitored all designated shellfish waters in the Solent at the intervals specified in the directive since 1989 and holds records prior to this date. The location of sampling points and results of the NRA's monitoring are contained in the public registers maintained by the NRA.
  2

  Rough Sleepers Initiative
  Mr. David Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will extend the rough sleepers initiative outside London to make provision for night shelters for those who are prevented from using existing accommodation because they are drunk or drugged. [15911]

  Mr. Clappison
  The Housing White Paper, "Our Future Homes", published on 27 June 1995, said that the Government would continue the rough sleepers initiative in central London beyond March 1996, when it was due to end, and that we would consider assisting the development of the successful RSI model of co-operation between statutory and voluntary sector agencies in other towns and cities where rough sleeping could be demonstrated to be a major problem.

  Proposals for taking forward these plans were set out in an interdepartmental consultation paper "Rough Sleepers Initiative: Future Plans", issued on 3 October 1995. A strategy paper will be issued shortly.

  Potatoes
  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what representations he has received in connection with the proposal by Nickerson Biocem to release genetically modified potatoes; [15301]

  (2) which sites are currently being reviewed by his Department as potential areas for the release of genetically modified potatoes; [15302]

  (3) if he will list the sites from which genetically modified potatoes have been released indicating the date of release; [15303]

  (4) what monitoring his Department carried out during the growth and release of genetically modified potatoes; [15304]

  (5) what funding has been allocated by his Department to research relating to the release of genetically modified organisms in each of the past five years. [15305]

  Mr. Clappison
  Two representations have been received from the public on the application from Nickerson Biocem for consent to release genetically modified potatoes. The first representation consisted of a petition signed by 17 people registering their concern over the proposed release and the time allowed for access to public information prior to the issuance of a consent. The second representation requested further details on the proposed release.

  Currently one application for consent to release genetically modified potatoes is being reviewed by my Department. The proposed release site for this application is Pitgaveny estate, Elgin in Morayshire.

  Since the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations 1992 came into force on 1 February 1993, genetically modified potatoes have been released at the following sites during the periods indicated:

  3

  Sites

  Dates

  Year

  Trumpington, Cambridge

  May—October

  1993

  Trumpington, Cambridge

  April—October

  1994 and 1995

  Contrannie, Perthshire

  April—October

  1995

  Trumpington, Cambridge

  April—October

  1995

  Maplebeck, Nottinghamshire

  April—October

  1993

  Maplebeck, Nottinghamshire

  April—October

  1993

  Bilsthorpe, Nottinghamshire

  April—October

  1994 and 1995

  Bilsthorpe, Nottinghamshire

  April—October

  1994 and 1995

  Bilsthorpe, Nottinghamshire

  April—October

  1994 and 1995

  Oathlaw, Angus

  June—August

  1993

  Oathlaw, Angus

  May—August

  1994 and 1995

  Rothamstead, Herts

  Spring—Autumn

  1994 and 1995

  Rothamstead, Herts

  April—September

  1995

  Dundee and West Linton

  May—September

  1995

  All consents to release genetically modified organisms, including genetically modified potatoes, contain a number of specified and general conditions. These include a requirement on the consent holder for monitoring the release and to report to the Secretary of State on the outcome of the release. The consent holder is also required to keep himself, and the Secretary of State, informed of any conditions which may lead to changes in the risk assessment of the release. Compliance with the conditions of a consent is enforced by specialist inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive.

  Funding allocated for research relating to the release of genetically modified organisms under my Department's research programme for each of the past five years is as follows:

  1995–96: £862,457

  1994–95: £615,765

  1993–94: £988.221

  1992–93: £1,174,794

  1991–92: £984,215.

  Right-to-buy Legislation
  Mr. Dover
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many homes have been purchased each year under the right-to-buy legislation. [15584]

  Mr. Clappison
  The available information is in the table.

  Right-to-buy sates in England, 1980–81 to 1994–95

  Year

  Number

  1980–81

  2,332

  1981–82

  107,588

  1982–83

  170,600

  1983–84

  109,903

  1984–85

  80,192

  1985–86

  74,814

  1986–87

  79,592

  1987–88

  96,784

  1988–89

  140,617

  1989–90

  138,476

  1990–91

  79,665

  4

  Right-to-buy sales in England, 1980–81 to 1994–95

  Year

  Number

  1991–92

  49,918

  1992–93

  38,587

  1993–94

  45,374

  1994–951

  43,229

  1 Provisional.

  These figures include sales by local authorities, new towns and housing associations.

  Local Government, London
  Mr. Dunn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to instruct the local government boundary commission to review the local government boundaries of London boroughs. [15634]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  We have no plans at present to direct the Local Government Commission to review the boundaries of London boroughs.

  Supplementary Credit Approval (Bristol)
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when Bristol city council will receive its supplementary credit approval for 1996–97; and what factors have led to the delay in its issue. [15472]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  [holding answer 16 February 1996]: Bristol city council was asked to reconsider whether the reorganisation in its area could be implemented more economically and was asked to submit a revised bid by the end of January. An allocation was made on 15 February.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  HMSO
  Mr. Heppell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what(a) plans and (b) facilities Her Majesty's Stationery Office has to provide (i) Acts of Parliament, (ii) codes of practice and (iii) other documentation in (1) European Community languages, (2) Braille, (3) large print and (4) audio tape. [14483]

  Mr. Willetts
  As this is a purely operational matter, I have asked the chief executive of HMSO to reply directly to the hon. Member.

  Letter front Mike Lynn to Mr. John Heppell, dated 9 February 1996:
  I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question (No 166) to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster about provision of HMSO publication in other languages and formats.
  We have no firm plans in any of the specific areas you list, but we certainly have the capability to produce publications in these forms if there is sufficient market demand to make it a viable proposition.
  We have previously examined the prospects for Braille publications in consultation with the Royal National Institute for the Blind, but reached the conclusion that the costs we unlikely to be recovered from the predicted level of sales. We have, however, recently agreed a new copyright licence with RNIB, which covers all Crown and Parliamentary copyright texts for which we are responsible for reproduction in Braille, Moon, Audio tape and Braille-coded floppy disk formats. This licence is issued free of charge.
  5

  Deregulation
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress is being made towards(a) establishing lead inspectors and (b) merging different enforcement regimes as part of the Government's deregulation policy. [15589]

  Mr. Freeman
  The deregulation task force and the local government enforcement review recommended piloting the concept of the lead inspector approach and, where different regulatory and enforcement regimes overlap, recommended merger or alignment. The Government accepted these recommendations and we have made progress in implementation.

  Under the joint working programme, Inland Revenue and the Contributions Agency announced plans for joint audits for some large employers, and single audit visits for all other employers, to cover both PAYE and national insurance contributions. Guidance was issued to Inland Revenue and Contributions Agency staff in December 1995 on single audit, and the new arrangements have now been implemented. Work is continuing to develop a programme of joint auditing for larger employers.

  The lead inspector approach is existing practice in Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution. This will become part of the Environment Agency, which comes into being on 1 April 1996, bringing together a number of regulatory regimes under one umbrella. The agency will be setting up first stop shops in its local offices.

  As part of a wider review of regulation and inspection, the Department of Health is addressing the need for certain residential care and nursing homes to register with two public authorities. This review also puts forward for discussion alternative regulatory structures.

  In the food hygiene area, statutory codes of practice have clarified demarcation lines to achieve single body enforcement.

  In the case of community premises, we are promoting a single licensing process for a number of activities. Guidance encourages local authorities, wherever possible, to arrange for a combined inspection covering the entertainment application and any other inspections required by the premises, covering for example, food hygiene and health and safety.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Carl Bridgewater
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out all the new evidence he is considering in deciding whether to refer the Carl Bridgewater case back to the Court of Appeal. [15395]

  Mr. Kirkhope
  All new material weighted by my right hon. and learned Friend in reaching his provisional conclusions in this case has been made available to the applicants' solicitor; details of the main points in the case were set out in a Home Office news release dated 7 December 1995.
  6
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his letter to the Bridgewater defendants' lawyer, what is the nature of the information which allegedly implicates Vincent Hickey and Pat Molloy in the murder. [15396]

  Mr. Kirkhope
  The specific information referred to in my right hon. and learned Friend's letter is confidential. The letter makes it clear that, in reaching his provisional conclusions, my right hon. and learned Friend has placed no reliance on that information.

  Licensed Restaurants
  Mr. David Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to allow licensed restaurants to be able to sell alcohol to customers who do not take food; and if he will make a statement. [15393]

  Mr. Kirkhope
  We are currently considering the scope for relaxing restrictions on the sale of alcohol in restaurants. Any proposals for change would be the subject of public consultation.

  Voluntary Sector
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the voluntary sector in relation to statutory funding difficulties and delays in payments. [15387]

  Mr. Sackville
  Home Office Ministers regularly meet voluntary sector representatives to discuss a wide range of issues, including funding.

  Criminal Justice and Public Order Act
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library all research conducted by his Department concerning the effectiveness of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1944; and if he will make a statement. [15232]

  Mr. Maclean
  Work concerned with evaluating the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 is in progress, and all publications arising from this work will be placed in the Library.

  Prison Service
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the publication of the study commissioned by his Department into relations between the Home Office and the Prison Service; and if he will make a statement. [15233]

  Miss Widdecombe
  As my right hon. and learned Friend informed the House on 16 October 1995, the work is under way and he will report on it to the House when it is complete.

  Ponies (Research)
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received concerning the injection of equine flu and herpes viruses into mountain ponies bred for research purposes and the extraction of antibodies from carcases following slaughter of such ponies at different time intervals after injection; and if he will make a statement. [14242]
  7
  Mr. Sackville
  [holding answer 8 February 1996]: The Home Office has obtained the recent report by the organisation Animal Aid on the use of ponies in this area of research.

  Asylum Seekers
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he reached a decision on the designation of(a) India and (b) Pakistan in respect of his determination of countries from which asylum cases are likely to prove unfounded; and what considerations underlay his decision. [15349]

  Miss Widdecombe
  [holding answer 15 February 1996]: My right hon. and learned Friend indicated to the House during Second Reading of the Asylum and Immigration Bill on 11 December 1995, Official Report, column 703, those countries which the Government currently regard as candidates for designation. No actual designations will be possible until clause 1 of the Bill has come into force and an order has been made under it. The considerations we will take into account have been outlined it the relevant background note on the Bill, copies of which are available in the Library.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

  Mortgages
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Eduction and Employment how many heads of household below retirement age and available for work have mortgages. [14300]

  Mr. Clappison
  I have been asked to reply.

  The latest estimate for England is that 7,540,000 heads of household who are below retirement age, and were either in employment or seeking and available for work, have mortgages. This estimate is from the 1994–95 survey of English housing and is subject to sampling error.

  Pupil Testing
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what account her Department has taken when issuing the results of national tests of those children who were re-assessed for national tests at 11 years old, having initially failed them; if these children were counted more than once in the results released to date; and what estimate she has made of the number of pupils who have been doubled counted. [15372]

  Mr. Paice
  The aim of statutory assessment is to assess pupils' achievement against national curriculum levels. The standards at level 4 have been set to challenge typical 11-years-olds, but it is incorrect to suggest that pupils either pass or fail the tests.

  The collection procedures in 1995 were designed to give accurate national results while minimising schools' compliance costs. Schools were asked to indicate whether pupils were to be entered for tasks as well as tests in maths and science, but not all did so. Any double counting in the national results for those subjects is estimated to be small, at around 1 per cent.
  8

  Employment Service Dispute
  Ms Lynne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answer of 18 January,Official Report, column 699 on the Employment Service dispute, if she will list the percentage of employees in grades represented by the Civil and Public Services Association who received a pay award for 1995–96 of (a) less than 3.7 per cent. and (b) between 2.7 and 2.9 per cent. [15837]

  Mr. Forth
  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 Mike Fogden to Ms Liz Lynne, dated 19 February 1996:
  The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the current trade dispute within the Employment Service; responsibility for pay bargaining was delegated to the Agency in January 1994.
  Further to my letter to Frank Field MP, a more detailed breakdown of the percentage increases received by people in grades represented by the Civil and Public Services Association is as follows:
  Based on the salary levels in payment at the time the awards were paid: a) 38% received an award of less than 3.7%; b) 35% received an award of between 2.7 and 2.9%.
  I hope that this is helpful.

  Campbell's Soups
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what discussions have taken place between representatives of Campbell's Soups. Stratford-on-Avon operations and the Department of Employment on matters relating to redundancy at that plant in the last two years. [15365]

  Mr. Forth
  No discussions have taken place between the Department and representatives of Campbell's Soups relating to redundancy at the Stratford-on-Avon plant.

  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment on how many occasions in the past two years redundancies announced by Campbell's Soups have been required to be notified to her Department. [15366]

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  I have been asked to reply.

  Information given to the Department under the statutory redundancy handling provisions is provided in confidence.

  Vice-Chancellors and Principals
  Ms Armstrong
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will publish the salaries of the vice-chancellors and principals of United Kingdom universities according to the salary bands published in the institutional annual. [15422]

  Mr. Forth
  My right hon. Friend has no plans to publish this information. The higher education funding councils require universities to disclose these details. They are already in the public domain.
  9

  Training and Enterprise Councils
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the surplus or loss on trading account of each training and enterprise council in 1994–95. [15569]

  Mr. Paice
  The following table lists the surpluses or losses incurred by training and enterprise councils in 1994–95. The figures are those shown in the audited statutory accounts lodged at Companies House.

  Post tax operating surplus

  TECS by region

  1994–95 £

  Northern

  County Durham

  (785,231)

  Northumberland

  884,973

  Teesside

  (3,941,000)

  Tyneside

  (1,191,000)

  Sunderland City

  250,264

  (4,781,994)

  Merseyside

  CEWTEC

  359,849

  Merseyside

  2,683,672

  QUALITEC

  (130,746)

  2,912,775

  North West

  Bolton/Bury

  (527,728)

  Manchester

  (215,299)

  METRO

  379,973

  Oldham

  (127,476)

  Rochdale

  129,225

  South and East Cheshire

  263,853

  Stockport and High Peak

  (63,548)

  Cumbria

  (101,023)

  ELTEC

  (268,183)

  LAWTEC

  1,866,300

  NORMID

  587,422

  1,923,516

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  Barnsley/Doncaster

  232,000

  Bradford

  (387,183)

  Calderdale and Kirklees

  225,868

  Humberside

  760,616

  Leeds

  (1,816,448)

  North Yorkshire

  397,000

  Rotheram

  (122,704)

  Sheffield

  (372,000)

  Wakefield

  126,742

  (956,109)

  Eastern

  Bedfordshire

  (143,547)

  CAMBS

  (55,355)

  Essex

  363,953

  Greater Peterborough

  21,450

  Hertfordshire

  852,000

  Norfolk and Waverney

  (91,000)

  Suffolk

  (396,331)

  551,170

  East Midlands

  Greater Nottingham

  319,000

  Leicester

  (271,766)

  Lincolnshire

  (2,135,126)

  Northamptonshire

  192,807

  North Derbyshire

  92,217

  North Nottinghamshire

  701,783

  10

  Post tax operating surplus

  1994–95

  TECS by region

  £

  South Derbyshire

  (356,000)

  (1,457,085)

  West Midlands

  Birmingham

  2,043,000

  Central England

  283,485

  Coventry/Warwick

  118,851

  Dudley

  (61,500)

  HAWTEC

  (170,417)

  Sandwell

  (331,901)

  Shropshire

  150,285

  Staffordshire

  (1,842,000)

  Walsall

  (612,779)

  Wolverhampton

  640,000

  217,024

  South West

  Westec

  (399,000)

  Devon/Cornwall

  (1,366,000)

  Dorset

  318,838

  Gloucester

  769,047

  Somerset

  (140,890)

  Wiltshire

  (632,032)

  (1,450,037)

  London

  AZTEC

  748,520

  CENTEC

  287,415

  CILNTEC

  (36,989)

  LETEC

  2,765,046

  North London

  3,519,426

  North West London

  118,023

  SOLOTEC

  (1,396,023)

  South Thames

  0

  West London

  (286,586)

  5,718,832

  South East

  Hampshire

  343,021

  Isle of Wight

  (232,391)

  Kent

  (133,463)

  Milton Keynes/North Buckinghamshire

  32,654

  Heart of England

  196,567

  Surrey

  (727,521)

  Susex

  240,000

  Thames Valley Ent.

  (145,906)

  427,039

  Grand Total

  2,251,053

  Access to Work Scheme
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Education and Employment how many people in each county and region have received assistance under access to work; and in each case if she will give the number who were(a) employed and (b) unemployed at the time of their application. [15590]

  Mr. Forth
  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.
  11
  Letter from Mike Fogden to Mr. David Blunkett, dated 19 February 1996:
  The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the number of people in each region who have received assistance under Access to Work; and whether they were employed or unemployed.
  Access to Work began in June 1994. The number of people who received help in 1994–95 (including those helped under the previous special schemes) was 10,394. Of those, 7,669 were new applicants under Access to Work. In 1995–96 up to the end of December, 12,267 people received help, of whom 8,206 were new applicants.
  The annex gives the number of new applicants by region and whether they were employed or unemployed. We do not keep records by county.
  For these purposes we count as "unemployed" those who did not have a job when they applied for Access to Work, and newly employed people who had gained that employment with the help of Access to Work.
  I hope this is helpful.

  Supplementary Credit Approvals
  Mr. Hicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) if she will list those applications for supplementary credit approval that have been approved by her Department during the current financial year together with financial amounts involved, the number of applications received and the total cost of these projects; [15592]

  (2) when she intends announcing further supplementary credit approvals with specific reference to the Liskeard junior school application; and if she will make a statement. [15591]

  Mrs. Gillan
  Copies of press notices listing supplementary credit approvals so far issued in 1995–96, which total over £40 million, have been placed in the Library. This figures includes some cover for Liskeard junior school. Applications so far made total around £110 million—year 1 costs—and there have been approximately 270 bids. I hope to be able to announce further SCAs for 1995–96 shortly.

  Teachers
  Mr. Dover
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what assessment she has made of the impact on the job prospects of newly qualified teachers of teachers who have taken early retirement returning to work; [15586]

  (2) if she will make it her policy that teachers who have taken early retirement are not re-employed as teachers on a (a) full-time (b) part-time or (c) supply basis. [15585]

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The Department does not believe that the re-employment of retired teachers is having an adverse effect on the job prospects of newly qualified teachers. In 1986–87, 12,600 newly qualified teachers entered full-time teaching, 42 per cent. of all entrants. In 1993–94, the latest year for which we have information, the figures were 17,700 and 58 per cent. respectively. My right hon. Friend has no plans to make it her policy to ban re-employment of teachers who have been granted premature retirement. Teachers whose re-employment brings the total of salary and pension they receive above the rate of their previous salary are subject to abatement of pension.
  12

  Employment Service
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what remuneration the chief executive of the Employment Service received in(a) 1994–95 and (b) 1995–96; and what is planned for 1996–97. [15672]

  Mr. Forth
  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 Mike Fodgen to Mr. Paddy Tipping, dated 19 February 1996.
  The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about my remuneration as Chief Executive of the Employment service.
  The information about my total remuneration for 1994/95. including a non-consolidated performance bonus and taxable benefits, is published in the Employment Service Annual Report & Accounts which was presented to Parliament in July 1995. A copy is available in the House of Commons Library.
  The comparable figure for 1995/96 will not be available until any bonus payable has been agreed after the end of the financial year.
  Similarly, it is not possible to calculate in advance what my remuneration will be in 1996/97.

  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment she has made of the number and costs of payments made erroneously to claimants as a result of industrial action in jobcentres between 30 November 1995 and 19 February 1996. [15674]

  Mr. Forth
  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 Mike Fogden to Mr. Paddy Tipping, dated 19 February 1996:
  The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning the number and costs of payments made erroneously to claimants as a result of industrial action in Jobcentres between 30 November 1995 and 19 February 1996.
  Details of overpayments made are collected quarterly. The figures for the quarter ended December 1995 are being collated. To date there is no upward trend. The next set of figures will relate to the period ending 31 March. Therefore, no current information is available about changes in levels of overpayments during the period since the industrial action started.
  Overpayments can, and do, arise for a variety of reasons and it would be very difficult to identify separately overpayments which are directly attributable to the industrial action. To do this would require complex analysis and reporting arrangements additional to those presently in place. These would add to the burden of those continuing to work in the affected offices and further hinder the ability of the Employment Service to maintain a customer service in such times.
  I hope this helps explain the situation.

  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will provide a breakdown of the extra costs contracted by the Employment Service as a result of industrial action in jobcentres between 30 November 1995 and 19 February 1996. [15673]
  13
  Mr. Forth
  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 Mike Fogden to Mr. Paddy Tipping, dated 19 February 1996:
  The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about
  the extra
  cost to the Employment Service of the industrial action organised by the Civil and Public Services Association in jobcentres between 30 November 1995 and 19 February 1996.
  The information you request is not kept centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. However, it is more likely that any additional costs incurred, for example by employing temporary workers or additional security guards, will be more than offset by savings made as a result of withholding pay from those who have chosen to strike.
  I hope this is helpful.

  Workstart
  Sir Ralph Howell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Smith) of 5 February,Official Report, column 68, what financial evaluation has been made of the workstart pilot scheme in (a) east Kent, (b) south London, (c) the north-east and (d) Devon and Cornwall. [15841]

  Mr. Forth
  The evaluation reports of the initial pilots were published on 12 December 1994 and copies are available from the Library.

  Sir Ralph Howell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury of 5 February,Official Report, column 69, what was (a) the saving in benefits of all kinds and (b) her Department's estimate of income from income tax and national insurance contributions, which resulted from the workstart pilot scheme in (i) east Kent, (ii) south London, (iii) the north-east and (iv) Devon and Cornwall; and what was the net saving or cost of the scheme. [15842]

  Mr. Forth
  This information is not available. Savings to the Exchequer from any employment programme arise from long-term improvements in the functioning of the labour market and cannot be calculated in the terms requested.

  South Thames Training and Enterprise Council
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what changes in policy and procedures have been introduced following South Thames training and enterprise council going into receivership. [15559]

  Mr. Paice
  [holding answer 16 February 1996]: The relationship between Government and training and enterprise councils is under continual review. TECs are private companies operating under a contract. Since 1994, when South Thames TEC was placed in receivership the contract has required TECs to pay due regard to the code of practice on the financial aspects of corporate governance—the Cadbury code—and to the "Framework for Local Accountability" published by the TEC National
  14
  Council. TECs are also required to remain within the financial low risk band category as determined by the Department.

  Further guidance to Government offices in the regions now ensures the prompt recovery of any overpayments. Licensing arrangements require TECs to meet and maintain published standards set by the Department. All TECs must be licensed by 1997.

  Hard-to-fill Vacancies
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the percentage of hard-to-fill vacancies in(a) the south-east, (b) London, (c) the south-west, (d) the west midlands, (e) the east midlands, (f) eastern, (g) Yorkshire and Humberside, (h) the north-west, (i) the north-west (Greater Manchester) and (j) northern areas over the previous 12 months in 1994 and 1995. [15561]

  Mr. Forth
  [holding answer 16 February 1996]: 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 Mike Fogden to Mr. Stephen Byers, dated 19 February 1996:
  The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the percentage of hard to fill vacancies in the English regions over the previous 12 months in 1994 and 1995.
  We do not collect the information you have requested. However, during July to September 1994 a trial was undertaken to assess the feasibility of using hard to fill vacancies more widely to test clients' commitment to returning to employment and their availability for work.
  The trial revealed that the types of vacancy which are hard to fill vary widely between localities and it is difficult to he prescriptive about which particular vacancies fall into the hard to fill category. We do not, therefore, collect statistics on hard to fill vacancies.
  I hope this is helpful.

TREASURY

  Tax Regime
  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the change in taxation relative to an indexed 1978–79 tax regime for a married couple with two children with one adult earning(a) 25 per cent. of average earnings, (b) 50 per cent. of average earnings, (c) 75 per cent. of average earnings, (d) 100 per cent. of average earnings, (e) 200 per cent. of average earnings, (f) 300 per cent. of average earnings, (g) 400 per cent. of average earnings and (h) 500 per cent. of average earnings. [13929]

  Mr. Jack
  The weekly reduction in income tax liability for 1996–97 compared with the 1978–79 indexed regime
  15
  and the weekly reduction as a percentage of earnings in 1996–97 is given in the table.

  One earner married couple with two children under 11

  Multiple of average earnings1 1996–97

  Reduction in income tax2 in 1996–97 compared with the 1978–79 indexed regime £

  Reduction in income tax2 as a percentage of weekly earnings in 1996–97

  ¼

  -3.18

  3

  ½

  -8.30

  4

  ¾

  17.24

  6

  1

  -26.18

  7

  2

  -50.91

  6

  3

  -143.54

  12

  4

  -281.82

  18

  5

  -452.66

  23

  1 Full time males on adult rates, all occupations.

  2 Net of child benefit.

  Property Valuations (Reading)
  Sir Anthony Durant
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average percentage increase in property valuations for business rate purposes by the Inland Revenue for(a) Reading town centre and (b) the Oxford road, Reading, and the number of appeals received and the number of appeals completed. [13823]

  Mrs. Angela Knight
  Broad street is the main street in Reading town centre, and comprises mostly shops, where rateable values have increased by about 27 per cent. on average in the 1995 rating list above their previous 1990 list levels.

  In Oxford road, Reading, rateable values of shops have generally remained unchanged.

  To date, the valuation officer at Reading has received 50 appeals for Broad street shops and 46 appeals for Oxford street shops. No appeals have been settled so far but discussions with ratepayers are expected to begin soon.

  Outside London, rate increases, in 1996–97 are limited to 5 per cent. for small businesses, 7.5 per cent. for legal businesses and 2.5 per cent. for composite properties after inflation.

  Advance Corporation Tax
  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the amount of advance corporation tax reclaimed by tax exempt institutions each month over the past five years. [13928]

  Mr. Jack
  Advance corporation tax paid by companies is not repayable to shareholders. Exempt institutions, such as pension funds, insurance companies' exempt funds and charities are, however, entitled to payment of the tax credit issued with the dividends and other qualifying distributions they receive. This recognises that the dividends have already borne tax at the company level. Tax credits to exempt institutions are not separately accounted for and precise statistics are, therefore, not available. It is estimated, however, that exempt institutions will receive around £3.5 billion in payments of tax credits from qualifying distributions in 1995–96.
  16

  Exchange and Trading Schemes
  Mr. Chris Davies
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how participation in a local exchange and trading scheme affects the assessment of taxable income. [15430]

  Mr. Jack
  Participation in a local exchange and trading scheme does not itself affect what is and is not taxable income. It is the participant's activities that mater. Thus, anyone who provides either goods or services for reward, either inside or outside a local exchange and trading scheme, is likely to be liable to income tax.

  However, the form of these organisations can differ and as members, activities can vary from individual to individual, it is important that the scheme's organisers contact their local tax office with the full details of their particular scheme to check whether there are any tax implications. Similarly, any scheme member who has doubts about his own tax liability should check with his own tax office.

  Taxpayers
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 6 February,Official Report, columns 117–18, what was the number of (a) basic rate and (b) higher rate taxpayers in 1993–94 in each constituency in the west midlands county area. [15464]

  Mr. Jack
  I regret that estimates below county level are not available.

  Compliance Costs
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made towards completing the joint research project to establish the current compliance costs of tax/national insurance contributions legislation and systems referred to in his White Paper, "The Way Forward". [15588]

  Mr. Jack
  The contract to carry out the study was awarded to the Centre for Fiscal Studies at Bath university in October 1995. The work is expected to take around 18 months to complete and should give an up-to-date picture of those aspects of the system which give rise to the largest compliance costs for business. The research team has been asked to identify options for simplification of current operational procedures which could reduce those costs.

  Departmental Running Costs
  Mr. Andrew Smith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were in each year from 1979 to 1994, in real terms,(a) the running costs of his Ministers' private offices, separately identifying expenditure on staff and (b) the running costs of the Department. [15356]

  Mrs. Angela Knight
  [holding answer 15 February 1996]: The costs of the ministerial offices and the running costs of the Department are included in the running costs published in the departmental report.
  17

PRIME MINISTER

  Advertising
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Prime Minister what is the annual cost of the Government's advertising budget for each of the last five years. [15468]

  The Prime Minister
  There is no central advertising budget. This is a matter for individual Departments.

  Out-of-school Activities
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy that every Government Department should produce proposals to ensure that the public and private sectors are able to encourage and, where necessary, provide a wide range of out-of-school activities for 10 to 16-year-olds; and if he will make a statement. [15482]

  The Prime Minister
  The public and private sectors are already free to encourage or provide out-of-school activities and schools are free to use them, or not, as they wish.

  Public Records
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to review the Public Records Acts 1958 and 1967 in regard to the selection of material for retention and release. [15981]

  The Prime Minister
  The Government have no such plans as their policy on the release or withholding of records under the provision of the Public Records Acts was reviewed in 1992–93. The results of that review were published as chapter 9 of the White Paper on open government, July 1993 (Cm 2290).

  Scott Inquiry
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Prime Minister what is his policy towards the correction of answers given to Parliament where civil servants responsible for drafting or Ministers or former Ministers told the Scott inquiry that they were inaccurate. [14904]

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 16 February 1996]: If the answers to any parliamentary questions require correction, they are corrected.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Departmental Officials (Vested Interests)
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will arrange to keep a central register of his Department's officials' vested interests. [15179]

  Mr. Hanley
  Yes. I have arranged for interests declared by members of the diplomatic service to be recorded centrally with immediate effect.

  British Council
  Mr. Soley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the reduction in services offered by the British Council; and if he will list the countries affected. [14588]
  18
  Mr. Hanley
  The British Council is still considering how best to make the necessary adjustments to its programmes and activities following the latest public expenditure round. No decisions have been taken.

  Sudan
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what international initiatives are being made to resolve(a) the war and (b) other problems in Sudan. [15412]

  Mr. Hanley
  The main international initiative to settle the war in Sudan was launched in 1994 by the Inter-Governmental Authority for Drought and Development—comprising Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya and Uganda—which we have fully supported. At the UN, the UK has been active in securing the passage of resolutions critical of Sudan's human rights record and appointing a special rapporteur. The UN Security Council passed a resolution on 31 January calling on Sudan to hand over to Ethiopia three men suspected of involvement in the assassination attempt of President Mubarak of Egypt last year.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Government of Sudan about the sponsorship of terrorism outside Sudan. [15414]

  Mr. Hanley
  We have repeatedly raised with Sudan the matter of it harbouring extremist organisation. My right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary expressed our concern to the Sudanese ambassador in September last year. The UN Security Council, under UK chairmanship, unanimously passed a resolution on 31 January calling on the Sudanese Government to desist from engaging in activities of assisting, supporting and facilitating terrorist activities. It also called on them to give up to the Ethiopian authorities three suspects implicated in the assassination attempt on President Mubarak of Egypt.

  Rwanda
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on(a) the presence of Rwandan war criminals in Kenya and (b) progress in persuading the Government of Kenya to co-operate with the international war crimes tribunal. [15417]

  Sir Nicholas Bonsor
  The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda has issued four indictments against eight people. It has requested the transfer of three people detained in Belgium and it is due to make a similar request for an unspecified number detained in Zambia. None of these people is believed to be in Kenya.

  All countries are required to comply with the tribunal, which was established by Security Council resolution 955 under chapter VII. Judge Goldstone has confirmed that Kenya is co-operating with the tribunal.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about progress in the return of refugees to Rwanda. [15416]

  Mr. Hanley
  The United Nation's High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that about 230,000 Rwandan refugees returned to Rwanda during 1995, leaving
  19
  1.7 million Rwandan refugees in neighbouring countries at 1 January 1996. The UNCHR hopes that up to 820,000 of these will return voluntarily to Rwanda during 1996.

  East Timor
  Sir Russell Johnston
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions on the issue of human rights in East Timor took place during recent meetings between Ministers of his Department and the Indonesian Foreign Minister. [15730]

  Mr. Hanley
  Ministers raised our concerns about human rights and East Timor with the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Ali Alatas, during his visit to the UK in January.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION

  Nigeria
  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the return of the British ambassador to Nigeria. [15564]

  Mr. Hanley
  After close consultations, European Union heads of mission returned to Lagos during January, including our high commissioner. He was sent back to reinforce our concerns about human rights and the transition timetable at the highest level.

  Mr. Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of potential instability within Nigeria on neighbouring countries. [15565]

  Mr. Hanley
  We continue to monitor developments closely in Nigeria, including their possible impact on neighbouring countries.

  Mr. Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance is currently provided by Her Majesty's Government to west African countries bordering Nigeria. [15566]

  Mr. Hanley
  Cameroon benefits from a bilateral aid programme, focused on conservation of forestry and biodiversity and totalling some £2.3 million in 1995–96.

  Niger, Chad, and Benin also receive UK aid, most notably through the joint funding scheme-£0.41 million in 1994–95.

  The UK provides substantial assistance to all four countries through its contributions to multilateral aid, particularly EU aid, of which our share in 1994 was about £22 million.

  30DA mine clearance actions since April 1993 (as at 15 February 1996)

  £

  Country

  Project

  1993–94

  1994–95

  1995–96

  Afghanistan

  Halo: Mine clearance and mine awareness in the Shomali Valley

  416,131

  223,087

  275,000

  Afghanistan

  UNOCHA: Minefield surveying, planning and management; mine awareness; clearance and clearance training

  500,000

  1,000,000

  750,000

  Angola

  MAG: Minefield survey and marking (4 months) Luena, Moxico province. Phase I (£223,243) and Phase II (£498,825)

  —

  722,068

  300,000

  20

  Burundi
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what involvement(a) he and (b) British-based non-governmental organisations have in Burundi; and if he will make a statement about the political situation and any international initiatives to improve matters there. [15415]

  Mr. Hanley
  Britain supports efforts led by the UN, the Organisation of African Unity and regional leaders to promote political dialogue and reduce violence in Burundi. We supported UN Security Council resolution 1040 of 29 January, which requested the UN Secretary-General to consider options for further action. He is due to report by 20 February. We also supported the appointment by the Foreign Affairs Council on 29 January of an EU special envoy for the Great Lakes region, who will work closely with the UN Security-General's special representatives and the facilitators appointed by the Cairo Conference. An EU troika visited Burundi on 12 February, delivering a firm message to leaders there on the need for dialogue and action to prevent further violence.

  British NGOs play an important role in ensuring humanitarian aid reaches those in need. Although the level of violence has calmed in recent weeks, we remain concerned about extremist pressures on the power-sharing Government.

  Kenya
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Kenya about human rights and good governance issues. [15413]

  Mr. Hanley
  We maintain a regular dialogue with the Kenyan Government on a wide range of issues including those of good governance and human rights.

  Land Mines
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will update his answer to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) of 31 January 1994,Official Report, column 496 on land mines. [15628]

  Mr. Hanley
  Since April 1993, the ODA has funded the following humanitarian mine clearing operations totalling some £12.713 million. Details are set out in the table. In addition, the UK share of European funded projects from 1 January 1993 to 31 December 1995 is over £1.936 million.
  21

  30DA mine clearance actions since April 1993 (as at 15 February 1996)

  £

  Country

  Project

  1993–94

  1994–95

  1995–96

  Angola

  Halo: Recce, surveying and demining (5 months) Benguela/Kuito corridor Phase I (£259,243) and Phase II (£640,430 +£103,570)

  —

  899,430

  303,570

  Angola

  Central Mines Action Office within UCAH: two staff posts for one year + equipment and office support costs

  —

  226,029

  —

  Cambodia

  Halo: Mine clearance in Banteay Meanchey and Siem Reap

  277,142

  376,549

  198,350

  Cambodia

  MAG: Mine clearance in Battambang

  50,625

  316,876

  271,388

  Cambodia

  Support of Cambodian Mine Action Centre (through UNDP)

  1,133,333

  1,000,000

  —

  N. Iraq

  MAG: Training and mine clearance in Halabja

  200,439

  —

  444,750

  Laos

  MAG: Mine eradication and community education programme in Xieng Khouang Province

  —

  —

  454,386

  Laos

  UNDP: 6 months x Programme Management Adviser (PMA) to support Lao national mine clearance programme +12 months x UN Volunteer to support PMA

  —

  —

  89,000

  Mozambique

  Halo: Demining of roads in Zambezia Province (Phases I and II)

  574,586

  414,832

  561,000

  Rwanda

  Support to UN training and equipment of Rwanda mine clearance teams: 20 x Schiebel 19/2 detectors

  —

  30,000

  —

  Somalia NW

  Rimfire: Mine clearance training; clearance management; mine awareness in and around Hargeisa

  —

  —

  —

  Yemen

  Support to UN appeal

  —

  100,000

  —

  Global

  Defence Research Agency: 6 months research into mine detection

  —

  104,928

  —

  Global

  Contribution to UNDHA's Voluntary Trust Fund for Mine Clearance

  —

  500,000

  —

  Total

  3,152,256

  5,913,799

  3,647,444

  Total of ODA's Bilateral mine clearance/awareness actions since April 1993

  12,713,499

HEALTH

  Road Traffic Act 1988
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he has given to repealing section 157 of the Road Traffic Act 1988(a) in total and (b) for pensioners only. [14306]

  Mr. Horam
  None. Charges under the Road Traffic Act 1988 provide valuable income to the national health service.

  GP's Fees
  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received about general medical practitioners claiming fees from their local health authorities for services to individual patients which they do not provide; what assessment he has made of the costs to his Department of this practice; and what safeguards exist to prevent it. [15074]

  Mr. Malone
  Management controls within individual health authorities should ensure that fees are paid only to general medical practitioners for services which they have provided. Payments are subject to scrutiny by both internal and external auditors. Any false fee claims will affect only the distribution of incomes to general medical practitioners but will not increase the overall cost of general medical services.
  22

  Health Care Trusts
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if health care trusts are required to seek competitive tenders for purchases of equipment for hospitals; and if he will make a statement. [16034]

  Mr. Horam
  There is a statutory requirement to invite competitive tenders where the aggregate value of the national health service contracting authority's purchase, hire or lease of specified goods or equipment over a 12-month period exceeds £108,667. The only permitted exceptions are on grounds of:

  national security;

  another international procedure takes preference;

  only one supplier is available for technical or artistic reasons, or because of exclusive rights;

  extreme urgency has arisen that was unforeseeable and not due to the purchaser;

  the procurement is of a research and development nature;

  additional deliveries by the original supplier are justified within the current contract;

  following no response, or unacceptable or irregular tenders, from a competitive tender exercise.

  Below the statutory threshold, competitive tenders for purchase of equipment would normally be required under a health authority's or NHS trust's standing financial instructions. Any decision to waive such a requirement,

  23
  except on de minimis grounds, would require the explicit approval of the board, and reasons would be recorded for audit scrutiny.

  Ombudsman
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to extend the powers of the health service ombudsman. [15568]

  Mr. Horam
  The Health Service Commissioners (Amendment) Bill is currently being considered in another place. The Bill proposes to extend the powers of the commissioner to allow him to investigate complaints involving clinical judgment and family health services. The intention, subject to Royal Assent, is to implement this change from 1 April this year.

  Campbells Soups
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many inspections on matters relating to hygiene have been carried out on the Campbells Soups plant in King's Lynn in each of the last five years; [15362]

  (2) how many inspections on matters relating to hygiene have been carried out on the Campbells Soups plant in Stratford on Avon in each of the last five years. [15363]

  Mr. Horam
  The information requested is not held centrally. Enforcement of food hygiene law at local level, including hygiene inspection visits, is a matter for individual food authorities.

  Medical Insurance
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultations he has had with the Association of British Insurers concerning guidance given by individual insurers to insured accident patients in respect of disclosure of insurance cover when presenting at NHS hospitals; and if he will make a statement. [15989]

  Mr. Malone
  None. It is departmental policy that treatment in national health service accident and emergency departments is free. If, however, patients subsequently require emergency in-patient admission, they can choose either NHS treatment or private treatment at an NHS hospital or independent hospital. Many private medical insurance policies cover emergency as well as elective in-patient admissions.

  Retired Ambulance Trust Employees (Insurance)
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance has been agreed with the Association of British Insurers concerning the use of former ambulance trust employees on early retirement schemes to use their own cars to drive ambulant patients to out-patient clinics; and if he will make a statement. [15993]

  Mr. Horam
  No such guidance has been agreed. It is for local ambulance services to decide what use to make of volunteer car drivers. Ambulance services will ensure that any use of a private car is within the terms of the volunteer's motor insurance policy.
  24

  Prescription Costs
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 13 February,Official Report, column 562, if he will specify the total cost of prescriptions issued per practice divided by the number of patients on the list for (a) the totality of general practice fundholders and (b) non-fundholders for each year. [15983]

  Mr. Malone
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 13 February, column 562. Information split between fundholding general practitioners and non-fundholding general practitioners is readily available only nationally. Analysis below the national level would involve special computer programming and substantial cost.

  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total number of prescriptions issued in the latest year for which figures are available; what was the total revenue from prescription charges in connection with those prescriptions; and what was the average charge per prescription in that year. [15873]

  Mr. Malone
  Some 456 million prescription items were dispensed in England in 1994. We estimate that for over 80 per cent. of these items, the recipients were exempt, charges were remitted, or were not payable. The time at which income is brought to account means that items dispensed in 1994 correspond most closely to receipts for the financial year 1994–95. Charge income in 1994–95, including income from prescription prepayment certificates, was £287 million. The charge for each prescription item was £4.25 from April 1993 and £4.75 from April 1994.

  Cancer Patients (Prescription Charges)
  Mr. Sutcliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what considerations led him not to exempt life-saving drugs for long-term cancer patients from prescription charge. [15774]

  Mr. Malone
  Exemption from prescription charges on medical grounds was introduced in 1968. A limited list of qualifying medical conditions, which require life-long medication, has applied since then.

  When these arrangements were established, general exemption and charge remission arrangements were not as extensive as they are today. In 1996–97, we expect about 85 per cent. of prescription items to be dispensed free, whereas in 1968 the comparable figure was about 42 per cent.

  Standard Spending Assessments
  Sir Julian Critchley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account is taken of population in setting social services standard spending assessments; and if he will make a statement. [15729]

  Mr. Bowis
  Population size is one of the factors taken into account in calculating standard spending assessments for social services. In addition, a variety of indicators are used to reflect the relative need for social services in each local authority.

  Asthma
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the "The Health of the Nation" sub-group on asthma reported to the chief medical officer; when he
  25
  expects to reach a conclusion on the recommendation of the chief medical officer; and if he will make a statement. [14297]

  Mr. Horam
  [holding answer 12 February 1996]: The ad hoc advisory group reported to the chief medical officer in April 1995. The report is being considered in the light of that of the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants "Asthma and Outdoor Air Pollution", published in October 1995. We shall announce out conclusions in due course.

  Deaths
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths occurred in each of the past five years as a result of(a) peanut allergic reaction, (b) Ecstasy use and (c) excessive water intake. [14344]

  Mr. Horam
  [holding answer 12 February 1996]: During the years 1990–94, one death occurred, in 1993, resulting from a peanut allergic reaction.

  One other death occurred in 1993 from food-induced anaphylaxis, where a peanut was the probable cause.

  The number of deaths registered in 1990–94 with a mention of Ecstasy were as follows:

  Year

  Number of deaths

  1990

  1

  1991

  6

  1992

  6

  1993

  17

  1994

  19

  During the years 1990–1994, the number of deaths from excessive water intake' were as follows:

  Year

  Number of deaths

  1990

  6

  1991

  2

  1992

  3

  19932

  7

  19942

  5

  1 International Classification of Diseases (9th Revision) code 276.6—fluid overload.

  2 Provisional. (Deaths for 1992 and earlier years represent the number of deaths registered in each year, while deaths from 1993 onwards are deaths occurred in each year).

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Administration Costs (Benefits)
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the administration costs are of each benefit in percentage terms for(a) 1993, (b) 1994 and (c) 1995. [12832]

  Mr. Burt
  The available information is in the table. The administration costs of each benefit are expressed as a percentage of benefit expenditure, for the financial years 1992–93, 1993–94 and 1994–95.
  26

  Percentage

  Benefit

  1992–93

  1993–94

  1994–95

  Retirement pension

  1.2

  1.2

  1.1

  Widow's benefit

  3.1

  3.1

  2.5

  Unemployment benefit

  15.3

  17.5

  11.8

  Sickness and invalidity benefit

  4.9

  4.8

  3.9

  Maternity allowance

  20.3

  17.5

  12.9

  Non-contributory retirement pension

  1.1

  0.4

  0.8

  War pension

  4.9

  4.2

  4.7

  Attendance allowance

  4.8

  3.7

  3.7

  Invalid care allowance

  3.7

  4.1

  3.7

  Severe disablement allowance

  6.1

  5.0

  4.9

  Mobility allowance1

  6.8

  —

  —

  Disability living allowance

  7.1

  5.2

  5.1

  Disability working allowance

  256.6

  65.7

  43.9

  Industrial injuries disablement benefits

  9.0

  8.4

  7.3

  Income support

  10.4

  10.2

  10.3

  Child benefit and one parent benefit

  2.3

  2.1

  2.3

  Guardian's allowance

  3.9

  7.2

  14.2

  Family credit

  4.6

  4.4

  3.7

  Social fund

  51.7

  61.1

  46.1

  Housing benefit

  3.4

  3.0

  5.8

  Council tax benefit

  12.4

  10.3

  9.4

  1 1994–95 benefit expenditure figures source: Departmental Report 1995.

  1. Disability living allowance replaced mobility allowance and attendance allowance for under 65s from April 1992.

  2.Benefit and administration expenditure is subject to different influences, with the latter particularly affected by factors such as staff costs and capital investment. The estimates of administration costs are based on the Government case accounting convention and therefore include any investment spend incurred in the current year.

  Disability Living Allowance
  Mr. Clelland
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many new claims for disability living allowance were received in 1994–95; and how many of those claims were rejected by the Benefits Agency. [15201]

  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  The information is not available in the format requested. Figures are collected for claims processed in a year and also for disallowances. However, a claim received in one year, for example in March 1995, may not be decided until the following statistical year, for example in April 1995. Information available is set out in the table.

  Disability Living AllowanceAwards and disallowances on new claims between 1 April 1994 and 31 March 19951 2 3

  Number

  Claims received

  504,000

  Claims disallowed3

  256,000

  Source:

  Analytical Services Division.

  Notes:

  1Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.

  2100 per cent. data.

  3Also includes disallowances made by disability appeal tribunals.
  27

  Funeral Costs
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will meet funeral directors' representatives to discuss the average size of funeral bills, with particular reference to cremation dues and other items excluded from DSS grants. [15377]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  Meetings were held with representatives of the three main funeral directors' associations prior to the changes to the social fund funeral payment scheme implemented in June 1995. It was agreed that future liaison meetings would be held with officials. There are no plans to change these arrangements.

  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what research he has carried out to establish the costs charged by funeral directors. [15379]

  Mr. Evans
  The amounts charged and awarded for funeral directors' fees under the previous funeral payment scheme were reviewed before changes were made. A specification was prepared following discussions with the three main national funeral directors associations. The specification now restricts the type of coffin and number of cars allowed. It is the Government's view that an amount of up to £500 is a reasonable amount to pay for the funeral director's fees, included within the specification.

  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish guidelines on the items to be included in or excluded from DSS assistance with funeral bills. [15376]

  Mr. Evans
  The information is contained in:Regulation 3(4) of the Social Fund Maternity and Funeral Expenses (General) Amendment Regulations 1995 (SI. 1229 1995), a copy of which is in the Library; and
  Social Security leaflets: D49—What to do after a death in England and Wales; D49s—What to do after a death in Scotland: Social Security Supplement; SB 16—A guide to the Social Fund; and SF200—Social Fund Funeral Payment claim pack.

  Leaflets D49 and D49S may be obtained from the office of the local registrar of births, deaths and marriages. All social security leaflets are available from social security offices and may also be obtained from the citizen's advice bureau and other advice centres.

  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he has taken to safeguard income support claimants who are unable to pay the difference between the cost of a funeral and the DSS funeral grant. [15378]

  Mr. Evans
  Income support claimants who are responsible for meeting the expenses of a funeral may be entitled to a social fund funeral payment.

  The social fund payment includes the reasonable cost of the funeral directors' fees, up to £500, and the necessary cost of disbursements for either a burial or cremation.

  Where funds are available from the deceased estate or the claimant has capital over £500—£1,000 if over 60—this will be taken into account when making an award.
  28
  It is the Government's view that an amount up to the capped level of £500 is a reasonable amount to pay for the funeral directors' fees in respect of a dignified funeral. Where a claimant is unable to obtain the services of a funeral director within the reasonable amount, or chooses to spend more on the funeral than provided from the social fund, they may consider using any available capital, seek help from other family members, or come to mutually agreeable terms with the funeral director to pay the balance.

  Pensions
  Mr. Marlow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the public expenditure cost per head of total population in each European Union country of state-provided pensions in 1995; and what it is estimated to be under present policies in the years (i) 2000, (ii) 2005, (iii) 2010, (iv) 2015 and (v) 2020, respectively. [15570]

  Mr. Heald
  The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is as follows.

  The 1988 EU figures are contained in "Digest of Statistics on Social Protection in Europe Volume 1: Old Age" published by Eurostat in 1992, a copy of which is in the Library.

  The table contains Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development forecasts of per capita spending on public pension systems in the four EU countries listed:

  Local currency values—1994 prices

  Germany

  France

  Italy

  United Kingdom

  1995

  4,518

  13,752

  3,259,156

  531

  2000

  5,446

  13,974

  2,951,341

  600

  2005

  6,084

  14,298

  3,203,566

  679

  2010

  6,644

  15,898

  3,621,503

  794

  2015

  7,322

  18,416

  4,309,383

  881

  2020

  8,012

  20,943

  5,043,293

  924

  2025

  9,316

  23,785

  5,975,440

  1,002

  2030

  11,153

  26,597

  7,079,009

  1,094

  Figures for UK are based on current average pension receipt and World bank population projections, figures take into account equalisation of state pension age but do not take into account changes to SERPS.

  The following table contains the Government Actuary's Department's projections for Great Britain, which take into account all the changes to date and are based on more recent population data:

  Per capita spending in 1994 prices on (including SERPS) Retirement Pension (including SERPS)

  Great Britain

  (£)

  1994–95

  506

  2000–01

  587

  2010–01

  707

  2020–01

  764

  2030–01

  892

  29

  Appeals
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many social security appeals are currently adjourned pending a decision by the House of Lords. [15359]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  [holding answer 15 February 1996]: The information is set out in the table.

  Cases on which action has been suspended

  Number

  Social security appeals

  2,011

  Commissioners

  14,278

  Court of appeal

  nil

  1 This figure represents both cases upon which appeals have been accepted and cases upon which applications for leave to appeal are still to be considered.

  Disability (Access Committee for England)
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 13 February 1996,Official Report, column 550, what representations he has received on the achievements of the Access Committee for England; what replies he has sent; and if he will make a statement. [15772]

  Mr. Burt
  We have received a number of letters about the Access Committee for England which have been brought to the attention of the working group set up to consider the committee's future role and functions.

  Benefit Fraud
  Mr. Rooney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what further measures he is assessing to combat benefit fraudulent claims. [14864]

  Mr. Heald
  [holding answer 12 February 1996]: The Benefits Agency's comprehensive security strategy includes a five-year plan for improving security and control of the benefits system.

  The further measures include the continuing benefit review programme to establish the scale and patterns of fraud and incorrectness in all the major benefits; increasing the numbers of visits to, and other checks of, claimants to benefit; expanding data matching to compare information on DS S computers; investigation of employers who collude with employees who make fraudulent claims; the gradual replacement of order books and girocheques with a benefit payment card; improving the integrity and control of national insurance numbers; and the introduction in targeted areas of mobile electronic stop notice scanners in post office to stop the fraudulent encashment of order books.

  Local authorities administer housing benefit. New measures being introduced include the development of a central computer register to cross-check claims, ear marking of £8 million for challenging funding to encourage innovation in fighting fraud, and a strengthening of the financial incentives for local authorities to pursue fraud.
  30

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Gas Supply (Failure)
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the inquiry by Ofgas into the failure of the gas supply in Prestonpans, Lockenzie and Port Seton on 29 December 1995. [15647]

  Mr. Eggar
  I fully sympathise with the hon. Member's constituents who suffered during the supply failure. The Director General of Gas Supply is rightly looking into the incident and we must await her conclusions. I understand that she hopes to report at the end of February.

  Electricity Import
  Mr. Jack Thompson
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the effect upon the balance of payments of the import of electricity from France in(a) 1990–91, (b) 1991–92, (c) 1992–93, (d) 1993–94 and (e) 1994–95. [15650]

  Mr. Page
  The following information from the DTI's "Digest of UK Energy Statistics 1995", in practice relates to net imports from France:

  Net imports of electricity, Overseas Trade Statistics basis

  £ million

  1990

  200

  1991

  343

  1992

  369

  1993

  426

  1994

  388

  Source

  "Digest of UK Energy Statistics 1995", Table 64.

  Environmental Technology Companies
  Mr. Alan W. Williams
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the level of Government financial support in each year since 1990 to companies involved in environmental technology. [15533]

  Mr. Page
  Companies involved in environmental technology may apply for support under a range of general regional, export promotion and innovation programmes funded by the Government. The Office of Science and Technology's funding of the research councils is also relevant to the needs of these companies. Spending under these general arrangements on projects relevant to environmental technology companies cannot be readily identified.

  Government funding under programmes directed specifically at environmental technology totalled £176 million in the period 1 April 1990 to 31 December 1995. Figures for individual years are not readily available.

  In addition, the environmental technology best practice programme, run jointly by the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of the Environment, aims to benefit both suppliers and users of environmental technologies and techniques through encouraging United Kingdom firms to take up measures that will improve both

  31
  their competitiveness and their environmental performance. The programme budget is £16 million, for the five years to 1998–99. Spending under the programme was £1.99 million in its launch year 1994–95, and &£2.36 million between 1 April and 31 December 1995.

  Sellafield (Safety)
  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many incidents have been reported at the British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. plant at Sellafield since 1 January; what discussions have taken place with the directorate of British Nuclear Fuels plc concerning these; and what action will be taken to prevent similar incidents occurring. [15711]

  Mr. Eggar
  The arrangements for reporting nuclear incidents at civil nuclear installations to my Department and its precursor were revised in 1987. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Eddisbury (Mr. Goodlad) to a question from the then hon. Member for Sherwood,Official Report 30 April 1987, columns 203–04.

  Since 1 January 1996, no incidents at British Nuclear Fuel plc's plant at Sellafield have been reported to my Department under the above arrangements. Two minor events which were not of such safety or radiological significance as to be formally reportable were brought to the attention of my Department because of public interest. Details of these two incidents are contained in the 13 February Sellafield site newsletter, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

  All incidents at Sellafield are investigated by BNF plc management to determine their cause and to put in place such measures as may be necessary to prevent a recurrence. Inspectors of the Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate carry out separate investigations as necessary, in order to determine what further regulatory response, if any, is appropriate.

  Nuclear Electric (Privatisation)
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the future ownership of Lambeeth farm, Hundleton, Pembrokeshire following his announcement of the privatisation of Nuclear Electric. [15773]

  Mr. Eggar
  The Government are considering which land and property currently held by Nuclear Electric plc should be allocated to British Energy, and which should stay in the public sector with Magnox Electric. The final decision on Lambeeth farm has not yet been made.

  Leukaemia (Electromagnetic Fields)
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what assessment he has made of the research undertaken by Professor Denis Henshaw, a copy of which has been sent to him, on child leukaemia and electromagnetic fields; and if he will make a statement; [15632]

  (2) what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the link between electromagnetic
  32
  fields and child leukaemia; if he will place copies of that research into the Library; and if he will make a statement. [15631]

  Mr. Page
  [holding answer 16 February 1996]: My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade receives advice from the National Radiological Protection Board on the issue of electromagnetic fields and any effects on human health, including the possibility of a link with childhood leukaemia.

  Both the NRPB and other independent bodies conduct research into possible causes of leukaemia and other cancers, supported by funding from Government. An important five-year study into possible causes of childhood leukaemia is at present being conducted by the UK Co-ordinating Committee on Cancer Research, due to be completed in about two years' time. The Government are funding this research together with various bodies and, when complete, it will be evaluated by NRPB and its advisory group on non-ionising radiation and the findings will be published.

  The NRPB acknowledges the link between randon deposition and electromagnetic fields but advise that the theory in recently published research, suggesting an increased risk of cancer due to the effects of fields on radon and its decay products, is speculative. There is still no convincing evidence that electromagnetic fields from power lines or domestic appliances are harmful to health and no biological mechanism has been established to change this view.

  Energy Council
  Ms Quin
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the outcome of the informal Energy Council held on 3 and 4 February in Bologna. [15092]

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 16 February 1996]: I represented the United Kingdom at the informal Council in Bologna. It is a rule of procedure within the European Union that informal councils cannot reach decisions or adopt text. The main matters discussed at the meeting were as follows:

  The Council considered the latest position on the proposed electricity liberalisation directive and the Italian presidency compromise proposal. This involves fixing a percentage of electricity markets to be opened to competition with member states deciding how this is to be achieved. I called for the maximum possible opening, as in the United Kingdom, to ensure full economic benefit for consumers and for European competitiveness. There was no consensus on the appropriate percentage or whether such opening should be achieved in a single step or over a period of time. The presidency concluded that further work was required at official level.

  The Council considered the Commission's energy policy White Paper in the light of possible future trends and rising energy consumption. The presidency called for new policies and common objectives, including completion of the single market in energy. I welcomed

  33
  the White Paper's emphasis on the single market but expressed my frustration that there was a call for new instruments when there was so little progress on electricity liberalisation. Member states welcomed the White Paper but views differed in emphasis. Further work will be required at official level and each proposal in the annexed work programme will be subject to the usual procedures.
  34
  The presidency presented its views on the need for increased energy co-operation with southern Mediterranean countries in the light of growing demographic pressures in the region. In particular, the president saw a need to improve investor protection and enhance development of energy networks. The presidency also announced meetings with the southern Mediterranean countries at official ministerial level.
  35

TRANSPORT

  2182KHz Distress Watch
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will make a statement as to the resources available to monitor 2182KHz transmissions; [15010]

  (2) how he will monitor the new arrangements for response to transmissions on the 2182KHz medium wave frequency. [15009]

  Mr. Norris
  I have asked the chief executive of the Coastguard Agency to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from C. J. Harris to Ms Joan Walley dated 19 February 1996:
  The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent Questions about the 2182KHz Distress Watch.
  In addition to the normal 24 hour watchkeeping complements at each Rescue Centre an additional Operations Room Assistant has been made available to assist in maintaining the Distress Watch at the designated 2182 stations.
  In accordance with standard practice, all incidents, including those involving Distress calls, are analysed by Coastguard management to confirm that procedures are timely and correct. Additionally a Medium Frequency log is maintained at each Rescue Centre containing details of Distress, Urgency and Safety Traffic.

  Rail Privatisation
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he intends to take against the officials who were involved in preparation of documents marked "not for National Audit Office eyes" in relation to the sale of British Rail Maintenance Ltd. [15724]

  Sir George Young
  None. They acted properly and in accordance with long-standing guidelines agreed with the National Audit Office and the Treasury.

  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the cost of(a) the Price Waterhouse report and (b) the Ernst and Young report on the sale of the British Rail Maintenance Ltd. depot at Eastleigh. [15725]

  Sir George Young
  The Price Waterhouse report, which covered only the sale of the Eastleigh depot, was commissioned by the British Railways Board. I understand that it cost about £30,000. The separate Ernst and Young study commissioned by the Department of Transport embraces the sale of all six depots. The price is not expected to exceed £45,000.

  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the documents prepared by his officials in relation to the rail privatisation programme in the past 12 months, which are marked "not for National Audit Office eyes" or subject to similar restrictions. [15726]

  Sir George Young
  No. Documents designated "not for NAO eyes" are held on files with that privacy marking. In accordance with Treasury guidance of 15 July 1988, such files retain their privacy marking until one year after the publication of the relevant Treasury Minute. All such files are subject to regular scrutiny by Department of Transport Internal Audit and copies of their reports are sent to the National Audit Office.
  36
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he first received reports of criticisms of the Eastleigh sale contained in the Price Waterhouse report; and what action he took. [15727]

  Sir George Young
  Officials first became aware of BR concern about the sale of the Eastleigh depot in September 1995. An early draft of the Price Waterhouse report on the sale of the Eastleigh depot was shown to my Department in October 1995. Officials urged the British Railways Board to widen the study remit to cover the sales of all the six depots and to establish explicitly whether the agreed sale procedures had been properly followed. A further report was received in my Department on 13 December. It gave comfort on the value BR obtained for the Eastleigh sale, but pointed to shortcomings in sales procedures; and dealt only with the Eastleigh sale. Following discussion with the Treasury and with the National Audit Office, whose own examination of the BRML sales had started in June 1995, my Department commissioned Ernst and Young to examine the sale of all six depots. The National Audit Office, at the request of my Department, accompanied the Ernst and Young investigating team. Ernst and Young's emerging findings—which will be placed in the Library—show that the BRML sales were competitive and fair, but confirm that BR procedures needed some improvement. The BR board has strengthened its procedures and will ensure that they are properly implemented. Ernst and Young expects to complete its work shortly.

  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which it was decided to replace Price Waterhouse with Ernst and Young, as consultants on the Eastleigh British Rail Maintenance Ltd. sale review. [15728]

  Sir George Young
  I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington) on 14 February, column 574. The Price Waterhouse study was commissioned by the BR board. The Ernst and Young review has been separately commissioned by the Department of Transport.

  Royal Train
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) who will be responsible for the royal train after privatisation of the railways; [15900]

  (2) what provision will be made for costs of the royal train in the event of privatisation of the railways. [15913]

  Sir George Young
  Following the sale by the British Railways Board of Rail Express Systems Ltd., which manages and operates the royal train, my Department continues to be responsible for the costs of operating the royal train.

SCOTLAND

  Departmental Property
  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the estates owned by the Scottish
  37
  Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department where the previous landowner still holds rights of pre-emption in respect of future transfer of ownership. [15072]

  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  My right hon. Friend owns 52 estates which are subject to a limited statutory right of pre-emption under land settlement legislation. This states that:"Before selling any land which, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, is not required for the purposes of the Act, the Secretary of State shall offer the land to the person from whom it was purchased or his successor in title at a price to be determined, failing agreement, by the Scottish Land Court."

  Similar rights may be contained in the title deeds of individual estates. This can be determined only by carrying out a full title search which, at this stage, would involve disproportionate costs.

  The consultation paper on the disposal of my right hon. Friend's crofting estates, "Crofting Trusts", acknowledges that legislation may need to take account of the possibility that, in some cases, the successors in title to the original owners may have pre-emptive rights.

  Housing Expenditure
  Mr. Chisholm
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of identifiable public expenditure in Scotland was spent on housing in(a) 1980–81, (b) 1990–91 and (c) the latest year for which figures are available. [12342]

  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  [holding answer 30 January 1996]: Identifiable general Government expenditure in Scotland is published annually in the statistical supplement to the "Financial Statement and Budget Report". The most recent supplement was published in February 1995. Total Government expenditure on housing in Scotland includes expenditure by the Department of Social Security on housing benefits, and is now published in The Scottish Office department report "Serving Scotland's Needs". They are not, however, available for 1980–81. In 1983–84—the first year for which it has been possible to obtain the information—1990–91 and 1993–94—the latest year for which figures are available-total expenditure on housing in Scotland was 9.6, 7.4 and 6.6 per cent. respectively of identified general Government expenditure. That reduction has to be seen against a reduction of 276,082 public sector houses from 30 September 1982 to 31 March 1994, reducing the associated requirement for public expenditure. The figures exclude capital receipts available for investment of £238 million, £411 million and £389 million respectively.

  Hard-to-fill Vacancies
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the percentage of hard-to-fill vacancies over the previous 12 months in 1994 and 1995. [15562]

  Mr. Kynoch
  [holding answer 16 February 1996]: The percentage of establishments in Scotland reporting hard-to-fill vacancies in 1994 was 15 per cent.; no comparable figure for 1995 is available. The data are based on a survey of establishments with 25 or more employees conducted on behalf of the Department for Education and Employment
  38

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Unduly Lenient Sentences
  Mr. Merchant
  To ask the Attorney-General if he will seek powers to refer all unduly lenient sentences passed in the Crown court. [14190]

  Mr. Congdon
  To ask the Attorney-General if he will seek powers to allow him to refer all unduly lenient sentences passed in the Crown court. [14192]

  The Solicitor-General
  All the most serious offences tried in the Crown court, which are those giving rise to the greatest public concern, are already within the scope of the Attorney-General's power of review. He sees no need at present to seek any further extension to his powers.

  Crown Prosecution Service (Queen's Counsel)
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Attorney-General how many Queen's counsel are employed by the Crown Prosecution Service; at what average annual salary; and if he will make a statement. [14191]

  The Solicitor-General
  The Crown Prosecution Service instructs Queen's counsel, who are self-employed, to prosecute the more serious cases before the courts. There are currently only two Queen's counsel employed by the Crown Prosecution Service, namely the Director of Public Prosecutions and a senior Crown prosecutor, whose salaries are within the scales appropriate to their respective grades.

  Discontinued Cases
  Mr. Jacques Arnold
  To ask the Attorney-General how many cases were discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service in(a) 1994 and (b) 1995. [14194]

  The Attorney-General
  Proceedings were discontinued in respect of 159,803 defendants during 1994, and 156,628 defendants during 1995. Between 1992 and 1995, the rate of discontinuance has fallen from 13.3 per cent. to 12 per cent. of completed cases.

  Prosecution Papers
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Attorney-General what are his Department's guidelines for the retention by police forces and the Crown Prosecution Service of prosecution papers after the conclusion of cases; and if he will make a statement. [14195]

  The Solicitor-General
  Area offices of the Crown Prosecution Service retain files relating to cases dealt with by the magistrates courts for a minimum of 12 months after the final court date. Those finalised in the Crown court are kept for a minimum of three years. Cases handled in CPS headquarters are retained for a minimum of five years. Where there is a conviction, all case files are retained until the expiry of the sentence, if it exceeds the usual retention period. Prosecution files considered worthy of permanent preservation are sent to the Public Record Office.
  39

  Scott Report
  Mr. John Greenway
  To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement about the report by Sir Richard Scott as it relates to the work of his Department. [14193]

  The Attorney-General
  The Government have said that the recommendations in the Scott report will be given careful and detailed consideration.

WALES

  Soups Production Industry
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what regional assistance he has given to the soups production industry in the last 12 months. [14161]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  None.

  Health Authority Budgets
  Mr. Hain
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the effects of the budgets allocated to Welsh health authorities in 1996–97. [14174]

  Mr. Hague
  I have increased resources for the NHS in Wales by 3.9 per cent. in 1996–97. This represents growth of 1.1 per cent. in real terms. Together with 3 per cent. efficiency savings I have asked for from health authorities and trusts, this will allow the NHS to meet the pressures facing it next year and to continue to increase investment in patient care.

  Road Transport Safety
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what new proposals he has to improve road transport safety in Wales. [14175]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The Welsh Office is continually seeking ways to improve the safety of road users throughout Wales. A contract will shortly be let for a detailed study of the trunk road network in Wales, to identify priorities for casualty reduction over the next five years; and a number of road safety publicity campaigns and initiatives are planned.

  Inward Investment
  Mr. Merchant
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the latest available figures for inward investment in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [14176]

  Mr. Hague
  Since 1983, almost 1,400 projects have been recorded involving over 82,000 new and almost 50,000 safeguarded jobs, and investment of over £7 billion. Wales continues to be very successful in attracting inward investment.

  Sir Sydney Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the level of inward investment (i) into Wales and (ii) into the rest of the United Kingdom over the past(a) five and (b)10-year period on a per capita basis. [14180]

  Mr. Hague
  Based on figures notified by companies to the Invest in Britain Bureau at the time of investment decisions, inward investment per capita in the last five 40
  years was £1,018.62 for Wales and £382.51 for the United Kingdom; in the last 10 years the figures were £1,095.29 and £620.44 respectively.

  Companies are under no obligation to notify their investment decisions, and the figures take no account of subsequent developments.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of(a) the progress of and (b) incentives for (i) inward investment and (ii) expansion of existing plants in Wales. [14182]

  Mr. Hague
  We have a range of measures at our disposal—land, site and factory deals; training support; Source Wales; financial support and a loyal and industrious work force, a good record on industrial disputes and stable economic conditions which put Wales at the forefront of our inward investment success.

  Public Expenditure and Taxation Receipts
  Mr. Duncan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent estimate he has made of(a) total public expenditure and (b) total taxation receipts in Wales in 1996–97. [14177]

  Mr. Hague
  No such estimates have been made for 1996–97. In 1993–94, it is estimated that total Government expenditure on behalf of Wales was £14.7 billion, while total revenue raised from Wales was £9.3 billion.

  National Health Service Administration
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the amount spent on NHS administration in Wales in(a) 1991–92 and (b) 1994–95. [14178]

  Mr. Richards
  The amount spent on NHS administration in Wales in 1991–92 and 1994–95 was around £107 million and £147 million respectively.

  Welsh Assembly
  Mr. Robert G. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent representations he has received about the systems for electing a Welsh Assembly. [14179]

  Mr. Hague
  I have received two representations, one from the hon. and learned Member for Montgomery (Mr. Carlile) and one from the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley).

  Nursery Voucher Scheme
  Mr. Touhig
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many requests have been received for a pilot scheme for the Government's nursery voucher proposals for Wales. [14181]

  Mr. Richards
  There have been some suggestions that there should be a pilot scheme in Wales, but no offers or requests by local education authorities to participate in such a scheme.
  41

  Rhondda Cynon Taff Unitary Authority
  Dr. Howells
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to meet representatives of the Rhondda Cynon Taff unitary authority to discuss the future provision of public services. [14183]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  It is for local authorities to consider how they carry out their functions in the light of local circumstances and priorities.

  Defence Procurement
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has made to secure a greater share of defence procurement work for Wales. [14184]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Government procurement policy rests on the principle of securing value for money, primarily through competition. The capabilities of UK industry—including, where appropriate, companies in Wales—are fully considered in all defence procurement decisions.

  Schools (Selection)
  Dr. Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent representations he has received about selection in schools in Wales. [14185]

  Mr. Richards
  We have received four representations to date in response to a consultation exercise we are undertaking on allowing schools greater flexibility with regard to selection on the basic of aptitude or ability. Consultation closes on 23 February.

  Local Authority Tenants
  Mr. Rowlands
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the number and percentage of local authority tenants who are paying the current rents in full(a) in Wales and (b) in Mid-Glamorgan. [13373]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The information requested is as follows:

  Number of local authority tenants paying rents in full

  Percentage of local authority tenants paying rents in full

  Wales

  55,198

  26.7

  Mid Glamorgan

  7,758

  20.4

  Source:

  Local authorities' 1995–96 housing revenue account subsidy claim forms.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many written parliamentary questions were passed for answer to executive agencies and non-governmental departments in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [14989]

  Mr. Hague
  The information requested is a matter of public record but it could be extracted in the form requested only at disproportionate cost.
  42

  Welsh Language
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received from the Welsh Language Board concerning the Council of Europe's charter for minority languages. [15627]

  Mr. Hague
  The Welsh Language Board's views on the matter have been made available to me in the course of discussions between my officials and those of the board.

  Small Businesses
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what action he has taken to improve access to business advice for small firms in Wales. [14162]

  Mr. Richards
  The formation, last year, of the eight business development consortia in Wales and my recent launch of the associated business connect service have all been designed to improve access to business advice and other enterprise support schemes by firms in Wales.

  Hospital Waiting Lists
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the surgeons employed by NHS trusts whose total waiting times exceed 104 weeks in the latest waiting times information bulletin of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority, giving data for 31 December 1995; what is the number of weeks total waiting time for each such surgeon; and if each such surgeon has agreed a job plan with the employing trust. [15985]

  Mr. Hague
  The latest information on waiting times for first out-patient appointments and for in-patient or day case treatment, by consultant, for certain procedures is given in the January 1996 edition of the "Hospital Waiting Times Bulletin". I have arranged for a copy to be placed in the Library of the House.

  Information on job plans agreed by consultants with their employing NHS trusts is not held centrally.

  Ambulance Services
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information he has obtained from Welsh ambulance trusts regarding the number of ex-ambulance trust employees on early retirement using their own cars to drive ambulant patients to out-patient clinics; what guidance he has given with respect to(a) remuneration, (b) clawback, (c) insurance and (d) future policy; and if he will make a statement. [15994]

  Mr. Hague
  None.

  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the South East Wales ambulance trust concerning issues of regularity and propriety in the conduct of the trust's affairs; what notice he has been given of the reason for the extraordinary board meeting scheduled for 15 February; and if he will make a statement. [15984]

  Mr. Hague
  I have had no such consultations. My Department expressed concern to the trust about its business position in 1994–95 and required that specific action be taken to resolve its financial problems. By
  43
  December 1995, it had become clear that there had been an inadequate response. The Department insisted that the trust review urgently its managerial and financial controls. This review has revealed serious weaknesses in these areas and inadequate supervision of trust affairs by the board. It is for the board to decide on the timing and purpose of its meetings.

  Hospital Waiting List Initiative
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 12 February,Official Report, column 478, what guarantees he has received from family health services authorities making funds available to general practitioner fundholders for treatment or diagnosis of long-wait patients in orthopaedics, with respect to the regularity and propriety of the expenditure in (a) the private sector and (b) NHS surgical firms on out-of-session terms. [15992]

  Mr. Hague
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 16 February,Official Report, columns 732–33.

  Orthopaedic Surgery
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the number of orthopaedic consultants employed in each Welsh hospital trust per 10,000 people living in the corresponding health authority. [15986]

  Mr. Hague
  The information, which relates to the provisional whole-time equivalent number of consultants in the specialty of traumatic and orthopaedic surgery employed at 30 September 1995, is given in the following table.

  Rate per 10,000 health authority population 1

  Clwyd

  Glan Clwyd Hospital NHS Trust

  0.10

  Wrexham Maelor Hospital NHS Trust

  0.06

  Dyfed

  Carmarthen and District NHS Trust

  0.11

  Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust

  0.05

  Llanelli Dinefwr NHS Trust

  0.06

  Pembrokeshire NHS Trust

  0.06

  Gwent

  Glan Hafren NHS Trust

  0.15

  Nevill Hall and District NHS Trust

  0.07

  Gwynedd

  Gwynedd Hospitals NHS Trust

  0.13

  Mid Glamorgan

  Bridgend and District NHS Trust

  0.04

  East Glamorgan NHS Trust

  0.03

  Merthyr Cynon Health Unit

  0.05

  Rhymney Valley Health Unit

  0.03

  Powys

  Powys Health Care NHS Trust

  0.04

  South Glamorgan

  Llandough Hospital NHS Trust

  0.01

  University Hospital of Wales Healthcare NHS Trust

  0.14

  44

  Rate per 10,000 health authority population 1

  West Glamorgan

  East Health Unit (Glan-y-Mor shadow NHS Trust)

  0.04

  Morriston Hospital NHS Trust

  0.20

  Swansea NHS Trust

  0.02

  1 Figures are expressed as the rate per 10,000 population (mid 1994 estimates) living in the health authority in which the trust is situated. Where there is more than one trust situated in a health authority, the same population, relating to all residents of the health authority, is used to calculate the rate for each trust.

  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 12 February,Official Report, column 478, what representations he has received from general practitioners in South Glamorgan concerning the use of waiting list initiative money to purchase orthopaedic surgical treatment from NHS orthopaedic surgeons in NHS hospitals on piecework terms on weekends for long-wait patients; and if he will make a statement. [15988]

  Mr. Hague
  None.

  GP Fundholders
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 13 February,Official Report, column 497, if he will give the total numbers of patients on the list of (a) fundholders and (b) non-fundholders in each health authority area; and what weighting he has (i) made and (ii) proposes to make for different age distribution in the population of each health authority using the patient unit formula. [15990]

  Mr. Hague
  The total number of patients on the lists of fundholders and non-fundholders in each family health services authority area in 1994–95 were:

  Number of patients (000)

  PHSA

  Fundholders

  Non-fundholders

  Clwyd

  188

  238

  Dyfed

  157

  206

  Gwent

  178

  284

  Gwynedd

  54

  196

  Mid Glamorgan

  120

  446

  Powys

  92

  38

  South Glamorgan

  154

  283

  West Glamorgan

  209

  178

  These figures are not weighted for age. Figures expressed as prescribing units are not readily available.

  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 12 February,Official Report, column 478, and to the letter of guidance to South Glamorgan family health services authority on purchasing probity by general practitioner fundholders, what guidance he has issued to the chairman of the University Hospital of Wales NHS trust regarding the need to ensure that consultants employed by it behave with probity and avoid allowing their private activity to interfere with their NHS practice. [15991]
  45
  Mr. Hague
  None. Guidance on all aspects of the management of private practice in the NHS is contained in the document known as the "Green Book" which was issued in 1986.

  Welsh Economic Forum
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on how many occasions and on what dates the Welsh Economic Forum has met; what were the principal matters discussed; and what was the membership at the latest effective date. [15982]

  Mr. Hague
  The Welsh Economic Council met on 30 March 1994; 25 July 1994; 7 December 1994; and 26 April 1995. The topics for discussion were respectively: training and enterprise; communications; urban renewal; and the rural economy.

  Until 31 January 1996, of the original appointments, membership was as follows:
  Professor J. Andrews; Ms N. Bray OBE; Mr. R. Cuthbertson MBE; Professor T. Congdon; Mr. C. Hadley OBE; Mr. D. Jenkins MBE; Councillor J. Pembridge; Mr. T. Lewis; Mr. D. Rowe-Beddoe; Councillor T. Williams; Mr. J. Troth OBE.

  I am currently considering the future of the council, and am awaiting the local authorities proposals on a reconstituted council for the future.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  Sport Councils
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many times the Great Britain Sports Council met in its last year of operation; and if she will list those who attended each meeting. [12899]

  Mr. Sproat
  The GB Sports Council met 12 times last year. Mr. R. M. Walker, GB chairman attended all 12 meetings; Mr. G. Dennis, vice-chair, Mr. M. Parker and Mr. G. Simmers attended 11; Mr. T. Brooking, vice-chair, and Mr. O. Wheatley, 10; Mr. T. Marshall, Mr. K. Oates and Dr. S. Springman, nine; Ms J. Bracewell and Mr. J. F. Elms, seven—Mr. Elms' term of office expired on 30 September 1995; Mr. G. Thompson, five; and Sir David Simon, four; Sir David's term ended on 30 September 1995. Officials of the Sports Council were present as necessary. An assessor from the Department of National Heritage, and observers from the home country sports councils and the Central Council for Physical Recreation, also attended.

  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many times the new United Kingdom Sports Council has met; and if she will list those who have attended each meeting. [12900]

  Mr. Sproat
  The formal establishment of the UK Sports Council is subject to the granting of a royal charter. A UK sub-committee of the Sports Council has met formally five times. Sir Ian MacLaurin (chairman), Mr. C. Reedie and Mr. O. Wheatley have attended all five

  meetings;

  Mr. D. Allen, Mr. G. Simmers and Dr. S. Springman, four; Mr. R Walker, three; and Mr. C. Lloyd one. Officials of the Sports Council were present as necessary. An
  46
  assessor from the Department of National Heritage and observers from the home country sports councils and the British Olympic Association have also attended.

  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many times the new English Sports Council has met; and if she will list those who have attended each meeting. [12898]

  Mr. Sproat
  The formal establishment of the English Sports Council is subject to the granting of a royal charter. An English sub-committee of the Sports Council has met once, informally, in January 1996. Those attending were Mr. Rodney Walker, Mr. Trevor Brooking, Mr. Peter Blake, Ms Julia Bracewell, Mr. Jim Munn, Mr. Keith Oates, Mr. David Oxley, Mr. Jeff Probyn, Mr. Sam Stoker. Officials from the Sports Council and the Department of National Heritage were also present.

  Listed Industrial Buildings
  Ms Lynne
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) what research her Department has carried out into the impact on private property values of the listing of industrial premises; and what compensation is offered to the owners of a property that is listed; [14980]

  (2) what research her Department has carried out into the extra costs placed upon businesses by the listing of industrial properties. [14979]

  Mr. Sproat
  My Department, English Heritage and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors have jointly commissioned three research studies into economic aspects of the listing of historic buildings. The performance of listed buildings in the investment property market was considered by the investment property databank—"The Investment Performance of Listed Buildings, November 1993"; a pilot study by Cambridge university's property research unit examined the effect of listing on the value of buildings—"The Listings of Buildings: The Effect on Value, May 1994"—and a recent study by Reading university's department of economics and DTZ Debenham Thorpe has investigated ways in which the wider benefits of listing and conservation might be valued and measured.

  The first two studies provided evidence that while commercial buildings can experience a one-off drop in value at the time of listing, thereafter they perform as investments as well as, or better than, similar buildings which are not listed, even when extra costs of upkeep are taken into account. There is no provision for compensating owners of buildings that are listed—through in certain circumstances repairs grants may be available. Planning policy guidance note 15:"Planning and the Historic Environment" exhorts local planning authorities and applicants for listed building consent to adopt a flexible approach wherever possible to proposed changes to listed commercial buildings. In the forthcoming heritage Green Paper, we shall be consulting on a range of possible changes to listing and listed building control procedures.

  National Lottery
  Sir Mark Lennox-Boyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage which projects in the Lancaster and Morecambe travel-to-work area have benefited from lottery funding; and what sums they have received. [15094]
  47
  Mr. Sproat
  Figures for national lottery projects in the Lancaster and Morecambe travel-to-work area are not available. However, 12 grants to projects totalling £2.7 million have been awarded to various projects in Lancaster and Morecambe.

  Date

  Project

  Area(s)

  £

  Sports

  6 September 1995

  Quernmore Recreation Club

  Lancaster

  2,314,259.00

  NHMF

  19 September 1995

  King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment Museum

  Lancaster

  94,414.00

  NHMF

  19 September 1995

  Ruskin Library/University of Lancaster

  Lancaster

  62,502.00

  Arts

  21 September 1995

  The Folly Trust

  Lancaster

  61,210.00

  Sports

  3 October 1995

  Lancaster, John O'Gaunt Rowing Club

  Lancaster

  57,318.00

  NLCB

  19 December 1995

  Lancaster, Morecombe and District Spastics

  Morecambe and Heysham

  48,000.00

  NLCB

  19 December 1995

  Lancaster Boys Club

  Morecambe

  47,566.00

  NLCB

  19 December 1995

  Lancaster and District Women's Aid

  Lancaster

  22,100.00

  Sports

  10 January 1996

  Lancaster YMCA

  Lancaster, Morecombe and District

  17,500.00

  Arts

  30 March 1995

  Morecombe Youth Band

  Lancaster, Lancashire

  15,000.00

  NLCB

  19 December 1995

  Arthritis Care— Morecambe

  Lancaster, Lancashire

  6,790.00

  NLCB

  23 October 1995

  Morecambe and Heysham Citizens Advice Bureau

  Morecambe, Lancashire

  6,545.00

  Total

  12 projects

  2,753,204.00

  Ms Eagle
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what guidance is given to boards of trustees about the declaration of interest when fulfilling their duties of distributing national lottery funds. [15098]

  Mr. Sproat
  The second financial direction issued to all lottery distributors under section 26 (3) and (4) of the National Lottery etc. Act 1993 states that each distributor shall devise and abide by a procedure for handling potential conflicts of interest which may arise in the evaluation of applications by the body or individual members of that body. This should be provided to the Secretary of State before the distribution of any funds under section 25 of the Act, and thereafter at the beginning of each financial year.

  It is the responsibility of the individual body concerned to ensure that trustees are aware of the respective requirements and comply with them.

  Millennium Awards
  Dr. John Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) when she plans to announce the headline themes for millennium awards as set out in her consultation document; [11988]
  48
  (2) what measures she intends to take to ensure that the millennium awards will benefit those areas of the country most in need of extra funding; [11969]

  (3) how much matching funding she expects to achieve for the millennium awards; [11986]

  (4) what measures she has taken to ensure that (a) all sections of society and (b) those areas of the country most in need benefit from the millennium awards; [11970]

  (5) for which schemes funded by the millennium awards applicants will have to provide matching funding. [11987]

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  This is a matter for the Millennium Commission. I shall reply to the hon. Member in my capacity as chairman of the commission and place copies of my reply in the Libraries of the House.

  Torbay Picture House
  Mr. Allason
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will take steps to protect the Torbay picture house from being removed from the English Heritage list of protected buildings. [15064]

  Mr. Sproat
  The Torbay picture house is included as a grade II building in the statutory list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to change its protected status. Any application for listed building consent in respect of works to the building would be a matter for the local planning authority in the first instance.

  Byland Abbey (Floor Tiles)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what action her Department has taken to preserve the medieval floor tiles at Byland abbey, North Yorkshire; and if she will make a statement. [15008]

  Mr. Sproat
  These medieval tiles are currently the subject of a two-year study under English Heritage's conservation research programme. This includes the completion of a photographic record of all the tiles and a survey of their condition. Environmental conditions are being monitored to give a full picture of the effects of temperature and humidity. English Heritage's report will be published in August 1996, and is expected to recommend improvements to the current maintenance regime to enable the medieval tiles to be preserved on site.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many written parliamentary questions were passed for answer to executive agencies and non-governmental departments in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [14986]

  Mr. Sproat
  The information requested is a matter of public record, but it could be extracted in the form requested only at disproportionate cost.

  Tourism
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list(a) the per capita grant

  49
  in aid and (b) the grant in aid awarded to (i) the British Tourist Authority, (ii) the English tourist board, (iii) the Wales tourist board, (iv) the Scottish tourist board and (v) the Northern Ireland tourist board in each year since 1979. [15314]

  British tourist authority

  English tourist board

  Scottish tourist board

  Wales tourist board

  Northern Ireland tourist board

  GIA £ million

  £ per head population

  GIA £ million

  £ per head population

  GIA £ million

  £ per head population

  GIA £ million

  £ per head population

  GIA £ million

  £ per head population

  1979–80

  12.8

  0.23

  10.3

  0.22

  4.3

  0.83

  3.7

  1.32

  3.9

  2.55

  1980–81

  14.2

  0.26

  11.5

  0.25

  5.2

  1.00

  4.3

  1.54

  4.8

  3.14

  1981–82

  16.2

  0.30

  12.7

  0.27

  6.1

  1.18

  5.1

  1.82

  5.3

  3.46

  1982–83

  18.1

  0.33

  14.9

  0.32

  7.2

  1.40

  5.6

  2.00

  5.2

  3.38

  1983–84

  16.9

  0.31

  14.9

  0.32

  8.1

  1.57

  5.0

  1.79

  4.5

  2.92

  1984–85

  17.3

  0.31

  17.7

  0.38

  10.0

  1.94

  6.4

  2.29

  5.1

  3.29

  1985–86

  17.1

  0.31

  16.7

  0.35

  8.7

  1.69

  7.7

  2.75

  5.4

  3.46

  1986–87

  20.6

  0.37

  20.3

  0.43

  9.1

  1.78

  7.9

  2.82

  5.6

  3.57

  1987–88

  22.0

  0.40

  23.3

  0.49

  9.1

  1.78

  8.8

  3.14

  5.0

  3.16

  1988–89

  23.7

  0.43

  25.8

  0.54

  9.9

  1.94

  9.3

  3.26

  5.4

  3.42

  1989–90

  25.6

  0.46

  21.8

  0.46

  11.9

  2.34

  10.0

  3.48

  5.7

  3.61

  1990–91

  27.5

  0.49

  17.2

  0.36

  12.3

  2.41

  10.6

  3.68

  7.5

  4.72

  1991–92

  29.2

  0.52

  20.0

  0.42

  12.8

  2.51

  11.4

  3.94

  7.1

  4.44

  1992–93

  30.9

  0.55

  18

  0.37

  13.6

  2.66

  13.7

  4.72

  11.6

  7.16

  1993–94

  32.2

  0.57

  14.9

  0.31

  13.8

  2.70

  13.8

  4.76

  12.1

  7.42

  1994–95

  33.2

  0.59

  11.3

  0.23

  17.4

  3.39

  14.4

  4.95

  12.5

  7.62

  1995–96

  34.5

  0.61

  10.0

  0.20

  16.9

  3.29

  14.7

  5.03

  13.7

  8.38

  Sources:

  Population Estimates Unit (OPCS) 1979–1994.

  Government Actuaries Department 1995.

  (1992—based projections).

  The British Tourist Authority is responsible for marketing Great Britain overseas. The grant per capita for BTA has therefore been calculated using the total population of England, Wales and Scotland.

  Geese (Royal Parks)
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to her answer of 24 January,Official Report, column 251, what method is used to kill geese in the royal parks; and at what time of the day the geese are killed. [14865]

  Mr. Sproat
  [holding answer 12 February 1996]: Responsibility for the subject of this question has been delegated to the Royal Parks Agency under its chief executive, Mr. David Welch. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from David Welch to Mr. Tony Banks, dated 19 February 1996:
  Rt Hon lain Sproat, Minister of State for National Heritage, has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the method used to kill geese in the Royal Parks and the time of day when they are killed.
  The geese are shot by the Agency's marksmen, in daylight, during the early hours of the morning.

  Military Knights
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to her answer of 30 January 1996,Official Report, column 693, what are the criteria which must be fulfilled for officers wishing to become military knights in Windsor. [14968]

  Mr. Sproat
  [holding answer 13 February 1996] The main criteria are:
  He must have held a commission in the Regular Army.
  He must be appointed by the age of 65 years.
  50
  Mr. Sproat
  The total Government grant awarded to each of the statutory tourist boards for each year from 1979 to the current year in cash figures, and expressed per head of population for the countries covered by the boards was as follows:

  He must be physically and mentally fit and have a medical certificate to this effect.
  His gross income must not exceed a certain level, set from time to time by the keeper of the Privy Purse.

  Environmental Appraisals
  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many environmental appraisals were produced by her Department using the guidance contained in the Department of the Environment's "Policy Appraisal and the Environment" in 1995; and if she will place copies in the Library. [15112]

  Mr. Sproat
  [holding answer 14 February 1996]: No specific environmental appraisals were produced in 1995.

  Football Players (Transfers)
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the Bosman case in the European Court of Appeal on professional football players in the United Kingdom; what assessment she has made of the extent to which out-of-contract players will be free to move to new clubs without(a) reference and (b) payment to their previous club; and what plans her Department has to issue guidelines to players on this subject. [15388]

  Mr. Sproat
  [holding answer 15 February 1996]: The European Court of Justice ruling in the Bosman case established that article 48 of the EC treaty prevents clubs from demanding a payment to release an out-of-contract player to a club in another member state, and also prohibits rules limiting the number of players from other member

  51
  states which may be fielded. The court did not rule on domestic transfers. My Department is keeping in close contact with the European Commission on these issues. I understand that the English football governing bodies have acted to comply with the judgment.

  Foreign Flags
  Rev. Martin Smyth
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what guidance has been issued as to when the flag of a foreign nation may be flown along with the national flag on Government or public buildings. [14330]

  Mr. Sproat
  [holding answer 15 February 1996]: There is no Government guidance on when a flag of a foreign nation may be flown along with the Union flag on Government or public buildings.

  Public Service Broadcasters
  Sir Michael Grylls
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will summarise the public service conditions which attach to each of the existing public service broadcasters, including the holders of the teletext licences; and if she will indicate in the case of any such broadcaster not being allocated guaranteed increased capacity in the digital environment the considerations underlying the decision not to allocate such capacity. [15474]

  Mr. Sproat
  [holding answer 16 February 1996]: The BBC's services are governed by the terms of its charter and agreement. Channel 3 licensees are required to provide a diverse programme service calculated to appeal to a wide variety of tastes and interests, including high-quality national and international news and current affairs, religious programmes and educational programmes. The regional Channel 3 licensees also have to show regional programming. Channel 4 is required to show a suitable proportion of programmes which are calculated to appeal to tastes and interests not generally catered for by Channel 3; programmes of an educational nature; and news programmes and current affairs programmes of high quality.

  S4C is required to broadcast a substantial proportion of its programmes in Welsh and these are to be of a high-quality. The public teletext licensee has to include in his service a sufficient amount of high-quality national and international news; information of a regional nature and a range of information calculated to appeal to a wide variety of tastes and interests.

  Teletext has been offered capacity on the multiplex to be shared between Channel 3, Channel 4 and S4C. The Secretary of State recently met Teletext to discuss its digital service and is considering further its request for increased guaranteed capacity. No decision has yet been made on that request.

  Sir Michael Grylls
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list the existing public service broadcasters, indicating in each case the extent to which they are to be allocated guaranteed increased capacity within the digital environment for the provision of new services. [15473]
  52
  Mr. Sproat
  [holding answer 16 February 1996]: The existing public service broadcasters are the BBC, Channel 3, Channel 4 and S4C. Teletext holds the public service teletext licence. The BBC has been offered a whole multiplex in respect of BBC1 and BBC2. Channel 3 has been offered half a multiplex—equivalent to approximately 9 megabits per second. Channel 4 has been offered half a multiplex throughout the UK except in Wales, where it has been offered a quarter of a multiplex. S4C has been offered a quarter of a multiplex in Wales.

  The Government judge that a quarter of a multiplex should be more than sufficient for a broadcaster to reproduce an existing programme service to an acceptable level of picture quality in digital form. It is a matter for the broadcasters whether any extra capacity available to them is used to enhance the technical quality of the simulcast service or to provide new services. Teletext has been offered sufficient capacity on the multiplex carrying Channel 3/Channel 4/S4C to provide its existing service in digital form to a technical standard equivalent to its analogue service.

DEFENCE

  Departmental Publications
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which of his Department's administrative manuals and internal guidance are now made public; and which remain private. [14035]

  Mr. Arbuthnot
  My Department does not maintain a central list of all internal administrative manuals and guidance documents, and this could be compiled only at disproportionate cost. Any requests for information about such documents are dealt with in accordance with the code of practice on access to Government information, and non-disclosure will result only where the exemptions in part II of the code apply.

  Competing for Quality
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to introduce new standard intellectual property rights arrangements to allow fair competition for Ministry of Defence contracts under the competing for quality policy. [15466]

  Mr. Arbuthnot
  Negotiations with industry on a new intellectual property rights protocol to encourage fair competition for contracts under the Department's competing for quality programme have been concluded satisfactorily. The new arrangements will begin to be put in place over the coming months.

  RAF Aircraft
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the causes and consequences of the shortage of spare parts(a) for Tornado fighter aircraft and (b) other RAF aircraft. [15446]

  Mr. Arbuthnot
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for South Shields (Dr. Clark) on 4 December 1995,Official Report, column 4.

  Tourism: Allocation of Funding
  Tourism: Allocation of Funding
  Abortion Statistics
  Abortion Statistics
  Bulk Carriers: Viability
  Bulk Carriers: Viability
  Mr. Gerard Knight: Release from Custody
  Mr. Gerard Knight: Release from Custody
  Voluntary Sector: Home Office Support
  Voluntary Sector: Home Office Support
  Mr. Cedric Brown: Retirement Package
  Mr. Cedric Brown: Retirement Package
  Agricultural Spraying: Investigation of Complaints
  Agricultural Spraying: Investigation of Complaints
  Gulf War: French Forces
  Gulf War: French Forces
  Gulf War Service and Mycoplasma Infections
  Gulf War Service and Mycoplasma Infections
  NATO Nuclear Forces: Mr. Robert Bell's Remarks
  NATO Nuclear Forces: Mr. Robert Bell's Remarks