Written Answers of 28 March 1996

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMISSION

  Frigate Procurement Study
  Mr. George
  To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission if he will establish the full cost of the National Audit Office study into the type 23 frigate and the common new generation frigate indicating what proportion of that cost is represented by the part of the study which was reported to Parliament in the NAO report "Procurement Lessons for the Common New Generation Frigate", HC 692, Session 1994–95. [21655]

  Sir Peter Hordern
  The National Audit Office's work on the type 23 frigate programme is not complete. Further information will be reported to the Public Accounts Committee later this year.

  National Audit Office Defence Studies
  Mr. George
  To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission if he will estimate the cost of all NAO full studies into defence matters since 1987 which have not been reported to Parliament. [21654]

  Sir Peter Hordern
  The Comptroller and Auditor General reports to Parliament all National Audit Office defence studies when they are complete. In accordance with the long-standing and traditional practice of external auditors, he may also provide audit advice direct to audited bodies as subsidiary outputs to promote value for money and good stewardship of public resources.

SCOTLAND

  Cytology Service (Inverclyde Royal Hospital)
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many women are pursuing legal claims against the Argyll and Clyde health board in respect of the mis-reading of cervical smear slides at the Inverclyde royal hospital; and if he will make a statement; [21663]

  (2) how many compensation claims against the Argyll and Clyde health board's cytology service at the Inverclyde royal hospital, Greenock (a) have been settled and (b) are still outstanding; and if he will make a statement. [22724]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  A total of 16 legal claims are being pursued by women against Argyll and Clyde health board as a result of the mis-reading of cervical smear slides at the Inverclyde royal hospital. Eight claims have been settled and negotiations are under way to achieve a settlement in the other eight cases, two of which have been, or will be, given interim settlements.
  668
  The Government are committed to ensuring that a service of the highest quality is available to women as evidenced by the issue of three key documents in Scotland during 1995; "Guidelines on Fail-safe actions", "Guidance to Health Boards on Purchasing for Cervical Screening" and the "Report of the Working Party on Internal Quality Control for Cervical Cytopathology Laboratories". The then Minister of State also announced the establishment of a central co-ordinating unit for the breast and cervical screening programmes in Scotland, and a national co-ordinator was appointed in December 1995. Quality assurance guidelines for the cervical screening programme were issued this week, pulling together many of the initiatives which have been undertaken at a UK level.

  This is being copied for information to the hon. Member for Renfrew, West and Inverclyde (Mr. Graham).

  Research Institutes
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which former public sector research establishments in his Department have been privatised since 1979; and which public sector research establishments in his Department are currently undergoing reviews with a view to placing them in the private sector. [21946]

  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  The Scottish Office has not privatised any public sector research establishments since 1979.

  As part of their response in September 1995 to the report of the multi-departmental efficiency scrutiny of public sector research establishments, the Government announced their intention to conduct a series of prior options reviews of public sector research establishments. My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade announced on 26 January 1996 the timetable for the reviews, which are due to be completed by the end of this year. The establishments covered include the five Scottish agricultural and biological research institutes—the Hannah research institute, the Macaulay land use research institute, the Moredun research institute, the Rowett research institute and the Scottish crop research institute—the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency and the Fisheries Research Services. Under the prior options procedure, all options, including privatisation, rationalisation or continuing with the current arrangements, have to be examined rigorously.

  Mr. Gallie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about prior options reviews of the Hannah research institute and the Moredun research institute. [24066]

  Mr. Robertson
  The Government's response to the report of the multi-departmental efficiency scrutiny of public sector research establishments announced a series of prior option reviews. As part of this series, the Scottish Office Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department will conduct prior options reviews of the Hannah research institute and the Moredun research institute.
  669
  The reviews will address the actual and potential relationship of the establishment to any others in similar or related fields, and will consider the potential for privatisation or rationalisation.

  I would welcome comments from interested parties. They should be sent by 30 April to:

  Mrs. B. McGee

  The Scottish Office Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department

  Pentland House

  47 Robb's Loan

  EDINBURGH

  EH14 1TY.

  EU Funding
  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list each European social fund and European regional development fund allocation by (i) name, (ii) expenditure and (iii) area made for objective 1 projects in the highlands and islands on 2 February. [22210]

  Mr. Kynoch
  The list of approved projects has been provided with an indication of which local enterprise company area each project falls within. As the information requested is somewhat lengthy, I have arranged for the information to be placed in the House Library.

  Fair Play Consortium
  Mrs. Liddell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans exist for a fair play consortium in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [22538]

  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  A fair play consortium for Scotland was established early this year. The initiative is led by the Equal Opportunities Commission (Scotland) and supported by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

  Highlands and Islands Enterprise
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what is the average cost to public funds of each job created or protected in the tourist industry by grants awarded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise; [22658]

  (2) what is the average cost to public funds of each job created or protected in the skiing industry by grants awarded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise. [22659]

  Mr. Kynoch
  As the information requested relates to the operational activities of Highlands and Islands Enterprise, I have asked the chairman to write to the hon. Member.

  Parliamentary Constituencies
  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what were the electorates of each of the new parliamentary constituencies in Scotland as at 16 February. [22652]
  670
  Lord James Douglas Hamilton
  The information is as follows:

  Constituency

  Number

  Aberdeen Central

  56,162

  Aberdeen North

  54,580

  Aberdeen South

  60,877

  Airdrie and Shotts

  58,549

  Angus

  60,255

  Argyll and Bute

  49,869

  Ayr

  56,199

  Banff and Buchan

  59,128

  Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross

  41,813

  Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley

  66,690

  Central Fife

  58,889

  Clydebank and Milngavie

  52,057

  Clydesdale

  63,338

  Coatbridge and Chryston

  52,663

  Cumbernauld and Kilsyth

  48,112

  Cunninghame North

  56,137

  Cunninghame South

  49,961

  Dumbarton

  56,858

  Dumfries

  63,259

  Dundee East

  58,659

  Dundee West

  57,131

  Dunfermline East

  51,630

  Dunfermline West

  53,399

  East Kilbride

  65,455

  East Lothian

  57,516

  Eastwood

  66,884

  Edinburgh Central

  62,521

  Edinburgh East and Musselburgh

  59,535

  Edinburgh North and Leith

  61,527

  Edinburgh Pentlands

  60,089

  Edinburgh South

  62,832

  Edinburgh West

  61,590

  Falkirk East

  57,104

  Falkirk West

  53,440

  Galloway and Upper Nithsdale

  53,380

  Glasgow Anniesland

  52,815

  Glasgow Baillieston

  51,159

  Glasgow Cathcart

  49,667

  Glasgow Govan

  49,600

  Glasgow Kelvin

  56,181

  Glasgow Maryhill

  51,589

  Glasgow Pollok

  49,403

  Glasgow Rutherglen

  51,127

  Glasgow Shettleston

  48,374

  Glasgow Springburn

  52,830

  Gordon

  59,033

  Greenock and Inverclyde

  49,964

  Hamilton North and Bellshill

  54,039

  Hamilton South

  47,019

  Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber

  65,424

  Kilmarnock and Loudoun

  62,359

  Kirkcaldy

  52,174

  Linlithgow

  53,948

  Livingston

  59,666

  Midlothian

  47,893

  Moray

  58,983

  Motherwell and Wishaw

  52,513

  671

  Constituency

  Number

  North East Fife

  58,493

  North Tayside

  61,661

  Ochil

  57,141

  Orkney and Shetland

  32,635

  Paisley North

  49,905

  Paisley South

  53,909

  Perth

  60,217

  Ross, Skye and Inverness West

  55,653

  Roxburgh and Berwickshire

  47,520

  Stirling

  52,634

  Strathkelvin and Bearsden

  63,386

  Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale

  50,999

  West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine

  58,797

  Western Isles

  23,208

  West Renfrewshire

  53,066

  Contracts
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidelines are currently in force in his Department and its executive agencies relating to competitive tendering and the use of single negotiated tenders; on what grounds single negotiated tenders can be used; and what procedures are in place within his Department to ensure that the use of single negotiated tenders in competitive tendering processes is justified in all cases. [22857]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to his question on 19 March,Official Report, column 166. Single negotiated tenders are acceptable only in exceptional circumstances such as where there is effectively no choice of contractor—for example, for reasons of compatibility—or where such action is judged to offer economic advantages; or where there is extreme urgency to provide or restore a service.

  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many contracts for goods or services have been awarded by his Department and its executive agencies on the basis of single negotiated contracts in each of the last three years; if he will list the companies involved and the value of the contract in each case; what percentage this represented of contracts awarded by his Department and its agencies after competitive tendering; and, in each case, why the contracts were awarded on the basis of a single negotiated tender. [22873]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The information requested is not recorded centrally within the Department, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the cost of answering parliamentary questions in each Session since 1989–90. [22905]
  672
  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  This Department does not calculate the data requested, and they could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Departmental Cash Limits
  Mr. Gallie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what changes he intends to make to the cash limits for 1995–96 within his responsibility. [24065]

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The non-voted cash limit Scottish Office/LA1, which covers local authority non-housing capital expenditure, is to be increased by £10,500,000 from £599,303,000 to £609,803,000. There will be an increase in net capital allocations to meet a fall in anticipated European regional development fund receipts and to meet the effect of severe weather. This increase is fully offset by a reduction of £5,000,000 in the non-voted cash limit SO/ERDF from £120,025,000 to £115,025,000 and a reduction in roads and transport class XIV, vote 2 amounting to £5,500,000 so that it will not add to the planned total of public expenditure.

  Renfrewshire Healthcare NHS Trust
  Mr. Graham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many(a) clinical nurse managers and (b) practice development nurse posts are to replace the existing 74 ward sister and charge nurse posts employed by Renfrewshire Healthcare NHS trust. [21731]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 20 March 1996]: Ward sister and charge nurse posts in Renfrewshire Healthcare NHS trust will, on implementation of the trust's revised nursing management and organisational structure, be replaced by 46 clinical nurse manager posts and six practice nurse development posts.

  These changes will enable the number of nursing posts involved in direct patient care to increase from 210 to 230.

  Public Bodies
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the national health service bodies sponsored by his Department which are subject to(a) investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner, (b) scrutiny by the Audit Commission, (c) scrutiny by the National Audit Office, (d) statutory provisions for open government, (e) performance indicators and (f) provisions under the citizens charter. [21831]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 21 March 1996]: All the 47 NHS trusts, 15 health boards and five special health boards in Scotland are subject to investigation by the health service commissioner and scrutiny by the National Audit Office. They are also all subject to scrutiny by the Accounts Commission, the equivalent body in Scotland to the Audit Commission England and Wales. Those bodies are subject to any statutory provisions for open government and provisions under the citizens charter which may be relevant to them and to any performance indicators as may be deemed appropriate.

TREASURY

  Economic Statistics
  Mr. Alan W. Williams
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the latest annual(a) inflation, (b) unemployment, (c) growth rate and (d) balance of payments figures for each of the members of the European Community. [22062]

  Mrs. Angela Knight
  The latest comparable data for these inquiries are set out in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development publication "Main Economic Indicators", which is available in the House of Commons Library.

  Pound Coin
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) by what means the differing traditions in Northern Ireland are represented on the 1996 Northern Ireland £1 coin; [22011]

  (2) who was the designer of the 1996 £1 coin for Northern Ireland. [21983]

  Mrs. Angela Knight
  The design shows a gold collar of the first century BC, found at Broighter, County Londonderry in 1896, an ornate cross of the style used in the old Celtin Church of Britain, and the flower of the yellow pimpernel which flourishes around Lough Neagh. The designer is Mr. Norman Sillman.

  Manufacturing Exports
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the United Kingdom percentage share of exports of manufactures by the main manufacturing countries in terms of volume for each year since 1985. [22965]

  Mrs. Angela Knight
  The data requested are set out in the table.

  UK percentage share of OECD exports of manufactures1

  Year

  Percentage

  Year

  Percentage

  Year

  Percentage

  1975

  9.4

  1982

  7.5

  1989

  7.2

  1976

  9.1

  1983

  7.2

  1990

  7.3

  1977

  9.2

  1984

  7.1

  1991

  7.3

  1978

  8.7

  1985

  7.1

  1992

  7.1

  1979

  8.3

  1986

  7.9

  1993

  7.1

  1980

  8.0

  1987

  7.5

  1994

  7.1

  1981

  7.3

  1988

  7.2

  Note:

  1 Calculation of shares follows OECD practice of converting constant price volume data into a common US dollars basis at 1991 exchange rates.

  Source:

  OECD, Datastream, CSO.

  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the United Kingdom percentage share of exports of manufactures by the main manufacturing countries giving the figures in United States dollars for each quarter since 1992. [22960]
  674
  Mrs. Knight
  The data requested are set out in the table.

  UK percentage share of OECD exports of manufactures1

  Year/Quarter

  Percentage

  Year/Quarter

  Percentage

  1992 Q1

  7.0

  1993 Q4

  7.1

  1992 Q2

  7.2

  1994 Q1

  7.1

  1992 Q3

  7.1

  1994 Q2

  7.0

  1992 Q4

  7.3

  1994 Q3

  7.1

  1993 Q1

  7.3

  1994 Q4

  7.1

  1993 Q2

  7.1

  1995 Q I

  6.6

  1993 Q3

  7.1

  1995 Q2

  6.5

  Note:

  Calculation of shares follows OECD practice of converting constant price volume data into a common US dollars basis at 1991 exchange rates.

  Source:

  OECD, CSO.

  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors underlay the scale of the rise in exports of manufactures in the fourth quarter of 1995 relative to the fourth quarter of 1994. [22958]

  Mrs. Knight
  The growth of exports of manufactures depends on a number of factors, such as the growth of world trade, the competitiveness of British exports and the degree of spare capacity.

  Inflation
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were(a) the Bank of England and (b) the Treasury forecasts two years ago of the rate of inflation in February 1996. [22962]

  Mrs. Angela Knight
  Neither the Bank of England nor the Treasury publishes monthly forecasts of inflation. The Bank of England publishes its quarterly forecasts for inflation in its inflation reports. The Treasury publishes its forecasts in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report" and in the "Summer Economic Forecast". Copies of all these documents are available in the House of Commons Library.

  House Insurance
  Sir John Stanley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer under which section of which Act owners of domestic properties were given the right to alter the insurer of their home from the one specified by their building society as mortgagee. [19514]

  Mrs. Angela Knight
  [holding answer 7 March 1996]: The practice of building societies allowing borrowers to alter the insurers of their homes flows form the code of practice on the linking of services which the Building Societies Association brought into effect on 1 January 1988. It does not depend on any statutory underpinning.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the population of working age in(a) 1979 and (b) 1995 was accounted for by (i) full-time employees of more than six months' duration, (ii) full-time self-employed persons, (iii) full-time employees of less than six months' duration, (iv) full-time

  675
  temporary employees, (v) those in part-time employment, (vi) the unemployed and (vii) those who are economically inactive. [22579]

  Mrs. Angela Knight
  [holding answer 25 March 1996]: Comparable information is available from the labour force survey for 1984 and 1995:

  Spring 1984

  Spring 1995

  All persons of working age in Great Britain

  33,172,000

  34,445,000

  of whom: (per cent)—Total

  100

  100

  Full-time employees who have been with their current employer for 6 months or more

  44

  43

  Full-time employees who have been with their current employer for less than 6 months

  4

  4

  Full-time self-employed

  6

  7

  Full-time temporary employees

  1

  2

  Part-time workers

  13

  16

  ILO unemployed

  9

  7

  Economically Inactive

  22

  22

  Stamp Duty
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total annual revenue yield from stamp duty on property purchases, for the latest year for which the information is available. [22829]

  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 26 March 1996]: The yield from stamp on all land and property—other than shares—was £783 million in 1994–95, of which an estimated £520 million was due to residential property transactions.

  Tax Revenues
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the additional tax revenues which would accrue to the Exchequer for each of the next five years if the annual rate of growth of gross domestic product in the United Kingdom were to be 0.25 per cent. per annum higher than assumed in the forecasts contained in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1996–97"; and if he will make a statement. [22761]

  Gross total national health service spending per capita

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  1994–95

  1995–96 (estimated outturn)

  Northern Ireland1

  581

  639

  678

  705

  729

  768

  Scotland

  600

  678

  740

  762

  799

  849

  Wales

  536

  612

  684

  705

  732

  770

  England

  493

  556

  607

  626

  657

  694

  1 The figures for Northern Ireland are estimates, due to the fact that Northern Ireland's health services and personal social services are provided on an integrated basis.

  676
  Mr. Waldegrave
  [holding answer 26 March 1996]: Tax revenues as a ratio of GDP vary automatically with cycles in economic activity. The alternative projection below uses the relationship set out in HM Treasury occasional paper No. 4 "Public Finances and the Cycle":

  General government receipts projections

  Percentage of money GDP

  1996–97

  1997–98

  1998–99

  1999–00

  2000–01

  FSBR projection

  37¾

  38¼

  38½

  38¾

  39

  ¼percentage point higher growth

  37¾

  38¼

  38¾

  39

  39¼

  This implies additional revenues of:

  Additional revenues (£ billion)

  ½

  2

  3

  5

  6

PRIME MINISTER

  Ministerial Visit (North Tayside)
  Mr. Bill Walker
  To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to pay an official visit to the North Tayside constituency. [21636]

  The Prime Minister
  I have at present no plans to do so.

  Engagements
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 28 March. [21966]

  Sir Peter Tapsell
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 28 March. [21967]

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

  National Health Service
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Prime Minister (1) what was the spending per head of population on health provision in(a) Northern Ireland, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) England in each of the last five years; and what is the projected spending in the current financial year per head of population in each country; [22948]

  (2) what percentage of patients in (a) Northern Ireland, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) England are currently covered by general practitioner fundholders. [22949]

  The Prime Minister
  The information is as follows:
  677

  Percentage of population covered by GP Fundholding Practices (at April 1995)

  Country

  Percentage population covered

  Northern Ireland

  29

  Scotland

  23

  Wales

  40

  England

  41

  Intelligence and Security Committee
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Prime Minister if he has yet received the annual report of the Intelligence and Security Committee in accordance with the Intelligence Services Act 1994; and if he will make a statement on the membership of the Committee. [23957]

  The Prime Minister
  I have received the first annual report of the Intelligence and Security Committee and am presenting it to Parliament today. Copies are also being placed in the Libraries of both Houses. I am grateful to the Committee for the careful and thorough way in which it has carried out its work. Certain portions of its report contained material which fell within the provisions of section 10 of the Intelligence Services Act 1994, and which has accordingly, after consultation with the Committee, been deleted from the published report.

  The House will wish to be aware that, following consultations with the Leader of the Opposition and in accordance with section 10 of the Intelligence Services Act, I have appointed the right hon. Lord Blaker as a member of the Committee to succeed the right hon. Lord Howe of Aberavon who has indicated his wish to step down from the Committee. I am very grateful to Lord Howe for the part he has played in the Committee's work.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Fire Brigades (Cheshire)
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many incidents the fire brigades in Cheshire attended in(a) 1980, (b) 1990 and (c) 1995; and if he will make a statement; [22407]

  (2) how many incidents the fire brigades in Crewe and Nantwich attended in (a) 1980, (b) 1990 and (c) 1995; and if he will make a statement. [22406]

  Mr. Sackville
  The available information is given in the following table. The information for Crewe and Nantwich is not available centrally.

  Incidents attended by local authority fire brigades in Cheshire in (a) 1980, (b) 1990 and (c) 1994

  Year

  Cheshire

  19801

  9,273

  1990

  15,588

  19942

  16,449

  1 Includes estimates for periods of industrial action when data were not recorded.

  2 Provisional data for the latest year available; includes special services attended between April 1994 and March 1995.

  678

  Sentencing
  Ms Janet Anderson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to publish his White Paper on sentencing. [22666]

  Mr. Maclean
  We plan to publish the White Paper very shortly.

  Speed Cameras
  Mr. Devlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 12 March,Official Report, columns 536–37, what plans he has to review the use of Gatsometer speed cameras on trunk roads; and if he will make a statement on the results of the police procedures for assessing the effectiveness of this equipment. [22669]

  Mr. Maclean
  The deployment of speed cameras is an operational matter for the chief officer of police for the area concerned and the highway authority. The effectiveness of the cameras is being assessed in a cost-benefit study which has been commissioned by my Department.

  Mr. Ibrahima Sey
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what restraint measures were used in the case of Mr. Ibrahima Sey; and if he will make a statement. [22495]

  Mr. Maclean
  This case has been referred to the Police Complaints Authority. It would not be right for me to comment at this stage.

  Electro-shock Batons
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which companies have been granted licences under section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 to handle, distribute, store or manufacture electro-shock batons in the last five years. [22969]

  Mr. Maclean
  Section 5(1)(b) of the Firearms Act 1968 prohibits the possession, purchase, acquisition, manufacture, sale and transfer of electric shock weapons without the authority of the Secretary of State. No company has been granted or has held authority under this section specifically in respect of electric shock weapons in the last four years. No current authorities are in place in respect of electric shock weapons. Information about the granting of authority for that purpose in earlier years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Mrs Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police forces in Britain have acquired electro-shock batons, for any purpose, including as samples, in the last five years; and if section 5 firearms licences have been granted in relation to these items. [22968]

  Mr. Maclean
  The Home Office does not collect information on this subject. I understand that a survey by the Association of Chief Police Officers of electric shock devices held by police forces in England and Wales in February 1995 found that 22 had obtained electric shock shields and, in some cases, cattle prods for use against
  679
  ferocious dogs. Police forces do not require licensing or authorisation under the Firearms Act 1968 in relation to these articles.

  Artyom M. Tarasov
  Mr. Allason
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will rescind the alien registration certificate granted to Artyom M. Tarasov, holder of Dominican Republic passport No. 0311705 issued on 19 February 1991, and Soviet diplomatic passport No. 0035492. [23051]

  Mr. Kirkhope
  I am aware of no reason to depart in this case from the requirement to register with the police, as provided for in paragraph 325 of the immigration rules.

  Cock Fighting
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been convicted of organising cock fighting tournaments in each year since 1987. [22956]

  Mr. Maclean
  The information requested cannot be identified separately from other summary offences.

  Closed Circuit Television
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many publicly funded CCTV cameras have been reported stolen; and if he will make a statement. [23138]

  Mr. Maclean
  This information is not collected centrally.

  Fire Services
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the total finances made available, by source, for each fire service in England and Wales, as indicated from returns from local authority budget setting for each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [23139]

  Mr. Sackville
  Returns from local authorities showing expenditure on fire services do not provide the requested information about the source of revenue spending. Local government revenue settlement resources are, in general, not hypothecated to specific services such as fire.

  Abiodun Igbinidu
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what decision he has made in respect of the application for asylum made by Abiodun Igbinidu from Nigeria; and if he will make a statement. [23142]

  Mr. Kirkhope
  Abiodun Igbinidu's application to stay in the United Kingdom was refused on 1 August 1995 and his appeal was dismissed on 15 November. Leave to appeal to the tribunal was subsequently refused on 29 November. Further representations and evidence on Mr. Igbinidu's behalf have been submitted. His application is being given further consideration and a decision will be made as soon as possible.

  Farm Watch
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on farm watch crime prevention schemes. [23145]

  Mr. Maclean
  The Government recognise that the most effective response to rural crime is a partnership between the police and the local community. We encourage crime prevention schemes which enable members of the public—with the support of the local police—to do something positive in the fight against crime.

  We believe that over 500 farm watch schemes across England and Wales can make a significant impact on crime in the countryside.

  Mr. Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimated number of people involved in farm watch crime prevention schemes.[23146]

  Mr. Maclean
  There are over 500 farm watch schemes across England and Wales. These vary in size; information on the number of people involved is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Police Research Group
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list each of the specific topics for which an application was received by his Department under each round to date of the police research group programme and indicate (a) which was successful and (b) the amount of money agreed in respect of each successful application. [23012]

  Mr. Maclean
  [holding answer 27 March 1996]: Phase 1 of the Home Office police research group's police operations against crime programme was launched in 1993. One hundred and forty-one applications for research funds were received under this round, and 19 were successful. Phase 3 was launched in 1995, producing 113 applications, of which 12 were successful. In both phases, some applications covered the same topic. The following tables list each of the applications received under each of these phases of the programme. Applications for research topics were not invited under phase 2 of the programme, which commissioned work to develop specific topics begun under phase 1. All costs shown exclude value added tax and travelling and subsistence expenses.

  Police operations against crime: police research group programme

  Phase I

  Successful applications

  Cost (£)

  Review of the management of serious crime investigations

  40,718

  Skill gaps in specialist investigative interviewing

  35,000

  Recruitment, development and handling of informants

  24,625

  High volume crime and the efficacy of scientific support

  40,513

  Forensic expertise/services in investigation of major and serious crime against the person

  25,320

  Investigation and detection of child sex abuse

  16,850

  Crime profiling for residential burglaries

  92,740

  The prevention and detection of repeated burglary and car crime

  86,829

  Efficiency and effectiveness of central squads

  77,330

  The crime allocation system: police investigations

  681

  Police operations against crime: police research group programme

  Phase I

  Successful applications

  Cost (£)

  into burglary and auto crime

  75,950

  Performance indicators for local anti-drugs strategies: a preliminary analysis

  89,708

  Development and evaluation of a national crime management model

  102,257

  An evaluation of police response to armed robbery

  39,723

  Asset investigation, seizure and confiscation

  38,118

  Intelligence, surveillance and informants

  36,910

  Combating burglary: an evaluation of three strategies

  37,567

  Presenting police evidence in court

  36,438

  Disrupting the distribution of stolen electrical goods

  41,000

  Evaluation strategy for resource management

  68,126

  Unsuccessful applications

  Evaluation of Operation Gemini II

  Managing crime: a sequential analysis

  Detective profiling

  Policing of firearms crime

  Evaluation of crime response strategy

  Examination of practice and procedure of witness interviews

  Evaluating the performance of investigators

  Truancy and impact on high volume crime in West Yorkshire

  Partnership initiatives: multiple victims

  Quick response alarms in clearing crime

  Interviewing children with 'particular needs'

  Cognitive investigative interviews: quality control

  Strategies to counteract high volume crime

  Good practice review of criminal intelligence systems

  Evaluation of contribution of current intelligence practices to detecting/reducing crime

  Detective skills and personality characteristics facilitating advanced investigative interviews

  Review and evaluation of victims of crime follow up procedure

  Detecting deception

  Resource management—managing demand

  Presenting information

  Witness intimidation: consequences and prevention

  Qualitative issues in meeting public expectations

  Preparing/presenting information to the Crown Prosecution Service

  A holistic approach to high volume crime on estates

  Primary detection of autocrime/burglary

  Burglary at people's homes: improving detection

  Cross border trafficking in stolen motor vehicles

  Property-oriented strategies to reduce crime

  Estates policing in high crime residential areas

  Evaluation of targeted policing at locational hot spots

  Reducing repeat calls for service at single locations

  Review of strategic approach to high volume crime

  Development and implementation of new CID strategy

  Development of effective crime management systems and processes

  Work investigating and processing a sample of crimes

  Effective detection of residential burglaries

  Appraisal of the Warwickshire crime desk

  Burglary dwellings in Merseyside: E2 sub-division

  682

  High volume crime

  Managing demand and the investigative process

  Identification of good practice and benefits from the use of surveys

  Junior wheels project

  Plymouth administrative services unit

  High volume crime management

  Role of stolen vehicle squads

  Tourists as victims of crime

  Making the best use of crime analysis information

  Major crime investigation: strategy, tactics and operational policies

  Responding to burglary: strategies and resources

  Managing burglary and car crime: offence patterns

  Models for managing volume crime

  Estates policing evaluation

  Police evidence: credibility and presentation

  Police information systems and their contribution to prevention/detection of crime

  Crime control functions of multi-agency policing

  Campus crime

  Development of successful strategies to combat high volume crime

  Review of Bumblebee

  Surrey Safe Shops

  Evaluation of burglary strategies

  Management framework for crime prevention

  Processes for gathering information in crime detection

  Drug related problems and response: Greater Manchester Police

  Management skills for reduction in high volume crime

  Resource management: responding to crime

  Practical geographical analysis of large volume crime

  Making the best use of crime analysis information

  Effects of Sheehy on police performance and morale

  Study of police

  Drug-related crime and the police response

  Investigative strategies for residential burglary

  Policing with CCTV: developing its future potential

  Indicators to evaluate police anti-drug activities

  Methods for improving crime manager performance

  Resource management: organisational issues

  Managing the investigative process

  Managing demand

  Evaluation of video evidence for robberies

  Increasing arrest rates for burglaries

  Selecting effective detectives

  A strategic approach to firearms incidents

  Divisional crime desks: flow of crime solving information

  Operation Bumblebee: public and police perceptions

  Multi agency approach to organised crime

  Effectiveness of Operation Bumblebee

  Target hardening

  Reducing lost days at court

  Methods of handling witnesses

  Understanding and resolving organisational issues of centralisation and devolution

  Effective management of interfaces with other bodies

  Resource management priorities

  Employing civilians in surveillance teams

  683

  Review of minor office crime

  Catalysing new strategic thinking to address local crime

  Review of communications of individual research findings

  Resource allocation decisions in CIDs

  Countering ambush defence in serious investigations

  Developing of a new criminal investigation management system

  Evaluation of burglary control and prevention

  Fear of crime and car park design

  Examination of the policing of racial attacks

  Cross border crime and inter-force collaboration

  Detection of serious crime against homosexuals

  Central or specialist units dealing with crime

  Use of forensic evidence in investigation of burglary

  Evaluating Metropolitan Police's evidence project (EPIC)

  Incidence and migration of burglary and autocrime

  Computer aided targeting: response to high volume crime

  Resource implications of different types of police activity

  Research consultancy to No. 5 region

  Review of factors affecting the ability and willingness of officers to cultivate informants

  Prevalence of informant handling among specialist and non-specialist Met. Police officers

  Assessment of interview practice in child abuse cases

  Improving and refining video child witness interviews

  Strategic crime management and improving service delivery

  Linguistic model of eliciting/interpreting responses of victims

  Schools liaison: best practice for the 1990s

  Burglary investigation process

  Workload planning in the police service

  Intelligence process review: from Basic Command Unit to mid-tier

  Effect of the right to silence

  Using squads effectively

  Phase III

  Successful applications

  Cost (£)

  Proactive policing in Merseyside

  35,680

  The British organised crime survey: a pilot

  8,973

  An audit of training for child sexual abuse investigators

  36,483

  The use of medical specialists by police forces

  27,548

  Tackling the rural drug problem

  47,035

  Police operations against child sexual abuse: prevention and detection

  57,464

  Criminal use of firearms: a qualification and comparison of force strategic responses

  60000

  Comparative evaluation of Operation 'Eagle Eye'

  82,440

  Solving non-residential burglary

  1—

  Investigation of training initiatives taken to reduce level of abstractions

  1—

  Study into the theft of computer hardware and component parts

  53,186

  Unheralded successes in crime control

  40000

  1 The cost of these projects are still to be formally agreed.

  Unsuccessful applications

  The impact of crime upon small business

  Controlling crime in shopping centres: public policing or private security

  An investigation of firearms officers' memory for firearms incidents

  An evaluation of cognitive interview training

  Targeting offenders: proactive intelligence gathering and processing

  684

  Review of drugs intelligence procedures

  Local area policing as a vehicle for integrated crime management

  Evaluating police response to commercial burglary: a good practice guide

  The targeting of offenders

  Development of effective tasking and coordinating strategies for area management teams

  The community impact of drug law enforcement strategies

  An analysis of the targeting and displacement of violent crime

  The targeting of sexual offenders

  Police perceptions of nature and extent of organised crime in UK

  An evaluation of the Basic Command Unit system of policing

  Impact of limited tenure policies on investigation of serious crime

  Review of the strategic management and effectiveness of volunteers supporting proactive policing

  Police/juvenile crime: strategic resource model for multi-agency partnerships

  Police resource deployment and crime control strategies

  The impact of arrest and prosecution on domestic violence

  Development of a national intelligence-driven police/prison liaison model for organised crime

  Effectiveness of police arrangements for dealing with domestic violence

  Police response to guidance on tenure

  Maximising the effectiveness of tenure policy

  Assessment of cross-border crime/police issues in English Channel region

  Impact of tenure on police operations

  The development of a demand management strategy for the police service

  Intelligence for proactive policing by shire forces: Cumbria case study

  Impact of female street prostitution for growth of crime and drugs

  Crime against businesses: victimisation and crime prevention on Merseyside

  The investigation of major and serious violent crime

  Investigating organised crime in London

  The firearms market in the UK

  Measuring the nature, extent and effect of computer and microchip theft

  Analysis of commercial computer theft, and development of risk profile

  Impact of mobile telecommunications on the commissioning and execution of crime

  The benefits and costs of proactive policing

  Preventing violence in pubs and clubs

  The replacement of arrested street-level drug dealers

  Prioritising the investigation of serious and criminal gangs

  Offender—directed investigations and resource management Thresholds in child protection investigation

  Police strategies to tackle burglaries against commercial premises

  Proactive approaches to 'shoplifting'

  Intelligence from crime scene imagery

  A study into the completeness and availability of fraud information

  Evaluation of Toiler Lane proactive crime management model Application of tenure policies and practices

  Disrupting the distribution of stolen electrical goods: phase I in Suffolk

  685

  Burglary from commercial premises of information technology: a comparison of force strategies

  Resourcing crime-related work: good practice in workload allocation

  Credit card abuse/fraud: can businesses help improve police detection?

  Networks against crime: investigation into organised computer based crime

  Investigation of child sexual abuse: criteria in police decision-making

  Criminal intelligence in prisons

  The deployment of detectives

  The impact of tenure on police operations

  Caravan thefts

  Art and antique theft

  The security of Post Office counters

  Diverting drug misusers from the criminal justice system: evaluation of a rural multi-agency strategy

  Examining dynamics of repeated victimisations of domestic dwellings

  Examining dynamics of repeated armed robbery involving commercial premises

  Violent crime on Merseyside: evaluation of proactive policing Organised crime: a literature review

  Evaluating special policing initiative against organised high value car theft

  Targeting criteria: research on drugs enforcement in Kent

  Comparative, process approach to evaluating measures against organised crime

  Careers of organised criminals and the structuring of organised crime in England/Wales

  Improving usefulness of forensic science in investigation of volume crime

  The implication of changes in retailing

  Intelligence issues in `civilianisation' of drugs enforcement in the Metropolitan Police

  An operational BCU model for multi-agency action on community safety

  Shoplifting: the effects of changes in location/organisation of retail shopping

  A strategic approach to targeting offenders

  The impact of deploying proactive resources against targeted offenders

  Impact of tenure on police operations

  Succeeding with integrated proactive policing

  Organised crime: the theft of stolen high value vehicles

  Potential of commercial business analysis models against organised crime

  Impact of models of resource allocation on service strategy and performance

  Evaluation of investigations into female sexual assaults: Northumbria

  Notifiable offences recorded by the police by malice force area and offence group

  England and Wales 1995

  Number of offences

  Police force area

  Total

  Violence against the person

  Sexual offences

  Robbery

  Burglary

  Theft and handling stolen goods

  Fraud and forgery

  Avon and Somerset

  152,885

  7,643

  1,026

  1,582

  34,111

  82,456

  4,017

  Bedfordshire

  51,104

  1,911

  294

  664

  11,026

  27,285

  1,781

  Cambridgeshire

  67,652

  2,755

  430

  352

  14,267

  38,290

  1,369

  Cheshire

  73,202

  3,487

  574

  316

  18,155

  34,326

  2,639

  Cleveland

  79,719

  2,961

  279

  487

  23,536

  36,488

  1,481

  686

  Police responses to computer-related theft from non-residential premises

  How different models of proactivity affect resourcing of crime-related work

  Impact of tenure policy on police operations/implications for resource management

  Investigating and detecting street robbery

  Managers' use of crime pattern analysis system in resource allocation

  The development of effective proactive policing schemes

  Targeting schemes: what works?

  Business Watch Schemes: a three site review

  The 'Counter Action' initiative: an evaluation

  Tagging vehicles: asset tracking to combat theft and fraud

  Local crime analysis: good practice in proactive policing of robbery and drug street crimes

  The role of middle managers in the police

  The security of filling stations

  Tackling non-residential repeat burglary

  Improving the effectiveness of crime prevention in the planning system

  Measuring and evaluating performance in the detection of organised crime

  Measuring/evaluating performance of inter-agency approaches to violent crime

  Evaluation of police response to violent crime in an interagency context

  Assessing admissibility/sufficiency of evidence in child abuse prosecutions

  Crimes
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were recorded in each borough by the Metropolitan police within each category of crime in 1995; how many incidents of theft or unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle and of theft from a motor vehicle were recorded in each borough; how many of the burglaries recorded in each borough were in a dwelling; and how many were in another building. [22701]

  Mr. Maclean
  [holding answer 27 March 1996]: I will write to the hon. Member.

  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were recorded by each police force in England and Wales within each category of crime in 1995; how many incidents of theft or unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle and of theft from a motor vehicle were recorded by each force; how many of the burglaries recorded by each police force in England and Wales in 1995 were in a dwelling; and how many were in another building. [22700]

  Mr. Maclean
  [holding answer 27 March 1996]: The information requested is contained in the following table.

  687

  Notifiable offences recorded by the police by malice force area and offence group

  England and Wales 1995

  Number of offences

  Police force area

  Total

  Violence against the person

  Sexual offences

  Robbery

  Burglary

  Theft and handling stolen goods

  Fraud and forgery

  Cumbria

  41,230

  2,411

  228

  96

  9,422

  19,530

  930

  Derbyshire

  82,380

  3,971

  550

  398

  19,875

  39,658

  1,399

  Devon and Cornwall

  102,193

  4,709

  792

  444

  26,400

  51,651

  2,674

  Dorset

  54,582

  2,158

  331

  205

  12,347

  29,026

  1,501

  Durham

  57,817

  2,030

  373

  164

  15,463

  25,515

  1,661

  Essex

  98,097

  4,488

  692

  361

  19,804

  51,077

  2,465

  Gloucestershire

  55,448

  1,885

  324

  299

  13,872

  30,010

  1,986

  Greater Manchester

  327,994

  9,033

  1,279

  5,714

  85,848

  149,454

  5,840

  Hampshire

  134,319

  5,969

  1,049

  485

  24,726

  71.788

  3,892

  Hertfordshire

  55,891

  2,039

  281

  281

  11,318

  29,894

  1,232

  Humberside

  128,393

  5,804

  781

  680

  39,113

  59,072

  2,966

  Kent

  155,251

  7,444

  994

  779

  33,865

  77,488

  3,627

  Lancashire

  124,921

  3,467

  580

  759

  29,845

  59,028

  3,484

  Leicestershire

  93,607

  5,138

  538

  1,244

  25,487

  44,520

  2,681

  Lincolnshire

  48,015

  2,514

  367

  128

  12,243

  22,774

  1,163

  City of London

  5,727

  126

  17

  32

  712

  3,924

  488

  Merseyside

  153,385

  8,098

  937

  2,768

  34,497

  74,797

  4,259

  Metropolitan Police

  840,478

  43,714

  6,652

  29,859

  176,213

  389,772

  34,139

  Norfolk

  51,716

  1,955

  315

  193

  13,097

  26,420

  1,345

  Northamptonshire

  56,524

  2,672

  308

  332

  14,004

  26,390

  1,217

  Northumbria

  194,141

  5,735

  556

  1,581

  52,870

  78,837

  2,606

  North Yorkshire

  63,539

  2,133

  247

  167

  16,641

  31,574

  1,032

  Nottinghamshire

  151,371

  8,107

  970

  1,513

  37,932

  65,095

  3,701

  South Yorkshire

  154,293

  4,909

  600

  1,164

  45,504

  71,230

  2,524

  Staffordshire

  91,496

  6,471

  563

  500

  24,838

  41,470

  1,905

  Suffolk

  38,234

  2,051

  357

  129

  7,114

  19,282

  1,243

  Surrey

  44,313

  2,288

  397

  198

  9,175

  22,821

  1,442

  Sussex

  110,300

  4,441

  738

  608

  23,224

  56,376

  2,763

  Thames Valley

  178,702

  6,167

  762

  1,319

  38,748

  98,074

  4,732

  Warwickshire

  38,906

  1,258

  214

  174

  9,302

  20,277

  901

  West Mercia

  80,013

  3,222

  467

  289

  15,075

  42,975

  1,739

  West Midlands

  318,087

  8,621

  1,245

  7,872

  89,941

  148,736

  7,624

  West Yorkshire

  283,938

  8,358

  1,416

  3,344

  90,130

  128,196

  4,818

  Wiltshire

  36,428

  2,173

  368

  137

  8,092

  17,852

  1,012

  Dyfed Powys

  19,419

  1,952

  256

  26

  3,515

  8,103

  577

  Gwent

  33,034

  2,549

  309

  133

  6,517

  15,949

  933

  North Wales

  41,645

  2,258

  347

  94

  9,352

  19,665

  1,130

  South Wales

  153,249

  6,460

  587

  537

  36,941

  72,471

  3,399

  England and Wales

  5,123,638

  217,535

  30,390

  68,407

  1,244,157

  2,459,616

  134,317

  England and Wales 1995

  Number of offences

  Police force area

  Criminal damage

  Other offences

  Theft of vehicle

  Theft from vehicle

  Burglary in a dwelling

  Burglary in another building

  Avon and Somerset

  21,097

  953

  16,599

  31,573

  16,878

  17,233

  Bedfordshire

  7,670

  473

  6,141

  10,745

  5,078

  5,948

  Cambridgeshire

  9,742

  447

  7,307

  12,796

  6,347

  7,920

  Cheshire

  12,150

  1,555

  6,739

  11,438

  8,545

  9,610

  Cleveland

  13,748

  739

  9,897

  11,654

  12,438

  11,098

  Cumbria

  8,231

  382

  2,387

  6,831

  4,142

  5,280

  Derbyshire

  15,721

  808

  9,483

  14,164

  8,183

  11,692

  Devon and Cornwall

  14,177

  1,346

  5,916

  20,123

  13,235

  13,165

  Dorset

  8,368

  646

  3,670

  10,191

  6,685

  5,662

  Durham

  11,767

  844

  6,780

  7,779

  7,344

  8,119

  Essex

  18,286

  924

  8,625

  16,472

  8,151

  11,653

  Gloucestershire

  6,396

  676

  3,921

  12,411

  7,127

  6,745

  Greater Manchester

  68,019

  2,807

  45,507

  50,372

  51,724

  34,124

  Hampshire

  24,773

  1,637

  8,471

  25,097

  10,916

  13,810

  Hertfordshire

  10,378

  468

  5,495

  12,989

  4,242

  7,076

  Humberside

  19,284

  693

  11,327

  18,059

  17,518

  21,595

  Kent

  29,523

  1,531

  16,450

  25,163

  15,089

  18,776

  Lancashire

  26,340

  1,418

  9,258

  22,449

  17,603

  12,242

  Leicestershire

  13,365

  634

  9,554

  15,874

  13,790

  11,697

  Lincolnshire

  8,138

  688

  3,538

  5,661

  5,311

  6,932

  City of London

  301

  127

  105

  677

  43

  669

  Merseyside

  25,855

  2,174

  18,230

  18,678

  21,665

  12,832

  Metropolitan Police

  149,500

  10,629

  59,946

  113,241

  108,128

  68,085

  688

  689

  England and Wales 1995

  Number of offences

  Police force area

  Criminal damage

  Other offences

  Theft of vehicle

  Theft from vehicle

  Burglary in a dwelling

  Burglary in building another

  Norfolk

  7,778

  613

  3,378

  8,435

  5,386

  7,711

  Northamptonshire

  11,003

  598

  6,134

  8,752

  6,826

  7,178

  Northumbria

  50,913

  1,043

  21,260

  22,387

  25,920

  26,950

  North Yorkshire

  11,317

  428

  5,260

  10,364

  7,080

  9,561

  Nottinghamshire

  33,181

  872

  16,480

  18,679

  19,951

  17,981

  South Yorkshire

  27,114

  1,248

  20,940

  24,217

  22,235

  23,269

  Staffordshire

  15,121

  628

  8,775

  14,970

  12,090

  12,748

  Suffolk

  7,359

  699

  2,145

  5,348

  2,865

  4,249

  Surrey

  7,334

  658

  2,817

  8,303

  4,002

  5,173

  Sussex

  20,747

  1,403

  6,763

  19,263

  12,493

  10,731

  Thames Valley

  27,266

  1,634

  18,438

  39,336

  19,619

  19,129

  Warwickshire

  6,422

  358

  4,150

  7,330

  3,908

  5,394

  West Mercia

  15,479

  767

  6,752

  14,804

  6,815

  8,260

  West Midlands

  52,163

  1,885

  45,102

  50,494

  46,368

  43,573

  West Yorkshire

  44,805

  2,871

  33,887

  42,919

  54,921

  35,209

  Wiltshire

  6,288

  506

  2,159

  5,890

  3,816

  4,276

  Dyfed-Powys

  4,403

  587

  1,015

  2,072

  1,278

  2,237

  Gwent

  5,895

  749

  3,194

  4,809

  2,903

  3,614

  North Wales

  8,176

  623

  2,406

  7,014

  3,155

  6,197

  South Wales

  31,390

  1,464

  22,703

  24,575

  14,859

  22,082

  England and Wales

  916,983

  52,233

  509,104

  814,398

  646,672

  597,485

DEFENCE

  Greenwich Hospital
  Mr. Viggers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to receive advice from the special panel he constituted to consider the future of Greenwich hospital. [23540]

  Mr. Portillo
  In answer to the hon. Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Clifton-Brown) on 19 December,Official Report, column 1107, I announced that I had invited a group of distinguished experts to advise me on the expressions of interest in, and on the future use and management of, the Royal Naval college, Greenwich, which I hold for the benefit of the Crown charity, Greenwich hospital.

  The advisory group has submitted its interim report. I am most grateful to its members for the way in which they have addressed the issues so far. I am placing in the Libraries of both Houses copies of the report, amended only to protect matters of commercial confidentiality.

  Much detailed work remains to be done to secure the future of the site, but, with the support of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for National Heritage and for the Environment-the latter as Minister with responsibility for London—I am pleased to be able to announce that I have accepted the central recommendations of the advisory group that, in the event of non-defence occupancy of the Royal Naval college:
  the head lease on the site should go to an independent trust charged with preserving its architectural and historic integrity, with the proper maintenance of the buildings and with ensuring public access. Such a trust would need to have regard also to the wider site for which the Government intend to secure world heritage status from UNESCO. I would also expect it to pay particular regard to the College's historical associations with the Royal Navy. I have invited the advisory group to give further consideration to the issues which will need to be resolved to enable such a trust to be established.
  690
  On the information provided so far, the university of Greenwich appears to be the most appropriate contender to be the main occupant of the site, with the national maritime museum enjoying the use of certain parts. We shall be inviting those organisations to refine their proposals for occupation of the Royal Naval college.

  I have also accepted the recommendation that the Trafalgar quarters, currently occupied by the staff colleges, should be converted by Greenwich hospital to provide sheltered accommodation for retired seafarers and their wives or widows. It seems particularly appropriate that a part of the site should be applied to one of the central purposes in the Crown charity's founding charter of 1694.

  To carry forward the recommendations in the report, new powers are required and I shall seek them in the Armed Forces Bill. The Minister of State for the Armed Forces has advised the Select Committee considering the Bill of my intention to table an amendment, whereby I can be empowered to balance the wider interests of the heritage of the site with my responsibilities towards Greenwich hospital.

  I am grateful to those organisations and individuals who have contributed to the debate so far on the future of the Royal Naval college. I am conscious that my announcement will be a disappointment to some who indicated an expression of interest, but whose proposal will not be considered further.

  The Government are determined that the future use of the Royal Naval college should be one worthy of the magnificent site, and in the best interests of the Greenwich hospital and the nation.

  I will keep the House informed of developments.

  Nimrod Aircraft
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the star window upgrade to the Nimrod R.1 is expected to be completed. [22353]
  691
  Mr. Soames
  All the star window equipment for the Nimrod R.1 has been delivered. It is not my Department's policy, however, to provide detailed information on specific operational capabilities.

  Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many unmanned aerial vehicles are in service with United Kingdom armed forces; and which service arms have operational control over them. [22588]

  Mr. Soames
  There are currently no unmanned aerial vehicles in operational service with the armed services. However, some 440 unmanned aerial vehicles are used at various Ministry of Defence ranges as targets or for target towing. They are operated by the Royal Navy, the Army or the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, or by contractors on behalf of the armed services.

  Contracts
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many contracts for goods or services have been awarded by his Department and its executive agencies on the basis of single negotiated contracts in each of the last three years; if he will list the companies involved and the value of the contract in each case; what percentage this represented of contracts awarded by his Department and its agencies after competitive tendering; and, in each case, why the contracts were awarded on the basis of a single negotiated tender. [22868]

  Mr. Arbuthnot
  For the statistical information requested, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him of 19 March,Official Report, columns 124–25. The information sought in respect of individual non-competitive contracts could be produced only at disproportionate cost. I have asked the chief executives of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency and of the Meteorological Office to write to the hon. Member in respect of their procurement activity in the period for which he seeks information.

  Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Brian Donohoe, dated 28 March 1996:
  You asked the Secretary of State for Defence for the number and value of single negotiated tenders awarded by his Department and its agencies in the last three years; for a list of the companies involved, what percentage of contracts awarded this represented and on what basis single negotiated contracts were awarded. I am replying on behalf of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA).
  I am able to give you the total number of single negotiated contracts and the percentage of total contracts awarded that these represent. I cannot give you the other details you request as this information is commercially confidential.

  Year

  Single negotiated contracts

  Percentage of total contracts

  1992–93

  873

  69

  1993–94

  1,294

  68

  1994–95

  8,894

  74

  I hope this is helpful.
  692
  Letter from J. C. R. Hunt to Mr. Brian Donohoe, dated 28 March 1996:
  As Chief Executive of the Meteorological Office I am replying to your Question to the Secretary of State for Defence about single negotiated contracts.
  Unfortunately the information could only be produced at disproportionate costs, although naturally as an Agency of the Ministry of Defence we follow the Department's policy on competitive tendering. I am sorry that I cannot be more helpful.

  Asbestos-related Compensation Payments
  Sir Peter Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the letter of 11 March from the Minister of State for the Armed Forces, what was(a) the highest individual payment, (b) the lowest (c) the average of the asbestos-related compensation payments made to civilian employees of his Department from 1987 to the end of 1995. [22941]

  Mr. Soames
  In accordance with normal legal practice, the level of payments varies greatly accordingly to individual factors such as the person's loss of income, and the number and age of his dependants. The highest individual compensation payment made on behalf of my Department to a civilian employee or ex-employee in respect of an asbestos-related claim during the period in question was £298,080. The lowest was about £1,500. The average settlement—the total amount of compensation paid during the period divided by the number of claims paid—was £18,165; this figure includes claimants' legal costs.

  Land Mines
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date his Department last deployed anti-personnel land mines for operational use. [23260]

  Mr. Soames
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given in reply to a question from the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 22 November 1995,Official Report, column 174.

  Dr. Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many anti-personnel land mines British forces have deactivated to date as part of their United Nation implementation force duties in Bosnia. [23261]

  Mr. Soames
  Under the terms of the Dayton agreement, the clearance of mines is the responsibility of the parties. IFOR's role is limited to monitoring their work, except where there is a serious threat to life or clearance is essential to IFOR's own operations. In accordance with this, British forces have deactivated some 160 anti-personnel mines.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement concerning the impact of anti-personnel land mines on the duties carried out by British forces in the United Nations implementation force in Bosnia; and what conclusions his Department has drawn from the prevalence of anti-personnel mines in Bosnia. [23263]

  Mr. Soames
  Land mines continue to pose a hazard to IFOR forces in Bosnia, but steps have been taken to reduce the risks. All UK service personnel who deploy to Bosnia undergo mine awareness training and our contribution to IFOR includes personnel who are specially
  693
  trained in explosive ordnance disposal. The damage caused by the indiscriminate use of anti-personnel mines in Bosnia reinforces our determination to press for tighter international controls on the use and export of these weapons.

  EC (Civil Service Employment)
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the implications of the European Communities (Employment in the Civil Service) Order 1991 for service in the regular or reserve armed forces of the Crown. [229191

  Mr. Soames
  The European Communities (Employment in the Civil Service) Order 1991 has no direct effect on service in the regular or reserve armed forces of the Crown.

  Pricing and Quality Services Organisation
  Mr. Dicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about defence agency status for the pricing and quality services organisation. [238121

  Mr. Arbuthnot
  I have decided that the pricing and quality services organisation should be considered as a candidate for defence agency status under the status steps initiative. The agency review process provides an opportunity to align more closely the provision of essential services to customer needs. Once complete, it will establish a framework that allows a much sharper focus on the need for those services, together with pressure to improve performance through the development of clear and rigorous targets.

  Currently, there are four discrete business units within PQS:

  (a) Support to Contract Pricing;

  (b) Quality Assurance;

  (c) Defence Cost Forecasting; and

  (d) The Equipment Accounting Centre.

  The directorate has approximately 935 staff located in 41 offices throughout the UK. The headquarters are currently located in central London and scheduled to transfer to Abbey Wood, Bristol, later this year.

  A "prior options" study is being undertaken to establish whether agency status or other options would be appropriate. I would welcome comments from interested parties. Such comments should be sent to:

  J. R. Brown

  AD/PQS/PMIT

  Ministry of Defence

  Room 229

  St. Georges Court

  14 New Oxford Street

  London WC I A 1EJ

  Army Individual Training Organisation
  Mr. Hicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about defence agency status for the Army individual training organisation. [239581

  Mr. Soames
  The Army individual training organisation will become a defence agency of the Ministry of Defence on 1 April 1996. The aim of the AITO is to provide the appropriate numbers of 694
  well-trained and motivated individuals to meet the operational requirements of the Army. The headquarters of the AITO will be at Upavon, Wiltshire alongside the headquarters of the adjutant general who will be the owner of the agency on behalf of the Secretary of State. The agency will control 32 separate training centres throughout the United Kingdom and have a staff of 6,315 military and 4,546 civilian personnel.

  The AITO chief executive, a major general, who will also be the Army's director general of individual training, will be required to build upon the current organisation's reputation for providing the Army with highly trained personnel while, at the same time, achieving greater efficiency effectiveness and value for money.

  The chief executive has been set the following key targets for the first year of operation:

  1. To meet 95 per cent. of agreed customer training requirements in terms of the quality of trained manpower delivered.

  2. To meet 95 per cent. of agreed customer training requirements in terms of the quantity of trained manpower delivered.

  3. To meet 95 per cent. of agreed customer training requirements in terms of timeliness of delivery.

  4. To ensure success rates for phase 1 officer training are greater than or equal to 85 per cent.

  5. To ensure success rates for phase 1 soldier training are greater than or equal to 85 per cent.

  6.To ensure success rates for apprentices training are greater than or equal to 85 per cent.

  7. To ensure success rates for phase 2 officer training are greater than or equal to 85 per cent.

  8. To ensure success rates for phase 2 soldier training are greater than or equal to 85 per cent.

  9. To ensure success rates for phase 3 officer training are greater than or equal to 85 per cent.

  10. To ensure success rates for phase 3 soldier training are greater than or equal to 85 per cent.

  11. To deliver the approved AITO programme within plus or minus 5 per cent. of agreed cash budget.

  12. To achieve efficiency improvements of £16.07 million in the first year of operation.

  I will arrange for copies of the agency's framework document to be placed in the Library of the House.

  Public Bodies
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those of his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which(a) the Government are required to consult prior to legislative proposals and (b) the Government are required to publish their response to advice supplied by them. [218541

  Mr. Soames
  [holding answer 21 March 1996]: The Government are not required to consult with any of the non-departmental public bodies within my Department prior to legislative proposals.

  The Review Board for Government Contracts reports annually on the profit formula for non-competitive Government contracts and this advice is published. The Government make their response to this available to the House in a parliamentary written answer.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

  Voluntary Youth Service
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans she has to allow the voluntary youth service sector more access to public funding. [23279]

  Mr. Paice
  The Department has increased its grants to national voluntary youth organisations by 6 per cent. to £9.1 million for the next three years. This has allowed us to fund a larger number of programmes—nearly 70—which promote the personal and social education of young people.

  Schools Funding Council (Bromley)
  Mr. Merchant
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what money has been given for capital expenditure by the Schools Funding Council; and what facilities it has been spent on at (i) Ravenswood; (ii) Bullers Wood, (iii) St. Olave's, (iv) Newstead Wood and (v) Crofton junior schools in the London borough of Bromley. [22130]

  Mrs. Gillan
  This is a matter for the Funding Agency for Schools. I have asked the chairman of the funding agency to write to my hon. Friend with the information he has requested.

  Selective and Grant-maintained Schools
  Mr. Dunn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list the parliamentary constituencies which have selective local education authority and grant-maintained schools within their boundaries. [22916]

  Mrs. Gillan
  The 163 local education authority and grant-maintained schools which classify themselves as selective in the 1995 performance tables are located in the following parliamentary constituencies:

  CONSTITUENCY

  Altrincham and Sale

  Ashford

  Aylesbury

  Batley and Spen

  Beaconsfield

  Bexleyheath

  Birkenhead

  Birmingham, Hall Green

  Birmingham, Northfield

  Birmingham, Perry Barr

  Birmingham, Small Heath

  Bournemouth, East

  Bridgwater

  Bristol, West

  Buckinghamshire

  Canterbury

  Carshalton and Wallington

  Chelmsford

  Cheltenham

  Chesham and Amersham

  Chipping Barnet

  696

  Colchester, North

  Colchester, South and Maldon

  Dartford

  Davyhulme

  Dorset South

  Dover

  Enfield-Edmonton

  Faversham

  Finchley

  Folkestone and Hythe

  Gainsborough and Horncastle

  Gloucester

  Grantham

  Gravesham

  Halifax

  Hendon, South

  Holland with Boston

  Honiton

  Ilford, North

  Kent Mid

  Kingston upon Thames

  Lancaster

  Lindsey, East

  Maidstone

  Medway

  Old Bexley and Sidcup

  Orpington

  Plymouth Drake

  Poole

  Reading East

  Ribble Valley

  Rossendale and Darwen

  Rugby and Kenilworth

  Salisbury

  Shropshire North

  Skipton and Ripon

  Slough

  South Hams

  Southend, East

  Southend, West

  Stamford and Spalding

  Stratford-on-Avon

  Stretford

  Stroud

  Sutton and Cheam

  Sutton Coldfield

  Thanet, South

  Tonbridge and Malling

  Torbay

  Tunbridge Wells

  Walsall, South

  Wanstead and Woodford

  Wirral, South

  Wirral, West

  Wolverhampton, South-West

  Wycombe

  Employment Service
  Mr. Spring
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when the Employment Service annual performance agreement for 1996–97 will be published. [23955]

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  Today, I have placed copies of the 1996–97 Employment Service annual performance agreement in the Library. The new targets will require the Employment Service to build on this year's extremely good performance and, in the light of the introduction of the jobseeker's allowance in October this year, will be especially challenging. I have set a demanding target of placing a record 1.97 million unemployed people in jobs in the 12 months from April. Related targets for placing long-term claimants and people with disabilities are higher than ever before. I have set the Employment Service no specific target for combating fraud this year because, from April, responsibility for that area of work moves to the Benefits Agency, which has its own target, published in its business plan.

  Assisted Places Scheme
  Mr. Leigh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will place in the Library a list of the schools to be admitted to the assisted places scheme. [23956]

  Mrs. Gillan
  We intend to admit 63 new schools to the scheme, offering 1,111 assisted places for entry in September 1996. I am placing a list in the Library. These additional places form part of the expansion of the scheme which my right hon. Friend announced in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Hastings and Rye (Mrs. Lait) on 29 February,Official Report, columns 667–68.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  EC (Civil Service Employment)
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the implications of the European Communities (Employment in the Civil Service) Order 1991 for service in departmental agencies; and if he will list the posts and agencies affected. [22917]

  Mr. Freeman
  The implications of the European Communities (Employment in the Civil Service) Order 1991 for service in departmental agencies in the home civil service are that, since 21 May 1991, they have been able to employ EC (now EEA—since the European Economic Area Act 1993) nationals, and certain non-EEA family members, in any of the posts which do not constitute employment in the "public service" within the meaning of article 48(4) of the EC treaty.

  All departmental agencies in the home civil service are affected by the order. The agencies—98 (plus Customs and Excise and Inland Revenue which operate on next steps lines), employing some 355,000 staff—were listed in "Next Steps Review 1995", copies of which were placed in the Library of the House on 26 February 1996. Since publication, one agency—the Defence Accounts Agency-1,770 staff—has ceased to exist and the following four have been launched.
  698

  Number of staff

  Defence Bills Agency

  650

  Defence Dental Agency

  205

  Medical Supplies Agency

  260

  Pay and Personnel Agency

  965

  Most posts in departmental agencies are non-public service posts; a list could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the implications of the European Communities (Employment in Civil Service) Order 1991 for a person born and resident in Northern Ireland but holding a passport issued by the Republic of Ireland in respect of employment in the public and civil service; and if he will list all the posts, Departments and agencies affected. [22924]

  Mr. Freeman
  Persons born and resident in Northern Ireland, but holding a passport issued by the Republic of Ireland, provided they still hold British nationality, are eligible for employment in almost any post in the home civil service in the same way as any other British national. Those who surrender British nationality in favour of Irish citizenship will, from 1 June 1996, under the arrangements I announced on 1 March 1996,Official Repot, column 771, come within the ambit of the European Communities (Employment in the Civil Service) Order 1991; they will be eligible, together with nationals of other EC (now EEA—since the European Economic Area Act 1993) member states and certain members of their families, for appointment to approximately 390,000 posts in the home civil service—75 per cent. of all posts—which do not constitute employment in the "public service" in EC treaty terms. These posts are spread across all home civil service Departments and their agencies and could be listed only at disproportionate cost.

  Departmental Equipment and Furniture
  Mr. Ian McCartney
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the cost and number of items of equipment and furniture that(a) have been stolen and (b) are otherwise unaccounted for from the Office of Public Service and its agencies in each of the past five years, listing by name any such items valued at £5,000 or more, and showing information technology material separately. [21704]

  Mr. Willetts
  Details of the cost and, where known, the number of items of equipment and furniture recorded as having been stolen or otherwise unaccounted for from the Cabinet Office, including the Office of Public Service and its agencies are as follows:

  Within this period, the only item valued at £5,000 or more stolen or otherwise unaccounted for was a Compaq Systempro file server valued at £10,000 which was stolen from the information technology system branch in the Horse Guards road building during 1992–93.

  699

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  IT material

  Other items

  IT material

  Other items

  IT material

  Other items

  IT material

  Other items

  Financial year accounting

  No.

  £

  No.

  £

  No.

  £

  No.

  £

  No.

  £

  No.

  £

  No.

  £

  No.

  £

  (a) Stolen Cabinet Office (incl OPS)

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  4

  11,000

  —

  —

  6

  4,021

  —

  —

  RAS

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  OHSA

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  CS College

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  5

  2,250

  22

  36,362

  5

  2,769

  —

  —

  5

  781

  Chessington

  1

  126

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  SAFE1

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  TBA

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  COI

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Total (stolen)

  1

  126

  0

  0

  0

  0

  5

  2,250

  26

  47,362

  5

  2,769

  6

  4,021

  5

  781

  1 The stolen IT items relating to each year for both SAFE and HMSO relate to stolen computer chips, the exact number of which is not available from current records.

  1994–95

  1995–96

  Total

  IT material

  Other items

  IT material

  Other items

  IT material

  Other items

  Financial year accounting

  No.

  £

  No.

  £

  No.

  £

  No.

  £

  No.

  £

  No.

  £

  (a) Stolen Cabinet Office (including OPS)

  5

  6,975

  6

  525

  —

  —

  7

  2,029

  15

  21,996

  13

  2,554

  RAS

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1

  1,845

  —

  —

  1

  1,845

  —

  —

  OHSA

  2

  3,000

  1

  200

  1

  500

  —

  —

  3

  3,500

  1

  200

  CS College

  —

  —

  —

  —

  21

  6,188

  —

  —

  43

  42,550

  15

  5,800

  Chessington

  2

  1,680

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  2

  1,680

  —

  —

  SAFE1

  —

  7,000

  —

  —

  —

  8,000

  —

  —

  —

  15,000

  —

  —

  TBA

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1

  1,000

  —

  —

  1

  1,000

  —

  —

  COI

  3

  5,000

  —

  —

  33

  9,690

  —

  —

  36

  14,690

  —

  —

  Total (stolen)

  12

  23,655

  7

  725

  57

  27,223

  7

  2,029

  101

  102,261

  29

  8,554

  1 The stolen IT items relating to each year for both SAFE and HMSO relate to stolen computer chips, the exact number of which is not available from current records.

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  IT material

  Other items

  IT material

  Other items

  IT material

  Other items

  IT material

  Other items

  No.

  £

  No.

  £

  No.

  £

  No.

  £

  No.

  £

  No.

  £

  No.

  £

  No.

  £

  (b) Unaccounted for Cabinet Office (incl OPS)

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1

  20

  —

  —

  1

  800

  —

  —

  —

  —

  RAS

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  10

  15,509

  —

  —

  OHSA

  —

  —

  1

  686

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  CS College

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Chessington

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  SAFE

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  TBA

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  COI

  —

  —

  —

  —

  12

  864

  —

  —

  1

  1,441

  —

  —

  3

  276

  —

  —

  Total (stolen)

  0

  0

  1

  686

  12

  864

  1

  20

  1

  1,441

  1

  800

  13

  15,785

  0

  0

  700

  701

  1994–95

  1995–96

  Total

  IT Material

  Other items

  IT material

  Other items

  IT Material

  Other items

  Total (stolen)

  Number

  £

  Number

  £

  Number

  £

  Number

  £

  Number

  £

  Number

  £

  (b) Unaccounted for

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Cabinet Office (incl OPS)

  —

  —

  2

  210

  —

  —

  1

  90

  —

  —

  5

  1,120

  RAS

  4

  1,597

  —

  —

  4

  3,265

  —

  —

  18

  20,371

  —

  —

  OHSA

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  CS College

  —

  —

  —

  —

  6

  4,089

  —

  —

  6

  4,089

  —

  —

  Chessington

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  SAFE

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  TBA

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  COI

  4

  1,597

  —

  —

  11

  386

  —

  —

  31

  4,516

  —

  —

  Total (unaccounted)

  8

  3,146

  2

  210

  21

  7,740

  1

  90

  55

  28,976

  5

  1,120

  £

  1993

  1994

  1995

  Total

  IT material

  Other items

  IT Material

  Other items

  IT material

  Other items

  IT material

  Other items

  Calender year accounting

  HMSO1 2

  (a) Stolen

  9,500

  0

  6,050

  0

  51,000

  0

  66,550

  0

  1 The stolen IT items relating to each year for both SAFE and HMSO relate to stolen computer chips, the exact number of which is not available from current records.

  2 HMSO have no items otherwise unaccounted for.

TRANSPORT

  Braer Disaster (Compensation)
  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what legal action the Government are taking against(a) the insurers of the Braer and (b) the international oil compensation fund in respect of the Braer disaster. [21482]

  Mr. Norris
  Under the international convention which establish the international oil pollution compensation fund, which are implemented in United Kingdom legislation in the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, rights to compensation are extinguished unless legal action is commenced within three years of the date on which the pollution damage occurred. The Government have initiated a legal action against the owners and third party liability insurers of the Braer and the international oil pollution compensation fund to protect the Government's claim for compensation for eligible costs incurred by the Department of Transport and the Scottish Office following the Braer incident.

  Aircraft Safety Standards
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 7 March 1996,Official Report, column 309, if he will make a statement on the measures taken by his Department to assess whether aircraft are operated in accordance with international safety standards. [21362]

  Mr. Norris
  My answer of 7 March detailed the particular steps taken by the Department to check that aircraft for which permits are required to operate to the UK have the necessary safety certification. In addition, my noble Friend the Minister for Aviation and Shipping
  702
  announced on 10 January a package of new measures to increase the oversight of safety standards of foreign aircraft operating to the UK.

  In brief these measures are as follows:
  The Department, in consultation with the Civil Aviation Authority, is arranging for more inspection of foreign aircraft where the observance of international safety standards is in doubt.
  The UK is providing experts to the International Civil Aviation Organisation to assist in its recently commenced safety oversight programme.
  As a result of a recommendation by the air accidents investigation branch, new procedures will clarify which airline is responsible for safety in operations where aircraft are leased with crew (wet-lease).

  Induced Traffic
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which schemes in the national roads programme have been reviewed to estimate the effects of induced traffic; and for each of these schemes by how much this review has changed the 30-year traffic level predictions and the net present value of the scheme. [22759]

  Mr. Watts
  The Highways Agency is carrying out Standing Advisory Committee on Trunk Road Assessment for all schemes in the national programme. So far, a total of 64 schemes have been provisionally assessed by the agency. These are listed in the schedule at annex A.

  The volume of additional traffic induced by schemes is generally expected to be less than 10 per cent. and in many cases below 5 per cent.

  The economic assessment process for induced traffic is developing and current appraisal techniques are being improved for the future. For now, where induced traffic

  703
  is a significant factor, the agency is undertaking sensitivity tests which impose a fairly severe test of scheme economics. For example, in some cases tests have been undertaken with significantly higher volumes of induced traffic than are expected in practice. So far none of the schemes assessed has failed the tests; even where unrealistically high levels of induced traffic have been assumed all have remained good value for money.

  SCHEMES ASSESSED FOR INDUCED TRAFFIC

  Scheme Title

  Al Gateshead Western Bypass

  Al20 Stansted—Braintree Improvement

  A 13 Ironbridge—Canning Town Improvement

  A13/A112 Prince Regent Lane Junction Improvement

  A13/A117 Junction Improvement

  A14 M11—A10 Widening

  A 19 Norton—Parkway Interchange Improvement

  Al (M) Alconbury—Peterborough

  Al (M) Baldock—Alconbury

  Al (M) Ferrybridge—Hook Moor Improvement

  A2 Lydden—Dover Improvement

  A205 Catford Town Centre Improvement

  A21 Lamberhurst Bypass

  A23 Handcross—Warninglid Improvement

  A249 [wade Bypass—Queenborough Improvement

  A259 Bexhill and Hastings Western Bypass

  A259 Guestling Thorn and Icklesham Bypass

  A259 Winchelsea Bypass

  A27 Worthing—Lancing Improvement

  A2/A282 Dartford Improvement

  A3 Hindhead Improvement

  A30 Honiton to Exeter Improvement

  A303 Amesbury—Berwick Down Improvement

  A303 Sparkford—Ilchester Improvement

  A30/A303 Marsh Honiton and A35 Honiton Eastern Bypass

  A34 Chieveley/M4 Junction 13 Improvement

  A34 Newbury Bypass

  A35 Chideock/Morcombelake Bypass

  A35 Tolpuddle—Puddletown Bypass

  A36 Salisbury Bypass

  A40 Western Circus Junction Improvement

  A417 North of Stratton—Nettleton Improvement

  A419 Blunsdon Bypass

  A419 Latton Bypass

  A419/A417 Cirencester and Stratton Bypass

  A43 Geddington Bypass

  A43 Moulton—Broughton Improvement

  A449/A456 Kidderminster, Blakedown and Hagley Bypass

  A453 Clifton Lane Improvement

  A46 Alcester—Stratford Improvement

  A5225 Wigan—Westhoughton Bypass

  A556(M) M6—M56 Link Improvement

  A564 Derby Southern Bypass Contract A

  A564 Doverridge Bypass

  A595 Parton—Lillyhall Improvement

  A6 Clapham Bypass

  A63 Castle Street Hull Improvement

  A65 Hellifield and Long Preston Bypass

  A65 Manor Park Bends Improvement

  704

  A69 Haltwistle Bypass

  A6(M) Stockport North/South Bypass

  Western Orbital Route

  M1 Junctions 10–15 Widening

  M1 Junctions 25–28 Widening

  M1 Junctions 6A–10 Widening

  M11 Junction 5 North Facing Slip Roads

  M2 Junctions 1–4 Widening

  M23 Junctions 8–9 Widening

  M25 Junction 15–16 Link Roads

  M25 Terminal 5 Spur (HEATHROW)

  M4 Junctions 8(9)–10 Widening

  M6 Junctions 11A–16 Widening

  M6 Junctions 16–19 and 19–20 Widening

  M63 Junctions 6–9 Widening

  Speed Limits, Central London
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the current speed limits for(a) Park lane, (b) the Embankment, (c) the Mall and (d) Birdcage walk; and if he will make a statement. [23109]

  Mr. Norris
  The speed limit on these roads is 30 mph.

  Vehicle Safety
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many(a) coaches and (b) heavy goods vehicles have been found to be unsafe in each of the last five years; and how many prosecutions have resulted; [23302]

  (2) if he will list by police force area, the number of wide prohibition notices issued for each year since 1992. [23301]

  Mr. Norris
  I have asked the chief executive of the Vehicle Inspectorate to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Ron Oliver to Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody, dated 28 March 1996:
  The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions on the number of coaches and heavy goods vehicles found to be unsafe in each of the last 5 years, and the number of "wide" prohibitions notices by police force area.
  The number of prohibitions issued in each of the last 5 years to vehicles inspected for their roadworthiness is shown in the attached table. There is no information for the past 5 years on any resulting prosecutions as we have not kept a separate register of roadworthiness prosecutions until this financial year.
  I would be grateful if you could clarify your second question; I am not sure what is meant by "wide" prohibitions. I should also explain that we do not record data by police force area.

  National roadworthiness prohibition figures 1990–91 to 1994–95

  HGV

  PSV

  1990–91

  19,998

  2,991

  1991–92

  21,284

  3,445

  1992–93

  22,067

  3,026

  1993–94

  22,260

  3,295

  1994–95

  23,304

  3,921

  HGV figures include prohibitions for both motor vehicles and trailers.

  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he or his fellow Ministers at the Department of Transport have had meetings with
  705
  representatives of the motor manufacturing industry to discuss research being undertaken into the relative safety of different types of vehicle involved in side impact collisions; [23377]

  (2)what research has been commissioned by his Department from the Transport Research Laboratory on the relative safety of different types of vehicle in side impact collisions; which agency stipulated the terms of the research; and how much this research has cost his Department; [23375]

  (3)if he will make it his policy to release immediately public research undertaken by the Transport Research Laboratory into the relative safety of different types of vehicles involved in side impact collisions; [23376]

  (4)for what reasons his Department has not released information relating to the relative safety of different makes of vehicle in side impact collisions; and what discussions officials of his Department have had with representatives of vehicle manufacturers relating to this research. [23378]

  Mr. Norris
  Research on the feasibility of a new car assessment programme, in which the safety of new models would be evaluated, is being done at TRL and was commissioned by the vehicle standards and engineering division of the Department. It includes side protection and is to see if the results give a reliable indicator of relative performance.

  It is not possible readily to separate the costs of individual tests but the overall cost of the programme is £1.58 million over three years—1995 to 1998.

  Neither I nor my colleagues have had meetings with representatives of the motor industry specifically to discuss this research. There have been discussions with vehicle manufacturers at official level, in particular a meeting in July 1995 at TRL to discuss the test procedure with major car manufacturers. Motor manufacturers have also been invited to witness tests on their own model.

  Whether the published report on the research will include the test results of named car models will depend on the assessment emerging from the research of the reliability of the information as an indicator of performance. It could be misleading to publish information judged to be unreliable.

  Railway Grants
  Mr. Keith Hill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the grants made by his Department under section 8 of the Railways Act 1974 since 1992. [22565]

  Mr. Watts
  Since 1992, three grants have been awarded under section 8 of the Railways Act 1974. Subsequent awards have been made under section 139 of the Railways Act 1993. The full list of awards can be found in "Rail Freight Facilities Grants, England, Scotland and Wales, December 1995", available in the Library.

  Mr. Hill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the freight facilities grants made by his Department. [22564]
  706
  Mr. Watts
  A total of 155 freight facilities grants have been awarded by the Department since 1975. Grant assisted rail projects are listed in full in "Rail Freight Facilities Grants, England, Scotland and Wales, December 1995", a copy of which has been deposited in the Library.

  Search and Rescue Helicopter (Portland)
  Mr. Ian Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will continue to provide a search and rescue helicopter at Portland after 31 March. [24009]

  Mr. Norris
  This temporary arrangement for the provision of a Coastguard search and rescue—SAR—helicopter at Portland will be extended for a further eight months, until the end of November. Longer-term decisions on the disposition of SAR helicopters will depend in part on the consultation on the interdepartmental review. We hope to publish the review's findings shortly.

  Transport Council
  Mr. Patrick Thompson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the result of the Transport Council held in Brussels on 11 March. [23813]

  Sir George Young
  The Transport Council met in Brussels on 11 March. My noble Friend the Minister for Aviation and Shipping represented the United Kingdom.

  The Council reached a common position on a directive to harmonise roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers.

  The Council also reached a common position on three separate directives concerning market liberalisation, state aid rules and a vessel scrapping scheme in the inland waterways sector. The United Kingdom voted against the scrapping scheme because of our opposition in principle to Community funding for such schemes. The two other proposals were agreed without a vote.

  The Council discussed the Commission proposal for a mandate to negotiate an air transport agreement between the European Community and the United States. The United Kingdom made clear its view that the Commission had not demonstrated that this would add value to the present bilateral arrangements. However a majority of member states were in favour of the principle of limited Community-level negotiations and the proposal was referred back to the Committee of Permanent Representatives—COREPER—for further work.

  The Council also discussed the European Parliament's second reading opinion on the proposed Council/European Parliament decision on a transEuropean transport network. It was agreed that the presidency should work to reach agreement with the Parliament on a compromise text as soon as possible.

  The Commission gave a progress report to the Council on the state of play in the negotiations between the European Community and Switzerland in respect of land and air transport agreements.

  Following a general discussion, the presidency concluded that a regulation concerning the collection of aviation statistics should be reconsidered at the next

  707
  Transport Council to allow time for further consideration of a number of outstanding issues, including the application of the regulation to Gibraltar.

  Other issues raised at the Council included Commission Green Papers on the citizens network and external costs in transport and a Commission White Paper on air traffic management. There was also an intervention by the German delegation on air traffic safety and a French intervention on ferry safety.

  Trawlers
  Mr. David Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trawlers were registered in(a) 1995 and (b) 1979. [21611]

  Mr. Norris
  I have asked the chief executive of the Marine Safety Agency to write to my hon. Friend.

  Letter from R. M. Bradley to Mr. David Evans, dated 28 March 1996:
  The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your Question about the number of trawlers registered in (a) 1995 and (b) 1979.
  The register of fishing vessels is not categorised by type. The total number of fishing vessels on the register at 31 December 1995, however was 8670.
  Before April 1989, registration was the responsibility of HM Customs and Excise (C&E). The C&E records were transferred to the Registry of Shipping and Seamen. I regret that extracting the information relating to fishing vessels from the earlier records for a particular year could only be achieved at disproportionate cost.

  Vehicle Inspectorate Testing Stations
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Vehicle Inspectorate testing stations are currently in operation in the United Kingdom; and how many have(a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four, (e) five and (f) six lanes. [23575]

  Mr. Norris
  I have asked the chief executive of the Vehicle Inspectorate to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Ron Oliver to Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody, dated 28 March 1996:
  The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question on the number of Vehicle Inspectorate testing stations in operation and how many lanes they have.
  Details of the number of stations are given below:

  Full-time stations

  5 lane: 6

  4 lane: 4

  3 lane: 17

  2 lane: 32

  1 lane: 16

  There are 15 part-time stations all with one lane.

  EDS Ltd.
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 29 February to the hon. Member for Wallesey (Ms Eagle),Official Report, column 657–58, what are the penalties involved should he seek early termination of the contract with EDS; what contracts, at what costs, with what duration and penalty his Department's agencies hold with EDS; and if he will make a statement. [23716]
  708
  Mr. Norris
  The value of contracts and the provisions for termination are classified commercial in confidence.

  There are four contracts between the Department's Agencies and EDS:

  1. DVLA—duration five years

  2. DSA—duration five years

  3. VIEA—duration four years six months

  4. VIEA—duration two years

  Inquests
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many applications there have been in the last 10 years for judicial review of an inquest ruling; and how many have been successful. [22213]

  Mr. Sackville
  I have been asked to reply

  Details of applications for the judicial review of inquest verdicts are not held centrally.

  ENVIRONMENT Waste Incinerators (Fires)
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has with his European counterparts with respect to fires at waste incinerators. [22277]

  Mr. Clappison
  I am in regular discussion with my European counterparts on environment issues. I have not found it necessary to discuss the question of fires at waste incinerators.

  Mr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what research his Department has conducted into the environmental impact, both short and long-term, of fires at waste incinerators; and if he will make a statement on the findings and conclusions; [22285]

  (2) what research his Department has conducted into the health implications of fires at waste incinerators; and if he will make a statement on the conclusions of such research. [22273]

  Mr. Clappison
  My Department has not conducted any research into this subject.

  Mr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has with the Secretary of State for Health with respect to the health implications of fires at waste incinerators. [22281]

  Mr. Clappison
  I have had no recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Health on the health implications of fires at waste incinerators.

  Mr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidance his Department has given to hospitals with respect to the treatment of illness resulting from fires at waste incinerators. [22275]
  709
  Mr. Clappison
  My Department has not given any advice to hospitals on the treatment of illness resulting from fires at waste incinerators.

  Mr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has had from individuals and organisations concerned with the safety of waste incinerators. [22283]

  Mr. Clappison
  The Health and Safety Executive's field operations division has no knowledge of any representations concerned with safety of waste incinerators. Such inquiries raised with HSE area offices are not recorded centrally. Most representations received by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution relate to emissions from the incinerators.

  Mr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidance he has given to local authorities with respect to the safety of waste incinerators and with respect to the implications of fires at waste incinerators. [22278]

  Mr. Clappison
  I have issued no guidance to local authorities on these matters.

  Mr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with respect to the health implications of fires at waste incinerators. [22274]

  Mr. Clappison
  The Health and Safety Executive would expect fire authorities to issue appropriate guidance to the public and employees to avoid exposure to a smoke plume in the event of a fire at a waste storage location, and for the public health authorities to consider the implications for public health.

  Mr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who is responsible for investigating the safety of waste incinerators; with particular reference to fires. [22282]

  Mr. Clappison
  The health and safety of employees in the event of fire at storage locations at waste incinerators would be considered by Health and Safety Executive inspectors, but this would not normally be extended to matters of public health arising from exposure to any smoke. Storage of waste at municipal waste incinerators is covered by the authorisation granted to the operator by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution, which would take account of any findings relating to its authorisation. Appropriate action would then be taken.

  Mr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people have been treated in each of the last five years for sickness resulting from fires at waste incinerators. [22272]

  Mr. Clappison
  My Department does not keep these figures.

  Mr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he has taken following the recent fire at the Whitley refuse incinerator in Coventry; and if he will make a statement. [22280]

  Mr. Clappison
  Coventry city local authority is investigating the allegations of adverse health effect following the fire at the Whitley incinerator together with the director of pubic health for the area. Her Majesty's710
  inspectorate of pollution will provide any information to assist in determining the likely effects and will consider these findings in relation to any further action.

  Mr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the long-term implications for health of fires at waste incinerators. [22276]

  Mr. Clappison
  Health and safety of employees in the event of fire at storage locations at waste incinerators would be considered by Health and Safety Executive inspectors. However, this does not normally extend to public health, which is a matter for the local authority environmental health department.

  Forth Rail Bridge
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much the Health and Safety Executive has spent on its study over the last year on the structural condition of the Forth rail bridge. [22844]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  Over the last year, the Health and Safety Executive has spent approximately £221,000 on its assessment of the structural integrity of the Forth bridge.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total cost of answering parliamentary questions in each Session since 1989–90. [22903]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  This Department does not calculate the data requested, and they could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Contracts
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what guidelines are currently in force in his Department and its executive agencies relating to competitive tendering and the use of single negotiated tenders; on what grounds single negotiated tenders can be used; and what procedures are in place within his Department to ensure that the use of single negotiated tenders in competitive tendering processes is justified in all cases; [22854]

  (2) how many contracts for goods or services have been awarded by his Department and its executive agencies on the basis of single negotiated contracts in each of the last three years; if he will list the companies involved and the value of the contract in each case; what percentage this represented of contacts awarded by his Department and its agencies after competitive tendering; and, in each case, why the contracts were awarded on the basis of a single negotiated tender. [22869]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  Information on the award of individual contracts is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The Department submits the purchase of all goods, materials, services and works to competition wherever possible. Single tender action is used where there is a single source of supply, a need for compatibility, or for one off purchases of very low value. These procedures are set out in the Department's purchasing guide.
  711

  Planning Inquiries
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 28 February,Official Report, column 631, if he will give, in each case of called-in application, the length of time which has elapsed following the local inquiries being completed and the decision from the inspector and the determination by his Department. [22913]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  Due to an administrative error within the Department, for which I apologise, the number of called-in planning applications awaiting decision by my right hon. Friend was incorrectly stated in my answer of 28 February,Official Report, column 631.

  The number of applications awaiting decision following receipt of the inspector's report was in fact 22, not 42. For these applications, the information requested is shown by Government office regions in the following table. None of these applications has yet been decided.

  Region

  Development proposal

  Date inquiry completed

  Date Inspector's report received

  North West

  Retail development, Cockermouth, Cumbria

  3 February 1995

  3 July 1995

  West Midlands

  Retail development, Oldbury W. Midlands

  14 July 1995

  8 November 1995

  East Midlands

  Retail development, Daventry, Northants. (3 applications)

  2 March 1995

  5 June 1995

  Eastern

  Highway development, Baldock By-pass, Herts. (2 applications)

  25 May 1995

  23 November 1994

  Motorway service areas, M25, Epping, Essex(5 applications)

  25 May 1995

  25 January 1996

  South West

  Retail development, Tewkesbury, Gloucs.

  11 August 1995

  21 December 1994

  Retail development, Falmouth, Cornwall

  26 July 1995

  17 October 1995

  Residential development, Tredarrup, Cornwall

  6 September 1995

  24 November 1995

  Retail development, Chard, Somerset (2 applications)

  20 September 1995

  28 November 1995

  South East

  Gypsy sitedevelopment, Dunsfold, Surrey

  1 December 1995

  22 January 1996

  Residential development, Wraysbury, Berks.

  6 December 1994

  29 January1995

  London

  Leisure centre/ student accommmodation, Elephant and Castle, SE1

  2 December 1994

  27 February1995

  Residential/leisure complex, Battersea, SW11

  3 August1995

  4 October1995

  Leisure/retail complex, Beckton, E6

  19 October 1995

  28 November 1995

  EC (Civil Service Employment)
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the implications of the European Communities (Employment in the Civil Service) Order 1991 for service in local government. [22920]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  This order has relevance for the civil service, not local government.

  Mortgage Interest Rates
  Sir John Stanley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when average mortgage interest rates were last at present levels. [23387]

  Mr. Gummer
  Figures from the Halifax Building Society show that mortgage rates are the lowest since April 1968.

  Universal Houses (Asbestos)
  Mrs. Jane Kennedy
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will undertake a survey of the health of tenants of those Universal houses built between 1925 and 1935 which contain asbestos. [23293]

  Mr. Clappison
  No. Asbestos materials in dwellings present a minimal risk to health. If there are particular local concerns, owners should refer to the comprehensive guidance issued by my Department on the management and treatment of such materials.

  Mrs. Kennedy
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list by local authority area in England the number of Universal houses built between 1925 and 1935(a) currently standing, (b) currently occupied and (c) assessed by his Department as containing asbestos. [23292]

  Mr. Clappison
  This information is not centrally available.

  Recycling
  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what were the recycling rates for(a) glass, (b) plastics, (c) steel cans, (d) aluminium cans, (e) paper and card, (f) batteries, (g) tyres, (h) vehicles and (i) electrical and electronic equipment for each OECD country at the latest available date. [23342]

  Mr. Clappison
  The OECD publishes information on the environment every two years. Limited information on the recycling of different materials, which is given in the table is published in the "OECD Environmental Data Compendium, 1995". Information may not be on a consistent basis from one country to another. Information on the United Kingdom is provided by trade associations and published in the "Digest of Environmental Statistics, 17, 1995".

  Recovery of Paper and Cardboard and Glass in OECD countries

  Country

  Year

  Paper and cardboard (percentage)

  Year

  Glass (percentage)

  Canada

  1992

  32.0

  1992

  75.0

  USA

  1993

  34.0

  1993

  22.0

  Japan

  1992

  51.0

  1992

  56.0

  Australia

  1991

  50.0

  1992

  36.0

  Austria

  1990

  78.0

  1994

  76.0

  Belgium

  1993

  11.0

  1994

  67.0

  Denmark

  1992

  36.0

  1994

  67.0

  Finland

  1992

  45.0

  1994

  50.0

  France

  1993

  42.0

  1994

  48.0

  Germany

  1993

  46.0

  1994

  75.0

  Greece

  1993

  30.0

  1994

  29.0

  Ireland

  1991

  3.0

  1994

  31.0

  Italy

  1991

  47.0

  1994

  54.0

  Netherlands

  1991

  53.0

  1994

  77.0

  Norway

  1993

  32.0

  1994

  72.0

  713

  Recovery of Paper and Cardboard and Glass in OECD countries

  Country

  Year

  Paper and cardboard (percentage)

  Year

  Glass (percentage)

  Portugal

  1992

  41.0

  1994

  32.0

  Spain

  1993

  78.0

  1994

  31.0

  Sweden

  1993

  50.0

  1994

  56.0

  Switzerland

  1993

  54.0

  1994

  84.0

  United Kingdom

  1993

  35.0

  1993

  29.0

  Housing (Right to Buy)
  Sir John Stanley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many tenants in the United Kingdom have bought their homes under the right to buy since 1979. [23386]

  Mr. Gummer
  In the period between the introduction of the legislation in October 1980 and the end of September 1995, the latest date for which information is available, local authorities in England reported total right to buy sales of 1,235 million homes. In the same period, housing associations and new towns reported right to buy sales of 28,000 and 10,000 respectively.

  For information on sales elsewhere in the United Kingdom, I refer the hon. Member to the Secretaries of State for Scotland, for Wales and for Northern Ireland.

  Composting
  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the composting rates in each OECD country, at the latest available date. [23373]

  Mr. Clappison
  The OECD publishes information on the environment every two years. Data on the composting of municipal waste, which are given in the table are taken from the OECD Environmental Data Compendium, 1995". Information may not be on a consistent basis from one country to another. Information relating to composting in the United Kingdom is not collected centrally.

  Amounts of municipal waste composted in OECD countries

  Country

  Year

  Composted waste (000 tonnes)

  Total collected (000 tonnes)

  Canada

  1992

  218

  18,800

  USA

  1993

  5,821

  187,790

  Japan

  1991

  57

  50,767

  Austria

  1990

  85

  2,506

  Belgium

  1994

  96

  1,160

  Denmark

  1993

  206

  2,377

  Finland

  1990

  50

  3,100

  France

  1992

  1,300

  20,500

  Germany

  1990

  369

  21,615

  Luxembourg

  1993

  5

  190

  Netherlands

  1991

  475

  7,602

  Norway

  1992

  15

  2,223

  Portugal

  1992

  444

  3,270

  Spain

  1993

  1,560

  14,256

  Sweden

  1990

  100

  3,200

  Single Regeneration Budget
  Mr. Hendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the bidding guidance for round 3 of the single regeneration budget challenge fund will be published. [23585]

  Mr. Curry
  The bidding guidance for round 3 of the single regeneration budget fund will be published tomorrow, 29 March. Copies will be placed in the Library of the House.

  Reigate and Banstead Borough Council
  Sir George Gardiner
  To ask the Secretary of State or the Environment if he has yet considered the response by Reigate and Banstead borough council to the notice served on the authority on 6 November 1995 under section 13 of the Local Government Act 1988; and if he will make a statement. [23588]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  My right hon. Friend has considered carefully the response which Reigate and Banstead borough council has made to the notice served on the authority on 6 November 1995. He is still of the view that the authorities' actions during the tender process for the two contracts, worth £363,000, had the effect of distorting and restricting competition.

  He has today given the authority a direction, under section 14 of the Local Government Act 1988, requiring it to retender the work, included in the grounds maintenance contracts 1 and 2, which was the subject of the notice, so that new arrangements are in place by 1 January 1997, and to seek the Secretary of State's consent should it wish to reassign the work to the direct service organisation.

  The Government are fully committed to fair and open competition for local authority services and we are determined to ensure that obstacles which stand in the way of such competition are removed.

  Offshore Health and Safety
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on progress in implementing Lord Cullen's recommendations on the review and reform of offshore health and safety legislation following his inquiry into the Piper Alpha disaster. [23586]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  Since the Government accepted in full the recommendations in Lord Cullen's 1990 report on the Piper Alpha disaster, a total of four sets of new health and safety regulations for the offshore sector have been made. The latest, the Offshore Installations and Wells (Design and Construction, etc) Regulations 1996 were laid before Parliament today. They mark a significant milestone in the review and reform programme undertaken by the Government as a result of Lord Cullen's report.

  The new legislation effects fundamental changes in the management of safety offshore, as recommend by Lord Cullen. A safety case regime for offshore installations has been established. This requires all installation operators and owners to assess the risks arising from offshore installations, and demonstrate how those risks will be controlled. It is now unlawful to operate an installation without acceptance of its safety case by the offshore

  715
  safety regulator, the Health and Safety Executive. Provision has also been made for the prevention of fire and the explosion, for emergency response—areas of high risk identified by Lord Cullen as requiring specific legislation—and for management and administration issues. Moreover, the new regulations complete offshore implementation of a European directive concerned with health and safety in the extractive industries. Much old legislation has been revoked both by these new regulations and other reform initiatives in the programme.

  The Government have therefore met their obligation to review and reform offshore health and safety legislation in the manner set out by Lord Cullen in his report. I commend the Health and Safety Commission for its efforts in taking forward this programme and all parts of the industry for their positive approach to it. Together, they have secured a legislative regime providing a firm foundation or the continued improvement of health and safety standards in the offshore sector.

  Public Paths Regulations
  Mr. Elletson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce the results of the recent review of the Local Authorities (Recovery of Costs for Public Path Orders) Regulations 1993. [23959]

  Mr. Clappison
  We have accepted the central conclusion of the review into the operation of the Local Authorities (Recovery of Costs for Path Orders) Regulations, which is that the maximum charge for administrative cost does not, in most cases, cover the costs incurred by local authorities.

  We therefore intend to amend the regulations to remove the current, £400, ceiling. Instead, local authorities will be required to draw up scales of charges, indicating the likely costs for unopposed orders and the maximum cost which they would charge.

  This change will be implemented by amending regulations, which we hope to have in place by the summer.

  Environment Agency
  Mr. Elletson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the Environment Agency charging schemes for 1996–97 for regulation under integrated pollution control and the Radioactive Substances Act 1993. [23960]

  Mr. Clappison
  The Environment Act 1995 requires the Environment Agency to make charging schemes so as to recover the costs of carrying out its regulatory functions.

  The Government have consulted those who are likely to be affected by the schemes. In the light of that consultation, and with the consent of the Treasury, of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Wales and—with regard to the Radioactive Substances Act—of my right hon. Friend the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Environment Agency has now made charging schemes for 1996–97 for regulation under integrated pollution control and the Radioactive Substances Act.

  The schemes will take effect from 1 April 1996. I have placed copies of them in the Library of the House.
  716
  The schemes are similar to those which were previously administered by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution, and there are no changes to the levels of charges as they were set out in the equivalent schemes for 1995–96. This represents a reduction in real terms of around 3 per cent. and has been achieved by continuing improvements in efficiency.

  Since responsibility for these schemes is shortly to pass from the inspectorate to the Environment Agency, now is an appropriate time to acknowledge the hard work which the inspectorate has done over the past three years to reduce the level of direct charges in real terms while maintaining a credible regulatory regime. I am also pleased to see the Environment Agency making these schemes, which demonstrates its intention to build upon the improvements in regulatory effectiveness and efficiency which were achieved by the inspectorate, and to limit any increases in charges to those which are essential in order to reduce pollution and to improve the environment.

  Copies of the schemes will shortly be sent to relevant operators and to other interested bodies.

  Anglian Water (Nitrates)
  Mr. Lord
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of Anglian Water's efforts to bring drinking water in Suffolk within the EU standard for nitrate levels; if he will reconsider the imposition of nitrate-vulnerable zones; and if he will make a statement. [22084]

  Mr. Clappison
  My right hon. Friend is satisfied that Anglian Water Services Ltd. has taken appropriate steps to ensure that drinking water supplies in Suffolk comply with the standard for nitrate in the EC drinking water directive. I announced on 22 March the Government's decision to designate 68 nitrate vulnerable zones in England and Wales. We have carefully targeted the designations in those parts of surface water catchments or aquifers where there is a danger of nitrate levels continuing to rise. Designation of the zones followed extensive consultation and advice from an independent review panel.

  Skin Piercers
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to bring in a registration scheme for skin piercers and to enable byelaws, including the imposition of a minimum age limit, to be made under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982; and if he will make a statement. [22819]

  Mr. Bowis
  I have been asked to reply.

  The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provision) Act 1982 gives local authorities in England and Wales the power to make byelaws requiring acupuncturists, tattooists, ear piercers and electrolysists to be registered. All the legislation relating to the registration of skin piercing by local authorities is currently being reviewed and a consultation paper will be issued shortly.

  The Tattooing of Minors Act 1969 makes it an offence to tattoo someone below the age of 16. The Government have no plans to introduce an age limit for other forms of skin piercing.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Asylum Seekers
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what progress he has made in establishing the funding formula for local authorities in respect of the costs that they face in connection with provision for asylum seekers. [19614]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  Meetings have taken place between local authority associations, the Department of the Environment and the Department of Health. It was decided that grants should be paid covering 80 per cent. of unavoidable additional expenditure, above a certain threshold, incurred by social services departments under the Children Act 1989, and 80 per cent. of the housing benefit subsidy forgone, above a certain threshold, by housing authorities who incur costs in respect of certain asylum seekers and other persons from abroad housed under the homelessness legislation. The precise details of

  The number of people leaving contracted-out occupational pension schemes, by year of scheme membership termination and subsequent scheme.

  Thousands

  Subsequent scheme

  1987–88

  1988–89

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  Men

  Appropriate Personal Pension

  101

  31

  74

  43

  27

  13

  SERPS

  309

  332

  329

  264

  246

  n/a

  Women

  Appropriate Personal Pension

  51

  14

  40

  24

  15

  10

  SERPS

  219

  236

  236

  176

  168

  n/a

  Notes:

  1. Figures relate to the United Kingdom.

  2. Figures show changes in active membership. They do not show whether past rights have been transferred or not.

  3. SERPS figures include people who moved to a contribution position where non-contracted-out contributions have been paid either exclusively or in conjunction with class 2 or class 3 contributions or credits.

  4. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.

  5. Includes people who have changed employment and pension scheme, and those who have remained in the same employment and changed pension scheme.

  6. Moves from appropriate personal pensions and SERPS to occupational pension schemes are not reflected in the above figures.

  7. Movements to SERPS are defined as those where the person moves into SERPS after termination of occupational scheme membership and remains only in SERPS in the following tax year. Therefore, to establish whether a 1992–93 termination resulted in a move to SERPS, it is necessary to know the person's status in 1993–94 and this information is not yet available.

  Source:

  1 per cent. sample of national insurance records taken in February 1994.

  Child Support Agency (Departures Scheme)
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security for what reasons the Child Support Agency's departures scheme makes no allowance for the cost of maintaining step-children taken on after April 1993; and if he will make a statement on who is expected to pay the cost of maintaining such stepchildren where the absent natural parent of those stepchildren is(a) dead, (b) unemployed and (c) living overseas. [23329]

  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  Parents taking responsibility for stepchildren after April 1993 have done so in the full knowledge that the standard child support maintenance
  718
  the funding formula will depend on further discussions with local authority associations. Officials in the Department for the Environment and the Department of Health will be meeting the local authorities association to discuss the issue of the threshold.

  Pension Schemes
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many(a) men and (b) women individuals since 1988 have left their company pension scheme and opted to (a) a personal pension and (b) membership of the state earnings-related pension scheme. [22203]

  Mr. Heald
  Information is not available in the format requested. In the case of those moving from an occupational pension scheme to a personal pension, figures are available only where the appropriate personal pension was started in the same tax year as the termination of occupational pension scheme membership. The available information is given in the table:

  assessment makes no provision for any costs involved in caring for those children. The fact that child support maintenance cannot exceed 30 per cent. of net income leaves absent parents sufficient resources to make such choices.

  Where payment of child support at the rate determined under the standard maintenance assessment would reduce an absent parent's income to such a level that he would be unable to provide adequate support for his new family, the protected income provisions come into play. The protected income assessment makes full allowance for the basic living expenses of all children in the absent parent's household, including any step-children.

WALES

  Prescription Charges
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the real terms increase in the price of NHS prescriptions since 1979 expressed as a cash figure and as a percentage. [21125]

  Mr. Richards
  The prescription charge per item has increased by 774 per cent. in real terms since 1979. Prescription charges in Wales in 1995–96 are expected to raise £18.3 million—money which would otherwise have to be found from within NHS resources.

  Police Budgets
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the annual budget for each of the Welsh police constabularies for each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [22373]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The available information is given in the following table.

  Police authority expenditure on a total standard spending basis:

  £millions

  Police authority

  1992–93

  1993–94

  1994–95

  1995–96

  11996–97

  Dyfed-Powys

  40.0

  42.7

  46.2

  45.9

  48.6

  Gwent2

  39.6

  42.1

  43.7

  49.8

  62.4

  North Wales

  57.3

  59.6

  62.4

  66.0

  69.3

  South Wales

  131.3

  134.1

  133.9

  150.7

  151.1

  Notes:

  1 Figures reflect the transfer of responsibility for policing the district area of Rhymney Valley from south Wales to Gwent.

  2 Figures for 1992–93 to 1994–95 are taken from Gwent county council returns and do not include repayment of debt or the receipt of other local income.

  Source:

  Revenue outturn returns for 1992–93 to 1994–95 and budget returns for 1995–96 and 1996–97.

  Equal Opportunities
  Mr. David Shaw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what amounts of money have been paid out by(a) his Department and (b) executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies and other organisations for which he is accountable to Parliament, to how many staff or former staff in respect of (i) alleged equal opportunities breaches which do not proceed to tribunals or courts and (ii) equal opportunities breaches which proceeded to tribunals or courts in (1) the current year and (2) the two previous years. [22511]

  Mr. Hague
  No money has been paid out by my Department or its executive agency, CADW, in respect of breaches in equal opportunities.

  Information on non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally.

  Non-domestic Rates
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the sum total of revenue arising from non-domestic rates in Wales in each of the past five years, together with his latest estimate for the present financial year. [22198]
  720
  Mr. Hague
  The information is as follows:Total amounts received in respect of non-domestic rates

  1990–91: £490,925,000

  1991–92: £513,890,000

  1992–93: £527,785,000

  1993–94: £502,389,000

  1994–95: £478,634,000

  1995–96: £516,000,0001

  Estimate.

  Child Abuse
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will(a) obtain and (b) evaluate a copy of John Jilling's report into child sex and physical abuse at north Wales children's homes commissioned by Clwyd county council; [23379]

  (2) what proposals he has to institute a judicial inquiry into the history of child sexual and physical abuse in north Wales children's homes, and if he will make a statement. [23147]

  Mr. Hague
  I have no plans at present to take any further action beyond the steps outlined in my statement of 11 December, columns 554–56. I understand that Clwyd county council has decided to refer Mr. Jilling's report to the Department. I shall consider what action, if any, to take on it once we have received it.

  Private Finance Initiative
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the numbers and grades of civil servants in the dedicated PFI department established in his Department. [23389]

  Mr. Hague
  Details of the officials in my Department's private finance unit are as follows: grade 5(1); grade 7(2); higher executive officer (1); administrative assistant (1). In addition, the unit has been strengthened recently by a secondee from the private finance panel executive.

  Theatr Clwyd, Mold
  Mr. Hanson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will now make available his Department's one-of contribution to Theatr Clwyd, Mold for 1996–97. [23374]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Flintshire county council has until the end of March to provide details of an adequate funding package for Theatr Clwyd for 1996–97 and beyond; my right hon. Friend and I will decide whether to release the funding offered to discharge Theatr Clwyd's capital debt in the light of Flintshire's response.

  Cardiff Bay Development
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his strategic guidance note of 13 March to the Cardiff Bay development corporation, what was the total estimated gross capital cost of the Gwent bird reserve on the assumption of a £5.7 million pubic sector contribution and private finance initiative scheme for the private capital investment. [23132]
  721
  Mr. Hague
  The Cardiff Bay development corporation is committed to providing £5.7 million to the Gwent bird reserve scheme. If the private finance initiative option is pursued, this will be used to maximise the value for money from the public sector contribution.

  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his strategic guidance note of 13 March to the Cardiff Bay development corporation, if he will list the later developments referred to as providing the justification alongside the corporation's 1995 corporate plan which led him to set the level of grant in aid for 1996–97 at £51.641 million. [23136]

  Mr. Hague
  Developments since August include the issue of a private finance initiative prospectus for the Bute avenue development; faster than expected progress on the £200 million NEG-Schott inward investment at Ocean park; and the prospect of a major private sector investment at Ely fields.

  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his strategic guidance note of 13 March to the Cardiff Bay development corporation, by what amount he expects the corporation to(a) reduce its consultancy expenditure and (b) increase its direct running cost expenditure. [23137]

  Mr. Hague
  Cardiff Bay development corporation's planned budget in 1996–97 for consultancies has been reduced by £1 million and the budget for running costs increased by £0.49 million. This will reduce total planned expenditure on consultancies and running costs by £0.51 million.

  Tourism
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his strategic guidance note 1996–97 to the chairman of the Wales tourist board, if he will list the principal differences between the recommendations of the English tourist board hotel accommodation grading and classification scheme review and the Wales tourist board scheme; if he will arrange for copies of the English tourist board review and the Wales tourist board research into grading and classification schemes to be placed in the Library; if he will publish the findings of the Wales tourist board report to him in September 1996; and if he will make a statement. [23133]

  Mr. Hague
  The English tourist board has yet to present its proposals for revising its classification and grading schemes to Department of National Heritage Ministers. It will be doing so shortly, with the industry then consulted on any proposed changes.

  The placing of the English tourist board review papers in the Library is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for National Heritage; however, I will arrange for copies of the Wales tourist board's research to be placed in the Library. When I receive the WTB's report I will consider its publication.

  Cathays Park
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list those departments which have moved into those areas of Cathays park previously occupied by staff of the Export Credits Guarantee 722
  Department and of NCM; and if he will list the numbers in each sub-department indicating the buildings that they previously occupied. [23134]

  Mr. Hague
  The fourth floor of Cathays park was vacated by NCM and the Export Credits Guarantee Department on 14 July 1995. As part of a programme of reorganisation of staff in Cathays park the following divisions have been located on the fourth floor.

  Division

  Date relocation

  Number of staff

  Previous location

  Housing

  28 July 1995

  40

  Cathays Park

  Schools Performance

  7 August 1995

  22

  Llanishen

  Schools Administration

  7 August 1995

  34

  Llanishen

  Culture and Recreation

  7 August 1995

  21

  Llanishen

  Further and Higher Education

  7 August 1995

  13

  Cathays Park

  Records Management Unit

  7 August 1995

  10

  Llanishen

  Staff Training Unit

  29 August 1995

  7

  Golate House

  Local Government Finance

  9 October 1995

  22

  Cathays Park

  Local Government Reorganisation

  9 October 1995

  21

  Cathays Park

  Social Services Policy

  9 October 1995

  32

  Cathays Park

  Social Services Inspectorate

  9 October 1995

  16

  Cathays Park

  Health Services

  16 October 1995

  34

  Cathays Park

  Health Management

  16 October 1995

  27

  Cathays Park

  Health Professional Group

  16 October 1995

  36

  Cathays Park

  Health Financial Management

  4 December1995

  40

  Cathays Park

  Health Commissioning

  4 December 1995

  25

  Cathays Park

  Primary and Community Health

  4 December 1995

  36

  Cathays Park

  Public Health

  4 December 1995

  30

  Cathays Park

  Nursing

  4 December 1995

  9

  Cathays Park

  Management Planning and Review

  11 December 1995

  17

  Cathays Park

  Total

  492

  Corporate Plans
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the expected dates of(a) completion and (b) submission to him of the corporate plans of the (i) Welsh Development Agency, (ii) Development Board for Rural Wales, (iii) Wales tourist board, (iv) Land Authority for Wales and (v) Cardiff Bay development corporation. [23135]

  Mr. Hague
  The economic development non-departmental public bodies have been asked to complete and submit their corporate plans by the following dates:

  Date

  Development Board for Rural Wales

  31 March

  Wales Tourist Board

  31 March

  Land Authority for Wales

  31 March

  Cardiff Bay Development Corporation

  30 June

  Welsh Development Agency

  31 August

  723
  Corporate plans are the bodies own internal management documents which are submitted to the Department for information.

  Government Expenditure
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to paragraph 1.06 of his departmental report, what assessment he has made of the(a) levels of identifiable and geographically attributable expenditure in Wales in 1994–95 in (i) social security, (ii) law and order and (iii) the protective services and (b) changes in those levels since 1993–94; what proposals he has to publish an update of his January publication, "Government Expenditure and Taxation—Wales 1993–94"; and if he will make a statement. [23385]

  Mr. Hague
  Further details on identifiable and geographically attributable Government expenditure in Wales are published by the Treasury in "Public Expenditure, Statistical Analyses 1996–97", Cm 3201. I have no plans to publish an update of "Government Expenditure and Taxation—Wales, 1993–94".

  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to table 1.02 of his departmental report, what assessment he has made of the reason for the fall in the forecast outturn of his expenditure in 1995–96 on economic development relative to 1994–95. [23388]

  Mr. Hague
  The economic development chapter of the report provides details.

  National Vocational Qualifications
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to table 4.08 of his departmental report, what assessment he has made of the principal reasons for the fall in the numbers of school leavers obtaining NVQs levels 1 to 4 in his forecast outturn for 1995–96 relative to(a) the plans for 1995–96 and (b) the 1994–95 actual outturn. [23384]

  Mr. Hague
  Table 4.08 reports achievements in youth training. In 1995–96, the first full year of modern apprenticeships, significant numbers of young people have converted from YT to MA to aim for higher levels of NVQ attainment. In future years there should be relatively few such conversions. It is not possible at this stage to assess with accuracy how far this one-off factor has affected the 1995–96 NVQ/leaver ratio.

  Investors in People
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of organisations with(a) over 200 employee and (b) under 200 employees have achieved investors in people status. [23304]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The Welsh Office is currently reviewing its database on investors in people performance in conjunction with the training and enterprise councils. The latest figures show that 43 organisations—almost 15 per cent. of those eligible—employing 200 or more people have achieved the investors in people standard. A total of 161 organisations employing less than 200 people have been recognised; a percentage figure is not available.

  Menai Strait
  Mr. Sweeney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what conclusion he has reached on the proposal by the Countryside Council for Wales to designate the Menai strait as a marine nature reserve. [24004]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  My right hon. Friend has announced that he intends to make a draft order under section 36 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 indicating his intention to designate the Menai strait as a marine nature reserve. Notices concerning the draft order, in accordance with the requirements of schedule 12 of the 1981 Act, will appear in local and national newspapers in the near future.

  Local Government Boundary Commission
  Mr. Sweeney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about the membership of the Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales. [24005]

  Mr. Hague
  I have appointed Mr. Lloyd Fitzhugh as deputy chairman of the commission from 1 April in succession to Mr. Richard Hall Williams. Mr. Fitzhugh has been a member of the commission since 1994.

  I have also appointed Mrs. Susan Smith as a member of the commission.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how much her Department has spent in total in answering parliamentary questions in each parliamentary Session since it was established. [22880]

  Mr. Sproat
  This Department does not calculate the data requested, and they could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  National Lottery
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many applications for national lottery funding have been made to(a) the Sports Council, (b) the Arts Council, (c) the national heritage memorial fund, (d) the Millennium Commission and (e) the National Lottery Charities Board for each of the national lottery regions. [22604]

  Mr. Sproat
  [holding answer 25 March 1996]: This information is not held centrally. The Department of National Heritage is currently developing a lottery database that will make these figures available shortly.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Leg Irons
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will institute an inquiry into the allegations contained in the "Dispatches" programme on the export of leg irons; and if he will make a statement. [20352]
  725
  Mr. Oppenheim
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Technology to the hon. Member for Cynon Valley (Mrs. Clwyd) on 31 January 1995,Official Report, column 614. There has been no evidence of a breach of export controls and I do not propose to institute an inquiry unless clear evidence comes to light of the breach of export controls.

  Torture Equipment Exports
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what reports he has received alleging involvement of(a) British Aerospace and (b) Royal Ordnance in the sale of torture equipment abroad; and if he will make a statement. [20353]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  I am aware of allegations made in the Channel 4 television programme "Dispatches" originally screened on 11 January 1995. British Aerospace's Royal Ordnance made public denials of the allegations. We will, of course, act on clear evidence of breaches of export controls.

  Military Ordnance (Nigeria)
  Mr. O'Hara
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what measures Her Majesty's Government have taken since November 1995 to prevent the undertaking by British companies of contracts for the supply to the Government of Nigeria of equipment which is likely to be used in support of the use of military ordnance; [22094]

  (2) what measures Her Majesty's Government have taken since November 1995 to prevent the undertaking by British companies of contracts for the supply of military ordnance to the Government of Nigeria; [22095]

  (3) what measures Her Majesty's Government have taken since November 1995 to prevent the fulfilment by British companies of contracts for the supply of military ordnance to the Government of Nigeria. [22093]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bradford, West (Mr. Madden) on 21 February 1996,Official Report, column 249.

  Export Licences
  Ms Walley
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many export licences have been granted to British companies involved in the construction of arms(a) between 1980 and 1984, (b) between 1985 and 1989 and (c) since 1990. [21052]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  Records of export licences issued for the earliest period requested were routinely destroyed. The remainder of the question could be answered only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list each type of end user certification sought when export licences are being considered, stating in each case(a) the countries and (b) the type of export to which the type of certification applies. [19242]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Oxford, East (Mr. Smith) on 11 January 1996,Official Report, column 293. The specified end user undertakings required in
  726
  support of applications for individual export licences depend on the goods involved. A standard general undertaking covers most goods but in certain circumstances a specific undertaking is necessary. Specified formats are required to cover:

  Chemical Specific Customer End User

  Chemical Trader/Distributor

  Biological Specific Customer End User

  Biological Trader/Distributor.

  Equal Opportunities
  Mr. David Shaw
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what amounts of money have been paid out by(a) his Department and (b) executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies and other organisations for which he is accountable to Parliament, to how many staff or former staff in respect of (i) alleged equal opportunities breaches which do not proceed to tribunals or courts and (ii) equal opportunities breaches which proceeded to tribunals or courts in (1) the current year and (2) the two previous years. [22508]

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The DTI, non-departmental public bodies and other organisations sponsored by the DTI—excluding those sponsored by the Office of Science and Technology and the DTI's executive agencies—for which I am accountable have not made any payments in respect of equal opportunities breaches over the past three years.

  The chief executives of DTI executive agencies will respond direct to the hon. Member.

  It would involve disproportionate cost to provide a response in respect of the NDPBs sponsored by OST.

  Letter from P. R. S. Hartnack to Mr. David Shaw, dated 28 March 1996:
  I am responding for the Patent Office to your question to the President of the Board of Trade about amounts of money paid out in respect of equal opportunities breaches. No money has been paid out by the Patent Office for alleged, or actual, breaches of equal opportunities legislation since the Office was established as an executive agency in 1990.

  Letter from D. Durham to Mr. David Shaw, dated 28 March 1996:
  You recently asked the President of the Board of Trade about amounts of money that have been paid out by Executive Agencies to staff because of alleged equal opportunities breaches whether or not they have been taken to tribunals or courts. I am replying as Chief Executive of Companies House.
  This Agency is very aware of its responsibilities under the equal opportunities regime and to date we have not had to make any such payments.

  Letter from Peter Joyce to Mr. David Shaw, dated 28 March 1996:
  The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to reply to your question concerning the payments made to existing and/or former members of staff in respect of alleged equal opportunities breaches which did not proceed to tribunals or courts and equal opportunities breaches which proceeded to tribunals or courts.
  The Insolvency Service assumed responsibility for matters relating to equal opportunities on 1 January 1995. Since that date no payments have been made to any person previously or currently employed by The Service in respect of equal opportunities breaches, alleged or otherwise.
  727
  Letter from Jim Norton to Mr. David Shaw, dated 28 March 1996:
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what amounts of money have been paid out to how many staff or former staff in respect of (i) alleged equal opportunities breaches which do not proceed to tribunals or courts and (ii) equal opportunities breaches which proceeded to tribunals or courts.
  The Radiocommunications Agency has not paid any money to any staff in respect of equal opportunities breaches.

  Letter from R. D. Worswick to Mr. David Shaw, dated 26 March 1996:
  The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to reply to your question about discrimination payments with respect to the Laboratory of the Government Chemist (LGC).
  LGC has not paid out, either in the current financial year or the two previous years, any money in respect of (i) alleged equal opportunities breaches which do not proceed to tribunals or courts and (ii) equal opportunities breaches which proceeded to tribunals or court.

  Letter from Seton Bennett to Mr. David Shaw, dated 28 March 1996:
  The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to reply on behalf of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory to your question about payments to staff or former staff in respect of equal opportunities breaches. I am pleased to be able to say that this Agency has not made any such payment, nor have we had any cases of alleged equal opportunities breaches in either of the categories in your question.

  Insolvency Practitioners
  Sir Peter Fry
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to increase the effectiveness of the monitoring of licensed insolvency practitioners. [22533]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  Officials are, and will continue to be, in close contact with the recognised professional bodies as part of the on-going development of monitoring of practitioners. In particular, there is in place a programme of visits by officials to the bodies to look at monitoring procedures and appropriate recommendations are made where there appears to be scope for improvement.

  Sir Peter Fry
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many licensed insolvency practitioners have had their licenses suspended or withdrawn in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [22534]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  The number of insolvency practitioners who have had their authorisations revoked or their application for renewal of their authorisation refused is as follows:728

  Year ended 31 December 1991: 1

  Year ended 31 December 1992: 0

  Year ended 31 December 1993: 2

  Year ended 31 December 1994: 8

  Year ended 31 December 1995: 11.

  Sir Peter Fry
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many licensed insolvency practitioners who have been subject to monitoring have been found not to have complied fully with the Insolvency Act 1986 and other related statutes; and how many such practitioners have had disciplinary action taken against them. [22535]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  This information is not maintained in this form.

  The monitoring of insolvency practitioners is undertaken in order to assist the authorising body in determining whether a practitioner is and continues to be fit and proper and to promote compliance not only with statutory obligations but with best practice.

  Where a failure in compliance is identified, this is reported and undertakings are sought where appropriate from the practitioner. The authorising body will consider whether further action is appropriate in more serious cases.

  Sir Peter Fry
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many licensed insolvency practitioners there are; and how many have had monitoring visits from the supervisory bodies in the last three years for which figures are available. [22536]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  As at 31 December 1995, there were 1,939 individuals authorised to act as insolvency practitioners.

  The figures show the number of monitoring visits to practitioners carried out by the recognised professional bodies and by officials on behalf of the Secretary of State. Some practitioners will have been visited on more than one occasions during the period in question.

  Year ended 31 December 1993: 199

  Year ended 31 December 1994: 459

  Year ended 31 December 1995: 527.

  Insolvency Service
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the areas of discussion between his Department and trade unions in the Insolvency Service during the period of consideration of contractorisation of the Insolvency Service. [22756]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  During the period from October 1994, when the Government announced their intention to pursue the study of the preferred contracting out option identified by consultants, to the announcement on 28 February 1996 of the outcome of the contracting-out study, the Insolvency Service had a number of meetings with the trade unions. The main areas of discussion were:Matters arising from the feasibility study report prepared by Stoy Hayward;
  Potential conflicts of interest and implications for insolvency practitioners;
  The possible application of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 in interviews with insolvents and other investigation implications;

  729
  The timetable for the exercise;
  Staffing matters, including the application of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981, equal opportunities, competencies, changes to terms and conditions of service and the practice of rotating specialist staff between vetting and investigations duties;
  Matters arising from the preparation of an enabling order, including consultation with officials receivers;
  The question of rights of audience for any successful contractor;
  Matters arising from the draft specification of requirements and subsequent invitation to tender;
  Management-employee buyouts;
  The possibility of pilot schemes;
  Matters connected with a residual service in the event of any contracting out;
  The benchmarking methodology used by the service; The identity of the final six bidders;
  Insider dealing;
  Provisional post-contracting out consultation arrangements.

  In addition, there was discussion of issues not related to the contracting out exercise including pay and grading, reporting standards, health and safety issues, the use of the service's dedicated IT systems, the user survey conducted by the service and the service's management information system for Ministers (resource) bids.

  EU Funding
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the projects approved and projects awaiting approval and their value in each region under rounds 1 and 2 of objective 2 programmes of the European regional development fund. [22826]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  A list of all ERDF projects approved and awaiting approval could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, and publication of the latter category would be in breach of commercial confidentiality.

  The ERDF projects which have been approved in the west midlands are

  Applicant

  Project title

  Grant (£)

  Birmingham City Council

  West Northfield Area Regeneration

  7,000.467

  Birmingham City Council

  Jewellery Quarter Resource Centre, Birmingham

  200.000

  Birmingham City Council

  Destination Marketing

  1,707.207

  Birmingham City Council

  Inward Investment Marketing Initiatives

  400.000

  Birmingham City Council

  Small Business Assistance Scheme

  2,165.000

  Birmingham City Council

  Aston Science Park Phase 7 Site

  1,754.958

  Birmingham Heartlands Development Corporation

  Central South Heartlands Star Site

  4,880.375

  Birmingham Settlement Ltd

  Business Debtline

  120.000.

  Birmingham TEC

  Creating a World Class Supplier Base in the WM

  5,840.000

  Birmingham Voluntary Service Council

  Voluntary Sector European Support Unit

  14.820

  730

  Applicant

  Project title

  Grant (£)

  Black Country Co-operative Development Agency Ltd

  Business Enterprise Development, Black Country

  251.000

  Black Country Development Corporation

  Small Industrial Units Development Package

  1,276.200

  Black Country Development Corporation

  Automotive Components Park Phase2 Infrastructure

  2,621.000

  Black Country Development

  BCSR Corridor Reclamation and Infrastructure

  3,404.000

  British Coal Enterprise Ltd.

  HEM Heath Enterprise Park

  913.000

  Cannock Chase Council

  Hednesford Brickworks Reclamation

  3,100.000

  CBSO Society Ltd.

  CBSO Centre

  750.000

  Coventry City Council

  Manufacturing Investment Programme

  122.200

  Coventry City Council

  Inward Investment Aftercare Programme and Network

  38.474

  Coventry City Council

  Loss Control Services to SME in Manufacturing

  193.600

  Coventry City Council

  World Class Manufacturing Programme

  187.000

  Coventry University

  Starting with an Advantage: Development and Pilot of GES

  345.016

  Coventry University

  Starting with an Advantage: Development and Pilot of GES

  1,639.760

  Dudley College of Technology

  Integrated Technological Man Systems Centre, Dudley

  96.800

  Dudley MBC

  Brierley Hill Town Centre Renewal

  189.500

  Dudley MBC

  Castle Gate/Infrastructure, Dudley

  3,722.337

  Dudley MBC

  Canal Based Regeneration

  755.910

  Dudley MBC

  Glass Quarter

  85.000

  Dudley MBC

  Invest in Dudley Bureau—(IDSS)

  148.500

  Dudley Training and Enterprise Council Ltd.

  Centre for Competitive Manufacturing (Revenue)

  198.721

  East Staffordshire Borough Council

  International Business Development Project, Burton on Trent

  67.000

  East Staffordshire Borough Council

  Canal Street—Small Industrial Units

  52.296

  Economic Development Partnership

  Post Start Business Support

  485.000

  Groundwork

  Environmental Management Scheme

  100.400

  Heart of England Tourist Board

  Themed Tourism Marketing Campaigns, HETB

  240.323

  Heart of England Tourist Board

  Tourism Enterprise Growth Support Services

  475.304

  Ikon Gallery

  New Premises for Ikon Gallery

  991.500

  Newcastle Borough Council

  Silverdale Small Firms Centre(Phase 1)

  282.000

  731

  Applicant

  Project title

  Grant (£)

  Rowley Regis College

  Advanced Technologyand Design Centre,Rowley Regis

  122.000

  Sandwell College of FE and HE

  The West Midlands Digital Imaging Centre, Sandwell

  212.070

  Sandwell Enterprise Limited

  Management Admin. of Financial Support Fund for SMEs

  19.635

  Sandwell Enterprise Limited

  Innovation Support Services—New and Indigenous Businesses

  9.900

  Sandwell MBC

  Technology Support and Innovation Project

  255.000

  Sandwell MBC

  Brook Street Business Centre Phase 2 and 3

  727.000

  Sandwell MBC

  Environmental Business Advice Project

  38.302

  Sandwell MBC

  Black Country Automotive Components Unit, Sandwell

  160.300

  Shropshire County Council

  Support for Small Businesses

  31.100

  Shropshire TEC

  Step into Innovation

  4.740

  South Staffordshire Council

  Hilton Cross Premium Peripheral Site

  400.000

  Staffordshire County Council

  Holditch: reclamation, access servicing and redevelopment

  2,500.000

  Staffordshire University

  Support for Innovation in Manufacturing

  49.700

  Stoke on Trent

  Trentham Lakes

  3,000.000

  Stoke on Trent City Council

  Etruria Valley

  3,500.000

  Stoke on Trent City Council

  Gladstone Environmental Improvements

  160.056

  Stoke on Trent City Council

  Burslem Resource and Exhibition Centre

  18.346

  The Institution of Electrical Engineers

  Kingston BIds. Birmingham

  817.200

  University of Birmingham,

  Environmental Research, Management and Technology

  105.500

  University of Birmingham

  Nanoscale Physics Research Centre, Birmingham

  560.000

  University of Birmingham

  Environment Research Man. And Technology, Birmingham

  120.000

  University of Central England in Birmingham

  A Research and Support Centre for Multi-Media

  585.000

  University of Central England in Birmingham

  A Research and Support Centre for Multi-Media

  325.000

  University of Warwick

  International Manufacturing centre phase 1, Warwick University

  890.500

  Walsall College of Arts and Technology

  Euro Design and Industrial Training Centre

  700.000

  Walsall MBC

  Advice for new and ethnic minority businesses, Walsall

  289.000

  Walsall MBC

  Pleck Gas Works

  1,650.000

  Walsall MBC

  Economic Regeneration

  370.600

  732

  Applicant

  Project title

  Grant (£)

  Initiative, Walsall

  Warwickshire County Council

  North Warwickshire Investment Campaign

  40.700

  West Midlands Enterprise Board Ltd.

  Loss Control Support for SMEs

  110.333

  West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive

  Midland Metro Line 1

  31,033.000

  West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive

  Dudley-Rugeley Railway Line

  1,062.500

  West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive

  Minor Rail Corridor improvement-6 Corridors

  1,156.562

  West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive

  Birmingham City Centre Rail Station improvements

  239.000

  Wolverhampton MBC

  Molineux Managed Workspace and Youth Enterprise Centre

  901.300

  Wolverhampton MBC

  Wolverhampton Privately Led Site Infrastructure Improvements

  725.000

  Wolverhampton MBC

  Springvale-site Preparation and Infrastructure

  2,250.000

  Wolverhampton MBC

  Clothing Centre Cadcam Enhancement

  69.600

  Wolverhampton MBC

  Environmental and Resource Management

  194.000

  Wolverhampton MBC

  Engineering Industry Development

  432.000

  Dr. Jones
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the administrative arrangements for objective 2 programmes of the European regional development fund. [22827]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  Structural funds objective 2 programmes are administered by the Government offices in England and by the Scottish and Welsh offices and the Government of Gibraltar.

  The programmes are monitored by monitoring committees in accordance with the Council regulations governing the funds and the requirements of single programming documents which set out the amounts, purposes and conditions of the grants.

  Military Exports (Indonesia)
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade on how many occasions export licences have been granted for the export of military, security or police equipment to Indonesia since 1987. [23025]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  It has been the policy of successive Administrations not to disclose details of applications for export licences unless the requirements of confidentiality are outweighed by the public interest.

  A statistical analysis of all export licences issued in 1995 has been placed in the Library of the House. A similar analysis for earlier years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
  733
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many export licences have been granted for the export or transhipment of anti-ambush grenades to Indonesia since 1988. [23029]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  Since the beginning of 1991—the point from which full records are readily available—there have been no licences issued for anti-ambush grenades to Indonesia.

  Information on earlier years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many export licences have been granted for the export or transhipment of anti-personnel fragmentation grenades to Indonesia since 1988. [230301

  Mr. Oppenheim
  Since the beginning of 1991—the point from which full records are readily available—there have been no licences issued for anti-personnel fragmentation grenades to Indonesia.

  Information on earlier years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Police and Security Equipment (Arabian Peninsula)
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what(a) funding and (b) authorisation his Department gave to the report "Police and Public Security Requirements for Equipment and Services in the Countries of the Arabian Peninsula", published in June 1994. [230311

  Mr. Oppenheim
  The report was partially funded through the export marketing research scheme under the terms and conditions applicable at the time for trade associations using the scheme for the first time-75 per cent. The report covered six countries in the Arabian peninsula and was restricted to marketing research only.

  The Department's role is to facilitate and encourage the use of export marketing research. It does not confer any "authorisation" to the result of that research.

  Goods with potential military or public order applications normally require an export licence. The Government's policy is not to permit the export of such goods which may be used for the purposes of internal repression.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much his Department has spent in total in answering parliamentary questions in each parliamentary Session since 1989–90. [22877]

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  My Department does not calculate the data requested, and they could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Competition Law
  Mr. Faber
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress he has made with issuing a consultation document on the reform of competition law. [24008]
  734
  Mr. John M. Taylor
  I have now issued the consultation document: "Tackling Cartels and the Abuse of Market Power: Implementing the Government's Policy for Competition Law reform." Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

  Director General of Telecommunications
  Mr. Faber
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he has yet received a report by the Director General of Telecommunications for the year 1995, as required under section 55 of the Telecommunications Act 1995. [24006]

  Mr. Ian Taylor
  Yes. The 12th report by the Director General of Telecommunications is being published today. It covers the period 1 January to 31 December 1995. Copies of the report have been laid before each House of Parliament.

  Firework-related Injuries
  Mr. Faber
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many fireworks-related injuries were referred to hospitals in the period around 5 November 1995; and if he will make a statement. [24007]

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  An analysis of the figures for 1995 and for the previous four years will be placed today in the Library of the House.

  Accident and emergency units in hospitals in Great Britain treated 1,530 people for injuries caused by fireworks, a decrease of 3 per cent. over the total reported for 1994. I am heartened that, despite the increases in sales of fireworks in recent times, we have seen a small reduction in the figures this year, and no fatalities. I believe this is in part due to the successful publicity campaign run by my Department and the fireworks industry, and planning for the 1996 fireworks safety campaign is already under way.

  Nevertheless, I am concerned that firework injuries remain near 1994 levels. Particularly worrying is that a third of the injuries appear to be due to illegal misuse.

  In addition, I am conscious of a number of wider concerns, illustrated by the representations my Department receives on the power and variety of fireworks now available to the general public and, in particular, growing concerns about whether the public should have access to types of fireworks which can cause particular distress to people and animals alike and have the potential to cause serious injury.

  In the light of these considerations, and mindful of the review of explosives legislation which the Health and Safety Executive is carrying out and which may have implications for fireworks, I believe the time is now right for a review of the effectiveness of both voluntary and legislative measures dealing with the availability of fireworks. Accordingly, I have asked my officials, working with those in other interested Departments, to put in hand such a review.

  I intend that we should seek views about the current controls on fireworks, and on possible ways in which such controls might be improved, from a wide range of interested groups and individuals. These consultations will take place during the summer.
  735

  Company Support (South-West)
  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total amount of financial support given by his Department to companies in the south-west in each of the last eight years; and how many companies received such financial support in each of those years. [20794]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  [holding answer 14 March 1996]: Financial support in the south-west under each of the Department's principal regional, enterprise and technology schemes is shown in the table. Companies may have received support under more than one scheme or have received more than one payment under the same scheme; the absolute number of companies receiving support in any one year could be established only at disproportionate cost.

  Regional Selective Assistance

  Year

  Number of payments

  Total amount paid £ million

  1988

  77

  3.054

  1989

  91

  4.733

  1990

  95

  5.035

  1991

  107

  6.324

  1992

  94

  4.346

  1993

  108

  6.016

  1994

  118

  7.058

  1995

  125

  7.470

  Regional Enterprise Grant

  Year

  Number of payments

  Total amount paid £ million

  1988

  9

  0.030

  1989

  70

  0.284

  1990

  134

  0.713

  1991

  161

  0.931

  1992

  136

  0.830

  1993

  124

  0.700

  1994

  110

  0.817

  1995

  105

  0.834

  Regional Development Grant Scheme II

  Year

  Number of payments

  Total amount paid £ million

  1988

  683

  6.929

  1989

  247

  2.906

  1990

  81

  2.391

  1991

  25

  0.363

  1992

  2

  0.003

  1993

  0

  0.000

  1994

  1

  0.209

  1995

  0

  0.000

  (Regional development grant scheme I closed in 1988, although relatively small volumes of payments continued after that date).

  Small firms Merit Award for Research and Technology

  Year

  Number of businesses

  Total amount paid £ million

  1988

  0

  0

  1989

  2

  0.075

  1990

  15

  0.575

  1991

  30

  1.228

  1992

  28

  1.205

  736

  Small firms Merit Award for Research and Technology

  Year

  Number of businesses

  Total amount paid £ million

  1993

  30

  1.466

  1994

  33

  1.487

  1995

  47

  1.790

  Support for Products under Research

  Year

  Number of businesses

  Total amount paid £ million

  1988

  0

  0

  1989

  0

  0

  1990

  0

  0

  1991

  0

  0

  1992

  1

  0.040

  1993

  4

  0.163

  1994

  9

  0.501

  1995

  18

  1.225

  Loan Guarantee Scheme

  Financial year

  Number of loan guarantees issued

  Total value of guarantees £ million

  1988–89

  213

  5.62

  1989–90

  350

  9.46

  1990–91

  389

  8.92

  1991–92

  472

  10.16

  1992–93

  373

  6.90

  1993–94

  617

  21.91

  1994–95

  959

  33.66

  1995–96 (to date)

  5681

  19.43

  Consultancy Assistance (closed to new applications from September 1994)

  Year

  Number of completed projects

  Total amount paid £ million

  1988–89

  15

  0.778

  1989–90

  1,181

  2.777

  1990–91

  1,028

  3.420

  1991–92

  1,183

  4.476

  1992–93

  903

  3.670

  1993–94

  840

  2.956

  1994–95

  361

  0.931

  1995–96

  n/a

  n.a

  1 n/a = not available.

  2 For RSA, REG, RDG and the enterprise initiative consultancy scheme the figures shown are of the number of payments made in any year. The same company may have received more than one payment in any year.

  3 For LGS, the figures shown are of the number of loans guaranteed. A company may have had more than one loan guaranteed.

  4 For EICS, the figures shown are of number of completed projects. Projects may have involved more than one payment. The total amount figures include the cost of initial business reviews which were free to companies. EICS payments were to the contractor consultants employed by DTI and not direct to companies who met the balance of the cost.

  Firearms
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many(a) handguns, (b) semi-automatic weapons and (c) automatic weapons were imported into the United Kingdom for non-military activity for each year since 1985; and if he will make a statement. [21713]
  737
  Mr. Oppenheim
  [holding answer 19 March 1996]: The information is not available because the system of classification under which United Kingdom trade is recorded does not separately identify handguns, semi-automatic and automatic weapons.

  The total figures are given:

  UK Imports of Non-MilitaryArms

  Year

  Number

  Year £000

  1985

  192,605

  12.578

  1986

  192,001

  16,093

  1987

  182,203

  16,438

  1988

  179,696

  13,584

  1989

  178,153

  14,986

  1990

  167,799

  14,504

  1991

  167,796

  13,081

  1992

  184,161

  11,753

  1993

  R

  12,657

  1994

  R

  13,845

  1995

  R

  15,599

  Notes:

  1. Non-Military arms are defined by heading 894.6 of the Standard International Trade Classification (Revision 2) for 1985–1987, and heading 891.3 of SITC (REV 3) for 1988–1995.

  R = Restricted due to commercial confidentiality.

  Source:

  Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom.

  Loan Guarantee Scheme
  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the value of the loan guaranteed by his Department to Queensbury International Ltd., Plymouth under the loan guarantee scheme in 1994. [22568]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  [holding answer 25 March 1996]: This information is commercially confidential between the Department and the lender.

  Merseyside Dock Dispute
  Mr. Parry
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the latest development at the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service in respect of the Merseyside dock dispute; and if he will make a statement. [22124]

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  [holding answer 26 March 1996]: I understand that the independent Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service is in touch with the parties and is available to become involved if both sides so wish.

  Departmental Secondment
  Mr. Caborn
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if, pursuant to his answer of 14 February,Official Report, columns 637–40, he will describe the role of those on temporary secondment to his Department through (a) the export promoter initiative and (b) the programme of interchange of staff with the private sector; and if he will state the duration of the secondments. [22789]

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  [holding answer 27 March 1996]: The role of individuals seconded into the Department as part of the export promoter initiative is to identify export opportunities and to advise UK companies on the best ways in which to pursue them. The role of individuals seconded
  738
  into the Department as part of the on-going programme of interchange of staff with the private sector varies according to the division in which they work. Details can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  The duration of export promoters' secondment is usually about two years. Other secondments vary in length, and are usually between one and three years.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Cyprus
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy in respect of the retention of(a) sovereign bases and (b) troops at sovereign bases in Cyprus. [230401

  Mr. Soames
  I have been asked to reply.

  Under the 1960 treaty concerning the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus—Cmnd. 1252—the United Kingdom retained two sovereign base areas at Akrotiri and Dhekelia for use solely as military bases. The bases and the associated garrisons provide facilities for strategic communications, including the major airfield at RAF Akrotiri, as well as hot weather training. We do not envisage any significant changes in the requirement for the sovereign base areas.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Consultations
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the oral statement by the Prime Minister on 28 February,Official Report, columns 900–12, if he will list the names of the Northern Ireland parties which are qualified to be involved in the intensive consultations beginning on Thursday 4 March; and if he will list the names of those parties with a mandate which have not been invited to participate in the consultations. [18931]

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  The following parties were involved in the intensive consultations announced in the Prime Minister's statement of 28 February 1996:the Alliance party of Northern Ireland, Democratic Left, Progressive Unionist party, Northern Ireland Conservative Association, Social Democratic and Labour party, Ulster Democratic Unionist Party, Ulster Democratic party, Ulster Unionist party, Workers' party and Mr. Robert McCartney QC MP.

  Because of the ending of the IRA ceasefire, Sinn Fein excluded itself from the consultation process and no other parties were invited to participate.

  Quangos
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations there are in Northern Ireland; and how many there were(a) five and (b) 10 years ago. [22441]
  739
  Sir John Wheeler
  The current number of quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations in Northern Ireland is 98. In 1990 and 1985 respectively, the number was 116 and 117.

  Sir Len Peach
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland by what means Sir Len Peach is informed that persons proposed for public appointments are the nominees of the Government of the Irish Republic; and how many such persons have been appointed to which posts since Sir Len Peach took up his office. [22138]

  Sir John Wheeler
  The role of Sir Len Peach as Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland is to monitor, regulate and approve departmental appointments procedures, to publish guidance for Departments on the new procedures they will be expected to follow in making public appointments from July of this year, and to produce a code of practice and an annual report. The commissioner will not be involved in the process of making any public appointments and will not, therefore, receive identifying information on persons proposed by the Irish Government. Departments' procedures will be subject to audit. In addition, the commissioner will be able to investigate and deal with complaints.

  Four persons proposed by the Irish Government have taken up public appointments since 18 December 1995, the date on which Sir Len Peach took up office. It is not my practice to publish details of individuals so appointed.

  Public Bodies
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money non-departmental public bodies in Northern Ireland distributed(a) in the last financial year, (b) five and (c) 10 years ago. [22437]

  Sir John Wheeler
  The information requested is as follows:

  1994–95: £208,054,987

  1989–90: £132,339,172

  1984–85: £241,383.006.

  Mr. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints concerning non—departmental public bodies have been received by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration in Northern Ireland in the last year for which figures are available; how many complaints were upheld; and what were the equivalent figures for(a) five and (b) ten years ago. [22439]

  Sir John Wheeler
  The Northern Ireland Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration investigates complaints of alleged injustice as a consequence of maladministration by Northern Ireland Departments, including their agencies, while the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Complaints investigates similar complaints against local and public bodies.

  In 1995, the Commissioner for Complaints received 291 complaints against non-departmental public bodies and, of these, 24 were upheld. The equivalent figures for five years ago and 10 years ago are as follows: 256 complaints received in 1990 of which seven were upheld; 338 complaints received in 1985 of which 10 were upheld.
  740
  Mr. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people sit on the boards of non-departmental public bodies in Northern Ireland; how many people are on more than one non-departmental public body; and if he will list the names of those sitting on more than one non-departmental public body indicating the organisations concerned. [22438]

  Sir John Wheeler
  The information requested by the right hon. Gentleman has been placed in the Library of the House.

  McBride Principle
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list those American-owned businesses in Northern Ireland which operate the McBride principle. [22158]

  Mr. Ancram
  This information is not held by the Government. It is a matter for the companies concerned.

  Marine Pollution
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish details of the measures taken in Northern Ireland following the recommendations of the 1995 world Government meeting on land-based sources of marine pollution; and if he will make a statement. [22232]

  Mr. Moss
  The UK delegation took a leading part in the conference organised by the UN Environment Programme in Washington DC on 23 October to 3 November 1995, which adopted the global programme of action for the protection of the marine environment from land-based activities. This programme of action reflects the approach being adopted throughout the United Kingdom, and by the other states in north-west Europe, to this task. Implementation in Northern Ireland will, therefore, be achieved by continuing our present policies.

  Equal Opportunities
  Mr. David Shaw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what amounts of money have been paid out by(a) his Department and (b) executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies and other organisations for which he is accountable to Parliament, to how many staff or former staff in respect of (i) alleged equal opportunities breaches which do not proceed to tribunals or courts and (ii) equal opportunities breaches which proceeded to tribunals or courts in (1) the current year and (2) the two previous years. [22505]

  Sir John Wheeler
  Within the Northern Ireland Office, Northern Ireland Department and their agencies, information in respect of alleged equal opportunities breaches which did not proceed to tribunals or courts is as follows:

  Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments

  (a) Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments

  (b) Next steps agencies

  1995–96

  Staff

  1

  —

  Amount (£)

  3,400

  —

  1994–95

  Staff

  2

  2

  Amount (£)

  11,500

  11,000

  741

  Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments

  (a) Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments

  (b) Next steps agencies

  1993–94

  Staff

  4

  —

  Amount (£)

  31,500

  —

  There have been no alleged equal opportunities breaches that have proceeded to a tribunal or court which have resulted in payment of a compensatory award.

  Information regarding non-departmental public bodies and other organisations is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Students
  Mr. Bryan Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the total assessed parental contribution to higher education student's maintenance awards. [22222]

  Mr. Ancram
  The total assessed parental contribution for 1994–95, the last complete year for which information is available, was £13.3 million.

  Special Educational Needs
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the current provision for children in Northern Ireland with special educational needs. [22557]

  Mr. Ancram
  A wide range of provision is available for children in Northern Ireland with statements of special educational needs.

  Education and library boards may place such children at special schools, at special education units attached to mainstream schools or in mainstream schools themselves. Special education may also be provided other than at grant-aided schools in Northern Ireland; such provision may, where appropriate, take the form of tuition in a hospital or at home, at an independent school in Northern Ireland or at an educational institution outside Northern Ireland.

  Teachers (Early Retirement)
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many teachers in Northern Ireland have taken premature retirement due to(a) ill-health and (b) other reasons in each of the past 10 years. [22561]

  Mr. Ancram
  The number of teachers who have taken premature retirement due to ill health and for other reasons in each of the last 10 years is set out in the table:

  Financial year

  Ill health retirements

  Other retirements

  1986–87

  58

  226

  1987–88

  82

  224

  1988–89

  70

  314

  1989–90

  105

  306

  1990–91

  103

  409

  1991–92

  85

  383

  1992–93

  115

  280

  1993–94

  136

  248

  1994–95

  159

  258

  1995–96

  191

  229

  Nursery Education
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many nursery places are currently available in Northern Ireland. [22591]

  Mr. Ancram
  A total of 6,600 full-time equivalent places are available at grant-aided nursery schools and nursery units attached to grant-aided primary schools.

  Department of Finance and Personnel
  Mr. Nigel Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in establishing the social and statistics division of the Department of Finance and Personnel as a next steps agency. [23319]

  Sir John Wheeler
  The social and statistics division of the Department of Finance and Personnel, including the census office and general register office, will be established as an executive agency on 1 April 1996. It will be known as the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

  I have set a number of key performance targets for the agency to achieve in its first year. These are as follows:

  85 per cent. of key Government users of the agency surveyed rating its overall service as satisfactory or better;

  80 per cent. of registered non-Government users of the agency surveyed rating its overall service as satisfactory or better;

  to produce at least 40 statistical publications;

  to process 95 per cent. of general register office postal and personal applications within eight and three working days respectively;

  to reduce by 2 per cent. the unit cost of producing certificates by the general register office;

  to achieve a minimum 3 per cent. efficiency saving.

  Copies of the framework document, which sets out the terms within which the agency will operate, will be placed in the Library, along with its first corporate and business plan.

  Accident and Emergency Services
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patients each hospital trust is contracted to treat in accident and emergency in the Eastern health and social services board area; how many each treated in accident and emergency in the last year for which figures are available; and what was the percentage difference from contract in each case. [22921]

  Mr. Moss
  Contracts for accident and emergency services do not specify the number of patients to be treated, as such services are demand led. However, some contracts may include indicative figures based on the number of patients treated in the previous year. These may in some cases be used as a basis for renegotiating contract values during the year.

  The number of actual attendances at accident and emergency departments at each of the hospital trusts in the Eastern board area in 1994–95 were as follows:

  743

  Number

  Belfast City Hospital HSS trust

  51,036

  Ulster, North Down and Ards Hospitals HSS trust

  80,281

  Royal Group of Hospitals HSS trust

  105,462

  Down Lisburn HSS trust

  53,470

  Mater Infirmorum Hospital HSS trust

  42,491

  Births
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many births occurred in each of the last five years in each health and social services board area; and what this was as a percentage of the total population in each area. [22922]

  Sir John Wheeler
  The general register office for Northern Ireland collects information on the population and the number of births occurring in each of the district council areas in Northern Ireland. The figures have been aggregated for each of the four health and social services board areas.

  As the most recent information available is for 1994, the data requested are as follows:

  Live births occurring in each area

  Health and social services board area

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  1994

  Eastern

  10,133

  10,273

  9,888

  9,511

  9,179

  Northern

  6,196

  6,038

  6,052

  5,918

  5,881

  Southern

  5,301

  5,248

  5,007

  4,844

  4,868

  Western

  4,869

  4,706

  4,625

  4,636

  4,361

  Northern Ireland

  26,499

  26,265

  25,572

  24,909

  24,289

  Live births occurring in each area as a percentage of the total population in each area

  Health and Social Services Board Area

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  1994

  Eastern

  1.56

  1.57

  1.5

  1.43

  1.38

  Northern

  1.57

  1.52

  1.5

  1.46

  1.44

  Southern

  1.86

  1.82

  1.72

  1.65

  1.64

  Western

  1.87

  1.79

  1.74

  1.73

  1.62

  Northern Ireland

  1.67

  1.64

  1.58

  1.53

  1.48

  Family Planning
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the spending on the provision of family planning services in each health and social services area in the last year for which figures are available. [22923]

  Mr. Moss
  Health and personal social services providers spent £1,537,770 on the provision of family planning services in the 1994–95 financial year.

  The breakdown over health and social services areas is given in the table.

  Family planning services expenditure 1994–95

  Area

  Expenditure £

  Northern board

  189,759

  Southern board

  249,447

  744

  Family planning services expenditure 1994–95

  Area

  Expenditure£

  Eastern board

  891,667

  Western board

  206,897

  Total

  1,537,770

  EC (Civil Service Employment)
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the implications of the European Communities (Employment in Civil Service) Order 1991 for a person born and resident in Northern Ireland but holding a passport issued by the Republic of Ireland in respect of employment in the Northern Ireland civil service; and if he will list all the posts and departmental agencies to which the order applies. [22925]

  Sir John Wheeler
  Persons born and resident in Northern Ireland, but holding a passport issued by the Republic of Ireland, provided they still hold British nationality, are eligible for employment in any post in the Northern Ireland civil service in the same way as any other British national. Those who surrender British nationality in favour of Irish citizenship come within the ambit of the European Communities (Employment in the Civil Service) Order 1991 and are eligible, with nationals of other EC-now EEA since the European Economic Area Act 1993-member states and certain members of their families, for appointment to approximately 24,500 posts in the Northern Ireland civil service, or 75 per cent. which do not constitute "employment in the public service" in EC treaty terms. The posts in question are spread across all Northern Ireland Departments and the Northern Ireland Office and their agencies and could be listed only at disproportionate cost.

  A8
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the Department of the Environment Northern Ireland roads service plans for upgrading the A8 from Gingles corner, Larne, to Corrs corner. [21025]

  Mr. Moss
  [holding answer 18 March 1996]: Proposals for the upgrading of the A8 Larne to Belfast road are included in the Department's six to 15-year major road works programme where their priority will be determined as part of a detailed review to be completed later this year.

HEALTH

  Pharmacists
  Mr. Pearson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish his Department's calculations of the working capital requirements for pharmacists; and what have been the changes to the calculated requirements since 1989. [19209]

  Mr. Malone
  Updating the results of the previous cost enquiries gives a working capital for the median pharmacy of £22,533 in 1989–90 and £35,741 in 1994–95. The cost of servicing working capital is dependent on variations in interest rates.

  NHS Managers and Clinicians
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by health authority the numbers and amounts of irregular special payments made to NHS managers and clinicians in each of the last three years. [19663]

  Mr. Malone
  I refer the hon. Member to the Comptroller and Auditor General's reports on the NHS summarised accounts for England for 1994–95, 1993–94 and 1992–93, his report on the inquiry commissioned by the NHS chief executive into matters concerning the former Yorkshire regional health authority and the Department of Health appropriation accounts for 1994–95, 1993–94 and 1992–93, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Adoption
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received about the directive on adoption issued by his Department to directors of social services on 1 February; and if he will make a statement. [22236]

  Mr. Bowis
  The Department has received three letters, two of which were from voluntary adoption agencies, following the issue of the guidance on adoption matters on 1 February. A response to these will be sent shortly.

  NHS Staff
  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what remedies are available to(a) himself, (b) the NHS chief executive and (c) chief officers of local health service bodies, to recover money wrongly paid to NHS employees when they (i) change employer within the NHS or (ii) leave the employ of the NHS. [22738]

  Mr. Malone
  Each national health service trust or health authority is an independent statutory body for the purposes of employment law. Chief officers of health service bodies have the normal remedies in law available to them to recover moneys wrongly paid to their employees, whether they are now employed by another NHS body or have left the employ of the NHS. Neither my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health nor the chief executive employ NHS staff.

  Estates Officers
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many NHS estates officers have been made redundant in the last five years; and what has been the cost of the redundancy packages involved for these officers; [22887]

  (2) how many estates officers are currently employed in the NHS; and what was the equivalent figure five years ago. [22886]

  Mr. Malone
  Information on the numbers of estates officers made redundant and the costs involved is not available centrally. The Department of Health's annual hospital and community health services non-medical work force census collects information on the number of estates officers—known in the census as works staff—employed by the HCHS. Census results for September 1994, the latest year for which figures are available, and earlier 746
  years are published in the Department of Health's NHS HCHS non—medical work force census statistical bulletin 1984–1994, which is available in the Library.

  NHS Maintenance
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the latest figures for the backlog of maintenance work in the NHS. [22888]

  Mr. Horam
  The latest figures collected relating to backlog maintenance are for the year ending 31 March 1995. These total £2.32 billion for all buildings in the national health service estate.

  Information
  Mr. Miller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if patient consent is required before identifiable health information held by his Department is shared with other Government Departments. [22911]

  Mr. Horam
  The Department of Health does not routinely hold information about individual patients. The sharing of any such information is covered by the Department's guidance, "The Protection and Use of Patient Information", published on 7 March, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Tuberculosis
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new cases of tuberculosis were identified in each of the last three years; what steps his Department is taking to reduce the incidence; and what evidence his Department has evaluated in respect of the emergence of drug-resistant forms. [22893]

  Mr. Horam
  The numbers of notifications of cases of tuberculosis—excluding chemoprophylaxis—in England in each of the last three years are shown in the table.

  Year

  Number of notifications

  1993

  5,721

  1994

  5,409

  1995 (provisional)

  5,426

  Source:

  OPCS.

  The table lists notifications made during a single year, it does not show when infection occurred.

  The United Kingdom has an excellent record of tuberculosis control. This has been achieved and maintained through treatment of identified cases and screening of their close contacts, screening and treatment for immigrants, the BCG immunisation programme and active surveillance of TB.

  In response to the small rise in tuberculosis notifications in the early 1990s, the United Kingdom health departments set up an interdepartmental working group on tuberculosis with a remit to consider policies for TB control in the UK and to recommend best practice. The first reports from the working group, which are entitled "Recommendations for the Prevention and Control of Tuberculosis in Districts" and "Tuberculosis and Homeless People", will be published shortly and copies will be placed in the Library.
  747
  The public health laboratory service has heightened surveillance of drug-resistant tuberculosis which remains at low levels in the UK. An expert working group has been set up under the interdepartmental working group on tuberculosis to make specific recommendations for the prevention and control of drug-resistant tuberculosis based on all the available evidence.

  Asthma
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make asthma a notifiable disease. [22953]

  Mr. Horam
  No. Asthma is not infectious or otherwise communicable. It would not be appropriate to make it a notifiable disease.

  NHS Trusts
  Mr. Timms
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proposals he has to reflect more fully the costs of(a) homelessness and (b) working with patients with a poor knowledge of English in the funding of NHS trusts; [23344]

  (2) what plans he has to introduce needs weighting to the community element of the NHS weighted capitations formula. [23381]

  Mr. Horam
  The formula takes account of the officially homeless in temporary accommodation and from 1996–97, health authority allocations reflect a new adjustment to take account of homeless "rough sleepers."

  A study is being undertaken to look at unavoidable variations in provider costs, including those associated with treating patients from ethnic minorities, with the intention of reflecting such variations in health authority allocations. Work is also in hand to develop a needs weighting for community health services and it may be possible to have an interim needs weighting available to inform 1997–98 allocations.

  North Tees General Hospital
  Mr. Frank Cook
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies there are for(a) nurses, (b) junior doctors, (c) middle-range doctors and (d) consultants at North Tees general hospital, Stockton on Tees; if his Department is meeting patient charter requirements for waiting times in accident and emergency; and if he will make a statement about the future of accident and emergency services at the hospital. [23303]

  Mr. Horam
  Vacancies for nurses, junior doctors, middle-range doctors and consultants at North Tees general hospital are a matter for North Tees Health national health service trust. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mrs. Judyth Graham-Bowman, chairman of the trust, for details.

  Details of the proportion of patients assessed within five minutes of arrival in accident and emergency departments are contained in the NHS performance guide 1994–95, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Accident and emergency services on Teeside are a matter for Tees health authority. The hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman of the authority, Mr. Tom O'Connor, for details.

  Adoption Bill
  Mr. Deva
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements he has to publish the Adoption Bill for England and Wales; and if he will make a statement. [24067]

  Mr. Bowis
  I am pleased to announce that the Adoption Bill has been published today in the form of a consultation document and is being distributed widely. Copies will be placed in the Library. Comments on the content of the Bill will be welcome and three months will be allowed for this.

  Committee on Safety of Medicines
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 11 December,Official Report, column 522, if Dr. Janet Derbyshire, Professor Michael Rawlins or Professor Michael Langman were present at the meeting of the Committee on Safety of Medicines held on 13 October 1995. [22525]

  Mr. Malone
  Proceedings of the committee are confidential.

  Mr. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 14 December,Official Report, column 811, how many orders under schedule 1 to the Medicines Act 1968 have been made with respect to sub-committees of advisory committees set up under the terms of section 4 of the Medicines Act 1968; and if ministerial approval has been given for the establishment of any sub-committee of the Committee on Safety of Medicines as provided for by (a) regulation 6 of the Medicines Commission and Committee Regulations 1970 and (b) paragraph 1(c) of schedule 1 to the Medicines Act 1968. [22526]

  Mr. Malone
  Schedule 1 to the Medicines Act 1968 does not contain any power to make orders but I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) on 14 December 1995 at column 811, which stated that one set of regulations has been made under that schedule.

  Ministers have approved the establishment of each of the three sub-committees of the Committee on Safety of Medicines as required by regulation 6(1) of those regulations.

  Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what have been the levels of expenditure in 1996 prices of Government-sponsored medical research into the incidence of(a) scrapie in sheep, (b) BSE in cattle and (c) Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans for each five-yearly period since 1970; and if he will provide a breakdown of that research with regard to (i) epidemiological and (ii) neuro-pathological studies. [23369]

  Mr. Horam
  The Government have carried out extensive veterinary and basis biological research on the epidemiology of scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Much of this work has been done at the Central Veterinary Laboratory and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council's—formerly the Agricultural Food Research Council's—Institute of Animal Health. Details of the funding of this work broken down in the way requested for the years specified would
  749
  be available only at disproportionate cost. However, from 1991 to the present, the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food has spent about £20 million on research in these areas.

  The Department of Health had provided £809,0001 for epidemiological studies and £658,0001 for neuropathological studies in relation to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease—CJD—in the period covering the financial years 1990–91 to 1995–96. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 20 March, the Department is making an additional £4.5 million available for further research.

  The Medical Research Council contributes approximately £600,000 per year to the core costs of the joint Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council—BBSRC/MRC—neuropathogenesis unit which carries out research related to the epidemiology and neuropathology of CJD. In addition, the MRC awarded the national CJD unit £229,000 in January 1993 for a two-year study to investigate the prion protein in human spongiform encephalopathies. The MRC also awarded the NPU £274,000 in March 1994 for a three-year study to investigate the strain characterisation of the CJD agent by transmission to mice. The MRC funded a project in the 1980s on the epidemiology of CJD, risk factors and person to person transmission. Further information from the MRC could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  1 Expenditure expressed in 1996 prices.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease have been detected in each European country in each of the last 10 years; and how many people are estimated to have died in each country in each of the last 10 years as a result of this disease. [23196]

  Mr. Horam
  Since 1993, the European Community has funded a project to co-ordinate the surveillance of Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease in those European countries with existing or proposed national CJD surveillance programmes, that is, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. This project is co-ordinated by the national CJD surveillance unit in Edinburgh. The data collected for 1993 and 1994 were published in the national CJD surveillance unit's fourth annual report in August 1995, copies of which have been placed in the Library. The incidence of CJD in the UK is similar to that in the other European countries taking part in the project. The figures for 1995 are not yet available.

  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health further to his oral statement of 20 March,Official Report, column 378, that the facts upon which the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee based its deliberations would be made public, if he will set out which journals and on what dates each paper will be published. [23206]

  Mr. Horam
  Arrangements are in hand to publish the evidence about a previously unrecognised form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in a scientific journal as soon as is practicable.

  Public Bodies
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those of his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which(a) the
  750
  Government are required to consult prior to legislative proposals and (b) the Government are required to publish their response to advice supplied by them. [218581

  Mr. Horam
  [holding answer 21 March 1996]: The Government are required to:

  Consult the following advisory non-departmental public bodies prior to legislative proposals:

  Committee on the Safety of Medicines;

  Medicines Commission;

  Publish its response to advice supplied by advisory non-departmental public bodies:

  none.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Common Agricultural Policy
  Mr. David Atkinson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the external factors which will require common agricultural policy reform. [21614]

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The current general agreement on tariffs and trade constraints, particularly on subsidised exports, will require reform of CAP regimes in due course to prevent re-emergence of unsaleable food surpluses. World Trade Organisation negotiations designed to take forward the process of reducing subsidies and protection, due to start in 1999, and enlargement of the EU will intensify the pressures for reform.

  Mr. Dykes
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to ensure that common agricultural policy reform is addressed by the Commission. [216161

  Mrs. Gorman
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list those elements of the common agricultural policy which he has assessed as requiring to be reformed. [21622]

  Mr. Baldry
  I refer my hon. Friends to the answer that my right hon. and learned Friend gave today to the hon. Member for Bradford, South (Mr. Sutcliffe).

  Sea Bass
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to preserve the breeding stocks of sea bass. [21615]

  Mr. Baldry
  Recent estimates indicate a substantial increase in the size of the bass stock since conservation measures were introduced in 1990, with possibly as much as a doubling of the resource in the eastern English channel, which includes the waters around the Isle of Wight.

  Welsh Lamb
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations were made to the European Commission by his Department to have Welsh lamb designated as a regional product. [216181

  Mrs. Browning
  None, but we have received a couple of applications in the last few weeks for Welsh meat and my officials are actively discussing these with the applicants.

  I should add that when I visit food fairs and exhibitions abroad, I lose no opportunity to promote and point out the unique qualities of Welsh lamb, which I do to a receptive audience.

  Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances
  Mr. Nicholls
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has received concerning the level of hill livestock compensatory allowance. [21619]

  Mr. Boswell
  I receive many representations concerning the levels of hill livestock compensatory allowances.

  Battery Cage Systems
  Mr. Ashby
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he is taking to instigate a review of the welfare of chickens in battery cage systems within the Council of Ministers. [21621]

  Mrs. Browning
  I have pressed the European Commission to update the scientific assessment prepared in 1992 and to bring forward proposals to the Council. The Commission has responded by setting the Scientific Veterinary Committee to work.

  Fisheries Policy
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on fisheries policy. [21623]

  Mr. Baldry
  The Government's policy is to promote more efficient and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources to benefit both the UK industry and the marine environment.

  Countryside Stewardship Scheme
  Sir Michael Shersby
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to expand the countryside stewardship scheme. [21624]

  Mr. Boswell
  When the scheme transfers to the Ministry on 1 April, it will be considerably expanded to become the main incentive scheme for the wider countryside outside environmentally sensitive areas. We have substantially increased funding for the scheme, enabling new agreements costing £5 million annually to be approved in each of the next two financial years. We will expand the existing priority landscapes and features to cover all old meadows and pastures on neutral and acid soils in England, stone walls and banks throughout England, and arable field margins. We consulted widely on our detailed proposals by issuing a consultation paper on 8 December.

  Animal Welfare
  Mr. Deva
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has to add a protocol on animal welfare to the treaty of Rome; and what has been the response of animal welfare groups in the United Kingdom. [21625]

  Mrs. Browning
  The White Paper "A Partnership of Nations" published on 12 March confirmed our intention to propose that a protocol be added to the treaty of Rome placing an obligation on the Council of Ministers to give full regard to considerations of animal welfare in the exercise of its powers on agriculture, transport, research and the single market.

  Southall Horse Market
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the current tethering, watering, feeding and demonstration arrangements at the Southall horse market; and if he will make a statement. [21626]

  Mrs. Browning
  Ministry officials regularly visit the market to assess compliance with the Welfare of Horses at Markets (and Other Places of Sale) Order 1990. No problems were reported on the most recent visit to the market.

  Common Fisheries Policy
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, when he last met representatives of the fishing industry, they discussed matters relating to the common fisheries policy and fish stock conservation; and if he will make a statement. [21627]

  Mr. Baldry
  I last met representatives of the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations and of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation on 14 March. We discussed a range of matters relating to the common fisheries policy and fish stock conservation.

  Agricultural Wages Board
  Mr. MacShane
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the impact on the agriculture industry of pay settlements agreed by the agricultural wages board; and if he will make a statement. [21628]

  Mr. Boswell
  Following each pay settlement, the Ministry makes an assessment of the overall cost to the agricultural industry. We also commission more detailed, and external, studies from time to time. The most recent study was carried out by the London school of economics in 1993. This considered the overall impact of minimum wages on employment in the agricultural industry, as part of our wider review of the operation of the agricultural wages board. A copy of this study was placed in the Library of the House in July 1994.

  Horticulture Industry
  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what studies he has conducted into the impact of enlargement of the European Union on the British horticulture industry. [21629]
  753
  Mr. Boswell
  The enlargement of the European Union will present challenges and opportunities to the British horticulture industry. Its impact will, as for other sectors, depend on a number of factors including economic developments in the industry, the policies pursued both here and in the prospective new member states in the pre-accession period and the arrangements for horticultural products agreed during the enlargement negotiations. The European Council in Madrid has requested the Commission further to evaluate the effects of enlargement on Community agricultural policies and these reports will be reviewed at its next meetings.

  Live Animal Transport
  Dr. Spink
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he plans to take to improve the welfare of farm animals during transportation. [21630]

  Mrs. Browning
  We are currently engaged, in consultation with all organisations with an interest, in developing our plans for implementing the improved welfare requirements laid down by EU directive 95/29 on the protection of animals during transport.

  Hedgerows and Headlands
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice he has given to farmers regarding the preservation of hedgerows and headlands. [21620]

  Mr. Boswell
  The preservation of hedges and headlands is given priority under relevant agri-environment schemes and during free on-farm conservation visits.

  Food Processing
  Mr. Hawkins
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the food processing sector in(a) the Untied Kingdom and (b) other EU member states. [21605]

  Mrs. Browning
  The food and drink manufacturing industry contributes nearly 3 per cent. to gross domestic product. The value added by the industry—at about £14 billion—is the second largest among EU member states.

  Research Establishments
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which former public sector research establishments in his Department have been privatised since 1979; and which public sector research establishments in his Department are currently undergoing reviews with a view to placing them in the private sector. [21951]

  Mr. Boswell
  There have been no such establishments privatised during the period in question. As regards on-going reviews, I refer the hon. Member to the timetable of prior options reviews outlined by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade in his reply on 26 January,Official Report, columns 421–23. Each review will address the relationship of establishments to others working in similar or related fields and consider, among other things, the potential for privatisation or rationalisation.

  Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Abattoir Workers)
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what safeguards have been introduced to protect abattoir workers from the risk of infection by the BSE virus; when these safeguards were introduced; and how they are monitored and enforced. [21661]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  I have been asked to reply.

  Guidance for abattoir workers recommending the precautions to be taken to avoid the remote risk of transmission of BSE from bovine carcases was first issued in March 1990. The guidance was prepared by the Health and Safety Executive in co-operation and with the endorsement of the Department of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and was published by the British Meat Manufacturing Association.

  No cases of occupational transmission to humans have been identified. However, following the statement by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health to the House on 20 March, Official Report, columns 375–86, the HSE has asked the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens to review the guidance which has been issued to all occupational groups, including abattoir workers.

  Inspection of abattoirs with regard to all aspects of human health and safety is the responsibility of HSE inspectors. The Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 and regulations made under it apply.

  Greenwich Hospital Site: Future
  Greenwich Hospital Site: Future
  Intelligence and Security Committee: Report
  Intelligence and Security Committee: Report
  Environment Agency: Charging Schemes
  Environment Agency: Charging Schemes
  Public Path Orders: Recovery of Costs
  Public Path Orders: Recovery of Costs
  Offshore Installations: Safety Legislation
  Offshore Installations: Safety Legislation
  Asylum Seekers: Appeals
  Asylum Seekers: Appeals
  War Crimes Act 1991
  War Crimes Act 1991
  Single Parents: Benefits
  Single Parents: Benefits
  Liable Relatives and Income Support
  Liable Relatives and Income Support
  Asylum and Immigration
  Asylum and Immigration
  Elimination of Racial Discrimination: Recommendations
  Elimination of Racial Discrimination: Recommendations
  Competition Law: Consultation Document
  Competition Law: Consultation Document
  France—Gibraltar—Morocco Air Service
  France—Gibraltar—Morocco Air Service
  Transport Council, 11th March
  Transport Council, 11th March
  East London Line
  East London Line
  Search and Rescue Helicopter, Portland
  Search and Rescue Helicopter, Portland
  Hannah Research and Moredun Research Institutes: Review
  Hannah Research and Moredun Research Institutes: Review
  Common Fisheries Policy and the IGC
  Common Fisheries Policy and the IGC
  Nitrate Vulnerable Zones: Grant Scheme
  Nitrate Vulnerable Zones: Grant Scheme
  South West Objective 5(b) Area: Projects
  South West Objective 5(b) Area: Projects