Written Answers of 18 November 1996

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Ethnic Minorities
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what funding has been made available under section 11 in each year since 1995; what funding provision has been made for(a) 1996–97 and (b) 1997–98; how many section 11 teachers are currently employed; and what estimate he has made of the number of section 11 teachers who will be employed in 1997–98; [4077]

  (2) what representations his Department has received regarding (a) delays in announcing the future of section 11 funding, (b) reductions in section 11 teachers and (c) the role of section 11 for raising achievement levels among pupils with English as a second language. [4076]

  Mr. Kirkhope
  Not all the information requested is available.

  In 1995–96, Home Office expenditure-not including projects transferred to the single regeneration budget-under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 was £54 million. Current provision for 1996–97 is £58 million. The number of approved posts specifically designated as to be filled by qualified teachers is currently 3,750 in full-time equivalent terms.

  In recent months, we have received a substantial number of representations, in writing or by telephone, which sought information about the funding position from next April onwards, and urged that there should be no reduction in current levels of funding.

  On 13 November, Official Report, column 242, I announced that, despite other pressures on public expenditure, the current overall level of funding would be maintained until 31 August 1998. This will include projects originally approved under section 11 but at present funded under the single regeneration budget. Subject to a very small number of changes related to current projects for which alternative funding has already been secured, or which were not intended to be funded beyond next March, we would expect the number of approved posts to remain much the same.

  Television Licences
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been imprisoned in 1996 to date for defaulting on a fine arising from their non-payment of television licences; what was the figure for the same period in 1995; and what assessment he has made of the use of imprisonment in respect of television licence fee evaders. [2743]
  386
  Miss Widdecombe
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. Dafydd Wigley, dated 18 November 1996:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking, how many people have been imprisoned in 1996 to date for defaulting on a fine arising from their non-payment of television licences; for the figure for the same period in 1995; and for an assessment of the use of imprisonment in respect of television licence fee evaders.
  Provisional information for the period January to September 1996 shows that 262 people were received into prison for defaulting on a fine after conviction for using a television without a licence. This is against 599 received during the same period in 1995, indicating a significant drop in the use of imprisonment.

  Juvenile Criminal Justice System
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the juvenile criminal justice system. [2873]

  Mr. Maclean
  The Government have introduced a number of measures to improve the juvenile criminal justice system. These include strengthening the courts' powers for dealing with young offenders by increasing maximum sentence for youth custody for 15 to 17-year-olds, by introducing long periods of detention for 10 to 13-year-olds for serious offences and providing a new sentence for persistent 12 to 14-year-old offenders.

  New standards have been introduced for the supervision of young offenders in the community, as well as new criteria for cautioning. Amendments to the Crime (Sentences) Bill will pave the way for extending electronic monitoring of curfew orders to 10 to 15-year-olds, and giving youth courts the discretion to allow identification of juveniles convicted of an offence.

  In addition, the Government will be publishing shortly a Green Paper on preventing young people most at risk of offending from becoming involved in crime.

  Passport Checks
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department from which countries passengers arriving in the United Kingdom are asked for their passports in the walkway immediately upon leaving the aircraft. [4769]

  Mr. Kirkhope
  Passengers from any country may be subject to checks by immigration officers stationed at the exit from the aircraft.

  Gambling Legislation
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which London borough councils in the docklands area he consulted before issuing his proposals published on 12 November for modifications of gambling legislation in selected areas in England and Wales; and what additional statutory provisions relating to defining the selected areas and specifying the regulations applying to them he plans when implementing these proposals. [4703]
  387
  Mr. Kirkhope
  Our first consultation paper on casinos, published in February 1996, did not propose casino permitted area status for docklands.

  We subsequently added them to the proposed list in our second consultation paper in the light of representations from the London borough of Tower Hamlets and other local interests.

  We have sought views on our fresh proposals from relevant local authorities including the London boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Newham, and have sent a copy to Southwark.

  We will reach final decisions on the choice of new permitted areas and the statutory provisions after the consultation period finishes on 31 January.

ENVIRONMENT

  EDS Ltd.
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many contracts his Department, agencies and associated bodies have had with EDS for each year since 1985; what was the value of each contract; if he will indicate for each contract(a) if it was completed, (b) what modifications were made at the request of (i) the company and (ii) the Department and (c) if work under contract is being undertaken in-house; and if he will make a statement on the number of job reductions in his Department arising from the contracting out of work by EDS. [3797]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  My Department currently has no contracts with EDS. Information on contracts completed prior to 1995 together with full information on the Department's agencies and associated bodies is obtainable only at disproportionate cost.

  The following contracts were completed in 1995:

  Year of inception

  Contract value£

  Modifications

  1992

  358,000

  Three—one at the company's request and two at DOE's request

  1995

  30,000

  None

  1995

  6,000

  None

  No job reductions resulted as the contracts did not cover in-house tasks that were being outsourced.

  Marine Environmental Pollution
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the European Community directives relating to the requirement to carry out(a) environmental impact assessments and (b) environmental audits, applying to areas of the seabed between member states of the European Union in circumstances where states assess environmental contamination may have arisen in a specific location. [3834]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  There are no EC directives requiring either environmental impact assessment or environmental audit for the seabed between member states 388
  in the specific circumstances where member states assess that environmental contamination of that seabed may have occurred.

  European Union (Labour Conditions)
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the European Union member countries by order of(a) fatality rate of workers and (b) maximum working hours. [4110]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  The latest available information is given in the following tables:

  (a) Fatality rates per 100,000 employees/self-employed

  Country

  Year

  Fatality rate

  Netherlands

  1991

  0·80

  Great Britain

  1993

  1·20

  Finland

  1993

  2·00

  Denmark

  1992

  2·50

  Germany1

  1992

  3·00

  Greece

  1992

  3·30

  Belgium

  1992

  3·60

  France1

  1993

  3·90

  Ireland

  1992

  4·00

  Spain1

  1993

  4·90

  Italy1

  1991

  5·70

  Portugal

  1992

  5·70

  Sources:

  HSE Study1 and Statistical Office of the European Commission.

  (b) Statutory maximum hours

  Country

  Statutory maximum hours

  UK

  None

  Denmark

  None

  France

  39.00

  Austria

  40.00

  Belgium

  40.00

  Finland

  40.00

  Greece

  40.00

  Luxembourg

  40.00

  Spain

  40.00

  Sweden

  40.00

  Portugal

  44.00

  Germany

  48.00

  Ireland

  48.00

  Italy

  48.00

  Netherlands

  48.00

  Source:

  Employment Observatory Tableau de Bord 1995, European Commission.

  Planning Appeals
  Sir Dudley Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average current period taken for the consideration of planning appeals; and what assessment he has made of the manpower levels of the Planning Inspectorate. [4119]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  Responsibility for the provision of information on performance on the processing of planning appeals has been delegated to the Planning Inspectorate under its chief executive Mr. Chris Shepley. The agency is therefore responding to the question.
  389
  Letter from J. Greenfield to Sir Dudley Smith, dated 15 November 1996:
  The Secretary of State for the Environment has asked me to reply to your Question about the time taken to process planning appeals and the assessment of manpower levels in the Inspectorate.
  Inspectors determine planning appeals by one of three procedures: written representations; hearing; and public inquiry. The time in weeks to determine 80 per cent of appeals by each procedure for the period 1 April to 30 September 1996 is shown in the table below:

  Procedure

  Time to determine 80 per cent. of appeals (weeks)

  Written representations

  25

  Hearing

  46

  Public inquiry

  56

  The agency has been set the target of achieving a significant improvement in performance handling planning appeals over the three years ending in March 1999. To achieve the level of performance required and keep abreast of the agency's other work, 33 inspectors were recruited in 1995 and a further 31 this year.

  Freedom of the Cities and Trust Councils Initiatives
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the documents published by his Department relating to the(a) freedom of the cities and (b) trust councils initiatives. [4121]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  There are no such documents.

  Health and Safety
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many official speeches he has made specifically on health and safety since his Department took over responsibilities of the Health and Safety Executive. [4122]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  My right hon. Friend is responsible for a very wide range of subjects. He has addressed the launch of the Health and Safety Commission's noise at work campaign and a conference on inspection for health. As Minister with particular responsibility for health and safety at work, I have made a number of speeches on this subject and will continue to
  do so.

  Opencast Mining
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has made in respect of tighter environmental rules for opencasting to the European Commission; and if he will make a statement. [3915]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  None.

  Building Research Establishment
  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 12 November,Official Report, column 104, on the Building Research Establishment, if he will list the criteria which were specified in April for the future operation of the Building Research Establishment. [4519]

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  My right hon. Friend's 2 April statement did not specify criteria as such, but it made clear that BRE should remain a single entity in the private 390
  sector. This was because BRE offers a unique range of complementary skills and technologies, and fragmentation would both substantially increase costs to customers and reduce efficiency.

  Mr. Ingram
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the bidders for the Building Research Establishment. [4570]

  Mr. Jones
  The competitive sale of BRE is being conducted on a two-stage basis. We shall first be considering indicative bids from parties who have pre-qualified as potential purchasers, and subsequently final bids from a short list of these. We shall be treating information about bids and bidders as commercially confidential until a preferred purchaser is identified early in 1997.

  Construction Skills Certification
  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 12 November,Official Report, column 103, on construction skills certification, what plans he has to encourage the registration of building operatives under the construction skills certificate scheme. [4520]

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State spoke at the launch of the scheme and we continue actively to support it.

  Hedgerows
  Mr. Hardy
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy not to seek to destroy or weaken the protection recently afforded to enclosure and hedgerows by the courts. [4104]

  Mr. Clappison
  The Government published draft regulations for the protection of important hedgerows on 21 October 1996. As I explained in the answer that I gave to the hon. Member on 15 October 1996,Official Report, column 844, these regulations will not override restrictions imposed by other enactments or agreements, including enclosure awards. I understand that a judgment is still awaited in respect of the protection afforded to enclosure hedgerows in the case referred to.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  EDS Ltd.
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Attorney-General how many contracts his Department, agencies and associated bodies have had with EDS for each year since 1985; what was the value of each contract; if he will indicate for each contract(a) if it was completed, (b) what modifications were made at the request of (i) the company and (ii) the Department and (c) if work under contract is being undertaken in-house; and if he will make a statement on the number of job reductions in his Department arising from the contracting out of work by EDS. [3817]

  The Attorney-General
  The Departments and agencies for which I am responsible have not entered into any contracts with Electronic Data Systems Ltd.

TREASURY

  Deregulation
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what regulations his Department proposes to repeal by the end of 1996; if he proposes to conduct a compliance cost assessment on each regulation repealed; and what is the estimated cost of undertaking a compliance cost assessment to determine the advantages and disadvantages of each repeal; [1393]

  (2) if he will list the rules and regulations he proposes to repeal or amend by means of a reference to the Deregulation Committee before the end of 1996; and if he will make a statement. [2913]

  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 4 November 1996]: The Treasury has consulted on the following proposals for use of the deregulation order-making power. The timing of any reference to the Deregulation Committee will depend on various factors, including the outcome of consultation.
  Industrial Assurance Acts 1923 and 1948
  Trustee Investments Act 1961.

  In addition, the Chancellor's departments have completed consultation on the following measures, which are now subject to consideration by the Deregulation Committees of both Houses:
  Treasury
  Deregulation (Bills of Exchange) Order
  Office for National Statistics
  Deregulation (Validity of Civil Preliminaries to Marriage) Order.

  Since the effect in each of the above cases will be to reduce, rather than increase, compliance costs, a compliance cost assessment will not be required. Departments do, however, seek to estimate approximate savings wherever possible. The cost of undertaking a CCA varies from case to case, but is generally modest. Because part of the cost falls on the businesses consulted, a full CCA would be inappropriate for measures designed to reduce business burdens.

  Sterling
  Mr. MacShane
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what has been the change in the value of the pound sterling against(a) the deutschmark, (b) the French franc, (c) the ecu and (d)1 the US dollar since January 1996; and if he will make a statement on the impact on the economy of fluctuations in (a) to (d); [3985]

  (2) what measures he is taking to ensure a stable external value for sterling for export purposes. [3905]

  Mrs. Angela Knight
  Between 1 January 1996 and 12 November 1996, sterling has risen by(a)11 per cent. against the deutschmark, (b) 9 per cent. against the French franc, (c) 6 per cent. against the ecu and (d) 6 per cent. against the US dollar. The Government recognise the value of a stable exchange rate but do not have a target for sterling. The exchange rate is only one of many factors which must be taken into account in setting policy.

  Partnership and Closed Company Registrations
  Mr. MacShane
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many(a) partnerships and (b) closed companies are registered with the Inland Revenue for tax purposes. [3904]

  Mr. Jack
  At the latest count, the Inland Revenue was dealing with approximately 650,000 partnerships, and an estimate of around 800,000 non-dormant close companies.

PRIME MINISTER

  European Summit
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Prime Minister what representations he has received in relation to the location of the summit meeting during the next United Kingdom presidency of the Council of Ministers of the European Union. [4129]

  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Prime Minister when he estimates Her Majesty's Government will decide its preferred venue for the 1998 European Union summit. [4070]

  The Prime Minister
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales has expressed support for Cardiff as a possible location for the June 1998 European Council. I am also aware of early-day motion 173 which also proposes Cardiff. An announcement will be made in due course.

  Iraq
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his response to the letter from Friendship across Frontiers, signed by the chairman, Riad El Taher, on 6 November, about the mortality rate of Iraqi children, and the UNICEF report. [4391]

  The Prime Minister
  So far as I am aware, my office has not yet received this letter.

  Tigris and Euphrates Valleys
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Prime Minister what response Her Majesty's Government have given to the Secretary General of the Arab League's representations about the humanitarian situation in the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates. [4465]

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 15 November 1996]: My right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, discussed the humanitarian situation in Iraq during the Secretary General's visit to London in May 1996, and in Cairo in June 1996, raising in particular Saddam Hussein's indifference to the suffering of the Iraqi people. Saddam Hussein continues to delay implementation of UN Security Council resolution 986 by attempting to renegotiate issues already with the UN. Like the Arab League, we want SCR 986 implemented as soon as possible; it will bring much needed relief to millions of Iraqis.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION

  Child Protection (Wars)
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to protect children in wars where the United Kingdom has an aid interest. [4263]

  Dr. Liam Fox
  The Government have provided considerable humanitarian aid in a careful and targeted way in many war situations overseas. Support for children's needs is a high priority in all cases, delivered through agencies like the Red Cross, UNICEF and specialists such as the Save the Children Fund and Children's Aid Direct. Projects have benefited health, nutrition, orphan care, education, deprived families and family reunification.

  Sudan
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the current need of the population of Sudan for international provision of basic foodstuffs for survival listed by area and broken down to show(a) Government-held (b) non-Government-held areas, and indicating if the delivery of such aid should be (i) via Khartoum, (ii) via east Africa or (iii) otherwise. [4659]

  Dr. Liam Fox
  In northern Sudan, serious food shortages have been reported this year in Darfur and Kordofan. The UK has provided £1.5 million to the Save the Children Fund and CARE UK for food aid, purchased within Sudan, to address needs in those areas. There are also reports of food shortages in Red Sea state. In southern Sudan, the World Food Programme predicts serious deficits over the next few months in Juba, Gogrial and parts of Jonglei state including Pochalla and Pibor.

  The World Food Programme report that food for outstanding deficit areas in Government and non-Government held areas may be available for purchase within Sudan. They have not yet established the requirement for external provision of food aid. Precise delivery arrangements will depend on the source of food aid and the relative costs of delivery options.

DEFENCE

  Surplus Ammunition
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what programme his Department has established to incinerate surplus ammunition; what sites are used; what environmental impact assessments have been conducted at each site; and what is the annual cost of the programme. [3926]

  Mr. Soames
  This is a matter for the chief executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.
  394
  Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Michael Meacher, dated 18 November 1996:
  I have been asked to reply to your question about the Ministry of Defence's programme to incinerate surplus ammunition. I am replying since the Ministry of Defence's programme is currently carried out by the Defence Evaluation & Research Agency (DERA) of which I am Chief Executive.
  DERA has developed a programme for disposing of surplus ammunition and explosives by incineration based at its site at Shoeburyness in Essex. This was in response to ratification of the 1989 Oslo Convention, which banned the dumping of surplus ammunition and explosives at sea, and also a result of a general desire to find a more environmentally friendly means of disposing of these materials.
  The Shoeburyness facility currently consists of two incinerators which have been developed over the past few years at a cost of about £5m. They employ a state of the art pollution control system which uses dry spun ceramic filtration and dry scrubbing to control gaseous emissions. All of the waste metals and most of the plastics generated by the system are recovered and recycled. Non recyclable solids are disposed of as controlled waste into a licensed land till site. The plant does not discharge any waste into water. The system has been licensed by the Environment Agency and they undertake regular surveys to monitor its operation. DERA has also introduced its own programme of regular environmental monitoring of the site.
  When fully operationally we anticipate that the incinerator system will be able to deal with up to 2000 tonnes of explosives and ammunition a year. Running costs are expected to be of the order of £600,000 a year. The system, which is known as Avocet, represents a considerable technical achievement and DERA is actively marketing it overseas with the aim of obtaining a return for the UK for our investment in this technology.

  Military Hospital Closures
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the military hospitals which have closed in the last 12 months; and what proportion of their work was carried out for the NHS. [3054]

  Mr. Soames
  This is a matter for the Defence Secondary Care Agency and I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Ron Smith to Mr. Chris Smith, dated 18 November 1996:
  I am replying to your Question to the Secretary of State for Defence on the closure of service hospitals as this matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief Executive of the Defence Secondary Care Agency (DSCA).
  The DSCA was launched on 30 April this year. Since November 1995, the following three hospitals have closed:
  The Princess Mary's Hospital, Halton;
  The Princess Alexandra's, Royal Air Force Hospital, Wroughton;
  The Cambridge Military Hospital, Aldershot.
  The decision to close these hospitals arose from a combination of Options for Change and Front Line First recommendations. No Service hospitals have closed since the launch of this Agency.
  Although the responsibility for the treatment of civilian patients rests with the Department of Health, NHS patients have been, and continue to be treated at Service hospitals. This enables our medical personnel to undertake the varied mixture of cases which they require for training and professional development for front lines roles. The proportion of NHS patients seen at the closed hospitals varied from year to year and depended on the location of the hospital. However, in general NHS patients accounted for between 50% and 70% of the hospitals' total caseload.

  Tornado Aircraft
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions an overheated or failed cross-drive clutch has caused a fire in the rear fuselage of a Tornado aircraft. [2828]

  Mr. Soames
  In 16 years of Tornado operations there have been five confirmed cases of overheated or failed cross-drive clutches causing fires in the rear fuselages of RAF Tornado aircraft. These incidents all took place on the ground during routine engine running tests. The procedures for running Tornado engines on the ground have been reviewed and suitably amended.

  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if Tornado GR1 and F3 aircraft will be allowed to fly before modification 1670 has been made in respect of the recirculating cross-over valve. [2829]

  Mr. Soames
  Yes. When modification 1670 was designed, a safety analysis confirmed that the operation of both F3 and GR1 Tornado at pre-modification 1670 standard was safe.

  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the difference in cost between performing modification 1670 to Tornado GR1 and F3 aircraft by means of a contractors' working party as set out in his Department's contracts bulletin, volume 11, No. 2; and assuming sufficient manpower was available, undertaking such work with RAF personnel. [2831]

  Mr. Soames
  RAF manpower is used to embody aircraft modifications whenever appropriate. On this occasion, the circumstances were such that the use of a contractor's working party allowed the RAF to maximise aircraft availability to the front line. The final contract price is still under negotiation.

  Aircraft Maintenance
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions in the past two years a contractors' working party has been sought to carry out work on RAF aircraft because the RAF had insufficient manpower for the task. [2830]

  Mr. Soames
  The RAF has long used contractor's working parties as an effective means of undertaking specific tasks. A number of factors, including the complexity and specialised nature of the work, or the geographical location, can influence the final decision on whether to use a CWP.

  Tractors
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he made of the advantages of leasing the agricultural tractors required by his Department as set out in future purchase number LV2/DBG/03 in his Department's contracts bulletin, volume 11, No. 4. [2832]

  Mr. Arbuthnot
  The potential benefits of leasing agricultural tractors are being assessed as part of a wider study of the scope for using private finance to meet the requirement for some 4,000 mechanical handling vehicles.

  In the meantime, the continuing requirement for agricultural tractors will be met by purchase of vehicles through an enabling contract. This approach offers the
  396
  most cost-effective way of meeting the continuing requirement by ensuring that my Department is not committed to procuring specific quantities but purchase on an as needed basis.

  Bois de Mai Residence
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the selling price of the official service residence, Bois de Mai; when the residence was sold; when the residence was purchased and for what purchase price. [4069]

  Mr. Soames
  The sale of Bois de Mai was completed on 15 April 1996. The residence was sold unfurnished at close to the asking price of £1.565 million. The residence was originally purchased furnished in November 1992 at a cost of 120,000,000 Belgian francs, which equated to approximately £2.2 million at the then rate of exchange.

  Prisoners of War
  Sir Michael Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made by his Department in reviewing the pay deductions for British officer prisoners of war held by Germany and Italy during the period 1939 to 1945; and if he will make a statement. [4103]

  Mr. Soames
  The case for additional refunds for pay deductions from British officer prisoners of war held by the Italians and Germans during world war two was examined and rejected in the early 1980s. Submission of new evidence, however, led to a decision earlier this year to review the position. This work, which includes the related question of pay deduction from protected personnel, will be completed as soon as possible.

  Beef
  Mr. Pickthall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the country of origin of the beef served to British service personnel in Cyprus and Belize in the last year. [4472]

  Mr. Arbuthnot
  Beef for British service personnel serving in Cyprus and Belize is procured by local contract to achieve best value for money. Supplies to Cyprus are of southern Irish, French and New Zealand origin, while supplies to Belize are of American origin.

  Menwith Hill Station
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will arrange for right hon. and hon. Members to be given access to Menwith Hill station in North Yorkshire. [4581]

  Mr. Soames
  No. Access to RAF Menwith Hill by right hon. and hon. Members to receive briefings on the station facilities are generally not permitted on the grounds of disruption to the operational activities of the station and for security reasons.

  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilians have been invited during the past year to visit Menwith Hill station in North Yorkshire. [4582]
  397
  Mr. Soames
  Approximately 3,800 civilians have visited RAF Menwith Hill within the last year in connection with social and educational events or for local planning reasons. This includes visits by local authority representatives, sports teams, charities, local schools and clubs and those who attended the 4 July open day. Such visits are generally confined to weekends and evenings to ensure they do not impact on the operational activity of the station and access is limited purely to the domestic, recreational and other unrestricted areas of the base.

  Major General Prabowo
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to meet Major General Prabowo during his forthcoming visit to Britain. [4701]

  Mr. Soames
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence did not meet General Prabowo during his recent visit to the UK.

  Indonesian Special Forces
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what assistance he proposes to give to the Indonesian special forces to enable them to study at the royal college of defence studies; [4700]

  (2) what assistance he proposes to give to the Indonesian special forces to enable them to study at the royal college of defence studies. [4698]

  Mr. Soames
  In accordance with our long-standing practice, details of military assistance are confidential between Governments.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Comité Européen de Normalisation Electrotechnique
  Mr. Denzil Davies
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the names of the members of the Comité Européen de Normalisation Electrotechnique. [4395]

  Mr. Ian Taylor
  The Comité Européen de Normalisation Electotechnique consists of the national standards organisations of the 17 countries of the European economic area and Switzerland. The United Kingdom member is the British electrotechnical committee, which forms an integral part of the British Standards Institution—an independent body incorporated under royal charter.

  British Citizens
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the legal protection covering British citizens working abroad; and what assessment he has made of the advantages of introducing protection in British law. [3775]

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The Government have not undertaken an assessment but are aware that different protections apply in other member states of the European Union and other countries. The Government are satisfied with the protections given to employees in this country.

  Space Research
  Mr. Ingram
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the level of support allocated to space research in each of the last 10 years at current prices. [4060]

  Mr. Ian Taylor
  [holding answer 14 November 19961: The table gives the total UK civil space expenditure, which is co-ordinated by the British National Space Centre, in each of the last 10 years. The figures given are at 1995-96 prices.

  Financial year

  Total £ million

  1986–87

  179·08

  1987–88

  178·82

  1988–89

  188·21

  1989–90

  183·63

  1990–91

  180·75

  1991–92

  176,58

  1992–93

  182·32

  1993–94

  178·59

  1994–95

  199·05

  1995–96

  194·89

  Aerial Surveys
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what public funding is provided to Cambridge university in respect of aerial survey activities subsequently offered for sale to the private sector. [4163]

  Mr. Ian Taylor
  [holding answer 15 November 1996]: I understand that the university's activity in this area is self-supporting and does not involve public funds.

  Mr. Morley
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the procedure for the tendering process by the Natural Environment Research Council for aerial surveys; and when it next intends to tender. [4162]

  Mr. Taylor
  [holding answer 15 November 1996]: The NERC airborne remote sensing facility bids on a responsive basis for work requiring the application of its unique set of airborne remote sensing systems. Typically there are approximately 10 such inquiries each year.

  The management of the Natural Environment Research Council's aircraft, including its maintenance and the provision of pilots and instrument operators, is contracted out on a five-year basis.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Environmental Auditing
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will list the ways in which the Commission has(a) demonstrated by example and (b) promoted externally, the ability to improve efficiency and competitiveness through environmental auditing; and if he will make a statement. [4537]

  Mr. Beith
  All works executed by the Parliamentary Works Directorate are carried out with regard to energy efficiency and environmental impact. The design of the phase 2 new parliamentary building includes the Building
  399
  Research Establishment environmental assessment method and the building will have an exceptionally low energy usage.

  The Accommodation and Works Committee has approved projects to improve the energy efficiency of the Palace of Westminster including new boilers and a cooling plant. The Parliamentary Works Directorate operates an energy efficiency programme in accordance with the Department of the Environment Energy Efficiency Office guidelines and presents annual reports on savings achieved to Committee. Waste, including paper, arising on the parliamentary estate is recycled. Building work is commissioned using the Department of the Environment guidance on environmental considerations, and the standard specifications used for product selection and contract specification include environmental requirements. Building design and maintenance are carried out in accordance with the guidance issued by the central advisory unit of the Office of Public Service.

  Parliamentary Bookshop
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick upon Tweed, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will list the companies which owe arrears to the parliamentary bookshop; and if he will make a statement. [4767]

  Mr. Beith
  The House of Commons Commission does not normally provide commercially confidential information about customers of the parliamentary bookshop. The accounts of all such companies are at present within their credit limits.

SCOTLAND

  Woodlands (Projects)
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what further support his Department proposes to promote existing projects currently experimenting with the integration of woodland-based manufacturing economies with an increase in the planting of deciduous woodland; and if he will make a statement on his assessment of the advantages of supporting existing projects;; [3226]

  (2) what research his Department has (a) planned, (b) commissioned and (c) evaluated with regard to integrating proposals to increase deciduous woodland with the creation of woodland-based manufacturing economies; what financial commitments his Department has made in this area; and if he will make a statement. [3230]

  Mr. Kynoch
  The area of broadleaved woodland in Britain has increased dramatically since the introduction of our broadleaves policy. We recognise the need to ensure that suitable markets for hardwood are readily available to woodland owners. In our recent rural White Papers for Scotland, England and Wales, we outlined our commitments to promoting sustainable woodland management and developing new markets for hardwood products. The Forestry Commission is involved in a range of initiatives including highland birchwoods, Cumbria 400
  broadleaves and Coed Cymru, as well as the "WoodLots" marketing information service, all of which are very successful.

  We are supporting a number of research projects on broadleaves forest products, including the grading of British hardwoods for structural purposes, the bonding of lower value wood into laminated veneer lumber and improving the potential of wood for fuel. The Forestry Commission currently spends some £300,000 per annum on research on all types of forest products.

  Suicides
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the number of suicides among under-30s, broken down by gender, in Scotland for each year since 1985. [3832]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The information requested is given in the table.

  Deaths from suicide1, persons aged under 30 by gender, Scotland, 1985–952

  Both Sexes

  Males

  Females

  1985

  147

  116

  31

  1986

  163

  136

  27

  1987

  183

  139

  44

  1988

  202

  160

  42

  1989

  189

  143

  46

  1990

  215

  177

  38

  1991

  194

  153

  41

  1992

  252

  195

  57

  1993

  267

  219

  48

  1994

  232

  186

  46

  1995

  219

  176

  43

  1 World Health Organisation International Classification of Diseases (9th Revision) codes E950-E959 and E980-E989 (excl. E988.8).

  2 The table presents information on deaths registered in each year.

  Cancer Screening (Compensation Claims)
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many cases involving claims against the Argyll and Clyde health board in relation to the mismanagement of the cervical smear screening programme at the Inverclyde Royal hospital, Greenock, have now been settled; what was the average figure of compensation paid to the women concerned; how many cases are still outstanding; and if he will make a statement. [3716]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  A total of 12 cases involving claims against the Argyll and Clyde health board as a result of the mis-reading of cervical smear slides at the Inverclyde Royal hospital, Greenock, have now been settled. Negotiations are continuing to achieve a settlement in the remaining eight cases. Once all the claims have been settled, I will be in a position to give an indication of the total amount of the settlement made.

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

  Ambulance Service (Argyll and Clyde)
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he had on(a) the installation of a computerised command and control radio system for the Argyll and Clyde health board catchment area and (b) the

  401
  construction of an ambulance station in Greenock, when he last met the chief executive of the Scottish ambulance service; and if he will make a statement. [3701]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  My right hon. Friend last met the Chief Executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service NHS trust on 18 October when he opened the service's new training college at Eddleston. The issues referred to by the hon. Member were not discussed, but I can confirm that a computerised command and control system came into use at Paisley ambulance control on 29 September 1996. Work on rolling out the new ambulance radio system into Argyll and Clyde is under way and the system is scheduled to be operational across the area by April 1998.

  A replacement ambulance station for Greenock is the top priority building scheme in the Scottish ambulance service's west region. Funds for this purpose have been reserved in the trust's provisional capital programme for 1997–98. Action is currently being taken to identify an appropriate site for the station.

  Arable Area Payments
  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what area of land was set aside in Scotland in 1995–96 under the arable area scheme. [4227]

  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  Farmers in Scotland set aside 74,258 hectares of land under the 1995 arable area payments scheme.

  East Ayrshire Community Hospital
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the costs of the proposals from(a) the Ayrshire and Arran Community Healthcare NHS trust and (b) the preferred private finance initiative bidder, for the East Ayrshire community hospital, what further factors have to be taken into account before a decision is made; when he now expects to be able to announce his decision; and if he will make a statement. [4436]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Details of the negotiations between the trust and the preferred PFI bidder are covered by commercial confidentiality. The estimated capital value of the project if £8.6 million. A decision on the project will be announced shortly.

  NHS Trusts (Finance)
  Mr. Chisholm
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how the £30 million for capital expenditure in the health service, announced on 9 October, was distributed among trusts; and which trusts have asked for it to be converted into revenue. [4702]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The £30 million of capital expenditure announced on 9 October has been distributed on a formula basis. This is a formula devised by the management executive which takes into account trust turnover, building depreciation and equipment depreciation.

  None of these funds will be transferred to revenue.

  Consultants
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the latest estimates of the expenditure 402
  on external consultants, including management consultants, for each year since 1992, in 1996 prices, for his Department and its agencies; and what are the quantified annual cost savings which such expenditure has resulted in. [4062]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 14 November 1996]: The expenditure figures are as follows:

  Year

  Expenditure

  Expenditure in 1995–96 prices

  £

  £

  1992–93

  4,370,327

  4,686,979

  1993–94

  5,383,000

  5,635,351

  1994–95

  4,079,000

  4,177,677

  1995–96

  5,440,364

  5,440,364

  Not all of the results of consultancy projects lend themselves to measurement in identifiable savings, but major projects over this period can be summarised as:
  Work which assists the development of Government policy, especially by considering a range of strategic options. These projects include requirements such as a survey of the public's views and the benefits tend to be qualitative.
  Projects related to the development of new information technology systems. This work has helped the Department to meet its responsibilities while achieving significant reductions in staff numbers.
  Work which otherwise assists the implementation of Government policy in Scotland, especially where major changes in the way services are provided are involved. Consultancy assistance in support of the "Competing for Quality" initiative contributed to significant savings for the Department.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration
  Mr. Nigel Evans
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many complaints he has received regarding the performance of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration; and what plans he has to introduce legislation proposals to improve the complaints process. [3509]

  Mr. Freeman
  The parliamentary ombudsman is an independent Officer of the House and reports to the Select Committee chaired by my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. Pawsey). I have occasionally received complaints only about the time taken by the parliamentary ombudsman to complete an investigation: this has not been a significant element of the correspondence handled by my Department, and the number of complaints has not been monitored. I have no plans to introduce legislative proposals on the complaints process.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  International Criminal Court
  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what steps the British Government are taking to ensure that a date is set
  403
  for the holding of the plenipotentiary diplomatic conference on the establishment of an international criminal court during 1996; [4654]

  (2) what assessment he has made of (a) progress towards and (b) the timetable for the establishment of an international criminal court; and if he will make a statement. [4652]

  Sir Nicholas Bonsor
  We are active participants in the process to consider the establishment of an international criminal court. We supported the recommendations of the preparatory committee that up to nine weeks were required for further preparatory work, and that a date for an international conference should be set in 1998. Progress made by the preparatory committee in 1997 will need to be reviewed by next year's general assembly.

  Mr. Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has recently received regarding the establishment of an international criminal court. [4653]

  Sir Nicholas Bonsor
  We have received representations about the establishment of an international criminal court from hon. Members, non-governmental organisations and members of the public.

  Major General Prabowo
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to meet Major General Prabowo during his forthcoming visit to Britain. [4737]

  Mr. Hanley
  I met General Prabowo on 12 November during his private visit to the UK to thank him on behalf of the British Government for securing the safe release of the four British Hostages in Irian Jaya.

HEALTH

  EDS
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many contracts his Department, agencies and associated bodies have had with EDS for each year since 1985; what was the value of each contract; if he will indicate for each contract(a) if it was completed, (b) what modifications were made at the request of (i) the company and (ii) the Department and (c) if work under contract is being undertaken in-house; and if he will make a statement on the number of job reductions in his Department arising from the contracting out of work by EDS. [3815]

  Mr. Horam
  Neither the Department of Health, nor its agencies and executive non-departmental public bodies have entered into contracts with Electronic Data Systems since 1985. Information on contracts in the Department's non-executive NDPBs and advisory bodies is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Tattooing and Skin Piercing
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 5 November,Official Report, column 435, what are the current licensing requirements for skin piercing businesses. [3987]
  404
  Mr. Horam
  The current licensing requirements for skin piercing businesses in London and in the rest of England and Wales are described in section 3 of "Regulation of Skin Piercing: a Consultation Paper" issued jointly by the Department of Health and the Welsh Office on 3 October 1996. Copies are available in the Library.

  Adoption (Guatemala)
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the delays incurred by UK citizens waiting to adopt children from Guatemala. [4199]

  Mr. Burns
  I understand that some prospective adopters who made private arrangements to adopt children from Guatemala have been advised by the Guatemalan authorities that these are not acceptable and that only assessments approved by the United Kingdom Government will be accepted on behalf of United Kingdom citizens. This may have led to some delays in individual cases.

  Stroke Treatment
  Mr. Congdon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which health authorities have specialist acute stroke units; [3982]

  (2) what percentage of those who have had a stroke in each of the last three years for which figures are available were admitted to hospitals; [3980]

  (3) what percentage of those admitted to hospital for strokes in each of the last three years for which figures are available (a) died within one month of the original attack and (b) died within six months of the original attack. [3981]

  Mr. Horam
  This information is not available centrally.

  Mr. Congdon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health which health authorities have specialist stroke rehabilitation units. [3983]

  Mr. Horam
  Health authorities commission appropriate specialist services for their communities in line with their local needs, resources and priorities. Information on what services each health authority commissions is not collected centrally.

  Depression
  Mrs. Wise
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are being taken to reduce the cost of mental depression to the United Kingdom economy; and what assessment he has made of their effectiveness to date. [3894]

  Mr. Burns
  Mental illness is one of five key areas in "The Health of the Nation" strategy. The majority of depressive disorders are treated in primary care by general practitioners. We are taking action and promoting initiatives to improve the diagnosis and treatment of the condition in primary care. For example, we are working to develop GP training in the recognition and management of depression and to encourage audit of the management of the condition in primary care; in addition, we collaborated with the Royal College of General
  405
  Practitioners and the Royal College of Psychiatrists on the recent "defeat depression" campaign, which aimed to improve detection and prevention of the condition.

  Mrs. Wise
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 16 October 1996,Official Report, column 759, if he will commission research into the impact of mental depression on the United Kingdom's economy; and if he will make a statement. [3896]

  Mr. Burns
  We are already undertaking a range of research into depression. For example, the Department's policy research programme has commissioned a number of studies into severe mental illness, many of which are related to depression. We expect to spend some £500,000 on these studies in 1996–97. In addition, we have made £2.4 million available over the next five years within the policy research programme's mental health research initiative. Many of the commissioned studies within the initiative relate to depression. Work currently being undertaken by the personal social services research unit under the policy research programme is looking at the economic impact of mental disorders, which include depression. The Medical Research Council, the main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research, has a comprehensive portfolio of research on depressive illness. In particular, it funds a number of trials which examine different types of treatment and therapies for depression. Total funding for this research amounted to almost £0.9 million in 1994–95.

  Ambulance Response Times
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the maximum ambulance response times(a) in an emergency, (b) for discharge from hospital and (c) for an out-patient attendance. [3895]

  Mr. Horam
  At present all ambulance services in England are expected to respond to 50 per cent. of emergency calls within eight minutes. Urban ambulance services are expected to respond to 95 per cent. of emergency calls within 14 minutes and rural services within 19 minutes.

  There are no national standards of discharge or outpatient attendances but local standards may be included in individual contracts for patient transport services.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many special advisers are employed by his Department; and if he will list their names. [3932]

  Mr. Horam
  The Department of Health employs two special advisers, Mr. Tony Hockley and Mr. Tim Rycroft.

  Hip Replacement and Appointment Cost
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the current average cost of(a) a hip replacement operation and (b) an out-patient's appointment in the NHS in England. [3934]

  Mr. Horam
  In 1994–95 the average cost in England of an out-patient attendance was £57.40. The information requested on hip replacement operations is not available centrally.

  MRSA
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has given trusts and health authorities to methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. [3921]

  Mr. Horam
  The Department issued guidance to the national health service in September 1994 on the control of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus and in March 1995 on the general control of infections in hospitals. In May 1996, the Department issued new guidance on the control of infection in residential and nursing homes and a leaflet "MRSA: what nursing and residential homes need to know". Copies of this guidance are in the Library.

  Children at Risk
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list, by local authority, the funds currently allocated by his Department to fund local authority services for children who are at risk. [3978]

  Mr. Burns
  The total provision made for English local authorities in respect of children's services (including services for children at risk) amounts in the current financial year to £1,754.7 million. This provision, however, is not hypothecated and it is for individual local authorities to determine their own spending priorities in the light of local needs. In addition, grants totalling £9.3 million are also available to local authorities in 1996–97 for services provided by guardians ad litem and for services provided to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

  European Health Ministers (Meetings)
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the dates on which European Health Ministers are to meet in the next six months and the subjects to be discussed. [4696]

  Mr. Malone
  The Health Council is due to meet in Luxembourg on 2 June 1997 under the forthcoming Dutch presidency of the European Union. The subjects to be discussed will not be agreed until nearer that date. No other formal meetings of European Community Health Ministers are currently planned during the next six months. European Health Ministers may attend the world health assembly in Geneva provisionally scheduled for 5 to 16 May 1997.

  Beef and Milk (Bacteria)
  Ms Quin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what action the Government have taken to inform the public about the health effects of E. coli 0157:117 bacteria in beef and unpasteurised milk; [3712]

  (2) what information the Government have issued to health service providers concerning the public health effects of E. coli 0157:117 bacteria in beef and unpasteurised milk. [3714]

  Mr. Horam
  The Government act to improve food safety through a combination of legislation, codes of practice and advice, including leaflets. This is directed at the professions and the public, especially those in
  407
  Vulnerable groups. We attach great importance to the wide dissemination of information to ensure the importance of safe handling of food is understood by all. This information is relevant to all the organisms which cause food poisoning, including E. coli 0157.

  Thorough cooking of food will destroy these organisms and this is stressed in all the advice we give. Members of the vulnerable groups are also advised to avoid uncooked food which carries a high risk of contamination.

  The Chief Medical Officer has recommended that beefburgers should be cooked until the juices run clear and there are no pink bits inside. This advice was first given in 1991 and has been repeated since. We have recently revised the leaflet, "While you are pregnant: safe eating and how to avoid infection from food and from contact with animals" which gives advice on safe eating including raw meat and unpasteurised milk. This advice is repeated in the Health Education Authority's pregnancy book. The Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food have issued similar advice through their "Foodsense" leaflets. We have also published general guidance in "Food Handlers Fitness to Work: Guidance for Food Businesses, Enforcement Officers and Health Professionals". Copies of all these publications are in the Library.

  Clinical Trials
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what monitoring procedures his Department and the Medicines Control Agency follow to ensure that the conduct of phase 1 clinical trials is in compliance with good clinical practice guidelines. [3872]

  Mr. Malone
  In accordance with advice from the Medicines Commission, phase 1 clinical trials are self-regulated by the professional concerned. The Department and its Medicines Control Agency have no procedures to monitor the conduct of these trials.

  Mr. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what responsibility the Licensing Authority has for the conduct of phase 1 clinical trials in healthy volunteers. [3877]

  Mr. Horam
  Studies on healthy volunteers are not clinical trials within the definition of the Medicines Act 1968 and therefore are not subject to regulation by the licensing authority.

  In the United Kingdom, studies on healthy volunteers are self-regulated by the medical profession and pharmaceutical industry. The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry established a committee in 1969 to investigate and advise on medical experiments involving pharmaceutical company staff volunteers and published a set of guidelines in 1970 which were updated in 1984 and 1990. The Royal College of Physicians published a report, "Research on Healthy Volunteers", October 1986 which made a number of recommendations to those involved in conducting healthy volunteer studies.

  Mr. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what procedures(a) his Department, (b) the Licensing Authority and (c) the Medicines Control Agency follow to ensure safety of volunteers in phase 1 clinical trials; [3878]
  408
  (2) what procedures (a) his Department and (b) the Medicines Control Agency follow to ensure appropriate monitoring of ethics committees considering and approving phase 1 clinical trials. [3879]

  Mr. Horam
  Most phase 1 clinical trials are carried out for pharmaceutical companies. Under Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry guidelines they must first have obtained the approval of an independent research ethics committee. These guidelines require independent research ethics committees to prepare an annual report in accordance with recommendations from the Royal College of Physicians. Where, less commonly, it is proposed to undertake these trials in the national health service, the approval of a local research ethics committee must be obtained. The Department of Health issued guidance to the NHS on the operation of LRECs in 1991, HSG(91)5, copies of which were placed in the Library.

  Vaccinations
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made in his Department's review of the vaccinations available on the NHS. [3873]

  Mr. Horam
  As with all policies, we review the arrangement for vaccines on an on-going basis. In particular we are considering the inconsistencies and ambiguities that have arisen in the arrangements for travel vaccines over the years as new vaccines have been developed and new recommendations for vaccine use have been implemented. The review of the current arrangements is an on-going one and any changes in policy will be communicated to those with an interest.

  Hepatitis B
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals in the United Kingdom undertake mandatory ante-natal screening for hepatitis B. [3874]

  Mr. Horam
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Rother Valley (Mr. Barron) on 22 July 1996,Official Report, column 118.

  Mr. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of the number of hepatitis B carriers in the United Kingdom. [3875]

  Mr. Horam
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Halifax (Ms. Mahon) on 12 July 1996,Official Report, column 559.

  Mr. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of hepatitis B carrier is accounted for by "at risk" groups. [3876]

  Mr. Horam
  There are no national data collected on the number of chronic carriers of hepatitis B that fall into "high risk" groups. The Public Health Laboratory Service communicable disease surveillance centre receives reports of acute hepatitis B infection through the voluntary confidential reporting by laboratories of confirmed cases. Information on risk exposure is available with approximately two thirds of these reports. For details, by former regional health authority for the three years
  409
  1993–95, I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Rother Valley (Mr. Barron) on 22 July 1996, Official Report, columns 120–21.

  Pensioners' Health Care Costs
  Mr. Churchill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average cost per annum to public funds of the health care costs of(a) the average retirement pensioner and (b) a retirement pensioner in the last two years of their life; and what proportion (c) constitutes of an individual's life-time health care costs. [4381]

  Mr. Burns
  Figures showing the annual cost of the health care of retirement pensioners are not collected. However, hospital and community health services expenditure for people aged 65 and over was estimated at £,195 per person in 1994–95.

  Statistics on the cost to public funds of health care in the last two years of a retired person's life are not available.

  Statistical Information
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to publish the 1995 public health common data set(a) on disk and (b) in print. [4766]

  Mr. Horam
  The 1995 public health common data set containing data for 1994 was released last year on disk. The printed version was published in April 1996. Both versions have been placed in the Library.

  The 1996 public health common data set containing data for 1995 was sent to health authorities on 15 November 1996. The printed version will be published three months later. A set of the disks is being placed in the Library.

  Health Service White Paper
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what actions he proposes to take in respect of his White Paper on the health service published on 13 November, in respect of(a) legislation, (b) adjustment of methods on formulae relating to distribution of resources between health authorities and (c) recruitment and training of more doctors and nurses. [4550]

  Mr. Malone
  "A Service with Ambitions", the White Paper on the national health service published on 13 November, reaffirms the Government's commitment to the NHS on the basis of its founding principles. It launches three nationally-led development programmes on information, professional development and managing for quality in the NHS. These programmes will aim to refine and improve existing policies, ensuring they are part of a coherent strategy, and to identify ways of overcoming practical obstacles to progress.

  In addition to the publication of the White Paper, the Government will be introducing a Bill to take forward the proposals in "Choice and Opportunity" this Session, keeping the formulae used to inform the allocation of resources to health authorities under continual review, supporting medical work force planning, and supporting the commissioning of non-medical education and training
  410
  through consortia and regional education and development groups. Nurse training commissions are expected to rise 14 per cent. in 1996–97.

TRANSPORT

  Motorway Cleaning
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what is the total budget for cleaning motorways; and on what basis funds are allocated to the appropriate authorities; [4097]

  (2) what targets his Department has set the Highways Agency in respect of cleaning motorways. [4096]

  Mr. Watts
  I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to my hon. Friend.

  Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. James Pawsey, dated 18 November 1996:
  The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent questions asking what is the total budget for cleaning motorways; on what basis funds are allocated to the appropriate authorities; and what targets the Highways Agency has been set in respect of cleaning motorways. I shall answer these in reverse order.
  The Agency has been set the target of cleaning litter from motorways to the standards set out in the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (the EPA). This legislation is based on the concept of four grades of cleanliness: A (no litter) to D (heavily littered). If the standard falls to grade C (widespread distribution of litter), the Agency is required to restore to grade A (for paved areas) or grade B (for grassed verges) within four weeks. If the standard falls to grade D, the Agency is required to restore the area to grade A or B, as appropriate, within one week.
  The Highways Agency delegates the management of motorway cleaning to its Maintaining Agents, most of whom are local highway authorities. They are required to work to the Agency's Code of Practice for Routine Maintenance. This advises that the standards set out in the EPA can best be achieved by a programme of routine litter scavenges. In previous years fund have been allocated to Maintaining Agents to enable them to take this proactive approach and to achieve high standards of cleanliness.

  M6 (Lighting)
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the motorway lighting on the M6 will be extended from its junction with the Ml to junction 3 of the M6. [4098]

  Mr. Watts
  I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to my hon. Friend.

  Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. James Pawsey, dated 18 November 1996:
  The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent question about M6 motorway lighting between the M1/M6 Interchange and Junction 3.
  In my letter to you of 20 December 1995, I advised that we had no plans to light the M6 between these junctions.
  We have again reviewed the overnight safety record for this section of motorway over the last three years and the position remains the same. We cannot justify extending the existing lighting provision to this area.
  However, as I said in my last reply, all sections of the motorway and trunk road network are the subject of periodic review and factors could emerge at some stage in the future which may be significant and be such to justify the Agency taking a fresh look at the lighting need.

  Traffic Delays
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what reports he receives on a daily basis of expected and of unexpected traffic delays on national roads. [4358]

  Mr. Watts
  Monitoring the flow of traffic on the trunk network is an operational matter which is the responsibility of the Highways Agency. The Highways Agency provides the Secretary of State with reports of severe weather conditions and their impact on the trunk road network, and of major road accidents involving several fatalities, hazardous substances or serious structural damage.

  Additionally, the Secretary of State's private office staff have access to several sources of publicly available continuous traffic information.

  Road Maintenance
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on capital maintenance on national roads in each of the past 10 years; and how much other money was available each year for national roads. [4359]

  Mr. Watts
  The following table shows actual expenditure on the capital maintenance of roads from 1986–87 to 1995–96. Also shown is the figure for other money budgeted for capital and current programme expenditure on national roads.

  £million

  Year

  Capital Maintenance Roads

  Other money budgeted for national roads

  1986–87

  180·6

  755·5

  1987–88

  213·3

  757·3

  1988–89

  129·4

  944·6

  1989–90

  240·4

  1,235·0

  1990–91

  288·7

  1,639·2

  1991–92

  306·6

  1,720·6

  1992–93

  364·5

  1,751·0

  1993–94

  404·3

  1,844·4

  1994–95

  402·2

  1,820·7

  1995–96

  309·7

  1,627·3

  Merchant Shipping (Deregulation)
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has to issue deregulation orders relating to the rates of pay for crew members aboard merchant ships. [4115]

  Mr. Bowis
  There are currently no plans to issue any deregulation orders in respect of seamen's rates of pay.

  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has to issue deregulation orders relating to crew accommodation aboard merchant ships. [4114]

  Mr. Bowis
  Current Merchant Shipping (Crew Accommodation) Regulations have been considered in the context of the regulatory review of merchant shipping legislation. The aim has been to remove material which is over-specified and unnecessarily detailed, so far as is consistent with safety and with international treaty 412
  obligations which, in this case, are International Labour Organisation conventions 92 and 133. The Marine Safety Agency has recently undertaken formal consultation with the shipping industry on the draft Merchant Shipping (Crew Accommodation) Regulations 1996. These are not intended to reduce the present standards of accommodation or to remove provisions which go beyond the requirements of ILO conventions but to make the regulations more flexible and to make it possible for new solutions to be sought to current problems whilst maintaining existing standards of accommodation.

  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has to issue deregulation orders relating to the plimsoll line. [4113]

  Mr. Bowis
  Current Merchant Shipping (Load Line) Regulations have been considered in the context of the regulatory review of merchant shipping legislation. The aim has been to remove material which is over-specified and unnecessarily detailed, so far as is consistent with safety. The Marine Safety Agency has recently completed formal consultation with the shipping industry on the draft Merchant Shipping (Load Line) Regulations 1996.

  Nuclear Material (Sea Transport)
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library the transcript of the special consultative meeting held by the International Maritime Organisation in March on the environmental and safety aspects of the transport of irradiated nuclear fuel and other nuclear materials by sea. [2705]

  Mr. Bowis
  I have today placed in the Library a copy of the most recent draft of the proceedings of the special consultative meeting. A finalised version will be placed in the Library when it has been adopted by the International Maritime Organisation.

  Rail Routeing Guide
  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will use his powers under the Railway Act 1993 before the end of 1996 to give guidance to the Rail Regulator that the routeing guide must not restrict reasonable routes to any greater extent than was the case before the guide came into effect. [4549]

  Mr. Watts
  The routeing guide has been issued on a trial basis until May 1997, to give an opportunity for errors and omissions to be corrected. The Rail Regulator and the Franchising Director have already given assurances that they will not approve a guide which unduly restricts the routeing flexibility that passengers enjoy.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

  Project Work
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list(a) the offices and (b) the budget allocated for the Stoke on Trent project work pilot scheme; and what are the arrangements for the local administration of the scheme. [4366]
  413
  Mr. Forth
  (a) There are nine Employment Service jobcentres in the Stoke on Trent travel-to-work area. These are Stoke on Trent, Burslem, Cheadle, Hanley, Kidsgrove, Longton, Newcastle under Lyme, Leek and Uttoxeter. (b) £100 million has been allocated to operate the pilots, for up to 100,000 people across the country. The pilots will be administered by the Employment Service, through local jobcentres. The Employment Service will ensure that sufficient funds are made available in each travel-to-work area to cover the numbers entering the target group for the pilots, and the help which they accept.

  Mr. Rooney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many of those claimants referred to adjudication for refusal or failure to attend project work have(a) received a benefit sanction and (b) been adjudged to have good cause, broken down by the categories of good cause listed in the adjudication officers' guide. [4429]

  Mr. Forth
  In general, people whose actions fall under the categories of good cause listed in the adjudication officers' guide and in regulation 73 of the Jobseekers Allowance Regulations 1996 will be identified by a project work adviser in the local jobcentre, and not referred to an independent adjudication officer. In judging cases referred to them, sector adjudication officers are not restricted to the list referred to above, but can use their discretion to assess each case on an individual basis. To date, in every case where a sector adjudication officer has made a decision on a case referred for refusal to attend project work, a benefit sanction has been imposed. In 64 per cent. of cases where a decision has been made following referral on the grounds of failure to attend project work a benefit sanction has been imposed. The remainder of cases have been adjudged to have had a good cause.

  Mr. Rooney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list the comparative areas used for evaluation of the existing project work pilot schemes and the monthly returns from April 1996 in respect of claimants leaving the register in pilot and comparative areas broken down by duration of unemployment. [4430]

  Mr. Forth
  The comparison offices are Fakenham, Barton on Humber, Chapeltown, Great Yarmouth, Hillsborough, Newport, Cardigan, Portsmouth, Portsmouth North, Cosham, Newhaven, and Stretford.

  On the latest available verified figures, 1,418 people left the pilot and stopped claiming benefit in the pilot areas, by the end of September, while 413 people had left benefit in the control offices. All these people have been unemployed for over two years. Over 400 of those who have left the register in the pilot areas had been out of work for more than four years, compared with 94 in the control areas. Ninety-eight of those leaving in pilot areas had not worked for over six years, compared with only nine people in the control areas.

  These figures apply to all those who had entered the pilot by the end of September, including many who had only just entered.
  414
  A breakdown of these figures by month produces numbers too small to allow reliable conclusions to be drawn. A report based on the monitoring information will be made available in the new year, when there is sufficient data available to allow a more in-depth analysis.

  Mr. Rooney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many of the job outcomes achieved by project work participants since inception of the scheme were(a) full-time permanent employment, (b) part-time employment, (c) self-employment and (d) temporary employment. [4431]

  Mr. Forth
  Early results show that 20 per cent. of those who enter the pilot find a job before they complete the process. Further information is not yet available. A detailed statistical survey is being carried out on a sample of leavers from project work and this will provide information on these, and other, issues. The results of this survey will be available at the end of 1997.

  Young People's Services
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what guidance has been issued for use by(a) the voluntary sector and (b) Church groups who operate services for young people. [4289]

  Mr. Paice
  The Department issues guidance to national voluntary youth organisations, including Church bodies, on its scheme of grants to those organisations. This includes advice on how to bid for funding and on good practice in voluntary youth work.

  Independent Schools
  Mr. Nigel Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans she has to introduce measures to require elected parent representatives on governing bodies of independent schools; and if she will make a statement. [4365]

  Mrs. Gillan
  We have no plans to legislate to interfere in this way in the constitution of independent schools' governing bodies.

  Teacher Education
  Mr. Pickthall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans she has to prescribe(a) the content and (b) teaching methods for teacher education.[4439]

  Mr. Forth
  On 18 September, my right hon. Friend announced the introduction of a national curriculum for initial teacher training, starting with primary English and mathematics. It will specify what teachers need to be taught about their subject; what pupils should be taught; effective teaching and assessment methods, and how and when to use them; and the standards of pupil achievement they should expect.

  Mr. Pickthall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate she has made of the cost of re-inspection of the 20 initial teacher education departments in higher education institutions; in what ways the criteria for the re-inspection are different for the criteria for the first inspection; for how many and which HEI teacher education departments the initial
  415
  inspections have not been completed; and what criteria were used in choosing the 20 initial teacher education departments for re-inspection. [4438]

  Mr. Forth
  This is a matter for Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools, who heads the Office for Standards in Education. I have asked Mr. Chris Woodhead to write to the hon. Member.

  Adjudication Officers
  Mr. Rooney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the staff grade of local adjudication officers based in jobcentres; and what duties other than adjudication they are expected to undertake. [4432]

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

  Letter from Derek Grover to Mr. Terry Rooney, dated 18 November 1996:
  The Secretary of State has asked me, in the absence of the Chief Executive, to reply to your question about Labour Market Adjudication Officers.
  The Labour Market Adjudication Officer (LMAO) role exists purely to decide questions arising on claims for Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA). Only a small number of labour market adjudication questions will be decided in Jobcentres, and decisions on these questions will only be given by selected ES people who have been trained as LMAOs. The selection of people to perform this task is at the discretion of business managers and, when making their selection, the specific features of LMAO work will be a key consideration.
  We do not expect there to be a need for the LMAO role to be carried out on a full-time basis, although this may change over time. The function will normally be performed by an adviser or a back to work team leader, in addition to their usual duties.
  The grading of each individual post depends, therefore, on its content and it would not be right to assume that everyone carrying out the LMAO function should be allocated to the same pay band. In some situations, it may be that the additional LMAO responsibilities are sufficient to take the particular post into the next higher pay band. LMAO duties are, therefore, carried out by people in Management Pay Bands 5, 6 or 7, depending on the precise combination of duties.
  It will take time for JSA and the role of the LMAO to settle down. Once a position of stability has been reached, we would expect a re-evaluation of individual posts to be carried out as appropriate.
  I hope this is helpful.

  Mr. Rooney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will place in the Library copies of(a) the central adjudication services guidance on jobseeker's allowance used by sector adjudication officers, (b) the Employment Service guidance on jobseeker's allowance used by local adjudication officers in jobcentres and (c) the volumes entitled "Local Office Adjudication and Adjudication Procedural Guidance" [4433]

  Mr. Forth
  Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
  416
  Letter from Derek Craven to Mr. Terry Rooney, dated 18 November 1996:
  The Secretary of State for Education and Employment has asked me, in the absence of the Chief Executive, to write to you concerning the placement in the Library of copies of the Central Adjudication Services guidance on Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) used by sector adjudication officers, Employment Service guidance on JSA used by local adjudication officers in Jobcentres and the volumes entitled, Local Office Adjudication and Adjudication Procedural Guidance.
  My understanding is that the Central Adjudication Service have placed guidance on Jobseeker's Allowance used by their sector adjudication officers in the Library.
  The guidance manuals you requested on Adjudication Procedural Guidance, Labour Market Adjudication Officer Procedural Guidance and Local Office Adjudication have not been made available. This is in accordance with Part 7 para (a) and (b) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
  I hope this is helpful.

  Pre-school Education
  Sir Ralph Howell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment for what reasons(a) private nurseries, (b) playgroups and (c) local education authority schools for under-fives are not subject to uniform (i) regulations and (ii) standards imposed by a single body. [4551]

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The regulation of different institutions is designed to correspond to the type of service they provide. Maintained schools provide education and are bound by education legislation. Private nurseries and playgroups offer day care as well as education for very young children and are therefore required to register under the Children Act 1989.

  Surplus Places
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list for each local education authority in England the number of surplus places and the money allocated to removing them using the latest available data. [4728]

  Mr. Robin Squire
  For the number of surplus places in each local education authority, I refer the hon. Member to the reply the Under-Secretary, my hon. Friend for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs. Gillan), gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Ryedale (Mr. Greenway) on Tuesday 19 March 1996,Official Report, columns 113–18.

  One of our priorities for capital allocations is supporting cost-effective surplus place removal projects. The following table shows the amount allocated in 1995–96 and 1996–97, in response to local education authority bids, for the first year costs of new surplus place removal projects.

  Allocations for new surplus place removal projects

  £000

  1995–96

  1996–97

  Avon

  4,929

  —

  Barnsley

  2,725

  671

  Bedfordshire

  243

  495

  Berkshire

  0

  461

  Bexley

  175

  0

  Birmingham

  1,077

  1,290

  Bolton

  0

  574

  417

  Allocations for new surplus place removal projects

  £000

  1995–96

  1996–97

  Bradford

  346

  750

  Brent

  14

  0

  Bristol

  —

  108

  Buckinghamshire

  57

  467

  Calderdale

  0

  115

  Cambridgeshire

  127

  469

  Cheshire

  443

  20

  Cleveland

  275

  —

  Cornwall

  656

  0

  Coventry

  120

  379

  Cumbria

  1,180

  870

  Derbyshire

  610

  0

  Devon

  2

  0

  Doncaster

  7,472

  355

  Durham

  133

  802

  Ealing

  0

  241

  East Sussex

  300

  1,335

  Essex

  1,278

  1,601

  Gateshead

  2,500

  530

  Greenwich

  61

  741

  Hackney

  100

  750

  Hampshire

  1,457

  3,167

  Havering

  15

  0

  Hereford and Worcester

  0

  116

  Hertfordshire

  0

  173

  Humberside

  1,477

  —

  Kent

  2,663

  0

  Kirklees

  165

  398

  Knowsley

  50

  110

  Lambeth

  50

  0

  Lancashire

  35

  40

  Leeds

  0

  3,590

  Liverpool

  505

  990

  Manchester

  400

  240

  Norfolk

  387

  376

  Northamptonshire

  340

  50

  North Tyneside

  280

  198

  Northumberland

  528

  151

  North Yorkshire

  425

  0

  Nottinghamshire

  638

  805

  Oxfordshire

  336

  495

  Rochdale

  0

  73

  Rotherham

  25

  281

  St. Helens

  0

  366

  Salford

  435

  630

  Sandwell

  0

  610

  Sefton

  78

  88

  Sheffield

  63

  737

  Shropshire

  168

  62

  South Tyneside

  665

  400

  Stockport

  225

  0

  Sunderland

  1,420

  569

  Trafford

  0

  50

  Wakefield

  168

  120

  Warwickshire

  7,925

  0

  Wigan

  1,704

  50

  Wiltshire

  0

  92

  Wirral

  0

  665

  Wolverhampton

  269

  1,065

  York

  —

  25

  Total

  47,719

  29,806

  1996–97 allocations for Bristol and Cheshire are currently held in reserve pending decisions on statutory proposals.

  Full-time Education
  Mr, Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of 16 and 17-year-olds in England are in full-time education. [5031]
  418
  Mr. Paice
  There were 70.7 per cent. of 16-year-olds and 59.3 per cent. of 17-year-olds in full-time education in England in 1995–96—provisional figures.

  Nursery Inspections
  Ms Hodge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many nursery settings have been(a) passed and (b) failed by the inspectors; [4929]

  (2) if she will place in the Library a list of the establishments registering to redeem nursery vouchers, which have been inspected thus far; [4930]

  (3) how many of the establishments registering to redeem nursery vouchers, due to be inspected by March 1996, have so far been inspected; [4931]

  (4) what are the criteria used to assess the quality of the inspection work of the nursery inspectors; and how the work will be monitored; [4932]

  (5) how many applications have been received for the post of nursery inspector and how many applications have been approved as nursery inspectors; [4933]

  (6) if she will list the inspection contractors which have been appointed by the contracting administrator for the nursery voucher scheme. [4934]

  Mr. Robin Squire
  These are matters for Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools, who heads the Office for Standards in Education. I have asked Mr. Chris Woodhead to write to the hon. Member.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  Tourism
  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is her policy on tourism; and if [2846]

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  There are six main elements to my Department's tourism policy: championing and raising the profile of tourism; increasing competitiveness; improving the quality of the tourism product; developing a world-class human resource; making marketing more effective; and managing the impact of tourism. My Department and the tourist boards are now working with an industry forum to develop by early next year a new strategy based on these elements.

  Midweek Lottery Draw
  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what representations she has received in respect of the proposed introduction of the midweek lottery; and if she will make a statement. [2847]

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many representations she has received on the subject of an additional weekly national lottery draw; and if she will make a statement [2862]

  Mr. Sproat
  My Department has received 16 letters from right hon. and hon. Members and 130 from members of the public on the subject of a mid-week Lottery. The licensing of a midweek draw was a matter for the Director General of the National Lottery, subject to the provisions set out in section 4 of the National Lottery etc. Act 1993.

  Millennium Funds (Plymouth)
  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what representations she has received regarding bids for millennium funds in respect of Plymouth. [2848]

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The Millennium Commission, of which I am chairman, has received representations regarding Plymouth 2000 Partnership's bid "Plymouth Waterfront—A Celebration of Discovery", which is still under consideration, from the port of Plymouth, the West Country tourist board, Plymouth Marketing Bureau, and five individuals. One individual was opposed to the project.

  The Commission is always pleased to hear of support or otherwise for a project, and this is one of the key criteria used in assessing applications for funding.

  Sport
  Lady Olga Maitland
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will make a statement on her Department's funding for sport. [2849]

  Mr. Sproat
  The Department's funding provision for sport in 1996–97 is £52 million. In addition, the National lottery sports fund has provided funding for sport in England of £305 million to date and £368 million for the UK as a whole.

  Mr. Evennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what steps she is taking to encourage young people to participate in sporting activities. [2850]

  Mr. Sproat
  The Government's policy statement, "Sport: Raising the Game", published in July 1995, sets out our plans for putting sport back at the heart of school life, promoting links between schools and clubs and establishing a new British academy of sport as the pinnacle of a regional network of centres of sporting excellence and academies for particular sports. In July this year, we published "Sport: Raising the Game—the First Year Report", which reports progress on all these initiatives. Work is continuing on the various initiatives and a further announcement of progress will be made in the new year.

  Dance and Drama Students
  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what representation she has received since her recent statement on the training of dance and drama students. [2851]

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  I was delighted that on 14 October I was able to announce plans to help more students to take up places at accredited dance and drama training schools in England. My Department has since received a number of letters, mainly from members of the public, on this subject. The Arts Council of England is in the process of formulating the operational details of the new scheme, in close consultation with local authority associations. The House will, I hope, join me in congratulating the Arts Council on having identified an ingenious interim solution to this problem.

  South Bank Ferris Wheel
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what assessment she has made of the advantages of providing millennium fund assistance for the ferris wheel proposed for the south bank. [2852]

  Mrs. Bottomley
  Neither the Millennium Commission nor the Government has received any requests for funding for the proposal to build a ferris wheel on the south bank. I understand that the proposed scheme is to be funded entirely by the private sector.

  Arts Sponsorship
  Mr. Nigel Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what steps she is taking to promote business sponsorship of the arts. [2853]

  Mr. Sproat
  My Department actively encourages private sector support for the arts. The National Heritage arts sponsorship scheme—the pairing scheme—has brought in more than £110 million in new money to the arts since it started in 1984. We also give financial support to Business in the Arts' "board bank" scheme, launched earlier this year by my right hon. Friend, which encourages senior managers to offer their skills to arts organisations on a voluntary basis. The Department's policy document, "Setting the Scene", highlighted the importance of business sponsorship as part of a plural funding system for the arts.

  Volunteering
  Dr. Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what action her Department is taking to promote volunteering. [2854]

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  My Department supports, promotes and encourages volunteering in a wide variety of ways. Under the "make a difference" initiative £20 million is being used in the direct funding of projects, and to extend and strengthen the network of volunteer bureaux. These projects run from the most local—such as anti-bullying projects in schools, run by the pupils themselves—to the national—such as the national volunteering helpline and interactive computer databases of volunteering opportunities. Outstanding volunteering action is recognised through the "make a difference"/Whitbread awards. I have also recently launched a new grant programme to help local, volunteer-run community groups to become more effective. The "make a difference" initiative is making it easier for people to volunteer, and encouraging the development of many more volunteering opportunities.

  Volunteering is a theme which runs through much of my Department's work. Both museums and the sporting world, for instance, are dependent on the efforts of an army of willing volunteers, and I am determined to support this in every way possible. I was particularly pleased at the recent publication by the Sports Council of its survey report, "Valuing Volunteers in Sport". My Department is also working with the national lottery distribution bodies to ensure that they recognise the role of volunteers in their grant-giving. Finally, through the ministerial group on volunteering and the voluntary sector, I co-ordinate the policy and practice on volunteering of the Government as a whole—for instance,

  421
  Departments are currently updating their "make a difference" action plans, originally published in October last year.

  Cornish Cultural Life
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what new proposals she has to encourage studies into Cornish cultural life. [2856]

  Mr. Sproat
  At present my right hon. Friend has no proposals for studies relating to Cornish cultural life. Nor do the Arts Council of England or the South West Regional Arts Board.

  Academy of Sport
  Mr. Ian Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when she expects to make an announcement on the location for the national British academy of sport; and if she will make a statement on the procedure for deciding on the location of regional sports centres. [2857]

  Mr. Sproat
  Twenty-six bids have now been received for the British academy of sport, and we hope to make an announcement on the location early in the new year. Details of the Government's proposals for the regional institutes will be included in the prospectus which we aim to launch in early spring next year.

  National Lottery
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what assessment she has made of the effects of the national lottery on bodies funding sports and the arts. [2858]

  Mr. Sproat
  To date, the national lottery distributing bodies responsible for making grants to sport and the arts have made 3,950 awards for a total of £1,014.3 million. The injection of such large sums into these sectors in such a short space of time is nothing short of a revolution.

  Sir Michael Neubert
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is the latest assessment she has made of the revenue implications of capital grants made under the national lottery scheme for the arts, charities and sport. [2859]

  Mrs. Bottomley
  The lottery distributing bodies must consider the viability and revenue implications of any capital projects which they support. They may provide revenue funding through endowments or in the form of revenue grants, where this is necessary to complete a capital project.

  Digital Terrestrial Television
  Mr. Timms
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will make a statement on the progress of digital terrestrial television. [2861]

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The UK remains on target for the early introduction of the first digital terrestrial television services in the world. I am very grateful for the prodigious efforts of the ITC in achieving this progress in implementing the Broadcasting Act 1996. All the terrestrial broadcasters who were offered guaranteed capacity on digital multiplexes by the Government have indicated to the Independent Television Commission that 422
  they intend to take up that capacity. On 31 October, the ITC invited applications to operate the four digital multiplexes not pre-assigned. Those applications must be submitted by 31 January 1997. The commission hopes to award the licences shortly thereafter, and intends that all licensees should begin their services by 1 July 1998 at the latest.

  Independent Radio Operators
  Mr. MacShane
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what responsibility she has for the allocation of public airwaves to independent radio operators. [3900]

  Mr. Sproat
  Under the terms of the Broadcasting Acts 1990 and 1996, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State assigns a range of frequencies to the Radio Authority for the provision of independent radio services. Responsibility for planning the use of this spectrum to deliver a range of national and local services is a matter for the Radio Authority under the terms of the Broadcasting Acts.

  Football Grounds
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many nationwide league football clubs' grounds need major work to bring them up to the standards of the Taylor report in(a) nationwide league division one, (b) nationwide league division two and (c) nationwide league division three. [3766]

  Mr. Sproat
  The Football Trust estimates that there are 37 clubs in the Nationwide League whose grounds require improvements to meet Government requirements on all-seating or safe terracing. Of these clubs, seven are in division 1, 14 are in division 2, and 16 are in division 3.

  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) what assessment she has made of the improvements needed to football grounds in the nationwide league to enable them to reach Taylor report standards in respect of(a) terracing and seating, (b) barriers, (c) lighting and (d) other safety issues; and what estimates she has made of the cost in respect of each of these categories; [3807]

  (2) what estimate she has made of the costs for nationwide league football clubs who need to carry out major work to bring their grounds up to the standards of the Taylor report, in (a) nationwide league division one, (b) nationwide league division two and (c) nationwide league division three. [3703]

  Mr. Sproat
  Most clubs in Nationwide League division 1 meet the Government's requirements on all-seating. Those few that do not have either been granted an extension to the deadline, on account of their having been recently promoted, or are relocating to new stadia. Clubs in divisions 2 and 3 are not required to go all-seated, but those that choose not to do so will have to meet certain minimum standards for standing terraces by August 1999. A survey is currently being carried out by the Football Licensing Authority to ascertain precisely what will be necessary at each ground to satisfy this minimum requirement.

  Medical Scanners
  Sir Julian Critchley
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many scanners have been purchased from the proceeds of national lottery money. [4269]

  Mr. Sproat
  No medical scanners have been purchased with national lottery funds.

  Regional Sports Centres of Excellence
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans she has to establish regional sporting centres of excellence; and if she will make a statement. [3216]

  Mr. Sproat
  Details of the Government's proposals for regional centres of sporting excellence will be early next year.

  Film Industry
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what discussions she has had with representatives of the film industry. [2855]

  Mr. Sproat
  My right hon. Friend has regular discussions with representatives of the film industry on a wide range of film-related issues. Specifically, this summer she visited the United States of America, where she met leading figures from the American film industry including representatives from MCA, Warner Brothers and the Motion Picture Association of America.

  More recently, my right hon. Friend attended the Edinburgh film festival, visited Shepperton studios and the Warner Brothers feature animation studio in central London, visited the set of the feature film "Wilde", at the invitation of the producers, and attended the opening of the London film festival as a guest of the British Film Institute.

  Sports Sponsorship
  Sir Peter Emery
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what has been the financial level of sponsorship for sport in each of the last five years at 1996 prices; and what assessment she has made of the effect of the national lottery on sponsorship levels. [2922]

  Mr. Sproat
  The estimated size of the UK sports sponsorship market for the last five completed years, at 1996 prices, is shown in the table. No assessment has been made of the effect of the national lottery on sponsorship levels. Some £58 million of private sector funding has been attracted to support lottery projects.

  Estimated size of the UK sports sponsorship market

  £ million

  Year

  Amount

  At 1996–97 prices

  1991

  238

  272

  1992

  239

  262

  1993

  250

  266

  1994

  265

  278

  1995

  285

  291

  Football Trust
  Mr. Pope
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will make a statement on the finances of the Football Trust. [2835]

  Mr. Sproat
  Since 1990 the Government have made £138 million available to the Football Trust to grant aid clubs' ground development projects, through a reduction in pool betting duty that the pools companies pass on to the trust. The trust's income from this source has fallen since the introduction of the national lottery. From last May, the trust has benefitted from a further;½ per cent. reduction in pool betting duty worth up to £3 million per year.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Legal Aid
  Mr. Tim Smith
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he last met the Law Society to discuss legal aid. [2869]

  Mr. Streeter
  I refer the hon. gentleman to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Normanton (Mr. O'Brien).

  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much legal aid was granted to(a) foreign nationals and (b) the indigenous population in each of the last three years; to how many individuals; and if he will make a statement. [3217]

  Mr. Streeter
  Information as to an applicant's nationality is not collected and is therefore not available. The Legal Aid Board does maintain a record of applications received from applicants resident outside the United Kingdom, but information on the cost to legal aid of those cases could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the total sum which may be made available to solicitors through the legal aid scheme in advance of the appropriate determination of the size of legal costs to be determined in legal aid cases; and if he will assess the advantages of charging interest payments on these sums in the last available year. [4729]

  Mr. Streeter
  Lawyers may claim on account 75 per cent. of the costs they estimate they have incurred for each of the first three years of a case. In 1995–96, of 372,611 bills paid, there had been overpayments of payments on account on 15,317 bills. The average overpayment was £552. Any overpayment is recovered, or more likely, set off against other payments due from the Legal Aid Board. Systems are in place to detect abuses and the Legal Aid Board actively pursues solicitors who abuse the scheme. The large majority of payments on account are however properly made for work properly done and there are no plans to introduce further costly systems in order to recover
  interest in the few cases where this would be appropriate.

  Administration of Justice
  Mr. Sweeney
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to make the administration of justice in civil cases more efficient. [2872]

  Mr. Streeter
  I refer my hon. Friend to my answer to his written question on 31 October,Official Report, column 222.

  Public Record Office
  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many people visited the Public Record Office census rooms in 1995; and if he will make a statement. [2874]

  Mr. Streeter
  The number of reader visits to the census rooms in 1995 was 76,781.

  The census rooms will remain open in the Chancery lane building until March 1997, when they will move to Myddelton place, 88 Roseberry avenue, London EC1. Their holdings will be supplemented with microfilms of other Public Record Office sources popular with family historians, including probate records and non-Anglican registers of births, marriages and deaths.

  Myddelton place will also house the indexes of births, marriages and deaths currently made available to the public at St. Catherine's house by the Office for National Statistics. It will thus become a joint major centre for family historians and other researchers, within easy reach of central London repositories for related source materials.

  Myddelton place will have improved facilities for users, including a central information point, shop, refreshment facilities, exhibition space, lecture room and better provision for readers with special needs, as well as search rooms.

  Witness Intimidation
  Mr. Robathan
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what new proposals he has to counter witness intimidation. [2875]

  Mr. Streeter
  It is already an offence to intimidate witnesses. The Government are conducting a review into ways in which a defendant might be prevented from questioning rape victims and other vulnerable witnesses. There has recently been considerable work on victim and witness care: the Crown court witness service now operates in all Crown court centres, the new victims charter has been issued, and a national model agreement on witness care, including steps to combat intimidation, has been issued so that local agreements can be reached on the most appropriate steps.

  Accident Claims
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will take steps to accelerate hearing dates in the High Court in relation to accident claims. [2876]
  426
  Mr. Streeter
  The Department is currently taking forward reform of the civil justice system in the light of Lord Woolf's review and one of its aims is to bring cases to a conclusion more expeditiously. Pending implementation of the reforms, litigants or their representatives continue to be at liberty to apply to the court to accelerate the hearing of an accident claim, where appropriate.

  Value for Money (Legal Profession)
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what discussions he has had with the Bar Council and the Law Society on banisters and solicitors providing value for money. [4296]

  Mr. Streeter
  The legal profession is independent and self-regulating. Fee levels are, in privately funded matters, for client and lawyer to determine subject to the lawyer's professional rules and any particular controls provided by the courts, for example, taxation of costs. However, the Government are concerned to get value for money from publicly funded legal services. The legal aid rates paid to banisters and solicitors are considered each year in consultation with the Bar Council and the Law Society. The value for money provided by legal aid payments to barristers and solicitors is therefore considered on an annual basis, and is discussed with the profession with the same regularity.

  EDS Ltd.
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many contracts his Department, agencies and associated bodies have had with EDS for each year since 1985; what was the value of each contract; if he will indicate for each contract(a) if it was completed, (b) what modifications were made at the request of (i) the company and (ii) the Department and (c) if work under contract is being undertaken in-house; and if he will make a statement on the number of job reductions in his Department arising from the contracting out of work by EDS. [3814]

  Mr. Streeter
  The chief executives of the Court Service, the Land Registry, the Public Record Office and the Public Trust Office will reply on behalf of their agencies. Prior to the establishment of the Court Service and the Public Trust Office as agencies, there is no record of any contracts with EDS. No contracts have been entered into with EDS subsequently by the remainder of the Department or its associated offices.

  Letter from M. D. Huebner to Mr. Kevin McNamara, dated 18 November 1996:
  The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, has asked me to reply to the above Question about the contracts the Court Service has had with Electronic Data Systems Ltd (EDS).
  Since the establishment of the Agency in April 1995, the Court Service has awarded two contracts to EDS. The first began in September 1996 and is for the provision of Information Services to county courts and Crown Court Centres in England and Wales and to the Bankruptcy and Companies Courts. EDS will be paid only for the volume of valid process produced (eg summonses in the county courts, petitions in the Bankruptcy Court) so the final cost is dependent on the Court Service's volume of business. However, the cost of providing the currently contracted IT services is expected to be between £20 million and £25 million (plus VAT) over 7 years. No modifications of the contract have yet been made.

  427
  The first module of the contract, to introduce a case management system into the county courts by the end of 1997, will save staff time equivalent to 600 full time posts.
  Under a second contract EDS provided one day of consultancy support in October 1996 to the Management Structure Review Team in Court Service Headquarters. This consisted of technical advice (not available in-house) on identifying and weighting factors as part of formal decision-making. The work was not connected with the Information Services contract and was separately negotiated at a daily rate of £751. EDS completed the work, without modification and no job reductions arose from this contract.

  Letter from Julia C. Lomas to Mr. Kevin McNamara, dated 18 November 1996:
  The Parliamentary Secretary has asked me to reply to you as part of the Lord Chancellor's Department's response to your Parliamentary Question, listed on 8 November 1996, regarding contracts with EDS for each year since 1985.
  The Public Trust Office has not awarded any contracts to EDS since 1985.

  Letter from Stuart Hill to Mr. Kevin McNamara, dated 18 November 1996:
  I have been asked by the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, to reply to your recent question concerning contracts with EDS.
  H M Land Registry has granted no contracts to this company.

  Letter from Sarah Tyacke to Mr. Kevin McNamara, dated 18 November 1996:
  I have been asked by the Lord Chancellor's Parliamentary Secretary to reply, for the Public Record Office, to your question about contracts with EDS.
  The Public Record Office has had no contracts with EDS.

WALES

  Tuberculosis
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many registered homeless have died from tuberculosis in Wales in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [1495]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The information requested is not available centrally. Measures taken by the Department to combat tuberculosis were set out in my reply to the hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones) on 7 November,Official Report, column 685.

  Higher Education
  Mr. Rowlands
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of young people currently enter higher education; and what comparisons he has made with the numbers entering in(a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) each member of the European Union.[3039]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  Information is available on a comparable basis for 1993 and is as follows:428

  Country of domicile

  Students entering higher education for the first time as a percentage of population1

  Wales

  31·5

  England

  28·4

  Scotland

  35·4

  GB

  29·7

  1 Home domiciled students aged under 21 entering full-time higher education for the first time anywhere in Great Britain as a percentage of the average of the number of 18 and 19-year-olds in each home country.

  Data are available for European Union countries on a slightly different basis for 1992 and are as follows:

  Country

  Number of new entrants to full-time university education as a percentage of persons of starting age

  Belgium

  27·3

  Denmark

  41·5

  France

  30·6

  Germany (FTFR)

  35·3

  Germany

  33·0

  Greece

  15·9

  Ireland

  22·1

  Italy

  41·3

  Netherlands

  40·1

  Spain

  43·3

  United Kingdom

  26·6

  Source:

  Education at a Glance OECD 1995.

  Millennium Celebrations
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what events he plans to hold to draw support from the Welsh business community for the millennium celebrations. [3106]

  Mr. Hague
  In September, I attended a lunch for members of the Welsh business community. I am not aware of any further events at present.

  Woodlands Projects
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what further support his Department proposes to promote existing projects currently experimenting with the integration of woodland-based manufacturing economies with an increase in the planting of deciduous woodland; and if he will make a statement on his assessment of the advantages of supporting existing projects; [3227]

  (2) what research his Department has (a) planned, (b) commissioned and (c) evaluated with regard to integrating proposals to increase deciduous woodland with the creation of woodland-based manufacturing economies; what financial commitment his Department has made in this area; and if he will make a statement. [3231]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  [holding answer 13 November 1996]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given today by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Scotland.

  Smallholdings
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assistance his Department gives to encourage smallholdings. [3453]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  Welsh Office policies and support for agricultural businesses apply to smallholdings and larger business. In carrying out various programmes to improve the economic performance of the agriculture industry, full account is taken of the needs of small businesses. Small businesses also benefit from implementation of the Government's deregulation policies.

  Learning Difficulties
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what plans he has to assist children at risk in respect of difficulties after entry to school; [4201]

  (2) what initiatives he has taken concerning policies for those with dyslexia at school. [4200]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  The measures introduced by the Education Act 1993, now consolidated in part IV of the Education Act 1996, require schools to publish, and report on, policies for children with special educational needs, including those who are dyslexic, and to make appropriate provision. Schools, local education authorities and other agencies also have to have regard to the code of practice on the identification and assessment of special educational needs which contains guidance on the provision to be made for children with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

  The Welsh Office makes funding available to local education authorities under the grants for education support and training programme for the training of teachers of children with special educational needs, including dyslexia.

  Mr. Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to ensure that the problems and potential of dyslexic people are raised in the teacher training curriculum; and if he will make a statement. [4204]

  Mr. Evans
  The existing criteria for courses of initial teacher training set out the competences expected of newly qualified teachers with regard to the education of children with special educational needs, including dyslexia. There will be full consultation on the new ITT requirements in the new year.

  Direct Labour Organisations
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will list by authority and service area, the surplus achieved on trading accounts by local authorities' direct labour or services organisations in Wales for those services covered by the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 and the Local Government Act 1988 for the financial year 1994£95 in(a) cash and (b) constant prices; [4483]

  (2) if he will list by authority and service area, the deficits of local authority direct labour or services organisations in Wales that have failed to meet the rate of return requirements for contracts under the Local
  430
  Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 and the Local Government Act 1988 for the financial year 1994–95 in (a) cash and (b) constant prices. [4484]

  Mr. Hague
  I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

  Arable Area Payments
  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what area of land was set aside in Wales in 1995–96 under the arable area scheme. [4217]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  A total of 4,479.18 hectares.

  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many payments were made in Wales in 1995–96 under the arable area payments scheme(a) between £0 and £5,000, (b) £5,001 and £10,000, (c) £10,001 and £15,000, (d) £15,001 and £20,000, (e) £20,001 and £25,000, (f) £25,001 and £50,000, (g) £50,001 and £75,000, (h) £75,001 and £100,000, (i) £100,001 and £150,000, (j) £150,001 and £200,000, (k) £200,001 and £250,000 and (l) £250,001 and over. [4219]

  Mr. Evans
  The information is as follows:

  Payment band

  Number of payments

  £0–£5,000

  2,027

  £5,001–£10,000

  98

  £10,001–£15,000

  109

  £15,001–£20,000

  64

  £20,001–£25,000

  32

  £25,001–£50,000

  65

  £50,001–£75,000

  11

  £75,001–£100,000

  3

  £100,001–£150,000

  1

  There were no payments above £150,000.

  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many payments were made in Wales in 1995–96 for set aside under the arable area scheme(a) between £0 and £5,000, (b) £5,001 and £10,000, (c) £10,001 and £15,000, (d) £15,001 and £20,000, (e) £20,001 and £25,000, (f) £25,001 and £50,000 and (g) over £50,001. [4218]

  Mr. Evans
  The information requested is as follows:

  Payment band

  Number of payments

  £0–£5,000

  345

  £5,001–£10,000

  44

  £10,001–£15,000

  10

  £15,001–£20,000

  1

  £20,001–£25,000

  1

  £25,001–£50,000

  1

  There were no payments above £50,000.

  Fire Authorities (Finance)
  Mr. Roy Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the indicative contributions from the 22 constituent councils to their respective fire authorities. [3991]

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

  Local authority contributions to fire authority budgets 1996–97

  £ thousand

  Conwy

  2,707

  Denbighshire

  2,233

  Flintshire

  3,553

  Gwynedd

  2,860

  Isle of Anglesey

  1,672

  Wrexham

  3,020

  North Wales Fire Authority

  16,045

  Carmarthenshire

  4,929

  Ceredigion

  2,033

  Neath Port Talbot

  4,085

  Pembrokeshire

  3,329

  Powys

  3,551

  Swansea

  6,734

  Mid and West Wales Fire Authority

  24,661

  Blaenau Gwent

  1,888

  Bridgend

  3,370

  Caerphilly

  4,405

  Cardiff

  7,895

  Merthyr Tydfil

  1,532

  Monmouthshire

  2,169

  Newport

  3,539

  Rhondda Cynon Taff

  6,156

  Torfaen

  2,332

  The Vale of Glamorgan

  3,063

  South Wales Fire Authority

  36,349

  Wales

  77,055

  Source:

  Local authority budget returns.

  Mr. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received from local authorities in Wales on each of the three fire service budgets; and what has been his response to these representations. [3993]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  I have responded to two representations from local authorities in Wales. The matter was also raised at the meeting of the Welsh Consultative Council on Local Government Finance on 23 September. The funding of fire brigades is the responsibility of their constituent local authorities. Provision for fire spending is included in the 1996–97 local authority revenue settlement which was approved by the House of Commons on 8 February.

  Mr. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what action he proposes to take in the event of one of the fire authorities failing to vote a supplementary levy in order to set a budget for the proper delivery of the fire services in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [3990]

  Mr. Jones
  Under the relevant legislation, this situation cannot arise. Each fire authority is required to set a budget which will enable its brigade to meet its statutory obligations under the Fire Services Act 1947 and to comply with the nationally recommended minimum 432
  standards of fire cover. In the case of combined fire authorities there is scope for the budget to be increased where circumstances warrant it.

  Paragraph 21(5) of the South Wales Fire Services (Combination Scheme) Order 1995 requires that payments made to the South Wales fire authority by its constituent local authorities
  "shall be made at such times, and shall be of such amounts, as are at all times sufficient to enable the financial obligations of the Authority to be met."

  Similar provisions are contained in the orders for the Mid and West Wales, and North Wales fire authorities.

  Mr. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the standard spending assessment figures for fire services in Wales prior to reorganisation and the figures for the aggregated budgets of the (i) North Wales, (ii) Mid and West Wales and (iii) South Wales fire services. [3992]

  Mr. Jones
  There were no standard spending assessments for fire brigades in Wales before reorganisation. Fire brigades were covered by the SSAs of the old counties.

  The following table gives the 1995–96 fire brigade budgets of the old counties aggregated as closely as possible to the new combined fire authority areas. The only difference between these aggregated areas and the new fire authority areas is a small part of Clwyd which was transferred to Powys on 1 April 1996.

  Local authority fire brigade budgets 1995–96

  County area

  1995–96 budget£(000)

  Gwynedd/Clwyd

  15,602

  Dyfed/Powys/West Glamorgan

  22,227

  Mid Glamorgan/South Glamorgan/Gwent

  34,187

  Wales

  72,016

  Source:

  Local authority returns.

  Nursery Vouchers
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 12 November,Official Report, column 210, if he will publish the letter he received in favour of nursery vouchers in Wales. [4768]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  My right hon. Friend is unable to publish unsolicited letters from members of the public, but the correspondent expressed strong support for the scheme and asked for her views, and those or others like her, to be represented.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Access Funds
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money has been made available for access funds in higher and further education in each year since they were introduced. [3585]
  433
  Mr. Ancram
  The resources made available for access funds since their introduction in the academic year 1990–91 are as follows:

  £ 000

  Financial Year 1

  Allocation

  Higher Education

  Further Education

  1990–91

  348

  144

  1991–92

  365

  293

  1992–93

  369

  297

  1993–94

  403

  326

  1994–95

  443

  394

  1995–96

  457

  411

  1996–97

  458

  411

  1 For higher education the financial year is August to July; for further education the Government financial year.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the adequacy of access funds in higher and further education. [3584]

  Mr. Ancram
  As part of the Government commitment to monitor student finance, a United Kingdom-wide student income and expenditure survey was carried out by the Policy Studies Institute during the 1995–96 academic year. This survey has included students in receipt of access funds. The findings will be published shortly.

  "A Ray of Hope"
  Dr. Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about the award of the UNESCO youth ambassador for the culture of peace to the choir, "A Ray of Hope"; and what assessment he has made of the contribution of the choir to the development of a more integrated society. [3436]

  Mr. Ancram
  The "Ray of Hope" choir is worthy of the warmest congratulations on winning the award of youth ambassador for the culture of peace. The children and teachers of the choir are fine examples of how mutual understanding among our young people can produce very positive results. By spreading the word of peace and reconciliation wherever they perform, they are making their own special contribution towards a more integrated society.

  Private Finance Initiative
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the private finance initiative projects in Northern Ireland which (i) are under construction, (ii) have been approved and (iii) are in the process of development. [3587]

  Sir John Wheeler
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 7 November,Official Report, column 665.

  Smallholdings
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assistance his Department gives to encourage smallholdings. [3450]

  Mr. Ancram
  While there are no capital grant schemes specifically targeted to encourage smallholdings, grant assistance for all sizes of farm business is available under the sub-programme for agriculture and rural 434
  development—SPARD—capital grant and farm innovation schemes. Both of these are closed for receipt of applications at present.

  The Department's agri-food development service runs a number of programmes, which include formal vocational courses and involve training courses and group activities at local community level in disadvantaged areas. These are of benefit to farms of all sizes, including small and very small holdings. Assistance for the establishment of farm woodlands is provided by the woodland grant scheme and the farm woodland premium scheme.

  The Department has provided £900,000 of funding from the LEADER II programme to Family Farm Development Ltd. an organisation which aims to assist farm businesses.

  Students
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many extra housing places for students have been created in the past 10 years; and what increase in student numbers there has been in further and higher education over the same years. [3583]

  Mr. Ancram
  A total of 1,741 extra housing spaces for students were created in the 10-year period 1 August 1986 to 31 July 1996.

  In the same period, the number of full-time undergraduate students on higher education courses at Northern Ireland institutions increased from 15,274 to 27,134. The number of students on full-time further education courses increased from 15,178 to 21, 096.

  Bovine Products Regulations
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to introduce provisions to extend the Bovine Products (Despatch to other Member States) Regulations 1996 to Northern Ireland. [3667]

  Mr. Ancram
  It is planned to introduce before the end of 1996 Northern Ireland Bovine Products (Despatch to other Member States) Regulations similar to those introduced in Great Britain.

  EDS Ltd.
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many contracts his Department, agencies and associated bodies have had with EDS for each year since 1985; what was the value of each contract; if he will indicate for each contract(a) if it was completed, (b) what modifications were made at the request of (i) the company and (ii) the Department and (c) if work under contract is being undertaken in-house; and if he will make a statement on the number of job reductions in his Department arising from the contracting out of work by EDS. [3811]

  Sir John Wheeler
  The Northern Ireland Office, Northern Ireland departments and agencies have had one contract with EDS since 1985, which began in 1995. I am unable to disclose the value of this contract as that is covered by commercial confidentiality. The contract is not yet complete, no modifications have been made at the request of EDS or the Department, no work has been
  435
  undertaken in-house and no job reductions have taken place. To include information in respect of associated bodies would incur disproportionate cost.

  Arable Area Payments
  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what area of land was set-aside in Northern Ireland in 1995–96 under the arable area scheme. [4224]

  Mr. Ancram
  The total set-aside under the arable area payments scheme in Northern Ireland in 1995–96 was 1,726 hectares.

  Health Services (Newry and Mourne)
  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was(a) the total number of people in receipt of day care services, (b) the average number of day care service hours available to each recipient, (c) the total number of day care service hours available and (d) the total budget available for day care services for each year since 1990 in the Newry and Mourne district; and what are the projected figures in each case in each year to 2000. [3952]

  Mr. Moss
  The table shows the number of adults registered at statutory day care facilities within the Newry and Mourne health and social services trust area as at 31 March each year.

  Year

  Number of adults

  1990

  467

  1991

  621

  1992

  626

  1993

  599

  1994

  546

  1995

  522

  Projected information is not held centrally. The average number of day care service hours available to each recipient and the total number of day care service hours available are not collected centrally.

  The total budget available for each year, for which figures are available, was as follows:

  Year

  Total expenditure

  1992–93

  887,139

  1993–94

  1,195,286

  1994–95

  1,212,386

  1995–96

  1,241,136

  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many(a) social workers, (b) social work assistants, (c) residential care workers, (d) care assistants, (e) day care centre workers and (f) home helps were employed in the Newry and Mourne district in each year since 1990; and what are the projected figures for each year to 2000. [3949]
  436
  Mr. Moss
  The table sets out the information for the Newry and Mourne trust area:

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  1994

  1995

  Social workers

  39

  40

  48

  49

  62

  70

  Social work assistants

  19

  21

  23

  25

  27

  28

  Residential care workers

  16

  16

  15

  14

  13

  12

  Care assistants

  21

  22

  22

  19

  15

  15

  Day care centre workers

  30

  33

  38

  40

  44

  44

  Home helps

  922

  820

  791

  1,288

  763

  718

  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many(a) district nurses, (b) nursing auxiliaries, (c) health visitors, (d) community midwives, (e) school nurses, (f) mental handicap nurses, (g) community psychiatric nurses, (h) treatment room nurses and (i) specialist nurses in (i) cancer care, (ii) diabetes, (iii) continence, (iv) family planning,(v) cardiac rehabilitation and (vi) stoma care were employed in the Newry and Mourne district in each year since 1990; and what are the projected figures for each category for each year to 2000. [3950]

  Mr. Moss
  The table sets out the information for the Newry and Mourne trust area:

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  1994

  1995

  District nurses

  30

  32

  32

  29

  21

  18

  Nursing auxiliaries

  70

  79

  76

  77

  82

  96

  Health visitors

  29

  29

  30

  32

  30

  24

  Community midwives1

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  School nurses

  6

  6

  5

  5

  5

  5

  Mental handicap nurses

  3

  5

  6

  7

  7

  6

  Community psychiatric nurses

  0

  0

  0

  0

  13

  14

  Treatment room nurses2

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Cancer care

  specialist nurses3

  0

  0

  1

  1

  1

  2

  Family planning specialist nurses

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1 Not separately identifiable from district nurses.

  2 Not available centrally.

  3 Macmillan nurses only.

  Numbers of specialist nurses for diabetes, continence, cardiac rehabilitation and stoma care is not available centrally.

  Information on projected staffing levels for future years is not held.

  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was(a) the total number of people in receipt of home help care, (b) the average number of home help hours available to each recipient, (c) the total number of home help hours available and (d) the total budget available for home help services for each year since 1990 in the Newry and Mourne district; and what are the projected figures for each year to 2000. [3953]
  437
  Mr. Moss
  The table shows the number of people in receipt of home help service in the Newry and Mourne health and social services trust area as at 31 March each year. Reliable information on the number of home help hours worked is not available centrally.

  1990: 1,514

  1991: 1,578

  1992: 1,495

  1993: 1,795

  1994: 1,744

  1995: 1,687

  1996: 1,939

  Total expenditure on home help services for each year was as follows:

  Year

  Total expenditure

  1991

  2,053,404

  1991–92

  2,182,948

  1992–93

  2,340,023

  1993–94

  2,511,333

  1994–95

  2,753,428

  1995–96

  2,525,562

  Projected figures are not available centrally.

  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the social work case load in the Newry and Mourne district in each year since 1990; and what are the projected figures for each year to 2000. [3954]

  Mr. Moss
  The table shows the number of people who have been in contact with the social services department of the Newry and Mourne health and social services trust area during year ended 31 March:

  1990: 1,344

  1991: 2,025

  1992: 4,736

  1993: 5,436

  1994: 4,958

  1995: 6,173

  Projected figures are not available centrally.

  Note:
  The 1990 figure excludes elderly people and physically disabled people who were in contact with the trust.
  The 1991 figure excludes elderly people who were in contact with the trust.
  The 1994 figure includes estimated data for the number of mentally ill people who were in contact with the trust.

  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total number of attendances at psychiatric day hospitals in Newry and Mourne district in each year since 1990; and what are the projected figures for each year to 2000. [3955]

  Mr. Moss
  There are no psychiatric day hospitals in Newry and Mourne health and social services trust.
  438
  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total number of psychiatric out-patient attendances in the Newry and Mourne district in each year since 1990; and what are the projected figures for each year to 2000. [3956]

  Mr. Moss
  The table shows the number of attendances at psychiatric consultant out-patient clinics in the Newry and Mourne health and social services trust.

  1989–90: 1,560

  1990–91: 1,544

  1991–92: 1,536

  1992–93: 0

  1993–94: 0

  1994–95: 4,196

  1995–96: 3,819

  Note:
  During the years 1992–93 and 1993–94, there were no psychiatric out-patient clinics in the Newry and Mourne health and social services trust area. Services in these years were provided elsewhere.

  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total number of face-to-face contacts with community psychiatric nurses in the Newry and Mourne district in each year since 1990; and what are the projected figures for each year to 2000. [3959]

  Mr. Moss
  The table shows the number of face-to-face contacts with community psychiatric nurses in the Newry and Mourne health and social services trust. Information for individual trusts is not available prior to 1994–95.

  1994–95: 8,053

  1995–96: 9,087

  Projected information is not available centrally.

  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total number of patients treated in the Newry and Mourne district in each year since 1990 broken down by(a) general surgery, (b) ear, nose and throat, (c) general medicine, (d) cardiac medicine, (e) gynaecology, (f) obstetrics, (g) paediatrics, (h) psychiatry, (i) ophthalmology, (j) dermatology, (k) oral surgery, (l) thoracic surgery, (m) haematology and (n) accident and emergency; and what are the projected figures for each year to 2000. [3961]

  Mr. Moss
  The table shows the number of patients treated and the number of attendances as consultant out-patient clinics and accident and emergency departments in the Newry and Mourne HSS trust for the financial years 1989–90 to 1995–96. Projected figures are not available centrally.
  439

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  1994–95

  1995–96

  General surgery

  Inpatients

  4,135

  4,130

  4,114

  4,615

  5,020

  5,291

  5,709

  Outpatient attendances

  12,623

  11,692

  13,270

  13,852

  14,025

  14,291

  15,435

  ENT

  Inpatients

  722

  751

  786

  768

  767

  812

  805

  Outpatient attendances

  2,047

  2,243

  2,184

  2,048

  1,999

  2,193

  2,128

  General medicine

  Inpatients

  1,865

  2,106

  2,076

  2,223

  2,680

  2,834

  2,856

  Outpatient attendances

  6,370

  6,378

  6,310

  6,213

  6,504

  6,834

  7,283

  Cardiology

  Inpatients

  549

  545

  832

  932

  884

  928

  828

  Outpatient attendances

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Gynaecology

  Inpatients

  1,488

  1,672

  1,686

  1,924

  2,060

  1,885

  1,856

  Outpatient attendances

  3,781

  3,928

  3,670

  4,049

  4,976

  5,363

  6,135

  Obstetrics

  Inpatients

  2,478

  2,419

  2,164

  2,358

  2,263

  2,404

  2,236

  Outpatient attendances

  6,382

  7,011

  6,310

  6,785

  6,784

  6,665

  6,989

  Paediatrics

  Inpatients

  1,038

  986

  1,096

  1,063

  1,161

  1,230

  1,345

  Outpatient attendances

  3,198

  2,998

  2,851

  3,209

  3,399

  3,444

  3,759

  Mental illness

  Inpatients

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Outpatient attendances

  1,560

  1,544

  1,536

  0

  0

  4,196

  3,819

  Ophthalmology

  Inpatients

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Outpatient attendances

  3,320

  3,092

  3,298

  3,780

  4,084

  4,125

  4,360

  Dermatology

  Inpatients

  0

  0

  0

  0

  89

  223

  0

  Outpatient attendances

  2,668

  2,769

  2,178

  3,355

  3,385

  3,950

  4,327

  Oral surgery

  Inpatients

  48

  29

  27

  15

  72

  71

  76

  Outpatient attendances

  376

  366

  442

  617

  712

  724

  786

  Thoracic surgery

  Inpatients

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Outpatient attendances

  29

  63

  78

  73

  71

  104

  131

  Haematology

  Inpatients

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Outpatient attendances

  0

  0

  66

  105

  96

  148

  155

  Accident and emergency departments

  29,556

  29,984

  28,452

  30,081

  29,436

  30,410

  32,355

  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total number of(a) doctors, (b) nurses, (c) paramedical staff, broken down by discipline and (d) other employees employed to deliver

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  1994

  1995

  Doctors

  43

  44

  43

  51

  73

  85

  Nurses

  563

  597

  595

  586

  605

  621

  Chiropodists

  7

  6

  6

  6

  7

  9

  Dietitians

  2

  3

  2

  2

  3

  2

  Occupational therapists

  11

  12

  13

  12

  17

  18

  Orthoptists

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Physiotherapists

  19

  21

  22

  21

  20

  22

  Speech and language therapists

  6

  6

  7

  6

  7

  8

  Clinical psychologists

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  3

  Other

  806

  784

  820

  778

  803

  834

  Information on projected staffing levels for future years is not held.
  440
  health services in the Newry and Mourne district in each year since 1990; and what are the projected figures for each year to 2000. [3963]

  Mr. Moss
  The table sets out the information for the Newry and Mourne trust area.

  Daisy Hill Hospital
  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of(a) the clinical effectiveness and (b) the cost-effectiveness of Daisy Hill hospital; and what plans he has to safeguard the future of the hospital. [3951]

  Mr. Moss
  Assessments of the clinical effectiveness and the cost effectiveness of Daisy Hill hospital are a matter for Newry and Mourne HSS trust and its purchasers in the first instance. The future role of the hospital will be shaped by the requirements of

  Ward classification

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  1994–95

  1995–96

  General patients—children

  34

  34

  34

  34

  34

  34

  34

  General patients—elderly

  36

  43

  43

  43

  44

  44

  44

  General patients—other

  180

  171

  166

  164

  156

  151

  150

  Neonates—maternity

  40

  40

  40

  40

  40

  49

  40

  Maternity—consultant

  52

  52

  52

  52

  46

  38

  38

  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the average waiting period for appointments with(a) resident consultants and (b) non-resident consultants at Daisy Hill hospital, for each discipline, in each year since 1990; and what are the projected figures for each year to 2000. [3960]

  Mr. Moss
  Information is not available in the format requested. The table shows the number of people who had their first out-patient appointment in the Newry and Mourne HSS trust during the years 1993–94 and 1995–96 and the length of time they waited. Information before 1993–94 and projected figures are not available centrally.

  Waiting time in months

  1993–94

  1994–95

  1995–96

  0 to 2

  9,591

  10,513

  12,160

  3 to 5

  2,070

  1,185

  1,737

  6 to 8

  208

  114

  181

  9 to 11

  66

  7

  43

  12 to 14

  4

  1

  1

  15 to 17

  1

  0

  1

  18 to 20

  1

  1

  0

  21 to 23

  1

  0

  0

  24+

  1

  1

  0

  Total

  11,943

  11,822

  14,123

  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the average number of nurses employed by Daisy Hill hospital in each year since 1990; and what are the projected figures for each year to 2000. [3969]

  Mr. Moss
  The number of nurses employed in Daisy Hill hospital was as follows:

  Year (at 31 December1)

  Nurses

  1990

  296

  1991

  319

  1992

  315

  1993

  312

  1994

  319

  1995

  332

  1 Average number of nurses in each year is not available.

  442
  my Department's regional strategy for health and social well-being 1997 to 2000, taking account of local needs.

  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the average number of beds available in each ward at Daisy Hill hospital in each year since 1990; and what are the projected figures for each ward for each year to 2000. [3965]

  Mr. Moss
  The table shows the average number of available beds in wards open overnight in the Daisy Hill hospital for the financial years 1989–90 to 1995–6. Projected bed figures are not available.

  Information on projected staffing levels for future years is not held.

  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the average number of employees at Daisy Hill hospital in each year since 1990; and what are the projected figures for each year to 2000. [3964]

  Mr. Moss
  The number of employees in Daisy Hill hospital was as follows:

  Year (at 31 December1)

  Total employees

  1990

  667

  1991

  685

  1992

  690

  1993

  662

  1994

  694

  1995

  732

  1 Average number of employees in each year is not available.

  Information on projected staffing levels for future years is not held.

  Waiting Times
  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the average waiting periods experienced by(a) patients whose services are purchased by their local health board and (b) patients of GP fundholders. [3957]

  Mr. Moss
  The table shows the number of people admitted as in-patients during the period 1 April 1995 to 31 March 1996 and the length of time they had waited. The average waiting time is not calculable because information on patient waiting times is grouped into time bands and is not measured individually.
  443

  Purchaser

  Waiting time in months

  Eastern board

  Northern board

  Southern board

  Western board

  GP fundholders

  0 to 2

  31,581

  19,077

  20,690

  12,347

  21,315

  3 to 5

  4,847

  3,301

  2,332

  1,543

  3,970

  6 to 8

  2,242

  1,204

  871

  562

  1,641

  9 to 11

  1,460

  695

  475

  379

  960

  12 to 14

  746

  435

  305

  240

  440

  15 to 17

  394

  136

  107

  56

  180

  18 to 20

  177

  61

  55

  43

  68

  21 to 23

  61

  31

  28

  17

  30

  24+

  147

  61

  69

  39

  74

  No date decided to admit recorded

  4,394

  1,461

  929

  375

  1,679

  Total

  46,049

  26,162

  25,861

  15,601

  30,357

  You will also be interested to know that waiting lists and waiting times generally have been reduced considerably since 1992. For example, in that year, about 3,000 patients were waiting two years or more for two years while there were 800 waiting more than 18 months. The number of patients treated has raisen continually over the same period from a total number of 330,000—ordinary admissions and day cases —in 1991–92 to 400,000 approximately in 1995–96.

  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what were the average waiting periods experienced by(a) patients whose services are purchased by each of the health boards and (b) patients of general practitioner fundholders for (i) Northern Ireland, (ii) each health board area and (iii) each hospital trust area. [3958]

  Mr. Moss
  The tables show the number of people admitted as in-patients during the period 1 April 1995 to 31 March 1996 in Northern Ireland and how long they had waited. The average waiting time is not calculable because information on patient waiting times is grouped in time bands and is measured individually.

  (a) Patients of health and social services boards

  Purchaser

  Waiting time in months

  Northern Ireland

  EHSSB

  NHSSB

  SHSSB

  WHSSB

  0 to 2

  83,695

  31,581

  19,077

  20,690

  12,347

  3 to 5

  12,023

  4,847

  3,301

  2,332

  1,543

  6 to 8

  4,879

  2,242

  1,204

  871

  562

  9 to 11

  3,009

  1,460

  695

  475

  379

  12 to 14

  1,726

  746

  435

  305

  240

  15 to 17

  693

  394

  136

  107

  56

  18 to 20

  336

  177

  61

  55

  43

  21 to 23

  137

  61

  31

  28

  17

  24+

  316

  147

  61

  69

  39

  No date decided to admit recorded

  7,159

  4,394

  1,461

  929

  375

  Total

  113,973

  46,049

  26,462

  25,861

  15,061

  Hospitals trusts do not have a designated geographical area and therefore the information is not available.

  (b) Patients of general practitioner fundholders

  Waiting time in months

  Purchaser Northern Ireland

  0 to 2

  21,315

  3 to 5

  3,970

  6 to 8

  1,641

  9 to 11

  960

  12 to 14

  440

  15 to 17

  180

  18 to 20

  68

  21 to 23

  30

  24+

  74

  No date decided to admit recorded

  1,679

  Total

  30,357

  BSE
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what percentage and what total amount of BSE eradication and compensation scheme expenditure has been received by(a) farmers, (b) slaughterers,(c) renderers and (d) other recipients; and if he will make a statement; [2160]

  (2) what has been the total expenditure to date on the BSE eradication and compensation schemes; and if he will make a statement. [2165]

  Mr. Ancram
  [holding answer 6 November 1996]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 6 November, Official Report, column 582, by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

  Fireworks
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the importation of illegal fireworks into Northern Ireland in the last three years; what seizures have been made; what categories of illegal fireworks have been found; and what was the country of manufacture. [2494]

  Sir John Wheeler
  [holding answer 7 November 1996]: The Chief Constable has advised me that police made 93 seizures in 1994, 31 in 1995, and that 100 seizures have been made so far this year. Illegal fireworks recovered were from categories 1 (indoor), 2 (garden) and 3 (display) and had been manufactured in China, France, Germany or Austria.

  Quantities of illegal fireworks seized in 1996 have amounted to approximately 34 tonnes, a considerable increase on the 1 to 2 tonnes of previous years.

  My officials, in consultation with the RUC and others, will be considering what lessons are to be learnt from this year's experience.

  Consultants
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the latest estimates of the expenditure on external consultants, including management consultants, for each year since 1992, in
  445
  1996 prices, for his Department and its agencies; and what are the quantified annual cost savings which such expenditure has resulted in. [4064]

  Sir John Wheeler
  [holding answer 14 November 1996]: Within the Northern Ireland departments and their agencies, expenditure on all external consultants, including management consultants, for each year since 1992 in 1996 prices is:

  1992–93: £22,097,000

  1993–94: £31,889,000

  1994–95: £26,462,000

  1995–96: £25,543,000

  As consultants are, in many instances, engaged to contribute particular skills to an element of much larger process, it is not possible to quantify savings which such expenditure has resulted in but, in each instance, consultants were engaged on the basis of best value for money.

  Figures for the Northern Ireland Office are not currently available. I shall write to the hon. Member in due course.

  Taxation
  Ms Mowlam
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many(a) individuals and (b) trusts paid capital gains tax in Northern Ireland in the last year for which figures are available. [3941]

  Mr. Jack
  I have been asked to reply.

  I regret that separate figures for Northern Ireland are not available.

  Ms Mowlam
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money was received by the Treasury from(a) capital gains tax and (b) inheritance tax in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years. [3942]

  Mr. Jack
  I have been asked to reply.

  Receipts of capital gains tax in the United Kingdom are published in table 1.2 of "Inland Revenue Statistics 1996". I regret that separate figures for Northern Ireland are not available. Receipts of inheritance tax—including capital transfer tax and estate duty—in Northern Ireland for each of the last 10 years are in the table.
  446

  Year

  Receipts £ million

  1986–87

  12·4

  1987–88

  16·5

  1988–89

  11·0

  1989–90

  11·0

  1990–91

  17·1

  1991–92

  13·4

  1992–93

  13·7

  1993–94

  11·5

  1994–95

  14·8

  1995–96

  14·8

  Ms Mowlam
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of estates granted probate in the last year in Northern Ireland paid inheritance tax. [3940]

  Mr. Jack
  I have been asked to reply.

  It is estimated that in 1995–96 about 4 per cent. of estates for which a grant of representation—or probate—was obtained in Northern Ireland were liable to inheritance tax.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Mammalian Meat and Bonemeal
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what data he collated on the movement of mammalian meat and bonemeal from 12 July 1995 to 12 July 1996; and if he will make a statement; [1359]

  (2) what data he collated on the movement of mammalian meat and bonemeal from 12 July to 1 August; and if he will make a statement; [1355]

  (3) what data he has collated on the movement of mammalian meat and bonemeal since 1 August 1996; and if he will make a statement. [1360]

  Mrs. Browning
  Mammalian meat and bonemeal derived from specified bovine material is audited by the State Veterinary Service. No data were collated on the movement of this material during the periods in question which, under the Specified Bovine Materials Order 1996—formerly the Specified Bovine Offals Order 1995—is required to be incinerated or landfilled following production in approved plants. With the introduction of the over-30-months scheme, the Specified Bovine Material Order was amended to allow OTMS carcasses to be processed in SBM rendering lines. As Commission regulation 716/96 requires rendered OTMS material to be destroyed, all of the MBM now produced from these lines is being stored by the Intervention Board pending disposal by the best practicable environmental option. Data collated on the movement of MBM into store during the periods in question are as follows:

  Tonnes

  3 May 1996–12 July 1996

  7,201

  13 July 1996–31 July 1996

  15.184

  1 August 1996–31 October 1996

  67.682

  447
  MBM derived from other animal waste is rendered separately in dedicated rendering lines under GB provisions set out in the Animal By-Products Order 1992, as amended. Its production is also audited by the State Veterinary Service. Following the ban on feeding mammalian MBM to all farm animals with effect from 4 April 1996, a proportion of the MBM from this waste stream has been sent by renderers to landfill sites. Some data were collated on the quantities of MBM sent for landfill during part of the periods in question, but these are incomplete and considered unreliable.

  Data collated on mammalian MBM, and animal feed containing this, moved under the Government's feed recall scheme during the periods in question is as follows:

  Tonnes

  12 July 1995–12 July 1996

  6,863

  13 July 1996–31 July 1996

  4,040

  1 August 1996–31 October 1996

  4

  Arable Area Payments
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was (i) the maximum, (ii) the minimum and (iii) the average payment made under the arable area payments scheme in 1995. [3633]

  Mr. Baldry
  In the 1995 scheme year, the highest payment under the arable area payments scheme in England was for £2,040,092.26. The smallest payment that could be claimed in 1995 was £80.75, but some claimants may have received less than this because of the application of administrative penalties under the scheme. The average total payment per claim was £24,296.

  Renderers and Abattoirs (Prosecutions)
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list all completed prosecutions initiated by local authority departments against(a) renderers, (b) abattoirs, (c) livestock dealers, (d) animal feed manufacturers and (e) pet food manufacturers for each year since 1990, stating for each the (i)date, (ii) name of the individual or organisation prosecuted, (iii) nature of the charges and (iv) outcome of the prosecution; and if he will make a statement. [3662]

  Mrs. Browning
  Information on prosecutions conducted by local authorities is not held centrally by this Department. To gather the material together over this period of time would involve disproportionate costs.

  Public Interest Immunity
  Ms Quin
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what public interest immunity certificates his Department has issued since November 1995. [3713]

  Mr. Boswell
  The Minister has not issued any public interest immunity certificates since November 1995.

  Milk (Dioxins)
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will place in the Library the complete data arising from the survey of dioxins in milk 448
  at industrial sites which were summarised in the MAFF-Department of Health information bulletin published on 31 October. [3916]

  Mrs. Browning
  The article in the bulletin reported the interim results of the survey. The Ministry did not intend to publish details of the interim results until the survey was completed. However, in this case I will arrange for the data to be placed in the Library once they have been compiled into a suitable form.

  Industrial Fishing
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to promote measures in respect of industrial fishing through the European Council of Ministers.[4161]

  Mr. Baldry
  [holding answer 15 November 1996]: In the Fisheries Council I have called for more collaborative research in order to increase our understanding of the impact of industrial fisheries on other species, I have successfully pressed for measures to reduce herring mortality in industrial fisheries in line with advice received from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, I have urged the need for the next multi-annual guidance programme to deal adequately with the industrial fisheries fleet and I am supporting tighter by-catch rules in the sandeel fishery as part of new technical conservation measures.

  Soya Beans
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what applications have been made for licences for the importation of genetically engineered soya beans; and if he will make a statement. [4268]

  Mrs. Browning
  A marketing consent for a specified type of genetically modified soya bean was granted in May 1996 under the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations 1992, as amended.

  Quarantine
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 5 November,Official Report, column 488, on quarantine regulations, when he expects to make a decision on this matter. [4466]

  Mrs. Browning
  [holding answer 15 November 1996]: At this stage it is not possible to give a date.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Incapacity Benefit
  Mr. Burden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of appeals against the disallowance of incapacity benefit for the last financial year were successful; and if he will make a statement. [734]

  Mr. Burt
  Between 1 June 1995 and 31 March 1996, 45 per cent. of appeals against disallowance of incapacity benefit were decided in favour of the appellant.
  449
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people in Scotland are currently awaiting a hearing for an appeal against an all work test refusal(a) in total and (b) for each benefit office in Scotland; what percentage this represents of total tests at each office; what is the current average waiting time before each appeal is heard; and what action he is taking to expedite appeals. [1358]

  Mr. Evans
  The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is set out in the table.

  There are 4,423 appeals against incapacity benefit all-work test decisions currently outstanding in Scotland. Individual totals for each office are shown in the table.

  The current average waiting time before each appeal is heard in Scotland is 19.22 weeks.

  We recently introduced regulations amending the appeals process which should help to reduce the time it takes to clear appeals. The Independent tribunal service, through its change programme, continue to look for ways to improve clearance times.

  Benefits agency office

  Outstanding appeals (held by the Independent Tribunal Service as at 5 November 1996)

  All-work test decisions made during the quarter 1 April to 30 June 1996

  Greenock

  150

  794

  Glasgow City

  44

  309

  Glasgow Maryhill

  33

  321

  Glasgow Shettleston

  300

  632

  Glasgow Provan

  3

  702

  Glasgow South West

  1,248

  Glasgow Bridgeton

  491

  293

  Glasgow Laurieston

  4

  704

  East Kilbride

  301

  529

  Glasgow Anniesland

  195

  718

  Glasgow Partick

  1

  475

  Irvine

  65

  751

  Kilmarnock

  101

  375

  Clydebank

  115

  1,267

  Campbeltown

  12

  102

  Oban

  9

  48

  Renfrew

  101

  1,301

  Ayr

  220

  1,245

  Dumfries

  37

  477

  Stranraer

  18

  204

  Glasgow Springburn

  196

  926

  Cumbernauld

  199

  1,199

  Motherwell

  595

  1,095

  Hamilton

  857

  Coatbridge

  56

  636

  Edinburgh South

  37

  829

  Edinburgh East

  25

  782

  Galashiels

  25

  236

  Kirkcaldy

  2

  332

  Cowdenbeath

  141

  513

  Dunfermline

  672

  Leven

  376

  Stirling

  68

  711

  Falkirk

  150

  1,437

  Aberdeen

  2

  869

  Lerwick

  4

  39

  Peterhead

  55

  560

  Inverness

  29

  481

  Fort William

  1

  113

  Kirkwall

  0

  50

  Wick

  4

  184

  Edinburgh City

  32

  424

  Leith

  14

  586

  Lothian West

  92

  2,033

  Dundee

  463

  1,602

  Arbroath

  457

  Perth

  468

  450

  Benefits agency office

  Outstanding appeals (held by the Independent Tribunal service as at 5 November 1996

  All-work test decisions made during the quarter 1 April to 30 June 1996

  Elgin

  29

  337

  Stornaway

  4

  149

  Source:

  100 per cent. count of the incapacity benefit system excluding a small number of clerically processed cases. Some credits only cases which existed prior to April 1995 are not included either.

  Notes:

  1. The number of decisions made includes a small number of credits only cases disallowed as customers failed to return their questionnaire without good cause or failed to attend a medical examination.

  2. Some severe disablement allowance cases which were allowed following reference to Benefits Agency Medical Services are included in the decisions.

  3. The decision to withdraw benefit is made by the independent adjudication officer.

  Bronchitis and Emphysema
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he plans to introduce revised criteria in respect of the claims for disablement benefit in respect of chronic bronchitis and emphysema. [2041]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  A response to the industrial injuries advisory committee's report on chronic bronchitis and emphysema will be made shortly.

  Private Pension Schemes
  Ms Corston
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the average percentage of total costs taken up on entering private pension schemes by(a) fees, charges and administration and (b) occupational and private pension rebates and subsidies (i) in the first year and (ii) at retirement age, for men and women now aged (1) 20, (2) 30, (3) 40 and (4) 50 years. [3047]

  Mr. Heald
  No such estimates have been undertaken. Given the variety and diversity of occupational and personal pension provision in the United Kingdom, establishing the average percentage of total charges is not possible.

  Mr. MacShane
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the percentage of total pension payments dependent on the performance of private pension funds(a) currently, (b) in 2010 and (c) in 2020. [3923]

  Mr. Heald
  It is estimated that in 1994, the latest year for which figures are available, approximately 40 per cent. of total pension payments, including the state retirement and earnings-related pensions, were from funded occupational and personal pension schemes.

  Comparable projections for 2010 and 2020 are not available.

  Old Age Pensions (Budget)
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current budget for old—age pensions in England and Wales; and what it was in(a) 1979 and (b) 1990 in equivalent terms. [3092]

  Mr. Heald
  The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is set out in the tables.

  £ million (GB)

  1979–80

  1990–91

  1996–97

  Cash price

  Cash price contributory retirement pension

  8,816

  22,699

  31,951

  Non-contributory retirement pension

  36

  36

  36

  Total retirement pension

  8,852

  22,735

  31,987

  1996–97 prices

  Contributory retirement pension

  23,260

  27,782

  31,951

  Non-contributory retirement pension

  95

  44

  36

  Total retirement pension

  22,355

  27,826

  31,987

  Source:

  Social Security March 1996 departmental report and earlier equivalents.

  Income Support
  Ms. Corston
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners receiving income support as an addition to their income would not be eligible for such support if the basic retirement pension had been increased annually in accordance with earnings since 1980; and what percentage of basic retirement pensioners received supplementary benefit income support in (i) 1979 and (ii) 1995. [3050]

  Mr. Heald
  It is estimated that some 830,000 benefit units would no longer be eligible for income support in addition to retirement pension if the retirement pension had been increased annually in accordance with earnings since 19801. The estimate increases to 850,000 benefit units if RP had continued to be increased in accordance with the higher of earnings or prices since 1980.

  It is estimated that around 22 per cent. of basic retirement pensioners were in benefit units in receipt of supplementary benefit in 1979. The equivalent figure in 1995 for income support is 15 per cent2.

  Note:
  Benefit units may be a single person or a couple, plus any dependent children. Either the claimant, their partner, or both claimant and partner may be in receipt of retirement pension.

  Sources:

  1. Income support simulation model based on the Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry May 1995 uprated to 1996–7 prices and caseloads. Estimate rounded to the nearest 10,000.

  2. Data from the Supplementary Benefit Statistics Annual Enquiry 1979, Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry November 1995, retirement pension statistics November 1979 and September 1995. The estimate is rounded to nearest whole number.

  National Insurance
  Ms. Corston
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security on present national insurance contribution rates for employees and employers, what would be the excess of contribution income over benefits, applying the standard assumptions of the Government Actuary, in the years (i) 2000-01, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2020-21 and (iv) 2030-31; and what would be the excess in each case if the rate of unemployment was assumed to be(a) 3 per cent. and (b) 8 per cent. [3051]

  Mr. Heald
  The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table. However, I refer the hon. Member to table 10 of HC 160 which reflects the Government Actuary's estimate of the effect on contribution rates of a 2 per cent. change in the unemployment assumption.

  Information based on assumed unemployment rates of 3 and 8 per cent. could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  National insurance fund: £ billion at 1994–95 prices using 1995–96 contribution rates

  2000–01

  2010–11

  2020–21

  2030–31

  Excess of contribution income over benefit expenditure(1)

  1·94

  2·90

  5·54

  3·97

  Source:

  Government Actuary's Department.

  Notes:

  1 Net of costs of administration but excluding any Treasury grant and investment income.

  1. The information in the table is based upon the future rate of unemployment—5 per cent.—assumed for the purposes of the Government Actuary's report on the third quinquennial review under section 137 of the Social Security Act 1975 (HC 160).

  Disability Living Allowance
  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many(a) first applications for disability living allowance were refused, (b) appeals against the decision to refuse disability living allowance were made and (c) appeals for disability living allowance were successful in (i) 1994–95 and (ii) 1995–96. [3508]

  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  The information is not available in the format requested as disability living allowance statistics do not distinguish between reviews and appeals for first claims, and reviews and appeals of existing awards. A claim may be successful on review or appeal for a variety of reasons, for example, because additional information has been received or the claimant's condition has deteriorated. Such information as is available is in the table.

  Thousands

  Refusals, reviews and appeals1

  Numbers

  1994–95

  First applications refused

  256

  Review decisions2

  317

  Successful reviews3

  154

  Appeal decisions4

  26

  Successful appeals5

  17

  453

  Thousands

  Refusals, reviews and appeals1

  Numbers

  1995–96

  First application refused

  225

  Review decisions2

  333

  Successful reviews3

  147

  Appeal decisions4

  28

  Successful appeals5

  18

  Source:
  Analytical Services Division: figures based on 100 per cent. data have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

  Notes:

  1 Reviews and appeals may be received in one year but decided in a later year.

  2 Includes both reviews of the first applications which were refused and reviews of existing awards.

  3 Includes both successful reviews of first applications which were refused and existing awards where the award was increased.

  4 Includes both decisions about first applications which were refused after review and decisions about existing awards.

  5 Includes both first awards of the benefit and existing awards where the award was increased.

  Appeals
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proposals his Department has to reduce the time taken over social security appeals. [2867]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  We recently introduced regulations amending the appeals process which should help to reduce the time it takes to clear appeals. The independent tribunal service, through its change programme, continues to look for ways to improve clearance times.

  Reduced Earnings Allowance
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many claimants possessing documentary evidence of being awarded reduced earnings allowance for life have presented their evidence to the Benefits Agency; how many of these have been compensated; and at what estimated cost to his Department; [4091]

  (2) when the (a) investigation and (b) compensation processes into claimants possessing documentary evidence of being awarded reduced earnings allowance for life commenced; and when he expects that they will be completed. [4090]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  To receive compensation a person must be able to show a financial loss because a commitment was undertaken in reliance on an unconditional official assurance that reduced earnings allowance would continue in payment for life or some other period.

  Awards of reduced earnings allowance, for whatever period, are always made subject to the requirements for entitlement continuing to be satisfied. For those over pension age, the condition is that the recipient continues in regular employment or can be treated by regulations as continuing in regular employment. No-one awarded reduced earnings allowance since April 1989 should have been given an unconditional assurance of future payment. I am aware that some such assurances may have been given and that the Benefits Agency is considering claims for compensation from people transferred from reduced
  454
  earnings allowance to retirement allowance as they arise. To date, none of the four claims considered has satisfied the criteria for payment.

  War Pensions
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the extra cost to his Department if a national disregard of war pensions were applied by each local authority in England for the purpose of(a) council tax and (b) housing benefit. [4297]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  Any increase in the mandatory disregards of war pensions in the income-related benefits would apply across all of Great Britain.

  It is broadly estimated that the additional cost of a total disregard of all war pensions is (a) £15 million for council tax benefit; and (b) £45 million for housing benefit.1

  Any increase in these mandatory disregards would also have to apply in the calculation of the other income-related benefits, notably income support. It is estimated that a total disregard of all war pensions for income support purposes would cost around a further £35 million in additional benefit expenditure.

  Thus, when these costs are added to the £25 million cost of the present mandatory disregards, it can be seen that, for all the income-related benefits, the estimated overall cost of a mandatory total disregard would be in the region of £120 million. This would be in addition to the estimated £1.4 billion expenditure on war pensions for 1996–97.

  Notes:
  1 Estimates are based upon data given in Local Authority subsidy returns for 1994–95; the May 1994 Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry; and the 1991, 1992 and 1993 Family Expenditure Surveys.
  The estimates have been uprated to 1996–97 levels.
  In compiling these estimates, expenditure has been rounded, where appropriate, to the nearest £5 million.
  Estimates are broad order estimates only, due to a lack of comprehensive data.

  Pensioners (Benefits)
  Mr. Churchill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average cost per head to public funds in respect of social security payments over and above the standard retirement or widow's pension of(a) retirement pensioners generally and (b) retirement pensioners in the last two years of their lives. [4379]

  Mr. Heald
  The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is as follows:The cost of social security on the elderly per elderly person per week is £14.

  Notes:
  Figure rounded to the nearest £1.

  Sources:

  1. Departmental Report March 1996—the figures used are for benefit expenditure on Elderly people i.e. those aged 60 or over excluding retirement pension—basic element and earning related component.

  2. Population estimates unit, Office of National Statistics.

  Pensioners Living Abroad
  Mr. Churchill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many British pensioners qualified for a state retirement pension in those countries where the pension is frozen at(a) the most recent date for which figures are available and (b) a year previously; and what factors underlie the increase over that period of his estimate of the payment of fully indexed pensions. [4382]

  Mr. Heald
  In July 1996, the most recent date for which figures are available, United Kingdom state retirement and widow's pensions were paid to 429,647 beneficiaries in countries where the pensions are frozen. Corresponding figures for July 1995 are not available. In January 1995, such pensions were paid to 400,742 beneficiaries. The increase over the period January 1995 to July 1996 in the cost of extending annual cost of living increases to beneficiaries whose pensions are frozen is attributable to(a) the rise in the number of pensioners in receipt of frozen pensions and (b) the increase in benefit rates by 2.2 per cent. in April 1995 and 3.9 per cent. in April 1996.

  Contributions Holidays
  Mr. Rooney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications for national insurance contributions holidays have been received since April 1995; how many have been successful by standard region and Great Britain as a whole and by(a) gender and (b) ethnicity and specifying the numbers who were (i) registered unemployed, (ii) recipients of a training allowance, (iii) lone parents and (iv) carers. [4434]

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

  Number

  Applications

  2,039

  Successful applications

  1,679

  Unsuccessful applications

  279

  Awaiting further information

  81

  Regional breakdown (successful applications)

  Number

  North

  188

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  254

  East Midlands

  174

  East Anglia

  56

  South East

  233

  South West

  162

  West Midlands

  174

  North West

  166

  Wales

  80

  Scotland

  142

  Greater London

  50

  Total successful applications, by gender

  Number

  Male

  1,435

  Female

  244

  Number previously unemployed: 1,619. Number of lone parents: 57. Number of carers: 3.

  1. The number of recipients of training allowance is not calculated separately.

  2. Statistics relate to the position on 13 November 1996.

  Housing and Council Tax Benefit
  Mr. Rooney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications have been made for extended payment of housing benefit and council tax benefit and how many have been successful by standard region and Great Britain as a whole and by(a) gender and (b) ethnicity, specifying the numbers who were (i) registered unemployed, (ii) recipients of a training allowance, (iii) lone parents and (iv) carers and the duration of the benefit claim since the inception of the scheme. [4435]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  Information concerning the gender, ethnicity and duration of claim in respect of housing benefit and council tax benefit extended payments is not collected. The remaining information will be available early next year.

  Departmental Expenditure
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 11 November,Official Report, column 97, if he will calculate the equivalent figures on social security and welfare services in the same form as the Eurostat publication for the period 1994–95. [4546]

  Mr. Burt
  The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table; only Denmark, Italy and the UK have supplied Eurostat with information for 1994 calculated in this way. The equivalent figures for 1994–95 for the United Kingdom could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Country

  General Government expenditure on social security and welfare services as percentage of gross domestic product

  Denmark

  27.71

  Italy

  18.32

  United Kingdom

  16.61

  1. Figures are for 1994. 2. The figures shown in the Eurostat publication "General Government accounts and statistics" for Social Security and welfare services include:

  Social security and assistance
  Administration of payments and funds to compensate for loss of income due to accident, injury, sickness and unemployment and old age pensions.
  Allowances for families, guardians' and widows' allowances, public relief and war veterans' benefits.

  Welfare services
  Child welfare services and institutions.
  Homes for, and care of, the aged and disabled.
  Family welfare agencies and services.
  Other special welfare institutions and organisations.
  They do not include "Health affairs and services" as well as some other smaller items which are included in Eurostat social protection totals.

  Benefit Take-up Rates
  Mr. Bernard Jenkin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the next edition of "Income-related Benefits: Estimates of Take-up", will be published. [5065]
  457
  Mr. Roger Evans
  "Income-related Benefits: Estimates of Take-up in 1994–95" have been published today by the Government statistical service. Copies of the report have been placed in the Library.

  Benefits Agency (Seaham and Peterlee)
  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the future of the Seaham and Peterlee Benefits Agency offices; and what changes in provision of services have taken place in the previous 12 months in respect of these offices. [3389]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  This is a matter for Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. John Cummings, dated 15 November 1996:
  The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking if he will make a statement on the future of the Seaham and Peterlee Benefits Agency offices; and what changes in provision of services have taken place in the previous 12 months in respect of these offices.
  As with other Districts, North Durham District, which includes the offices at Peterlee and Seaham, is required to review the services it provides to ensure that the most effective service is given within the resources available. There are no current plans to close either Peterlee or Seaham offices.
  Management responsibility for Seaham Branch Office will transfer from North Durham District to Wearside District with effect from 1st April 1997. It is proposed that a number of claims processing staff will transfer from Seaham Branch Office to the new purpose-built Sunderland District Office. The service to customers at Seaham Branch Office will, however, remain unchanged. Customers will continue to receive the full benefit service.
  The provision of service to our customers has changed in the last 12 months to accommodate the introduction of JSA. This benefit is paid and processed via Employment Services Jobcentres (ESJ). Benefits Agency staff are now employed in local ESJ premises for this purpose at both Peterlee and Seaham. While some processing functions have been re-organised, no changes have been made in the local service delivery to our customers during the last twelve months.
  I hope you find this reply helpful.

  Child Support Agency
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications the CSA has received for departure from the formula for capital settlement; and how many have been approved. [4421]

  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Miss Ann Chant. She will write to the hon. Member.
  458
  Letter from Ann Chant to Mr. Elliot Morley, dated 15 November 1996:
  I am replying to you Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about Child Support Agency Departures.
  In April 1995, the Agency successfully implemented changes for cases where property or capital settlements were an issue. A broad based allowance in exempt income was introduced to recognise that a transfer had taken place, and to avoid the need for lengthy and detailed investigation of the cases involved. To date the Agency has processed over 12,000 applications and over 4,200 allowances have been awarded under this provision. This measure was introduced as a forerunner to the Departures system, which will allow either parent to request detailed consideration of the circumstances of their case.
  In April this year the Agency started a trial of the Departures system in the area covered by the Agency Centre in Hastings. So far, around 2,300 applications have been received and the Agency has made decisions in over 80% of the cases. Applications are still being received and the trial will continue up to 2 December 1996, when the full Departures scheme is scheduled to be introduced.
  The Agency has had 158 requests for a Departure specifically on the grounds of a property or capital transfer. The Agency has made decisions on 96 of these applications so far and 7 awards have resulted. Of the cases refused, around a quarter were ineligible for a Departure as the amount of the transfer was less than £5,000. The cases where a decision is yet to be made require detailed examination of court orders and related papers to resolve complex issues, such as determining whether property or capital was equally owned and which elements of the transfer were for spousal as opposed to child maintenance.
  Decisions made under the trial exercise have no effect on the maintenance payable at this stage. From 2 December 1996, clients who applied as part of the trial will be asked if they wish their applications to proceed under the full scheme.
  I hope this is helpful.

  War Widows Pensions
  Mr. Hinchcliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, what estimate he has made of his total liability for war widow's pension from the changes brought in by the Pensions Act 1995 since 19 July 1995; and what has been the actual expenditure over that period. [183]

  Mr. Heald
  [pursuant to his reply, 4 November 1996, Official Report, c. 384]: The information that I gave regarding the estimated cost of restoration of war widows pensions was incorrect. The correct information is as follows:

  The estimated cost of restoration of war widows pensions under the Pensions Act 1995 to the end of September 1996 is £40 million.

  Information on actual expenditure to date on such pensions is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

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