Written Answers of 14 February 1997

ENVIRONMENT

  South Yorkshire Supertram
  Sir Irvine Patnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the Government will make additional funds available to local authorities in South Yorkshire to help them to meet the debts and liabilities associated with the south Yorkshire supertram. [16141]

  Mr. Curry
  The Government are well aware of the exceptional problems facing the South Yorkshire districts and the South Yorkshire passenger transport authority as a result of the loss-making supertram project. We have looked very carefully at this problem and discussed it with representatives of the South Yorkshire districts. We have decided to issue a further £20 million in credit approvals for 1997–98. We are also prepared to issue capitalisation directions if these would help authorities to meet the costs of supertram in 1997–98.

  If the districts set budgets above their provisional cap, I will look carefully at all their circumstances before determining a final cap which is reasonable and achievable.

  Vacant Local Authority Dwellings
  Mr. Sykes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the latest figures for vacant local authority dwellings in England. [16265]

  Mr. Curry
  At 1 April 1996, a total of 79,600 council homes in England were empty, 2.3 per cent. of local authorities' stock. The 1995 figure was 71,800; most of the increase was in "management vacants"—dwellings available for letting immediately or after minor repairs—which account for 60 per cent. of all vacant local authority homes.

  I am placing in the Library of the House of Commons a list of local authorities in England ranked on the basis of their management vacants at 1 April 1996.

  The Government want to see the best use made of local authorities' housing stock and I look to authorities to continue their efforts to keep their own empty dwellings to a minimum. Most authorities have a good record on filling their vacant dwellings, but there is still room for improvement. The achievements of past years must not be wasted.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Contracts
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the contracts awarded to(a) EDS, (b) Andersens, (c) BMI, (d) Capita and (e) Sema since
  320
  1992, (i) the broad function to be carried out by the contractor, (ii) the value of the contract and (iii) the Department with which the contract was made in each case. [15413]

  Mr. Freeman
  The total values of contracts placed with the named firms since 1 April 1993 by the Cabinet Office, Office of Public Service and its agencies—the Civil Service College, CCTA, Security and Facilities Executive, Property Advisers Civil Estate and the Buying Agency—are listed.

  (a) EDS: £2,744

  (b) Andersens: £46,575

  (c) BMI: Nil

  (d) Capita: £85,029

  (e) Sema: £22,560.

  Information for the period requested prior to this date and details of individual contract values and the functions carried out are available only at disproportionate cost. Information on contracts awarded by other Government Departments is not held by the Cabinet Office.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Genetic Engineering
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 6 February,Official Report, columns 719–20, concerning genetic engineering, if he will list the (a) representatives of the animal feed trade, (b) food manufacturers, (c) retailers and (d) consumer organisations involved in the series of meetings on 7 January. [15635]

  Mrs. Browning
  On 7 January I met representatives from the National Farmers Union, the Grain and Feed Trade Association, the United Kingdom Agricultural Supply Trade Association, the Pet Food Manufacturers Association, Ciba-Geigy, the British Retail Consortium, the Institute of Grocery Distribution, the Food and Drink Federation, the National Association of Master Bakers, ASDA, Marks and Spencer, Safeway, Somerfield, Waitrose, the Consumers Association, the Consumers in Europe Group/National Federation of Consumers Groups, the General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland and the National Food Alliance.

  A number of other consumer organisations were also invited but were unable to attend.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 6 February,Official Report, column 720, if he will identify the risk associated with the use of Ciba-Geigy's genetically modified maize in an unprocessed form. [15634]

  Mrs. Browning
  The Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes considered that the presence of an antibiotic resistance marker gene with bacterial regulatory sequences in Ciba-Geigy's GM maize presented a small but finite risk of transfer of antibiotic resistance to bacteria in the rumen or gut of animals fed on the unprocessed material. The committee advised that, if transfer were to take place, it could compromise the use of ampicillin and related antibiotics in clinical and veterinary medicine. The three EC scientific committees discussed
  321
  the ACNFP's concerns at length before concluding that the risk of transfer occurring was too small to justify banning imports of the GM maize into the Community.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 6 February,Official Report, column 719–20, concerning genetic engineering, if he will list the organisations which participated in the consultation meeting on 22 January. [15633]

  Mrs. Browning
  The consultation meeting to discuss the aspects of biotechnology relating to agriculture and food production, which was chaired by the Earl of Selborne, was attended by the 38 delegates listed, as well as a small number of Government officials. Several other organisations, including the Food and Drink Federation and the National Consumer Council, were also invited but unable to attend.

  Organisations

  1. Mr. G. Pykett

  Confederation of British Industries

  2. Professor R. Righelato

  BRFI

  3. Mrs. J. Brander

  National Council of Women of Great Britain

  4. Ms C. Brown

  Institute of Grocery Distribution

  5. Mrs. J. Nunn

  British Retail Consortium

  6. Ms S. Davis

  Consumer's Association

  7. Mr. P Warburlton

  Natural Law Party

  8. Mrs. H. Millar

  ACNFP/University of Edinburgh

  9. Miss G. Asbury

  Consumers in Europe Group

  10. Professor D. Burke

  Chair, ACNFP

  11. Mr. J. Godfrey

  Consumer Panel

  12. Dr. G. Schofield

  Unilever

  13. Professor N. Poole

  Zeneca

  14. Professor J. Durrant

  Science Museum

  15. Professor R. Hull

  John Innes Centre

  16. Professor B. Moseley

  ACNFP/Consultant

  17. Dr. V. Barber

  National Farmers' Union

  18. Dr. C. Rawlinson

  Home Grown Cereals Authority

  19. Mrs. M. Charrington

  Horticulture Development Council

  20. Professor D. Grierson

  Nottingham University

  21. Dr. E. Dart

  Zeneca Seeds

  22. Mr. R. Dyer

  British Agro-Chemicals Association

  23. Mr. R. Turner

  British Society for Plant Breeders

  24. Ms J. D'Silva

  Compassion in World Farming

  25. Mrs. J. MacArthur Clark

  Farm Animal Welfare Council

  26. Mr. D. Shapiro

  Nuffield Council on Bioethics

  27. Mrs. H. Browning

  Organic farmer

  28. Professor B. Miflin

  IACR

  29. Mr. P Lake

  United Kingdom Agricultural Supply Trade Association

  30. Professor J. Beringer

  Chair, ACRE

  31. Dr. M. Rutter

  VMD

  32. Dr. G Marshall

  Scottish Agricultural College

  33. Dr. J. Fisher

  British Crop Protection Council

  34. Dr. S. Mayer

  Greenpeace

  35. Professor A. Malcolm

  Institute of Food Research

  36. Professor G. Bulfield

  Roslin Research Institute

  37. Dr. D. Parr

  Greenpeace

  38. Mr. R. Maynard

  Friends of the Earth

  Rabies
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consultation he has had with the veterinary profession on possible changes to the United Kingdom's rabies control arrangements; and if he will make a statement. [15939]

  Mrs. Browning
  None, since the Government's internal consideration of our rabies control policy is still in progress.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Equal Opportunities
  Mr. Keith Hill
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are employed by his Department to provide advice on the application of equal opportunities; and at what cost in the last year for which figures are available. [14478]

  Mr. Howard
  In the financial year ending 31 March 1996, 36 staff, equivalent to 15.8 full-time posts, were employed within the Home Office and its agencies specifically to provide advice on the application of equal opportunities at a total salary cost of £463,253. These figures do not include staff, such as legal advisers, who advise on the application of equal opportunities as part of their duties and in relation to whom information is not readily available.

  Departmental Policies (Bournemouth)
  Mr. David Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the effect of his Department's policies on the residents of Bournemouth since 1992, with special reference to the effects of changes in the resources provided in real terms. [14950]

  Mr. Howard
  Since 1979, spending on Dorset police has increased by 112 per cent. in real terms. Next year, 1997–98, Dorset police will be able to increase its spending by 3.9 per cent.—£2.7 million. Spending would then be over 16 per cent. higher in real terms than it was in 1992–93. By March 1997, it is estimated that there will be 142 more police officers in Dorset than there were in May 1979–19 of whom will have been recruited in 1996–97. Last year, two schemes in Bournemouth won money in the Government's closed circuit television challenge competition: Westbourne core shopping centre, £59,000, and Moordown St. John's Church of England primary school, £5,328. There are now 58 special constables in Bournemouth.

  Data Collection (Postcodes)
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what use his Department and its agencies make of postcode areas for the collection of data and in formulas for the distribution of grants and awards; and when such usages were last reviewed. [14801]

  Mr. Howard
  My Department and its agencies by and large do not make regular use of postcodes in the areas of interest. The postcode address file is used as the basis for social and criminal research as and when the need arises. Resource allocation formulae generally use census data at a high level of geographic aggregation and are not dependent on postcode areas. However, some use of the ACORN—a classification of residential neighbourhoods—classification, for which postcodes form the base, is used in the police funding formula which is reviewed regularly. Use has also been made in research of postcodes to convert 1981 census enumeration districts to 1991 census enumeration districts.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

  Benefit Claimants
  Mr. Rooney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many claimants in(a) each standard region and (b) Great Britain as a whole in each quarter since 1990 were (i) signing on for unemployment-related benefits, (ii) signing on for national insurance credits, (iii) signing on by post for unemployment-related benefits and (iv) signing on by post for national insurance credits. [13588]

  Mr. Forth
  [holding answer 30 January 1997]: The information requested is shown in the following tables.

  All Unemployed Claimants and Unemployed Claimants with no benefit in payment: 1990–1996—Great Britain

  May 90

  November 1990

  May 1991

  November 19911

  May 1992

  August 1992

  Total Claimants

  Neither UB not IS in payment

  Total Claimants

  Neither UB not IS in payment

  Total Claimants

  Neither UB not IS in payment

  Total Claimants

  Neither UB not IS in payment

  Total Claimants

  Neither UB not IS in payment

  Total Claimants

  Neither UB not IS in payment

  Great Britain

  1,432

  220

  1,559

  246

  2,048

  280

  2,313

  301

  2,546

  313

  2,641

  347

  South-East

  320

  55

  382

  68

  573

  92

  —

  —

  808

  108

  845

  120

  East Anglia

  34

  6

  39

  7

  56

  9

  —

  —

  74

  10

  75

  11

  South West

  84

  15

  101

  20

  145

  22

  —

  —

  196

  28

  204

  31

  West Midlands

  137

  19

  150

  24

  210

  28

  —

  —

  263

  30

  272

  34

  East Midlands

  90

  15

  97

  16

  127

  17

  —

  —

  162

  20

  167

  22

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  155

  24

  164

  25

  202

  26

  —

  —

  227

  27

  234

  30

  North West

  226

  31

  230

  31

  277

  31

  —

  —

  317

  34

  326

  38

  North

  114

  16

  119

  17

  139

  17

  —

  —

  151

  17

  152

  18

  Wales

  80

  12

  87

  14

  107

  14

  —

  —

  120

  14

  124

  15

  Scotland

  192

  26

  190

  25

  212

  25

  —

  —

  228

  25

  242

  28

  Notes:

  1 Regional analyses from November 1991 data are not available.

  Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

  Quarterly data is not available prior to May 1992.

  Source:

  May 1990 to May 1991—5 per cent. sample of Unemployed Claimants in Great Britain taken on the second Thursday of the months shown. November 1991 to November 1994—100 per cent. count of Unemployed Claimants in Great Britain taken on the second Thursday of the months shown.

  February 1995 to May 1996—5 per cent. of Unemployed Claimants in Great Britain taken on the Second Thursday of the months shown. Figures from Department of Social Security.

  November 1992

  February 1993

  May 1993

  August 1993

  NOvember 1993

  Total Claimants

  Neither UB not IS in payment

  Total Claimants

  Neither UB not IS in payment

  Total Claimants

  Neither UB not IS in payment

  Total Claimants

  Neither UB not IS in payment

  Total Claimants

  Neither UB not IS in payment

  Great Britain

  2,687

  368

  2,840

  370

  2,759

  335

  2,821

  364

  2,640

  312

  South East

  876

  126

  924

  128

  911

  116

  932

  125

  874

  104

  East Anglia

  78

  12

  85

  12

  83

  11

  82

  12

  77

  10

  South West

  212

  34

  226

  33

  211

  28

  213

  31

  202

  28

  West Midlands

  275

  36

  291

  38

  281

  33

  287

  36

  264

  31

  East Midlands

  169

  24

  181

  24

  175

  23

  178

  23

  166

  20

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  235

  30

  251

  31

  242

  28

  246

  31

  231

  27

  North West

  320

  40

  334

  40

  324

  36

  330

  40

  305

  34

  North

  158

  20

  168

  20

  166

  19

  169

  20

  165

  18

  Wales

  125

  16

  131

  16

  126

  14

  130

  16

  124

  15

  Scotland

  238

  30

  249

  29

  240

  27

  253

  30

  233

  26

  Notes:

  Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

  Quarterly data is not available prior to May 1992.

  Source:

  May 1990 to May 1991—5 per cent. sample of Unemployed Claimants in Great Britain taken on the second Thursday of the months shown. November 1991 to November 1992—100 per cent. count of Unemployed Claimants in Great Britain taken on the second Thursday of the months shown.

  February 1995 to May 1996—5 per cent. sample of Unemployed Claimants in Great Britain taken on the second Thursday of the months shown.

  Figures from Department of Social Security.
  324
  However, the regular count for the number of postal claimants was suspended during the early months of jobseeker's allowance until claims have been transferred from the old to the new computer system. Arrangements have been made for a special one-off count to be made towards the end of February. Although we expect that the total will be lower, this will not necessarily indicate the number of jobseekers who have changed from postal to fortnightly signing, since it will also reflect moves in and out of unemployment. No figures are available for the number of jobseekers whose status has changed as a result of the new postal rules on signing.

  Information is not collected on the number of claimants who sign on by post and receive credits of national insurance contributions only.
  325

  February 1994

  May 1994

  August 1994

  November 1994

  February 1995

  May 1995

  Total Claimants

  Neither UB not IS in payment

  Total Claimants

  Neither UB not IS in payment

  Total Claimants

  Neither UB not IS in payment

  Total Claimants

  Neither UB not IS in payment

  Total Claimants

  Neither UB not IS in payment

  Total Claimants

  Neither UB not IS in payment

  Great Britain

  2,727

  317

  2,551

  281

  2,542

  266

  2,341

  240

  2,376

  239

  2,222

  231

  South East

  885

  104

  834

  91

  823

  84

  760

  74

  760

  73

  722

  74

  East Anglia

  82

  10

  75

  9

  73

  8

  67

  8

  71

  8

  66

  8

  South West

  212

  28

  192

  24

  188

  22

  178

  21

  181

  21

  164

  19

  West Midlands

  267

  31

  248

  28

  250

  27

  224

  24

  223

  24

  209

  22

  East Midlands

  176

  22

  165

  21

  165

  19

  150

  17

  160

  18

  148

  16

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  241

  27

  228

  24

  228

  24

  212

  22

  220

  22

  206

  21

  North West

  315

  35

  297

  30

  295

  29

  268

  26

  271

  25

  253

  24

  North

  170

  18

  161

  17

  160

  16

  155

  16

  156

  15

  147

  15

  Wales

  130

  15

  120

  13

  120

  13

  111

  12

  113

  12

  105

  11

  Scotland

  247

  26

  232

  23

  240

  24

  215

  22

  222

  22

  201

  21

  Notes:

  Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

  Quarterly data is not available prior to May 1992.

  Source:

  May 1990 to May 1991—5 per cent. sample of Unemployed Claimants in Great Britain taken on the second Thursday of the months shown. November 1991 to November 1994—100 per cent. count of Unemployed Claimants in Great Britain taken on the second Thursday of the months shown.

  February 1995 to May 1995—5 per cent. sample of Unemployed Claimants in Great Britain taken on the second Thursday of the months shown.

  Figures from Department of Social Security.

  August 1995

  November 1995

  February 1996

  May 1996

  Total Claimants

  Neither UB nor IS in payment

  Total Claimants

  Neither UB nor IS in payment

  Total Claimants

  Neither UB nor IS in payment

  Total Claimants

  Neither UB nor IS in payment

  Great Britain

  2,263

  242

  2,117

  216

  2,226

  229

  2,072

  206

  South East

  732

  76

  688

  66

  704

  70

  660

  63

  East Anglia

  66

  7

  62

  7

  67

  8

  62

  7

  South West

  164

  19

  158

  18

  167

  19

  150

  16

  West Midlands

  215

  24

  196

  21

  205

  22

  193

  20

  East Midlands

  149

  18

  138

  15

  150

  17

  138

  14

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  211

  22

  198

  20

  211

  22

  194

  19

  North West

  257

  26

  238

  22

  253

  24

  238

  21

  North

  149

  16

  143

  15

  148

  14

  138

  14

  Wales

  110

  12

  104

  12

  111

  12

  103

  11

  Scotland

  211

  22

  193

  21

  208

  22

  197

  20

  Notes:

  Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

  Quarterly data is not available prior to May 1992.

  Source:

  May 1990 to May 1991—5 per cent, sample of Unemployed Claimants in Great Britain taken on the second Thursday of the months shown.

  November 1991 to November 1994—100 per cent, count of Unemployed Claimants in Great Britain taken on the second Thursday of the months shown.

  February 1995 to May 1996—5 per cent, sample of Unemployed Claimants in Great Britain taken on the second Thursday of the months shown.

  Figures from Department of Social Security.

  Number of jobseekers signing on by post for unemployment related benefits (including credits) 1990–93. Great Britain

  1990

  1991

  Region

  1st quarter

  2rd quarter

  3rd quarter

  4th quarter

  1st quarter

  2nd quarter

  3rd quarter

  4th quarter

  Total number of claimants. Great Britain

  81,983

  74,071

  87,149

  95,232

  120,594

  131,018

  138,986

  146,362

  East Midlands and Eastern

  13,669

  13,675

  18,404

  21,317

  26,884

  25,757

  25,694

  25,947

  London and South East

  8,780

  7,491

  10,843

  14,473

  22,194

  31,342

  33,201

  33,518

  Northern

  2,693

  2,349

  3,048

  3,090

  3,939

  4,291

  4,570

  4,816

  North West

  3,292

  3,073

  3,510

  3,403

  4,045

  4,321

  4,888

  5,179

  South West

  10,415

  8,960

  10,173

  12,071

  15,534

  16,825

  18,062

  19,906

  West Midlands

  3,255

  2,979

  3,451

  3,585

  4,458

  5,180

  5,937

  6,706

  Yorkshire and the Humber

  6,568

  6,080

  7,435

  7,803

  9,585

  10,396

  11,332

  12,697

  Office for Scotland

  25,289

  22,530

  22,628

  21,438

  24,626

  23,344

  24,985

  26,728

  Office for Wales

  8,023

  6,934

  7,657

  8,053

  9,328

  9,562

  10,318

  10,865

  Source:

  Resources Monitoring system database.
  326 327

  1992

  1993

  Region

  1st quarter

  2rd quarter

  3rd quarter

  4th quarter

  1st quarter

  2nd quarter

  3rd quarter

  4th quarter

  Total number of claimants. Great Britain

  169,912

  172,123

  185,028

  198,048

  218,769

  207,159

  203,662

  195,468

  East Midlands and Eastern

  30,430

  31,311

  32,268

  33,490

  37,559

  35,573

  34,641

  32,237

  London and South East

  39,728

  43,885

  49,738

  56,056

  62,464

  60,625

  62,181

  58,619

  Northern

  5,359

  5,153

  5,091

  5,554

  6,151

  5,565

  5,558

  5,455

  North West

  5,678

  5,643

  6,097

  6,407

  7,239

  6,730

  6,898

  6,554

  South West

  22,920

  23,517

  25,664

  27,628

  30,211

  27,647

  26,482

  25,434

  West Midlands

  7,054

  7,157

  7,692

  7,753

  8,584

  10,077

  7,688

  7,320

  Yorkshire and the Humber

  15,971

  15,646

  16,916

  17,359

  19,127

  17,960

  17,532

  16,909

  Office for Scotland

  30,744

  28,415

  29,678

  31,313

  34,206

  30,874

  30,686

  31,001

  Office for Wales

  12,029

  11,396

  11,884

  12,486

  13,227

  12,107

  11,995

  11,939

  Source:

  Resources Monitoring system database.

  Number of jobseekers signing on by post for unemployment related benefits (including credits) 1994–1996. Great Britain

  1994

  1995

  1996

  Regions

  1st qtr

  2nd qtr

  3rd qtr

  4th qtr

  1st qtr

  2nd qtr

  3rd qtr

  4th qtr

  1st qtr

  2nd qtr

  3rd qtr

  4th qtr

  Total number of claimants. Great Britain.

  197,154

  178,436

  169,798

  155,711

  156,865

  136,925

  129,020

  118,714

  118,489

  101,208

  91,145

  East Midlands and Eastern.

  33,179

  30,441

  28,038

  23,908

  23,663

  21,094

  17,353

  12,285

  9,882

  8,230

  6,313

  London and South East.

  54,972

  50,059

  46,089

  41,096

  41,565

  32,230

  32,811

  29,663

  28,298

  24,382

  20,885

  Northern.

  5,786

  5,291

  5,193

  5,281

  4,766

  4,703

  4,539

  4,272

  4,408

  4,034

  3,761

  North West.

  6,760

  6,057

  6,078

  5,763

  5,901

  5,085

  4,804

  4,215

  4,427

  3,787

  3,279

  South West.

  25,560

  22,717

  14,654

  20,180

  20,228

  17,669

  15,964

  15,478

  15,450

  11,506

  9,222

  West Midlands.

  7,286

  6,309

  5,902

  5,443

  5,388

  4,462

  4,472

  4,116

  4,067

  3,320

  3,350

  Yorkshire and the Humber.

  17,675

  16,230

  16,065

  13,791

  13,586

  12,244

  12,154

  11,935

  12,239

  10,726

  9,781

  Office for Scotland.

  33,885

  30,546

  30,502

  29,806

  31,089

  27,570

  26,966

  26,926

  29,855

  26,196

  25,961

  Office for Wales.

  12,051

  10,787

  11,120

  10,443

  10,678

  9,869

  9,957

  9,825

  9,855

  9,026

  8,591

  Source:

  Resources Monitoring system database.

  Jobseeker's Allowance
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to the answer of 4 December,Official Report, column 719, to the hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) what estimate she has made of the number of people who could gain from abolishing the 16 guided learning hours limit for those receiving the jobseeker's allowance across the range of the estimates of £500 million to £1,250 million. [15414]

  Mr. Forth
  We estimate that between about 200,000 and 400,000 additional people could receive jobseeker's allowance. This does take account of behavioural effects which might result from the change.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Scott Inquiry
  Mr. Robin Cook
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will provide a breakdown of the spending by his Department on external advice in relation to the Scott inquiry, indicating how much has been spent on legal advice and from whom it was obtained. [14531]

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 6 February 1997]: The amount spent by my Department on external advice in relation to giving evidence to the Scott inquiry and the preparation of the Government's response to it is £771,974. The whole of this amount was for legal advice and included £80,307 representing the value of legal services charged by the Treasury Solicitor's Department. It also includes £127,870 for the costs of legal advice for
  328
  independent witnesses which were paid for by Sir Richard Scott's inquiry and therefore fell to this Department. External legal advice was obtained from Alistair Thompson and Partners, Barnett Alexander Chart, Beechcroft Stanleys, Blythe Liggins, Hamilton Burns and Moore, Harris Rosenblatt and Kramer, Herbert Smith, Irwin Mitchell, Mr. Gordon Jackson, Kingsley Napley, Mr. S. Richards and Russell Jones and Walker.

  Mr. Cook
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total cost of salaries since 1992 paid to persons in his Department employed on a part-time or full-time basis in any capacity relating to the Scott inquiry. [14530]

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 6 February 1997]: The direct salary cost of officials within DTI wholly employed on matters relating to the Scott inquiry since 1992 was approximately £324,000. Other officials were involved from time to time; their direct salary cost is unquantifiable. This figure does not include the salary cost of those involved in taking forward the Department's review of strategic export controls since the end of August.

  The direct salary cost since 1992 of Sir Richard Scott's inquiry team, which also fell to my Department was approximately £852,000.

  Privatisation Brochure
  Mr. Grocott
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what was the total cost of(a) the production and (b) the distribution of his departmental document "Privatisation: Setting Enterprise Free". [15569]
  329
  (2) how many copies of "Privatisation: Setting Enterprise Free"; have been printed. [15568]

  Mr. Lang
  My Department has printed 3,000 copies of the booklet "Privatisation: Setting Enterprise Free". These cost £2,900 to produce and £707 to distribute.

PRIME MINISTER

  Children's Services Strategy Group
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) of 28 January,Official Report, column 161, how he will monitor the performance of the children's services strategy group; how long the group has been in existence; how often it meets and under whose chairmanship; and what guidelines have been issued to Government Departments on the status of the group's advice. [15710]

  The Prime Minister
  The children's services strategy group first met in September 1996. It is likely to meet four to five times a year and its next meeting is scheduled for March. The group is chaired by Department of Health officials who lead on policy for children's services. There are no plans to monitor the group formally, although Department of Health Ministers will be taking a close interest in its work. The group has not issued guidelines to other Government Departments. It is there not to issue formal advice but to co-ordinate and inform the development of policy relating to children in all areas represented by its membership.

WALES

  Data Collection (Postcodes)
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what use his Department and its agencies make of postcode areas for the collection of data and in formulas for the distribution of grants and awards; and when such usages were last reviewed. [14798]

  Mr. Hague
  Postcode areas are used for a number of purposes:

  —By the Further Education Funding Council in part of its methodology for funding further education institutions.

  —To select houses to be monitored as part of a research to assess radon levels in houses in Wales.

  —For the 1996 Welsh house condition survey, which is one of the components in the housing capital allocation formula—As the basic sampling frame for both the 1992 Welsh social security survey and the 1997 household interview survey.

  1996–97 £

  1997–98 £

  Welsh Office Transport Grant (50 per cent. grant and 50 per cent. SCA) Third Dee Crossing

  19,000,000

  7,400,00

  Welsh Office Strategic Development Scheme/Welsh Capital Challenge Funding (75 per cent. Welsh Office Grant 25 per cent. SCA)

  Traffic Management, Buckley Town Centre (100 per cent. SCA)

  650,000

  10,000

  Construction of Industrial Road and Units at Sandycroft

  400,000

  100,000

  Development of Shotton County Stores

  400,000

  Provision of Infrastructure at River Lane/Flint Road Industrial Park, Saltney (100 per cent. SCA)

  350,000

  1,000,000

  330

  —By the Welsh register of manufacturing employment to define different regions in Wales, for example by parliamentary constituencies, unitary authorities and travel-to-work areas.

  —In origin and destination traffic surveys to build a model of traffic movement and demand form one area to another.

  —Indirectly in a small part of the formula for calculating local authority spending assessments which are used for the distribution of revenue support grant.

  —To help identify individual companies or sites when compiling the Welsh index of production and construction.

  By health authorities and trusts to authenticate ECRS (extra-contractual referrals) to determine the purchaser responsible for funding treatment.

  —To assist health authorities and trusts in the health needs assessment process at district and sub district levels, for contract monitoring; monitoring activity at local level; and assisting in determining GP allocations.

  —Used to assist in the administration of deprivation payments made to GPs having patients living in wards which are identified as deprived for the purposes of these surveys.

  —Used by highways directorate to analyse comments made on public consultation returns for new road schemes, in order to determine whether the respondent is local to the area.

  The ways in which the postcode areas are used are reviewed from time to time.

  Deeside
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what funding he has allocated to improve the physical environment of Deeside, indicating the location of each project. [15143]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Details of Welsh Office funding allocated in 1996–97 and 1997–98 for schemes to improve the physical environment of Deeside, and comparable Welsh development agency schemes for 1996–97, are contained in the following table:

  Welsh development agency expenditure on improving the environment (Flintshire) (100 per cent. Grant)

  Urban

  1996–97£

  Buckley link road

  490,000

  Buckley precinct

  165,000

  Property acquisition and improvement to car park, Buckley

  100,000

  Town improvement grants on A548 corridor

  50,000

  Land Reclamation

  18 minor schemes have been supported throughout Flintshire in 1996–97 at a total cost of £347,000
  including £70,000 at Neston tank cleaners

  347,000

  Environmental

  8 minor schemes have been supported throughout Flintshire in 1996–97 a t a total cost of £181,000

  181.000

  331

  1996–97£

  1997–98£

  Refurbishment of Derelict Textile Mill at Holywell into 'FOYER' Complex

  150,000

  200,000

  Construction of Units at Expressway, Queensferry—Phase 2

  295,000

  Unitary Authority Block Allocation (Capital)

  251,000

  287,500

  Industrial Development, Sandycroft

  100,000

  Traffic Analysis of Dee Crossing

  50,000

  Chester Street/Church Street Improvements, Flint

  60,000

  Flint Station Area Improvements

  100,000

  Market Square Improvements, Flint

  100,000

  Pedestrian Route Improvements, Flint

  30,000

  A548 Town Centre Corridor Improvements, Flint

  40,000

  Welsh Office Popular Schools Initiative (100 per cent. SCA)

  Ewloe Green Primary School Extension to Classrooms, Nursery and Parking Area

  150,000

  5,000

  Mountain Lane Primary School, Improvement to Classrooms, Practical and Play Areas

  37,000

  112,000

  Alun High School, Provision of 4 New and Conversion of 3 Old Science Laboratories; Associated Ancillary Facilities; Library; 6th Form Teaching Area

  963,000

  Power Stations
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will issue planning guidance to future applicants to build power stations to take account of(a) vapour clouds and (b) dust particles. [15147]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The Government's planning policies are set out in Wales, in "Planning Guidance (Wales) Planning Policy" and in a series of technical advice notes currently in preparation.

  Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the control of emissions from power stations is the responsibility of the Environment Agency. The system of integrated pollution control introduced by the Act requires prior authorisation by the agency. Authorisation will not be granted unless the agency is satisfied that the process in question will not have a harmful effect on the environment. The authorisation process is backed up by a system of regular monitoring.

  Deaths occurring in January of each year

  ICD 9

  19971

  19961

  1995

  1994

  487

  Influenza

  23

  5

  2

  2

  480–486

  Pneumonia

  747

  459

  397

  338

  466,491

  Bronchitis

  40

  38

  38

  33

  1 Provisional. Figures for 1997 are the latest available. They will be incomplete due to some January deaths waiting to be registered and added to the ONS database.

  Child Care
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the(a) availability and (b) distribution of child care facilities in Wales. [15065]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Summaries of the data for Wales and for old county councils on facilities for full day care, including childminding, and for sessional day care are

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many councils have spent above the capping limit; and if he will make a statement.[15142]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Legally no local authority can set a budget above its cap. However, an authority can set a budget above the level of its provisional cap. Only one authority has done this. Aberconwy borough council set a budget for 1993– its provisional cap, but because of the exceptional expenditure arising from the flooding in Llandudno in June 1993, it was designated at the level of the budget it had set. An authority's budget for capping purposes excludes some types of spending.

  Influenza, Pneumonia and Bronchitis
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many deaths from(a) influenza, (b) pneumonia and (c) bronchitis occurred during January 1997; and what were the equivalent figures for January (i) 1994, (ii) 1995 and (iii) 1996. [15214]

  Mr. Hague
  Figures from the Office for National Statistics of the number of deaths among residents of Wales where the underlying cause was influenza, pneumonia or bronchitis are shown in the following table:

  published in the latest in the series of Welsh Office statistical publication, "Activities of Social Services Departments", for the year ended 31 March 1994.

  Information on child care facilities in Wales is contained in the Chwarae Teg 1996 audit of child care.

  The child care database, compiled by Chwarae Teg and the Wales information network, provide comprehensive information on availability and distribution of childcare

  333
  facilities in Wales. It can be accessed at a number of sources, including Chwarae Teg, public libraries and jobcentres.

  Wales Youth Agency
  Mr. Sweeney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what decisions he has reached following the financial management and policy review of the Wales Youth Agency. [16399]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  As recommended by the review, we have taken the decision to change the status of the Wales Youth Agency from an executive non-departmental public body to a grant-aided organisation.

  The agency will continue to be funded by the Welsh Office for its important work in helping to raise and maintain standards in youth work in Wales. From 1 April 1997 this will include the disbursement of grant to national voluntary youth organisations, amounting to £361,000 in 1997–98.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  Sport
  Mr. Hargreaves
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list the new measures in sport which(a) her Department, (b) her Department in conjunction with other Government Departments, (c) sports councils and (d) other relevant bodies have instigated since the last general election. [6894]

  Mr. Sproat
  Since the last general election, the Government have developed a radical strategy of profound changes in policy for the way in which the Government, and Government-sponsored agencies, deal with sport in this country. It is not too much to say that these new policies amount to a revolution in sport.

  The main elements of this radical strategy stretch across a very wide range of sporting areas: from putting sport back at the heart of weekly school life— particular, but not exclusive, emphasis on traditional, competitive, team games—through constructing much closer links between local schools and local sports clubs, to setting up, for elite athletes, a British academy of sport, a network of regional institutes of sport, academies of individual sports, and a multi-million pound sports scholarship scheme for thousands of individual elite athletes.

  In support of this radical strategy, the Government have first, completely reorganised the sports council structure, abolishing the old Great Britain Sports Council, and the old regional councils for sports and recreation, and setting

  London Buses

  London Underground

  All London Transport

  Network SouthEast

  British Rail

  RPI

  Actual

  Real

  Actual

  Real

  Actual

  Real

  Actual

  Real

  Actual

  Real

  1985–86

  8.6

  2.5

  7.2

  1.3

  7.7

  1.7

  7.2

  1.7

  6.9

  0.9

  5.9

  1986–87

  5.9

  2.6

  5.7

  2.5

  5.6

  2.3

  7.0

  3.7

  7.5

  4.2

  3.2

  1987–88

  4.9

  0.0

  6.4

  2.3

  5.8

  1.7

  5.2

  1.2

  5.4

  1.3

  4.0

  1988–89

  10.8

  4.6

  10.3

  4.1

  10.3

  4.0

  7.0

  0.9

  7.1

  1.1

  6.0

  1989–90

  10.3

  2.3

  11.1

  3.0

  10.8

  2.8

  8.5

  0.6

  8.0

  0.2

  7.8

  1990–91

  10.3

  0.5

  11.2

  1.4

  10.8

  1.0

  10.1

  0.4

  10.2

  0.5

  9.7

  1991–92

  9.6

  4.6

  9.9

  4.9

  9.7

  4.7

  9.5

  4.5

  9.2

  4.3

  4.7

  1992–93

  7.9

  4.6

  7.8

  4.5

  7.8

  4.5

  7.7

  4.4

  6.9

  3.7

  3.2

  1993–94

  8.0

  6.2

  7.6

  5.8

  7.8

  6.0

  7.7

  5.9

  5.9

  4.1

  1.7

  1994–95

  5.8

  3.0

  5.8

  3.0

  5.8

  3.0

  5.4

  2.6

  3.7

  1.0

  2.7

  334
  settingup an English Sports Council and a United Kingdom Sport Council, in addition to the existing Sports Councils for Wales and for Northern Ireland.

  Secondly, the Government set up the sports councils as distributors of lottery funds to inject an unprecedented amount of money into sport in this country. Since the lottery was introduced two years ago, the sports councils have awarded over £439 million to over 2,568 sports projects, involving 59 different sports.

  The main details of this radical new strategy for sport are set out in a 103-point paper, which I have today placed in the Libraries of the House. These measures cover the whole range of the sporting spectrum, and fall into 11 main categories:

  (i) sport in schools;

  (ii) sport in further and higher education;

  (iii) the role of governing bodies;

  (iv) the role of local authorities;

  (v) the role of local sports clubs;

  (vi) restructuring of the Sports Council;

  (vii) sport and safety;

  (viii) the National Lottery;

  (ix) other funding;

  (x) support for elite athletes; and

  (xi) UK sport in the wider world.

TRANSPORT MV

  Derbyshire
  Mr. Frank Cook
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport under what statutory authority powers the two United Kingdom assessors into the loss of the MV Derbyshire were appointed; and by whom. [15566]

  Mr. Bowis
  No statutory powers were required for the appointment of the technical assessors.

  Public Transport Fare Increases
  Mr. Austin-Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list(a) the annual percentage change and (b) the increase in fares on (i) London Buses, (ii) London Underground, (iii) all London Transport, (iv) Network SouthEast and (v) British Rail in each year since 1984–85, taking 1984–85 as the base, showing the increase in both actual and real terms; and what was the annual rate of inflation for each of those years. [15940]

  Mr. Bowis
  Available information is shown in the tables.
  335

  London Buses

  London Underground

  All London Transport

  Network SouthEast

  British Rail

  RPI

  Actual

  Real

  Actual

  Real

  Actual

  Real

  Actual

  Real

  Actual

  Real

  1995–96

  5.1

  1.8

  4.9

  1.6

  4.9

  1.6

  n/a

  n/a

  3.0

  -0.3

  3.3

  1996–97

  4.3

  n/a

  4.4

  n/a

  4.4

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  1. Fares data for Network South East are no longer available.

  2. BR data supplied by British Rail.

  3. All other data are supplied by London Transport.

  Mr. Austin-Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list(a) the annual percentage change and (b) the increase in child fares on London Transport in each year since 1984–85, taking 1984–85 as the base, showing the increase in both actual and real terms. [15941]

  Mr. Bowis
  Available data from London Transport are as follows:

  Percentage changes in London Transport child fares1: 1985–86 to 1995–96

  Actual

  Real

  1985–86

  5.0

  -0.8

  1986–87

  0.8

  -2.4

  1987–88

  8.0

  3.8

  1988–89

  19.5

  12.8

  1989–90

  18.7

  10.1

  1990–91

  9.2

  -0.4

  1991–92

  16.4

  11.1

  1992–93

  9.8

  6.5

  1993–94

  3.8

  2.1

  1994–95

  2.3

  -0.4

  1995–96

  0.1

  -3.1

  1 Ordinary tickets only. Information on travelcards and season tickets is not available.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Mr. Krishna Maharaj
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the occasions when British representatives have met Mr. Krishna Maharaj. [15679]

  Dr. Liam Fox
  Consular officers visited Mr. Maharaj on:

  3 January 1989

  22 August 1989

  12 February 1991

  19 December 1991

  11 June 1992

  9 December 1992

  22 November 1993

  27 March 1995 and

  4 April 1996.

  Mr. Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the law office of the capital collateral representative has indicated it has the resources to pay for the legal preparation of Mr. Krishna Maharaj's application for a retrial in Florida. [15675]

  Dr. Fox
  The Florida state capital collateral representative is not responsible for the preparation of Mr. Maharaj's application for a retrial. If his current legal 336
  representative withdraws from the case the public defender's office will appoint the capital collateral representative to represent him. The question of resources is for the Florida state authorities.

  Mr. Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the financial resources needed by Mr. Krishna Maharaj to put his case for a retrial. [15676]

  Dr. Fox
  That is a matter for Mr. Maharaj and his lawyers.

  Mr. Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if his Department's Ministers have met the family or legal
  representatives of Mr. Krishna Maharaj. [15678]

  Dr. Fox
  No.

  Capital Collateral Representative (Florida)
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the payments made by the capital collateral representative to condemned convicts normally meet the costs of their legal representation in cases where a retrial is sought. [15677]

  Dr. Liam Fox
  The capital collateral representative is appointed to represent prisoners sentenced to death in Florida who have no funds to retain counsel in post-conviction proceedings. The CCR does not make payments to condemned convicts.

  Shanti Nagar, Pakistan
  Mr. David Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the high commissioner for Pakistan about the destruction of homes and churches in the village of Shanti Nagar, near Khanewal on 6 February; and if he will make a statement. [15602]

  Dr. Liam Fox
  We are deeply concerned about the attacks on Christians and churches in Khanewal. We have not made representations to the Pakistan high commissioner, since I intend to discuss the matter when I visit Pakistan later this month. In the meantime, I understand that the governor of Punjab has promised compensation to those affected and has ordered an enquiry. I expressed general concern about the treatment of religious minorities to the Minister of Human Rights when I called on him in October.

  Russia (Independence movements)
  Mr. David Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy towards the independence movements in(a) Chechnya, (b) Abkhazia, (c) Nagorno-Kharabakh and Trans-dnestr; and if he will make a statement. [15603]
  337
  Sir Nicholas Bonsor
  We subscribe fully to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe principle that frontiers are inviolable and can only be changed peacefully and by agreement. Any change in the status of the four regions mentioned would have to be mutually agreed with the authorities of the countries concerned. We do not believe that the right to self-determination equates automatically to a right to secession.

  Arms Sales
  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list(a) the countries and other bodies which have bought arms from the United Kingdom in the last 10 years under the export credits guarantee scheme and defaulted on their payments and (b) the sums of money involved in each case. [14007]

  Mr. Nelson
  I have been asked to reply.

  I am not currently able to provide the requested information. A review of what information can be made available is taking place and a fuller reply will be given in due course.

  School Links
  Mr. Nigel Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department provides to schools wishing to develop links with schools in other countries(a) within and (b) outside the British Commonwealth, and if he will make a statement. [15275]

  Mr. Paice
  I am replying, since the Department for Education and Employment has responsibility for international school links.

  The Department contributes to the funding of a number of organisations responsible for implementing the Government's education interchange programmes so far as schools are concerned. These include the Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges, which is primarily concerned with developing school links with Europe and the United States, and the League for the Exchange of Commonwealth Teachers. Grant in aid figures (England and Wales) for 1996–97 are: CBEVE—£3.9 million; LECT—£0.5 million. Under its development programme, the Overseas Development Administration also gave a grant of £50,000 in 1996–97 to Education Partners Overseas, which is an organisation set up to organise and supervise twinning between British schools and schools in developing countries. No distinction is made by the EPO between Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth countries.

DEFENCE

  Radioactive Waste
  Mr. Clapham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many(a) radioactive ship and submarine hulks remain at Rosyth and Devonport and (b) spent reactors remain at each site; and what is the amount of medium and high level radioactive waste at each. [16000]

  Mr. Arbuthnot
  There are three decommissioned nuclear submarines at Devonport and five at Rosyth, containing only intermediate and low-level waste. A further two nuclear submarines at Rosyth and one 338
  submarine at Devonport are to undergo defuelling, de-equipping, and lay-up preparations prior to long-term storage pending disposal. Immediately after, there are 75 tonnes of intermediate-level waste and 140 tonnes of low-level waste within each submarine, which will decay in time. The actual level of radioactivity for each submarine, bearing in mind the differing operating profiles, lifetimes and decommissioning dates, can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  There is currently one spent reactor core at each of the dockyards pending removal to the storage facility at British Nuclear Fuels, Sellafield. I am withholding information relating to the radioactivity levels within the spent reactor cores under exemption 1 of the code of practice on access to Government information relating to national security and defence. Storage of used submarine fuel at both dockyards fully meets the site licence requirements as authorised by the Health and Safety Executive nuclear installation inspectorate.

  Tomahawk-fitted Submarines
  Sir Keith Speed
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Tomahawk-fitted submarines to enter operational service. [15705]

  Mr. Arbuthnot
  Tomahawk is expected to enter service in Royal Navy submarines in late 1998.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Family Credit
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people are claiming family credit in the Scunthorpe travel-to-work area. [15499]

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

  Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Elliot Morley, dated 13 February 1997:
  The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people are claiming Family Credit (FC) within the Scunthorpe travel to work area.
  The information is not available in the format requested. It may be helpful if I explain that FC is administered centrally by the Family Credit Unit. Statistics are produced on a national basis and provide the number of families in receipt of FC within a particular Benefits Agency (BA) office area at a given date. However, this only serves as a "snap-shot" of the position at that given date and does not provide details of the number of families in receipt of FC annually.
  At 3 January 1997, there were 2,029 families in receipt of FC within the Scunthorpe BA office area. This has been extracted from a total of 687,917 recipients nationally. It should be noted that these figures are provisional and subject to change.
  I hope you find this reply useful.

  Disability Working Allowance
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of(a) the cost and (b) the numbers gaining if the disability test used at renewal stage were added to the list of qualifying benefits for new claims for disability working allowance. [15415]
  339
  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Manchester, Withington (Mr. Bradley) on 30 April 1996,Official Report, column 476.

  Social Security Spending
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current percentage of public spending taken up by social security; what was the equivalent figure in(a) 1979, (b) 1987 and (c) 1992; and what has been the percentage increase since 1979. [15426]

  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  The information is set out in the table:Grand total of social security expenditure expressed as a percentage of General Government Expenditure (X) (GGE (X))

  1979–80: 23 per cent.

  1987–88: 28 per cent.

  1992–93: 30 per cent.

  1996–97: 31 per cent.

  This is a percentage increase of 35 per cent. between 1979–80 and 1996–97.

  Sources:

  1. March 1996 social security departmental report and earlier equivalents.

  2. Financial statement and budget report 1996–97. The figures for the relevant years are shown in Table 6a: Point 1.

  Notes:

  1. Outturn figures are used for the period 1979–80, 1987–88 and 1992–93. The figure for 1996–97 is estimated outturn.

  2. Grand total of social security spending; this includes both expenditure on benefits and their administration as well as additional local authority spending on housing and council tax/community charge benefit.

  3. General Government Expenditure (X)" (GGE(X)); this excludes privatisation proceeds, expenditure out of the proceeds of the national lottery, and receipt of interest and dividends from public corporations and the private sector.

  Income Support
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his latest estimate of (a) the numbers gaining and (b) the cost of extending payments of income support for four weeks to people who (i) are unemployed, (ii) have been unemployed for two years or more and (iii) are claimants in receipt of a disability premium. [15427]

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

  Estimate of the number gaining and cost of extending payment of jobseeker's allowance (income based) for four weeks to the unemployed who come off the benefit because they have found work by duration of unemployment in 1997–98

  All unemployed

  Unemployed for two years or more

  Numbers gaining

  1,580,000

  30,000

  Cost

  £340 million

  £10 million

  1 Costs are rounded to the nearest £10 million, the number of gainers is rounded to the nearest 10,000.

  2. Figures are based on estimates of the number of unemployed leaving jobseeker's allowance (income based) for work in a full year consistent with Her Majesty's Treasury unemployment assumption of 1.8 million in 1997–98.

  3. Behavioural changes have not been taken into account.
  340
  4. 100 per cent. take up is assumed.

  5. No in-work benefits are taken into account.

  6. Income support for the unemployed was replaced by jobseeker's allowance on 7 October 1996.

  7. It is assumed that benefit is extended only to those who begin work. There is not sufficient data to allow a robust estimate of the cost and numbers of people gaining from extending income support for four weeks to those in receipt of the disability premium who begin work.

  Family Credit
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 21 January,Official Report, column 566, how many of the gainers from a reduction in the family credit taper to (a) 60 per cent. and (b) 50 per cent. would be (i) employed lone parents, (ii) employed couples, (iii) self-employed lone parents and (iv) self-employed couples. [15428]

  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  The information is set out in the table.

  Estimated numbers gaining from reducing the family credit taper 1997–98

  Family type

  60 per cent. Taper

  50 per cent. taper

  Couples

  Employed

  305,000

  445,000

  Self-employed

  55,000

  5,000

  Lone parents

  Employed

  10,000

  40,000

  Self-employed

  15,000

  15,000

  Total

  585,000

  770,000

  1. Estimates are based on the 1994–95 Family Resources Survey uprated to 1997–98 prices and benefit levels.

  2. Estimates are rounded to the nearest 5,000 and may not sum exactly due to rounding.

  Claimants (Exempt Work)
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people on(a) incapacity benefit and (b) severe disablement allowance have applied to undertake exempt work since April 1995; how many have subsequently undertaken work; and how many have been refused by reason for refusal. [15429]

  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  The information is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Earnings Disregard
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the cost of raising the earnings disregard to £25 for each individual adult in a benefit unit claiming(a) income support, (b) housing benefit and (c) council tax benefit, for 1997–98 and 1998–99; and what is his estimate of (i) the cost and (ii) the numbers gaining for each benefit. [15430]

  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  The information is set out in the table.

  Benefit

  Cost/savings (£ million)

  Gainers/losers

  1997–98

  1998–99

  1997–98

  1998–99

  Income support

  -60

  -60

  +135,000

  +135,000

  Housing benefit

  -115

  -115

  +205,000

  +205,000

  Council tax benefit

  -45

  -45

  +260,000

  +255,000

  341

  Benefit

  Cost/savings(£million)

  Gainers/losers

  1997–98

  1998–99

  1997–98

  1998–99

  Family credit

  +25

  +30

  -5,000

  -10,000

  Total

  -195

  -190

  —

  —

  Source:

  May 1995 Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry and 1994–95 Family Resources survey.

  Notes:

  1. Costs are rounded to the nearest £5 million and gainers/losers to the nearest 5,000.

  2. A negative figure denotes costs or gainers, and a positive figure indicates savings or losers.

  3. All disregards were increased simultaneously. Increased Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit costs arising from new entitlement to Income Support are included in the Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit costs and gainers respectively.

  4. Benefit units entitled to either Family Credit or Income Support are assumed to claim the benefit which gives them a higher net income. Hence some families leave Family Credit to claim Income Support.

  5. This is a deadweight estimate. There is insufficient information on which to estimate a behavioural response.

  6. Income Based Jobseeker's Allowance cases are excluded from the estimate of Income Support.

  War Pensions
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list by(a) region, (b) parliamentary constituency and (c) type of impairment the number of war pensioners making claims for benefit. [15504]

  Mr. Heald
  The information is not available in the format requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Such information as is available is as follows:

  Two thousand one hundred and fifty-one new claims for war pensions were received in January 1997, the latest month for which figures are available, and 3,725 claims from existing war pensioners were received for further disablements.

  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his current estimate of the savings which will result from changes to the administration of claims to the War Pensions Agency. [15505]

  Mr. Heald
  The information is as follows:Estimated reduction in forecast programme expenditure (rounded to the nearest £5 million)

  1997–98: £5 million

  1998–99: £10 million

  1999–2000: £15 million

  Estimated reduction in forecast expenditure on administration (rounded to the nearest £0.1 million)

  1997–98: £0.7 million

  1998–99: £1.0 million

  1999–2000: £1.0 million

  The changes affect future entitlement only.

  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on his Department's correspondence with Mark Lutman and Adrian Davis regarding their evidence on the subject of noise-induced hearing loss; and if he will publish the correspondence. [15506]
  342
  Mr. Heald
  My right hon. and noble Friend the Lord MacKay of Ardbrecknish, the Minister of State for Social Security, received an open letter signed by four leading experts in hearing loss including professors Lutman and Davis. A copy of this letter has been placed in the Library. The letter confirms that noise-induced hearing loss and hearing loss due to aging are broadly additive. It is that medical opinion which is now being applied in the assessment of claims for war disablement pension.

  Invalid Care Allowance
  Mr. Olner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the cost of raising the earnings limit for invalid care allowance to £61 in order to be credited for class 1 national insurance contributions. [15585]

  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  The cost of changing the earnings limit for invalid care allowance to a gross earnings limit equal to the current lower earnings limit for class 1 national insurance contributions is estimated to be £5 million.

  Notes:

  1. Estimates are based on sample data and should be treated with caution.

  2. Estimates are rounded to the nearest £5 million.

  Source:

  Family Resources Survey 1994–95.

  Mr. Olner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to credit state earnings-related pension scheme contributions to carers receiving invalid care allowance. [15586]

  Mr. Heald
  The White Paper "Equality in State Pension Age" stated that the regulations to extend home responsibilities protection to SERPS would be made at the appropriate time.

  Mr. Olner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will estimate the cost of enabling carers over retirement age to receive invalid care allowance; [15587]

  (2) if he will estimate the cost of allowing new claims for carers premium to be made for those over retirement age. [15588]

  Mr. Mitchell
  The estimated cost of allowing new claims for invalid care allowance from those aged over 65 is £20 million for 1996–97, of which £10 million would be accounted for by increased receipt of the carer premium.

  Notes:

  1. Estimates are based on sample data and should be treated with caution.

  2. Estimates are rounded to the nearest £5 million.

  source:

  Family Resources Survey 1994–95.

  Benefit Collection System
  Ms Lynne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social
  343
  Security if he will estimate the (a) percentage and (b) number of pensioners who currently have their state pension and other benefits collected by (i) an agent and (ii) an appointee. [15623]

  Numbers of appointees

  As proportion of beneficiaries of pension age

  Numbers of agents

  As proportion of beneficiaries of pension age

  Retirement pension1

  214,482

  22.1 percent.

  not known

  not known

  Income support to pensioners

  4147,000

  9.4 per cent.

  471,000

  4.5 per cent.

  Attendance allowance

  49,687

  34.2 per cent.

  122,145

  310.3 per cent.

  Sources:

  Generalised matching service (datasearch team)—September 1996.

  DSS analytical services.

  Income support quarterly statistical enquiry—February 1996.

  Notes:

  1 Paid alone or in combination with other benefits.

  2 Numbers of retirement pension beneficiaries obtained in March 1996.

  3 Numbers of attendance allowance beneficiaries obtained in November 1996.

  4 Income support figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.

  Ms Lynne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to review the operation of the agency and appointee system for the collection of the state pension and other benefits. [15624]

  Mr. Mitchell
  The Department keeps these matters under on-going review. In particular, we are examining the current arrangements for appointees and agents in the context of the transition to payment by benefit cards.

  Pensioner Incomes
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 13 January, Official Report, columns 153–54, what estimates he has made of gross pensioner income in 1996 prices in (a) 1994, (b) 2010 and (c) 2025; (i) by quintile and (ii) decile, indicating in each case the composition of income by source. [13233]

  Mr. Heald
  [holding answer 29 January 1997]: Information is not available in the format requested. The pensioners' incomes series 1994–95 has been used to provide estimates of gross income, and its components, by quintile of the single and couple pensioner populations in 1994–95, at July 1994 prices. Estimates are given in tables 1 and 2.

  The pensioners' incomes series 1994–95 is largely based on data drawn from the 1994–95 family expenditure survey, which does not contain information concerning the work histories of individuals, and is therefore not a good base upon which to forecast future levels of pensioners' incomes. Estimates of gross income, and its components, by quintile of the single and couple pensioner populations in 2010 and 2025 at 1994 prices have been made using PENSIM, a dynamic simulation model that projects pensioners' incomes into the next century, and are shown in tables 5 to 8.

  However, for a number of reasons, the pensioners incomes series 1994–95 and PENSIM estimates are not directly comparable—they are necessarily based on different data sources, and have been calculated using methodologies that differ in a number of respects. While the pensioners' incomes series provides a good guide to historic absolute levels of pensioners' incomes, and their components, PENSIM has been designed to forecast
  344
  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available in relation to retirement pension, attendance allowance and income support for pensioners is set out in the table:

  long-term trends in pensioners' incomes, rather than precise amounts. In order to highlight these trends over time, tables 2 and 3 show PENSIM estimates of gross income, and its components, by quintile of the single and couple pensioner populations in 1994, at 1994 prices.

  Tables 5 to 8 also show estimates of net income, and the percentage growth—to the nearest 5 per cent.—in net income from 1994. This information effectively supersedes that information given in my written answer to the hon. Member on Monday 13 January, Official Report, columns 153–54, which contained some figures which were calculated for 2020, but were described as estimates for 2010.

  PENSIM estimates are based on a number of economic and behavioural assumptions. Due to the reliance on assumptions and the time period covered, estimates should be treated with caution, and have been rounded to the nearest £1. Reliable estimates of gross income by decile are not available from PENSIM or the pensioners' income series 1994–95, due to the size of the data samples used. The Department is aware of the limitations of the current PENSIM model. Most of these are due to the age and internal consistency of the relatively small data set used, which is based on three different surveys. It is intended to use larger data sets, including the lifetime labour market data base, to improve the robustness and modelling capability of PENSIM in the future.

  Table 1: Mean gross income and its components by quintile, single pensioners 1994–95 (July 1994 Prices)—The pensioners' incomes series 1994–95

  Q1

  Q2

  Q3

  Q4

  Q5

  Mean

  Benefit income

  65.40

  75.50

  87.60

  93.60

  89.80

  82.40

  Occupational pensions

  3.00

  8.10

  12.00

  25.50

  94.50

  28.60

  Investment income

  4.00

  5.10

  5.50

  11.20

  84.10

  21.90

  Earnings

  0.20

  0.50

  0.50

  2.30

  41.20

  8.90

  Other income

  0.30

  0.40

  0.60

  1.10

  2.10

  0.90

  Gross income

  72.90

  89.70

  106.20

  133.80

  311.60

  142.70

  345

  Table 2: Mean gross income and its components by quintile, pensioner couples 1994–95 (July 1994 Prices)—The pensioners' incomes series 1994–95

  Ql

  Q2

  Q3

  Q4

  Q5

  Mean

  Benefit income

  108.80

  120.00

  126.90

  125.00

  116.00

  119.30

  Occupational pensions

  8.00

  22.60

  44.60

  89.20

  219.00

  76.70

  Investment income

  5.10

  9.60

  15.00

  31.30

  128.80

  37.90

  Earnings

  0.60

  4.70

  5.50

  13.20

  77.80

  20.30

  Other income

  0.80

  0.30

  3.10

  1.00

  3.00

  1.60

  Gross income

  123.30

  157.20

  195.10

  259.70

  544.60

  255.90

  Notes:

  1. All figures rounded to the nearest £0.10. Components may not sum to totals due to rounding.

  2. Income refers to gross income before housing costs (BHC).

  3. The quintiles have been constructed based on the equivalised BHC net income distribution. This is consistent with table 5 of the PI Series.

  4. Pensioner units are defined as single people aged at state pension age or above, or couples in which the man is aged at state pension age or above.

  Table 3: Mean gross income and its components by quintile, single pensioners 1994—PENSIM Estimates (1994 Prices)

  Ql £

  Q2 £

  Q3 £

  Q4 £

  Q5 £

  Mean £

  Benefit income

  51

  65

  73

  82

  70

  68

  Occupational pensions

  1

  4

  9

  16

  61

  18

  Investment income

  4

  3

  5

  7

  57

  15

  Earnings

  *

  *

  *

  *

  11

  2

  Other income

  *

  *

  *

  *

  3

  1

  Gross income

  57

  72

  87

  105

  201

  104

  Net income

  57

  72

  86

  102

  171

  98

  Table 4: Mean gross income and its components by quintile, pensioner couples 1994—PENSIM estimates (1994 prices)

  Ql £

  Q2 £

  Q3 £

  Q4 £

  Q5 £

  Mean £

  Benefit income

  103

  116

  117

  120

  117

  114

  Occupational pensions

  6

  16

  35

  57

  92

  41

  Investment income

  6

  6

  20

  47

  136

  44

  Earnings

  *

  *

  2

  8

  84

  19

  Other income

  *

  *

  *

  1

  5

  1

  Gross income

  115

  142

  175

  232

  434

  220

  Net income

  115

  142

  173

  222

  369

  204

  Table 5: Mean gross income and its components by quintile, single pensioners 2010—PENSIM estimates (1994 prices)

  Ql

  Q2

  Q3

  Q4

  Q5

  Mean

  Benefit income

  £48

  £69

  £78

  £88

  £89

  £74

  Occupational pensions

  £2

  £5

  £11

  £24

  £62

  £21

  Investment income

  £5

  £5

  £8

  £18

  £100

  £27

  Earnings

  *

  *

  *

  *

  £20

  £4

  Other income

  *

  *

  *

  *

  £1

  *

  Gross income

  £55

  £79

  £96

  £129

  £271

  £126

  Net income

  £55

  £78

  £94

  £118

  £221

  £113

  Percentage growth in net income from 1994

  -5

  10

  10

  15

  30

  15

  Table 6: Mean gross income and its components by quintile, pensioner couples 2010—PENSIM estimates (1994 prices)

  Ql

  Q2

  Q3

  Q4

  Q5

  Mean

  Benefit income

  £106

  £124

  £136

  £144

  £147

  £132

  Occupational pensions

  £6

  £17

  £35

  £71

  £109

  £48

  Investment income

  £6

  £11

  £22

  £38

  £172

  £50

  Earnings

  *

  *

  £7

  £100

  £22

  Other income

  *

  *

  *

  *

  £2

  *

  Gross income

  £118

  £153

  £193

  £261

  £530

  £251

  Net income

  £118

  £153

  £190

  £245

  £434

  £228

  Percentage growth in net income from 1994

  5

  5

  10

  10

  20

  10

  346 347

  Table 7: Mean gross income and its components by quintile, single pensioners 2025—PENSIM estimates (1994 prices)

  Ql

  22

  03

  Q4

  Q5

  Mean

  Benefit income

  £56

  £82

  £93

  £100

  £93

  £85

  Occupational pensions

  £3

  £6

  £15

  £37

  £104

  £33

  Investment income

  £5

  £6

  £15

  £38

  £216

  £56

  Earnings

  *

  *

  *

  £32

  £7

  Other income

  *

  *

  *

  *

  *

  *

  Gross income

  £64

  £95

  £123

  £175

  £446

  £181

  Net income

  £64

  £94

  £115

  £153

  £342

  £154

  Percentage growth in net income from 1994

  15

  30

  35

  50

  100

  55

  Table 8: Mean gross income and its components by quintile, pensioner couples 2025—PENSIM estimates (1994 prices)

  Ql

  Q2

  Q3

  Q4

  Q5

  Mean

  Benefit income

  £124

  £147

  £157

  £150

  £148

  £145

  Occupational pensions

  £11

  £30

  £64

  £110

  £136

  £70

  Investment income

  £10

  £27

  £48

  £103

  £338

  £105

  Earnings

  *

  *

  £3

  £23

  £149

  £35

  Other income

  *

  *

  *

  *

  *

  *

  Gross income

  £146

  £205

  £272

  £385

  £771

  £356

  Net income —

  £146

  £201

  £256

  £337

  £602

  £309

  Percentage growth in net income from 1994

  25

  40

  50

  50

  65

  50

  1. All figures rounded to the nearest £5 per cent. * represents a value of less than £0.50.

  2. Income refers to income before housing costs.

  3. Benefit income includes basic state pension, SERPS, graduated pension, income support and housing benefit.

  4. Pensioners are defined as those single aged at state pension age or above, or couples in which the husband is aged at state pension age or above.

  5. Quintiles for single pensioners and pensioner couples have been calculated separately—i.e. the bottom quintile of single pensioners represents those pensioners in the bottom 20 per cent. of the income distribution of single pensioners.

TREASURY

  Taxation (Personal Allowances)
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of(a) the numbers gaining and (b) the cost of extending to married women the additional personal allowance currently payable to a married man whose wife is incapacitated. [15416]

  Mr. Jack
  I regret that the information requested is not available.

  Incapacity Benefit
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his current estimate of the tax yield from claimants of incapacity benefit; and how many claimants had tax deducted from their benefit by the Benefits Agency, during (i) 1995–96 and (ii) 1996–97 to date. [15417]

  Mr. Jack
  The estimated tax yield from taxable incapacity benefit for 1996–97 is about £60 million.

  The number of claimants who had no other source of income from which the tax could be collected and who have had the tax deducted from their benefit by the Benefits Agency in 1995–96 is about 25,000. A reliable estimate for 1996–97 to date is not available.

  Invalid Care Allowance
  Mr. Olner
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost of making invalid care allowance tax free when the recipient is also in receipt of a non-state pension. [15589]
  348
  Mr. Jack
  The estimated cost for 1997–98 of exempting invalid care allowance from tax for all claimants is about £20 million. A reliable estimate of the cost for claimants who are in receipt of a non-state pension is not available.

  Customs Information System
  Mr. Matthew Banks
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Government have designated a competent customs administration to have national responsibility in the United Kingdom for the customs information system convention agreed at the Cannes European Council in June 1995. [16264]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  I can advise that HM Customs and Excise is designated as the customs administration with national responsibility for the customs information system in the United Kingdom.

  Scott Inquiry
  Mr. Robin Cook
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total cost of salaries since 1992 paid to persons in his Department employed on a part-time or full-time basis in any capacity relating to the Scott inquiry. [14538]

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  [holding answer 6 February 1997]: The direct and quantifiable salary cost of officials in my departments wholly or partly employed on matters relating to the Scott inquiry since 1992 is approximately £510,970. This figure is the identifiable salary cost of officials for their work on the Scott inquiry, although, with one or two exceptions, none of these officials was engaged exclusively on the inquiry. In addition, other officials were inevitably involved from time to time, but the direct cost of their involvement is unquantifiable.

SCOTLAND

  Hospital and Nursing Home Beds
  Mrs. Wise
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list for each year since 1979 the numbers of(a) registered beds and (b) occupied beds in (i) registered private hospitals/clinics, (ii) registered private nursing homes and (iii) all registered establishments in Scotland, showing separately those which were for (1) acute specialties, (2) mental illness, (3) people with learning difficulties, (4) people with physical disabilities, (5) maternity and (6) other purposes. [15455]

  Registered Nursing Homes and Hospitals3—Number Registered, Bed Complement and Category of Service Provided as at 31 March

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  1994

  19951

  19961

  All Nursing Homes and Hospitals4

  Total number registered

  164

  215

  270

  316

  354

  388

  437

  437

  458

  499

  Total number of beds

  5,063

  6,859

  8,798

  10,311

  12,274

  14,556

  17,012

  17,646

  19,236

  21,836

  Number of homes or hospitals by services provided5

  Acute—medical2

  51

  27

  22

  22

  26

  16

  22

  19

  7

  10

  Acute—surgical2

  10

  8

  10

  9

  8

  8

  10

  7

  5

  11

  Mental illness (other than elderly)

  6

  8

  8

  18

  11

  15

  17

  24

  26

  28

  Learning difficulties (other than elderly)

  11

  15

  18

  15

  15

  21

  24

  26

  29

  30

  Physical handicap (other than elderly)

  36

  51

  60

  76

  68

  73

  76

  77

  93

  81

  Maternity

  2

  1

  —

  —

  1

  1

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Abortions

  6

  6

  6

  6

  6

  7

  8

  3

  4

  7

  Elderly long stay

  143

  192

  244

  287

  320

  359

  388

  383

  403

  444

  Elderly with mental impairment or learning difficulties

  78

  95

  139

  172

  195

  197

  231

  220

  230

  223

  Convalescence

  53

  83

  107

  127

  131

  133

  137

  128

  104

  89

  Terminal care/hospice

  32

  60

  90

  111

  120

  137

  143

  121

  84

  68

  Other

  11

  27

  27

  45

  67

  67

  67

  88

  97

  125

  1 Provisional.

  2 The figures on the number of establishments providing an Acute Surgical or Acute Medical services are believed to be under reported in 1994 and 1995.

  3 Private nursing homes and hospitals subject to the Nursing Homes Registration (Scotland) Act 1938 (as amended), or the Mental Health Act 1960–1984.

  4 It is not strictly possible to distinguish hospitals from nursing homes from the information available.

  5 Because a nursing home/hospital may provide more than one service, the total number of the services provided will exceed the total number of registrations.

  Information prior to 1987 is not available.

  Residents in registered nursing homes and private hospitals in Scotland2

  As at 31 March

  1994

  19951

  19961

  Elderly long stay

  11,723

  11,407

  12,411

  Elderly with mental impairment or learning difficulties

  2,615

  3,400

  3,319

  Learning difficulties (other than elderly)

  314

  279

  331

  Mental illness (other than elderly)

  121

  80

  139

  Physical handicap (other than elderly)

  231

  263

  280

  Acute—medical

  32

  14

  10

  Acute—surgical

  76

  35

  59

  Convalescence

  72

  80

  32

  Terminal care

  201

  176

  157

  Other

  291

  310

  407

  All residents

  15,676

  16,044

  17,145

  1 Provisional.

  2 Private nursing homes and hospitals subject to the Nursing Homes Registration (Scotland) Act 1939 (as amended), or the Mental Health Act 1960–84.

  Information prior to 1994 is not available.
  350
  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Information in the level of detail requested is not collected centrally. Table A shows available information on the number of homes and hospitals registered under the Nursing Homes Registration (Scotland) Act 1938, as amended, or the Mental Health Acts 1960 to 1984, the total number of beds, and the category of services provided for each year since 1987. Table B provides details of the number of patients resident in these establishments by category as at 31 March in each year since 1994.

  Scottish Natural Heritage
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list the principal terms of all the agreements entered into by Scottish Natural Heritage which contain provision for profits forgone; [15665]

  (2) if he will list the principal terms of each management agreement entered into by Scottish Natural Heritage in which sums greater than £100,000 are to be paid to a landowner or land user. [15666]

  Mr. Kynoch
  [holding answer 13 February 1997]: Details of all management agreements entered into by Scottish Natural Heritage appear in its annual reports, copies of which are laid before Parliament.

HEALTH

  NHS Pay
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list salaries and wages costs for(a) general

  351
  and senior managers, (b) nurses and midwives and (c) administrative and clerical staff by NHS region for the financial years (i) 1994–95 and (ii) 1995–96. [14576]

  Mr. Malone
  The information requested is given in the tables. The figures for 1995–96 are provisional.

  Hospital and community health services expenditure on salaries and wages 1994–95

  £ thousand

  Executive board members, general and senior managers

  Nursing and midwifery

  Administrative and clerical

  Northern and Yorkshire region

  100,963

  856,849

  199,376

  Trent region

  59,387

  598,343

  139,380

  Anglian and Oxford region

  70,363

  586,048

  148,005

  North Thames region

  122,388

  974,093

  285,923

  South Thames region

  112,835

  843,465

  243,981

  South and West region

  84,420

  808,721

  183,149

  West Midlands region

  70,588

  624,969

  166,298

  North-west region

  93,474

  885,274

  212,515

  Special health authorities

  1,633

  6,268

  3,650

  Total England

  716,051

  6,184,030

  1,582,268

  Source:

  1. The annual financial returns of NHS trusts.

  2. The annual financial returns of district and regional health authorities and the special health authorities of the London postgraduate teaching hospitals.

  Notes:

  1. The figures are based upon gross costs including employers' national insurance and superannuation contributions.

  2. The figures given are for hospital and community health services only. Family health services authorities and other health bodies are excluded as comparable figures are not collected centrally.

  Hospital and community health services expenditure on salaries and wages 1995–96

  £ thousand

  Executive board members, general and senior managers

  Nursing and midwifery

  Administrative and clerical

  Northern and

  Yorkshire region

  106,748

  858,526

  207,741

  Trent region

  73,403

  593,534

  147,138

  Anglian and Oxford region

  77,800

  584,241

  148,637

  North Thames region

  131,490

  961,004

  288,111

  South Thames region

  123,920

  851,819

  260,783

  South and West region

  94,534

  828,535

  193,640

  West Midlands region

  88,513

  643,408

  172,177

  North-west region

  92,188

  889,850

  221,207

  Special health authorities

  1,781

  5,857

  3,765

  Total England

  790,377

  6,216,774

  1,643,199

  Source:

  1. The annual financial returns of NHS trusts.

  2. The annual financial returns of district and regional health authorities and the special health authorities of the London postgraduate teaching hospitals.

  Notes:

  1. The figures are provisional.

  2. The figures are not directly comparable with those of earlier years due to changes in the definitions of the staff categories.

  3. The figures are based upon gross costs including employers' national insurance and superannuation contributions.
  352
  4. The figures given are for hospital and community health services only. Family health services authorities and other health bodies are excluded as comparable figures are not collected centrally.

  Mr. Livingstone
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total figure in performance-related pay given to former family health service authority mangers for recruiting new GPs to fundholding between 1990–91 and 1995–96. [14845]

  Mr. Malone
  Such information is not collected centrally.

  NHS Nurses
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the(a) morale and (b) recruitment pattern of NHS nurses. [14781]

  Mr. Horam
  Morale and recruitment issues are matters for local health service employers. Evidence is considered by the Review Body for Nursing Staff, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine and its conclusions are published in annual reports, copies of which are available in the Library.

  On 29 January, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health announced a £32 million initiative to enhance the existing policies to recruit and retain, and encourage the return to work of nursing staff.

  Lariam
  Ms Corston
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department define as severe, moderate and slight side effects of the drug Lariam; what other definitions of the severity of side effects have been put to him by(a) the manufacturer of the drug and (b) independent scientists; what information he has obtained on the rates of incidence of these side effects; and to what extent the rate of incidence calculated by different parties varies. [15202]

  Mr. Malone
  There are no internationally defined standards for defining the severity of side effects; therefore the Department does not categorise the side effects of medicines, including Lariam, as severe, moderate or slight. Clinicians assess the rates of incidence of side effects from their patients and report to the Medicines Control Agency on a yellow card.

  Information on the incidence of the side effects of Lariam is available from various clinical studies. Different criteria and methodologies are used for the definition of the severity of an adverse reaction. However, these studies show that serious adverse reactions are rare.

  Infant Mortality
  Mrs. Wise
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the outcome of the tendering process for the confidential inquiry into stillbirths and deaths in infancy; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the service specification and contract. [15442]

  Mr. Horam
  A contract was signed for the management of the confidential inquiry into stillbirths and deaths in infancy with the Maternity and Child Health Research Consortium on 7 March 1996 and took effect from 1 April 1996.

  Copies of the service specification—or "statement of requirements"—have been placed in the Library.
  353
  The contract contains commercial information that was supplied in confidence and is not, therefore, available for disclosure.

  Mrs. Wise
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money has been allocated to the confidential inquiry into stillbirths and deaths in infancy for the financial year 1996–97; and how much has been allocated for(a) central organisations and analysis, (b) allocations to regions and (c) other purposes. [15439]

  Mr. Horam
  The total amount allocated to the confidential inquiry into stillbirths and deaths in infancy in the 1996–97 financial year is £2,039 million.

  The other financial information requested is contained within the contract, is commercially confidential and is not, therefore, available for disclosure.

  Mrs. Wise
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for disseminating the report of the evaluation of the confidential inquiry into stillbirths and deaths in infancy; and if he will place a copy of the report in the Library. [15443]

  Mr. Horam
  No evaluation has yet taken place.

  Mrs. Wise
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the full costs of the tendering process for the confidential inquiry into stillbirths and deaths in infancy referred to in his answer to the hon. Member for Peckham (Ms Harman) of 11 December 1995,Official Report, columns 525–28. [15456]

  Mr. Horam
  The estimated cost is £11,000.

  Mrs. Wise
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria he uses to decide on the membership of the national advisory body for the confidential inquiry into stillbirths and deaths in infancy; and for what reasons representatives of Wales and Northern Ireland do not have observer status on the body. [15444]

  Mr. Horam
  Membership of the national advisory body is designed to cover a range of professions, interest groups and perspectives. This includes knowledge of practices in different parts of the country. It is not a representative body.

  The role of the national advisory body has changed since April 1996 and it is appropriate for its size to be reduced accordingly.

  Fluoridation
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the correlation between the incidence of dental caries among schoolchildren and the proportion of fluoride in the water over the last 10 years(a) in England and (b) in the north-west; and if he will make a statement. [15630]

  Mr. Malone
  During the last 10 years, the British Fluoridation Society has produced a series of national dental health league tables on levels of tooth decay in five, 12 and 14-year-olds using data from the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry surveys of children's dental health. These league tables show that, in general, districts with the best oral health were fluoridated. Most of the worst districts for tooth 354
  decay were not fluoridated; a number of these are in the north-west. BFS leaflets showing the league tables will be placed in the Library.

  Pharmaceutical Donations
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 27 January, Official Report, column,119, if he will seek through the World Health Organisation to ensure that other nations do not offer financial incentives to companies to donate pharmaceuticals overseas; and if he will make a statement. [15631]

  Mr. Malone
  At the World Health Assembly in May 1996, the United Kingdom supported a resolution which promoted new World Health Organisation drug donations guidelines and urged their publication. The aim of these guidelines is to prevent the unsolicited donations of drugs and the overpricing of such drugs. We will place copies of the "Essential Drugs Monitor" publication which includes the guidelines in the Library.

  Xenotransplantation
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 279, on what date membership of the United Kingdom Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority will be finalised; and if he will make a statement. [15632]

  Mr. Horam
  The membership of the United Kingdom Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority will be finalised as soon as possible. Appointments will be announced at that time.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Court Waiting Times
  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the percentage of defendants(a) on bail and (b) in custody who were committed for trial at the Crown court in 1996 and waited (i) less than eight weeks and (ii) less than 16 weeks before being dealt with. [15725]

  Mr. Streeter
  The question concerns a matter which has been assigned to the Court Service under the terms of its framework document. I have therefore asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from M. D. Huebner to Mr. Jack Straw, dated 14 February 1997:
  The Parliamentary Secretary has asked me to reply to your Question about the waiting times for defendants on bail and in custody committed for trial to the Crown Court in 1996.

  Less than 8 weeks per cent.

  Less than 16 weeks per cent.

  Bail

  56

  80

  Custody

  59

  78