Written Answers of 10 March 1997

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  Millennium Commission Awards
  Mr. Hawksley
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list the awards from the Millennium Commission announced this week and also the applications refused, broken down by region. [148191

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  [holding answer 7 February 1997]: This is a matter for the Millennium Commission. I shall write to my hon. Friend in my capacity as chairman of the commission and place copies of my reply in the Libraries of the House.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

  Schools Renewal Challenge Fund (Sheffield)
  Sir Irvine Patrick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list the Sheffield schools which have received funds from the Government schools renewal challenge fund. [18264]

  Mrs. Gillan
  We have made the following allocations to Sheffield local education authority under the schools renewal challenge fund:Waltheof school (£1,251,000)
  Earl Marshall school/Owler Brook nursery infant school (£96,000)
  Reorganisation of special educational need provision (involving Firth park secondary school, Angram bank primary school and Ecclesfield secondary school) (£150,000).

  Additionally, we have recently issued Sheffield with supplementary credit approvals for the following two schools:
  Silverdale school (£65,000)
  King Ecgbert secondary school (£210,000).

  Jobmatch Scheme
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answer of 26 February,Official Report, column 265, what is her estimate of the number of people who would benefit from an extension of the jobmatch scheme to (a) all people unemployed for two years or more and (b) those aged over 50 years unemployed for two years or more. [18980]

  Mr. Forth
  In January 1997, the number of people who had been unemployed for at least two years was just over 390,000, of whom some 90,000 were over the age of 50. Our experience of the jobmatch pilots has suggested that up to 10 per cent. would take advantage of the jobmatch programme. However, that is not necessarily an accurate guide to likely take-up among particular groups, such as people over 50.
  2

  Payment of Bills
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of bills to her Department were paid(a) in accordance with agreed contractual conditions and (b) within 30 days of receiving goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice where no contractual conditions applied in the last year for which figures are available. [18811]

  Mr. Robin Squire
  [holding answer 6 March 1997]: I refer to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Economic Secretary to the Treasury to my hon. Friend the Member for Bury St. Edmunds (Mr. Spring) on 17 December 1996, Official Report, columns 506–07. Any additional information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Pupil Statements
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will place in rank order the number and percentage of school pupils who are(a) statemented and (b) awaiting statementing in each local education authority in England. [19304]

  Mrs. Gillan
  The following table shows the number of school pupils with statements, and this number expressed as a percentage of total school pupils, attending school in each local education authority in January 1996. Figures are taken from returns to the Department in the annual schools census. For any particular LEA, they will include pupils with statements placed by other LEAs, and exclude such pupils placed by the LEA in other LEA areas. Information on numbers of pupils awaiting statements is not collected centrally.

  Pupils with statements in schools by Local Education Authority area in England—January 1996

  LEA

  Number

  Percentage

  Doncaster

  2,470

  4.59

  St. Helens

  1,399

  4.52

  Cornwall

  3,113

  4.19

  Wigan

  2,112

  4.12

  Cumbria

  3,222

  4.00

  Norfolk

  4,368

  3.83

  Shropshire

  2,662

  3.76

  Wandsworth

  1,288

  3.68

  Lancashire

  8,472

  3.57

  Greenwich

  1,391

  3.56

  Islington

  887

  3.52

  Hammersmith

  703

  3.52

  Devon

  5,497

  3.46

  East Sussex

  3,619

  3.46

  Derbyshire

  5,360

  3.42

  Tower Hamlets

  1,252

  3.41

  Sunderland

  1,785

  3.39

  Kirklees

  2,244

  3.35

  Suffolk

  3,473

  3.31

  Camden

  955

  3.28

  Bury

  1,041

  3.27

  Lincolnshire

  3,180

  3.25

  Buckinghamshire

  3,703

  3.24

  Durham

  3,264

  3.22

  Leeds

  3,896

  3.20

  Cheshire

  5,354

  3.19

  Rotherham

  1,463

  3.18

  Knowsley

  963

  3.18

  Waltham

  1,117

  3.11

  Surrey

  5,156

  3.10

  Avon

  4,817

  3.08

  3

  Pupils with statements in schools by Local Education Authority area in England—January 1996

  LEA

  Number

  Percentage

  North Tyneside

  1,015

  3.05

  Wirral

  1,808

  3.03

  Isle of Wight

  594

  3.03

  Stockport

  1,464

  3.02

  Hampshire

  7,454

  3.01

  Lewisham

  1,090

  3.01

  Bromley

  1,426

  3.00

  Kent

  7,844

  2.98

  Barnsley

  1,054

  2.98

  Hillingdon

  1,207

  2.96

  Somerset

  2,234

  2.92

  Lambeth

  835

  2.90

  Hackney

  865

  2.90

  Sefton

  1,495

  2.86

  Berkshire

  3,849

  2.86

  Liverpool

  2,494

  2.85

  West Sussex

  3,129

  2.84

  Hereford and Worcester

  3,110

  2.78

  Hounslow

  1,007

  2.78

  Leicestershire

  4,291

  2.78

  Gloucestershire

  2,481

  2.77

  Bedfordshire

  2,736

  2.76

  Staffordshire

  4,864

  2.75

  Cambridgeshire

  3.060

  2.74

  Walsall

  1,369

  2.70

  Tameside

  1,048

  2.70

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  1,260

  2.69

  Sutton

  763

  2.68

  Northumberland

  1,416

  2.67

  Hertfordshire

  4,881

  2.67

  Havering

  971

  2.67

  Southwark

  1,029

  2.65

  South Tyneside

  713

  2.63

  Wiltshire

  2,463

  2.63

  Merton

  708

  2.57

  Cleveland

  2,744

  2.56

  Wakefield

  1,458

  2.54

  Newham

  1,121

  2.51

  Bolton

  1,234

  2.48

  Dorset

  2,477

  2.46

  Warwickshire

  2,006

  2.45

  Harrow

  810

  2.44

  Wolverhampton

  1,089

  2.39

  Haringey

  821

  2.39

  Kingston upon Thames

  551

  2.39

  Sheffield

  1,848

  2.38

  North Yorkshire

  2,787

  2.37

  Birmingham

  4,475

  2.37

  Northamptonshire

  2,561

  2.36

  Manchester

  1,798

  2.33

  Brent

  892

  2.30

  Claderdale

  821

  2.30

  Bexley

  857

  2.27

  Essex

  5,536

  2.27

  Barking

  630

  2.26

  Oxfordshire

  2,157

  2.25

  Humberside

  3,352

  2.22

  Bradford

  2,076

  2.19

  Coventry

  1,152

  2.16

  Trafford

  795

  2.06

  Gateshead

  653

  2.00

  Solihull

  775

  1.98

  Enfield

  904

  1.97

  Dudley

  971

  1.93

  Barnet

  972

  1.90

  Ealing

  876

  1.83

  Sandwell

  961

  1.80

  Richmond upon Thames

  482

  1.80

  Redbridge

  718

  1.75

  Westminster

  403

  1.75

  Salford

  668

  1.67

  Croydon

  905

  1.65

  4

  Pupils with statements in schools by Local Education Authority area in England—January 1996

  LEA

  Number

  Percentage

  Isle of Scilly

  4

  1.51

  Oldham

  628

  1.42

  Kensington and Chelsea

  258

  1.23

  Nottinghamshire

  2,011

  1.18

  Corporation of London

  2

  0.11

  England

  227,324

  2.80

  LEAs (Capital Borrowing Allocation)
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the capital borrowing allocation to(a) Lancashire and (b) Buckinghamshire for (i) 1997–98 and (ii) 1996–97. [19302]

  Mrs. Gillan
  The following table shows the education annual capital guidelines and supplementary credit approvals we have allocated to Lancashire and Buckinghamshire local education authorities in 1997–98 and 1996–97.

  All figures in £'000s

  1997–98

  1996–97

  Lancashire

  Annual Capital Guidelines

  5,225

  8,166

  Supplementary Credit Approvals

  826

  1,224

  Total

  6,051

  9,390

  Buckinghamshire

  Annual Capital Guidelines

  4,235

  10,140

  Supplementary Credit Approvals

  251

  593

  Total

  4,486

  10,733

  Assisted Places Scheme
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list by decile the household income of parents of students in the assisted places scheme for the most recent year for which figures are available. [19303]

  Mrs. Gillan
  The information is not readily available in the form requested. The following table gives figures, by decile and in bands to the nearest £250, relating to the relevant incomes of parents of pupils receiving help under the assisted places scheme in England in academic year 1995–96. Over 43 per cent. of assisted pupils in that year received a free place because their parents' income fell below the threshold of £9,572 for full fee remission.

  Assisted Places Scheme: Academic Year 1995–96

  Decile

  Relevant incomes of assisted pupils' parents (£ per year)

  Lowest

  less than £250

  Second

  Between £251 and £3,500

  Third

  Between £3,501 and £6,000

  Fourth

  Between £6,001 and £8,250

  Fifth

  Between £8,251 and £10,500

  Sixth

  Between £10,501 and £12,750

  5

  Assisted Places Scheme: Academic Year 1995–96

  Decile

  Relevant incomes of assisted pupils' parents (£ per year)

  Seventh

  Between £12,751 and £15,250

  Eighth

  Between £15,251 and £17,750

  Ninth

  Between £17,751 and £21,000

  Highest

  Over £21,001

  Mr. Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many school pupils had places under the assisted places scheme in(a) Burnley, (b) Pendle, (c) Rossendale, (d) Hyndburn, (e) Ribble Valley and (f) Blackburn in each year since 1992; and what was the total value of the payments made. [19580]

  Mrs. Gillan
  There are no schools participating in the assisted places schemes in the Burnley, Pendle, Rossendale, Hyndburn or Ribble Valley constituencies. The information requested is given in the following table in respect of the three participating schools in Blackburn:

  Assisted Places Scheme in the Blackburn constituency

  Academic Year

  1992–93

  1993–94

  1994–95

  1995–96

  Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School

  Number of assisted pupils

  260

  261

  267

  270

  Cost of places £000s

  £726

  £803

  £832

  £848

  Stonyhurst College

  Number of assisted pupils

  35

  34

  37

  37

  Cost of places £000s

  £161

  £174

  £215

  £215

  Westholme School

  Number of assisted places

  20

  25

  30

  37

  Cost of places £000s

  £59

  £75

  £98

  £125

  Total number of places

  315

  320

  334

  344

  Total cost £000s

  £946

  £1,052

  £1,145

  £1,188

  Number and percentage of day pupils known to be eligible for free school meals in maintained primary and secondary schools in local education authority areas in England.

  Position as at January in each year

  1995

  1996

  primary

  secondary

  primary

  secondary

  number

  percentage

  number

  percentage

  number

  percentage

  number

  percentage

  Corporation of London

  119

  54

  0

  0

  116

  54

  0

  0

  Camden

  4,808

  43

  2,857

  27

  4,950

  44

  3,088

  28

  Greenwich

  8,376

  39

  5,209

  37

  8,596

  40

  5,397

  40

  Hackney

  9,729

  54

  4,938

  66

  10,195

  56

  4,884

  66

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  4,514

  48

  2,269

  38

  4,493

  47

  2,096

  35

  Islington

  7,796

  49

  4,081

  55

  8,129

  50

  4,330

  57

  Kensington and Chelsea

  2,797

  44

  1,290

  41

  2,960

  45

  1,364

  43

  Lambeth

  8,941

  47

  3,460

  53

  8,907

  47

  3,366

  52

  Lewisham

  8,103

  38

  4,400

  40

  8,284

  38

  4,668

  43

  South wark

  10,911

  48

  5,209

  57

  10,921

  48

  5,147

  56

  Tower Hamlets

  13,240

  60

  8,110

  66

  14,534

  65

  8,369

  66

  Wandsworth

  6,360

  36

  3,190

  35

  6,359

  35

  3,346

  36

  Westminster

  4,462

  47

  3,335

  44

  4,347

  45

  3,237

  42

  Barking and Dagenham

  4,465

  26

  2,144

  22

  4,707

  27

  2,485

  25

  Barnet

  4,330

  18

  2,844

  15

  5,119

  21

  3,112

  16

  Bexley

  3,431

  16

  1,769

  12

  3,662

  17

  1,979

  13

  Brent

  6,806

  30

  3,651

  28

  6,862

  30

  3,655

  27

  Bromley

  4,099

  18

  2,426

  14

  4,395

  18

  2,683

  15

  Croydon

  7,355

  26

  3,128

  21

  7,783

  26

  3,350

  22

  Ealing

  7,038

  27

  4,491

  32

  6,576

  24

  4,143

  29

  Enfield

  5,315

  22

  3,744

  21

  5,682

  22

  4,058

  22

  Haringey

  7,945

  39

  4,073

  42

  8,668

  41

  4,404

  44

  Harrow

  2,177

  11

  1,211

  14

  2,273

  11

  1,462

  17

  Havering

  3,055

  15

  1,657

  11

  3,115

  15

  1,815

  12

  6

  Nursery Vouchers
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many of the new registered nursery education inspectors under the voucher scheme are also providers of pre-school education. [19012]

  Mr. Robin Squire
  This is a matter for Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools. I have asked Mr. Chris Woodhead to write to the hon. Member.

  Schools Renewal Challenge Fund
  Sir Robert Hicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the total sum made available for each schools renewal challenge fund round to date; and if she will list those projects successful in each round and the sums allocated to them. [19035]

  Mrs. Gillan
  The total allocated in the first tranche of the schools renewal challenge fund was £29.5 million with a further £15.117 million in the second tranche.

  Details of individual allocations are in our press notices of 23 July 1996 and 5 February 1997, which are in the Library.

  Free School Meals
  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list the total percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals in each local education authority in England in each of the last two years for which figures are available, indicating separately the percentages for(a) primary and (b) secondary schools. [19557]

  Mrs. Gillan
  The information requested is shown in the following table.
  7

  Number and percentage of day pupils known to be eligible for free school meals in maintained primary and secondary schools in local education authority areas in England.

  Position as at January in each year

  1995

  1996

  primary

  secondary

  primary

  secondary

  number

  percentage

  number

  percentage

  number

  percentage

  number

  percentage

  Hillingdon

  2,582

  12

  2,040

  14

  2,727

  12

  2,186

  15

  Hounslow

  5,040

  26

  3,282

  22

  5,216

  26

  3,414

  23

  Kingston-upon-Thames

  957

  9

  763

  10

  933

  8

  820

  10

  Merton

  3,425

  22

  1,501

  20

  3,468

  22

  1,567

  21

  Newham

  10,238

  37

  6,390

  43

  10,835

  39

  6,653

  44

  Redbridge

  3,726

  19

  2,698

  17

  3,921

  19

  2,932

  18

  Richmond-upon-Thames

  1,544

  13

  1,315

  17

  1,582

  13

  1,382

  18

  Sutton

  1,899

  14

  982

  8

  2,067

  14

  1,125

  9

  Waltham Forest

  6,915

  33

  4,247

  36

  6,764

  32

  4,277

  36

  Birmingham

  40,536

  37

  23,158

  35

  41,521

  38

  24,308

  37

  Coventry

  7,921

  26

  4,646

  24

  7,312

  24

  4,447

  23

  Dudley

  5,494

  18

  3,044

  17

  5,631

  18

  3,144

  17

  Sandwell

  9,447

  29

  4,872

  26

  9,203

  28

  4,755

  25

  Solihull

  3,427

  17

  1,688

  12

  3,520

  16

  1,808

  13

  Walsall

  7,621

  27

  4,844

  24

  7,364

  26

  4,730

  24

  Wolverhampton

  7,049

  27

  4,097

  25

  7,013

  27

  3,994

  25

  Knowsley

  9,268

  46

  5,005

  53

  9,054

  45

  5,176

  55

  Liverpool

  20,983

  42

  12,636

  41

  21,345

  42

  13,216

  42

  St. Helens

  4,299

  24

  2,121

  18

  5,573

  31

  2,665

  23

  Sefton

  6,816

  24

  4,290

  22

  6,978

  25

  4,450

  23

  Wirral

  9,829

  31

  5,754

  27

  9,948

  31

  6,066

  27

  Bolton

  6,131

  22

  2,926

  17

  6,463

  23

  3,011

  17

  Bury

  3,214

  18

  1,508

  14

  3,297

  18

  1,497

  14

  Manchester

  22,394

  48

  9,858

  45

  22,218

  47

  10,006

  45

  Oldham

  6,894

  28

  3,945

  24

  7,067

  28

  4,028

  24

  Rochdale

  6,781

  31

  3,885

  29

  7,149

  32

  3,851

  29

  Salford

  8,279

  35

  3,264

  27

  8,526

  36

  3,422

  29

  Stockport

  4,680

  18

  2,529

  16

  4,817

  18

  2,689

  17

  Tameside

  5,809

  25

  2,819

  20

  5,884

  25

  3,165

  23

  Trafford

  4,091

  19

  2,578

  21

  4,137

  19

  2,775

  22

  Wigan

  6,297

  21

  3,557

  18

  6,033

  20

  3,600

  18

  Barnsley

  5,939

  27

  3,022

  23

  5,783

  26

  2,922

  22

  Doncaster

  8,130

  28

  5,533

  24

  8,520

  28

  4,862

  23

  Rotherham

  6,341

  25

  3,614

  19

  6,426

  25

  3,617

  19

  Sheffield

  12,536

  28

  6,771

  25

  13,105

  29

  6,766

  25

  Bradford

  11,108

  27

  14,489

  31

  11,131

  26

  14,221

  31

  Calderdale

  4,526

  22

  2,429

  18

  4,363

  21

  2,561

  19

  Kirklees

  8,823

  23

  4,738

  19

  9,135

  24

  4,922

  19

  Leeds

  15,183

  22

  8,451

  19

  16,457

  23

  8,694

  20

  Wakefield

  6,376

  20

  3,690

  18

  6,564

  21

  3,578

  18

  Gateshead

  5,399

  29

  3,108

  26

  5,254

  28

  2,924

  25

  Newcastle-upon-Tyne

  9,091

  40

  4,794

  28

  9,042

  40

  4,753

  27

  North Tyneside

  4,236

  25

  2,709

  19

  4,179

  25

  2,726

  19

  South Tyneside

  6,002

  37

  2,681

  27

  6,163

  38

  2,721

  28

  Sunderland

  9,019

  30

  5,416

  28

  8,866

  29

  4,375

  23

  Isles of Scilly

  17

  11

  38

  40

  11

  7

  9

  10

  Avon

  16,638

  20

  7,850

  14

  16,920

  20

  8,116

  15

  Bedfordshire

  9,196

  21

  7,692

  17

  9,387

  21

  7,686

  17

  Berkshire

  8,909

  14

  4,176

  9

  8,960

  14

  4,357

  9

  Buckinghamshire

  5,568

  9

  3,381

  9

  5,706

  9

  3,710

  10

  Cambridge

  10,003

  17

  5,562

  13

  9,944

  16

  5,738

  14

  Cheshire

  15,254

  17

  7,923

  12

  15,917

  17

  8,390

  13

  Cleveland

  20,094

  31

  10,515

  28

  19,302

  29

  10,385

  28

  Cornwall

  7,893

  19

  4,631

  16

  8,587

  21

  5,267

  18

  Cumbria

  7,427

  17

  3,691

  12

  7,965

  18

  3,983

  12

  Derbyshire

  16,114

  19

  8,400

  14

  16,253

  18

  8,509

  15

  Devon

  16,706

  20

  8,114

  13

  16,885

  20

  8,241

  13

  Dorset

  4,297

  9

  4,268

  10

  4,663

  10

  4,324

  10

  Durham

  14,217

  25

  7,647

  20

  13,599

  24

  7,080

  19

  East Sussex

  11,152

  21

  6,069

  17

  11,878

  22

  6,274

  18

  Essex

  23,219

  18

  12,497

  13

  23,562

  18

  12,783

  13

  Gloucester

  6,661

  15

  3,325

  10

  6,556

  14

  3,434

  10

  Hampshire

  21,687

  16

  9,358

  11

  21,639

  16

  9,475

  11

  Hereford and Worcester

  5,517

  11

  4,735

  10

  5,264

  10

  4,903

  10

  Hertfordshire

  12,139

  14

  6,788

  10

  12,595

  14

  6,845

  10

  Humberside

  19,207

  22

  10,044

  18

  19,479

  22

  10,432

  18

  Isle of Wight

  1,782

  24

  2,065

  19

  1,803

  24

  2,053

  19

  Kent

  25,034

  19

  14,668

  14

  25,440

  19

  15,123

  15

  89

  Number and percentage of day pupils known to be eligible for free school meals in maintained primary and secondary schools in local education authority areas in England.

  Position as at January in each year

  1995

  1996

  primary

  secondary

  primary

  secondary

  number

  percentage

  number

  percentage

  number

  percentage

  number

  percentage

  Lancashire

  32,095

  24

  17,232

  20

  32,182

  24

  17,439

  20

  Leicester

  14,271

  18

  7,747

  13

  14,508

  18

  7,900

  13

  Lincolnshire

  4,213

  8

  3,941

  10

  4,565

  9

  4,052

  10

  Norfolk

  11,100

  17

  4,339

  11

  11,188

  17

  4,561

  11

  North Yorkshire

  7,159

  12

  3,454

  8

  7,512

  12

  3,799

  8

  Northamptonshire

  6,705

  13

  5,811

  13

  6,960

  13

  6,050

  13

  Northumberland

  4,071

  19

  3,957

  13

  3,988

  18

  4,206

  14

  Nottinghamshire

  23,264

  25

  13,462

  21

  23,801

  25

  13,364

  20

  Oxfordshire

  5,273

  12

  3,394

  9

  5,301

  12

  3,392

  9

  Shropshire

  6,605

  18

  3,507

  14

  6,457

  17

  3,376

  13

  Somerset

  4,756

  13

  2,963

  11

  4,734

  13

  2,965

  10

  Staffordshire

  18,513

  20

  9,550

  14

  18,668

  19

  9,730

  14

  Suffolk

  7,379

  16

  6,001

  12

  7,746

  17

  6,445

  13

  Surrey

  8,380

  11

  3,905

  8

  8,531

  11

  3,969

  8

  Warwickshire

  6,316

  14

  2,251

  9

  6,146

  13

  2,166

  8

  West Sussex

  8,035

  15

  3,709

  9

  8,244

  15

  3,566

  9

  Wiltshire

  7,164

  15

  3,605

  10

  7,248

  14

  3,566

  10

  England

  956,497

  22

  539,438

  18

  974,281

  22

  550,902

  18

  Bradfield House School, Cullompton
  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answers of 5 March,Official Report, columns 631–32, if Bradfield House school, Cullompton, has agreed to comply with its statutory requirements regarding its recent Office for Standards in Education report under sections 20 and 21 of the School Inspections Act 1996. [19637]

  Mr. Robin Squire
  In response to my officials' letter dated 3 March warning the school that non-compliance would result in legal action, the Department has received written confirmation from the school that it will distribute the Ofsted report and produce an action plan in accordance with these statutory requirements.

PRIME MINISTER

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Prime Minister how many of his answers to parliamentary questions in the last 12 months have exceeded the advisory cost limit; and if he will make a statement. [19337]

  The Prime Minister
  Where the cost of answering a particular parliamentary question is estimated to exceed £450, it is the general practice for Departments to make clear that the question could be answered only by incurring disproportionate cost. Given the number of questions tabled, it would be unreasonable for my office to calculate the exact cost of answering every single parliamentary question.

  Parliamentary Finances
  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the reasons why he will not refer the subject of party finances to the committee chaired by Lord Nolan; and if he will make a statement. [19358]
  10
  The Prime Minister
  The Home Affairs Select Committee has already considered the question of party funding.

  Engagements
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Prime Minister what official engagements he undertook in Ayrshire on 28 February. [19405]

  The Prime Minister
  None.

  Private Finance Initiative
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will provide a breakdown by project of PFI schemes for which his office is responsible as identified in table 5.5 of the Red Book. [18928]

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 6 March 1997]: For these purposes, my office is part of the Cabinet Office. In 1996, the Cabinet Office let one PFI project—the provision of the Government's metropolitan telephone service, involving capital expenditure of £1.25 million in each of the years covered by table 5.5 of the Red Book. The figures for this project have been included in the totals given in the Red Book, but were not given a separate entry in table 5.5 where figures are shown to the nearest £10 million.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Anti-personnel Land Mines
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many countries have (i) discontinued and (ii) stated their intention to discontinue the use of anti-personnel land mines by their own forces. [18725]

  Mr. David Davis
  Comprehensive information on this is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, based on information
  11
  supplied by the International Committee of the Red Cross, we believe that 24 countries have discontinued the use of anti-personnel land mines by their own forces and a further 29 countries, including the UK, have stated their intention to do so when certain conditions are met.

  Sri Lanka
  Mr. Kaufman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on(a) the recent shelling of Tamil border villages in Vavuriya and Mannar districts by the Sri Lankan armed forces and (b) the flight of Tamil civilians from these areas; and if he will urge the Sri Lankan Government to cease the offensive and withdraw Sri Lankan forces from Tamil areas. [18868]

  Dr. Liam Fox
  We have called on both sides to make every effort to avoid injuries to civilians during the current conflict. We understand that there were no civilian casualties during the Sri Lankan Government's most recent offensive. When I visited a camp for displaced Tamils in Northern Sri Lanka last year, I was granted uninhibited access to the inhabitants. The conditions were rudimentary but the inhabitants appeared clean, well fed and generally content. I was impressed by the valuable part British aid was playing in the Sri Lankan Government's continuing work to provide humanitarian supplies to those displaced by the conflict. We continue to support the Government's efforts to bring about a negotiated settlement to the ethnic conflict.

  Mr. Kaufman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government will take steps to facilitate talks between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Government of Sri Lanka by establishing modalities for such talks. [18871]

  Dr. Fox
  We have offered to facilitate talks, provided both sides agree. This offer remains on the table.

  Mr. Kaufman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Sri Lankan President and Foreign Minister in regard to(a) the lifting of the restrictions presently placed on journalists travelling to the Tamil northern and eastern provinces, (b) the removal of the embargo on food and medicines on the Tamil people and (c) violations of the human rights of Tamil people by the army and security forces; and if he will consider the withdrawal of aid to the Government of Sri Lanka. [18869]

  Dr. Fox
  We regularly take opportunities to urge the Sri Lankan Government to maintain their commitment to press freedom; to continue to provide humanitarian supplies to those displaced by the conflict; and to give the highest priority to human rights issues, ensuring that violators are prosecuted. The British aid programme to Sri Lanka is for the benefit of all communities. A significant proportion supports people affected by the civil conflict.
  12

  Disarmament
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Government expect to ratify the additional protocols to the Geneva conventions. [19219]

  Mr. David Davis
  We intend to ratify the additional protocols as soon as we can.

  MacBride Principles
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who instructed the UK assistant consul at New York to request an invitation to the celebration marking the 10th anniversary of the passing of the MacBride principles in New York; if the assistant consul attended the function; and if he will make a statement. [17958]

  Mr. Rifkind
  No-one instructed the consul—information, Northern Ireland—in New York to request an invitation. The consul attended the event in order to hear the views of the main speakers.

  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who instructed the UK consul in Seattle to write to members of the state legislature of Washington concerning the response of British companies if Washington state enacted legislation incorporating the MacBride principles; in how many US states the MacBride principles have been enacted; how many British companies have refused to invest because of the enactment of the MacBride principles; if he will list such companies and the relevant states; and if he will make a statement. [17957]

  Mr. Rifkind
  It is the long-standing policy of the Government to oppose the enactment of US federal and state legislation based on the MacBride principles, because such legislation is(a)unnecessary—the requirements of the 1989 Fair Employment Act being much more stringent and precise—and (b) a potential deterrent to trade and investment with Northern Ireland. All Northern Ireland political parties represented at Westminster are opposed to MacBride legislation. Macbride principles have been enacted in 15 states. We are not aware that such legislation has yet affected the operations of British companies in the United States, but remain concerned at its potential to damage trade and investment in either direction.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Whitemoor Prison
  Mr. George Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many tapes were recorded by each of the staff present in the emergency control room at HMP Whitemoor on the evening of 9 September 1994; and when each of these tapes were made available to(a) the police, (b) the Woodcock inquiry and (c) other investigative bodies. [16866]

  Miss Widdecombe
  Three video recorders were in operation in the emergency control room at Her Majesty's prison Whitemoor on the evening of 9 September 1994. The Cambridgeshire constabulary took possession of the
  13
  three video tapes from those recorders on 9 and 10 September in the course of their investigation of the escape. The Woodcock inquiry was given access to the video tapes at the outset of its work at Whitemoor and was subsequently provided with a copy of them. The video tapes have not been made available to any other investigative body.

  Telephone Interception
  Mr. George Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued on the methods of listening to telephone calls made on mobile and cordless telephones which are classified as interceptions under the Interception of Communications Act 1985 following the definition of the interception of a telephone call in the Court of Appeal in R v. Ahmed (29 March 1994) and the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords in R v. Effik (1994). [18949]

  Mr. Howard
  My Department issued no such guidance in the light of those judgments.

  Mr. Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what protection exists for citizens in respect of listening to telephone calls made on mobile and cordless telephones by a method falling outside that covered by the Interception of Communications Act 1985; and what assessment he has made of the compatibility of such protection with the Government's obligations under the provisions of articles 8 and 13 of the European convention on human rights. [18950]

  Mr. Howard
  Section 5 of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 makes it an offence to use wireless telegraphy intending to obtain information as to the contents, sender or addressee of any message or to disclose any such information except in certain specified circumstances.

  I am satisfied that the Government's obligations under articles 8 and 13 of the European convention on human rights are met in respect of the interception of communications.

  Polling Stations (Disabled Access)
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the amount of grant in respect of access for disabled people to polling stations; and if he will make a statement. [19228]

  Mr. Sackville
  We encourage acting returning officers to apply to the Home Office for grants towards the cost of providing temporary ramps, where they cannot use as polling places buildings which afford easy access for the disabled. Grants are also available for specially adapted 14
  polling screens for use by the disabled. Funds for grants of this kind are not capped. Total expenditure on such grants since the last general election now stands at £175,400 compared with £17,948 at the 1992 general election.

  Commission for Racial Equality
  Mr. Austin-Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he made to the Parliamentary Commissioner for external appointments regarding recent appointments and re-appointments to the Commission for Racial Equality. [19312]

  Mr. Kirkhope
  We made contact with the Commissioner for Public Appointments to clarify the acceptability of a reappointment which I considered desirable.

  Mr. Austin-Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will require appointees or re-appointees to the Commission for Racial Equality to declare their political affiliation. [19313]

  Mr. Kirkhope
  We will follow the Commissioner for Public Appointments' guidance on appointments to executive non-departmental public bodies and national health service bodies which states that records should be kept"of the political activities of candidates for appointment in so far as they are a matter of public record".

  Mr. Austin-Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if appointments and re-appointments to the Commission for Racial Equality are made in accordance with the Nolan rules for appointments to public bodies. [19311]

  Mr. Kirkhope
  Yes.

  Extradition
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many extradition requests to and from the United Kingdom remain outstanding from each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [19024]

  Mr. Kirkhope
  My right hon. and learned Friend is responsible for extraditions to and from England and Wales and from Northern Ireland. The information in the first table relates to such cases.

  Year

  Outstanding requests to the United Kingdom

  Outstanding requests from the United Kingdom

  1987

  0

  1

  1988

  0

  1

  1989

  1

  1

  1990

  2

  3

  1991

  5

  2

  1992

  9

  3

  1993

  6

  2

  1994

  24

  6

  1995

  38

  13

  1996

  60

  32

  15
  The table includes all requests which have not been brought to a conclusion. This may be because the request is under active consideration by the Home Office or the courts; because further documentation has been requested; or the individual concerned may be in prison for a domestic offence, in which case extradition action is suspended until he or she is released.

  Extradition between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland takes place under the Backing of Warrants (Republic of Ireland) Act 1965 and the corresponding legislation in the Republic of Ireland. My right hon. and learned Friend is responsible where the case involves seeking the return of a fugitive who has been convicted by a court in England or Wales, while my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General is responsible where the case involves seeking the return of a person accused of an offence in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

  Since 1992, the earliest year from which figures are available, the total number of extradition requests outstanding from the United Kingdom to the Republic of Ireland is as follows:

  1992: 0

  1993: 3

  1994: 4

  1995: 17

  1996: 15.

  Country

  Number of requests made by the United Kingdom

  Requests where fugitive returned to United Kingdom

  Number of requests received by United Kingdom

  Requests where fugitive returned to requesting country

  Australia

  3

  —

  —

  —

  Austria

  1

  —

  1

  —

  Bangladesh

  —

  —

  1

  —

  Belgium

  1

  —

  7

  1

  Botswana

  —

  —

  1

  —

  Bulgaria

  —

  —

  2

  —

  Canada

  2

  —

  3

  —

  Croatia

  —

  —

  1

  1

  Cyprus

  —

  —

  1

  —

  Denmark

  —

  —

  2

  —

  Egypt

  —

  —

  1

  —

  France

  3

  1

  9

  1

  Germany

  4

  —

  17

  3

  Gibraltar

  —

  —

  1

  —

  Greece

  —

  —

  1

  —

  India

  —

  —

  1

  1

  Israel

  1

  —

  —

  —

  Italy

  1

  1

  7

  —

  Lithuania

  —

  —

  1

  —

  Netherlands

  5

  —

  9

  6

  Norway

  1

  —

  1

  1

  Portugal

  —

  —

  6

  1

  Seychelles

  —

  —

  1

  —

  South Africa

  2

  —

  2

  —

  Spain

  15

  2

  4

  —

  Sweden

  —

  —

  2

  1

  Switzerland

  1

  —

  4

  —

  Trinidad and Tobago

  —

  —

  1

  —

  Turkey

  2

  —

  4

  —

  Uganda

  —

  —

  1

  —

  United Arab Emirates

  —

  —

  3

  —

  United States of America

  2

  —

  21

  4

  Total

  44

  4

  116

  20

  16
  Figures for requests made by the Republic of Ireland to the United Kingdom are not available centrally.

  Mr. Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many extradition requests the United Kingdom(a) made and (b) received in the last year for which figures are available; how many were successful; if he will list the figures (i) by country and (ii) in total; and if he will make a statement. [19028]

  Mr. Kirkhope
  My right hon. and learned Friend is responsible for extraditions to and from England and Wales and from Northern Ireland. The information in the table relates to such cases. The figures refer to extradition requests made and those received during 1996.

  In addition to the figures in the table, a further 15 persons were returned to countries other than the Republic of Ireland in the course of 1996 from requests made in previous years. A further nine persons were returned to the United Kingdom in the course of 1996 from countries other than the Republic of Ireland from requests made in previous years.

  Five of the requests made by the United Kingdom were withdrawn. Twenty-two of the requests made to the United Kingdom were withdrawn, and in two cases the fugitives concerned were discharged.
  17
  Extradition between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland takes place under the Backing of Warrants (Republic of Ireland) Act 1965 and the corresponding legislation in the Republic of Ireland. My right hon. and learned Friend is responsible where the case involves seeking the return of a fugitive who has been convicted by a court in England or Wales, while my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General is responsible where the case involves seeking the return of a person accused of an offence in England, and Wales or Northern Ireland.

  The United Kingdom made 24 extradition requests to the Republic of Ireland in 1996. The defendant was returned to the United Kingdom in eight of those cases. An order for return was made in a further four cases but appeals are outstanding.

  In addition, five persons were returned in the course of 1996 from requests made in previous years.

  Figures for extradition requests made by the Republic of Ireland to the United Kingdom are not available centrally.

  Rehabilitation of Prostitutes
  Mr. Lamont
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was Her Majesty's Government's policy on the proposed EU pilot scheme for the rehabilitation of prostitutes; and what is the current status of these proposals. [18087]

  Mr. Burt
  I have been asked to reply.

  In January 1996, the European Commission announced that it would grant funding to 86 projects—including a pilot scheme for prostitutes in Austria. The aims of the projects were similar to those covered by an earlier Commission proposal for a programme to combat social exclusion. The proposal was blocked by the UK and Germany in the Council, on the grounds of subsidiarity and value for money.

  The Government are opposed to the Commission's action, which has been taken without an adequate legal base. The Government have therefore challenged the expenditure in the European Court of Justice. We await the date of the oral hearing.

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  1994–95

  1995–96

  (a) Gross public expenditure

  Percentage of spend on Basic Social Services (BSS)

  10

  9

  10

  9

  9

  Percentage of spend on BSS, including all Emergency Aid

  18

  17

  21

  22

  17

  (b) ODA programmes

  Percentage of spend on BSS

  11

  11

  11

  11

  11

  Percentage of spend on BSS, including all Emergency Aid

  20

  20

  23

  27

  21

  The figures quoted are percentages of the UK bilateral programme which accounts for about half of total UK development assistance. Recipient countries also benefit from the UK's substantial contributions to the multilateral agencies.

  Angola
  Mr. Robert Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contingency plans have been made to curtail the planned phased withdrawal of the United Nations Angola verification mission III from Angola should the provisions of the Lusaka protocol not be met before August. [19119]
  18

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION

  Sri Lanka
  Mr. Kaufman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the scope, nature and extent of the aid(a)which has been made available to the Government of Sri Lanka during the past five years and (b)which is currently being made available.[18870]

  Dr. Liam Fox
  The ODA has provided more than £42 million to Sri Lanka during the past five years.

  Our assistance helps to tackle national environmental problems; improve the quality of education, particularly at primary level; promote good government; and alleviate poverty. It has included a significant programme assisting internally displaced people of all ethnic origins who are affected by the civil conflict, which is channelled through Oxfam and Save the Children Fund. Last month, my right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development approved a new £4 million phase of this programme. Support has also been provided through the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

  In the current financial year, we expect to spend around £6 million.

  Aid Projects
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 4 March,Official Report, columns 541–42, what percentage of the United Kingdom's (a) development assistance and (b) national overseas development budget has been spent in each of the last five years and is planned to be spent in the forthcoming year on basic social services; and if he will make a statement. [19352]

  Dr. Liam Fox
  Assistance to poor people, including the provision of basic social services, is a key element in the ODA's efforts to help recipient countries in the fight against poverty. Levels of bilateral assistance in this area over the last five years are estimated as follows:

  Dr. Liam Fox
  In his report of 7 February, the United Nations Secretary-General stated that the pace of the planned withdrawal of UNAVEM III should take into account the situation on the ground. He will keep the Security Council informed of any developments that may affect the withdrawal schedule.
  19
  Mr. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government are making to UNITA in Angola to abide by the provisions of the Lusaka protocol. [19118]

  Dr. Fox
  My right hon. and noble Friend Baroness Chalker spoke to Dr. Savimbi during her visit to Angola in January and urged UNITA to fulfil without delay its remaining obligations under the Lusaka protocol. She continues to do so. Our ambassador in Angola takes every opportunity with senior members of UNITA to encourage full compliance. Representations also continue to be made at official level in London.

  Mr. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the estimated number of UNITA personnel in Angola outside the UN quartering areas. [19117]

  Dr. Fox
  On 13 December, the UN Secretary-General's special representative in Angola declared, subject to certain reservations, that all UNITA's military tasks, including the quartering of troops, had been completed. As at 5 March, 26,513 personnel were registered as absent or deserted from the quartering areas.

  Mr. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on reports that personnel of UNITA of Angola are operating in support of Government forces within Zaire.[19120]

  Dr. Fox
  We are aware of these reports. If they are true, we deplore such UNITA involvement. We condemn any action which exacerbates the conflict in Zaire. We are warning both UNITA and the Government of Angola that military involvement in Zaire would not be in their, or anyone else's, interests.

  Commonwealth Development Corporation
  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what external finance limit has been set for the current financial year for the Commonwealth Development Corporation. [19686]

  Dr. Liam Fox
  The external finance limit for CDC for 1996–97 is being increased by £1,400,000 from £15,000,000 to £16,400,000. The change allows for the take-up of an entitlement under end-year flexibility arrangements and a temporary increase in borrowing by the CDC. The increase will be charged to the reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

TREASURY

  Scottish Grand Committee
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the cost to public funds of the attendance of(a)Ministers and (b) officials of his Department at meetings of the Scottish Grand Committee in Scotland since December 1994; and if he will list the meetings of the Committee which (a) and (b) have attended indicating the cost of attendance and the names of those who attended. [16572]
  20
  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  Ministers attend Scottish Grand Committee meetings as part of their normal parliamentary duties and officials do so as part of their normal departmental duties. Expenditure falling to my Department has been limited to travelling costs. I attended the Scottish Grand Committee meeting on 19 February 1996 in Aberdeen and had officials in attendance as necessary.

  Customs and Excise
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking that the activities of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise do not hamper(a) the work of the Environmental Trust and (b) the operation of the landfill tax. [18571]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  Landfill tax is under the care and management of the commissioners of Customs and Excise. On 16 October 1996, they approved the Environmental Trust Scheme Regulatory Body Ltd., Entrust, under regulation 35 of the Landfill Tax Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996 No. 1527), to act as the regulatory body for environmental bodies.

  It would not be appropriate for me to interfere in the way the commissioners discharge their responsibility. If the hon. Member is concerned about a specific difficulty, he might care to write to the chairman of Customs and Excise, or myself, about it.

  Chancery Bank
  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the monitoring by the Bank of England of Chancery bank's dealings before its voluntary liquidation; and if he will make a statement. [18703]

  Mrs. Angela Knight
  The Banking Act 1987 places statutory responsibility for banking supervision directly on to the Bank of England. The Treasury is not responsible for making or monitoring supervisory decisions.

  Secretaries of State (Annual Reports)
  Dr. Moonie
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) on how many occasions in the last three years a Secretary of State has failed to lay an annual report Parliament, in accordance with his or her statutory duty; and what action has been taken on each occasion; [19242]

  (2) what is the maximum length of time which should elapse between the laying of annual reports before Parliament by a Secretary of State under a statutory duty; [19241]

  (3) what exemptions apply to the statutory requirement of Secretaries of State to lay an annual report before Parliament. [19240]

  Mrs. Angela Knight
  Departmental reports for all the major Departments have been laid annually before Parliament in a timely manner since their inception in 1991. However, these reports are not laid under statute. If the hon. Member has other kinds of annual reports in mind, perhaps he would identify them.
  21

  European Funding
  Mr. Richards
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the net transfer of European funds to Wales in each of the last five years. [17874]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  [holding answer 27 February 1997]: Because the data used to determine the United Kingdom's own resources contributions are collated for the UK as a whole, it would be possible to estimate only disaggregated net transfers of European funds to Wales at

  £ million

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  1994–95

  1995–96

  EAGGF (guidance)

  11

  9

  9

  7

  9

  ERDF

  57

  44

  50

  53

  53

  ESF

  0

  0

  13

  10

  12

  Other receipts

  1—

  1—

  1—

  1—

  1—

  Total for Welsh Office

  68

  53

  72

  70

  74

  1Signifies existence of receipts of less than £0.5 million.

  Self-Assessment Tax System
  Mr. David Howell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many letters of complaint he has received so far in 1997 from taxpayers concerning(a) the self-assessment system and (b) inaccurate tax demands arising under the system. [17851]

  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 4 March 1997]: In 1997, I have received (a) 11 letters expressing concern about the self-assessment system and (b) two letters of complaint concerning inaccurate tax demands arising under the system.

  Value Added Tax
  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to introduce a VAT reclaim cap on repayment traders; what form this will take; and if he will make a statement. [18501]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  [holding answer 4 March 1997]: Drafts of the regulations introducing a three-year cap on repayment traders to parallel the measure in force for payment traders are well in hand, and they will be laid before the House as soon as possible.

  Petrol and Diesel Oil (Tax)
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the tax payable on a gallon of each grade of(a) petrol and (b) diesel oil in each of the last five financial years and the current financial year; and what percentage of the retail price the tax represented in each year. [18517]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  [holding answer 4 March 1997]: The information requested is given in the following table.

  Financial year

  Tax (duty + VAT)

  Percentage of price

  Leaded petrol (4 star)

  1991–92

  151.52

  67

  1992–93

  161.56

  69

  1993–94

  180.27

  72

  1994–95

  194.04

  74

  1995–96

  209.66

  77

  1996–971

  221.45

  78

  22
  disproportionate cost. Furthermore, receipts from the Community which benefit Wales, but which do not pass through the Welsh Office, are not collected by the Government on a territorial basis, so that the total of Community receipts benefiting Wales is also not readily available. Welsh Office receipts, as published in the last departmental report of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's smaller Departments (Cm. 3217), from the Community for the five-year period 1991–92 to 1995–96, are set out in the following table.

  Financial year

  Tax (duty + VAT)

  Percentage of price

  Derv

  1991–92

  129.6

  65

  1992–93

  135.5

  65

  1993–94

  152.15

  67

  1994–95

  167.00

  70

  1995–96

  184.20

  74

  1996–971

  196.93

  74

  Unleaded petrol

  1991–92

  133.19

  64

  1992–93

  138.70

  65

  1993–94

  155.00

  68

  1994–95

  168.44

  71

  1995–96

  183.78

  75

  1996–971

  196.31

  75

  Super unleaded petrol

  1996–971

  219.65

  74

  1To December of 1996.

  Payment of Bills
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of bills to his Department were paid(a) in accordance with agreed contractual conditions and (b)within 30 days of receiving goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice where no contractual conditions applied in the last year for which figures are available. [18809]

  Mrs. Angela Knight
  [holding answer 6 March 1997]: In the current financial year to date, the Treasury has paid 96.8 per cent. of its bills within contractual conditions. These normally require payment within 30 days of the receipt of the invoice. Bills in dispute constitute the great majority of the remaining 3.2 per cent.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will review the answering of parliamentary questions, with particular reference to blocking answers and disproportionate costs. [17788]
  23
  Mr. Freeman
  The Government recently reviewed the answering of parliamentary questions as part of their consideration of the Public Service Committee's second report, Session 1995–96 on "Ministerial Accountability and Responsibility". In their response (HC 67), the Government reaffirmed their commitment to openness in all their dealings with Parliament, and published new "Guidance to officials on drafting answers to Parliamentary Questions".

  Information that is available to the Government will be withheld only when disclosure would not be in the public interest, this being decided in accordance with relevant statute and the Government's code of practice on access to government information. Where information has to be withheld, the Government are further committed to providing the House with the reason in each case.

  The advisory limit, above which Ministers may decide to decline to provide an answer on grounds of disproportionate cost, remains £450, the level set in February 1993.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many of his answers to parliamentary questions in the last 12 months have exceeded the advisory cost limit; and if he will make a statement. [19335]

  Mr. Freeman
  Where the cost of answering a particular parliamentary question is estimated to exceed £450, it is the general practice for Departments to make it clear that the question could be answered only by incurring disproportionate cost. Given the large number of questions tabled, it would be unreasonable for my Department systematically to calculate the exact cost of answering every single parliamentary question.

  Ministerial Visit (Scotland)
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 19 February,Official Report, column 588, what method of transport he used in carrying out his official duties in Scotland on 31 January; and how much this transport cost. [19422]

  The Deputy Prime Minister
  I flew to Glasgow to carry out my official duties in Scotland on 31 January. The cost to official funds was £130.50, as half the cost of my return air ticket was met by Conservative central office. I used the official car of the Under Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for Aberdeen, South (Mr. Robertson) between Glasgow airport and the venue for the launch of the White Paper. The transport for my political engagements was provided by Conservative central office.

  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 19 February,Official Report, column 588, if he will list the official engagements which he undertook in Scotland on 31 January in his capacity as Deputy Prime Minster; and what specific duties he undertook in this capacity in Troon. [19423]

  The Deputy Prime Minister
  In my capacity as Deputy Prime Minister, I joined my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland on 31 January to launch the White Paper on education and skills development in Scotland. I undertook no official duties in my capacity as Deputy Prime Minister in Troon.
  24

  Deregulation
  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress has been made on the deregulation initiative over the last two years. [19731]

  Mr. Freeman
  Since passing the Deregulation and Contracting Act 1994, we have made considerable progress in removing unnecessary burdens on business including:

  repealing or simplifying more than 1,000 regulations, more than 500 in the past year—examples include:

  44 deregulation orders submitted to Parliament benefiting business and charities by over £100 million a year. This includes amendment to the Trustee Investment Act which will benefit charities by up to £40 million a year

  500,000 of the smallest companies no longer need to have their accounts audited

  over 100 sets of out of date health and safety requirements are being amended or repealed

  abolishing or simplifying 148 business licences

  commitment to reduce the burden of Government surveys by 25 per cent. by 2000 saving business £17.5 million a year.

  Introduced business-friendly enforcement procedures giving business new rights when enforcement action is taken against them in key areas such as health and safety and the environment.

  125 local authorities have undertaken to establish local business partnerships to promote co-operation between local business and local regulatory authorities

  new regulation subject to an analysis of benefits and compliance costs. Ministers must certify they have read a compliance cost assessment and risk assessment and are satisfied that benefits justify the costs and for regulations implementing EC legislation that they have applied the European law checklist to prevent unnecessary gold plating and double banking.

  Direct Access Government launched as a pilot one-stop shop service eon the Internet for accessing regulatory information and forms

  in Europe, the simpler legislation for the internal market initiative has produced concrete proposals for improvements in certain areas including trade statistics and construction products.

TRANSPORT

  London Underground (Privatisation)
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received about the future of London Transport. [17768]

  Sir George Young
  Following my recent statement to the House, a wide range of views have been expressed about the Government's proposals to privatise London Underground.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has to privatise the London Underground. [17772]

  Lady Olga Maitland
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the future ownership of London Underground. [17777]

  Sir George Young
  I announced to the House on 25 February,Official Report, columns 149–52, that the Government intend to privatise the London Underground. Privatisation will enable the Underground's infrastructure to be modernised as soon as possible, while capping fares

  25
  and safeguarding the aspects of the present system which passengers value, such as travelcard, safety and service levels. We are now developing our proposals and aim to publish a White Paper in the summer.

  Mr. Dykes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from(a) members of the public and (b) organisations on his proposals to privatise the London underground network. [18273]

  Mr. Bowis
  We have received a number of representations from members of the public and organisations on our proposals to privatise London Underground.

  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what further proposals he has for the improvement of London Underground; and if he will make a statement. [18014]

  Mr. Bowis
  The Government believe that, while great strides have been made by the underground's management and staff in recent years, the best way to improve the London Underground is to privatise it. Privatisation will enable the Underground's infrastructure to be modernised as soon as possible, while capping fares and safeguarding the aspects of the present system which passengers value, such as travelcard, safety and service levels.

  Eversholt and Porterbrook Leasing
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the valuation at the time of the Government's sale of(a) Eversholt and (b) Porterbrook Leasing. [17769]

  Mr. Watts
  The values of these companies were determined by sale to the highest bidders in an open competitive bidding process.

  Government Investment
  Mr. Touhig
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the level of Government investment in(a) road and (b) airport infrastructure over the last four years. [17770]

  Sir George Young
  Since 1993–94, my Department has invested, in England, over £7.2 billion of public money in the national roads network and around £3.6 billion in local authority roads. Investment in airport infrastructure is very largely from the private sector.

  Charter Flights
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will investigate the reliability and punctuality of charter flight companies on long-haul flights. [17771]

  Mr. Bowis
  Reliability and punctuality are matters for the airlines themselves. My Department publishes quarterly reports on the punctuality of flights at UK airports. All UK airlines must attain the high standards of safety required by the Civil Aviation Authority.

  Mr. Mudie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to persuade companies running charter flights to improve their punctuality. [17779]
  26
  Mr. Bowis
  Punctuality is a matter for the airlines themselves. My Department publishes quarterly reports on the punctuality of flights at UK airports.

  Road and Bridge Maintenance
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice he has received from the Highways Agency on the backlog in road and bridge maintenance. [17773]

  Mr. Watts
  In 1991, the Department told the Public Accounts Committee that its aim was to reduce the proportion of the trunk road network with less than zero residual life to the economic minimum of 7 to 8 per cent. by 2000. The most recent national road maintenance condition survey shows that only 3.9 per cent. of motorways and 7.3 per cent. of other trunk roads have less than zero residual life.

  A5
  Mr. Brian David Jenkins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the withdrawal of the A5 Weeford to Fazeley road improvement scheme. [17774]

  Mr. Watts
  The A5 improvement between Weeford and Fazeley was a scheme in the longer-term programme withdrawn in November 1996 because it could not be taken forward in a reasonable time scale.

  Air Pollution
  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the contribution made by transport to air pollution in British cities. [17775]

  Sir George Young
  Both my Department and the Department of the Environment have commissioned several studies on this subject. The findings of these studies are summarised in section 3 of the Green Paper, "Transport: The Way Forward", published in April of last year, and in the United Kingdom national air quality strategy, which will be published soon by the Department of the Environment. A new study, commissioned by the Department of the Environment, which focuses on 10 cities and large urban areas in the UK, is now under way.

  Rail Investment
  Mr. Orme
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on Railtrack's railway investment since privatisation. [17776]

  Mr. Watts
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Attercliffe (Mr. Betts) earlier today.

  London, Tilbury, Southend Line
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many persons per week use the LTS line to Fenchurch Street station; and how passenger numbers have changed since privatisation. [17778]

  Mr. Watts
  Weekly figures are not available. A count in November 1996 showed that 27,300 passengers travelled into Fenchurch Street on a weekday, which was an increase of 1 per cent. over the year before.
  27

  Sea Empress Disaster
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his current estimate of the cost of the Sea Empress disaster which may be claimed from the international oil pollution compensation fund. [17780]

  Sir George Young
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 February,Official Report, columns 49–50.

  Road Links (East Sussex)
  Mr. Waterson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has to improve road links in East Sussex. [17781]

  Mr. Watts
  We are supporting a number of road proposals in East Sussex, at an estimated cost of £205 million. These include three schemes to improve the A27 between Lewes and Polegate; and A27 Southerham to Beddingham improvement; the A27 Selmeston bypass and the A27 Wilmington bypass, at an estimated cost of £53 million collectively. In addition, there is the A27 Polegate bypass which is included in The Weald and Downland design, build, finance and operate project and has an estimated cost of £17.8 million.

  Bypasses for Bexhill and Hastings are also included in this DBFO project. These are, with their estimated costs; the A259 Bexhill and Hastings western bypass, £68.2 million; the A259 Hastings eastern bypass, £20.6 million; and the A259 Pevensey to Bexhill improvement at £9.6 million. The programme achieves a balance between promoting economic development in East Sussex and protecting the area's environment.

  Railtrack (Property Sales)
  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the proceeds of property sales by Railtrack. [17782]

  Mr. Watts
  Railtrack's annual report and accounts 1995–96 stated that profits on property disposals in 1995–96 amounted to £11 million.

  High-speed Rail Links
  Mrs. Jane Kennedy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into high-speed rail links in the United Kingdom. [17764]

  Mr. Watts
  The Great Western main line between London, Bristol, Cardiff and the east coast main line are existing high-speed lines. Two further high speed routes have been evaluated and implementation is programmed. They are the channel tunnel rail link and the west coast main line modernisation and upgrade. A development study for the Great Western line from Bristol to Penzance is under way.

  Bus Passenger Journeys
  Mr. Clelland
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the change in the number of bus passenger journeys outside London made since 1985–86. [17767]
  28
  Mr. Watts
  I refer to my reply to the hon. Member for Tyne Bridge (Mr. Clelland) on 31 January,Official Report, column 391.

  Departmental Web Site
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department established its Internet site; what representations he has received and what data he has collated on the use and utility of the site; and what steps he is taking to increase the amount of information available via the site. [19148]

  Mr. Bowis
  The site started on 3 June 1996. It has received 163,000 visits. The response has been very favourable in the UK and abroad. Visitors may e-mail their comments, questions or proposals direct to dedicated inquiry points in my Department. The magazine "NetUser" recently gave the site a four star rating. The site is being redesigned to improve ease of use and to increase the information available.

  Dial-a-ride Services (London)
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received about the operation of dial-a-ride services in London; and if he will make a statement. [19217]

  Mr. Bowis
  We have received a number of representations about London dial-a-ride.

  Rail Departure Information Boards
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make representations to Railtrack to prevent railway station departure boards being used as general advertising space. [19099]

  Mr. Watts: This is entirely a matter for the company.

  Train Leasing Companies
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what redress is available to his Department in respect of external financial advice leading to under-pricing in the sale of train leasing companies; and if he will make a statement. [19034]

  Mr. Watts
  The rolling stock leasing companies were not under-priced. Prices in these very successful sales reflected the best bids received in open competition amongst a wide range of parties.

  Coastguard Officers (Scotland)
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many coastguard officers were employed in(a) the former Grampian region, (b) Highlands and Islands and (c) Scotland as a whole in each year between 1987 and 1997. [19071]

  Mr. John Bowis
  I have asked the chief executive of the Coastguard agency to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from C. J. Harris to Mr. Andrew Welsh, dated 10 March 1997:

  The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of Coastguard Officers in (a) the former Grampian Region, (b) Highlands and Islands and (c) Scotland as a whole in each year between 1987 and 1997.
  29

  (a)

  (b)

  (c)

  1990

  29

  48

  139

  1991

  31

  48

  140

  1992

  28

  50

  141

  1993

  27

  50

  140

  1994

  28

  50

  137

  1995

  29

  51

  134

  1996

  34

  61

  177

  1997

  35

  66

  180.5

  Staffing figures broken down in this way are not available prior to 1990.

  M25 Works
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what factors led him to conclude that the proposed dual 4 widening of the M25 between junctions 10 to 12 is no longer required. [19582]

  Mr. Watts
  The M25 between junctions 10 and 12 is already dual 4 lane standard. Proposals to widen this section of the motorway to more than dual 4 lanes were withdrawn from the roads programme in the 1995 review because the environmental impact was not considered acceptable in relation to the benefits.

  Emergency Towing Vessels
  Mr. David Shaw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements are being made for the provision of emergency towing vessels next winter. [19844]

  Mr. Bowis
  Emergency towing vessels have been stationed, on a trial basis, in the Minches and Dover strait for the last three winter periods and in the south-west approaches this winter, following recommendations by Lord Donaldson and the emergency towing study team.

  A report of the first two year's trials has been published. Further analysis of the trials is to be undertaken so that the benefits of the provision of such Government-funded vessels can be fully assessed. Meanwhile, the three vessels will be re-engaged to provide emergency cover the next winter in the same areas.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many answers to parliamentary questions by Ministers in his Department in the last 12 months have exceeded the advisory cost limit; and if he will make a statement. [19347]

  Mr. Bowis
  This question could be answered only at disproportionate cost

  Jubilee Line Extension
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his current estimate of the in-service date of the Jubilee Line extension. [19617]

  Mr. Bowis
  The opening of the various sections of the Jubilee line extension is a matter for London Underground Ltd. I await advice from it on this.
  30

  Driving Instruction
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 19 February,Official Report, column, 566–67, concerning research into the teaching of learner drivers, what previous research his Department has undertaken into the matters referred to in the answer. [19425]

  Mr. Bowis
  The Department commissioned the Transport Research Laboratory to carry out a study of learner and novice drivers in 1988. This study considered methods used in learning to drive by 30,000 drivers who took their driving test on four selected dates. Learning methods were considered in relation to performance in the driving test and it was found that those drivers who had practised with a friend or relation while learning to drive had a higher pass rate in the driving test. This finding takes no account of variations in driving ability and confidence, and the university of Surrey research is following this up. Three research reports have been published and the final report will be published in the spring.

  In 1992, a study entitled "The Accident Liability of Novice Drivers" was commissioned. The study, carried out by St. George's hospital medical school, sought to identify factors associated with novice driver accidents which could help predict those drivers most likely to be accident involved after passing the driving test. Consideration of learning methods was only a small element of this study, but driving instructors were asked to rate a sample of their pupils. Instructors rated learner drivers who had relatively more practice with friends or relations as safer, more responsive to instruction, and more likely to pass the driving test. This research is now complete.

  National Air Traffic Service
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will make a statement on the current position in regard to the privatisation of the National Air Traffic Service; [19000]

  (2) what discussions he has had regarding the privatisation of parts of the work of the Civil Aviation Authority. [19001]

  Mr. Bowis
  [holding answer 6 March 1997]: It remains the Government's intention to bring forward legislation to privatise the National Air Traffic Services early in the next Parliament. My officials are developing detailed proposals in consultation with the Civil Aviation Authority, Government Departments, representatives of NATS's staff and aviation organisations representing both commercial and private interests.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Onshore Petroleum Licences
  Mr. Jacques Arnold
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when oil and gas companies will have a further opportunity to apply for onshore petroleum licences. [19701]
  31
  Mr. Page
  I am pleased to announce that an eighth landward licensing round will open shortly for licences to explore onshore areas of the United Kingdom for oil and gas reserves. This round follows the award of licences in March last year under the seventh round. It is being launched now in response to demand from companies for new licences to meet a growing interest in using methane venting from disused coal mines, as well as to explore for conventional oil and natural gas resources.

  A formal notice inviting applications for petroleum exploration and development licences under the Petroleum (Production) (Landward Areas) Regulations 1995 will appear in due course in the Official Journal of the European Communities. This will set the closing date for receipt of applications as 90 days after the notice is published. Licence awards will be announced as soon as possible after all applications have been thoroughly assessed.

  The notice will invite applications for all unlicensed acreage above the high water mark. Any exploration and development activity under a licence would need planning permission from the local planning authority in the usual way.

  Areas below the high water mark are not included in the eighth round invitation, but may be offered in future when those which include, or are close to, sites designated as European sites have been subject to environmental assessment in accordance with the Conservation (Natural Habitats and etc) Regulations 1994.

  Roslin Institute
  Mr. Cash
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what directions he has given in respect of(a) the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and (b) the Roslin Institute since the inception of the Roslin Institute; and if he will place copies of these directions in the Library. [18882]

  Mr. Ian Taylor
  No specific directions have been given. A number of more general announcements have impinged upon the BBSRC and Roslin, including the annual announcements of the allocation of the science budget and the recent announcement of the outcome of the prior options reviews. These are all recorded in the Official Journal.

  Mr. Cash
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much public money has been provided to the Roslin Institute in each year since its inception. [18964]

  Mr. Taylor
  The Roslin Institute was established on 1 April 1993 as a result of the restructuring of the former Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics Research. It was constituted under the royal charter of the Agricultural and Food Research Council, which subsequently became the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. On 1 April 1995, the Roslin Institute was reconstituted as a company limited by guarantee and was recognised as a Scottish charity.

  BBSRC Institutes
  Mr. Cash
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many staff were employed by each of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council-owned institutes in 1994–95. [18883]
  32
  Mr. Ian Taylor
  Staff in post on 1 April 1995 at institutes sponsored by the BBSRC were:

  Institute of Animal Health: 527

  Babraham Institute: 368

  Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research: 395

  Institute of Arable Crops Research: 790

  John Innes Centre: 460

  Institute of Food Research: 475

  Roslin Institute: 264

  Silsoe Research Institute: 254.

  Mirror Group Newspapers Flotation
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he appointed inspectors into the flotation of Mirror Group Newspapers; how much has been spent by the inspectors in fees and expenses; what is the total cost to date of the inquiry carried out by the inspectors; and when he expects to receive their report. [18943]

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The inspectors were appointed on 8 June 1992. The total cost of the inspection to date amounts to £7,011,947 including fees and expenses.

  It is not possible to forecast the timing of the completion of an inquiry of this kind.

  Accountants Joint Disciplinary Scheme
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the efficiency and effectiveness of the accountants joint disciplinary scheme; and what plans he has to introduce a statutory scheme for investigating complaints concerning firms of accountants. [18942]

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The joint disciplinary scheme is operated jointly by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants to investigate cases of public concern involving their members. The bodies are currently reviewing how the scheme should operate in the future.

  The JDS has an important public interest role and I am taking a close interest in the current review. I have no plans to introduce a statutory scheme.

  EC Framework V Programme
  Mr. Ingram
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the European Commission working paper on the framework V programme. [19227]

  Mr. Ian Taylor
  The Government are pleased to see the Commission taking a radical look at the fundamentals of the fifth framework programme FP5 and we endorse its aim to deliver a more goal-directed and concentrated programme. The Government welcome the concept of key actions, which is close to the approach of targeting effort on defined goals set out in the UK position paper. The key action approach could yield a framework programme that is better focused and genuinely strategic. The Government remain concerned, however, that the Commission envisages a possible large part of the framework being devoted to general, generic and basic research activities beyond those driven by the defined key
  33
  actions. This would, in the Government's view, undermine, potentially significantly, the impact that can be achieved.

  The Government also have a number of concerns about the underlying principles and the proposed programme and structure described in the Commission working paper. In particular, the Government do not consider that three large programmes devoted to thematic research and development will allow coherent day to day management by the Commission, or effective oversight by member states. More needs also to be done by the Commission to give the users of research a stronger voice in defining and managing the programme at a strategic level.

  The Government will convey their views to the Commission at the earliest opportunity and continue to work closely with other member states in order to influence future proposals for the fifth framework programme.

  Research and Development
  Mr. Ingram
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the total number of companies with research and development operations in each United Kingdom region. [19356]

  Mr. Ian Taylor
  Information is not available centrally in the form requested. The head offices of the 5,135 companies with research and development operation in the UK identified by the Office for National Statistics ONS in 1995 annual research and development business survey were distributed across the regions as follows:

  Region

  Number of companies

  North-East

  188

  North-West

  459

  Merseyside

  60

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  406

  East Midlands

  394

  West Midlands

  572

  South-West

  397

  Eastern

  554

  London

  451

  South East

  958

  Wales

  230

  Scotland

  286

  Northern Ireland

  180

  Total UK

  5,135

  For some firms, the research and development operation may be conducted in one or more regions other than that containing the headquarters. The ONS therefore asks companies to provide regional apportionments of research and development expenditure and employment, and the 1995 figures for these are given in table 17 of "Research and Development in UK Business: Business Monitor MA14 1995" (HMSO, 27 January 1997), copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

  Intellectual Property Royalties
  Mr. Ingram
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total amount of royalties accruing from intellectual property in each sector of the United Kingdom economy in each of the last 10 years. [19257]
  34
  Mr. Ian Taylor
  The total amount of royalties accruing from intellectual property is not collected.

  The amount of royalties identified as accruing to the UK from overseas for 1986 to 1995 is set out in table 1.

  The amount of royalties accruing to each sector from overseas for 1994 and 1995 is set out in table 2. Sectoral data for earlier years are not available on a consistent basis.

  Table 1: UK's overseas earnings from royalties

  £ million

  1986

  845

  1987

  997

  1988

  1,132

  1989

  1,303

  1990

  1,420

  1991

  1,583

  1992

  2,148

  1993

  2,415

  1994

  2,952

  1995

  3,339

  Note:

  Excludes film/tv, financial, consultancy, transport and education sectors.

  Source:

  ONS.

  Table 2: UK's overseas earnings from royalties by sector

  Firms primarily engaged in:

  1994

  1995

  £ million

  £ million

  Metal manufacturing

  7

  6

  Chemical manufacturing

  1,074

  1,344

  Mechanical engineering

  84

  86

  Electrical engineering

  21

  9

  Transport equipment

  16

  4

  Food, drink and tobacco

  70

  78

  Miscellaneous manufacturing

  305

  319

  Printing, publishing, performers and other recreation

  516

  666

  Computing services

  355

  334

  Other industries

  505

  493

  Total

  2,952

  3,339

  Note:

  Totals may differ from the sum of components due to rounding.

  Source:

  ONS.

  Electrical Goods Industry (Inquiry)
  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will instigate an inquiry into the unauthorised disclosure of information from within the Monopolies and Merger Commission in respect of the MMC inquiry into the electrical goods industry; [19569]

  (2) what representations he has received from those employed in the electrical goods supply industry concerning the proposed inquiry by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission into the electrical goods industry; and if he will make a statement. [19573]

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  Representations were received in connection with the making of the references by the Director General of Fair Trading in 1995. The Secretary of State did not exercise his powers under section 50(6) of the Fair Trading Act 1973 to veto the references.
  35
  Representations have also been received concerning the conduct of the inquiry, and a possible leak of information about its progress: these are matters for the chairman of the MMC. I understand that the chairman is satisfied that there is no evidence to suggest that any member of the commission or its staff is responsible for leaking information about this inquiry.

  Representations to the MMC about possible findings have in a few cases been copied to the DTI. It is not appropriate for Ministers to comment on matters under consideration by the MMC. Any representations should be made to the MMC, so that they may be considered before it reports to Ministers.

  Dreamtell Ltd.
  Sir Cranley Onslow
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received about the activities of Dreamtell Ltd. of Forest gate, Corby. [18400]

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  I wrote to my hon. Friend about this matter on 4 March. I have placed a copy of that letter in the Library of the House.

  Titan Business Club
  Mr. Pickthall
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the latest position regarding the Titan Business Club. [19070]

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  Following inquiries by officials of my Department, petitions were presented to the High Court of Justice to wind up SHV Senator Hanseatische Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Titan Business Club and Titan Marketing Gesellschaft. All three entities were wound up by the court on 14 August 1996. Following further inquiries by officials of my Department, a petition was presented to the court to wind up Titan International LLC and on 9 August the official receiver was appointed provisional liquidator of the company. Titan International LLC lodged a notice of appeal, but has recently withdrawn it. A date for the hearing of the petition has not yet been fixed.

  National Minimum Wage
  Mr. Timms
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what analysis his Department has made of the employment consequences of a national minimum wage, on the basis of the 1995 new earnings survey; when such analysis was carried out; and if he will place a copy in the Library. [19427]

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  In December 1995, my officials calculated that a national minimum wage set at £4 an hour could result in the loss of 1 million jobs, assuming half restoration of pay differentials.

  The methodology used to calculate this effect was set out in the note placed in the Library of the House on 2 February 1990.

  Utilities (Pre-payment Meters)
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the number of households with two pre-payment meters for basic utilities. [19615]

  Mr. Page
  The information requested is not available.
  36

  Departmental Web Site
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when his Department established its Internet site; what representations he has received and what data he has collated on the use and utility of the site; and what steps he is taking to increase the amount of information available via the site. [19145]

  Mr. Ian Taylor
  The Department of Trade and Industry, which was one of the first Departments to go on the Internet, established its site on 14 June 1995 with approximately 100 pages. The site is growing fast and currently stands at over 2,000 pages. It includes a wide range of information about the Department and its activities.

  In the next few days, the Department will be enhancing its Internet presence with a new design and improved navigation around the site, following consultation, on the Internet, with its users.

  Records are kept about the number of accesses to the pages within the DTI site which currently stand at 180,000 hits per month, which equates to approximately 50,000 pages served.

  There are hypertext links to other web sites.

  Loan Guarantee Scheme
  Mrs. Roche
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 20 February,Official Report, columns 723–24, on which dates he will be writing to potential lenders; and if he will list those to whom he is writing. [19308]

  Mr. Page
  Letters to potential lenders were sent out on 6 March, with a deadline of 11 April for applications.

  It is not appropriate to list potential lenders since interest in lending under the scheme is commercially confidential to the firms concerned.

WALES

  Rural Residents (Buses)
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the number of rural residents who live more than half a mile from a bus route; and if he will make a statement. [18403]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Reliable information is not available separately for Wales. However, information from the national travel survey indicates that about 12 per cent. of rural residents in Great Britain live further than 13 minutes walking time from a bus stop, which equates to about half a mile in distance.

  Llanelli Town Centre (Redevelopment)
  Mr. Denzil Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much financial assistance has been provided to date by(a) the Welsh Office and (b) the Welsh Development Agency towards the re-development of Llanelli town centre. [18509]
  37
  Mr. Hague
  Between 1 April 1992 and 31 March 1996, the Welsh Office's urban programme and its successor, the strategic development scheme, contributed around £2.3 million towards the redevelopment of Llanelli town centre.

  As part of the gradual delegation of responsibility to local authorities for administering SDS resources, £480,000 was allocated to Carmarthenshire county council in 1996–97 and £617,244 will be available in 1997–98 to approve new projects; it is for the council to determine whether its priorities for this assistance should include Llanelli town centre.

  Information on financial assistance provided by the WDA is an operational matter for the agency. I have asked the acting chief executive to write to the right hon. Member with details. I shall arrange for a copy of the reply to be placed in the Library of the House.

  Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Expenditure)
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his Department's total estimated expenditure on agriculture, fisheries and food in Wales in the current financial year; and how much of this expenditure was funded by payments made from the European Union. [18616]

  Mr. Hague
  Total estimated expenditure by my Department on agriculture, fisheries and food in Wales in 1996–97 is £268.550 million. This includes expenditure on beef marketing payments schemes and the BSE-related top-up payments to beef special premium and suckler cow premium schemes made by my Department but excludes expenditure by the Intervention Board executive agency on other BSE schemes. The total receipts from the European Union relating to agriculture, fisheries and food are expected to be £228.324 million, of which £6.559 million relates to expenditure in the previous calendar year.

  Non-NHS Health Care Providers
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total expenditure by(a) district health authorities, (b) fundholders and (c) NHS trusts on purchasing health care from non-NHS providers in 1995–96 in Wales. [18802]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The information is as follows:

  Staff in post as at 30 September 1996 (Whole time equivalent numbers)

  Organisation1

  Doctors2

  Nursing and midwifery staff3

  Administrative and clerical4

  Managers

  Bro Taf

  Cardiff Community Healthcare NHS Trust

  74

  1,179

  353

  42

  East Glamorgan NHS Trust

  138

  707

  289

  29

  Llandough Hospital and Community NHS Trust

  142

  933

  379

  78

  Mid Glamorgan Ambulance NHS Trust5

  —

  —

  59

  41

  North Glamorgan NHS Trust

  137

  1,069

  350

  45

  Rhondda Healthcare NHS Trust

  44

  713

  193

  27

  S and E Wales Ambulance NHS Trust6

  —

  —

  62

  39

  UHW Healthcare NHS Trust

  505

  2,072

  936

  93

  University Dental Hospital NHS Trust

  1

  7

  52

  2

  38

  1995–96 £000

  District health authorities

  22,802

  GP fundholders1

  2,264

  NHS trusts

  4,110

  Note:

  1Information is not held centrally in respect of individual GP fundholding practices, but their expenditure is shown on an aggregated basis in the annual accounts of the family health services authorities which pay for healthcare purchases on their behalf.

  Source:

  Financial returns of district health authorities and NHS trusts, and the audited annual accounts from family health services authorities.

  NHS Trusts
  Mr. Richards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about the development of NHS trusts in Wales. [19910]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  There are currently 30 NHS trusts in Wales.

  My right hon. Friend and I have received a joint application from the Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS trusts to dissolve and create a new single trusts from April 1997. Public consultation on this application ended on 17 February 1997.

  Taking full account of the many representations received, and of the individual merits of bringing the two trusts together, we have decided to approve the merger. The two existing trusts will both be dissolved on 1 April 1997 and immediately re-established as a single trust, Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS trust.

  NHS Staff
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list (1) by health authority area and (2) health authority, trust or equivalent body the number of(a) doctors, (b) nurses, (c) midwives, (d) health visitors, (e) administration and clerical staff and (f) managers in (i) 1990, (ii) 1992, (iii) 1994, (iv) 1995 and (v) 1996. [18897]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. and learned Member for Montgomery (Mr. Carlile) on 10 December 1996, columns 168–72, by my right hon. Friend. Information for 1996 is given in the following table. Information for nurses, midwives and health visitors is not available separately, and the total of nursing and midwifery staff is therefore shown.
  39

  Staff in post as at 30 September 1996 (Whole time equivalent numbers)

  Organisation1

  Doctors2

  Nursing and midwifery staff3

  Administrative and clerical4

  Managers

  Velindre NHS Trust

  14

  102

  111

  18

  Bro Taf Health Authority

  17

  7

  269

  92

  Total

  1,072

  6,789

  3,053

  506

  Dyfed Powys

  Carmarthen and District NHS Trust

  110

  607

  242

  23

  Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust

  51

  389

  142

  29

  Derwen NHS Trust

  29

  458

  121

  13

  Llanelli Dinefwr NHS Trust

  71

  527

  146

  19

  Pembrokeshire NHS Trust

  100

  701

  268

  17

  Powys Healthcare NHS Trust

  42

  944

  208

  17

  Dyfed Powys Health Authority

  6

  —

  147

  57

  Total

  409

  3,626

  1,274

  175

  Gwent

  Glan Hafren NHS Trust

  304

  1,882

  651

  77

  Gwent Community Health NHS Trust

  50

  1,183

  312

  64

  Nevill Hall and District NHS Trust

  108

  725

  210

  19

  Gwent Health Authority

  9

  4

  127

  35

  Total

  471

  3,794

  1,300

  195

  Morgannwg

  Bridgend and District NHS Trust

  161

  1,748

  407

  46

  Glan-y-Mor NHS Trust

  126

  1,430

  414

  36

  Morriston Hospital NHS Trust

  192

  1,172

  359

  33

  Swansea NHS Trust

  138

  855

  276

  24

  West Wales Ambulance NHS Trust7

  —

  —

  102

  15

  Morgannwg Health Authority

  9

  5

  130

  32

  Total

  626

  5,210

  1,688

  186

  North Wales

  Clwydian Community Care NHS Trust

  51

  1,446

  340

  56

  Glan Clwyd Hospital NHS Trust

  165

  932

  360

  34

  Gwynedd Community Health NHS Trust

  42

  1,148

  278

  28

  Gwynedd Hospitals NHS Trust

  197

  854

  292

  8

  North Wales Ambulance NHS Trust

  —

  —

  54

  12

  Wrexham Maelor Hospital NHS Trust

  153

  921

  298

  28

  North Wales Health Authority

  10

  10

  163

  68

  Total

  618

  5,311

  1,785

  234

  Welsh Health Common Services Authority8

  4

  76

  700

  113

  1 Organisations are listed under the name they had at 30 September 1996.

  2 Provisional. Working in the hospital, community or public health service but excluding general medical practitioners.

  3 Excluding pre-registration learners.

  4 Including managers.

  5 Covering the former Mid Glamorgan area.

  6 Covering the former areas of South Glamorgan, Gwent and Powys.

  7 Covering the former areas of West Glamorgan and East Dyfed.

  8 Includes staff employed in Health Promotion Wales.

  Mr. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many NHS clerical, administrative and management staff there were in each year since 1989. [18900]

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

  Total directly employed NHS administrative and clerical staff1

  September 1989

  7,667

  September 1990

  8,185

  September 1991

  8,865

  September 1992

  9,498

  September 1993

  10,082

  40

  Total directly employed NHS administrative and clerical staff1

  September 1994

  9,905

  September 1995

  9,875

  September 1996

  9,799

  1 Whole-time equivalents. Includes managers. Excludes GP support staff.

  Nurses
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the hospital and community health services nurses who are(a) qualified, (b) unqualified,

  41
  (c)midwives, (d)learner staff and (e)Project 2000 students, as whole-time equivalents, employed in each year since 1991. [18898]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The information is given in the following table. Details for midwifery staff are included in the figures and are not available separately.

  Nursing and midwifery staff1

  1991

  1992

  1993

  1994

  1995

  Qualified2

  17,633

  17,763

  17,650

  16,565

  16,647

  Unqualified

  7,019

  7,355

  7,222

  6,616

  6,636

  Education staff

  376

  333

  263

  238

  63

  Not known3

  22

  104

  288

  1,802

  1,382

  Learners4

  2,934

  1,970

  1,033

  144

  7

  Project 2000 students5

  100

  1,078

  1,871

  1,969

  1,951

  £000

  1988–89

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  General and senior managers

  1,781

  6,567

  9,543

  19,432

  20,919

  30,836

  Nurses and midwives1

  318,797

  338,151

  364,519

  402,501

  425,736

  421,737

  Administrative and clerical staff2

  61,337

  66,747

  77,430

  79,134

  96,059

  110,832

  Notes:

  1Information on salaries and wages cost for family health services authorities are not held centrally, and figures for nurses and midwives cannot be disaggregated from administrative and clerical costs.

  2These figures exclude the costs of GPs' administrative staff as the information was not separately collected.

  Sources:

  Financial returns and annual accounts of district health authorities, NHS trusts, family health services authorities, the Health Promotion Authority for Wales and the Welsh Health Common Services Authority.

  Barry Community Hospital
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what representations he has had from the director of Welsh Health Estates concerning additional funding for major roof and boiler remedial works at the new Barry community hospital; [19331]

  (2) if he will make a statement on the responsibilities of (a) his Department, (b) the Welsh Health Common Services Authority, (c) Beard Dove as successor body to the authority's estate care branch, (d) Bro Taf health authority, (e) Llanlough Hospital Trust and (f) Sir Robert McAlpine for defects at Barry community hospital; [19332]

  (3) on what previous occasions his Department has subrogated the claim for remedial works on a hospital pending resolution of the claim for damages arising from defective design or workmanship in design and build hospital contracts in circumstances similar to those applying at Barry community hospital. [19333]

  Mr. Hague
  There are issues relating to contractual liability which have to be resolved and I cannot comment on the responsibilities of specific bodies for the defects. No request has been received for additional funding and there has not been a similar case since this was the first hospital commissioned through a design and build contract.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many answers to parliamentary questions by
  42
  1Whole-time equivalents as at 30 September. Staff on local pay scales for whom no details of grade are available centrally are included as grade not known—this may affect the comparability of figures for other groups over time. Figures for 1996 are not shown because of a substantial increase in the number of nurses for whom these details are not available centrally.

  2 Grades C and above.

  3Staff on local pay scales for whom no details of grade are available centrally.

  4Pre-registration learners. Excludes Project 2000 students.

  5Numbers at April. Figures supplied by Education Purchasing Unit, WHCSA.

  NHS Employees' Pay
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what were the NHS salaries and wages costs for(a) general and senior managers, (b) nurses and midwives and (c) administrative and clerical staff in each financial year from 1988–89 to 1993–94. [18899]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The information is as follows:

  Ministers in his Department in the last 12 months have exceeded the advisory cost limit; and if he will make a statement. [19349]

  Ministers in his Department in the last 12 months have exceeded the advisory cost limit; and if he will make a statement. [19349]

  Mr. Hague
  Where the cost of answering a particular parliamentary question is estimated to exceed £450, it is the general practice for Departments to make it clear that the question could be answered only by incurring disproportionate cost. Given the large numbers of questions tabled, it would be unreasonable for my Department systematically to calculate the exact cost of answering every single parliamentary question.

  Training and Enterprise Councils
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales where the Welsh TECs' surplus on working capital will be spent in the coming financial year; what assessment he has made of the advantages and disadvantages of TECs developing such a surplus; and if he will make a statement. [19025]

  Mr. Hague
  TECs may generate surplus on the services which they deliver on behalf of the Welsh Office. TECs are able to do so where they can achieve efficiency savings with service providers. Their ability to generate surplus, acts as an incentive to the pursuit of such savings.

  TECs need to generate surplus in order to help cover their overheads and to maintain reserves at levels which are at least sufficient to cover their fixed capital and working capital needs. Reserves are primarily a matter for the directors of TECs to determine, since they have a duty to ensure that prudent levels are maintained.
  43
  However, TECs are expected to reinvest any reserves which accumulate in excess of those essential needs on activities or projects which are of potential benefit to the communities which they serve. TECs are required to set out their plans for the expenditure of such reserves in their annual business plans, which are subject to approval by my Department. Additionally, planned expenditure on major projects—currently £150,000 or more—requires specific prior approval for each project and is subject to more detailed scrutiny. My Department monitors both the use of reserves and the in-year generation of surpluses as the year progresses, in order to ensure that planned expenditure proceeds and that any accumulation of reserves is matched by expenditure plans for the following year.

  TECs are currently preparing their final business plans for 1997–98. However, on the evidence of their earlier draft documents, their plans for the reinvestment of reserves next year are likely to cover a wide variety of schemes including child care facilities, initiatives aimed at young people who are not in training, education or employment, the "Bargaining for Skills Initiative"—partnership between Wales Trades Union Congress and Welsh TECs—adaptations for training disabled people, health and safety awareness for employers and employees,

  Net funding per pupil in LEA maintained secondary schools at cash prices1

  Financial Year

  1990–91£

  1991–92£

  1992–93£

  1993–94£

  1994–95

  Clwyd

  1,923

  2,146

  2,287

  2,133

  2,206

  Dyfed

  1,891

  2,026

  2,191

  2,106

  2,274

  Gwent

  1,991

  2,194

  2,293

  2,320

  2,303

  Gwynedd

  1,989

  2,266

  2,429

  2,410

  2,398

  Mid Glamorgan

  1,903

  2,293

  2,355

  2,228

  2,249

  Powys

  1,813

  1,935

  2,158

  2,254

  2,291

  South Glamorgan

  1,887

  2,064

  2,162

  2,116

  2,123

  West Glamorgan

  2,168

  2,392

  2,515

  2,383

  2,340

  Wales

  1,951

  2,186

  2,304

  2,246

  2,264

  1 Figures from 1991–92 onwards include local management of schools balances. Expenditure on school meals and transport are excluded.

  44
  enhanced career guidance in schools, the "Meister Technician Initiative", support for modern communication technologies in schools, graduate employment opportunities, training support for inward investment.

  Incomes and Taxes
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the average income per family of four in(a) the county of Powys and (b) Wales for the last five years for which figures are available; what proportion of that income was spent on tax including VAT and national insurance payments; and if he will make a statement. [19026]

  Mr. Hague
  The information available centrally does not provide reliable estimates at this level of detail.

  Local Government Expenditure
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list each Welsh county's expenditure per secondary school pupil for each of the last five years for which information is available; and if he will make a statement. [19032]

  Mr. Hague
  Information on local authority net current expenditure on secondary education per pupil is given in the following table.
  45

  Community Hospitals
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussion his Department has had with general practitioners within the Dyfed Powys health authority area on the role of community hospitals in the development of primary health care. [19235]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  My officials have held no recent discussions on this matter with representatives of GPs in the Dyfed Powys health authority area.

  Dyfed Powys Health Authority
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the effect of the financial deficit of the former Powys health authority on the current and future financial circumstances of the Dyfed Powys health authority. [19239]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The allocation of funds to the newly constituted Dyfed Powys health authority was based on the population of the new authority. Any over-commitments by the former authorities have to be managed within the resources allocated. This is the responsibility of the new authority.

  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the impact of the proposed closure of eight community hospitals in the Dyfed Powys health authority area. [19233]

  Mr. Jones
  None. My right hon. Friend awaits the outcome of the authority's public consultation, which is due to end on 30 April.

  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the financial position of each of the eight NHS trusts in the Dyfed Powys health authority area at the end of the financial years(a) 1996–97, (b) 1997–98 and (c) 1998–99. [19237]

  Mr. Jones
  There are six NHS trusts which provide hospital and community health care and whose main commissioner is Dyfed Powys health authority. In addition, services provided by the West Wales ambulance trust and South and East Wales ambulance trust are also used by the authority. The financial position for future years is dependent on contracting arrangements between the trusts and the health authority and therefore figures for 1997–98 or 1998–99 are unavailable. The forecast outturn position estimated by each NHS trust for 1996–97 is as follows:

  Trust

  Latest forecast £ million surplus (deficit)

  Carmarthen

  (0.270)

  Ceredigion

  (0.150)

  Derwen

  0.040

  Llanelli

  0.000

  Pembroke

  0.026

  Powys

  0.098

  West Wales ambulance trust

  0.172

  South-east Wales ambulance trust

  (0.326)

  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what meetings his Department has had with the Dyfed 46
  Powys health authority to discuss its current consultative strategy document. [19236]

  Mr. Jones
  My officials have had a number of meetings with representatives of the Dyfed Powys health authority, at some of which the authority's consultative strategy document was discussed.

  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received from the Dyfed Powys health authority on its funding needs over the next five years. [19238]

  Mr. Jones
  My right hon. Friend and I have had no formal representations about the authority's funding needs for the next five years. Officials are in touch with the authority about the cash position in the current year and will continue to monitor the position.

  Health Authorities (Funding Formula)
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will bring forward proposals to change the funding formula for health authorities to take greater account of rurality. [19234]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  As announced by my right hon. Friend on 6 March,Official Report, column 727, a review of the formula used to distribute resources among health authorities will commence this year. The review will consider the existing methodology and whether it would be appropriate to change the balance of existing factors or to build new factors into the formula.

  Pembrokeshire Islands
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what recent discussions have taken place with the European Commission about delays in reaching a decision on the designation of the Pembrokeshire islands special area of conservation; and if he will make a statement; [19524]

  (2) what factors he assesses may delay the decision on the proposed designation of the Pembrokeshire islands as a special area of conservation; [19520]

  (3) when he will make a decision on the proposed designation of the Pembrokeshire islands as a special area of conservation; [19522]

  (4) on what date the consultation process concluded in respect of the proposed designation of the Pembrokeshire islands as a special area of conservation under the habitats directive; [19521]

  (5) if he will list those areas designated special areas of conservation under the habitats directive indicating for each the dates on which (a) the consultation periods ended and (b) the areas were designated. [19523]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  The consultation period for marine sites ended on 22 June 1996, although discussions are continuing in respect of a number of sites across the UK where outstanding issues remain. To date, 36 Welsh sites listed as follows have been submitted to the European Commission as candidate special areas of conservation, although none has yet been designated. Having received many representations, both for and against the proposed designation of the Pembrokeshire islands site, my right hon. Friend, in common with
  47
  practice elsewhere in the UK, is still considering the relevant issues raised. The Commission has been informed of the latest position.

  Berwyn

  Burry inlet: dunes

  Burry inlet: saltmarsh

  Cardigan Bay Coed Y Cerrig

  Coedydd a Cheunant Rheidol

  Coedydd Derw Meirion

  Coleg Clynllifon

  Cors Caron

  Cors Fochno

  Corsydd Mon

  Crymlyn bog

  Cwm Cadlan

  Drostre bank

  Elenydd

  Eryri

  Glannau Mon: Twyni

  Glannau Mon: Cors Heli

  Glannau Ynys Gybi

  Great Orme's

  Kenfig

  Limestone Sea Cliffs of S W Wales

  Llangorse lake

  Fenn's, Whixhall, Bettisfield, Wem and Cadney mosses

  Gower commons

  Pembrokeshire bat sites

  Penllyn a'r Sarnau

  Preseli

  Rhinog

  Rhos Goch

  Rhos Llawr Cwrt

  St. David's

  Tanat and Vyrynwy bat sites

  Wye Valley woodlands

  Wye Valley bat sites

  Usk Valley bat sites.

  Research Councils (Commissions)
  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many commissions his Department placed with the Agriculture and Food Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council in each year from 1979 to the present; how many such commissions he expects to place in 1997; and what the value was of the commissions in(a) cash and (b) constant prices. [19369]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  None.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Parliamentary questions
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many of his answers to 48
  parliamentary questions in the last 12 months have exceeded the advisory cost limit; and if he will make a statement. [19334]

  Mr. Streeter
  Where the cost of answering a parliamentary question is estimated to exceed £450, it is the general practice for Departments to make it clear that the question could be answered only by incurring disproportionate cost. Given the large numbers of questions tabled, it would be unreasonable for my Department systematically to calculate the exact cost of answering every single parliamentary question.

LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

  Tackling Drugs Together
  Mr. Rathbone
  To ask the Lord President of the Council what proposals he has to review the Government's strategy, "Tackling Drugs Together". [17792]

  Mr. Newton
  Progress in implementing "Tackling Drugs Together" is subject to regular review by the Cabinet Sub-Committee on the misuse of drugs, which I chair. Most of the tasks for 1997–98, the third and final year of the current strategy, are specific reviews of the effectiveness of key departmental actions and strategies. An independent evaluation of the work of the 105 drug action teams across England is also due to report shortly. The Government will assess the strategy's development beyond 1997–98 in the light of this work, and will consult widely in doing so.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  European Legislation
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will review the procedures for consideration of EU legislation and expenditure. [17793]

  Mr. Newton
  My hon. Friend will be aware that the Select Committee on European Legislation published a report in July 1996 on the scrutiny of European business, which is currently being considered by the Select Committee on Procedure. The Government will look at recommendations for improving the scrutiny procedures in the light of the Procedure Committee's report.

  Back Benchers
  Mr. Jacques Arnold
  To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will review the amount of time available to Back Benchers to raise matters of concern to their constituents. [17794]

  Mr. Newton
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 10 February,Official Report, column 28.

  Easter Recess
  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Lord President of the Council what has been the average length of the Easter recess during the last 10 years. [17795]
  49
  Mr. Newton
  The average length of the Easter adjournment during the last 10 years is 12.7 days. There was no Easter adjournment in 1992 because the House dissolved for the general election of that year.

  Voting Procedures
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Lord President of the Council what plans he has to bring forward measures to change voting procedures; and if he will make a statement. [17796]

  Mr. Newton
  I have no such plans; but my hon. Friend may wish to draw any concerns or suggestions he may have to the attention of the Procedure Committee.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Rendering Industry
  Mrs. Helen Jackson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will provide details of any financial support given to the rendering industry in Government grant or European aid in(a) 1995 and (b) 1996, indicating the amounts given to each rendering company. [18494]

  Mr. Baldry
  In 1996, 18 rendering companies received about £66 million of temporary financial assistance under the rendering industry support scheme 1996. Payment have been based on loss of income from meat and bonemeal and tallow by comparison with 1995–96, with adjustments to take broad account of renderers' actual levels of throughput and costs in 1996–97. This support

  Age

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  1994

  1995

  1996

  1

  0

  1

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  2

  25

  43

  81

  64

  38

  18

  13

  12

  4

  3

  419

  805

  2,055

  4,150

  1,653

  1,016

  456

  479

  232

  4

  1,229

  2,681

  4,860

  10,062

  15,181

  5,887

  3,374

  1,765

  1,267

  5

  855

  2,539

  4,098

  6,358

  12,603

  15,167

  5,863

  3,342

  1,410

  6

  256

  1,043

  2,017

  2,691

  4,700

  7,876

  8,085

  3,083

  1,368

  7

  76

  240

  600

  985

  1,369

  2,078

  3,182

  3,035

  988

  8

  23

  72

  143

  264

  490

  636

  823

  1,068

  802

  9

  9

  20

  47

  96

  170

  252

  290

  335

  271

  10

  6

  10

  20

  35

  40

  102

  127

  124

  75

  11+

  2

  9

  14

  27

  43

  41

  70

  78

  65

  Unknown

  240

  312

  704

  1,129

  858

  697

  628

  489

  266

  Total

  3,140

  7,775

  14,609

  25,861

  37,146

  33,770

  22,911

  13,810

  6,748

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the number of bovine infective units of BSE needed to infect a mouse by intra-cerebral injection. [18201]

  Mrs. Browning
  Titres of infectivity are measures of the concentration of the infectious agent in a particular tissue based upon mortality rates in animals inoculated with different amounts of the tissue. The unit of expression of the concentration of infectivity in a given tissue is therefore relative to the animal species used for the assay. Titres of infectivity also vary from case to case, between tissues and with stage of incubation.
  50
  forms part of our package of measures designed to maintain essential links in the meat supply and disposal chain in the aftermath of the BSE crisis.

  Details of any other UK or EU funded grants or financial assistance which may have been paid to rendering companies are not held centrally.

  Private Finance Initiative
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will provide a breakdown by project of PFI schemes for which his Department is responsible as identified in table 5.5 of the Red Book. [18923]

  Mr. Boswell
  The financial provision in the Ministry's entry for 1999–00 in table 5.5 of the Red Book is an outline estimate of non-PFI procurement only, which will be subject to revision when PFI tenders have been received.

  It relates to two projects:

  (a) Whitehall HQ Building (Accommodation)

  (b) Sea-Going Research Vessel Services.

  BSE
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the number of cases of BSE of each year of age in each year from 1988 to 1996; and what is the number of cases in which the age is not available in each of these years. [18202]

  Mrs. Browning
  The following table shows the number of confirmed cases of BSE in Great Britain of each year of age from 1988 to 1996 by age and year of clinical onset as at 3 March 1997:

  An experiment to compare the relative infectivity of bovine brain to mice and cattle by intracerebral inoculation is in progress.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has for the use of the chemiluminescent tests for the identification of cattle with BSE; and if he will make a statement. [18034]

  Mrs. Browning
  The test referred to is an ELISA—enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay—test carried out on tissue collected post mortem. The test is reported to be able to distinguish between BSE affected and unaffected cattle which have been slaughtered as suspects, but many more samples will need to be tested comparability before
  51
  it can be shown to be as accurate as the histopathological test currently used to diagnose BSE. We have no plans to substitute this test for our current method of diagnosis.

  There is no information available to determine whether this test is capable of identifying cattle infected with BSE but not yet showing clinical signs of disease and as far as is known tissues from such cattle have not been examined.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research he has evaluated in respect of the involvement of environmental factors in the transmissive, infective or pathological processes of BSE. [18177]

  Mrs. Browning
  There is no scientific evidence to suggest that environmental factors play a part in the epidemiology and pathogenesis of BSE. It is however recognised that periods of severe weather have given rise to an increase in the short-term report rate. This appears to be related to a general effect of stress bringing on the manifestation of the early symptoms of BSE in cattle.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research he has(a) evaluated and (b) commissioned in respect of the infective agent from (i) scrapie and (ii) BSE remaining in hay mites. [18135]

  Mrs. Browning
  The following is a list of scrapie evaluated and non-evaluated research.

  Project code

  Project title

  Start date

  End date

  Evaluated scrapie projects

  OC9038

  Investigation of the role of the embryo in maternal transmission of scrapie in sheep

  01/07/92

  30/06/95

  SE1402

  Transmission of BSE and natural scrapie into sheep and goats by intracerebral and oral routes [became SE1418]

  01/04/90

  31/03/95

  SE1403

  Strain typing of BSE pathogens in mice, and comparison with strains from natural sheep scrapie [became SE1415]

  01/04/91

  31/03/95

  SE1404

  Susceptibility of BSE and scrapie isolates to laboratory facsimiles of rendering practices [became SE1421]

  01/04/90

  31/03/95

  SE1407

  Analysis of nucleic acid and differences between control and scrapie/BSE infected animals

  01/04/90

  31/03/94

  SE1410

  Sheep PrP Gene studies

  01/04/92

  31/03/93

  SE1701

  Studies of natural and experimental spongiform encephalopathies related to diagnosis

  01/04/92

  31/03/94

  SE1706

  Identification of BSE and scrapie infected animals by the detection of a urinary metabolite

  01/04/92

  31/03/95

  SE1709

  Sensitivity of scrapie-associated fibrils from different breeds of sheep to proteinase K digestion

  01/07/92

  31/03/94

  SE1710

  TSE fibril immunolabelling studies

  01/07/92

  31/03/94

  52

  Project code

  Project title

  Start date

  End date

  SE1712

  Production of sera suitable for the development of immunodiagnostic tests for transmissible spongiform

  01/04/92

  31/12/93

  SE1715

  Molecular characterisation of a single stranded (SS) DNA observed in scrapie infected hamster and mouse brain

  01/08/93

  31/07/94

  SE1716

  Studies of PrP gene of species naturally and experimentally infected with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies

  01/04/92

  31/03/95

  SE1717

  Significance of PrP and putative anti-PrP genes on susceptibility to transmission of spongiform encephalopathies

  01/04/92

  31/03/94

  SE1722

  The molecular nature of the agents of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies

  01/10/94

  30/09/95

  SE1808

  Transmissibility of BSE and natural scrapie to marmoset by stereotoxic intracerebral inoculation of brain homogenate

  01/04/92

  31/03/93

  SE1813

  Transmissibility of scrapie to pigs by oral exposure to brain homogenate [became SE1822]

  01/04/93

  31/03/95

  SE1908

  Ultrastructural morphological and immunocytochemical studies of transmissible degenerative encephalopathies

  01/04/93

  31/03/96

  SE1916

  Morphometric evaluation of Scrapied mice

  01/05/94

  31/08/95

  Non evaluated scrapie projects

  OC9425

  An investigation of scrapie infectivity and PrP genotype in clinically normal cast ewes from infected flocks

  01/04/95

  31/03/99

  SE0213

  An epidemiological study of sheep scrapie to determine means of natural transmission

  01/04/95

  31/03/98

  SE0217

  Cattle and sheep products audit trail

  24/06/96

  23/12/96

  SE0219

  The epidemiology of TSEs in ruminants and assessment of possible associated risk to human health

  01/01/97

  31/01/00

  SE1409

  Development of an antemortem test for BSE and natural scrapie infection through the detection of abnormal deposits of PrP

  01/04/94

  31/03/98

  SE1411

  Further analysis of nucleic acid differences between control and scrapie/BSE infected animals

  01/04/94

  31/03/98

  SE1412

  PrP gene variants and their potential as marker for natural and experimental scrapie susceptibility in sheep

  01/04/94

  31/03/98

  SE1413

  Strain-typing of scrapie agent in meat and bone meal

  01/01/97

  31/12/99

  SE1414

  Studies on the "species barrier" in scrapie and BSE

  01/04/95

  31/03/2000

  SE1415

  Strain typing of BSE pathogen in mice and comparison with strains from natural sheep scrapie [was SE1403]

  01/04/95

  31/03/99

  SE1417

  The effect of PrP genotype on the thermostability of scrapie agent

  01/04/95

  31/03/2000

  53

  Project code

  Project title

  Start date

  End date

  SE1421

  BSE and scrapie agent susceptibility to laboratory facsimiles of rendering practices [was SE1404]

  01/04/95

  31/03/98

  SE1422

  Practical aspects of inactivation of BSE and scrapie agents [was SE1405]

  01/04/95

  31/03/97

  SE1707

  Sensitivity studies of fibril detection techniques used in Electron Microscopy for the diagnosis of scrapie

  01/04/91

  30/09/97

  SE1713

  Gain information on use of resistant rams as method of controlling or eradicating scrapie

  01/04/92

  31/03/99

  SE1718

  Identification and characterisation of the scrapie agent from a low protein, high infectivity fraction of brain

  01/10/95

  30/09/99

  SE1725

  Studies of the enhancement of reproducibility of PrP Scrapie detection after cold storage of scrapie affected tissue

  01/04/95

  31/03/98

  SE1727

  Identification of putative NA components of the etiologic agent of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies

  01/06/95

  31/05/96

  SE1729

  PrP gene codon 171 and species susceptibility to scrapie like diseases

  01/04/96

  31/03/99

  SE1734

  Approaches to the identification of nucleic acids associated with the transmissible encephalopathies

  01/01/97

  31/12/98

  SE1814

  To determine if scrapie can be transmitted by transfer of embryos from ewes infected with scrapie to uninfected ewes

  01/10/95

  30/09/98

  SE1820

  Evaluation of techniques to remove spinal cord from sheep carcasses as part of TSE control measures

  01/01/97

  31/03/97

  SE1822

  Transmissibility of scrapie to pigs by oral exposure to brain homogenate [was SE1813]

  01/04/95

  31/03/98

  SE1823

  Investigation of the role of the embryo in maternal transmission of scrapie in sheep

  01/07/95

  31/03/98

  SE1910

  The demonstration and immunostaining of small virus-like particles in experimental scrapie rodent brain

  01/04/96

  31/12/97

  SE1917

  Scrapie infection of sheep neural and extraneural cell lines

  01/01/94

  31/12/96

  SE1919

  Studies to identify possible homologies between TSEs

  01/04/95

  31/03/98

  SE1920

  Ultrastructural, morphological and immunoytochemical studies of TSE

  01/04/96

  31/03/99

  SE1922

  Studies of the sensitivity and specificity of methods of PrP scrapie detection in animal TSEs

  01/04/95

  30/11/97

  The Ministry of Agirculture, Fisheries and Food is currently appraising two projects which have been submitted for research funding on the subject of hay
  54
  mites. The project titles are as listed. These proposals outline work to determine whether hay or feed mites contain the prions—or potential infective agent—of scrapie or BSE.

  ZD0416: The exposure of British sheep and cattle to mites
  ZD0455: Replication of scrapie and BSE prions in mites

  The prioritisation of other research projects will determine whether funding for these proposals will be made available.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research his Department has evaluated concerning the number of bovine infective units of BSE required per 100 gm of tissue for an inoculated mouse to be reliably expected to develop the disease. [18196]

  Mrs. Browning
  The principal research so far conducted to determined the concentration of infectivity—titre—in a BSE-affected tissue by assay in cattle is the study to compare the efficiency of cattle and mice for the bioassay of BSE-affected brain. This experiment is incomplete and there are no other studies proposed to assay quantitatively other tissues in cattle.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the amount of infectivity, in infective units which has been spread on the land by bovine faeces. [18198]

  Mrs. Browning
  No such estimate is available.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many BSE-infected cattle he estimates were consumed in(a) the United Kingdom and (b) the EU by 1 January 1995. [18199]

  Mrs. Browning
  The article published by Professor Anderson et al, "Transmission dynamics and epidemiology of BSE in British cattle", in Nature on 29 August 1996 estimated that 446,000 infected animals entered the food chain before the specified bovine offal ban at the end of 1989, with approximately 283,000 more before the end of 1995. No estimates of the likely numbers of infected animals consumed in the United Kingdom or EU are available.

  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the methods of disposal that are(a) permitted and (b) currently in operation for (i) specified bovine material and (ii) non-specified bovine material from cattle with bovine spongiform encephalopathy, including the condensate and washwater produced from rendering of such material. [18696]

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  [pursuant to his reply, 6 March 1997, c. 746]: Where animals are compulsorily slaughtered under the Animal Health Act 1981 as being affected with, or suspected of being affected with, BSE, the Animal By-Products Order 1992 (SI 1992/3303) requires the carcases of such animals to be rendered, incinerated or buried. There is no legal requirement for such carcases to be destroyed specifically by incineration.

  It has, however, been the Ministry's practice to use incineration whenever feasible. In the early years of the BSE epidemic, incineration capacity was insufficient to deal with all the cattle involved. At that time, some animals were disposed of by burial, a practice noted, without objection, by the Southwood committee. Since

  55
  1991, incineration capacity has been sufficient for other methods to be used only very rarely and in exceptional circumstances.

  Thus, up to the end of 1991, 50,735 carcases of cattle affected, or suspected of being affected with BSE were incinerated; 6,117 were disposed of—after the removal of heads, which were incinerated—in landfill sites. Since 1991, only four carcases of BSE cases have been buried, on farm—not landfill—where, because of the remoteness of the area, incineration was not deemed practicable. The last of these was in 1995.

  The three cases from 1996 described in my answer of 6 March as having been buried were referred to in error. These cases have now been identified as having been passed to the Cental Veterinary Laboratory for research purposes and their carcases were incinerated.

  The carcases of cattle slaughtered under the over-30 month scheme, which started in May 1996 and for which cattle suspected of BSE are ineligible, are required by EU Council Regulation 716/96 to be incinerated or rendered and destroyed. The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee advised, in June 1996, that it did not regard the incineration of meat and bonemeal and tallow from animals slaughtered under this scheme to be necessary on scientific grounds.

  Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which public health experts were members of SEAC during the chairmanship of Dr. Tyrell; and what were his Department's sources of public health advice during that period. [18133]

  Mrs. Browning
  The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee was set up under the chairmanship of Dr. Tyrrell on 3 April 1990. He remained chairman until 4 October 1995.

  The following members of SEAC, during the chairmanship of Dr. Tyrrell, were medical doctors.

  Dr. David Tyrrell FRCP., FRCPath., FRS.
  Professor I. Allen MD, Dsc., FRCPath., FRCPI., FRCPSG., FRCPE.
  Professor J. Pattison DM., BM., Bch., FRCPath.
  Dr. R. G. Will MA (Camb), MD., MB., Bch., MRCP (UK).

  The committee was set up to advise both the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Department of Health. The main sources of public health advice during Dr. Tyrrell's chairmanship were SEAC, the Department of Health and the Government's chief medical Officer and the national CJD surveillance unit, set up in May 1990.

  Dairy Farms (Rents)
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the annual rental cost for one acre of land on an average dairy farm in the United Kingdom for each month from January 1995 to February 1997. [18193]

  Mr. Boswell
  The information is not available in the form requested. Estimates of the rent of agricultural land in England and Wales are collected annually. Until 1995, the rent inquiry collected information from land agents 56
  on the levels of rents for agricultural land let under full agricultural tenancies and did not collect information on the types of farm. This showed that the average rent in October 1995 for all farms in England was £111 per hectare-£45 per acre. In October 1996, the annual survey of tenanted land was introduced to collect information from tenants and covered all types of tenancy agreements. The results from this survey are currently being analysed and will be available very shortly.

  Cattle (Mortality Rates)
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the standardised mortality ratios and confidence intervals for cattle born in each month from June 1988 to date. [18195]

  Mrs. Browning
  Standard mortality ratios have not been calculated; they are not appropriate as the date suspect cases are slaughtered does not have a constant relationship with the date of clinical onset. The results of the analysis of standardised morbidity ratios have been published in the document "Programme to Eradicate BSE in the United Kingdom" figure 18, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

  There have been too few cases of BSE in 1992-born animals to make any difference to the published ratios.

  Central Veterinary Laboratory
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the overall research budget of the Central Veterinary Laboratory for each year from 1987 to 1996. [18197]

  Mrs. Browning
  The Central Veterinary Laboratory was merged with the veterinary investigation centres of the state veterinary service in October 1995, to form the Veterinary Laboratories Agency. The overall research budget for CVL from 1989 to 1995 and then the VLA for 1995–96 were as follows:

  Year

  Research budget

  (£000)

  1989–90

  8,834

  1990–91

  9,231

  1991–92

  9,733

  1992–93

  9,673

  1993–94

  10,834

  1994–95

  10,031

  1995–96

  10,706

  Figures prior to 1989–90 are not available.

  Departmental Data
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which independent researchers outside his Department have been given access to computerised departmental data; and which researchers having requested it have not received such access. [18194]

  Mr. Boswell
  It is not possible to provide a full response to this question because of disproportionate cost. However, MAFF's policy on the dissemination of data is designed to deal with requests for access on an equitable
  57
  basis and we operate under the official statistics code of practice and the code of practice on access to government information.

  MAFF receives a considerable number of requests for access to computerised data for research purposes—covering a wide range of departmental responsibilities. As may be seen from the details contained in the document "Requests by Independent Researchers for Access to Computerised Data held by The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food", a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House, MAFF endeavours to respond positively and has provided data in the majority of cases where legislation and confidentiality restrictions allow. However, the confidential nature of certain information means that some requests have not been approved and the above document also gives some details of these.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many answers to parliamentary questions by Ministers in his Department in the last 12 months have exceeded the advisory cost limit; and if he will make a statement. [19351]

  Mr. Boswell
  Where the cost of answering a particular parliamentary question is estimated to exceed £450, it is the general practice for Departments to make it clear that the question could be answered only by incurring disproportionate cost. Given the large number of questions tabled, it would be unreasonable for the Department to calculate systematically the exact cost of answering every single parliamentary question.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Private Employment Agencies
  Mr. Hall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the private employment agencies used by his Department and its agencies in each of the last three years for which figures are available, indicating(a) the names of the agencies, (b) the numbers employed by the agencies in work for his Department, (c) the total cost to his Department of using employment agencies and the median cost paid to the agency per person recruited and (d) the average length of contract for persons recruited via such agencies. [16188]

  Sir John Wheeler
  The information requested is as follows:

  Name of agency

  Number of employed

  Total cost £

  Average cost £

  Average length of contracts

  1993–94

  Nil

  —

  —

  —

  1994–95

  Grafton Recruitment

  5

  28,491

  5,698

  16 months

  Premiere

  Employment

  1995–96

  Grafton Recruitment

  19

  132,975

  18,266

  111.08 months

  Apple Recruitment

  Agency

  Group 4 Securities

  Services Ltd.

  BNA

  Agency

  1Excludes the BNA Nursing Agency whose staff were not employed on a contractual basis.

  58

  Rev. David Templeton (Assault)
  Mr. Robert McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which paramilitary organisation was responsible for the assault on the Rev. David Templeton in Ballyduff; what was the nature of the injuries inflicted; and if he will make a statement. [17708]

  Sir John Wheeler
  David Templeton, a Presbyterian minister, was assaulted on 7 February 1997 by three masked men who entered his home and beat him with cudgels.

  His injuries are confirmed as a fractured jaw, fractures to both legs and multiple cuts and abrasions to his arms and legs.

  No group has claimed responsibility for this brutal and disgraceful attack, which has been widely condemned.

  Action for Community Employment
  Ms Mowlam
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how much has been spent on the ACE programme in each of the last 15 years; [18440]

  (2)how many ACE managers have been made redundant following the reduction in expenditure on the programme in 1996; [18438]

  (3)how much has been spent on training ACE managers in the 16 years of the ACE scheme. [18439]

  Mr. Ancram
  Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Training and Employment Agency under its chief executive, Mr. Ian Walters. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Ian Walters to Ms Marjorie Mowlam, dated 6 March 1997:
  The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has asked me, as Chief Executive of the Training and Employment Agency, to reply to your questions about the Action for Community Employment (ACE) Programme.

  Parliamentary Question 408 (Ref: 18440)

  The following expenditure has been incurred on ACE since 1981:

  Expenditure

  Year

  (£ million)

  1981–82

  1.67

  1982–83

  5.24

  1983–84

  10.6

  1984–85

  13.61

  1985–86

  18.34

  1986–87

  29.14

  1987–88

  29.47

  1988–89

  40.39

  1989–90

  48.95

  1990–91

  50.42

  1991–92

  51.68

  1992–93

  52.96

  1993–94

  50.61

  1994–95

  50

  1995–96

  49.96

  1996–97

  139.83

  1Allocation.

  Parliamentary Question 409 (Ref 18438)

  In total 119 ACE Core posts will be shed by 31 March 1997 as a direct result of the 1996–97 budgetary reductions. Of these 48 are management posts including assistant and deputy managers.
  59
  Parliamentary Question 411 (Ref: 18439)
  Structured training was introduced progressively int the ACE programme from 1989. Since then, approximately £600,000 has been spent on training ACE core staff including managers.

  Rural Residents (Buses)
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of rural residents who live more than half a mile from a bus route; and if he will make a statement. [18406]

  Mr. Moss
  No such estimate has been made.

  Water Pollution
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what records of chemicals used or stored for industrial purposes are held by the Department of the Environment for use when investigating the cause of pollution incidents affecting watercourses. [18269]

  Mr. Moss
  Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Environment and Heritage Service under its chief executive, Mr. Robert C. Martin. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Robert C. Martin to Mr. Roy Beggs, dated 6 March 1997:

  As Chief Executive of Environment and Heritage Service (EHS), I am responsible for all operational aspects of the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland's environmental policies.
  I am therefore responding to the Parliamentary Question which you put down in the House of Commons on 28 February 1997 "to ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what records of chemicals used or stored for industrial purposes are held by DOE (NI) for use when investigating the cause of pollution incidents affecting watercourses."
  The Chief Executive of this Department's Water Service has also contributed to this reply.
  Within the United Kingdom the Government is committed to minimising any escape to water of those chemicals identified as especially hazardous, more commonly referred to as Red List substances. In Northern Ireland, my service is currently aware of 188 premises which use or store Red List substances and a detailed record is held for each sites. These records include Information on each substance, quantities stored, the purpose for which they are used and the measures in place to prevent pollution of waterways.
  EHS also hold records of all agrochemical retailers in Northern Ireland registered under the BASIS agrochemical scheme and regularly inspects their stores to ensure that they pose a minimal water pollution risk. BASIS, as a voluntary scheme managed by the agrochemical manufacturers, which sets stringent standards for pollution prevention and general safety.
  All industries which discharge either effluent to the public sewer or treated effluent to a watercourse must have the consent of this Department. In either case, strict limits are set on the type and maximum concentration of materials which can be discharged. The application form for Water Act consent requires that chemicals stored on premises are listed.
  The Water Service has confirmed that they maintain records of all chemicals used in the course of its functional work and stored on its premises. The only other information held by Water Service about chemicals used or stored in premises is in respect of those premises where a discharge to a public sewerage network is subject to the consent of the Department, through the system of trade effluent consents. Those making application for such a consent are required to provide details of whatever chemicals are being used for any industrial process being conducted on their premises.
  I trust you will find this reply helpful.
  60

  Policing (Harryville)
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the costs of policing Harryville on Saturday nights, including the costs of police manpower and any associated overtime. [18391]

  Sir John Wheeler
  It is not yet possible to give figures for Saturday 22 February. However, it is estimated that typical costs for previous Saturdays have been in the region of £27,000, including the costs of police manpower and associated overtime costs.

  Housing (Disabled Tenants)
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what percentage of new houses provided by(a) Northern Ireland Housing Executive and (b) voluntary housing associations have been constructed to meet the needs of disabled tenants in each of the last five years [18563]

  Mr. Moss
  The number and percentage of new houses constructed to meet the needs of disabled tenants in each of the past five years is as follows:

  Northern Ireland Housing Executive

  Year

  Number new build

  To meet needs of disabled

  Percentage

  1996

  953

  319

  33

  1995

  812

  214

  26

  1994

  969

  349

  36

  1993

  1,328

  325

  25

  1992

  873

  303

  35

  Total

  4,935

  1,510

  30

  Registered Housing Associations

  Year

  Number new build

  To meet needs of disabled1

  Percentage

  1996

  1,389

  644

  46

  1995

  1,181

  636

  54

  1994

  1,001

  586

  58

  1993

  946

  625

  66

  1992

  1,229

  555

  45

  Total

  5,746

  3,046

  53

  1 In addition, unless it is inappropriate to do so, all new housing association bungalows, ground floor flats and flats served by lifts are designed to full mobility standard, i.e. to be convenient for ambulant disabled people to live in, including those who use wheelchairs but are not wheelchair bound or to facilitate disabled users. However, information on this stock is not held separately and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Housing Executive Estates (Lorry Parking)
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make it the practice of the Department of the Environment Northern Ireland to inform recipients of haulage operators' licences that parking in bays or on grass areas within Housing Executive estates is prohibited and could lead to the withdrawal of the operator's licence. [18562]

  Mr. Moss
  The Department does not consider it necessary to advise and warn licensed haulage operators specifically about parking of their vehicles in Northern Ireland Housing Executive estates.
  61
  As a condition of their road freight operators licence, vehicles used under the licence must not be parked overnight on public roads, which would include parking bays provided within Housing Executive developments. Where the holder of a licence fails to comply with any condition of the licence, he shall be guilty of an offence and be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding £1,000. The Department may also revoke or suspend an operator's licence where a condition of the licence has not been complied with.

  Parking on grass areas is prohibited by the NIHE.

  Countryside Enhancement Scheme
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the official notice regarding the (i) opening for applications and (ii) closing of the countryside enhancement scheme appeared in the press in Northern Ireland; how many applications were received, from(a) each county and (b)each council district; to whom advance notice of the scheme was given and on what dates; when copies of the details of the scheme were made available to (1) farmers and (2) other bodies; and if he will place a copy of the details of the scheme in the Library. [18513]

  Mr. Ancram
  [holding answer 4 March 1997]: (i) A press release was issued on 27 January 1997 announcing the opening of the farm and countryside enhancement scheme and (ii) another press release was issued on 30 January 1997 announcing the closure.

  (a) The following applications were received from each county:

  Number

  Co. Antrim

  73

  Co. Down

  291

  Co. Londonderry

  535

  Co. Armagh

  674

  Co. Fermanagh

  866

  Co. Tyrone

  1,752

  (b) The following applications were received from each district council:

  Number

  Armagh

  295

  Craigavon

  58

  Limavady

  162

  Newry and Mourne

  535

  Omagh

  726

  Belfast

  3

  Dungannon

  418

  Lisburn

  74

  Newtonabbey

  34

  Strabane

  267

  Cookstown

  341

  Fermanagh

  855

  Londonderry

  106

  Magherafelt

  224

  Other District Councils

  31

  Sixty-two applications were received and are being checked to find out the council area to which they belong. The Northern Ireland Agricultural Producers Association
  62
  was informed on the afternoon of 27 January 1997 when the press release was being issued. Attempts were made to inform the Ulster Farmers Union, but it could not be contacted until the morning of 28 January 1997.

  Details of the scheme was made available to farmers and other bodies on 28 January 1997. A leaflet with details of the scheme will be placed in the Library.

  Road Accident Fatalities (Costs)
  Dr. Hendron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his estimate of the average cost to public funds of a road accident fatality. [18742]

  Mr. Moss
  The average cost, based on Department of Transport estimates, is £812,010.

  Road Safety
  Dr. Hendron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what would be the cost of increasing the number of road safety officers from the present 12 to 17. [18741]

  Mr. Moss
  The annual cost of increasing the number of road safety education officers from the planned 11 to the recommended 18 would be £176,323.

  Dr. Hendron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the cost of the report commissioned by his Department on road safety education. [18739]

  Mr. Moss
  The cost of the research and report was £9,105.

  Dr. Hendron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many road accident casualties resulted from(a) overloaded lorries and lorries with mechanical defects and (b) errors by drivers, riders and pedestrians and defiance of the laws on speeding, drink driving and seat belts. [18737]

  Mr. Moss
  Road casualty accident figures provided by the RUC are as follows:(a)Accident casualties resulting from overloaded lorries and lorries with mechanical defects.

  1993: 5

  1994: 20

  1995: 29

  (b)Accident casualties caused by drivers, riders and pedestrians and defiance of the laws on speeding, drink driving and seatbelts.

  1993: 21,691

  1994: 23,518

  1995: 22,499

  Dr. Hendron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reasons the number of road safety officers is to be reduced from 12 to 10. [18740]

  Mr. Moss
  I have decided, in the light of competing priorities for road safety funding, that the number of road safety education officers should be reduced from 13 to 11. Road safety remains a priority for the Government and the overall resources allocated to it, particularly for vehicle enforcement and accident remedial and traffic calming measures, continue to increase year on year.
  63
  Dr. Hendron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to achieve the code of good practice recommendation of one road safety officer per 50,000 population before 2000; and what additional resources he plans to devote to this aim. [18738]

  Mr. Moss
  I have no such plans. Competing priorities for road safety funding combined with general pressure on all departmental spending, render such a recommended staffing level inappropriate.

  Sub-programme for Agricultural and Rural Development
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has as to how many SPARD schemes have not had a claim for payment submitted; and, of these, how many relate to buildings related to(a) beef production and (b) potato production. [18985]

  Mr. Ancram
  [holding answer 6 March 1997]:: A total of 5,004 applications made under the sub-programme for agriculture and rural development capital grants and farm innovation schemes have not had a claim for payment submitted. Of these (a) 1,760 had buildings related to beef production included and; (b) 156 had buildings related to potato production included.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many answers to parliamentary questions by Ministers in his Department in the last 12 months have exceeded the advisory cost limit; and if he will make a statement. [19340]

  Sir John Wheeler
  Where the cost of answering a particular parliamentary question is estimated to exceed £450, it is the general practice for Departments to make it clear that the question could be answered only by incurring disproportionate cost. Given the large number of questions tabled, it would be unreasonable for my Department systematically to calculate the exact cost of answering every single parliamentary question.

  Research Councils (Commissions)
  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many commissions his Department placed with the Agriculture and Food Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council in each year from 1979 to the present; how many such commissions he expects to place in 1997; and what the value was of the commissions in(a) cash and (b) constant prices. [19368]

  Mr. Ancram
  Nil.

  Emergency Provisions Act
  Mr. Brazier
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he intends to publish the report from Mr. J. J. Rowe, QC on the operation in 1996 of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1996; and if he will make a statement on the provisions contained in the Act. [19525]
  64
  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  I have received Mr. Rowe's report. It is being published today and copies are being placed in the Library. I am most grateful to him for his work.

  With the resumption of violence in Northern Ireland, there is renewed use of the powers contained in the Act. Mr. Rowe believes the Act remains necessary. This is also the view of the Government. I am therefore laying before the House today a draft order which would continue for a further year those provisions in the Act which are currently in force.

DEFENCE

  Organophosphates
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research into the health effects of organophosphate-based insecticides and pesticides has been conducted by the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment at Porton Down for his Department since 1979. [19090]

  Mr. Arbuthnot
  The Defence Evaluation and Research Agency has not conducted any research programmes on the health effects of pesticidal organophosphorous compounds.

  Netheravon Airfield
  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about fire cover at Netheravon airfield on Salisbury plain. [19065]

  Mr. Soames
  Airfield camp, Netheravon is being retained in the defence estate to house flying and non-flying units and as a landing site and forward mounting base for helicopters using the Salisbury plain training area. Under current plans, fire service cover will be provided by a six-man team based at Middle Wallop.

  On-site Inspections
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the on-site inspections made in the United Kingdom under the Stockholm and Vienna documents in the last five years. [19225]

  Mr. Soames
  The Stockholm document was superseded by the Vienna document in 1990. There has been one inspection in the United Kingdom under the Vienna document since 1992:1–4 March 1994: Russia inspected 3 Commando Brigade on Exercise Royal Dawn in Scotland.

  Additionally, there have been seven evaluation visits under the Vienna document:

  22 April 1992: Russia to 24 Airmobile brigade, Catterick Garrison.

  15 December 1992: Sweden to 19 Mechanised brigade, Colchester.

  20 July 1993: Russia to 1 Mechanised brigade, Tidworth.

  17 May 1995: Russia to 2 (South East) brigade, Shorncliffe.

  7 June 1996: Sweden to HQ 2 division, York.

  22 June 1996: Sweden to HQ 2 division, York.

  27 February 1997: Ukraine to 145 (Home Counties) brigade, Aldershot.

  65

  Trident
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total number of Trident missiles purchased from the United States of America to date. [19223]

  Mr. Arbuthnot
  So far, the UK has purchased 44 Trident missiles from the United States. A contract for a further seven was placed by the US Department of Defence in November 1996 on behalf of the United Kingdom.

  NATO
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals he has to revise NATO's strategic concept agreed in 1991. [19109]

  Mr. Soames
  I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave on 6 March 1997,Official Report, column 712, to the hon. Member for Ilford, South (Mr. Gapes).

  Army Foundation College
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many students are expected to enter the Army foundation college in the first five years; and what will be the cost per student. [19105]

  Mr. Soames
  During the first year of operation, commencing in September 1998, 600 students are expected to enter the college, with the annual intake rising to a planned total of some 1,300 students in the year from September 2000. As the college is the subject of a private finance initiative proposal, its running costs will depend on the outcome of the PFI process. In addition, each student will be paid a salary of between £105 to £168 per week, according to age.

  Guns
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many guns have been stolen or cannot otherwise be accounted for in each service, categorised by type of gun, in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [19279]

  Mr. Soames
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 16 January 1996, Official Report, column 537.

  Former Prisoners of War
  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the review of possible further compensation for British second world war prisoners of war is likely to be concluded; and if he will make a statement. [19256]

  Mr. Soames
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 February 1997 to the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Mr. Waterson),Official Report, column 120.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many answers to parliamentary questions by Ministers in his Department in the last 12 months have exceeded the advisory cost limit; and if he will make a statement. [19350]
  66
  Mr. Soames
  Where the cost of answering a particular parliamentary question is estimated to exceed £450, it is the general practice for Departments to make it clear that the question could be answered only by incurring disproportionate cost. Given the large numbers of questions tabled, it would be unreasonable for my Department systematically to calculate the exact cost of answering every single parliamentary question.

  Naval Movements (Ayrshire)
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 19 February,Official Report, column 639, what the naval manoeuvres were arranged; and if there was any liaison between his Department and officials of the Cabinet Office in arranging them. [19414]

  Mr. Soames
  The naval activity which took place off the Ayrshire coast on 31 January 1997 was planned some 12 months in advance. There was no requirement for liaison with officials of the Cabinet Office. This was part of routine naval operations involving UK and NATO forces in UK territorial waters.

  Corporal Simon Cullen
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to reply to the letter of 5 December 1996 from the hon. Member for East Lothian about events relating an injury to Corporal Simon Cullen, MBE. [19361]

  Mr. Soames
  The case in question is a complex one which involved a number of issues requiring careful examination. Our investigation are, however, almost complete and I will write to the hon. Member within the week. I apologise for my delay in so doing.

SCOTLAND

  Cycle Challenge Fund
  Mrs. Liddell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many projects have benefited from the cycle challenge fund; and if he will list them. [18381]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The Scottish Office cycle challenge was announced in December 1996. Its aim is to offer grant support in 1998–99 for innovative cycle projects designed to encourage an increase in cycle use. The closing date for applications is 15 June 1997. No applications have yet been received. It is hoped that decisions on successful projects will be announced by December 1997.

  Scientists
  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many food and agriculture scientists were employed in Government-funded food and science establishments by his Department on(a) the most recent date available and (b) 31 March (i) 1995, (ii) 1990, (iii) 1985 and (iv) 1980. [18178]

  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  [holding answer 5 March 1997]: The Scottish Office currently employs 86 scientists at the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency and 159 scientists in the fisheries research services. They work in

  67
  a wide range of scientific areas, including food and agriculture. Information for the earlier years is no longer held centrally.

  Non-NHS Health Care Providers
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total expenditure on the purchase of health care from non-NHS providers in 1995–96 by(a) district health boards, (b) fundholding general practitioners and (c) NHS trusts in Scotland. [18800]

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

  Purchase of health care from non-NHS providers

  Health board

  Fundholding GPs

  NHS trusts

  £

  £

  £

  Argyll and Clyde

  7,608,155

  12,586

  217,554

  Ayrshire and Arran

  3,361,111

  4,809

  0

  Borders

  1,806,601

  61,326

  0

  Dumfries and Galloway

  635,719

  4,929

  44,347

  Fife

  834,835

  60,822

  1,041,826

  Forth Valley

  1,683,462

  124,937

  0

  Grampian

  955,627

  392,437

  991,358

  Greater Glasgow

  18,004,559

  102,803

  0

  Highland

  2,143,443

  81,924

  0

  Lanarkshire

  9,161,237

  38,328

  0

  Lothian

  7,434,878

  342,981

  0

  Orkney

  5,370

  0

  0

  Shetland

  7,920

  0

  0

  Tayside

  771,508

  108,942

  0

  Western Isles

  122,443

  0

  0

  Scottish totals

  54,536,868

  1,336,824

  2,295,085

  Over £31 million is spent on charities and voluntary bodies and is included in the figures in the table.

  NHS Employees' Pay
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what were the NHS salaries and wages costs for(a) all administrative, clerical and management staff and (b)nurses and midwives in each financial year from 1988–89 and 1993–94. [18893]

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

  £000

  Financial year

  Administrative, clerical and management staff

  Nurses and midwives

  1988–89

  113,844

  731,406

  1989–90

  130,055

  778,921

  1990–91

  152,546

  834,093

  1991–92

  175,717

  910,326

  1992–93

  200,639

  964,363

  1993–94

  236,252

  973,912

  Nurses
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the hospital and community health 68
  services nurses who are (a) qualified, (b) unqualified, (c) midwives, (d) learner staff and (e) Project 2000 students, as whole-time equivalents, employed in each year since 1991. [18895]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The information available is shown in the table.

  Nursing staff1 by qualification

  Whole-time equivalent: at 30 September

  1991

  1992

  1993

  1994

  1995

  Nursing staff1

  47,838.3

  47,981.7

  47,775.2

  47,726.3

  47,766.9

  Hospital1

  42,610.6

  42,842.7

  42,664.1

  42,545.2

  42,458.9

  Qualified

  27,060.0

  26,988.8

  26,780.0

  26,899.6

  26,916.6

  Unqualified

  15,550.6

  15,854.0

  15,884.0

  15,645.5

  15,542.4

  Community1

  5,227.8

  5,138.9

  5,111.2

  5,181.1

  5,308.0

  Qualified

  4,716.1

  4,643.4

  4,617.5

  4,646.7

  4,730.2

  Unqualified

  511.7

  495.5

  493.7

  534.3

  577.7

  Midwifery

  staff2

  4,345.2

  4,393.6

  4,389.4

  4,365.0

  4,279.3

  Midwives

  2,765.4

  2,783.2

  2,814.4

  2,804.6

  2,745.8

  Hospital

  2,488.8

  2,510.4

  2,532.3

  2,495.2

  2,462.4

  Community

  276.7

  272.7

  282.1

  309.4

  283.4

  Combined Duty Nurses3

  533

  516.6

  499.1

  480

  439.1

  Hospital maternity staff4

  1,046.8

  1,093.8

  1,075.9

  1,080.4

  1,094.4

  Qualified

  182.9

  215.4

  223.9

  253

  311.6

  Unqualified

  864

  878.5

  852

  827.4

  782.8

  Nurses in training

  Hospital5

  9,883.7

  7,924.9

  5,029.2

  2,147.7

  627.1

  Community5

  98

  48.5

  '35.2

  "206.0

  "245.0

  P2000

  students6

  —

  1,403

  3,617

  5,445

  6,191

  Programmes in midwifery

  —

  121

  283

  424

  456

  Other

  —

  1,282

  3,334

  5,021

  5,735

  Notes:

  1 Excludes midwives, maternity nursing staff, combined duty nurses working with an element of midwifery, nurse teachers, nurses in training and P2000 students in nursing and midwifery. Some nursing staff included in the 'hospital' category may in fact work in a community setting.

  2Excludes nurse teachers, nurses in training and P2000 students in nursing and midwifery. Some nursing staff included in the 'hospital' category may in fact work in a community setting.

  3Midwives with combined duties including health visiting and district nursing.

  4Consists of nursing staff working in the midwifery specially without a midwifery qualification.

  5Nurses in training include staff on post-basic training.

  6Figures have been supplied by the National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting for Scotland. Data are numbers at 31 October.

  7Under recorded. Some nurses in training have been unavoidably included with qualified grades.

  8Figures have been supplied by the National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting for Scotland. Data are numbers at 31 October and include nurses in training who are not sponsored by the NHS. Some nurses in training have been unavoidably included with qualified grades.

  Source:

  National Manpower Statistics from payroll (NAMS), National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting for Scotland, ISD (Scotland).
  69

  Irvine Housing Association
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland for what reason Scottish Homes plans to pay its first monitoring visit to the Irvine housing association in July 1997; and if he will instruct Scottish Homes to bring forward its monitoring visit to the Irvine housing association. [19398]

  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  I am advised by Scottish Homes that, in line with the established timetable for monitoring visits following registration of a new association, Irvine housing association received a post registration visit after a year of operating, and is scheduled for a full monitoring visit after a further two years, in July 1997.

  Scottish Homes is also currently addressing issues relating to certain aspects of the association's membership policy, which is being amended, and other matters. In advance of the outcome of this process, I am not persuaded that there is a need for Scottish Homes to bring forward its planned monitoring visit.

  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) by what date Scottish Homes expects the Irvine housing association to have in place its new membership policy for the association; [19399]

  (2) if he will list the principles which Scottish Homes require housing associations to operate in relation to their housing allocation systems and what assessment he has made of the Irvine housing association's compliance with these principles in respect of its policy towards applications for housing from new applicants. [19440]

  Mr. Robertson
  The information requested relates to operational matters which are the responsibility of Scottish Homes. I have asked its chairman, Mr. John Ward, to respond to the hon. Member direct.

  Selected staff groups employed in the Scottish Health Service1

  Whole time equivalent: as at 30 September

  Doctors2

  Whole time equivalent Nursing staff3

  Administrators4

  Doctors2

  Percentage of all staff Nursing staff3

  Administrators4

  Total

  Qualified

  Unqualified

  Total

  Qualified

  Unqualified

  1986

  5,735.6

  50,867.4

  33,616.0

  17,251.4

  14,445.5

  5.1

  45.5

  30.1

  15.4

  12.9

  1987

  5,736.6

  51,716.0

  34,267.9

  17,448.1

  14,712.3

  5.1

  46.2

  30.6

  15.6

  13.1

  1988

  5,994.7

  52,053.1

  34,658.3

  17,394.8

  14,803.2

  5.4

  46.9

  31.2

  15.7

  13.3

  1989

  6,014.0

  52,650.8

  35,325.9

  17,324.9

  15,222.9

  5.5

  48.4

  32.4

  15.9

  14.0

  1990

  6,174.9

  52,283.1

  35,372.0

  16,911.1

  15,923.8

  5.8

  49.0

  33.2

  15.9

  14.9

  1991

  6,203.1

  52,647.6

  35,576.3

  17,071.3

  16,584.1

  5.8

  49.3

  33.3

  16.0

  15.5

  1992

  6,339.6

  52,828.9

  35,454.6

  17,374.3

  17,639.6

  5.9

  49.1

  33.0

  16.2

  16.4

  1993

  6,476.4

  52,634.7

  35,270.1

  17,364.6

  18,538.5

  6.0

  48.7

  32.6

  16.1

  17.2

  1994

  6,683.4

  52,521.2

  35,381.4

  17,139.8

  19,474.4

  6.2

  48.5

  32.7

  15.8

  18.0

  1995

  6,849.3

  52,416.3

  35,379.8

  17,036.5

  19,777.9

  6.3

  48.3

  32.6

  15.7

  18.2

  19965

  7,061.1

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Notes:

  1Post 1990 figures include data for State Hospital, Carstairs.

  2Comprises hospital and community medical staff. Excludes general practitioners.

  3Excludes nurse teachers, nurses in training and P2000 students in nursing and midwifery.

  4Comprises general and senior managers, staff employed on A and C grades and ambulance and control officers. The increase in the number of administrative staff can be partially accounted for by the assimilation of nursing and other professional staff to senior manager grades.

  5 Provisional.

  n/a = unavailable.

  Source:

  National Manpower Statistics from payroll (NAMS), Medical and Dental Census, ISD Scotland
  70

  NHS Staff
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many NHS clerical, administrative and management staff there were in each year since 1989. [18896]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The information available is shown in the table.

  General and senior manager grades and administrative and clerical staff employed in the Scottish Health Services

  Whole time equivalent: at 30 September

  General and senior manager grades1

  Administrative and clerical2

  1989

  n/a

  15,222.9

  1990

  n/a

  15,923.8

  1991

  523.6

  16,060.5

  1992

  800.5

  16,839.0

  1993

  1,151.6

  17,386.9

  1994

  1,720.0

  17,754.4

  1995

  2,180.2

  17,597.9

  Notes:

  1The increase in numbers can be partially accounted for by the assimilation of nursing, professional and A&C staff to senior manager grades.

  2 For the years prior to September 1991, management grades are included in A&C grades 1–10.

  n/a=not applicable.

  Source:

  National Manpower Statistics from payroll (NAMS), ISD (Scotland).

  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (i) doctors, (ii) nurses and (iii) administrators were employed by the NHS in Scotland in each year since 1986–87; and if he will indicate for each year the percentage of NHS staff each category represented. [19128]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The information available is shown in the table.
  71

  NHS Administration (Costs)
  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what were the total costs associated with administration in the NHS in Scotland (i) in real terms, (ii) in cash terms and (iii) as a percentage of total NHS expenditure in Scotland in each year since 1986–87. [19129]

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

  Real terms £000

  Cash terms £000

  Percentage of total NHS expenditure

  1986–87

  184,639

  184,639

  8.9

  1987–88

  180,810

  190,437

  8.4

  1988–89

  184,568

  207,401

  8.2

  1989–90

  187,701

  225,654

  8.2

  1990–91

  192,975

  250,521

  8.4

  1991–92

  246,017

  339,839

  9.3

  1992–93

  245,905

  353,996

  9.1

  1993–94

  276,039

  400,344

  9.7

  1994–95

  310,168

  467,611

  10.8

  1995–96

  315,343

  486,964

  11.1

  The introduction of capital charging in 1991–92, to reflect the costs of using capital resources, is reflected in that and subsequent years' expenditure.

  Local Government Reorganisation
  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what were the total costs to his Department of local government reorganisation in Scotland in each year since 1992. [19156]

  Mr. Kynoch
  The Scottish Office made additional financial provision available to councils in connection with local government reform as set out in the table.

  £ million

  Scottish Office provision

  1995–96

  Costs of shadow elections

  5

  Costs of shadow councils

  36

  Capital allocations

  15

  1996–97

  Transitional costs

  70

  1997–98

  Transitional costs

  20

  Total

  146

  In addition, a division within the Scottish Office dedicated to local government reform existed from 1992–95 at a total aggregate cost of £853,099. It is now up to councils to manage their business efficiently so that local government reform delivers the best possible long-term savings for the benefit of the people of Scotland.
  72

  Health Boards (Publicity Budgets)
  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the annual publicity budget of each health board in Scotland in each year since 1986–87. [19131]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The information requested is not collected centrally.

  Stone of Destiny
  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will provide a breakdown of the costs associated with returning the Stone of Destiny to Scotland. [19130]

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Cunninghame, South (Mr. Donohoe) on 4 December 1996, column 695.

  Health Care International, Clydebank
  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what funding has been made available by(a) his Department and (b) Government agencies to HCI, Clydebank in each year since its inception. [19132]

  Mr. Kynoch
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Moray (Mrs. Ewing) on 21 May 1996, columns 152–54 which set out all support from public funds given to Health Care International (Scotland) Ltd. There has been no additional support to HCI from public funds since then.

  Farmed Salmon
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the current market conditions for farmed salmon produced in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [19516]

  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  I am concerned about stability in the European market for farmed salmon and have taken various initiatives to try to improve the position. The outcome of the investigations of the Scottish industry's anti-dumping and anti-subsidy complaints are imminent. If convincing evidence comes to light from the Commission's investigation of those complaints, I have assured the industry of the Government's whole-hearted backing.

  Sleep Laboratory (Funding)
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many representations he has received on the future funding of the sleep laboratory at Edinburgh royal infirmary; and if he will make a statement. [19362]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  I refer the hon. Member to my reply on 28 February to the Member for Angus, East (Mr. Welsh), column 456–57. Some 229 letters have been received about the future funding of the national sleep laboratory.

  Scottish Homes
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much Scottish Homes spent on(a) its public

  73
  relations and marketing activities and (b) informing its tenants of its stock transfer arrangements in (i) 1994–95, (ii) 1995–96 and (iii) 1996–97. [19396]

  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  The available information is set out in the table.

  Expenditure on publicity and marketing

  Total

  On publicity relating to stock transfers

  £

  £

  1994–95

  990,000

  32,000

  1995–96

  865,000

  67,000

  1996–97

  650,000

  115,000

  Notes:

  1. 1996–97 figures are the planned expenditure for the year.

  2. Figures in the first column include expenditure on printing and publishing internal and external documents, annual reports, newsletters, policy and research documents and the funding of conference events, exhibitions and displays.

  3. Figures in the second column include expenditure on local advertising to attract competition from alternative landlords, the printing and publication of tenants' newsletters, leaflets and other documents explaining transfer procedures and giving up to date information.

  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when Scottish Homes expects to proceed with the ballot of its remaining tenants within the Cunninghame, South constituency in order to find a new landlord. [19397]

  Mr. Robertson
  I am advised that Scottish Homes intends to seek outline proposals from alternative landlords interested in the transfer of Scottish Homes; stock in the Irvine and Kilwinning areas during the second half of 1997. On this basis, the ballot might take place in early 1999.

  Research Councils (Commissions)
  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many commissions his Department placed with the Agriculture and Food Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council in each year since 1979; how many such commissions he expects to place in 1997; and what the value was of the commissions in(a) cash and (b) constant prices. [19367]

  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  The number and value of Scottish Office-funded research contracts placed with the Agriculture and Food Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council institutes in each year since 1991–92 are set out in the following table. Contracts to be let in 1997 have yet to be advertised, and it is therefore not yet known which contractors will be successful. Data in respect of the financial years before 1991–92 are not held centrally.

  Total value of research contracts placed (£ thousand)

  Year

  Number of research contracts placed

  Cash

  Constant prices (1995–96)

  1991–92

  0

  0

  0

  1992–93

  0

  0

  0

  1993–94

  1

  56

  58

  1994–95

  2

  236

  242

  1995–96

  0

  0

  0

  1996–97

  1

  142

  139

  74

  Ayrshire and Arran Health Board
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent by Ayrshire and Arran health board in pursuit of legal action surrounding its planning application to North Ayrshire council and its predecessor Cunninghame district council in respect of the site of the former Ravenspark hospital; and what authorisation his Department has given to Ayrshire and Arran health board to pursue this legal action. [19400]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  This is a matter for Ayrshire and Arran health board. The health board does not require Scottish Office approval to pursue this kind of legal action.

ENVIRONMENT

  Waste Water (High Natural Dispersion Areas)
  Mrs. Helen Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment which areas of the North and Irish seas have been designated high natural dispersion areas. [18779]

  Mr. Clappison
  I have placed in the Libraries of the House a table of those areas in England and Wales in the North and Irish seas jointly identified by my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Wales as high natural dispersion areas for the purposes of the EC directive on urban waste water treatment. The areas are identified by their reference number and the names of associated discharges.

  A marine water body or area can be identified as a high natural dispersion area if the discharge of waste water does not adversely affect the environment as a result of morphology, hydrology or specific hydraulic conditions which exist in that area.

  High natural dispersion areas identified in Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Northern Ireland.

  Gas and Electricity (Standards of Performance Scheme)
  Mr. Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate(a) the savings to gas consumers in pounds sterling and (b) the reduction in carbon emissions since 1994, if a scheme equivalent to the standards of performance scheme for electricity consumers had been introduced for gas consumers. [18872]

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  It is not possible to make meaningful estimates, since they would depend on hypothetical assumptions about a series of factors, including the types of project run by gas companies under a standards of performance scheme, the level of consumers' take-up of project schemes, the costs of individual projects, and other factors.

  Cryptosporidium
  Mr. Boateng
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many incidents of cryptosporidum in the water supply have been notified to him in the past 12 months; and in which water company areas. [18911]
  75
  Mr. Clappison
  Water companies in England and Wales are required to report all incidents in which drinking water quality might be affected. All incidents are investigated by the drinking water inspectorate. Most incidents are relatively minor happenings.

  The most significant risk to drinking water quality is the presence of cryptosporidium oocysts. On cryptosporidium, the notification to the inspectorate can relate either to the detection of cryptosporidium oocysts in treated water or to an increase of the illness cryptosporidiosis in the community or both. The transmission of the illness occurs in a number of ways and often through contact with animals. One recent outbreak of cryptosporidiosis was found to be associated with the failure of a milk pasteurisation plant.

  All incidents are investigated fully by the inspectorate. As cryptosporidiosis can be transmitted in many ways, the source of any outbreak has to be established through epidemiology. A case of South West Water Services Ltd. allegedly supplying water unfit for human consumption during 1995 because of cryptosporidium is currently before the courts.

  Notifications of events involving cryptosporidium since 1 March 1996 are listed below under three headings, with the status of the investigation. It should be noted that not all notifications become confirmed as incidents.

  Cryptosporidium oocysts detected in treated water but no reported increase of cryptosporidiosis in the community

  Water company area

  Date

  Location

  Status

  South West Water

  29 May 1996

  Littlehempston

  Concluded

  Cambridge Water

  30 May 1996

  Duxford/Linton

  Concluded

  South West Water

  27 June 1996

  Crown Hill WTW

  Concluded

  Mid Kent Water

  3 July 1996

  Burham WTW

  Concluded

  Southern Water

  Yorkshire Water

  17 October 1996

  Elvington WTW (raw water only)

  Under investigation

  Northumbrian Water

  22 October 1996

  Lumley WTW

  Under investigation

  Yorkshire Water

  21 February 1997

  Pately Bridge

  Under Investigation

  An increase in cryptosporidiosis in the community but oocysts not detected in treated water

  Water company area

  Date

  Location

  Status

  Yorkshire Water

  21 March 1996

  Tophill Low

  Under investigation

  Anglian Water

  12 February 1997

  Bedford area

  Under investigation

  Three Valleys Water

  26 February 1997

  Luton/Dunstable

  Under investigation

  Both oocysts detected in treated water and an increase of cryptosporidiosis in the community

  Water company area

  Date

  Location

  Status

  North West Water

  29 April 1996

  The Wirral

  Under investigation

  Portsmouth Water

  18 November 1996

  Itchen WTW

  Under investigation

  Three Valleys Water

  2 March 1997

  Clay Lane WTW

  Under investigation

  76

  Salisbury Bypass
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice he has received from English Nature concerning the proposed Salisbury bypass. [19097]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  The Highways Agency report on the scope for realigning the section of the route across the sensitive area of the River Avon floodpath south of Salisbury, which incorporates advice from English Nature and others, has recently been submitted to my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Transport. They will consider English Nature's views as part of their consideration of the Highways Agency's report.

  Council Leaseholders
  Mr. Soley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which London local authorities have adopted the exchange sales scheme for council leaseholders who have unmortgageable properties. [18431]

  Mr. Clappison
  Six London authorities have reported to us that they have adopted the exchange sales scheme: the London boroughs of Barnet, Brent, Croydon, Hammersmith and Fulham, Sutton, and the City of Westminster.

  Willenhall Shopping Precinct Project
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is the policy of English Partnerships in respect of negotiations with Coventry city council regarding the Willenhall shopping precinct project; [18889]

  (2) what are the reasons for the delays in the negotiations between English Partnerships and those partners involved in the Willenhall shopping precinct project; [18890]

  (3) if he will commission an urgent inquiry into the manner in which English Partnerships has handled negotiations with those partners involved in the Willenhall shopping precinct project. [18891]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  English Partnerships received an application from a private developer, Bellway Urban Renewal, in July 1996 for funding of £1.7 million towards a proposal it had developed with Coventry city council and the Coventry and East Mercia Co-operative Society for the development of Willenhall shopping precinct. The agency has been consistently supportive of the project and has submitted it to close and careful appraisal to ensure the best value for money, as it does for every other part of its programme. English Partnerships has now confirmed its offer to Bellway Urban Renewal, and a press conference and start on site, both involving the city council, are scheduled for Monday 10 March. English Partnerships has a strong working relationship with Coventry city council, spanning a wide range of projects of which this is a key component.

  The time scale is customary for a project of this size and complexity, which has required negotiation with a number of parties, including the local community.
  77

  English Partnerships
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the way English Partnerships conducts negotiations on the projects it is involved with. [18892]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is completely satisfied with the way in which English Partnerships operates its development programme. Before committing any resources, English Partnerships submits all potential projects to close appraisal in order to ensure that the agency follows the latest best practice and achieves the best possible value for public money at its disposal. The basis of this appraisal is described in the agency's published "Investment Guide" and "Community Investment Guide".

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many answers to parliamentary questions by Ministers in his Department in the last 12 months have exceeded the advisory cost limit; and if he will make a statement. [19345]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  Where the cost of answering a particular parliamentary question is estimated to exceed £450, it is my Department's general practice to make clear in replying that an answer could be given only by incurring disproportionate cost. Given the large number of questions tabled, it would be unreasonable for my Department to calculate systematically the exact cost of answering every single parliamentary question.

  Teesside Development Corporation
  Mr. Frank Cook
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hall Green (Mr. Hargreaves), of 20 February,Official Report, column 677, if he will (a) list and (b) make a statement on the regeneration schemes to be brought forward by the Teesside development corporation. [19232]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  The increase in funding for the Teesside development corporation in 1996–97 was a result of bringing forward part of the grant in aid already allocated to the development corporation for 1997–98. There was no extra public funding involved. The corporation was offered the possibility of earlier availability of funding as part of a wider readjustment of the single regeneration budget, of which urban development corporations now form a part. Adjustments of this sort are part of the routine financial management of the SRB.

  TDC's corporation plan for the remainder of its life, until it is wound up in March 1998, includes the completion of its work at Teesdale and at Middlesbrough dock. The corporation will now be in a position to bring forward work on that programme.

  House Conditions
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide for each region from the 1991 English house condition survey the(a) construction date by tenure, (b) unfitness by tenure, (c) worst or best condition by tenure, (d) unfit vacants by tenure,
  78
  (e) unfitness by dwelling type and tenure, (f) reason for vacancy by tenure and (g) variation of general comprehensive and urgent repair costs by tenure. [19255]

  Mr. Clappison
  The sample of dwellings surveyed in the 1991 English house condition survey is too small to provide reliable results at this level of disaggregation.

  Residuary Bodies
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what have been the costs to date of running the residuary bodies established under section 22 of the Local Government Act 1992. [19526]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  Total net expenditure by the local government residuary body (England) in 1995–96 was £190,000. Forecast total net expenditure for 1996–97 is £400,000, some £268,000 of which represents payment to the East Riding of Yorkshire council for maintenance of archives of the former Humberside county council.

  Design Improvement Controlled Experiment
  Mr. Congdon
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the findings of the evaluation of the design improvement controlled experiment commissioned from Price Waterhouse will be available. [19545]

  Mr. Curry
  This is being published today. Copies of the report "The Design Improvement Controlled Experiment: an Evaluation of the Impact, Costs and Benefits of Estate Re-modelling" have been placed in the Library of the House.

  Air Quality
  Mr. Austin-Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to issue the regulations and guidance required for implementation of part IV of the Environment Act 1995; and if he will make a statement. [19365]

  Mr. Gummer
  The national air quality strategy will be published shortly. The regulations and guidance will follow.

  Docklands Light Railway
  Mr. Brooke
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how the Government will implement the 1992 manifesto commitment to privatise the docklands light railway; and if he will make a statement. [19842]

  Mr. Gummer
  Following an open competition, the operation of the docklands light railway will be privatised today through a seven-year franchise to Docklands Railway Management Ltd.—a consortium of Serco Group plc and a team of DLR Ltd. managers. DRML will take over full responsibility for DLR operations in April.

  Safety on the DLR remains the first and overriding priority. Before DRML takes over DLR operations, its safety case must be approved by Her Majesty's railway inspectorate.

  The franchise will embrace the operation and maintenance of trains, track and other equipment on the DLR network as well as marketing and revenue collection. The franchisee will also operate train services on the new 4.2 km extension of the DLR to Lewisham,

  79
  which is being built under the Government's private finance initiative by City Greenwich Lewisham Rail plc, when it opens to passenger service in 1999–2000.

  I announced my intention to franchise the DLR in October 1994. I said that the Government's aim was further to improve the DLR's efficiency, reliability and quality of service and ensured that the railway continued to develop as a customer-oriented public transport service. I also said that I aimed to reduce the DLR's dependence on public subsidy. All of these objectives will be achieved through the contract DLR Ltd. will let to DRML today.

  The franchise insists upon service levels to be maintained to meet customer expectations and to underpin the Government's regeneration policies in Docklands and the Thames Gateway. DLR services must, as a minimum, be operated between 5.30 am and 12.30 am Mondays to Fridays, 6.00 am to 12.30 am on Saturdays and 7.30 am to 11.30 pm on Sundays. Frequent train services must be operated. Quality of service must continue to be provided in terms of train reliability, cleanliness, availability of escalators and lifts, and so on, safeguarded by DLR's existing passenger charter standards.

  The DLR will remain part of London's integrated ticketing arrangements and travelcards will continue to be valid for travel on the DLR.

  DRML will receive three main types of remuneration: a fixed fee payable by DLR Ltd., set in advance for each of the seven years of the franchise, indexed to the retail prices index, to meet the operating deficit DRML expects to incur on the existing DLR network; and to meet DRML's forecast costs in operating services on the Lewisham extension; the fare revenue from passengers on the existing DLR network; ancillary income from commercial activity on DLR stations, such as shops and merchandising.

  If the operating deficit is greater than DRML has forecast, the fixed fee will not be increased to compensate for the shortfall.

  Financial incentives will also play a part. The fixed fees payable by DLR Ltd. to DRML will be reduced if minimum service levels are not achieved or if quality standards are not met. No fee will be paid if DLR services are not run through the default of DRML. Balanced against that, DRML will receive incentive payments if it delivers a quality of service above the charter standards.

  Capital investment in the DLR will continue throughout the franchise period to ensure that the DLR's longer-term needs are not overlooked—£45 million is earmarked for this in total. Moreover, safeguards for DLR Ltd. in the form of performance bonds and a retention account, with termination rights in the contract, will ensure that the DLR is properly maintained for the period of the franchise and handed back to DLR Ltd. in good condition.

  Through these arrangements, significant operational and commercial risks will be transferred to DRML in relation to DLR's future costs and income, thereby giving DRML incentives to achieve cost efficiency, maximise income and deliver quality of service to customers. The taxpayer will benefit too. By bringing in private sector expertise on a risk-taking basis, DLR's dependence on public subsidy will also be reduced by 24 per cent. over
  80
  the franchise period. In the three years covered by the 1996 public expenditure survey, Government grant to DLR Ltd. will be reduced by around £8.5 million.

  DRML will be regulated by the residual DLR Ltd., which will regulate minimum service levels, quality standards, investment in maintenance and so on.

  The successful outcome of the DLR franchise competition is a further demonstration of the benefits that privatisation can deliver. I have thanked the chairman of DLR Ltd., Sir Anthony Gill, and his board, for achieving significant improvements in DLR reliability and cost efficiency over recent years, in line with my requirements, and for their success in letting this franchise to deliver continuing benefits in higher quality of service.

  Organophosphates
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 25 February,Official Report, column 154, if he will list the titles of the research project reports on organophosphates; and if he will place in the Library copies of each report produced since 1987. [19482]

  Mr. Gummer
  The information requested is given in the table. Copies of these reports will be placed in the House Library later this week.

  Other research into the environmental impact of pesticides and veterinary medicines, which covers impact on headwater streams, the transport of pesticides by colloids, indirect effects on farmland birds, and the impact of sea-lice treatments on sea loch ecology, is still in progress.

  "Proposed Environmental Quality Standards for Azinphos-methyl in Water" (DOE 2348-M/1, January 1991)

  "Proposed Environmental Quality Standards for Fenitrothion in Water" (DOE 2197-M/2, January 1991)

  "Proposed Environmental Quality Standards for Dichlorvos in Water" (DOE 2249-M/2, February 1991)

  "Proposed Environmental Quality Standards for Malathion in Water" (DOE 2110-M/2, February 1991)

  "Proposed Environmental Quality Standards for Dimethoate and Omethoate in Water" (DOE 3300-I, (February 1994)

  "Proposed Environmental Quality Standards for Trinzophos in Water" (DOE 3620/1, December 1994)

  "Proposed Environmental Quality Standards for Demetons in Water" (DOE 3654 1, September 1995)

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Attorney-General how many of his answers to parliamentary questions in the last 12 months have exceeded the advisory cost limit; and if he will make a statement. [19336]

  The Attorney-General
  The information is not available and could be provided only by an exhaustive analysis of the time taken to prepare answers to previous parliamentary questions which would itself involve disproportionate cost.
  81

  Crown Prosecution Service
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Attorney-General how many cases were referred to the Crown Prosecution Service for each year since its formation; how many were abandoned prior to(a) court stages and (b) trial; how many resulted in (i) conviction, (ii) acquittal and (iii) discharge; and if he will make a statement. [19027]

  The Attorney-General
  Table 1 shows the number of cases referred to the Crown Prosecution Service since its inception. The figures are inclusive of cases in which the service advised the police pre-charge, and of non-criminal proceedings.

  Table 2 shows the number of cases completed by the service and the way in which they were finalised: these figures are available in a consistent format only since April 1991. Cases in which the Crown Prosecution Service advised the police pre-charge and non-criminal proceedings are identified separately.

  The remainder of finalised cases are divided into those discontinued before the first court hearing; discontinuances at the first hearing and subsequent to the first hearing, but before trial; cases written off; those resulting in a bind over to keep the peace; committals to the Crown court; proceedings discharged at a committal hearing; and cases heard in magistrates' courts. Hearings are inclusive of guilty pleas as well as cases proceeding to a contested hearing after a plea of not guilty.

  Table 3 shows the number and proportion of hearings resulting in conviction and in dismissal.

  Table 2: Crown Prosecution Service completed cases in Magistrates' Courts

  Year ending March

  Finalised

  Advice

  Non criminal proceedings

  Discontinued before first hearing

  Discontinued before trial

  Write off

  Bind over

  Committed to Crown Court

  Discharged at committal

  Heard in Magistrates' Court

  1992

  1,568,853

  73,337

  22,752

  12,282

  162,167

  78,730

  28,673

  129,667

  2,872

  1,058.747

  1993

  1,532,512

  72,549

  26,105

  12,453

  181,321

  87,652

  27,834

  112,082

  2.153

  1,010,495

  1994

  1,454,239

  72,146

  27,097

  11,526

  157,181

  117,358

  23,555

  102,549

  1,774

  941,053

  1995

  1,477,617

  72,169

  28,616

  10,492

  150,937

  141,783

  23,166

  103,593

  1,601

  945,295

  1996

  1,352,330

  53,433

  22,705

  12,870

  139,859

  112,316

  18,822

  91,255

  1,511

  899,594

  19971

  987,702

  34,326

  9,805

  10,476

  103,897

  74,341

  15,158

  72,572

  1,415

  665,713

  1 April 1996 to December 1996 only.

  Table 3: Crown Prosecution Service case outcomes

  Year ending March

  Convicted

  Per cent.

  Dismissed

  Per cent.

  1992

  1,040,997

  97.4

  27,753

  2.6

  1993

  993,018

  97.6

  24,507

  2.4

  1994

  925,698

  97.7

  21,470

  2.3

  1995

  931,136

  97.8

  20,997

  2.2

  1996

  886,562

  97.9

  18,637

  2.1

  19971

  656,630

  98.1

  12,951

  1.9

  1 April 1996–December 1996 only.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Asylum Seekers
  Mr. Henderson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many asylum seekers have been in receipt of income support of housing benefit for each
  82
  The number of cases abandoned is not determined solely, or even primarily, by the judgment of lawyers. The Crown Prosecution Service has no choice but to discontinue cases when witnesses fail to appear, refuse to give evidence, or change their story; when defendants produce driving documents proving their innocence; when evidence must be excluded because of irregularities in its collection; and when gaps in the prosecution case cannot be plugged by the police. About half of cases discontinued are estimated to fall into the above categories.

  Convictions have remained consistently high, at around 98 per cent. of all cases proceeding to a hearing, supporting the view that the Crown Prosecution Service has succeeded in identifying cases in which the balance of evidence weighs in favour of prosecution, and has effectively pursued them in the courts.

  Table 1: Crown Prosecution Service receipts

  Year ending March

  Received in Magistrates' Courts

  1988

  1786,333

  1989

  1,574,116

  1990

  1,622,347

  1991

  1,625,057

  1992

  1,571,175

  1993

  1,530,586

  1994

  1,459,296

  1995

  1,443,743

  1996

  1,354,177

  1997

  21,006,070

  1 October 1987–March 1988 only.

  2 April 1996–December 1996 only.

  month since October 1995; and what was the cost of providing (a) income support, (b) housing benefit and (c) council tax benefit in each month. [15804]

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

  Asylum seekers receiving income support in Great Britain between November 1995 and May 1996

  Income support

  Number of recipients

  Estimated monthly expenditure (£ million)

  November 1995

  49,000

  12

  February 1996

  50,000

  12

  May 1996

  50,000

  13

  83

  Asylum seekers in receipt of income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit

  Number of recipients May 1995

  Estimated monthly expenditure 1995–96 (£ million)

  Housing benefit

  31,000

  11

  Council tax benefit

  15,000

  0.6

  Notes:

  1. All numbers have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

  2. Estimated expenditure is rounded to the nearest million pounds.

  3. Estimated monthly expenditure for income support has been calculated using numbers and average weekly payments in the enquiry week.

  4. Housing benefit/council tax benefit expenditure figures have been estimated using average amounts at May 1995, the latest information available.

  5. Recipient figures refer the benefit units which may be a single person or a couple.

  6. No information available for asylum seekers, not in receipt of income support and in receipt of housing/council tax benefits.

  Sources:

  1. "Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiries" November 1995, February 1996 and May 1996.

  2. Housing benefit management information system, annual 1 per cent. sample enquiry or housing benefit/council tax benefit recipients also in receipt of income support for Great Britain taken at the end of May 1995.

  State Retirement Pension
  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in which of the past 10 years (i) the single person's full basic retirement pension, (ii) the married couple's full basic state retirement pension and (iii) the married woman's pension rate has been(a) rounded up and (b) rounded down. [17861]

  Mr. Heald
  The category A basic retirement pension—the single person's retirement pension—was rounded up for the years: 1989, 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1997 and was rounded down for the years: 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1994 and 1995.

  The category B basic retirement pension—the married women's retirement pension—was rounded up for the years: 1987, 1988, 1990 and 1992 and was rounded down for the years: 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997.

  The married couples rates consists of the single rate plus the married woman's pension and is therefore not uprated independently.

  Note:
  In 1994 an amount was added to the standard rate of basic retirement pension in respect of an addition for VAT on fuel. The rounding calculation was carried out before this extra amount was added.

  Benefits Agency
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the forecast increase in work load at the Blackfriars Benefits Agency office following the proposed closure of the Kennington Benefits Agency office in September; what is the proposed increase in staffing to meet this increased work load; and what studies he has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the implications of benefits recipients who used the Kennington Benefits Agency office having to use the Blackfriars office. [18213]
  84
  Mr. Roger Evans
  This is an operational matter for Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Simon Hughes, dated 6 March 1997.

  The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what is the forecast increase in workload at the Blackfriars Benefits Agency (BA) office following the proposed closure of the Kennington BA office in September; what is the proposed increase in staffing to meet this increased workload; and what studies he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the implications of benefits recipients who used the Kennington BA office having to use the Blackfriars office.
  The BA District of Bankside includes the offices at Kennington Park, Southwark and Thames South. The decision to close the Kennington Park Office has not been made. The proposed closure is part of the Area's Estate Strategy to reduce its accommodation costs by ten per cent during 1997/98 and a further twenty per cent progressively during the following five years.
  The consultation process started on 3 March and will take approximately six weeks. As an essential part of this process the District will be writing to all local Members of Parliament and interested third parties informing them of the reasons for the proposed closure and requesting their comments. The office will also undertake a customer survey of those customers who currently use the Kennington Park Office to establish their opinions on their business being carried out by alternative means.
  On average 140 customers visit the Kennington Park Office each day. It is not possible to estimate exactly how many customers would choose to visit Southwark. For general advice customers could go to either Brixton or Battersea BA offices, which are located within a two mile radius. Telephone calls and postal enquiries from customers in the Kennington Park area are dealt with by the Southwark office. It is anticipated that if Kennington Park closes the majority of staff would move with the workload to Southwark.
  I hope you find this reply helpful.

  Child Support Agency
  Mr. Timms
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the number of absent fathers who have given up work to avoid payments to the Child Support Agency. [18272]

  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive Miss Ann Chant CB. She will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Ann Chant to Mr. Stephen Timms, dated 6 March 1997:

  I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about absent fathers giving up work to avoid paying maintenance to the Child Support Agency. I am afraid that as you imply, my answer cannot be a precise one.
  To begin with, we do not break down details of absent parents (or indeed parents with care) by gender so I cannot solely cover absent fathers as you asked. Moreover, as people move in and out of employment over the years for a wide range of reasons, it is not practicable to catalogue the reasons for every such development. Having said that, practical experience shows that very few absent parents deliberately give up their jobs to avoid paying legally due maintenance for their children. It is certainly the case that at some stage in the process, some absent parents threaten to take such a step, but the threat seems to be rarely carried out. Such an action would have a seriously detrimental effect on them and any second family they may have, not least because the maintenance assessment formula ensures that all absent parents, and their second families, are at least £30 a week better-off after payment of maintenance than they would be if unemployed and receiving Income Support. No one should now be assessed to pay more than 30% of their net income

  85
  in current maintenance, or more than 33% in an arrears case. In addition, leaving work voluntarily will have an adverse effect on the amount of Job Seekers Allowance that may be payable.
  Moreover when an absent parent resumes employment the Agency will reassess liability to ensure the correct amount of maintenance is paid and if necessary will enforce compliance by a detachment of earnings order. In practice we do not even have to take this action very often, so a rough estimate of how many absent parents give up a job and stay unemployed purely to avoid maintaining their children is "very few indeed"—especially viewed against the 1.5 million cases the Agency has now cleared. However there will of course always be some individuals who will go far beyond normal, rational behaviour and will indeed take the action that is the subject of your question.
  I hope this is helpful.

  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how much money collected by the Child Support Agency has accrued to the Treasury in the last three years for which figures are available; [18469]

  (2) what estimate he has made of the annual saving to the Government in terms of reduced benefit entitlement as a result of the work of the Child Support Agency. [18475]

  Mr. Mitchell
  The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Miss Ann Chant CB. She will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Ann Chant to Mr. Harry Cohen, dated 6 March 1997:

  I am replying to your Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security concerning monies collected by the Child Support Agency and benefit savings.
  Benefit savings are recorded when payment of maintenance or other action by the Agency leads to either a reduction in or a cessation of certain social security benefits paid to parents with care.
  Figures for annual benefit savings since Agency inception are as follows:

  1993–94: £418 million

  1994–95: £479 million

  1995–96: £493 million

  1996–97 (to 31 January 1997): £395 million

  The Agency does not get direct credit for all the benefit savings generated. During 1995–96 the Agency worked closely with the Benefits Agency to progress initiatives to reduce the burden on the general taxpayer. This meant that some of the savings that would have been scored by the Child Support Agency were instead scored by the Benefits Agency and this effect has carried over to 1996–97.
  Child maintenance payments are retained by the Secretary of State for Social Security to offset benefit that has already been paid to the parent with care or to refund benefit that has already been paid.
  As requested, details for the last three years are as follows.

  1994–95: £54.94 million

  1995–96: £70.92 million

  1996–97 (to 31 January 1997): £79.69 million

  These amounts are included within the overall figures for benefit savings quoted above. They should be seen in the context of the total amount of child maintenance that has been paid by absent parents (total figures for collected/arranged are quoted below) under this Agency's administration.

  1994–95: £187.40 million

  1995–96: £301.50 million

  1996–97 (to 31 January 1997): £322.34 million

  (the target for 1996–97 is a band of £380 million to 400 million, we are on course to achieve this)
  I hope this is helpful.
  86
  Mr. Timms
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many absent fathers in the case load of the Child Support Agency are unemployed; and of those how many were in employment when the agency first issued a demand to them. [18271]

  Mr. Mitchell
  The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Miss Ann Chant CB. She will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Ann Chant to Mr. Stephen Timms, dated 6 March 1997:

  I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the number of absent fathers in the Child Support caseload who are unemployed and of those how many were in employment when the agency first issued a demand to them.
  The information is not available in the precise format requested: The Agency does not differentiate between the cases it deals with on a gender basis, and I am therefore unable to provide any estimate concerning absent fathers. Latest figures available show that 253,700 absent parents were in receipt of earned income and 209,100 were not. Absent parents without an earned income include categories such as Income Support as well as other benefits such as Incapacity Benefit. We are unable to provide the exact number that are unemployed. A person who is unemployed could be so for many reasons. We have no reason to differentiate between an absent parent who has become unemployed because they have left employment and an absent parent who is unemployed due to other circumstances. The fluctuation of the labour market, especially at certain times of the year, means that an absent parent can and will move over the years in and out of work.
  I hope this is helpful.

  Pensioners
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of those aged over 65 years were totally dependent on income from state benefits in(a) 1979, (b) 1990 and (c) the latest date at which figures are available. [18464]

  Mr. Heald
  The information is in the table.

  Year

  Percentage of pensioner units receiving all their income from state benefits

  1979

  23

  1990–91 and 1994–95

  15

  Source:

  The Pensioners' Incomes Series 1994–95.

  Note:

  A pensioner unit is defined as a single person over state pension age (SPA) or a couple where the man, defined as the head, is over SPA.

  Free School Meals
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 26 February,Official Report, column 281, how many of the families on family credit gaining from free school meals would be (a) couples and (b) lone parents. [18945]
  87
  Mr. Roger Evans
  The information is set out in the table:

  Number of families gaining from extending entitlement to free school meals to families receiving family credit

  1997–98

  Family type

  Numbers gaining (000s)

  All families

  540

  Couples

  300

  Lone parents

  240

  Figures are rounded to the nearest 5,000.

  Family Credit
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of employed adults receive(a) family credit and (b) disability working allowance. [18984]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  The proportion of the employed workforce in December 1995 receiving family credit was 3 per cent. A negligible proportion received disability working allowance.

  Sources:

  1. Social security statistics 1996.

  2. "Labour Market Trends" December 1995.

  Note:

  Proportions have been rounded to the nearest I per cent.

  Benefits Agency (Refurbishment)
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the annual expenditure in refurbishment and capital works in each of the Benefits Agency's offices within area AD3 in each of the past five years. [18663]

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

  Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Simon Hughes, dated 6 March 1997:

  The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what was the annual expenditure in refurbishment and capital works in each of the Benefits Agency's offices within area AD3 in each of the past five years.
  The information is not available in the format requested. I should explain that Area Directorate 3 (AD3) London South was reorganised in April 1996 prior to that it had been known as AD3 South London and West Sussex. The attached Appendix gives details of the Benefits Agency Districts forming part of AD3. since and prior to the reorganisation.
  Information is only available from 1994/95 for capital projects costing more than £5,000 and is shown below. Information for individual offices, projects costing £5,000 or less and prior to 1994/95 could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  AD3 London South and West Sussex

  1994/95: £3,924,565

  1995/96: £5,352,277

  AD3 London South

  1996/97: £3,721,385

  These figures are provisional and subject to change.

  I hope you find this reply helpful.
  88

  Appendix: AD3 London South from April 1996

  Benefits Agency districts

  Bankside

  Canterbury and Thanet

  Channel

  East Sussex

  Hampshire North

  Hounslow and Kingston

  London Central

  Makerfield Benefit Centre

  North Kent

  North Surrey

  Palace

  Solent and Forest

  South Circular

  South Downs

  South East Hants and Wight

  South West Thames

  Surrey Downs

  Thameside

  West Kent

  West Sussex

  AD3 South London and West Sussex prior to April 1996

  Benefits Agency districts

  Bankside

  London Central

  Makerfield Benefit Centre

  North Surrey

  Palace

  South Downs

  South West Thames

  West Sussex

  Benefits Agency Medical Services
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what cost-benefit analysis has been undertaken by his Department concerning the contractorisation of BAMS; and what were the results of this analysis. [19013]

  Mr. Burt
  A formal cost-benefit analysis was not undertaken. A collaborative study with private sector companies, together with the experience gained from similar exercises within the Department, confirmed the potential to deliver savings.

  Liable Relatives' Intervention
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much money was saved by liable relatives' intervention in each year since 1980. [19314]

  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  Savings resulting from liable relatives intervention for the period 1989 to 1993 were:

  1989–90: £207 million;

  1990–91: £232 million;

  1991–92: £283.9 million;

  1992–93: £313 million.

  89
  Information for years prior to 1989–90 is available only in relation to savings arising in cases where the person remained on benefit. Such information as is available is as follows.

  1980: £94.69 million;

  1981: £121.68 million;

  1982: £131.72 million;

  1983: £129.69 million;

  1984: £128.75 million;

  1985: not available;

  1986: £143.83 million;

  1987: £138.74 million;

  1988: £138.53 million.

  Notes:

  1. The figures for 1980 to 1988 are based on recorded benefit savings in the week of the annual statistical enquiry, multiplied by 52 to reach an annual figure.

  2. Weekly figures were rounded to the nearest thousand pounds.

  3. Data are not available for 1985.

  Sources:

  Information for 1980–88, Income Support Statistics Annual Enquiries 1980–88.

  Information for 1989–90 to 1992–93: Social Security Departmental Reports for the years in question.

  Incapacity Benefit
  Ms Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many(a) men and (b) women previously in receipt of invalidity benefit have failed the all-work incapacity benefits test; and how many of these are now receiving jobseeker's allowance. [19252]

  Mr. Burt
  The information is not available in the form requested. Such information as is available is as follows.

  The number of incapacity benefit recipients disallowed following the application of the all-work test for the period 13 April 1995 to 31 January 1997 is 159,0001. As at 17 January, 28,0002 incapacity benefit leavers were claiming jobseeker's allowance.

  Notes:

  1. The figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.

  1 The figure is taken from a 100 per cent. aggregate count of the computer system and excludes a small number of cases not held on the system.

  2 The figure is supplied by the Employment Service and includes incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants.

  Ms Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people between the ages of (i) 50 and 54, (ii) 55 and 59 and (iii) 60 and 64 years were awarded(a) five points or less, (b) eight points or less, (c) 11 points or less and (d) 14 points or less in the test for eligibility for incapacity benefit. [19254]

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

  Ms Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many(a) men and (b) women have been awarded incapacity benefit in each of the last two years. [19253]

  Mr. Burt
  The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
  90

  Number of spells of incapacity benefit commencing

  Quarter ending

  Men

  Women

  31 May 1995

  44,000

  20,000

  31 August 1995

  87,000

  37,000

  30 November 1995

  92,000

  41,000

  29 February 1996

  94,000

  39,000

  31 May 1996

  88,000

  42,000

  31 August 1996

  81,000

  38,000

  1. Figures will include a small proportion of claimants with more than one spell of sickness.

  2. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.

  3. Figures are taken from a 5 per cent, sample of the computer system, and exclude a small number of cases not held on the system.

  Appeals
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 18 February,Official Report, column 503, if the April 1997 reprint of leaflet NI 246 will make it clear that an appellant who has not opted for an oral hearing within 10 days, or such other period as the clerk or chairman may have decided, will not be entitled to an oral hearing unless the chairman is satisfied that an oral hearing is necessary to enable the tribunal to reach a decision. [19353)

  Mr. Roger Evans
  The leaflet will make it clear that it will be for the chairman to decide whether to hold an oral hearing in any case where the appellant did not originally opt for one.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answers of 23 January,Official Report, column 721, 30 January, Official Report, column 363 and 17 February, Official Report, column 423, if he will list the changes in his policy regarding the provision of information in reply to questions about appeals; and if he will ensure that information on appeals is published. [19033]

  Mr. Evans
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 4 March,Official Report, column 561.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many members of disability appeal tribunals carried out medical examinations for the purpose of the all-work test in the most recent month for which information is available. [19280]

  Mr. Evans
  The information requested is obtainable only by matching the independent tribunal service's records of medical members of disability appeal tribunals against current information held by the Benefits Agency medical services.

  The results of such an exercise indicate that, during November 1996, the latest month for which information is available, 66 medical members of disability appeal tribunals carried out medical examinations for the purpose of the all work test.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the degree of compliance with the requirement of section 40(2) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 relating to the composition of the tribunal where an appeal is dealt with by a social security appeal tribunal without an oral hearing. [19278]
  91
  Mr. Evans
  The composition of the panel of members for social security appeal tribunals is a matter for the president of the independent tribunal service, his honour Judge Bassingthwaighte.

  Decision Making and Appeals
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will publish his proposals for improving decision making and appeals; [19030]

  (2) if he will place in the Library a copy of Dr. Roy Sainsbury's analysis of the responses to the consultation document on decision making and appeals. [19031]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  The final analysis report by Dr. Sainsbury is being drafted and a copy will be placed in the Library when completed.

  An announcement of our final proposals will be made in due course.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Scurity how many answers to parliamentary questions by Ministers in his Department in the last 12 months have exceeded the advisory cost limit; and if he will make a statement. [19338]

  Mr. Burt
  Where the cost of answering a particular parliamentary question is estimated to exceed £450, it is the general practice for Departments to make it clear that the question could be answered only by incurring disproportionate cost. Given the large numbers of questions tabled, it would be unreasonable for the Department systematically to calculate the exact cost of answering every single parliamentary question.

  Jobseeker's Allowance
  Ms Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many couples where the claimant is (i) 50 to 54, (ii) 55 to 59 and (iii) 60 to 64 years received jobseeker's allowance of(a) £10, (b) £10.01–£20, (c) £ 20.01–£30, (d) £ 30.01 to £40, (e) £ 40.01–£50, (f) £ 50.01–£60 and (g) £ 60.01–£70 per week in the latest year for which figures are available; and what was the range of jobseeker's allowance payments to each of these age groups; [19248]

  (2) how many couples where the claimant is (a) 50 to 54, (b)55 to 59 and (c)60 to 64 years have their income-related jobseeker's allowance reduced because of income from other sources, indicating what those other sources are; [19250]

  (3) how many couples where the claimant is (a) 50 to 54, (b) 55 to 59 and (c) 60 to 64 years are in receipt of income related jobseeker's allowance. [19245]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  Information on jobseeker's allowance is not yet available. Provisional summary findings from the November 1996 quarterly statistical enquiry will be published on 20 March 1997 and more detailed analyses will be published in the summer. The information will be placed in the Library and I will write to the hon. Member.
  92
  Ms Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many men aged(a) 50 to 54, (b) 55 to 59 and (c) 60 to 64 years are in receipt of (i) contributory-based jobseeker's allowance, (ii) income-related jobseeker's allowance, (iii) incapacity benefits, (iv) housing benefit and (v) council tax benefit. [19251]

  Mr. Evans
  The information on jobseeker's allowance is not yet available. Provisional summary findings from the November 1996 quarterly statistical enquiry will be published on 20 March and more detailed analyses will be published in the summer. The information will be placed in the Library and I will write to the hon. Member. Such information as is available is set out in the tables.

  Incapacity benefit recipients (May 1995 and August 1996)

  Thousands

  Incapacity benefit

  Severe disablement allowance

  31 May 1995

  Aged 50–54

  252

  36

  Aged 55–59

  354

  39

  Aged 60–64

  385

  24

  31 August 1996

  Aged 50–54

  258

  40

  Aged 55–59

  354

  43

  Aged 60–64

  378

  26

  Notes:

  1. Provisional jobseeker's allowance findings will include estimates of claimants by type of allowance in payment, age, sex and duration of current claim. The detailed analyses will include information on partners and dependants, amounts of Jobseeker's Allowance and other benefits and income.

  2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

  3. Sample size 5 per cent.

  4. Sample excludes a small number of cases not held on the system.

  Source:

  Pensions Strategy Computer System (Incapacity).

  Number of housing benefit/council tax benefit recipients by age and sex for Great Britain as at May 1995

  Thousands

  Aged 50 to 54

  Aged 55 to 59

  Aged 60 to 64

  Housing benefit

  Men also in receipt of income support

  87

  85

  103

  All recipients without income support

  70

  89

  97

  Council tax benefit

  Men also in receipt of income support

  101

  104

  138

  All recipients without income support

  91

  117

  140

  Notes:

  1. Figures refer to benefit units which may be a single person or a couple.

  2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

  3. Age breakdown is based on the age of the claimant.

  4. It is not possible to identify all men in receipt of housing benefit or council tax benefit. For those also in receipt of income support men can be identified and figures for these recipients have been shown. For those not also in receipt of income support men cannot be separately identified and therefore figures for all recipients have been given.

  Housing benefit management information system, annual 1 per cent. sample enquiries for recipients with and without income support taken at the end of May 1995.
  93

  Pensions
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of average earnings the £175 weekly pension estimated to result from the plan he announced on 5 March will represent. [19556]

  Mr. Heald
  The figure of £175 a week in today's prices is projected to represent 26 per cent. of average earnings in 2040, assuming 1.5 per cent. real earnings growth up to that year.

  Capital limits

  Benefit

  Value at April 1997(£)

  Value when introduced(£)

  Date introduce(£)

  April 1997 rate if increase based on earnings(£)

  April 1997 rate if increase based on prices(£)

  Income support

  3,000

  3,000

  April 1988

  5,111.65

  4,421.40

  8,000

  6,000

  10,223.35

  8,842.75

  110,000

  3,000

  5,111.65

  4,421.40

  116,000

  6,000

  10,223.35

  8,842.75

  Jobseeker's allowance

  3,000

  3,000

  October 1996

  3,126.00

  3,078.00

  8,000

  8,000

  8,336.00

  8,208.00

  Family credit

  23,000

  3,000

  April 1988

  5,111.65

  4,421.40

  8,000

  6,000

  10,223.35

  8,842.75

  Housing benefit

  3,000

  3,000

  April 1988

  5,111.65

  4,421.40

  16,000

  6,000

  10,223.35

  8,842.75

  Council tax benefit

  3,000

  3,000

  April 1993

  3,452.40

  3,346.85

  16,000

  16,000

  18,412.60

  17,849.80

  Disability working allowance

  3,000

  3,000

  April 1992

  3,621.05

  3,464.00

  16,000

  16,000

  19,314.90

  18,474.50

  Social fund funeral payments

  500

  500

  April 1987

  918.40

  760.50

  1,000

  1,000

  April 1990

  1,426.30

  1,338.05

  Community care/budgeting loans

  500

  500

  April 1988

  851.90

  736.85

  1,000

  1,000

  April 1990

  1,426.30

  1,338.05

  Notes:

  1 The £10,000 and £16,000 capital limits for people living permanently in a residential care or nursing homes also apply in jobseeker's allowance and to certain people entitled to housing benefit and council tax benefit. The increase in the value of these limits, introduced in April 1996, have been valued for income support only.

  2 Earnings top-up, an in-work benefit being piloted in eight areas from October 1996 for three years, has not been included in the table. The capital limits for earnings top-up are set at the same levels as those for family credit.

  1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5 p. at each uprating.

  Sources:

  1. The earnings calculations have been carried out using the average earnings (whole economy) index as supplied by the Office of National Statistics.

  2. The prices calculations have been carried out using the retail prices index, all items, less rent, local taxes and mortgage interest payments all benefits.

  Earnings limits—income related benefits

  Benefit

  Value a April 1997 £

  Value when introduced £

  Date introduced

  April 1997 rate if increase based on earnings £

  April 1997 rate if increase based on prices £

  Income support (earnings disregard)

  5

  5

  April 1988

  8.50

  7.35

  110

  15

  8.50

  7.35

  15

  15

  25.60

  22.05

  Jobseeker's allowance (earnings disregard)

  5

  5

  October 1996

  5.20

  5.15

  10

  10

  10.40

  10.25

  15

  15

  15.65

  15.40

  Housing benefit (earnings disregard)

  5

  5

  April 1988

  8.50

  7.35

  10

  10

  17.10

  14.75

  15

  15

  25.60

  22.05

  25

  25

  25.60

  25.05

  Council tax benefit (earnings disregard)

  5

  5

  April 1993

  5.75

  5.60

  10

  10

  11.50

  11.20

  15

  15

  17.25

  16.80

  25

  25

  28.75

  27.85

  94

  Capital and Earnings Limits
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list for each benefit the capital and earnings limits at(a) their April 1997 value, (b) the value at their introduction and (c) the value which would have resulted from an increase based on (i) earnings and (ii) prices. [17098]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  [holding answer 25 February 1997]: The information is set out in the tables:
  95

  Earnings limits—income related benefits

  Benefit

  Value a April 1997 £

  Value when introduced £

  Date introduced

  April 1997 rate if increase based on earnings £

  April 1997 rate if increase based on prices £

  Family credit2 (earnings threshold)

  77.15

  51.45

  April 1988

  87.70

  75.75

  Disability working allowance (earnings threshold)

  57.85

  39.95

  April 1992

  48.20

  46.10

  77.15

  66.60

  80.45

  76.95

  Notes:

  1 The £10 couples disregard was introduced in October 1996.

  2 Earnings top-up, an in-work benefit being piloted in eight areas from October 1996 for three years, has not been included in the table. The capital limits are for earnings top-up are set at the same levels as those for family credit.

  1. The table does not include the childcare disregard in family credit, disability working allowance, housing benefit and council tax benefit.

  2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5p. at each uprating.

  Sources:

  1. The earnings calculations have been carried out using the average earnings, whole economy, index as supplied by the Office of National Statistics.

  2. The prices calculations have been carried out using the retail prices index, all items, less rent, local taxes and mortgage interest payments for all other benefits.

  Earnings limits—non income related benefits

  Benefit

  Value at April 1997

  Value when introduced

  Data introduced

  April 1997 rate if increase based on earnings

  April 1997 rate if increase based on prices

  (£)

  (£)

  (£)

  (£)

  Personal earnings limits

  Jobseeker's allowance (contributory based)

  See note1

  See note1

  October 1996

  See note1

  See note1

  Invalid care allowance

  50

  6

  April 1976

  35.80

  25.50

  Severe disablement allowance therapeutic earnings limit

  46.50

  23.50

  November 1984

  51.75

  40.80

  Incapacity benefit therapeutic earnings limit

  46.50

  44

  April 1995

  47.30

  46.55

  Earnings limits where adult dependency increases are payable

  Retirement pension

  49.15

  18.80

  November 1985

  38.10

  30.35

  37.35

  0.80

  July 1948

  See note2

  16.00

  Short-term incapacity benefit

  29.15

  27.50

  April 1995

  29.60

  29.15

  35.90

  33.85

  36.40

  35.90

  Long term incapacity benefit

  49.15

  46.45

  April 1995

  49.95

  49.25

  37.35

  35.25

  37.95

  37.35

  Unemployability supplement

  49.15

  18.80

  November 1985

  38.10

  30.35

  37.35

  linked to RP

  See note2

  See note3

  Severe disablement allowance

  49.15

  28.45

  November 1984

  62.60

  49.25

  37.35

  12.95

  28.45

  22.35

  Maternity allowance

  29.15

  1.075

  October 1953

  See note3

  16.50

  Invalid care allowance

  22.35

  4.90

  April 1976

  29.35

  20.90

  Earnings limits where child dependency increases are payable

  All benefits where child dependency increases are payable

  135

  80

  November 1984

  176.20

  138.45

  17

  10

  See note5

  22.05

  17.40

  Notes:

  1 The disregard in contribution-based jobseeker's allowance is calculated by adding the age-related benefit to the disregard and subtracting 1p. The value of the disregard is therefore linked to the rates of contribution jobseeker's allowance.

  2 There are no average earnings (whole economy) indices available before 1963. As these benefits were introduced before that date no calculation can be carried out.

  3 In November 1985, the earnings limits in unemployability supplement and retirement pension were brought in line with those in unemployment benefit. Prior to that date a tapered disregard existed in retirement pension.

  4 Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5p. at each uprating.

  5 The rate of child dependency additions are payable in the following benefits: incapacity benefit, retirement pension, severe disablement allowance, invalid care allowance and unemployability supplement. The earnings limits are £135 per week for the first child and £17 for each subsequent dependent child. The limits were aligned in November 1984 and have been revalued from a common date.

  Sources:

  1. The earnings calculations have been carried out using the average earnings (whole economy) index as supplied by the Office of National Statistics.

  2. The prices calculations have been carried out using the retail prices index (all items).
  96 97

HEALTH

  Community Care
  Mr. Garnier
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish the draft Community Care (Residential Charges) Bill and the policy statement to follow up the consultation document, "A New Partnership for Care in Old Age". [19541]

  Mr. Dorrell
  I am publishing both documents today. Copies are available in the Vote Office and the Library.

  Breast Implants
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 24 February,Official Report, column 70, if he will make it his policy to collect information centrally on the number of breast implants which leak. [18409]

  Mr. Horam
  The medical devices directive—Council directive 93/42/EEC concerning medical devices—already requires manufacturers of medical devices, including breast implants, to review systematically any reports of implant failures which might have caused death or serious injury. Under the directive, manufacturers are also required to notify the relevant competent authority—in the United Kingdom, the Medical Devices Agency—of such cases.

  NHS Hospitals
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what data he has collated concerning the increase in the number of posts of(a) matron and (b) director of nursing services in NHS hospitals; what supervising duties such posts carry; and what guidance his Department has given regarding numbers, duties, or good practice as regards such posts. [18461]

  Mr. Horam
  The responsibility for determining the most appropriate form of nurse management and advice lies with the individual national health service employer concerned. The National Health Service Trusts (Membership and Procedure) Regulations 1990 state that the executive directors of an NHS trust shall include a registered nurse or registered midwife, except in the case of a trust which does not provide services directly to patients or a trust whose principal function is to provide ambulance or patient transport services. The NHS executive has published two documents that identify the existing roles of trust nurse executive directors: "One year on—The Nurse Executive Director Post" and "Sharpening the Focus: The roles and perceptions of nursing in NHS Trusts". Copies are available in the Library.

  Hospitals (Red Alert Status)
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals were on red alert status for each month since April 1995. [18609]

  Mr. Horam
  Red alert status is not a term defined or used by the national health service on a national basis.

  Primary and Community Health Service Projects
  Mr. Congdon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the(a) primary and (b) community health
  98
  service projects, established with the support of the London implementation group, will be financed by health authorities after March 1997; and if he will make a statement. [18702]

  Mr. Malone
  On the basis of decisions on community health schemes made so far, some 300 schemes worth £64 million will be funded through London initiative zone funds in 1997–98; some 70 further schemes worth £10.5 million which are currently funded through London initiative zone funds will be funded directly by health authorities.

  In primary care, the Government have made £20 million available in 1997–98 within the London initiative zone to support the third year of educational initiatives and work force flexibilities for general practitioners.

  Patient Hotels
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the NHS trusts which have opened patients hotels, showing(a) the location, (b) number of beds, (c) average bed occupancy rates, (d) the revenue cost of provision per occupied bed per day, (e) the opening date and (f) the capital cost and in each case the source of funding. [18707]

  Mr. Horam
  The information requested is not available centrally.

  Intensive Care Beds
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many intensive care beds for children were available in each health authority in each of the last five years; and what was their occupancy rate. [18709]

  Mr. Horam
  The information requested is not available centrally in the form requested.

  School Dental Services
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many school pupils by health authority were both inspected and reinspected by the school dental services in each year since 1990. [18732]

  Mr. Malone
  The available data for the number of contracts made by patients aged between five and 15, inclusive, with a member of the community dental service, by region, in the years ending March 1991 to March 1995, are shown in the table.

  Number of children1 aged 5 to 15 screened by the Community Dental Services by Regional Health Authority year ending 31 March

  England

  Number screened

  Regional Health Authority

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  England

  2,664,444

  3,033,094

  2,953,258

  2,908,020

  Northern

  204,883

  233,184

  207,820

  195,474

  Yorkshire

  216,436

  245,724

  245,449

  232,797

  Trent

  323,329

  308,122

  324,244

  306,121

  East Anglian

  103,841

  130,949

  128,122

  95,500

  North-west Thames

  155,531

  161,789

  177,807

  169,365

  99

  Number of children1 aged 5 to 15 screened by the Community Dental Services by Regional Health Authority year ending 31 March

  England

  Number screened

  Regional Health Authority

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  North-east Thames

  176,381

  213,956

  208,032

  205,935

  South-east

  225,879

  228,527

  192,584

  206,526

  South-west Thames

  77,823

  133,632

  138,645

  138,771

  Wessex

  153,802

  159,101

  155,165

  154,369

  Oxford

  111,294

  169,564

  159,206

  162,518

  South Western

  179,918

  178,358

  171,669

  146,690

  West Midlands

  336,035

  389,408

  366,920

  420,783

  Mersey

  141,133

  179,184

  186,575

  192,129

  North Western

  258,159

  301,596

  291,020

  281,042

  Number of children1 aged 5 to 15 screened by the Community Dental Services by DH Regional Office2 at year ending 31 March 1995

  England

  Region

  Number screened

  England

  2,891,211

  Northern and Yorkshire

  445,653

  Trent

  318,423

  Anglia and Oxford

  290,028

  North Thames

  363,792

  South Thames

  326,219

  South and West

  295,672

  West Midlands

  401,756

  North Western

  449,668

  1 The figures count each separate occasion a patient was in contact with a member of the community dental service. The number of individuals seen will be smaller.

  2 The 14 regional health authorities were restructured to form eight regional offices on 1 April 1994.

  Patient Readmissions
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients, by region, were readmitted to hospital within one month of their discharge in the last three years. [18729]

  Mr. Horam
  Since April 1996, the NHS executive has collected, routinely, information on patients aged 75 and over who are readmitted as an emergency within 28 days of discharge. Information collected for quarter three for 1996–97 is shown in the table. Information on those aged less than 75 is not available centrally.

  Number of patients aged 75 and over who are readmitted as an emergency within 28 days of discharge

  Region

  Q3 actual

  Northern and Yorkshire

  3,380

  Trent

  12,990

  Anglia and Oxford

  2,510

  North Thames

  12,970

  South Thames

  3,190

  South and West

  3,290

  100

  Number of patients aged 75 and over who are readmitted as an emergency within 28 days of discharge

  Region

  Q3 actual

  West Midlands

  1,810

  North West

  3,200

  1 Includes estimate for missing data.

  1. Data were collected as part of the quarterly monitoring of NHS activity, quarter 3, 1996–97.

  2. Figures exclude admissions to psychiatry specialties and discharges from psychiatry specialties.

  3. Figures supplied are the sums for health authorities within the regional office area.

  Junior Doctors (Study Leave)
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the average annual amount of study leave given to junior doctors in each of the last three years. [18789]

  Mr. Malone
  Aggregated details of the national uptake of study leave are not available.

  Osteoporosis
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS hospitals are currently operating bone density scanners osteoporosis. [18793]

  Mr. Horam
  It is for the local health authorities to decide what priority to give to making bone density measurement available to those who need it, and how best to co-ordinate services to meet local needs.

  Community Care (Judicial Reviews)
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many judicial reviews relating to community care policy there have been since 1 April 1994; [18875]

  (2) how many requests for judicial reviews relating to community care policy have been turned down since 1 April 1994; [18877]

  (3) what has been the cost of each judicial review relating to community care policy since 1 April 1994. [18876]

  Mr. Burns
  The information requested is not held centrally.

  NHS Hospitals (Waste)
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is the total weight of the toxic waste produced annually by hospitals in each NHS region; [18879]

  (2) what is the total weight of the inert or inactive waste produced annually by hospitals in each NHS region. [18880]

  Mr. Horam
  The information requested is not collected centrally.

  Patient Involvement Measures
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what sums have been spent by each of the English district health authorities on measures to increase patient involvement in the last year for which figures are available. [18767]
  101
  Mr. Horam
  Improving patient involvement is a key priority for the NHS, as set out in the planning and priorities guidance for 1996–97 and 1997–98. The Department has allocated a central budget of £1,179,000 for the development of patient involvement over the three years 1996–97 to 1998–99. Information on spending by individual health authorities is not available centrally.

  Severance Payments
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the total amount spent(a) overall and (b) in each NHS region by NHS trusts on severance payments in the current financial year. [18769]

  Mr. Horam
  The information requested is not available centrally.

  Private Sector Nursing and Care Contracts
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the number, type and value of contracts issued by local authorities to the private sector for nursing and care home beds in the most recent year for which figures are available. [18784]

  Mr. Burns
  In 1994–95, the latest year for which this information is available, expenditure by local authority social services departments in England on placements in independent residential care homes was £811 million and in independent nursing homes £403 million. Both figures include all adult client groups. Information on numbers and types of individual contract are not held centrally.

  Casualty Units (Medical Vacancies)
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies there are in medical posts in casualty units in the United Kingdom. [18786]

  Mr. Malone
  Information on vacant medical posts is available only by specialty. The term "casualty" is not used within the national health service to describe a specialty. The whole-time equivalent number of vacant medical posts in the accident and emergency specialty in the NHS in England at 30 September 1995 was 80. This figure is rounded to the nearest 10 and includes all consultant, staff grade, senior registrar, registrar and senior house officer vacancies. This is the latest available information.

  Data on vacant posts are difficult to interpret and do not necessarily imply a shortage. Some vacancies will be wholly or partly filled by locums. For others, NHS trusts may find alternative ways to provide the service rather than re-advertising. The numbers give no indication of how long the post has been empty. Some of these will be in the process of being filled.

  Source:

  The medical and dental work force census 30 September 1995.

  Non-NHS Health Care Providers
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total expenditure on the purchase of health care from non-NHS providers in 1995–96 by(a) district health authorities, (b) fundholders and (c) NHS trusts in England. [18801]
  102
  Mr. Horam
  The information requested is contained in the table:

  Expenditure on the purchase of health care from non-NHS providers in England for 1995–96

  Expenditure £000

  District health authorities

  510,906

  General practitioner fundholders

  66,250

  NHS trusts

  92,191

  Regional␣health␣authorities␣and␣special␣health authorities

  128,242

  Total

  797,589

  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.

  3. The annual accounts of the Family Health Services Authorities.

  Notes:

  The figures are provisional.

  Gender Identity Dysphoria
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are currently being treated for gender identity dysphoria. [18791]

  Mr. Burns
  The information requested is not available centrally.

  NHS Employees' Pay
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list the amount spent on salaries and wages for nurses and midwives in each NHS region in each year from 1988–89 to 1995–96; [18765]

  (2) if he will list the amount spent on salaries and wages for general and senior managers in each NHS region in each year from 1988–89 to 1995–96; [18761]

  (3) if he will list the amount spent on salaries and wages for administrative and clerical staff in each NHS region in each year from 1988–89 to 1995–96. [18766]

  (4)Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list NHS salaries and wages costs for(a) general and senior managers, (b) nurses and midwives and (c) administrative and clerical staff, for each financial year from 1988–89 to 1993–94. [18774]

  Mr. Malone
  The information requested will be placed in the Library shortly.

  Electricity Transmission Lines (Health Implications)
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies he has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated and what data he has collated concerning the incidence of physical or other abnormalities in (i) children and (ii) adults exposed through work or domicile to permanent electro-magnetic forces arising from high-tension electricity transmission lines; and what plans he has for the mapping of such incidences. [18763]

  Mr. Horam
  The Department obtains advice on the health implications of exposure to electromagnetic fields from the National Radiological Protection Board and other sources including its own funded research. The primary focus of concern has been on power lines and
  103
  childhood cancer where the results have not shown a proven link: the NRPB's advisory group on non-ionising radiation conducted an extensive review of the subject in 1992 and concluded that there was no firm evidence of a carcinogenic hazard from exposure that might be associated with residence near major sources of electricity supply, the use of electrical appliances or work in the electrical, electronic and telecommunication industries. The Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment has endorsed the advisory group's report. A supplementary report in 1994 was published by the NRPB to take into account the results of epidemiological studies from Scandinavia, France and Canada. Copies of the advisory group's report and the supplementary documents are available in the Library.

  Several epidemiological studies are currently under way to investigate childhood cancer in relation to various possible causes including electromagnetic fields. The largest study of this type in this country is the United Kingdom childhood cancer study which is funded in part by the Department of Health with technical support provided by the NRPB. The Department is also funding

  Patients' money held by health authorities and trusts on 31 March

  Regional Health Authority

  1992£000

  1993£000

  1994£000

  NHS Executive Region

  1995£000

  1996£000

  Northern

  4,718

  5,282

  4,076

  Northern and Yorkshire

  5,526

  6,775

  Yorkshire

  5,024

  3,790

  3,276

  Trent

  5,041

  4,302

  3,844

  Trent

  3,950

  4,285

  East Anglian

  2,605

  2,429

  2,272

  Anglian and Oxford

  6,688

  6,824

  Oxford

  3,092

  3,027

  3,150

  North-west Thames

  7,241

  7,922

  7,484

  North Thames

  10,951

  10,205

  North-east Thames

  6,455

  6,288

  4,678

  South-east Thames

  3,426

  3,140

  2,613

  South Thames

  10,189

  9,823

  South-west Thames

  7,170

  7,241

  7,112

  Wessex

  2,885

  2,766

  2,819

  South and West

  5,131

  4,749

  South Western

  2,363

  2,338

  2,128

  West Midlands

  3,950

  3,505

  3,429

  West Midlands

  4,058

  3,729

  Mersey

  1,967

  1,372

  1,125

  North West

  5,891

  3,477

  North Western

  4,245

  3,797

  2,138

  Special HAs

  380

  614

  577

  Special HAs

  0

  0

  Total

  60,562

  57,813

  50,721

  Total

  52,384

  49,867

  Figures for 1996 are provisional.

  Market Testing
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the NHS services which have been market-tested. [18781]

  Mr. Horam
  A list of services market tested by one or more national health service trusts is as shown. It is based on information supplied to the NHS executive's market testing database.

  Hotel and non-clinical support (60 per cent. in the last year): Accommodation, Car Parks, Catering, Courier, Creche, Domestic, Environmental Health Management, Facilities Management, Gardening, General Patient Services, Hotel Services, Laundry/Linen, Pest Control, Portering, Security, Supplies, Switchboard/Reception, Transport, Waste Disposal, Interpreter.
  Admin, information and financial (18 per cent. in the last year): Advertising and Recruitment, Agency Staffing, Audit, Banking, Clerical and Secretarial, Computer, Consultants, Financial, Human Resources, Insurance, Legal, Management Services, Micro-filming.
  104
  two pilot studies, one of adults and one of children, looking at cancer incidence near power lines. I am not aware of studies mapping the incidence of other types of abnormality in either adults or children.

  National Blood Authority
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of bills were paid by the National Blood Authority within 30 days of its receiving them in the past three years. [18790]

  Mr. Horam
  The information is not available centrally in respect of 1993–94 or 1994–95. The National Blood Authority's published accounts for 1995–96 show that 80 per cent. of invoices were settled within 30 days.

  Hospital Accounts (Patients' Money)
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money was held in hospital accounts in respect of the balance of patients' money in each of the last five years in each NHS region. [18794]

  Mr. Horam
  The information is given in the table.

  Clinical and Clinical support (5 per cent. in the last year): Anaesthetics, Bio-Engineering, Chiropody, Clinical Coding, Continuing Care for the Elderly, Central Sterile Supply Department, Hospital sterilizing and Disinfecting Unit Dental, Clinical Genetics, Haematology, Infection Control, In-Vitro Fertilisation Services, Lithotripsy, Medical Physics, Mobility Provisions, Medical Photography, Nuclear Medicine, Ophthalmology, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Occupational Health, Orthotics, Occupational Therapy, Oxygen Therapy Units, Prosthetics, Pathology, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Patient Appliances, Radiology, Speech Therapy, Termination of Pregnancy, Perfusionists, Mobile Cardiac Catheterisation.
  Building and Engineering (4 per cent. in the last year): Building and Engineering, Design Electrical, Energy Management, Estates Management, Fire Systems, Flooring, Repairs and maintenance, Gas Supply, Glazing, Lighting, Painting, Water Services.
  Building and equipment/Systems Maintenance (16 per cent. in the last year): Building, Building and Engineering, Estates, Equipment/Systems.

  105
  Training (1 per cent. in the last year)—Education, Fire, Staff.

  Notes:

  1. There is no standard definition of services or list of services within the NHS and those listed above relate to units' interpretation.

  2. Service headings such as "Hotel Services" and "Facilities Management" include a wide and varying range of individual services e.g. catering, portering, security car parking. Again there is no set pattern of which services make up hotel services, and so on; the information relates to individual provider units' interpretation.

  Children's Hospices
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children were cared for in each of the last three years in children's hospices in the United Kingdom. [18785]

  Mr. Horam
  The information requested is not collected centrally.

  Casualty Nurses
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies there are in nursing posts in casualty units in the United Kingdom. [18787]

  Mr. Horam
  The information requested is not collected by the United Kingdom Health Departments.

  Measurement of vacancy rates is a matter for local employers. Information relating to nursing vacancies generally is recorded by the Office of Manpower and Economics and is available in the annual report of the Review Body for Nursing staff, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine. Copies of the review body's report are placed in the Library each year.

  Patients (Deaths)
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases have been reported in each health authority in each of the last five years of patients dying after hospital admission but before being found a bed. [18878]

  Mr. Horam
  The information requested is not available centrally.

  Private Health Care
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients were referred to private health care by NHS doctors in 1995–96. [18792]

  Mr. Horam
  The information requested is not collected centrally.

  Departmental Web Site
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department established its Internet site; what representations he has received and what data he has collated on the use and utility of the site; and what steps he is taking to increase the amount of information available via the site. [19147]

  Mr. Horam
  The Department of Health Internet site was established in June 1995. Statistics received from the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency on the use of the site show that weekly page accesses to the 106
  Department's site have increased from just under 2,000 in June 1995 to over 10,000 in February 1997. The Department of Health's home page is consistently among the top 20 most used pages on the CCTA's open government site. Other pages, such as the hospital league tables, press releases and monthly publications update, are visited frequently. Users of the Department's web site are encouraged to provide feedback via a form on the site. All suggestions for improvement are considered and many have been implemented.

  The Department continues to increase the amount of information, and now provides the full text of key communications such as White and Green Papers, press releases and consultative documents, as well as listings of new departmental publications. Later this year, access to departmental circulars is planned and enhanced provision of statistical publications. The Department also encourages staff to consider electronic media, including the Internet, in deciding where to publish departmental communications.

  Eye Tests
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS eye examinations took place in 1995–96. [19096]

  Mr. Malone
  In 1995–96, family health services authorities in England paid for 6,511,680 national health service sight tests.

  Dentists
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 5 February,Official Report, column 643, how many of the dentists struck off for breaches of professional conduct were found guilty of fraud. [19306]

  Mr. Malone
  These figures are not held centrally. This is a matter for the General Dental Council.

  Mortuaries
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many mortuaries(a) in NHS trusts and (b) elsewhere had insufficient accommodation to meet demand over the Christmas period. [18705]

  Mr. Horam
  The information requested is not available centrally.

  GP Practices (Wandsworth)
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioner practices there are in the London borough of Wandsworth. [19491]

  Mr. Malone
  The available information is that there were 131 general practitioner practices in Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth family health services authority at 29 March 1996.

  Source:

  General Medical Service Census

  (practice-includes GP partnerships and practices)
  107

  Care (Capital Asset Rules)
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many local authorities are applying the same capital asset rules to means testing for domiciliary care and for residential care. [19419]

  Mr. Burns
  The information requested is not available centrally.

  Wheelchairs
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been provided with electrically powered indoor wheelchairs by health authorities in England in each of the last three years. [19374]

  Mr. Burns
  We do not collect separate figures for indoor-powered wheelchairs. However, the respective figure for all powered wheelchairs are:

  1993–94: 8,569

  1994–95: 9,441

  1995–96: 10,000

  Mr. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been provided with electrically powered indoor-outdoor wheelchairs by health authorities in England in each of the last three years. [19375]

  Mr. Burns
  No separate information was collected before 1996–97 about the number of electrically powered indoor-outdoor wheelchairs issued by the national health service wheelchair services. From 1996–97, additional funding for the provision of electrically powered indoor-outdoor wheelchairs has been made available to health authorities as part of the wheelchair initiative announced by my predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Mr. Bowis), on 26 February 1996. By 6 February 1997, a total of 718 electrically powered indoor-outdoor wheelchairs had been ordered and were in the process of being issued.

  Mr. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what expenditure has been incurred by health authorities for the purchase of electrically powered(a) indoor and (b) indoor-outdoor wheelchairs in each of the last three years. [19376]

  Mr. Burns
  The information requested about expenditure on electrically powered indoor wheelchairs is not collected centrally.

  Additional funding amount to £6.4 million has been paid to health authorities in England for the financial year 1996–97 for the provision of electrically powered indoor-outdoor wheelchairs as part of the wheelchair initiatives announced on 26 February 1996.

  Lung Cancer
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the current average cost to the NHS of the treatment of a person suffering from(a) lung cancer and (b) mesothelioma over the course of their illness. [19378]

  Mr. Horam
  The information requested is not held centrally.
  108

  Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research is being carried out by his Department into methods of treatment for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies; what information he has collated on research being carried out by other organisations in the United Kingdom on this subject; and if he will make a statement. [18253]

  Mr. Horam
  We need to improve our understanding of the nature of the agent which causes spongiform encephalopathies before we are able to investigate possible methods of treatment. This is a high priority in our centrally directed programme of research across departments and research councils.

  Preliminary studies suggest that a small number of compounds may have beneficial effects in producing deactivation and/or slowing the rate of disease and further work to expand these very preliminary early findings is about to be funded by the Medical Research Council. The MRC will be meeting with the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industries to explore other opportunities from past, present or future research.

  New Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial provision has been made for the costs of caring for those affected by new variant CJD; over what period these costs are expected to be incurred; and if he will make a statement. [18254]

  Mr. Horam
  No specific financial provision has been made for the care of patients affected by new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. Patients with nvCJD, which remains a very rare condition, should receive all clinically necessary health and social services as decided by those responsible for their care and the authorities locally. It is still too soon to make any prediction about future numbers of cases and consequent costs.

  NHS Staff
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the overall number of(a) administrative staff, (b) managerial staff, (c) nurses, (d) junior doctors and (e) other medical staff employed in each region in 1995 and 1996. [18772]

  Mr. Malone
  Information is not available in precisely the format requested. The information available centrally for 1995—the latest available year—is shown in the table.
  109

  NHS hospital and community health service (HCHS) and General Medical Service (GMS) staff by selected staff groups by NHS Executive Regional Office areas:

  England 1995

  Managers1

  Clerical and administrative staff2

  Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff3

  Junior doctors4

  Other medical staff5

  (wte)

  (wte)

  (wte)

  (headcount)

  (headcount)

  Northern and Yorkshire

  3,710

  22,470

  48,380

  3,730

  7,550

  Trent

  2,770

  15,920

  34,090

  2,650

  5,080

  Anglia and Oxford

  2,980

  15,790

  33,810

  2,450

  5,760

  North Thames

  4,420

  23,870

  48,450

  5,210

  8,170

  South Thames

  3,850

  23,850

  43,680

  3,860

  7,730

  South and West

  3,230

  21,000

  44,360

  2,770

  7,120

  West Midlands

  2,930

  17,570

  36,180

  2,540

  5,550

  North West

  2,950

  23,450

  51,700

  3,860

  7,310

  Notes:

  1 Includes HCHS administrative managers and GMS practice managers and fund managers.

  2 Includes HCHS clerical and administrative staff, and GMS administrative staff including secretarial and reception staff and computer operators.

  3 Includes HCHS nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff (excluding learners and Project 2000 students of which there were 4,580 and 33,000 respectively in England in 1995) and GMS practice nurses.

  4 Includes senior registrars, senior house officers and house officers.

  5 Includes other hospital medical staff, public health medicine and community health service medical staff and general medical practitioners. All figures are rounded to the nearest ten, consequently, totals may not equal the sum of components.

  HCHS figures relate to 30 September 1995

  GMS figures relate to 1 October 1995

  Sources:

  Department of Health's annual medical and dental and non-medical workforce censuses and bi-annual General Medical Service census.

  Mr. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total number of NHS clerical, administrative and management staff in each year since 1989. [18775]

  Mr. Malone
  The information requested is shown in the table.

  NHS Hospital and Community Health Service (HCHS) and General Medical Services (GMS) management and administrative staff

  England 1989 to 19951

  Whole-time equivalents

  1989

  148,030

  1990

  165,390

  1991

  179,830

  1992

  192,600

  1993

  194,910

  1994

  198,830

  19951

  200,500

  Notes:

  1HCHS figures for 1989 to 1994 are based on staff on general and senior manager payscales and staff on administrative and clerical payscales. A new classification of staff was introduced in 1995 which classifies staff by what they do rather than how they are paid. The figures for 1995 are, therefore, not directly comparable with figures for earlier years.

  GMS figures include: secretarial and reception staff in 1989; figures from 1990 also include clerical staff, practice managers and computer operators, and figures for 1995 include fund managers.

  All figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

  All HCHS figures are at 30 September each year, and GMS figures as at 1 October of each year.

  Source:

  Department of Health's annual non-medical workforce census and bi-annual General Medical Services census.

  University Research
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department has received about the provision of funding for university medical
  110
  imaging and electronic instrumentation research programmes; what assessment it has made of the future viability of such programmes; and if he will make a statement. [18776]

  Mr. Malone
  With respect to Department of Health funding under the medical device research programme, six out of the first 12 contracts have been awarded in medical imaging and electronic instrumentation, of which four involve universities. The estimated total cost of the six studies is £1.7 million.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many answers to parliamentary questions by Ministers in his Department in the last 12 months have exceeded the advisory cost limit; and if he will make a statement. [19343]

  Mr. Horam
  Where the cost of answering a particular parliamentary question is estimated to exceed £450, it is the general practice for Departments to make it clear that the question could be answered only by incurring disproportionate cost. Given the large numbers of questions tabled, it would be unreasonable for the Department systematically to calculate the exact cost of answering every single parliamentary question.

  Radiotherapy
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the register compiled by Radiotherapy Action Group Exposure of breast cancer patients permanently damaged by radiotherapy; and what action he plans to take in response. [19122]

  Mr. Horam
  The Department is familiar with RAGE and its activities on behalf of patients who have suffered adverse effects following radiotherapy treatment for breast cancer, but is not aware of such a register.
  111
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cancer patients have been permanently damaged by radiotherapy in the last 15 years. [19121]

  Mr. Horam
  The information requested is not collected centrally.

  Prodigy Prescribing Pilot System
  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list those illnesses and conditions for which the Prodigy prescribing pilot system is able to print information leaflets; [19125]

  (2) if he will list the patient groups which have been consulted while developing the patient information provided under the Prodigy prescribing pilot system. [19124]

  Mr. Malone
  Phase 2 of the Prodigy project will include patient information leaflets for the majority of conditions covered by the system. A full list of the conditions covered in phase 1 and copies of the phase 1 guidelines were placed in the Library in July 1996, following publication of the Prodigy interim report.

  Comments on the patient information leaflets for phase 2 were sought from various interested parties in November 1996, and are now being taken into account.

  The following organisations received a full set of patient information leaflets:

  Long Term Medical Conditions Alliance

  Patients' Association

  Consumers' Association

  Association of Health Councils for England and Wales

  The following organisations received a selection of leaflets relevant to the conditions they represent:

  Acne Support Group Age Concern

  Al-Anon Family Groups UK and Eire

  Alcohol Concern

  Alcoholics Anonymous

  Alzheimer's Disease Society

  Arthritis and Rheumatism Council

  Arthritis Care

  Ash

  Association of Breastfeeding Mothers

  Association of Continence Advice

  British Deaf Association

  British Diabetic Association

  British Heart Foundation

  British Liver Trust

  British Lung Foundation

  British Migraine Association

  British Polio Fellowship

  Brook Advisory Centres

  CITA

  CRY-SIS Support Group

  Depression Alliance

  ERIC

  Family Heart Association

  Family Planning Association

  Fellowship of Depressives Anonymous

  112

  FORESIGHT

  Herpes Viruses Association

  Hypothyroidism Support Group

  Hysterectomy Support Network

  INCONTACT

  International Glaucoma Association

  ISSUE

  La Leche League

  Manic Depression Fellowship

  Migraine Trust

  MIND

  Mind Over Matter

  Miscarriage Association

  NAPS

  National Asthma Campaign

  National Back Pain Association

  National Deaf Children's Society

  National Eczema Society

  National Endometriosis Society

  National Osteoporosis Society

  Psoriasis Association

  Quitline

  Raynaud's and Scleroderma Association

  Save our Sons

  Stroke Association

  Women's Health

  Women's Health Concern.

  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total number of guidelines in phase I of the Prodigy prescribing pilot system; and how many, and which, of these have been updated for phase II. [19127]

  Mr. Malone
  Phase 1 of the Prodigy system incorporated advice and recommendations covering 244 main diagnoses and 566 sub-categories. These were placed in the Library in July 1996. In the light of comments received from users of the system and others, a proportion of the guidelines have been reviewed beginning with those most frequently used by general practitioners in the phase 1 trials. A team is currently working on reviewing further guidelines for use in phase 2, and will continue to seek comments on the use and content of the guidelines as the project progresses.

  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide a breakdown of the costs incurred to date on the Prodigy prescribing pilot system. [19126]

  Mr. Malone
  To date, approximately £2.3 million has been spent on Prodigy phases 1 and 2, incorporating software development, hardware and evaluation costs. As a full breakdown of costs would include commercially sensitive information relating to the suppliers involved, it would not be appropriate to publish such details.
  113

  Private Partnership Insurance
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice has been given to his Department by the Government Actuary about(a) the likely uptake and (b) the cost to his budget of introducing private partnership insurance for long-term care; and if he will place the figures and papers received from the Government Actuary in the Library. [19310]

  Mr. Burns
  The Government have made no estimates of the likely take-up of the partnership scheme; it is for individuals to decide whether or not to take out partnership insurance.

  The possible public expenditure costs of the partnership scheme are considered in appendix 4 of the policy statement "A New Partnership for Care in Old Age", which was published today. The estimates of costs were produced by the department. No figures or papers were received from the Government Actuary.

  Fluoridation (North West Water)
  Mr. Pickthall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from health authorities about North West Water's decision not to implement additional fluoridation schemes. [19068]

  Mr. Malone
  None.

  Mr. Pickthall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on North West Water's decision not to implement additional fluoridation schemes. [19067]

  Mr. Malone
  Fluoridation of water supplies is a matter for local decision.

  Prescriptions
  Ms Lynne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what circumstances patients are not entitled to NHS prescribing resulting from a private consultations; and what guidance is published by his Department to health authorities on the procedures they should follow for NHS prescribing in relation to patients who have previously had a private consultation. [19116]

  Mr. Malone
  Doctors may provide national health service prescriptions only when they are providing NHS services; for general practitioners, this is set out in their terms and conditions of service. No further guidance has been issued.

  Community Care (Wiltshire)
  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the cost to Wiltshire county council of a community care place in a residential home run by a(a) the county council and (b) the private sector. [19072]

  Mr. Burns
  The cost of placements to the local authority will vary according to the charges paid by individuals. Account should also be taken of the residential allowance which is paid by the Department of Social Security to local authority placements in independent sector homes. Wiltshire county council has advised that the current basic fee charged to individuals placed by it in its in-house residential care homes is £268 and to similar placements in the independent sector £214.
  114
  Information on a nationally comparable basis is published in the "Key indicators of local authority social services 1996", copies of which are available in the Library.

  Pameton
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date and under what marketing authorisation number Stirling Winthrop was granted a licence for Pameton. [19281]

  Mr. Malone
  Pameton was granted the marketing authorisation PL 00071/0216 on 1 November 1983.

  Contact Lenses
  Mrs. Wise
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what responsibility(a) the hospital eye service has for the supply of contact lenses to patients for whom they are clinically necessary and (b) the (i) general optical service and (ii) the DSS has in ensuring that such patients can get such contact lenses. [19496]

  Mr. Horam
  Contact lenses can be supplied for either clinical or cosmetic reasons by an ophthalmic medical practitioner or by an optician practising either in hospital or in the community. Children, people on low incomes, or patients with complex optical needs are entitled to national health service optical vouchers. Patients who are entitled to full help with meeting the costs of their optical appliances, and have a clinical need for contact lenses, will receive them free of charge.

  GP Fundholding
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money was spent by fundholding general practitioner practices in England on purchasing hospital and community health services from private sector providers as defined by sub-code 160 in form FAA 23 in the accounts filed by health authorities in each year since GP fundholding started. [19612]

  Mr. Malone
  The table shows money spent by fundholding general practitioner practices in England on purchasing hospital and community health services from private sector providers as defined by sub-code 160 in Form FAA 23.

  Year

  £000

  Number of fundholding practices

  Non-NHS spend as percentage of total budget

  1991–92

  3,698

  306

  0.9

  1992–93

  13,127

  587

  1.6

  1993–94

  29,899

  1,249

  1.6

  1994–95

  52,557

  2,066

  1.9

  1995–96

  66,250

  2,613

  1.9

  Source:

  Annual accounts of FHSAs.

  Note:

  Figures for 1995–96 are provisional.

  Records (Access)
  Mrs. Wise
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if local authority social services departments are under an
  115
  obligation to refuse a person access to his own records before 1989 and to claim public interest immunity without discretion to waive this. [19501]

  Mr. Burns
  While there is no statutory right of access to manual personal records held by a social services department before 1 April 1989, the Department encourages local authorities to make as much information available as possible, especially where this helps an individual to understand records made after this date.
  116

  Cancelled Operations (Durham)
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were cancelled on the day of, or after, the patient had been admitted to hospitals under the aegis of Durham Hospitals NHS trust in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [19359]

  Mr. Horam
  Figures for cancelled operations by trust are not available centrally in the form requested. However, figures for April to December 1996 for cancelled operations by health authority are available in the Library.

  CDC: External Finance Limit
  CDC: External Finance Limit
  Russia: Penal Amnesty Proposal
  Russia: Penal Amnesty Proposal
  Russia: Human Rights
  Russia: Human Rights
  Liozidou V. Tirkey
  Liozidou V. Tirkey
  Jerusalem: Housing Stock
  Jerusalem: Housing Stock
  EU and ACP Countries Relations
  EU and ACP Countries Relations
  Albania and Bulgaria: EU Assistance
  Albania and Bulgaria: EU Assistance
  ICPD: Action Plans
  ICPD: Action Plans
  NATO Expansion
  NATO Expansion
  NATO and Russia
  NATO and Russia
  Gulf War: Causes of Animal Deaths
  Gulf War: Causes of Animal Deaths
  MoD Litigation: Costs
  MoD Litigation: Costs
  "Information Warfare" Disruption
  "Information Warfare" Disruption
  Proceedings of the House: Media Coverage Monitoring
  Proceedings of the House: Media Coverage Monitoring
  Parliamentary Estate: Hairdressing Services
  Parliamentary Estate: Hairdressing Services
  Parliamentary Data and Video Network: Performance
  Parliamentary Data and Video Network: Performance
  ADAS
  ADAS
  EU Tobacco Regime
  EU Tobacco Regime
  BSE: Disciplinary Action
  BSE: Disciplinary Action
  Emergency Towing Vessels: Winter Arrangements
  Emergency Towing Vessels: Winter Arrangements
  Water Abstraction: Licences
  Water Abstraction: Licences
  Basking Shark: Protection
  Basking Shark: Protection
  Endocrine Disrupters: Monitoring
  Endocrine Disrupters: Monitoring
  Armagh: Employment
  Armagh: Employment
  Human Rights
  Human Rights
  Crime (Sentences) Bill: Prison Population
  Crime (Sentences) Bill: Prison Population
  Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997: Records
  Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997: Records
  Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine
  Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine
  Care in Old Age
  Care in Old Age