To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the extent to which the proposed changes in the legal aid system will affect disabled people on low income.

No separate assessment has been made of the effect of the changes on disabled people. The financial eligibility of any applicant for legal aid depends on his or her income and the expenses which may be allowed against it. Following the changes, disability living allowance, attendance allowance and constant attendance

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will give, in table form, for each Crown court in England and Wales in 1971, 1981 and 1991 (a) the number of defendants tried (b) the number of defendants found guilty, (c) the number of defendants acquitted and (d) the number of defendants discharged after the trial has been halted on the orders of the judge.

Figures for individual Crown court centres are not held prior to 1986. The only figures available are those set out in tables 1 to 4. Tables 1 to 3 provide the information by circuit for the years 1976, 1981 and 1991 respectively, and table 4 for each Crown court centre in 1991.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will give for each Crown court in England and Wales in 1971, 1981 and 1991, the average time and number of court appearances for defendants sent for trial from charge to completion of proceedings.

Information on waiting times for individual Crown court centres is not available prior to 1986. The only data available are set out in tables 1 and 2. Table 1 shows, by circuit, the average waiting time in weeks between committal to the Crown court for trial and start of hearing for the years 1972, 1981 and 1991. Table 2 shows the equivalent figures for each Crown court centre in 1991. Information on the number of court appearances is not collected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department funds into the various aspects of health and well-being in the third age.

The Department funds a wide range of research relating to the health and social welfare of older people. In the current year, about £450,000 will be committed from the centrally commissioned programme. "Community Care—Findings from Department of Health Funded Research 1988–1992" and "Department of Health Listings of Research and Development 1991" are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will require the National Health Service Supplies Authority to set out in its annual report covering 1992 full information on its revenues, cost structures and operating margins.

The National Health Service Supplies Authority was not fully operational until October 1992 when the process of transferring staff and assets from the 14 regional supplies organisations was completed. Some operations will therefore have been covered in regional health authority accounts.NHS supplies will publish as much financial information as possible in its annual review in June.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the work of the National Health Service Supplies Authority since its inception.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the work of the NHS Supplies Authority.

The National Health Service Supplies Authority was set up to make sure the NHS gets best value for money in the 'goods and services it needs, and has already achieved savings in purchasing of £25 million.NHS Supplies will publish its annual review at the end of June setting out its work and achievements since its inception.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total number of prescriptions in each of the last five years which were exempt by reason of being for (a) women aged 60 years or over, (b) men aged 65 years or over and (c) a pregnant woman or a woman in the first year after birth of a child.

Not all the information is available centrally. Available data are in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the toxicity of sodium hexacyanoferrate; and what regulations govern its use.

The use of sodium hexacyanoferrate as a food additive is permitted under the Miscellaneous Additives in Food Regulations 1980 (as amended). It is used as an anti-caking agent in table salt. The Government are advised on the safety-in-use of food additives by the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment. It reviewed the food additive use of sodium hexacyanoferrate in 1988. The committee confirmed that sodium hexacyanoferrate was provisonally acceptable for use in food but requested that data be provided from further specified studies. These studies will be reviewed by the committee as soon as all data are submitted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial arrangements have been put in place by Her Department to purchase alternative provision for elderly clients with reserved rights in care homes which cease trading.

People with reserved rights continue to be eligible for income support after a care home in which they are living ceases trading.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she will list the members of the supraregional services advisory group.

The members of the supraregional services advisory group are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what reports were submitted to her Department by Department of Health auditors, by auditors appointed by the Department, by the district auditor or by auditors appointed by the Audit Commission, regarding Wessex regional health authority, in each year since 1984; and, in each case, what was the subject of the report, the date received, and whether it was a public or confidential report.

[pursuant to his reply 30 March 1993, columns 185–88]: I regret that there was an error in my previous reply.The report by the Department of Health statutory auditor entitled "Report in Confidence to the Secretary of State on the audit of the accounts of Wessex regional health authority for the year ended 31 March 1988" was sent to the Department on 2 November 1988, and not in November 1987.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the total running costs of her Department's research and development division for each of the past five years.

[holding answer 23 April 1993]: The estimated costs, at 1992–93 pay and price levels, were:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what action he is taking to ensure that the programme of testing at all stages, seven, 11 and 14 years and in all subjects, will be implemented; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has made it clear that the test for seven-year-olds and for 14-year-olds will be going ahead this year as planned. It is the statutory duty of head teachers to implement them and the contractual duty of school teachers to carry them out.In response to the genuine concerns of some teachers, my right hon. Friend has asked Sir Ron Dearing to review the national curriculum and assessment framework with the aim of simplifying it while retaining the key features of clear teaching objectives and regular tests. Early results from that review will inform the arrangements for testing in 1994. I look to all teachers to carry out the tests this year for the benefit of their pupils and in order to provide evidence for the review which Sir Ron Dearing is conducting.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to meet the National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers to discuss proposals for national curriculum testing and assessment arrangements.

None. The NASUWT should make its views known to Sir Ron Dearing, the chairman designate of the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority, who is conducting a review of the national curriculum and assessment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the number of surplus school places for each borough in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) London.

The following figures derive from a survey of school capacity carried out by the Department in 1991. They were calculated by comparing the capacity derived from the more open enrolment formula with the number of pupils on roll at each school.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of the Greenwich judgment on the limitation of places for pupils from Marston Green who wish to study in the Heart of England school at Balsall Common, in Solihull, caused by pressure from pupils living in Birmingham and Coventry.

The effect of the Greenwich judgment is to enhance parental choice by removing restrictions on school admissions based on LEA administrative boundaries. The Government have no plans to introduce legislation to reverse the judgment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what are the numbers of postgraduate students (a) studying for taught courses and (b) studying for research degrees in each of the new universities.

The table shows the numbers of post-graduate students studying for doctorates, masters degrees and other postgraduate qualifications in each of the new universities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what key performance targets he has set the Teachers' Pensions Agency for 1993–94.

I have set the following key performance targets for the Teachers' Pensions Agency for 1993–94 which cover its main activities and focus on the principles of improving the quality of public services:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the 1993–94 budget for urban development corporations; and if he will make a statement.

The 1993–94 budget for UDCs has now been finalised at £291·8 million. The table shows the allocation between UDCs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how he has updated the discussion document on the United Kingdom's carbon dioxide programme, in the light of recent announcements made in the Budget.

I have today placed copies in the Library of an addendum summarising developments relevant to the carbon dioxide programme since the publication of the discussion document in December 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what procedure he will follow to consult passengers' representatives on bus services after privatisation and deregulation.

Current procedures for consulting the London regional passengers' committee (LRPC) will continue after the privatisation of the subsidiaries of London Buses Ltd. and until bus services in London are deregulated. Deregulation will enable bus operators to respond more flexibly to meet passengers' requirements, with competition safeguarding passengers' interests. It is therefore intended that on deregulation LRPC's statutory involvement with bus services in London will cease, in line with the position of other transport consumer groups outside London.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement outlining the meaning of two-tier licensing for London's taxis as referred to in the oral statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Epping Forest (Mr. Norris), on 26 March, Official Report, column 1410.

By "two-tier licensing" (Official Report, 26 March, column 1410) was meant the system which currently exists outside London whereby hackney carriage vehicles and drivers are licensed to ply for hire in the streets and at ranks; and private hire vehicles, drivers and operators are licensed to undertake pre-booked hirings only.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what targets he has set for the executive agencies in his Department.

My right hon. Friend has set the following key targets for 1993–94 for the six Department of Transport executive agencies. Management objectives and performance indicators, where appropriate to the agency's business, are contained in the agencies' business plans; copies of which will be placed in the Library, with the following exceptions: the vehicle inspectorate (whose plan has been held over during work on the future status of the inspectorate, but which will be available shortly); DVOIT, and the Transport Research Laboratory, both of whose plans are commercial in confidence and will not be published.The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's key targets are to meet, or better, an overall efficiency improvement of 2·5 per cent.; deliver 95 per cent. of ordinary driver licence cases to customers within 13 working days of receipt, not to exceed 15 working days in any month, and deliver medical cases within 25 working days of receipt; deliver 95 per cent. of vocational licence cases within 11 working days of receipt, not to exceed 13 working days in any month, and deliver medical cases within 35 working days of receipt; deliver 95 per cent. of first provisional licence cases within 12 working days of receipt, not to exceed 14 working days in any month; deliver 95 per cent. of changes to vehicle registration documents to customers within 13 working days of receipt, not to exceed 15 working days in any month; deliver 95 per cent. of registration documents for new vehicles to customers within 15 working days of receipt, not to exceed 20 working days in any month; answer 80 per cent. of telephone inquiries within 30 seconds; deliver answers to 90 per cent. of written inquiries within eight working days of receipt; complete successfully 445,000 VED enforcement cases by imposition of penalties.The Driving Standards Agency's key targets are to achieve, or better, unit costs of £24·06 for car tests; £56·01 for bus, coach and lorry tests; and £37·40 for overall approved driving instructor register activities; cover full costs with income from customers; achieve a national average waiting time of no more than six weeks for car tests and no more than four weeks for motorcycle, bus, coach and lorry tests; and answer 90 per cent. of telephone calls to booking offices within one minute.DVOIT's key targets are to fulfil service level agreements with its customers; achieve, across the customer base, an average assessment by customers which is at least satisfactory as measured in the customer satisfaction survey; balance business costs with income; constrain prices for existing tariffed services within an RPI minus 5 per cent. ceiling; achieve a return on investment of 6 per cent. for business with Government customers and 8 per cent. for others; provide the necessary inputs to the privatisation process within the timetable approved by the privatisation project group.The Transport Research Laboratory's key targets are to cover full costs with income from customers while meeting the net control total in supply estimates; achieve a minimum net revenue per person year of £45,000; ensure direct fee earning costs as a percentage of total operating costs are greater than 55 per cent.; achieve average staff utilisation in research resource centres of at least 1,300 hours per year on direct fee-earning work; and 90 per cent. of project outputs to be assessed by customers as good or very good.The Vehicle Certification Agency's key targets are to achieve, or better, a unit cost of £87·38; cover full costs with income from customers while keeping within the net control total in supply estimates; technically clear and issue approval certificates within nine days on average for 90 per cent. of system and component approvals, and within 20 days on average for 90 per cent. of whole vehicle approvals.The vehicle inspectorate trading fund's key targets are to make a gross efficiency improvement of 5 per cent. as measured by the agency's aggregate cost efficiency index; break even while achieving a 6 per cent. return on capital employed; achieve an HGV/PSV test error rate of less than 0·47 per cent.; achieve an HGV/PSV test exemption rate of less than 0·01 per cent., achieved an average turnaround time of 1·4 days on MOT documentation, produce 95 per cent. of interim or completed traffic enforcement operator licence reports for traffic commissioners within four weeks, except in specific cases where a different deadline has been agreed.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the United Kingdom's research spending from 1980 to 1990 as a percentage of gross domestic product; and what were the corresponding figures for the EC average and for the USA and Japan.

The available data are as follows:

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what tariff or other barriers are imposed upon imports of four-wheel drive motor vehicles from the United States of America; and if he will make a statement.

Imports into the United Kingdom of four-wheel drive motor vehicles from the United States of America are subject only to the European Community's common external tariff.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the proposed sale of The Observer.

Lonrho announced on 29 April that it has received an offer from The Guardian and Manchester Evening News (GMEN) for The Observer which it found acceptable and upon which it had undertaken to consult the board of The Observer. A transfer of The Observer to GM EN would require my consent under provisions of the Fair Trading Act relating to newspaper mergers. I have not so far received any application for consent. Under the newspaper merger provisions of the Fair Trading Act I would need to refer a transfer to GMEN to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission unless I was satisfied that the paper was not economic as a going concern and, if the paper was to continue, the case was one of urgency. I could not reach a view on this until I had been able to study the terms of any application.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress has been made by Her Majesty's Government in negotiating a treaty to cover the intended gas interconnector linking Scotland with Ireland.