Written Answers

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Written Answers To Questions

Wednesday 16 June 1993

Transport

Red Star Parcel Service

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the sale of the British Rail Board's Red Star Parcels business will commence.

The board has today invited prospective purchasers of its Red Star parcels business to apply for an information memorandum describing the business and the proposed basis for sale. The closure date for receipt of detailed proposals is 13 August 1993.

Mersey Ferries

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what requests he has received to end the royal charter which currently covers ferry services across the River Mersey.

None.

Train Accident, York

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the cause of the train accident at York on 23 April which involved hospital treatment of injured persons; and if he will make a statement.

British Rail is at present conducting an inquiry into the events which led to this accident. Until conclusions are reached, I am unable to comment on the cause, but I understand that the Health and Safety Executive's railway inspectorate is keeping closely in touch with BR on this matter. The inspectorate will consider the report of the BR inquiry in due course and take any necessary action.

M1 To M62 Link Road

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what account was taken of the desirability of reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the cost benefit analysis for the M1 to M62 link road.

The reduction of carbon dioxide emissions is not a factor in the Department's cost benefit economic analysis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has had from hon. Members, lobby groups, businesses and the general public with regard to the M1 to M62 link road.

The public consultation has so far resulted in:

58 parliamentary questions
137 letters from hon. Members to Ministers
718 letters from the public to Ministers over 1,500 letters to officials

12 petitions containing over 20,000 signatures

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to seek private sector finance for the M1 to M62 link road.

Although this scheme is at an early developmental stage, we would be willing to consider any approaches from the private sector about financial involvement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received since the formal consultation process ended from local authorities with regard to the M1 to M62 link road.

Representations have so far been received from Kirklees metropolitan district council and the City of Wakefield MDC since the end of the consultation period.

Railway Centre, York

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will establish a permanent working group incorporating (a) his Department, (b) British Rail, (c) York Chamber of Commerce, (d) relevant local authorities and (e) other relevant interests for the promotion and protection of the Greater York area as a railway centre.

I would be happy to meet hon. Members and representatives of the local authorities and the York Chamber of Commerce to discuss the impact of our proposals for the railways on the York area. I will write to the hon. Member and other hon. Members concerned with proposals for such a meeting.

"Is Your Flight Affected By A Royal Flight"

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the Civil Airports Authority regarding the leaflet it has distributed to airfields entitled "Is Your Flight Affected by a Royal Flight"; and if he will make a statement.

None. The leaflet advertises a free telephone service which provides aviators with up-to-date information on temporarily restricted airspace which they should avoid, for their own safety and the safety of others. Royal flights are not the only reason why a temporary restriction might be imposed, as the leaflet indicates.

Forward Look

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will designate one of his Ministers to be responsible for his Department's contribution to the Government's science and technology Forward Look.

Paragraph 2.37 of the recent White Paper "Realising Our Potential—A Strategy for Science, Engineering and Technology" describes the preparation of the Forward Look by the Office of Science and Technology, and the participation of Government Departments through the existing, well-established machinery of the official and ministerial Cabinet Committees on Science and Technology.

Near-Market Research

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's policy is with regard to the funding of near-market research.

I refer the hon. Member to paragraphs 2.20 to 2.22 of the White Paper "Realising Our Potential—A Strategy for Science, Engineering, and Technology".

Coastguard

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many auxiliary coastguard (a) patrol hours and (b) training hours were worked in each coastguard district in the United Kingdom in each year since 1979; and how many are expected to be worked in the current year.

The historic information on the patrol and training hours could be given only at disproportionate cost. The estimate for the current years figures for the coastguard districts are as follows:

District	Patrol hours	Training hours
Aberdeen	1,644	3,982
Shetland	0	2,500
Pentland	972	4,860
Forth	1,284	3,144
Tyne Tees	1,560	2,860
Humber	2,540	4,672
Yarmouth	2,424	3,840
Thames	6,160	3,500
Dover	4,778	4,040
Solent	8,250	4,422
Portland	7,354	5,163
Brixham	10,362	3,850
Flamouth	8,758	9,120
Swansea	3,990	5,620
Milford Haven	1,272	3,700
Holyhead	2,210	3,060
Liverpool	3,363	3,540
Clyde	2,200	2,667
Oban	5,892	4,320
Stornoway	2,612	7,136
Belfast	2,904	2,208

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much money his Department has provided for auxiliary coastguard pay and allowances (a) excluding and (b) including training costs in each coastguard region in the United Kingdom in each year since 1979 at 1979 values.

The information in the form required is not readily available and could be given only at a disproportionate cost. The total auxiliary coastguard pay and allowances, including training costs, for coastguard regions for financial years in actual prices are as follows:

Region	1990–91 £	1991–92 £	1992–93 £
Aberdeen	201,889	187,103	200,123
Yarmouth	181,201	181,597	219,218
Dover	115,344	149,805	251,839
Falmouth	448,425	439,077	379,940
Swansea	297,384	287,035	337,332
Clyde	191,330	221,988	237,354

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many auxiliary coastguard (a) patrol hours and (b) training hours were worked in each coastguard region in the United Kingdom in each year since 1979; and how many are available in the current year.

The historic information on the patrol and training hours could be given only at disproportional cost. The estimate for the current years figures for the coastguard regions are shown as follows:

Region	Patrol hours	Training hours
Aberdeen	13,020	14,486
Yarmouth	6,524	11,372
Dover	19,188	11,962
Falmouth	26,474	18,133
Swansea	10,835	15,920
Clyde	13,608	16,331

Railway Vandalism

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 27 May, Official Report, column 687, what information he has on how many of the offences of vandalism on rail lines received sentences of four years' imprisonment and on the nature of the offences in each such case.

The information in the form requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

British Rail (Appointments)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of Railtrack's senior appointments come from (a) BR, (b) his Department, and (c) elsewhere; and how pay levels for people in (a) and (b) have altered.

[pursuant to his reply, 30 March 1993, column 165]: Mr. Horton's appointment as chairman-designate of Railtrack was announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, on 2 February 1993, during the second reading debate of the current Railways Bill. With effect from 3 February, Mr. Horton's salary was increased from £28,640 to £120,000, in recognition of the extra work and responsibilities he was being asked to take on, in planning and implementing the creation of Railtrack, in addition to his ongoing duties as a member and vice-chairman of the BR board.

Lord Chancellor's Department

High Court Judges

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list by year for the last five years, and for this year to date, the number of barristers asked but who have declined to become High Court judges.

Set out below are the numbers of practitioners who have consented, and declined, to allow their names to be recommended to Her Majesty the Queen for immediate appointment to the High Court Bench in each of the last five years, and so far this year. All those who declined, with one exception, have made it clear that they hope to be considered again for appointment to the High Court Bench in the future.

	Numbers consented	Numbers declined
1988–89	7	—
1989–90	8	—
1990–91	2	—

	Numbers consented	Numbers declined
1991–92	7	1
1992–93	19	6
¹1993–94	8	2
¹ to date.

Legal Services Ombudsman

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he expects publication of the second annual report of the legal services ombudsman.

The legal services ombudsman has today published his second annual report and copies have been placed in the Library.

Environment

Environment Statistics

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when his Department's 15th "Annual Digest of Environment Statistics" was published; how many copies were printed; at what cost; and to whom the digest is being distributed.

The 15th annual "Digest of Environmental Protection and Water Statistics" was published on 27 May 1993. It is on sale through bookshops, priced £14·95. Her Majesty's Stationery Office has printed 1,500 copies, of which my Department has purchased 450. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and have been sent to other Government Departments, to those who contributed data and information and to other contacts.

Council Tenants

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each local authority the number and total value of cash incentive grants made to council tenants in 1992–93.

The table shows the number of value of cash incentive scheme grants made to local authority tenants in 1992–93 under section 129 of the Housing Act 1988.

Local Authority cash incentive schemes—grants and expenditure 1992–93
Local authority	Number of grants	Total expenditure(£000)
Eastern
Aylesbury Vale¹	8	154
Basildon¹	14	226
Braintree¹	3	22
Broxbourne¹	10	180
Castle Point¹	6	91
Colchester¹	29	491
Dacorum	29	612
East Hertfordshire¹	24	531
Epping Forest	2	24
Huntingdon	22	177
Luton¹	20	344
Maldon¹	5	100
Mid Bedfordshire¹	11	160
Milton Keynes¹	10	150
North Hertfordshire¹	6	68

Local authority	Number of grants	Total expenditure (£000)
Peterborough	10	101
Rochford¹	8	173
St. Albans¹	19	302
Southend¹	8	100
South Norfolk	4	44
Stevenage¹	9	140
Three Rivers¹	12	86
Watford¹	14	167
London
Barnet¹	32	1,250
Bexley¹	20	369
Brent¹	221	4,000
Bromley	17	179
Camden¹	52	1,017
City of London¹	5	92
Croydon¹	136	2,337
Ealing¹	87	1,148
Enfield¹	71	1,368
Greenwich¹	57	583
Hackney¹	73	933
Hammersmith and Fulham¹	69	1,101
Haringey¹	69	1,449
Harrow¹	47	987
Havering¹	17	123
Hillingdon¹	78	1,846
Hounslow¹	71	1,034
Islington¹	119	2,759
Kensington and Chelsea¹	41	850
Kingston upon Thames	17	299
Lambeth¹	46	920
Lewisham¹	25	328
Merton¹	27	475
Newham¹	51	750
Redbridge¹	8	149
Richmond¹	84	1,382
Southwark¹	15	198
Sutton¹	26	462
Tower Hamlets¹	25	412
Waltham Forest¹	52	796
Wandsworth¹	125	2,481
Westminster¹	80	1,598
South East
Adur¹	21	302
Arun¹	11	110
Brighton¹	21	298
Canterbury¹	20	263
Cherwell¹	5	48
Chichester¹	18	214
Dartford¹	9	175
Dover¹	24	447
Eastbourne¹	11	176
Eastleigh¹	16	198
East Hampshire¹	5	80
Elmbridge¹	3	52
Fareham¹	4	76
Gillingham¹	30	359
Gosport¹	6	96
Gravesham¹	6	60
Guildford¹	5	132
Hart¹	4	92
Hastings¹	13	112
Havant¹	10	147
Horsham¹	6	102
Hove¹	7	88
Lewes¹	15	150
Maidstone¹	5	107
Mole Valley¹	8	112
New Forest¹	16	211
Oxford¹	3	41
Portsmouth¹	162	1,943
Reading¹	23	446
Reigate and Banstead¹	11	220

Local authority	Number of grants	Total expenditure (£)
Rother¹	8	130
Runnymede¹	2	40
Rushmoor¹	28	420
Shepway¹	6	111
Slough¹	57	580
Southampton¹	68	445
Spelthorne¹	4	321
Tandridge¹	5	60
Test Valley¹	15	215
Thanet¹	8	133
Waverley¹	4	76
Wealden¹	10	200
West Oxfordshire¹	6	107
Windsor and Maidenhead¹	14	150
Woking¹	17	365
Wokingham¹	8	160
Worthing¹	5	75
EAST MIDLANDS
Daventry	7	70
East Northamptonshire	20	120
South Kesteven	6	36
West Midlands
Malvern Hills	1	10
Solihull	4	23
Stafford	12	94
Wyre Forest	6	50
South West
Bournemouth	19	165
Cheltenham	25	249
Cotswold	5	34
Exeter	5	49
Kennett	4	40
Kerrier	1	5
Kingswood	1	5
Mendip	10	120
Penwith	5	50
Poole	15	103
Purbeck	2	20
Restormel	1	8
Stroud	10	100
Taunton Deane	21	162
Teignbridge	3	22
Yorkshire and Humberside
Hambleton	2	18
Total	3,094	50,226
¹ Expenditure fully or partially funded from additional £30 million made available to local authorities in London and South-East England as part of the autumn statement package to stimulate the housing market and help relieve homelessness.

Water Charges

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the possibility of water companies using council tax banding rates for charging purposes.

Many customers have expressed the view that the fairest way of paying for water and sewerage services is in relation to the amount used. There is no evidence as yet that council tax banding provides a reasonable proxy for water usage.

Air Pollution, London

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the level of air pollution in London; what targets he has for reducing it; and if he will make a statement.

Air quality is currently monitored automatically at four sites in London by my Department.So far this year the air quality measured at these four sites has been "good" or "very good" on at least 96 per cent of days. On occasions particularly during hot sunny weather, photochemical smog may be produced which can lead to poor air quality.The main source of air pollution in London is vehicle exhaust emissions. Measures to deal with such emissions include the requirement for catalytic converters on new cars from 1 January this year. This will reduce emissions from each car by at least 80 per cent. In addition, the MOT emission check introduced for cars from 1 November 1991 should secure substantial reductions in carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. A metered smoke test was introduced in the annual test for heavy diesels on 1 September this year.

Council Tax, Harlow

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the substance of representations he received other than from Harlow district council in deciding on the limits to be imposed on the council's rates for council tax for 1993–94.

We received representations from both of the main opposition groups on Harlow council, and from the hon. Member for Harlow (Mr. Hayes). The Conservative group suggested various options for reducing the authority's expenditure, criticised a number of policy decisions taken by the authority and considered that a budget of about 11·5 million for 1993–94 would be achievable. These representations were supported by the hon. Member for Harlow.The Liberal Democrat group considered that the final cap should be higher than our proposed cap but lower than the authority's alternative.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which representations made on behalf of Harlow district council in relation to the probable consequences of reductions in net expenditure contemplated by his proposed council tax cap he has rejected.

Before taking his decision on the level of the final cap for Harlow my right hon. Friend took account of all the relevant available information, including all representations, both written and oral, made by and on behalf of the authority in support of its alternative cap.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment from which hon. Members he has received representations about council tax capping for (a) Harlow and (b) Castle Point for 1993–94.

We have received representations from the hon. Members for Harlow (Mr. Hayes) and for Castle Point (Dr. Spink) on capping for 1993–94 in relation to Harlow and Castle Point respectively.

Radon

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice he has received from the National Radiological Protection Board about the number of deaths and incidence of lung cancer attributable to the presence of radon in houses; what assessment he has made of the results of the programme to tackle the radon problem; and if he will make a statement.

The National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) estimates that 2,000 cases of lung cancer per annum are attributable to the presence of radon in houses. Measurements of radon have been made in 140,000 houses and 35,000 more are being processed. The Government's programme to identify homes with radon levels above the action level is continuing, and is subject to continuous assessment.

Local Government Finance

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps are taken to ensure that expenditure and revenue controls imposed on a local authority by his Department are not so substantial or at such short notice as to make the reduction unreasonably difficult to achieve.

In recent years, as local authorities themselves requested, we have announced our provisional capping criteria well in advance of the date by which they must set their budgets.Before proposing a cap for any authority designated for capping, my right hon. Friend takes into account all available relevant information. It is then open to an authority to challenge its proposed cap and to suggest some higher alternative. The supporting case made by the authority and all other relevant available information about its circumstances is carefully considered before a decision is taken on its final cap. That final cap must in the view of my right hon. Friend be reasonable, achievable and appropriate in all the circumstances of the authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the five highest year-on-year reductions in net expenditure required of a local authority to bring its budget into conformity with the controls imposed under the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980, since the Act came into force.

The Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 contains no provisions relating to the reduction of local authorities' expenditure.

Merseyside Development Corporation

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what major developments are projected within the Merseyside development corporation area for the next five years.

Merseyside development corporation has a substantial programme of encouraging major developments throughout the designated area. MDC's policies are discussed at the ministerial corporate plan meeting and with officials at Merseyside task force throughout the year. MDC's strategy is to secure the self-sustaining regeneration of Merseyside and great emphasis is placed on attracting investment to the area. Twenty-two major developments are projected within MDC's area over the next five years. These include five developments on land not owned by the corporation but which could require MDC support.The list is as follows:

South Liverpool
Riverside Housing Area
Herculaneum—Commercial Development
Brunswick Business Park—Further refurbishment of industrial/commercial units
East Brunswick Housing Site
South Ferry Island—Commercial/residential development
Liverpool Waterfront
Kings Dock—Leisure development
Princes Dock¹—Commercial/residential/leisure
Baltic Triangle—Office development
Albert Dock—Commercial/leisure
North Liverpool
Sandhills Business Park—Industrial development
BEOCO Site¹—Mixed use/office/business park/retail
North Liverpool Industrial Area—Industrial development
Vauxhall Housing Area—Social/low cost housing
Waterloo Dock¹—Further housing
Birkenhead
12 Quays
Rose Brae Phases I and II—Residential development
Scottsfield—Commercial/industrial development by Hanks Group plc.
Green Lane—Commercial/industrial development
Cammell Lairds¹—In ownership of VSEL
New Brighton Area
Kings Esplanade Site—Leisure
Victoria Parade Site–60 residential units
Bootle
Port expansion¹—Port related activities, warehousing etc.
¹ Non-M DC land/property.

Wall Insulation

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he gave to proposing improvements to wall insulation in his Department's consultative document on building regulations (conservation of fuel and power); and what public guidance he gives on cavity wall insulation.

The current proposals for revising part l of the Building Regulations would significantly improve wall insulation taking the fabric of the wall as a whole. In particular the proposals would no longer allow lower standards of wall insulation where double glazing is fitted.The Department's Building Research Establishment has produced a number of publications over the years on cavity wall insulation and made contributions to publications produced by for example the British Standards Institution, and the National House-Building Council. Two of its publications are:

Report No. 143 "Thermal insulation avoiding risks"; and NHBC Good Practice Guide: "Thermal insulation and ventilation".

Chlorofluorocarbons

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to make it illegal for recycled CFCs to be used except where proof is demonstrated that none will be used to service leakages.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to establish an annual audit indicating the amount of CFCs and hydrochlorofluorocarbons purchased by United Kingdom companies.

No, this would impose an unnecessary burden on business, given the tight controls on the supply of CFCs and the supply and use controls we will be negotiating for HCFCs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will bring forward legislation to ban the sale of CFC and hydrochlorofluorocarbons technology and equipment.

Production and supply of new CFCs will end in the European Community by 1 January 1995, with an 85 per cent. cut from 1986 levels by 1 January 1994.HCFCs are necessary in the short to medium term in some applications to phase out CFCs quickly. Within the EC we will be pressing for strict controls to ensure that HCFCs are used only where other more environmentally suitable alternatives are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people will be enforcing the phase out of CFC 113 in the United Kingdom; and what information he has as to how many staff will be involved in each of the other European Community countries.

CFC 113 is no longer produced in the United Kingdom. Enforcement of the controls on its importation is carried out by HM Customs and Excise. No officers are exclusively engaged on this work which is carried out alongside their enforcement of other prohibitions and restrictions. I have no information on staff involved in other member states.

Ozone Depletion

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to establish an information hotline to advise on emissions of ozone-depleting substances.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to ensure that all products made with or containing any ozone depleting substances are clearly marked.

The Government strongly support the European Community eco-labelling scheme which looks at all the effects of products on the environment. There are no plans to have a separate scheme for products containing or made with ozone-depleting substances.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to introduce a more rigorous regime of fines and penalties for the emission of ozone depleting substances.

None. The disposal of waste ozone-depleting substances by releasing them to the atmosphere is an offence under section 33(1)(c) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The penalties available to the courts for that offence are, on summary conviction, up to £20,000 fine or six months' imprisonment or, on conviction on indictment, an unlimited fine or up to two years' imprisonment.

Leeds Development Corporation

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list, by local authority ward, the numbers of jobs created by the Leeds development corporation in each year since its creation.

Official statistics for employees in employment are made available for local authority wards and aggregations of them by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment. The area covered by the Leeds development corporation does not coincide with ward boundaries.Information on the numbers of jobs created within the area covered by Leeds development corporation is compiled by the development corporation. The numbers of jobs created within its development area in each year since its designation are:

Year	Number
1988–89	1,526
1989–90	2,458
1990–91	2,320
1991–92	210
1992–93	830

Science And Technology

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will designate one of his Ministers to be responsible for his Department's contribution to the Government's science and technology "Forward Look."

Paragraph 2.37 of the recent White Paper "Realising Our Potential: A Strategy for Science, Engineering and Technology" describes the preparation of the Forward Look by the Office of Science and Technology, and the participation of Government Departments through the existing, well-established machinery of the official and ministerial Cabinet Committees on Science and Technology.

Natural Environment Research Council

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to draw up a concordat of co-operation between his Department and the Natural Environment Research Council.

As the recent White Paper "Realising Our Potential: A Strategy for Science and Technology" makes clear, a new system of research councils will come into effect on 1 April 1994. The Government have proposed that each of these new research councils should work with the Government Departments with which they have a significant policy connection to draw up and publish concordats.

Near-Market Research

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what his Department's policy is with regard to the funding of near-market research.

I refer the hon. Member to paragraphs 2.20 to 2.22 of the White Paper "Realising Our Potential: A Strategy for Science, Engineering and Technology".

Planning Appeals

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) pursuant to his answer of 8 June, Official Report, column 197–98, concerning planning appeals, if he will name each project listed.(2) pursuant to his answer of 8 June,

Official Report, column 197–98, concerning planning appeals, if he will list the parliamentary constituencies in which the projects were located;

Proposed development	Planning permission given (Y)es (N)o	Parliamentary constituency
1986–87
Microwave radio station—Chichester	Y	Chichester
Residential development—Hayle	Y	St. Ives
Residential development—Bramcote	N	Broxtowe
Residential development—Alcester	N	Stratford upon Avon
Residential development—Maidstone	Y	Maidstone
Residential development—Pinner	N	Harrow West
Commercial development—St. Albans	N	St. Albuns
Residential development—Bromley	Y	Lewisham West
Change of Use of land to playing fields—Stafford	Y	Stafford
Residential development—Welwyn Garden City	N	Welwyn Hatfield
Sheltered dwellings—Horsham	N	Horsham
Residential development—Backwell, Avon	N	woodspring
Office development—Bromley	Y	Ravenborough
Retail warehouse, garden centre—Peterborough	Y	Peterborough
Residential development—Colchester	N	South Colchester and Maldon
Residential development—Calderdale	Y	Calder Valley
Residential development—Calderdale	Y	Calder Valley
Residential caravan site for gypsy families—Berkshire	N	Reading East
Retail development—Benson, Oxon	N	Henley
Residential development—Weybridge	N	Chertsey and Walton
Retail stores—Cobham	Y	Esher
Industrial development—Rayleigh	Y	Castle Point
Showroom and office development—Westminster	Y	Islington North
Hypermarket—Nottingham	Y	Nottingham East
Commercial development—Cambridge	N	Cambridge
Commercial development—Cambridge	N	Cambridge
1987–88
Residential development—Totton, Hants	N	Romsey and Waterside
Residential development—Monks Park, Avon	N	Bristol, North West
Retirement homes, warden accommodation—Horsmonden, Kent	N	Tunbridge Wells
Restaurent and petrol station—Brentwood	N	Brentwood and Ongar
Restaurant and petrol station—Brentwood	N	Brentwood and Ongar
Residential development—Fareham	N	Fareham
Retail superstore—Luton	N	North Luton
Retail industrial and warehousing—Doncaster	Y	Doncaster, Central
Residential development—Hexham	Y	Hexham
Residential development—Exminster	Y	Tiverton
Offices development—Lambeth	Y	Vauxhall
Offices development—Lambeth	Y	Vauxhall
Mineral extraction—County Durham	Y	North Durham
Supermarket and filling station—Newcastle upon Tyne	N	Newcastle upon Tyne, North
Retail food store—Newcastle upon Tyne	N	Newcastle upon Tyne, North
Retail superstore—Gosforth	N	Newcastle upon Tyne, North
Retail superstore—Milton Keynes	N	Milton Keynes, South West
Residential dwellings—Alvanley, Cheshire	Y	Eddisbury
1988–89
Development of a business park—Crawley	N	Crawley
Business, retail park and residential development—Crawley	N	Crawley
Residential development—Hanham	N	Wansdyke
Residential development—Edenbridge, Kent	N	Sevenoaks

(3) pursuant to his answer of 8 June, Official Report, column 197–98, concerning planning appeals, how many and which of the projects went ahead; and in which parliamentary constituency each was situated.

The following information is given for the 113 planning appeals decided by the Secretary of State between 1 April 1986 and 31 December 1992 following a local inquiry and contrary to the recommendations of the planning inspector. It is not possible to say whether the projects listed went ahead but the nature of the decision made is indicated. Aggregate data on the outcome of earlier planning appeals has been included in successive reports of the chief planning inspector (copies of which are placed in the House Library) but details of those individual projects could be provided now only at disproportionate cost.

Proposed development	Planning permission given(Y)es/(N)o	Parliamentary constituency
Residential development, nursing homes and residential care homes—Formby, Lancashire	N	Crosby
Residential development—Alton	N	Winchester
Residential development—Weybridge	Y	Chartey and Walton
Residential development—Weybridge	Y	Chartey and Walton
Residential development—Weybridge	Y	Chartey and Walton
Re-alignment of link road and residential development —Hart, Hampshire	N	Aldershot
Residential development—Kempston, Bedfordshire	N	Mid Bedfordshire
Residential and retail development—Bramley, Hampshire	N	Basingstoke
Residential development—Bramley, Hampshire	N	Basingstoke
Service buildings and offices—Waterloo, SE1.	Y	Vauxhall
Residential development—Cleveleys	Y	Wyre
Residential development—Cleveleys	Y	Wyre
Residential development—Long Ashton, Avon	N	Woodspring
Retail warehouse and garden centre—Coventry	Y	Coventry, North East
Residential development—North Morley, Yorkshire	Y	Morley and Leeds, South
1989–90
Trunk-Road Service Area—Swanley, Kent	N	Sevenoaks
Industrial development—Guildford	N	Guildford
Industrial development—Guildford	N	Guildford
Industrial development—Guildford	N	Guildford
Residential, leisure and industrial development— Stratford upon Avon	Y	Stratford upon Avon
Residential development—Codnor, Derbyshire	N	Amber Valley
Residential development—Rochester, Kent	Y	Tonbridge and Mailing
Minerals extraction—Thatcham, Berkshire	Y	Newbury
Residential development—Dawlish	Y	Tiverton
Leisure development—Stevenage, Hertfordshire	Y	Stevenage
Leisure development—Stevenage, Hertfordshire	Y	Stevenage
Leisure development—Stevenage, Hertfordshire	Y	Stevenage
Leisure development—Stevenage, Hertfordshire	Y	Stevenage
Office development—Islington, EC1	N	Hackney South and Shoreditch
Offices development—Windsor	N	Windsor and Maidenhead
Offices development—Windsor	N	Windsor and Maidenhead
Retail development—Test Valley, Hampshire	N	Romsey and Waterside
Hotel development—Hendlip, Worcestershire	Y	Mid Worcestershire
Residential development—East Sussex	N	Hastings and Rye
Residential development—East Sussex	N	Hastings and Rye
Retail development—Staines	N	Spelthorne
1990–91
Housing, leisure, warehouse development—Ashford, Kent	N	Ashford
Mobile homes and caravans—Milton, Cambridgeshire	N	South East Cambridgeshire
Petrol station and restaurant—Northamptonshire	N	Northampon South
Retail development—Northamptonshire	N	Northampton South
Retail development—Thame, Oxfordshire	Y	Henley
Residential and industrial developments—Westbere, Kent	N	Canterbury
Retail and residential development—Amberside, Cumbria	N	Westmorland and Lonsdale
Business park—Oxfordshire	N	Henley
Retail development—Bromley	N	Ravensborough
Retail development—Feltham, L.B. Hounslow	N	Feltham and Heston
Leisure development—Near Swindon, Wiltshire	N	Swindon
Residential development—Downton, Wiltshire	N	Salisbury
Hotel development—Ardeley, Oxfordshire	N	Banbury
Hotel development—Ardeley, Oxfordshire	N	Banbury
Hotel development—Ardeley, Oxfordshire	N	Banbury
Residential development—Cookham, Berkshire	N	Windsor and Maidenhead
Residential development—Peacehaven, East Sussex	N	Lewes
1991–92
Residential and Office development—Datchet, Berkshire	N	East Berkshire
Residential development—Bognor Regis.	N	Chichester
Industrial development—Vale Royal, Cheshire.	Y	Tatton
Industrial development—South Bedfordshire.	N	South West Bedfordshire
Retail development—Greenwich	N	Greenwich
Residential and industrial development—Kent.	N	Canterbury
Hotel development—Wilmslow, Cheshire.	N	Tatton
1992–93

Proposed development	Planning permission given (Y)es/(N)o	Parliamentary constituency
Industrial development—Reading.	N	Reading East
Industrial development—Fareham.	N	Fareham
Retention of caravan—South Norfolk.	N	South Norfolk
Industrial development—Cinderford, Gloucester.	Y	West Gloucestershire
Leisure development—Bromley.	N	Ravensbourne

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 8 June, Official Report, column 197–98, concerning planning appeals, what proportion of the total number of public inquiries the figures represent.

The following is the information:

	A	B	C	D
Year	Total number of appeal decisions following an inquiry	Of which decisions by Secretary of State following inquiry	Of which decisions by Secretary of State contrary to the Inspector's recommendation	Proportion of column C to column B per cent.
1979	2,599	861	17	2·0
1980	2,786	845	15	1·8
1981	2,913	919	34	3·7
1982	2,723	596	20	3·4
1983	2,257	370	13	3·5
1984	1,551	253	16	6·3
1985–86¹	2,114	362	25	6·5
1986–87²	2,098	451	26	5·8
1987–88	1,960	356	18	5·1
1988–89	2,204	267	19	7·1
1989–90	2,347	299	21	7·0
1990–91	1,960	172	17	9·9
1991–92	1,808	99	7	7·1
1992–93³	1,505	166	5	3·0
¹From 1 January 1985 to 31 March 1986
²1986–87 and subsequent years are 1 April to 31 March
³Data available to 31 December 1992

Benomyl

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what investigations are being carried out into the impact of the use of Benomyl and related products on the environment.

Benomyl and related fungicides are used on a wide variety of crops to prevent certain fungal diseases. They have been used for many years without any detrimental effects on the environment being observed. The pesticide will be reviewed in due course at European Community level under the new Pesticides Directive, 91/414/EEC.

Rough Sleepers

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the outcome of the recent consultation exercise on the next phase of the Government's rough sleepers initiative; and if he will make a statement.

Under the first phase of the rough sleepers initiative, from 1990–91 to 1992–93, the Government provided resources of £96 million to assist people sleeping rough in central London.

Independent research, funded by this Department, into the effectiveness of the rough sleepers initiative, shows that it has been a success. Through the initiative, several thousand people with a history of sleeping rough have been provided with accommodation. The number of people sleeping rough in central London has fallen by more than a half, from estimates of over 1,000 before the initiative began, to around 420 at a count in November 1992.

The Government have made available a further £86 million over the next three financial years, 1993–94 to 1995–96, to continue the rough sleepers initiative in central London. On 18 January 1993 I issued a discussion paper, "The Rough Sleepers Initiative: The Next Three Years". It contained a range of proposals, based on recommendations from the independent research, aiming to ensure closer targeting of resources on central London's street homeless.

Almost 100 organisations responded to the paper. There has been a broad measure of support for the main thrust of our proposals. In the light of those responses, I am today issuing a strategy document that outlines the way forward for the rough sleepers initiative over the next three financial years until 1995–96, to assist our aim to make it unnecessary for people to sleep rough in central London.

We will continue to concentrate on funding permanent accommodation in houses and flats, with outreach work and resettlement support from voluntary organisations, to allow people sleeping rough to make a successful transition to a settled life. To ensure the better targeting of resources we are concentrating help on a limited number of specialist agencies with referral rights into RSI permanent accommodation; making referral agencies responsible for upholding the eligibility criteria; focusing some of the resources on zones, commencing with the Strand, with particular encouragement for consortia to come forward with proposals to reduce significantly the numbers sleeping rough in a specific area; and reducing the number of housing associations to develop permanent move-on accommodation under the initiative. Also, we are aiming to move towards a more contractual relationship with agencies, in the form of grants with tight, clearly-defined objectives. This, along with regular counts of the number of people sleeping rough in central London, will assist the better monitoring of the initiative.

The further £86 million made available for this initiative, and the proposals in the strategy document to target resources more closely on those in need, will ensure that people sleeping rough in central London will continue to be helped to start a new life away from the streets. I am keen that this initiative should make a further significant impact on the problem of people sleeping rough in the capital.

I have arranged for copies of the strategy document to be placed in the Libraries of this House and the other place.

Home Department

Bail Hostels

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of (a) residents of bail hostels and (b) people remanded in the community for a similar range of offences have been convicted subsequently of an offence committed while they were on remand, in the latest year for which figures are available.

Information is not available in the form requested. RPU report 65 "Offending while on bail; a survey of recent studies" is available in the Library. However, this report does not give detail on bail hostels alone; no such study has been published.

Juvenile Offenders

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received regarding current measures to deal with persistent juvenile offenders.

Representations have been received from a wide range of agencies and individuals. Since 2 March 1993, when my right hon. and learned Friend, the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr. Clarke), made his statement at columns 139–42 in which, inter alia, he outlined the Government's proposals for a new secure training order, most representations have agreed with the Government's conclusion that the existing arrangements are unsatisfactory and have given general support to the new measures which we have proposed.

Firearms Control Board

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he now expects to make a statement as to the date that the Firearms Control Board will be set up.

No decision has yet been taken on whether to establish a new civilian firearms control board. My right hon. and learned Friend will make an announcement as soon as possible.

Drugs-Related Offences

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drugs-related offences were reported in the Metropolitan police area in January-December 1992; and how many resulted in prosecutions and convictions respectively.

Information for 1992 is not yet available. Information on drug seizures and offenders dealt with in 1992 will be published later this year in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin "Statistics of drugs seizures and offenders dealt with, United Kingdom, 1992" (area tables), a copy of which will be placed in the Library.

New Age Travellers

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to introduce measures to deal with serious types of illegal trespassing and threats to the public by new age travellers.

The proposals which were announced on 31 March to strengthen section 39 of the Public Order Act 1986 and to give the police new powers to deal with illegal rave parties will be introduced as soon as a legislative opportunity arises.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constables of the forces involved on the cost of the police operation code-named Haystack over the recent bank holiday weekend to control convoys of new age travellers; and if he will make a statement.

Operation Haystack was the police operation mounted by Gloucestershire constabulary to deal with the activities of new age travellers in its area over the May bank holiday. I understand from the chief constable that the cost of the operation, including the deployment of officers who would have been on duty anyway, was approximately £200,000.

Police, Wales

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many policemen there are in each Welsh police authority indicating (a) the number from ethnic backgrounds, (b) who are Welsh speakers and (c) in total; and if he will make a statement.

Information on numbers of officers who speak Welsh is not held centrally. The other information requested is set out in the table.

As at 28 February 1993
	Total police officers	Officers from ethnic minorities
Dyfed-Powys	961	Nil
Gwent	1,004	9
North Wales	1,366	1
South Wales	3,175	22
TOTAL	6,506	32

Paul Malone

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what costs were incurred by the West Yorkshire police in carrying out the first investigation into allegations of a possible miscarriage of justice concerning the case of Paul Malone.

This is a matter for the chief constable of the West Yorkshire police.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what costs have been incurred to date by the Metropolitan police in carrying out the current investigation into allegations of a possible miscarriage of justice concerning the case of Paul Malone.

This is a matter for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.

Police Retirements

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the reasons for the retirement of (a) Chief Superintendent McQuoid of the West Yorkshire police and (b) detective chief inspector Howard Jones of the Metropolitan police force.

These are matters for the individual officers. Under the terms of the Police Pension Regulations 1987 a police officer may retire with full pension rights payable immediately after 30 years pensionable service. Both officers had completed 30 years service with the police at the time of their retirements in March 1990 and May 1993 respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement detailing the policies relating to retirement of senior police officers during lengthy internal police investigations; and what consideration is given to potential retirements when appointing particular officers to inquiries.

These are matters for police authorities and chief officers in individual cases.

Table A
Number and percentage of 'known offenders' (those cautioned and found guilty) in the Metropolitan police district (including the City of London) by age group and offence 1991
	Aged 10 to under 17		Aged 17 to under 21
Offence group	Number	Per cent.	Number	Per cent.
Indictable offences
Vehicle crime¹ indictable	511	5	679	4
Summary	1,117	³—	1,225	³—
TOTAL	1,628	³—	1,904	³—
Drug offences	894	8	4,397	25
Robbery	353	3	400	2
Violent crimes²	1,327	12	1,652	9
Other indictable	7,550	71	10,328	59
Total indictable offences	10,635	100	17,456	100
¹ Includes the indictable offence of stealing a motor vehicle (Theft Act 1968 Section 1); and the summary offences of stealing and unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle (Theft Act 1968 Section 12(1) as amended by Criminal Justice Act 1988 Section 37).
² Includes indictable offence groups 'Violence against the person' and 'Sexual offences'.
³— Not applicable.

Table B
Number of defendants prosecuted at magistrates courts and convicted at all courts in the Metropolitan police district (including the City of London) by age group and offence 1991.
	Aged 10 to under 17		Aged 17 to under 21
Offence group	Prosecutions	Convictions	Prosecutions	Convictions
Indictable offences
Vehicle crime¹ indictable	185	132	705	484
Summary	459	324	1,336	1,070
TOTAL	644	456	2,041	1,554
Drug offences	130	86	1,631	1,405
Robbery	471	236	636	400
Violent crimes²	718	395	1,974	1,144
Other indictable	2,546	1,694	10,213	7,706
Total indicable offences	4,050	2,543	15,159	11,139
¹ Includes the indictable offence of stealing a motor vehicle (Theft Act 1968 Section 1); and the summary offences of stealing and unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle (Theft Act 1968 Section 12(1) as amended by Criminal Justice Act 1988 Section 37).
² Includes indictable offence groups 'Violence against the person' and 'Sexual offences'.

Crime Statistics

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences in the Metropolitan police area were committed by (a) juveniles up to the age of 16 years and (b) young people aged 17–20 years in January to December 1992; what proportion of total offences were (i) car-related, (ii) drugs-related, (iii) robbery, (iv) violent crimes and (v) other; and how many resulted in prosecutions and convictions respectively.

Information is not collected centrally on the number of offences committed by offenders.Table A shows the number and percentage of "known offenders" (those cautioned and found guilty) by age group in the Metropolitan police district (including City of London) for the offences listed in 1991. Table B shows the number of defendants prosecuted and convicted in the Metropolitan police district (including City of London) for the same offences by age group in 1991.Data for 1992 will not be available until the autumn.

Domestic Violence

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of domestic violence were reported in the Metropolitan police area in January to December 1992; and how many resulted in (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions, respectively.

Provisional figures provided by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis show that there were approximately 9,800 incidents of domestic violence reported in the Metropolitan police district in 1992. Information on prosecutions and convictions is not available.

Police (Racial Discrimination)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations he has received on the subject of racial discrimination within the police authorities over the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

None.

Notifiable Offences

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many notifiable offences in total were recorded in the Metropolitan police area in 1963, 1970, 1979, 1990, 1991 and 1992; what proportion the offences were per thousand population respectively; and what has been the percentage change in notifiable offences since 1963 and 1979 respectively.

Information on the number of offences recorded in the Metropolitan police district and the number per thousand population is contained in the following table. The percentage increase between 1963 and 1992 was 412 per cent. and between 1979 and 1992 it was 169 per cent.

Number of offences and number per 1,000 population Metropolitan Police District
Year	Number of offences	Number per 1,000 population
1963	229,107	29
1970	321,156	42
1979	557,378	76
1990	834,324	115
1991	926,203	128
1992	942,878	130

Car-Related Offences

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many car-related offences were reported in the Metropolitan police area in January to December 1992; and how many resulted in prosecutions and convictions respectively.

The available information on notifiable offences relates to vehicle crime which includes offences of theft of and from a vehicle and aggravated vehicle taking. In the Metropolitan police district in 1992, there were 241,437 recorded offences.Information on the number of defendants prosecuted and convicted in 1991 is given in the following table. Data for 1992 will not be available until the autumn.

Number of defendants prosecuted at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts for vehicle crime offences in the Metropolitan police district¹ 1991
Offence	Prosecutions	Convictions
Theft of a motor vehicle²	3,177	2,324
Theft from a motor vehicle	1,126	794
Aggravated vehicle taking³	⁴—	⁴—
Vehicle crime	4,303	3,118
¹ Including City of London.
² Including stealing a motor vehicle (Theft Act 1968 Section 1); and stealing and unauthorised taking of a vehicle (Theft Act 1968 Section 12(1) as amended by Criminal Justice Act 1988 Section 37).
³ The Aggravated Vehicle Taking Act 1991 came into force on 1 April 1992.
⁴ Not applicable.

Security Firms

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the names of all the private security firms currently employed by his Department, the number of employees for each firm on the contract, the total value of each contract and the total value of all contracts for each financial year since 1987.

The following private security firms are currently employed by the Home Office:

Airline Security Consultants Limited
Burns International Security Services Limited
Group 4 Court Escort Services Limited
Group 4 Remand Services Limited
Group 4 Total Security Limited
Grundig International Limited
Harlow Security Systems Limited
Lisburn Security Services
Maritime Aviation Security Services
Reliance Security Service Limited
SDA (1979) Limited
Securicor Security Services Limited
Securiguard Services Limited
Security Wales Limited
UK Detention Services Limited

The value of each contract is a matter of commercial and contractual confidentiality. Information about the total value of such contracts for each financial year since 1987 is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Information about the number of staff employed on each contract is also not readily available; in some cases the number varies from day to day according to operational requirements.

Strip Searching

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the amount of drugs and explosives detected for each of the past five years as a result of (a) strip searching of convicted and remand prisoners and (b) strip searching of other people.

The information requested in part (a) of the question was collected centrally only from mid November 1990. Information prior to that date could be gathered only by a manual search at disproportionate cost. Additionally it is not possible to give the quantity of drugs found, only the number of occasions when drugs were found on a prisoner's person.The total numbers of such incidents are as follows:

	Drug finds (incidents)
1990¹	59
1991	269
1992	289
1993²	184
¹ From mid November 1990.
²To end May 1993.

There are no recorded incidents of explosives being found as a result of the strip searching of convicted and remand prisoners.I regret that the information requested in part

(b) of the question is not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Fire Service, Wales

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will visit (a) Queensferry fire station, Deeside and (b) Buchley fire station, Clwyd;(2) if he will make a statement on the future of the fire service in

(a) Clwyd and (b) Wales;

(3) if he will visit Clwyd county council headquarters, Mold to discuss the future of the fire service; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend has no plans at present to visit Clwyd. Our proposals for the future structure of the fire service in Wales are set out in the White Paper on the future of local government in Wales (Cm. 2155), which was published on 1 March 1993, and on which we are still receiving comments.

Criminal Injuries (Compensation)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 8 June, Official Report, column 182, how many awards of between £550 and £799 were made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board in each year since 1986–87.

The published reports of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board do not give data about numbers of awards in the band requested. The following table accordingly summarises data about the nearest equivalent bands.

Awards
	£500–599	£600–799	Below £750	£750–999
1986–87	2,3622	3,479	—	—
1987–88	2,271	3,428	—	—
1988–89	3,499	5,275	—	—
1989–90	3,179	5,085	—	—
1990–91	3,096	5,886	—	—
1991–92	n/a	n/a	3,893	8,685

Voting Rights

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans he has to publicise the extension of voting rights in European and local elections of EC nationals resident in this country once the Maastricht treaty has been ratified prior to the deadline for inclusion on electoral registers for voting in the European elections of 20 April 1994; and if he will make a statement;

(2) what was the outcome of his most recent meeting with electoral registration officers to discuss the arrangements for the extension of voting rights to EC nationals; and if he will make a statement.

My officials have had an informal discussion with some electoral registration officers on the practicalities of implementing the new voting rights provided by the Maastricht treaty. We shall bring forward legislative proposals to give effect to the new voting rights once the Maastricht treaty has been ratified in all the member states. We shall take steps to publicise the new voting rights at that time.

Electoral Registers

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will issue updated guidance notes to electoral registration offices on the use of alternative sources of information for the purposes of cross-referencing the draft electoral register subsequent to the abolition of the community charge register; and if he will make a statement.

Electoral registration officers use a number of different sources of information to assist them in their task of drawing up registers of electors. We regularly issue guidance for electoral registration officers but have no plans to issue advice following the replacement of the community charge.

Prisoners (Costs)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the cost per week, month or year of keeping a prisoner in the various categories of prison.

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the director general of the prison service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from A. J. Butler to Sir Nicholas Fairbairn, dated 16 June 1993:

The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General, Mr. Lewis, from the office, to reply to your recent Question about the cost of keeping a prisoner in the various categories of prison.

The average weekly cost of keeping prisoners in the financial year 1991–92—the latest year for which information has been published—was as follows:

Weekly cost
Type of establishment	£ per prisoner per week
Local prisons and adult remand centers	437
Dispersal prisons	807
Category B training prisons	438
Category C training prisons	363
Open adult prisons	316
Closed youth establishments	452
Open youth establishments	551
Female establishments	629
All operational establishments	442

Ticket Touts

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a further statement with respect to his policy on the introduction of legislation to outlaw ticket touting at sporting and entertainment events.

[holding answer 14 June 1993]: The Government are committed to implementing the Taylor report's recommendation that there should be a new criminal offence of ticket touting at football matches. This is because of the implications such touting may have for public order and public safety. We intend to introduce the appropriate legislation when there is a suitable opportunity in the parliamentary timetable.More generally we believe that, although some may find touting objectionable, it would not be appropriate for the criminal law to prohibit people from re-selling tickets which they have lawfully obtained, any more than it would be appropriate to forbid people to sell their other possessions. Such an offence would in any event be unenforceable. Neither would it be appropriate for the Government to attempt to regulate the price at which tickets may be resold. It is, however, already an offence for touts to deceive their customers as to the type of tickets they are selling, or obtain tickets by theft, fraud or intimidation. It is also open to the organisers of sporting or other entertainment events to impose contractual conditions on the sale of their tickets, forbidding resale and invalidating the tickets if they are sold on to third parties.

Northern Ireland

School Meals

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the level of public expenditure on the school meal service in each year since 1979 in cash and real terms.

Net expenditure on school meals and milk (figures for which are not recorded separately) is as follows:

Financial year	Cash £000	AT 1992–93 prices £000
1978–79	17,031	47,538
1979–80	19,670	47,056
1980–81	18,088	36,568
1981–82	17,381	32,044
1982–83	19,152	32,961
1983–84	21,572	35,484
1984–85	22,417	35,094

Date	Prison	Sentenced or Remand	Drugs found
18 April 1990	Belfast	Remand	Cannabis
22 November 1990	YOC	Sentenced	Cannabis Resin
22 November 1990	YOC	Sentenced	Cannabis Resin
22 November 1990	YOC	Sentenced	Cannabis Resin
13 December 1990	Belfast	Remand	Cannabis Resin
15 March 1991	Belfast	Sentenced	Cannabis Resin
3 August 1991	YOC	Sentenced	Cannabis
6 August 1991	Magilligan	Sentenced	Cannabis
27 September 1991	Belfast	Sentenced	Cannabis Resin
30 September 1991	Belfast	Remand	Cannabis
3 January 1992	YOC	Sentenced	Cannabis

Financial year	Cash £000	AT 1992–93 prices £000
1985–86	24,739	36,724
1986–87	25,580	36,789
1987–88	23,950	32,650
1988–89	22,318	28,361
1989–90	23,865	28,456
1990–91	24,152	26,663
1991–92	26,564	27,494
1992–93	¹27,110	27,110
¹ Actual expenditure not available: figure relates to approved expenditure.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the average price of a school meal in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in cash and real terms in each year since 1979.

The information is available only for fixed price meals and is as follows:

	Primary		Secondary
Year	Cash (Pence)	Real Terms (Pence)	Cash (Pence)	Real Terms (Pence)
1979	25	60	25	60
1980	35	71	35	71
1981	45	83	45	83
1982	50	86	50	86
1983	55	90	55	90
1984	55	86	55	86
1985	60	89	60	89
1986	60	86	60	86
1987	70	95	75	102
1988	75	95	80	102
1989	80	95	85	101
1990	85	94	90	99
1991	90	93	95	98
1992	90	90	100	100

Strip Searching

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the amount of drugs and explosives that have been detected for each of the past five years as a result of (a) strip searching of convicted and remand persons and (b) strip searching of other people.

Only prisoners are full-searched within the Northern Ireland prison service. Records of finds of drugs and explosives in prisons in Northern Ireland have not been maintained for the whole of the past five years or in such detail as to quantify amounts of various items detected. The following list details only those finds of drugs clearly identified as resulting from full searches. No explosives have been detected. Other illicit items found in full searches are not included.

Date	Prison	Sentenced or Remand	Drugs found
3 January 1992	YOC	Sentenced	Cannabis
21 February 1992	YOC	Sentenced	Amphetamine Sulphates
21 February 1992	YOC	Sentenced	Amphetamine Sulphates
4 July 1992	Maze	Sentenced	Alcohol
2 August 1992	Belfast	Sentenced	Cannabis
6 August 1992	Belfast	Sentenced	Cannabis Resin
20 August 1992	Magilligan	Sentenced	10 Tablets
28 August 1992	Belfast	Remand	Cannabis Resin
27 September 1992	YOC	Remand	Methylamphetamine Cannabis 42 Tablets
30 October 1992	Maghaberry	Sentenced	45 Capsules
19 December 1992	YOC	Remand	Cannabis
23 December 1992	Belfast	Remand	Cannabis
23 December 1992	Belfast	Remand	Cannabis
5 January 1993	Magilligan	Sentenced	Cannabis
9 February 1993	Belfast	Sentenced	Cannabis Resin
26 March 1993	Belfast	Sentenced	Cannabis

Gp Practices

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many single-handed general practitioner practices there are in Northern Ireland; and what is their average patient holding.

At 1 May there were 85 single-handed general medical practices in Northern Ireland, with an average patient list size of 2,014.

Health Authorities And Trusts

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) health authorities and (b) trusts were in existence in Northern Ireland on 1 April; and what is his forecast of the number on 1 April 1994.

On 1 April there were in existence in Northern Ireland four health and social services boards and six HSS trusts and I do not expect there to be any change in the number of authorities purchasing services on behalf of their resident populations by 1 April 1994. However an additional four units have already been approved for trust status and it is intended that they, together with any units which make successful applications in the current third round, will be established to come into operation on 1 April 1994 when necessary changes to the law have been made.

Innovation Support

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to improve the ease of access to innovation support programmes by small and medium-sized enterprises.

In 1992 the Government published a regional research and development strategy for Northern Ireland "Innovation 2000". That strategy specifically recognised the need to promote research and development, collaboration and innovation in small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Government also established the industrial research and technology unit (IRTU) which provides single door access to an extensive range of support facilities for industry. These facilities include access to the SMART and teaching company schemes, product development programmes and EC support mechanisms for SMEs. IRTU also provides technical and scientific support services and delivers a programme of promotional initiatives designed to increase competitiveness and innovation. The recently published IRTU corporate plan emphasises the particular importance of technology transfer, awareness programmes and collaboration at local, national and international level.

Near-Market Research

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his Department's policy is with regard to the funding of near-market research.

I refer the hon. Member to paragraphs 2.20 to 2.22 of the White Paper "Realising Our Potential—A Survey for Science, Engineering and Technology".

Research And Development

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to improve the take up of grants and other incentives for research and development by small and medium enterprises.

Given their importance in the region's economy, Northern Ireland's research and development strategy and the corporate plan and activities of its industrial research and technology unit are focused on increasing innovation and competitiveness in small to medium enterprises. A range of consultancy and technology transfer services are available; there is a programme of support for research and development, including the SMART awards and product development; and sustained promotional and awareness raising initiatives are undertaken. The SMART awards and teaching company scheme have been particularly successful in the region.

Science And Technology

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will designate one of his Ministers to be responsible for his Department's contribution to the Government's science and technology "Forward Look."

Paragraph 2.37 of the recent White Paper "Realising Our Potential—A Strategy for Science, Engineering and Technology" describes the preparation of the Forward Look by the Office of Science and Technology and the participation of Government Departments through the existing, well-established machinery of the official and ministerial Cabinet Committees on Science and Technology.

Prime Minister

Thorp

To ask the Prime Minister what recent representations he has had on the thermal oxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield.

I have received a number of representations.

Link Scheme

To ask the Prime Minister what proportion of the LINK scheme budget is being transferred from the Department of Trade and Industry to the Office of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

LINK is an interdepartmental mechanism for promoting collaborative, precompetitive research involving industry and the science base. As such there is no distinct LINK scheme budget. The Department of Trade and Industry, like other participating Departments, uses money from its overall research and development budget to support LINK programmes and projects where these provide a way of meeting its departmental objectives. The Department's financial commitment to LINK will continue to be substantial and is unaffected by the transfer of responsibility for the LINK steering group and its secretariat to the Office of Science and Technology.

Teaching Company Scheme

To ask the Prime Minister if lead responsibility for the teaching company scheme is being transferred from the Department of Trade and Industry to the Office of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

At present, no single Department of state or research council has lead responsibility for the teaching company scheme and no decision has been taken to change this arrangement.

Employment

Market Testing

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what evaluation he has made of the effect on the number of jobs on Merseyside of the introduction of market testing; and if he will make a statement.

None.The information requested on the effect of the Government's market testing programme on the number of jobs on Merseyside can be provided only at disproportionate cost.As far as the Employment Department group is concerned, the current market testing programme affects a total of about 118 staff in Merseyside county, 108 based at the Health and Safety Executive's site in Bootle, and about 10 Employment Service staff involved in the delivery of job clubs on Merseyside. There will be opportunities for both private sector companies and in-house teams to bid for the departmental work concerned. This will encourage enterprise and the economy generally and Merseyside will benefit from this as much as anywhere else.

Ec Social Fund

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many (a) men and (b) women were on European social fund training courses in each of the regions of the United Kingdom at the latest available date.

Comprehensive details of the breakdown of European social fund applicants are not readily available at regional level and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Social Affairs Council

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment pursuant to his answer of 7 June, Official Report, columns 95–96, what were the voting figures for each member state recorded in the meeting of the European Community Social Affairs Council held on 1 June.

No formal votes were taken at this Council meeting.

Labour Statistics

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list for each constituency (a) the latest unemployment figures, (b) the latest figures for those who have been out of work for at least one year and (c) the latest figures for those who have been out of work for at least five years; and if he will give the percentage rates for each category by travel-to-work area.

Information showing unadjusted claimant unemployment by duration and as a percentage of the total work force can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the Library.

Industrial Injury

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of working hours lost as a result of industrial injury in 1992.

The figures for 1992 are not available. An estimate of absence from work due to workplace injury is available for the year 1989–90 from the special supplement of questions on accidents to the 1990 Labour Force Survey. An estimated 23·2 million days absence occurred in Great Britain in 1989–90. This figure is equivalent to about 170 million hours lost for a five day working week of 37 hours.

Scotland

Health Authorities And Trusts

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) health authorities and (b) trusts were in existence in Scotland on 1 April; and what is his forecast for 1 April 1994.

On 1 April 1993 there were 15 health boards, and 17 NHS trusts in Scotland. There are no plans to change the number of health boards but a further 23 hospitals units have applied to become NHS trusts on 1 April 1994. These applications have been released for public consultation.

Gp Practices

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many single-handed general practitioner practices there are in Scotland; and what is their average patient holding.

There were 228 unrestricted principals in single handed practices in Scotland at 1 October 1992, the latest date for which information is available centrally. Their average list size was 1,440.

Islands (Subsidies)

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library the Halcrow Fox report on Government subsidies to the Scottish islands.

Once the final report on the findings and conclusions of the ferry subsidies impact study has been completed and submitted to the Scottish Office by Halcrow Fox, St. Andrews Economic Consultants and PA Cambridge Economic Consultants, my right hon. Friend will arrange to have a copy placed in the Library of the House.

Housing, Edinburgh

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish available details of Scottish Homes' major Edinburgh initiative to stimulate existing and new housing suppliers to produce new homes for the private rental market.

Scottish Homes has recently approved 143 houses for market rent in Edinburgh. Its total investment to the end of 1992–93 was around £.1·3 million.

Housing Associations

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many housing association tenants in Scotland have now vacated housing association tenancies under the tenant's incentive scheme.

Since April 1990 a total of 267 tenants have received a grant under the tenants incentive scheme.

Shared Equity Housing

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress Scottish Homes has made with the development of its share equity pilot; and if he will make a statement.

Scottish Homes is examining a number of new ways of promoting low cost home ownership, including the possibility of shared equity arrangements. It hopes to run a pilot later this year.

Public Transport

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking on the Scottish Consumer Council's recommendations following the recent survey of the facilities for babies and children travelling on public transport.

It is for the relevant transport operators to consider the Scottish Consumer Council's recommendations. The Government are, however, committed to the development of a fully accessible transport system and are concerned that account should be taken of the particular need for adequate and safe facilities for babies and children.

Housing

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what sums have been (a) spent in 1992–93 and (b) committed in 1993–94 by Scottish Homes to (i) the provision of furnished accommodation, (ii) the development and piloting of lead tenancies and (iii) the promotion of the tenant's incentive scheme.

The information is set out in the table:

£ million
	1992–93	1993–94¹
Furnished accommodation²	0·110	0·850
Lead tenancies³	—	0·043
Grants paid under the tenants incentive scheme	1·336	1·500
¹ Estimated expenditure.
² 1992–93 expenditure covers Scottish Homes' own stock only: estimated expenditure for 1993–94 covers own stock and grants to housing associations.
³ Covers only development costs, not funding of actual units.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of housing associations and housing co-operatives funded by Scottish Homes have agreements whereby local authorities have 50 per cent. nomination rights.

Performance standards for housing associations, issued jointly by Scottish Homes and the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, requires associations and co-operatives to seek nomination arrangements with district councils in whose area they operate but details of individual arrangements are not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether (a) research on housing matters and (b) professional postgraduate courses related to housing are funded from the housing or the education budget.

[holding answer 14 June 1993]: The Scottish Office environment department funds research on housing matters; and student support for postgraduate diplomas in housing is shared between the Scottish Office environment department and the Scottish Office education department.

Criminal Justice System

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has to improve the operation of the Scottish criminal justice system.

The first report of the groups which have been reviewing court programming under the chairmanship of Sheriff Principal Gordon Nicholson, QC and Sheriff Graham Cox was published on 11 June. Copies of the report, which contains proposals for improving court programming mainly within the existing legislative framework, have been placed in the House Libraries. Copies have also been sent to the various interests and comments requested by the end of September.The Government have also been considering measures which would involve statutory change and is publishing today a report entitled "Review of Criminal Evidence and Criminal Procedure", together with a consultation paper seeking the public's views on the proposals in the report. Copies of both have also been placed in the House Libraries.The proposals in the report aim to secure a substantial reduction in the time wasted by both civilian and police witnesses in attending court for trials which do not take place and in giving evidence which is not contested. They include pre-trial hearings to ensure cases are ready to go to trial; more active management of the pre-trial period; a new form of disclosure of the prosecution case; and the possibility of reduced sentences for those who plead guilty early. The results would include a better deal for thousands of civilian witnesses and more police time released for other duties. The consultation period will last until 30 September and I look forward to receiving views on the proposals from a wide range of interests.The publication of this report marks the first stage of the process. Later in the year the Government intend to embark on a second round of consultations. This will look at the function and verdicts of the jury in criminal trials, the way in which appeals against conviction and sentence in the criminal courts are dealt with and any matters arising from the report of the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice which have implications for the Scottish criminal justice system. Any proposals for legislative change will be formulated in the light of responses to these two wide-ranging consultation exercises.

Shetland Oil Spill

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made by the ecological steering group he announced on 26 January in relation to the Shetland oil spill.

The steering group expects to make an interim report on 17 June. I shall arrange for copies to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Compulsory Competitive Tendering

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has for de minimis thresholds for white collar compulsory competitive tendering.

Current compulsory competitive tendering activities under the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 and the Local Government Act 1988 are subject to de minimis thresholds. Where the amount of work falls below these thresholds, authorities are not obliged to seek competitive tenders, though they can do so voluntarily if they wish.The Government accept the principle that de minimis arrangements should apply to CCT activities for professional and corporate services. We also accept that a local authority needs to perform adequately the core client roles which may not be suitable for competitive tendering and that de minimis arrangements should address these issues.It is our view that different de minimis thresholds may be appropriate for different services and that different bases for calculating these thresholds may be appropriate. For instance for some services a threshold based on the total value of the service may be appropriate, for others one based on the number of staff employed or a combination of the two may better meet authorities needs. The details of the arrangements to be applied will form part of the current discussions with local authority interests on the implementation of CCT extension. Further announcements will be made in due course.As with the existing services, local authorities will of course be free to tender services below threshold levels voluntarily.

Prisoners

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the cost per week, month or year of keeping a prisoner in the various categories of prison.

The approximate cost per year of keeping a prisoner in the various main categories of prison in Scotland for 1992–93, calculated as total current expenditure, divided by average prisoner numbers, was as follows. For the remand category, the figure was £22,500, for the secure young offenders institution category, £23,000 and for adult secure prisoners the figure was £24,550. This compared to a figure of £31,000 for open and semi open adult prisons and £31,500 for the open and semi open young offenders institution category.

Shipping Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pusuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Aberdeen, South (Mr. Robertson) of 26 May, Official Report, column 589, on shipping services to Scottish islands, what consideration will be given in his review to the need for public sector support for private sector investment.

[holding answer 14 June 1993]: The Government remain committed to continuing to support essential shipping services to the Scottish islands whether these services are provided by public or private sector operators. The shipping subsidies review will consider a range of different financing and ownership options.

[holding answer 14 June 1993]: Yes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Aberdeen, South (Mr. Robertson) of 26 May, Official Report, column 589, on shipping services to Orkney and Shetland, what plans he has to extend the principle of giving additional assistance to P & O Scottish Ferries Ltd. to enable net tariffs of users of the service to remain unchanged to services to islands provided by other operators.

[holding answer 14 June 1993 ]: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Scotland, announced that he intended to make available a further £1·934 million in the current year to increase the amount of subsidy available for services provided by P&O to Orkney and Shetland. The additional assistance is to be provided to P&O Scottish Ferries Ltd. to enable it to maintain the present level of roll-on/roll-off services in respect of passengers and cars. I have no plans to increase further the level of support for shipping services in the current year.

Conservation Sites

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list, by habitat category, sites which in the opinion of Scottish Natural Heritage qualify for designation as special protection areas under the EC directive on the conservation of wild birds (79/409/EEC); which of these are awaiting designation; and if he will indicate a timetable for their designation.

[holding answer 8 June 1993]: The information is set out in the table. The sites have not been selected by reference to any habitat category but to their ornithological importance. The Government are working closely with Scottish Natural Heritage with a view to accelerating the rate of designation of special protection areas and to completing the designation programme as soon as possible.

List of sites which in the opinion of Scottish Natural Heritage qualify for special protection area status
Site	Local Authority
North Rona and Sula Sgeir	Western Isles
Flannan Isles	Western Isles¹
St. Kilda	Western Isles¹
Shiant Isles	Western Isles¹
West Sound of Harris	Western Isles
Monach Islands	Western Isles
Loch Druidibeg/Loch a' Machair	Western Isles¹
South Uist Machair and Lochs	Western Isles
West Sound of Barra	Western Isles
Mingulay and Berneray	Western Isles
Pentland Firth Islands	Highland
	Orkney
The Peatlands	Highland
Caithness Lochs	Highland
Caithness Cliffs	Highland
Cape Wrath	Highland
Handa	Highland¹
Priest Island	Highland¹
Rum	Highland¹
Balranald	Western Isles
Baleshare and Kirkibost	Western Isles
Loch Scadavay	Western Isles
Inverpolly, Loch Urigill and Nearby Lochs	Highland
Loch Maree	Highland
Loch Ruthven and Nearby Lochs	Highland
Central Highland Hills and Glens	Highland
Lewis Peatlands	Western Isles
North Harris Mountains	Western Isles
Assynt Lochs	Highland
Loch Stack, Loch Nam Brac and Nearby Lochs	Highland
Loch Shin and Nearby Lochs	Highland
Loch Eye	Highland¹
Moray Basin Firths and Bays	Grampian
	Highland
Beinn Dearg	Highland
Ben Wyvis	Highland

Site	Local Authority
Glangarry Lochs	Highland
Loch Tarff and Nearby Lochs	Highland
North Inverness Lochs	Highland
Hermaness and Saxa Vord, Unst	Shetland
Ramna Stacks and Gruney	Shetland
Fetlar	Shetland
North Roe and Tingon, Mainland Shetland	Shetland
Papa Stour	Shetland
Foula	Shetland
Noss	Shetland
Fair Isle	Shetland
West Westray	Orkney
Papa Westray (North Hill and Holm)	Orkney
Marwick Head	Orkney
Lochs of Harray and Stenness	Orkney
Hoy	Orkney
Copinsay	Orkney
Sule Skerry and Stack	Orkney
Loch Spynie	Grampian¹
Loch of Strathbeg	Grampian
Ythan Estuary, Sands of Forvie and Meikle Lochs	Grampian
River Spey-Insh Marshes	Highland
Cairngorms	Highland
	Grampian
Loch of Skene	Grampian¹
Fowlsheugh	Grampian¹
Lochnagar	Grampian
Drumochter Hills	Highland
	Tayside
West Mainland Moors	Orkney
North Mainland Coast	Orkney
South Westray Coast	Orkney
East Sanday	Orkney
Croussa Field and the Heogs	Shetland
Mousa	Shetland
Rousay (part)	Orkney
North Ronaldsay Coast	Orkney
Southeastern Stronsay	Orkney
Eday	Orkney
Troup, Pennan and Lion Heads	Grampian
St. Cyrus	Grampian
Buchan Ness to Collieston Coast	Grampian
Sumburgh Head	Shetland
Monadhliath	Highland
Alvie	Highland
Ben Alder	Highland
Abernethy Forest	Highland¹
Kinveachy	Highland
Creag Meagaidh	Highland
Lochs of Spiggie and Brow	Shetland
Mill Dam, Shapinsay	Orkney
Rosehearty to Fraserburgh Coast	Grampian
Orphir and Stenness Hills	Orkney
Keelylang	Orkney
Loch of Isbister	Orkney
Blackpark and Gutcher, Yell	Shetland
Loch Oire	Grampian
Loch Vaa	Highland
Glen Tanar	Grampian
Muir of Dinnet	Grampian
Moorland Areas, Central Shetland	Shetland
West Burrafirth, Shetland	Shetland
Hill of Colvadale and Sobul	Shetland
An Socach-Carn a Gheoidh	Grampian
Loch Lomond	Strathclyde
	Central
Tiree and Coll	Strathclyde
Treshnish Isles	Strathclyde
Gruinart Flats, Islay	Strathclyde¹
Bridgend Flats, Islay	Strathclyde¹
Laggan Peninsula, Islay	Strathclyde¹
Eilean na Muice Duibhe, Islay	Strathclyde¹
Glac na Criche, Islay	Strathclyde¹
Feur Lochain, Islay	Strathclyde¹
Rhinns of Islay	Strathclyde
Islay; the Oa	Strathclyde
Inner Clyde Estuary	Strathclyde

Site	Local Authority
Rhunahaorine Point	Strathclyde
Machrihanish and Tangy Loch	Strathclyde
Ailsa Craig	Strathclyde¹
Loch Ken and Dee Marshes	Dumfries and Galloway¹
Lochinch and Torrs Warren	Dumfries and Galloway
Wigtown Bay	Dumfries and Galloway
North Colonsay and Western Cliffs	Strathclyde
Sanda	Strathclyde
Castle Loch Lochmaben	Dumfries and Galloway
Caenlochan	Tayside
	Grampian
Montrose Basin	Tayside
Loch of Kinnordy	Tayside
Loch of Lintrathen	Tayside¹
Tay-Isla Valley	Tayside
Loch Leven	Tayside
Firth of Tay	Tayside
	Fife
Cameron Reservoir	Fife
Eden Estuary, Tentsmuir Point and Abertay Sands	Fife
	Tayside
Forth Islands	Lothian¹
	Fife
Flanders Moss and Lake of Menteith	Central
Gladhouse Reservoir	Lothian¹
Fala Flow	Lothian
Westwater	Borders
St. Abb's Head to Fast Castle	Borders
Greenlaw Moor and Hule Moss	Borders
Hoselaw Loch	Borders¹
South Tayside Goose Roosts	Tayside¹
Firth of Forth	Lothian
	Fife
	Central
Upper Solway Flats and Marches	Dumfries and Galloway¹
¹ Indicates designated site.

Hiv/Aids And Drug Abuse

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will set out the criteria used by him in allocation resources to health boards for their work in (a) HIV/AIDS and (b) drug misuse including the criteria in respect of (i) education and (ii) prevention in these areas; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 7 June 1993]: Allocations to assist health boards in responding to the extra burdens imposed by HIV and AIDS are being made in 1993–94 by means of service agreements with the management executive of the national health service in Scotland. The agreements take into account the number of HIV and AIDS cases in each health board area and the estimated costs of treatment and care. For prevention activity, including public education campaigns, the allocations include an amount calculated according to weighted capitation principles. HIV and AIDS allocations may also be used for relevant activities to counter drug misuse; but in addition some £2·4 million is being made available in 1993–94 specifically for drug misuse purposes. Of this amount, some £1·3 million has been allocated to four health boards in support of specific projects. The remainder has been divided among all health boards on the weighted capitation basis.

Social Housing (Transfers)

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the organisations awarded grants to help those in the social housing sector to move from one area to another, the sums awarded in each case, and the nature of the work that each grant will pay for.

[holding answer 14 June 1993]: Grant is given to HOMES—Housing Organisations Mobility and Exchange Services—which is a national organisation acting as a clearing house for public sector tenants who wish to move between one local authority area and another. It operates two schemes—a national mobility scheme under which members agree to commit 1 per cent. of their net lettings in any one year to mobility applicants, and a tenants exchange scheme which facilitates swaps between council tenants. Grant is provided by the Department of the Environment, the Scottish Office, the Welsh Office and the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland, and the Scottish contribution in 1993–94, calculated on a formula related to the activity taking place in Scotland, will be a maximum of £121,015.This grant will facilitate national mobility scheme moves and exchanges involving moves of tenants within, or to and from, Scotland, and will also assist towards funding of a development worker for Scotland who is to be appointed during the course of 1993–94.

Housing And Community Care

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list those projects awarded a grant for 1993–94 which promote or develop effective links between housing services and community care, and the amount awarded to each.

[holding answer 14 June 1993]: Support for projects combining housing and community care will come from a number of Government programmes in 1993–94. Grants totalling £514,000 have been awarded through the mental illness specific grant, to projects designed to increase community based mental health facilities, including special housing. In addition, £15 million of bridging finance has been made available to health boards for community care projects, some of which may well involve housing. Grants totalling £5·978 million have already been made under the urban programme for hostel and other accommodation, day care services, and home care for the elderly; and further grants may be made during 1993–94. A total of £135,000 has been made available to voluntary housing bodies for community care, including provision for the elderly.In addition, Scottish Homes makes grants to housing associations which promote effective links between housing and community care including in particular grants made under the new revenue funding arrangements known as the special needs allowance package (SNAP) to meet the additional housing management costs involved in providing for people with special needs. It is estimated that SNAP grants in 1993–94 will amount to around £4 million.

Forestry Commission

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) who are the members of the review body currently considering the further sale of assets of the Forestry Commission; and when she expects the review body to report;(2) what consideration is being given to the further sale of assets of the Forestry Commission; and if she will make a statement.

[holding answer 14 June 1993]: I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave to the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Smith) on 20 April 1993 at column 89.In respect of current disposals, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for the Western Isles (Mr. Macdonald) on 1 April 1993 at column

392.

Prescribed Process Regulations

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 19 May, Official Report, column 218, what prosecutions have been undertaken resulting from breach of the prescribed process regulations since 31 July 1992.

[holding answer 14 June 1993]: The results of a survey on the operation of local authority air pollution control in Scotland during its first year (1 April 1992 to 31 March 1993) are currently being analysed. From 54 returns so far received from the 56 district and islands councils, the survey indicates that no prosecutions were undertaken during that period.

Dounreay

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the radiological and economic consequences of the spillage of radioactive thorium at building D1203 at the nuclear power development establishment at Dounreay on 27 March.

[holding answer 14 June 1993]: The spillage of radioactive thorium at building D1203 at the AEA technology plant at Dounreay on 27 March was contained entirely within the plant. It did not result in any increased radiation exposure of plant personnel and had no environmental effects.The economic consequences of the incident are a matter for the management of AEA Technology.

Education

Special Needs

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make it his policy to continue to make provision for local education authorities to plan and review the education of all children with special needs within their area.

The Education Bill currently before Parliament would strengthen provision for all pupils with special educational needs in an area. It would put duties on the funding agency and on the local education authority to take account of the need for making suitable SEN provision where they have responsibility for planning school places in an area. It provides for further co-operative arrangements between the sectors over local SEN provisionResponsibility for making provision for the majority of pupils with SEN rests with school governors, who will be required to formulate and report on their policies for children with SEN. Schools' performance will be systematically inspected against their policies by independent inspectors. The Bill would require the Secretary of State to issue a code of practice to which local education authorities and all maintained school must have regard in respect of pupils with SEN. It provides for local education authorities to make available SEN support services to grant-maintained and local education authority-maintained schools to assist governors.The duties of local education authorities towards pupils who may need an assessment and a statement and their duty to review all the arrangements for pupils with SEN are reinforced in the Bill.

Teachers (Clerical Support)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much money was spent in each of the last five years on clerical support for teachers in schools.

Information is collected centrally only for schools' expenditure on administration and clerical staff combined. For the five years up to 1991–92, the latest year for which information on actual spending is available, this expenditure was as follows:

Local education authority-maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools England
Year	Total expenditure¹ £ thousand
1987–88	196,520
1988–89	219,020
1989–90	260,678
1990–91	335,181
1991–92	²404,267
¹ Total expenditure on administrative and clerical staff, cash, £ thousands.
² Provisional.

Note:

"Administrative and clerical staff' includes such staff as school secretaries, clerks, typists, receptionists and telephonists. Details on premises related staff (caretakers, etc.) and education support staff (such as laboratory technicians) are collected separately.

London School Of Economics (Fees)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received on the plans by the London School of Economics to charge fees for university tuition; and if he will make a statement.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to the hon. and learned Member for Montgomery (Mr. Carlile) on 14 June, Official Report, column 420.

Market Testing

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list all the market tests that have taken place in his Department since November 1992 and indicate, in each case, whether the result was the maintenance of in-house provision, or whether the service was contracted out.

The Department's market tests listed in Cmnd. 2101 for completion by 30 September 1993 are still in progress.

Science And Technology

To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he will designate one of his Ministers to be responsible for his Department's contribution to the Government's science and technology "Forward Look."

Paragraph 2.37 of the recent White Paper "Realising Our Potential—A Strategy for Science, Engineering and Technology" describes the preparation of the "Forward Look" by the Office of Science and Technology, and the participation of Government Departments through the existing, well-established machinery of the official and ministerial Cabinet Committees on Science and Technology.

Industrial Research

To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether the Higher Education Funding Council for England will take industrially relevant research into account in future research assessment exercises.

Universities and colleges were free to submit evidence of the full range of their research in the assessment exercise undertaken last year by the Universities Funding Council. This included research related to the needs of industry. The White Paper "Realising our Potential: A Strategy for Science, Engineering and Technology" indicates that the Government will expect research relevant to industrial and other users to be taken into account in future assessment exercises.

Near-Market Research

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his Department's policy is with regard to the funding of near-market research.

Education SSAs and Education budget figures for 1992–93 (in £ million)
Local education authority	Budget	Education SSA	Difference	Percentage difference
Corporation of London	2·12	0·65	1	225
Camden	70·04	64·92	5	8
Greenwich	105·98	107·46	-1	-1
Hackney	112·93	117·39	-4	-4
Hammersmith	61·19	57·75	3	6
Islington	85·07	86·45	-1	-2
Kensington	47·22	38·33	9	23
Lambeth	132·04	139·39	-7	-5
Lewisham	112·63	114·07	-1	-1
Southwark	103·23	112·36	-9	-8
Tower Hamlets	118·55	123·69	-5	-4
Wandsworth	105·83	100·62	5	5
Westminster	77·25	55·93	21	38
Barking	66·26	61·55	5	8
Barnet	110·16	113·29	-3	-3
Bexley	77·33	86·54	-9	-11
Brent	125·90	134·22	-8	-6
Bromley	93·29	97·61	-4	-4
Croydon	132·56	129·40	3	2

I refer the hon. Member to paragraphs 2.20 to 2.22 of the White Paper "Realising Our Potential —A Strategy for Science, Engineering and Technology". Funding for research through the Higher Education Funding Council for England is intended to support mainly basic and strategic research.

Education Expenditure

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what has been the real increase in education expenditure on matters within the responsibility of local education authorities since 1979, in money and percentage terms; and what is (a) the level by which LEAs in total and (b) the extent to which each individual LEA currently spends beyond its education standard spending assessment SSA, according to the latest expenditure figures available, in money and percentage terms.

Total local authority expenditure on education in England has increased by £3,197 million or 17·6 per cent., in real terms between 1979–80 and 1991–92, the latest year for which data are available. This comparison does not allow for the transfer or responsibility for about £900 million—in 1992–93 prices —of expenditure on local authority higher education to the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council from 1 April 1989.Information on LEAs' budgeted expenditure is taken from returns to the Department of Environment. The figures for English LEAs' education budgets for 1992–93, both individually and in total, together with the figures for their overall education standard spending assessments and the differences in cash and percentage terms, are set out in the table.For several reasons, it is necessary to be cautious about drawing conclusions from the figures. Education SSAs are not spending targets as LEAs are free to determine their own spending priorities. The budget figures were provided at the beginning of the 1992–93 financial year. Outturn expenditure may well be different. LEAs may also not recognise the budget figures because their budget returns have been adjusted by the Department of Environment to make them comparable with their education SSAs.

Local education authority	Budget	Education SSA	Difference	Percentage difference
Ealing	122·72	130·81	-8	-6
Enfield	115·86	113·70	2	2
Haringey	96·20	103·80	-8	-7
Harrow	80·81	79·91	1	1
Havering	89·57	89·17	0	0
Hillingdon	87·97	88·11	0	0
Hounslow	86·55	90·25	-4	-4
Kingston	50·16	46·18	4	9
Merton	61·47	59·31	2	4
Newham	111·28	133·21	-22	-16
Redbridge	90·02	92·45	-2	-3
Richmond	44·56	44·36	0	0
Sutton	55·39	61·32	-6	-10
Waltham Forest	100·55	104·85	-4	-4
Birmingham	428·05	485·14	-57	-12
Coventry	132·46	122·99	9	8
Dudley	117·67	108·75	9	8
Sandwell	128·19	125·30	3	2
Solihull	73·29	72·26	1	1
Walsall	106·39	107·18	-1	-1
Wolverhampton	112·80	110·65	2	2
Knowsley	74·56	78·89	-4	-5
Liverpool	206·93	214·97	-8	-4
St· Helens	76·65	73·34	3	0
Sefton	110·25	110·45	0	0
Wirral	132·23	135·67	-3	-3
Bolton	105·87	105·65	0	0
Bury	68·74	63·93	5	8
Manchester	198·76	203·67	-5	-2
Oldham	95·63	94·07	2	2
Rochdale	84·40	86·46	-2	-2
Salford	87·54	89·33	-2	-2
Stockport	105·97	99·82	6	6
Tameside	82·69	85·35	-3	-3
Trafford	78·55	77·58	1	1
Wigan	124·23	116·64	8	7
Barnsley	77·08	80·67	-4	-4
Doncaster	121·43	119·05	2	2
Rotherham	104·55	101·40	3	3
Sheffield	190·79	180·80	10	6
Bradford	213·28	221·85	-9	-4
Calderdale	77·61	77·24	0	0
Kirklees	153·04	157·65	-5	-3
Leeds	267·68	261·96	6	2
Wakefield	120·62	114·54	6	5
Gateshead	80·07	72·77	7	10
Newcastle	104·88	99·42	5	5
North Tyneside	75·25	73·66	2	2
South Tyneside	63·62	60·54	3	5
Sunderland	113·41	118·37	-5	-4
Isles of Scilly	1·36	1·30	0	4
Avon	350·59	315·24	35	11
Bedfordshire	220·25	222·71	-2	-1
Berkshire	272·03	287·14	-15	-5
Buckinghamshire	255·58	259·97	-4	-2
Cambridgeshire	249·28	242·20	7	3
Cheshire	370·99	359·37	12	3
Cleveland	253·42	247·82	6	2
Cornwall	170·01	175·42	-5	-3
Cumbria	183·70	173·35	10	6
Derbyshire	370·13	329·86	40	12
Devon	347·72	343·10	5	1
Dorset	203·35	200·12	3	2
Durham	234·13	223·95	10	5
East Sussex	224·66	216·96	8	4
Essex	557·99	580·81	-23	-4
Gloucestershire	192·54	183·41	9	5
Hampshire	576·19	562·64	14	2
Hereford and Worcester	241·87	241·88	0	0
Hertfordshire	383·25	370·18	13	4
Humberside	361·53	341·30	20	6
Isle of Wight	46·24	47·54	-1	-3
Kent	539·75	568·13	-28	-5
Lancashire	563·79	553·25	11	2
Leicestershire	361·69	344·49	17	5
Lincolnshire	219·32	221·98	-3	-1
Norfolk	261·97	260·61	1	1

Local education authority	Budget	Education SSA	Difference	Percentage difference
North Yorkshire	252·93	243·84	9	4
Northamptonshire	225·98	223·80	2	1
Northumberland	119·79	111·40	8	8
Nottinghamshire	402·22	383·42	19	5
Oxfordshire	201·34	187·52	14	7
Shropshire	164·61	154·01	11	7
Somerset	172·71	159·23	13	8
Staffordshire	380·42	374·64	6	2
Suffolk	229·66	215·27	14	7
Surrey	327·78	326·54	1	0
Warwickshire	182·07	172·77	9	5
West Sussex	225·49	236·04	-11	-4
Wiltshire	210·12	202·44	8	4
Total	18,536·21	18,352·70	184	1

Notes:

¹ Information on budgeted expenditure is taken from Local Authorities' returns to the Department of Environment on forms RA92/93 and RA(SG)92/93. Figures have been repriced to outturn.

² The education budgets for Inner London authorities have been adjusted so as to exclude expenditure funded through education grant for Inner London authorities, and make them comparable with education SSAs. Inner London education grants are paid to provide, through the support of expenditure on education, transitional help to local tax-payers in Inner London boroughs and in the City of London where the authorities inherited responsibility for the education service from the Inner London Education Authority.

³ Figures on budgets and education SSAs have been rounded to 2 decimal places.

Further And Higher Education Funding Councils

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the names of the members of the regional committees of the further education and higher education funding councils who have already been nominated, together with the regional committees to which no appointment has yet been made and the date on which any outstanding appointment will be made; which organisations were consulted on the appointments; and what was the form and nature of any such consultation.

My right hon. Friend announced on 14 April the appointment of the chairmen of seven of the nine regional advisory committees of the Further Education Funding Council. The chairmen are:

Greater London:—Mr. Trevor Thomas CBE
Northern:—Mr. Haydn Biddle
North West:—Mr. Peter Blount
Yorkshire and Humberside:—Mr. Terry Bramall
East Midlands:—Dr. Eric Cliffe
Eastern:—Councillor Paul White
South East:—Mr. Harry Morris CBE

The chairmen of the West Midlands and the South West regional committees will be announced shortly.My right hon. Friend intends that there should be 12 members of each regional committee, who will be appointed in a personal capacity apart from the two members of each committee who will be representatives of the training and enterprise councils in each region. The membership will be announced as soon as possible.Suggestions for members have been received from a variety of sources, including a number of bodies which were invited to suggest candidates from a business, local authority, special educational needs and adult learners' background, in order to supplement the names already submitted. These bodies were the CBI, the Association of British Chambers of Commerce, the Engineering Employers Federation, the local authority associations, SKILL, the National Bureau for Students with Disabilities, and the National Institute of Adult and Continuing Education.The Higher Education Funding Council for England does not have regional committees.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what remuneration is to be paid to the chairmen and members of the regional committees of the further and higher education funding councils.

There is no salary or fee for the chairmen and members of the Further Education Funding Council's regional committees. Travelling and subsistence allowances are paid by the Funding Council under the usual arrangements. The Higher Education Funding Council for England does not have regional committees.

Physical Education

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on maintaining physical education as an integral part of the national curriculum.

The importance of physical education in our schools is not in doubt. As a foundation subject of the national curriculum physical education is compulsory for all pupils aged five to 16 in maintained schools in England and Wales.

Ec Education Council

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the outcome of the Council of EC Education Ministers which met on Friday 11 June.

The Council adopted a resolution on vocational education and training in the 1990s; the Council and the Ministers of Education meeting within the Council adopted conclusions on co-operation in higher education, agreed to extend by a year the mandate of a sub-committee of the Education Committee concerning long-term arrangements for the European Schools, exchanged views on the entry of all young people into working life and society, and discussed the Commission's guidelines for Community action in the field of education and training.

Trade And Industry

Structural Steel

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received about the dumping of structural steel in the United Kingdom.

Whilst I have received representations about the dumping of steel in the United Kingdom I have received no representations about dumping of structural steel from countries outside the Community.

Ceramic Industry

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what negotiations in the current general agreement on tariffs and trade round affect the ceramic industry; and if he will make a statement.

The ceramic industry is primarily affected by the market access negotiations on reductions in customs duties. My Department was made aware of the industry's interests at an earlier stage of the negotiations, in particular as regards the very high duties on some imports into the United States, and these are being addressed by the European Commission in the negotiations.

Fuel Cell Research

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list all the projects supported by his Department since 1990 involving research into fuel cell technology giving the amount of money involved in each project.

Since 1990 the DTI has supported 16 projects on advanced fuel cells worth over £4 million in total. They are:

£
Composite Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Membrane Development	910,000
System Integration Study for SOFC Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Systems	64,000
Internal Reforming on SOFC Anodes	219,000
Evaluation of Integral Planar SOFC Concept—Phase 1	49,000
Evaluation of Fuel Cell Components	85,000
Development of Membrane Electrode Assemblies	216,000
Experimental Studies on Low Cost Solid Polymer Fuel Cells (SPFCs)	2,000,000
Development of Cathode Material for SOFCs	79,000
Development of High Temperature Bonds for SOFCs	50,000
Scale up of Components for SOFCs	70,000
SPFC Applications Study	50,000
SOFC Design Study	62,000
Initial Studies on MEAs	127,000
Fuel Cell Membrane Testing	13,000
SPFC Design Study	51,000
Implications of Design, Materials and Fabrication for SOFCs	55,000

A further 13 projects, worth about £5 million in total, are currently being considered.In addition, the DTI has funded several consultancy studies related to fuel cells.

Export Control

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he has taken to ensure that the policy described in the British Overseas Trade Board's forward plan published on 9 June will take into account current export control regulations on sensitive technology and equipment exports.

The opportunities outlined in the British Overseas Trade Board's "Forward Plan" take full account of current export control regulations. On page 84, exporters are reminded of export controls and are encouraged to contact the DTI's Export Control Organisation to ensure that they are not breaching any current regulations. Copies of the "Forward Plan" are available in the Library of the House.

Market Testing

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list all the market tests that have taken place in his Department since November 1992 and indicate, in each case, whether the result was the maintenance of in-house provision, or whether the service was contracted out.

In my Department's current market testing programme no market tests, involving competition between the existing in-house service providers and the private sector, have been completed as yet. However, invitations to tender are now beginning to be issued.

Export Promotion

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what role and responsibilities he envisages for the 100 business people he plans to recruit from the private sector to assist with export promotion; and if he will make a statement.

I expect the export promoters recruited from business to go out and encourage companies throughout the country to take advantage of opportunities to export. With their business skills and experience, and their first-hand knowledge of specific overseas markets, the export promoters will be able to offer informed advice and assistance which will add to and complement our existing export services. I am sure they will help us to deliver our best ever service to British exporters.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many of the 100 business people he plans to recruit from the private sector to assist the DTI with export promotion have been secured; and when he expects to have completed the recruitment process.

We now have 31 export promoters on secondment from the private sector, including a few who are still in the process of joining my Department. In addition more than 20 other candidates are currently under consideration, and more offers come in every day. We have also received assurances from a number of companies that they are actively identifying high-calibre people to put forward as they become available. We intend to complete the recruitment process by the end of the year.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what recent initiatives he has undertaken and intends to take to assist the promotion of British exports; and if he will make a statement.

In addition to policies to improve the climate for business, such as the deregulation initiative, we have taken a number of steps to improve the already excellent services the Government offers businesses wishing to export.Under the newly created post of director general of export promotion, we have set up two new divisions concentrating solely on promotional work. They will have up to 60 extra staff to allow individual coverage of the United Kingdom's top 80 export markets. We are also recruiting 100 men and women from the private sector on secondment to bring their skills and experience to assist these divisions in their export promotion work.Under the overseas projects board, we are establishing sector task forces chaired by senior business people to co-ordinate our efforts to secure the business that flows from major overseas projects. The Government have also made available to United Kingdom exporters more than £2 billion of additional export credit cover for key markets over the next three years, and ECGD has reduced its premium rates by an average of more than 25 per cent. over the last year.These initiatives will build substantially on the current matrix of support available to help our exporters under the joint DTI and FCO overseas trade services operation worldwide, to ensure that ever greater numbers of United Kingdom exporters get the additional support they deserve to help them win in world markets.

Lumsden Machine Co

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what monitoring has been carried out by the insolvency service since receivers were called in to the Lumsden Machine Co., Gateshead; and whether the receiver has subcontracted work in the company back to enterprises in which the original beneficial owners of the company have an interest.

My Department's insolvency service has no power to intervene in the day to day conduct of receiverships and does not, therefore, monitor such cases on an individual basis.In this case, officials have spoken to the receiver's office who have confirmd that one of the company's contracts which remained incomplete at the date of the receiver's appointment required a small amount of further work involving specialised equipment. The receiver has confirmed that he sub-contracted this work to an associated company, but the sub-contract was on a commercial basis and at a proper market price and enabled the expeditious completion of the contract for the benefit of the receivership.

Coal Industry

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement regarding developments in the Government's policies relating to the coal industry since publication of the White Paper on coal.

Subsidy. The Government indicated in the White Paper "The Prospects for Coal" that it was willing to offer financial support to both British Coal and private sector coal producers who could secure a genuinely additional market for United Kingdom underground coal for electricity generation at world-related prices where this was consistent with the relevant European Community provisions.Evidence received by the coal review, and the separate review conducted by the Trade and Industry Select Committee, argued that there was potential for an additional market for coal for electricity generation, and that a subsidy related to the difference between world-related prices and production costs could offer the United Kingdom coal industry the chance to secure that market.The Government have offered to enable the industry to explore this opportunity by being prepared to offer such a subsidy. It is now up to the United Kingdom coal industry to demonstrate that it can achieve additional sales.We invite underground coal producers, and prospective coal producers who are seeking licences for closing British Coal pits, to provide us with firm evidence of the additional sales for electricity generation they believe they can secure, and the amount of subsidy they require. This should be backed by supporting information including a comparison of the proposed price with world market prices, expected production costs etc. Once we have had time to assess the information provided we shall make a further announcement on arrangements for the subsidy.

Generators' Coal Stocks

The Government have issued directions under section 34 of the Electricity Act 1989 to National Power and PowerGen, requiring them to hold stocks of coal at power stations sufficient to enable normal electricity supplies to be maintained for a period of nine months in the event of a complete interruption of supplies from British Coal. In 1992–93 the stock levels required varied from some 10 million to 20 million tonnes depending on the time of year. The stocks held by the two electricity generators at the end of May 1993 stood at approximately 31 million tonnes.

The Government are reviewing the required stocking level for 1993–94 and subsequent years with the electricity generators.

Working Practices

Coal Mines Regulation Act 1908

The White Paper "The Prospects for Coal" announced the Government's intention, subject to a consultation process, to remove the impediment to efficiency represented by the limits placed on undergound working hours by the Coal Mines Regulation Act 1908. The Department issued a consultation document inviting representations by 28 May 1993. The Department expects to make its decision known in the course of the summer.

150 Man Limit

In the White Paper "The Prospects of Coal", the Government set out their intention to legislate, as soon as opportunity allowed, to remove the restriction in section 36(2) of the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946 under which British Coal is only able to license mines at which the number of persons employed to work below ground is at no time likely to exceed, or greatly to exceed, 150. The Government's present intention is that such legislation should enable this restriction to be lifted, where appropriate, in respect of licences that are in existence at the time the legislation comes into force as well as future licences.

Matters Consequent on Privatisation

The White Paper "The Prospects for Coal" reaffirmed the Government's intention to bring forward the legislation necessary to privatise the coal industry as rapidly as possible, and set out the Government's proposal to establish a new public sector body, to be known as the Coal Authority, which would be responsible for licensing all coal mining activity, including that in existing British Coal mines and all current and future private sector mining operations, but which would itself be prohibited from mining.

The Government's present intention is that licences issued by British Coal under current legislation, and the associated agreements, should be allowed to run their term, with the terms materially unchanged except by agreement. The coal authority would take over British Coal's role as licensor under these licences and its title to the land, property, coal mines and coal reserves concerned. Where British Coal has rights and obligations as mine operator in relation to licensees in respect of interaction between mines the Government's present intention is that those rights and obligations should attach to whoever is licensed by the coal authority to operate the British Coal mine concerned—which might for a time continue to be British Coal.

Refractory Industry

To ask the President of the Board of Trade on what grounds he has changed his policy on the EC anti-dumping action with regard to the importing of sintered magnesite refractory materials from China; what studies he has made of the effect of his change in policy on the British refractory industry; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 15 June 1993]: My Department is currently consulting interested parties in the United Kingdom about a European Commission proposal for a definitive anti-dumping duty on dead-burned (sintered) magnesite from China. I shall then decide the United Kingdom's response to the proposal.

Pa Management Consultants

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the projects undertaken by PA management consultants for his Department in the last three years.

[holding answer 15 June 1993]: The consultancy contracts awarded by the DTI to PA Management Consultants over the last three years are as listed.

List of projects undertaken by PA Management Consultants for the DTI in the last three years
Telecommunications Market Advisor
Visiting Engineers scheme
Esprit—CIME support services
Study of washing machine: drafting specification for ECO label
Evaluation of Regional Selective Assistance
Eureka response handling unit ADW's successor
Successful purchaser/suppliers relationships studies portfolio
Cleaner Technologies stage 11 study
Environmental legislation: future of batteries and fuel cells
Micromechanics: invitation of Eureka projects
Enterprise Counsellor training sessions
Evaluation of Regional Selective Assistance—second stage
Evaluation of Task Force programme
Environment Northern seas conference
DTI communications strategy study
Personnel management strategy study
Evaluation of NPL programme on conformance
ITS Quality management services (QMS) project
Departmental IS strategy study
IS strategy scoping study in DTI's regulatory business area
Business seminar for DTI/ITS staff
United States biotechnology report
Study to measure, monitor and evaluate the open systems phase 2 programme
Regional policy research
Audit of communications study
Support to UK Eureka unit
New managing '90s lead booklet
Materials Matter 11: Thematic proposal: stereo lithography
Feasibility study—Factory of the future
Update of the report manufacturing into the 90's Emerging generic technologies
Quality initiative in the services Eastcote computer centre BS5750 certification
Network security study
Wan development project
Activities for generic technologies pilot study
ITS quality management services (QMS) project—second stage
Support and assistance in the production of a series of six videos
Market advisor to Telecommunications and Posts division of DTI
Resource account for DTI
Market testing of DTI's central training function
Barriers inhibiting the development and growth of small and medium sized businesses and identification of research gaps
Study on the requirements for calibration of Coordinate measuring machines
Future of Warren Spring Laboratory
Eureka feasibility study
Review of client management systems
Report of Warren Spring investigation

The figures do not include contracts issued by those executive agencies which have delegated authority to engage consultants.

Duchy Of Lancaster

Civil Servants (Directorships)

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what conditions or guidelines have been set down relating to the appointment of former civil servants, on or shortly after taking early retirement, to non-executive directorships of executive agencies.

No special conditions or guidelines have been set down concerning the appointment of retired civil servants as non-executive members of executive agency boards. The normal scheme of rules relating to payments made under the principal civil service pension scheme (PCSPS) in the event of re-employment would apply as appropriate.

Market Testing

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) if he will give details for each of the services provided externally as a result of market testing (a) the cost saving, (b) the quality of service charges and (c) the change in the number of people employed, compared with the in-house provision of the service;(2) how many market-testing initiatives have

(a) now been completed, (b) are currently under way and (c) are planned; and if he will give details of the initiatives in each category;

(3) if he will give details of the results of the market-testing exercises undertaken to date; and whether each testing exercise indicated that the service should be provided in-house or externally.

Comprehensive information is not held centrally. But when the current market testing programme for the period to September 1993 is completed, I shall publish aggregated results for the civil service as a whole in line with the citizens charter principle of providing more information on Government activities.

Research Councils

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster who will conduct the study he is commissioning of the detailed allocation of responsibilities between the new research councils.

I have asked Sir David Phillips to conduct the study, backed by the full resources of the Office of Science and Technology. He will be working closely with the research councils, other Government Departments, and representatives of industry and the scientific community.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he is taking to ensure that more research council staff are recruited from industry.

The recruitment of more senior staff from industry will be a matter in due course for individual research councils, having regard to their charter obligations and mission statements.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he is taking to encourage industrially oriented research organisations to strengthen their links with their local business communities.

I and my officials are in frequent contact with members of the Association of Independent Research and Technology Organisations (AIRTO). I am impressed by their current links with local business communities. AIRTO members are fully behind the plans for a network of one stop shops being progressed by the President of the Board of Trade and are also actively engaged in the postgraduate training partnerships which have strong local links.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to appoint the Director General of Research Councils; and if the appointment will be the subject of advertisement and open competition.

The post of director general of the research councils will be advertised and the appointment made in due course through open competition.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to announce the membership and remit of the Director General of Research Councils expert group.

An announcement will be made at the appropriate time, following appointment of the director general.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if the posts of chairman and chief executive of the new research councils will be subject to advertisement and open competition.

I shall inform Parliament in due course of the arrangements made for these appointments.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if advice tendered by the Director General of Research Councils expert group will be made public.

I will discuss the best way of structuring the relationship between the director general and his expert group with the former, when he is appointed.

Science And Technology

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to announce the membership and remit of the new Council for Science and Technology.

In due course.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will provide additional funds for his science and technology public awareness campaign in addition to money supplied from existing budgets.

The Government have made clear that they will continue to allocate public resources on the scale necessary to finance the policies in the White Paper.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster under what circumstances he expects reports of the Council for Science and Technology to be withheld from publication.

Reports generated by the council will normally be made openly available. The need to respect commercially sensitive information would be one factor which might prevent this.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what criteria he uses for the commission of external advice on science and technology matters.

Commissioning external advice is considered on a case-by-case basis when policy decisions on science or technology issues would benefit from an informed contribution from high-quality independent experts.

Scientists And Engineers

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what research was commissioned by his office on the future supply of and demand for scientists and engineers qualified to PhD level prior to the publication of the White Paper, "Realising our Potential".

A list of the research studies which informed the White Paper on the supply of scientific manpower is provided in section G of the bibliography.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to announce the membership and remit of the new co-ordinating committee for the science and engineering research base.

In due course.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the component parts of the science and engineering base as defined in his recent White Paper, "Realising our Potential", and their level of funding in each year since 1979 in cash terms and at constant prices.

The science and engineering base of the United Kingdom may be considered in terms of the research and postgraduate training capacity of:

(a) Universities and colleges of higher education (HEIs),

(b) Research councils and their institutes and units,

(d) Internationally-based Research Council-supported facilities available to researchers

Tables 1 and 2 provide information on the basic funding provided to the separate components of the science and engineering base from the science budget and the block grants from the higher education funding councils. It has been necessary to group items (b) and (c) in the tables as disaggregated data is not consistently available over the time period requested.Universities and research councils also receive significant funding from other sources including charities, Government Departments, industry and the EC.

Table 1: Funding of the science and engineering base (£m)
	Universities and HEIs:¹		Research Councils, Institutes and central facilities:¹	Research Council support for international facilities
	Block funding²	Science Budget³	Science Budget³	Science Budget³
1979–80	⁴359·2	125·5	147·7	44·6
1980–81	⁴441·3	158·7	182·4	42·3
1981–82	⁴494·7	173·5	223·5	42·3
1982–83	⁴600·0	186·0	237·7	45·1
1983–84	⁴616·0	201·2	247·5	54·3
1984–85	563·5	217·4	257·5	59·5
1985–86	598·3	230·8	274·5	65·9
1986–87	655·0	246·4	282·8	73·8
1987–88	695·0	276·0	291·5	90·4
1988–89	754·9	292·8	317·5	93·8
1989–90	758·2	353·4	367·0	93·6
1990–91	788·7	402·7	400·4	100·7
1991–92	880·8	414·2	406·2	105·5
⁵1992–93	895·9	519·5	426·9	107·7
⁵1993–94	857·3	618·4	430·9	114·0
¹Research Council Institutes and HEIs also receive fundingb from other sources including charities, EC, Government Departments and industry.
²Source: Annual Review of Government-funded Research and Development 1992.
Note that the resources assigned to research are based on an estimated split of universities' spending between research and other activities; the uncertainties inherent in this process mean that the figures can only be regarded as accurate to within ±10 per cent.
³Source: Annual accounts/Supply Estimates.
⁴Figures include humanities research—disaggregated data is not available prior to 1984–85 when £66·4 million was attributed to humanities research.
⁵Estimate.

Table 2: Funding of the science and engineering base at constant (1991–92) prices (£m)⁶
	Universities and HEls:¹		Research councils, institutes and central facilities:¹	Research council supper for international facilities:
	block funding²	science budget³	science budget³	science budget³
1979–80	⁴829·6	289·8	341·1	103·0
1980–81	⁴861·9	310·0	356·3	83·8
1981–82	⁴881·8	309·3	398·0	75·4
1982–83	⁴998·3	309·5	395·5	75·0
1983–84	⁴979·3	319·9	393·5	86·3
1984–85	852·5	328·9	389·6	90·0
1985–86	858·4	331·1	393·8	94·5
1986–87	909·7	342·2	392·8	102·5
1987–88	915·7	363·6	384·1	119·1
1988–89	927·4	359·7	390·0	115·2
1989–90	873·5	407·1	422·8	107·8
1990–91	840·9	429·3	426·9	107·4
1991–92	880·8	414·2	406·2	105·5
⁵1992–93	865·6	501·9	412·5	104·1
⁵1993–94	1806·5	581·7	405·4	107·2
¹ Research Council Institutes and HEls also receive funding from other sources including charities, EC, Government departments and industry.
²Source: Annual review of Government-funded research and development 1992.
Note that the resources assigned to research are based on an estimated split of universities' spending between research and other activities; the uncertainties inherent in this process means that the figures can only be regarded as accurate to within ±10 per cent.
³Source: Annual accounts/supply estimates.
⁴ Figures include humanities research—disaggregated data is not available prior to 1984–85.
⁵ Estimate.
⁶ GDP deflators used are as follows:

Year	Percentage
1979–80	43·3
1980–81	51·2
1981–82	56·1
1982–83	60·1
1983–84	62·9
1984–85	66·1
1985–86	69·7
1986–87	72·0
1987–88	75·9
1988–89	81·4
1989–90	86·8
1990–91	93·8
1991–92	100·0
1992–93	103·5
1993–94	106·3

Foresight Programme

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to announce the membership of the foresight programme steering group.

In due course.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what will be the relationship between the panels of experts of the foresight programme and sector advisory bodies of the Department of Trade and Industry.

The Office of Science and Technology and the Department of Trade and Industry will work closely to ensure that the technology foresight programme receives technological and market information from technical experts and from the industrial sectors sponsored by the Department.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if the reports of the foresight programme steering group and the panels of experts will be made public.

Yes.

Postgraduate Research

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he is taking to encourage industrial and academic partnerships in the provision of postgraduate research and training.

The Government would like to see more research students undertaking work in industrial and commercial settings. There are already a number of initiatives promoting such industrial and academic partnerships, including CASE awards, postgraduate training partnerships and engineering doctorates, and the White Paper encourages these developments.

Public Research Establishments

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster who is to undertake the Government's review of the public research establishments; what the timescale of the review will be; and if the review will be made public.

The scrutiny of public sector research establishments will be undertaken over the coming months by the efficiency unit, in conjunction with Government Departments. It is normal for efficiency unit reports to be published.

Research And Development

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the total Government expenditure on research and development in each year since 1979 in cash terms and at constant prices.

The table lists the expenditure (in cash and constant prices) by Government on research and development as defined in the annual review of Government funded research and development 1992. Information on expenditure on this basis is not available before 1982–83.

Year	Cash (£ million)	Constant prices¹ (£ million)	Deflator (per cent.)
1982–83	3,476·0	5,783·7	60·2
1983–84	3,725·0	5,920·1	62·9
1984–85	3,960·0	5,989·8	66·1
1985–86	4,248·3	6,093·2	69·7
1986–87	4,258·0	5,916·7	72·0
1987–88	4,304·6	5,669·9	75·9
1988–89	4,382·0	5,380·1	81·4
1989–90	4,629·4	5,333·3	86·8
1990–91	4,826·8	5,148·4	93·8

Year	Cash (£ million)	Constant prices¹ (£ million)	Deflator (Per cent.)
1991–92	5,069·7	5,069·7	100·0
1992–93	²5,394·3	5,211·9	103·5
1993–94	³5,442·0	5,117·3	106·3
¹ Base year 1991–92.
² Estimated otturn.
³ Planned expenditure.

National Finance

Royal Family

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the application of the value added tax regime to (a) members of the royal family, (b) transactions relating to private residences of the royal family and (c) transactions relating to royal palaces.

Members of the royal family, their private residences and royal palaces are subject to value added tax like private citizens and other buildings with the exception that gifts to reigning monarchs are relieved from tax on importation.

Relocation And Amalgamation

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the sections and organisations within his Department for which there are plans for relocation or amalgamation.

There are no current plans permanently to relocate any part of the Department. The organisation of the Treasury is kept under regular review and new sections are created and existing ones amalgamated from time to time.

Monetary Policy

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes in monetary policy he plans in the light of recent discussions at the OECD; and if he will make a statement.

The Government have no such plans.The United Kingdom's monetary policy is set to meet the Government's objective of keeping underlying inflation within the range of 1 to 4 per cent. and to bring it down to the lower part of that range by the end of the current Parliament. The level of base interest rates is consistent with sustainable growth and the Government's inflation objective.

Public Sector Borrowing Requirement

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list for each year since 1980–81 the level of the PSBR; what was the contribution of the sale of assets in each year; and what were the main sources of these asset proceeds.

The information requested is set out in the table.

	PSBR (£ million)	Including privatization proceeds of: (£ million)	Main contributors	(£ million)
1980–81	12,519	210	National Enterprise Board	83
			British Aerospace	43
1981–82	8,631	493	Cable and Wireless	181
			Amersham International	64
1982–83	8,904	455	Britoil	334
			Associated British Ports	46
1983–84	9,678	1,139	BP	543
			Britoil (2nd instalment)	293
			Cable and Wireless	263
1984–85	10,134	2,050	BT	1,358
			Enterprise Oil	384
			National Enterprise Board	168
1985–86	5,622	2,706	BT (2nd instalment)	1,246
			Cable and Wireless	577
			Britoil	426
			British Aerospace	347
1986–87	3,559	4,458	British Gas	2,570
			BT (3rd instalment)	1,081
			British Airways	435
1987–88	–3,406	5,140	British Gas (2nd instalment	1,758
			Rolls-Royce	1,029
			BP	863
			BAA	534
			British Airways (2nd instalment)	419
1988–89	–14,657	7,069	BP (2nd instalment)	3,030
			British Gas	1,555
			British Steel	1,138
			BAA (2nd instalment)	689
1989–90	–7,932	4,219	BP (3rd instalment)	1,363
			British Steel (2nd instalment)	1,289
			British Gas (debentures)	800
			Water	496
1990–91	–456	5,345	Electricity (E&W)	3,134
			Water (2nd instalment)	1,487
1991–92	13,731	7,923	Electricity (E&W) (2nd instalment)	2,329
			BT	1,666
			Water (3rd instalment)	1,483
			Electricity (Scotland)	1,112
			Electricity (debentures)	1,106
1992–93	36,527	8,116	BT (2nd and 3rd instalments)	3,487
			Electricity (E&W)	1,460
			Electricity (Scotland)	899
			Debt Auctions	1,337

Sterling

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the effect of the depreciation of sterling against the ecu since September 1992 on the sterling value of European Community funding for regional and social policy initiatives; and if he will make a statement.

The main sources of funding for the Community's regional and social policies are the structural funds. Structural fund allocations are made in ecus; and the depreciation of sterling against the ecu since September 1992 is likely to result in a higher level of sterling receipts than otherwise would have been the case.

Mr Peter Clowes

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the latest position with regard to the Government's litigation against Mr. Peter Clowes and Mrs. Pamela Clowes.

On 8 June, the High Court granted in favour of the Government an order for damages awarded against Mr. and Mrs. Clowes to the sum of £31 million. This meets the Government's claim against them for damages in full; the Government will pursue all available assets to meet the claim by all means available.The Government continue to pursue vigorously any claims which show the prospect of reducing the cost to the taxpayer of the

ex-gratia payments scheme for Barlow Clowes investors.

Health

Teenage Pregnancy

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) births and (b) abortions took place for women aged (i) under 16 years and (ii) between 16 and 19 years in each year since 1980.

The information is shown in the table:

Live births, Stillbirths and Abortions and Conceptions in England and Wales 1980–1992
Year	Age	Live births	Stillbirths	Abortions	Conceptions²
1980	under 16	1,281	8	4,143	8,580
	16–19	59,473	500	37,120	108,672
1981	under 16	1,180	12	3,949	8,561
	16–19	55,380	444	36,623	106,611
1982	under 16	1,169	8	4,343	8,999
	16–19	54,266	389	36,694	104,933
1983	under 16	1,249	17	4,566	9,369
	16–19	52,810	380	36,512	102,982
1984	under 16	1,323	10	4,609	9,649
	16–19	53,185	385	38,492	108,579
1985	under 16	1,402	7	4,427	9,406
	16–19	55,527	354	39,105	109,861
1986	under 16	1,366	13	4,240	9,194
	16–19	56,040	354	39,897	109,583
1987	under 16	1,305	10	4,075	9,135
	16–19	56,240	310	38,482	114,017
1988	under 16	1,261	12	3,804	8,782
	16–19	57,480	324	40,840	111,927
1989	under 16	1,317	6	3,576	8,382
	16–19	54,226	319	38,821	109,117
1990	under 16	1,306	5	3,622	8,634
	16–19	54,235	327	37,950	106,421
1991	under 16	1,426	9	3,317	n/a
	16–19	50,970	269	33,401
1992¹	under 16	1,314	11	n/a	n/a
	16–19	46,547	216
Conception figures for 1991 and 1992 and abortion figures for 1992 are not yet available.
¹ The figures given for 1992 include 17 stillbirths of 24 to 27 weeks gestation which occurred between 1 October and 31 December. On 1 October 1992, the legal definition of a stillbirth was altered: from a baby born dead after 28 weeks of completed gestation or more, to one born dead after 24 completed weeks gestation or more.
² The number of conceptions to girls under 16 is greater than the number of births and abortions to girls under 16, because many girls who become pregnant at age 15 will have the birth or abortion at age 16. Further, a conception in one calendar year can lead to a birth or abortion in the next calendar year.

Consultant Psychiatrists

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number of consultant psychiatrists in each region and in London; and what is the number per head of population.

The regional information requested is shown in the table. In inner London there were 205

Numbers of hospital staff in accident and emergency in the Inner London area and Thames regions–30 September 1991
	Inner London	North West Thames	North East Thames	South East Thames	South West Thames	SHAs
House Officer	0	0	0	0	0	0
Senior House Officer	141	140	147	108	89	0
Registrar	8	6	7	4	4	0
Senior Registrar	n.a.	4	6	5	3	1
Assistant Specialist	1	0	5	6	2	0
Staff Grade	3	9	6	3	2	0
Consultant	13	20	19	14	12	1
TOTAL	166	179	190	140	112	2

Notes:

(a) An element of duplication may exist in the above figures since doctors are entitled to hold contracts in more than one region.

(b) The number of senior registrars in accident and emergency in inner London is not available-contracts held at a regional level only.

(c) The consultant data for inner London do not include Newham and Haringey district health authorities, for which contracts are held at

consultant psychiatrists at 30 September 1991, or 8·8 per 1,000 population. These figures do not include data for the Newham and Haringey district health authorities, for which consultant data are not available, and exclude consultants working in the special health authorities.

Numbers of consultant psychiatrists by region England–30 September 1991
	Consultant psychiatrists	Consultants per 100,000 population
Northern	116	3·8
Yorkshire	101	2·8
Trent	184	3·9
East Anglia	87	4·1
North West Thames	197	5·7
North East Thames	200	5·3
South East Thames	165	4·5
South West Thames	157	5·3
Wessex	107	3·6
Oxford	111	4·3
South Western	131	4·0
West Midlands	176	3·4
Mersey	98	4·1
North Western	149	3·7
SHAs	88	n/a
ENGLAND	2,025	4·2

Notes:

(a) Figures calculated using unadjusted population figures.

(b) Since consultants are entitled to hold contracts in more than one region, an element of duplication exists in the above regional figures, in a element of duplication exists in the above regional figures, ie a consultant psychiatrist can be shown in more than one region. The England figures does NOT include any such duplications.

Accident And Emergency Departments, London

To ask the Secretary of State for Healthhow many house officers, senior house officers, registrars, senior registrars, associate specialists, staff grade and consultants are working in accident and emergency departments in London and each of the Thames regions.

The information is shown in the table.

regional level only.

(d) Thames regions figures include inner London figures.

(e) Pre-registration house officers are not contracted to work in accident and emergency departments.

Acute Psychiatric Beds

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number of acute psychiatric beds, by region and in London.

The information is shown in the table. Psychiatric beds are classified as short or long stay rather than acute or non-acute.

Average daily number of available short stay beds, psychiatric wards 1991–92
	Number
England	22,159
Northern RHA	1,610
Yorkshire RHA	1,750
Trent RHA	1,964
East Anglian RHA	790
North West Thames RHA	1,350
North East Thames RHA	1,786
South East Thames RHA	1,366
South West Thames RHA	1,509
Wessex RHA	1,186
Oxford RHA	906
South Western RHA	1,735
West Midlands RHA	2,263
Mersey RHA	1,323
North Western RHA	2,156
Special health authorities	466
London	3,983¹
¹ Figure also included in Thames RHAs.
Regional totals may not add up to the England total due to rounding.

Sports Remedial Therapists

To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what circumstances fund-holding general practitioners may refer patients for treatment to sports remedial therapists who are not registered practitioners.

General practitioner fund holders are free to make referrals, within the scope of the scheme, provided they are satisfied that the practitioner to whom the referral is made is suitably qualified.

Nhs Trusts

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list for each regional health authority, the national health service units that will not have trust status after the fourth wave of applications.

The number of units not applying for trust status in the fourth wave is shown in the table. The precise number of directly managed units remaining after the fourth wave will depend on the number of fourth wave candidates approved.

Number of directly managed units (DMUs) by region not applying for trust status in the fourth wave
Region	Number
East Anglian¹	0
Mersey¹	0
Northern¹	0
North East Thames	16

Region	Number
North West Thames	2
North Western¹	0
Oxford¹	0
South East Thames	10
South West Thames	5
South Western¹	0
Trent	7
Wessex¹	0
West Midlands	3
Yorkshire	1
¹ All remaining DMUs have submitted applications for the fourth wave.

Psychiatric Hospitals

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what study she has made of the results of the closure of psychiatric hospitals in the United States of America; and what plans she has to modify Government policy in the light of this study.

The Government are aware and keep abreast of mental health developments in the United States of America and other parts of the world and takes account of relevant experience in formulating policy.

Personal Social Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much, in real cash terms, was available to councils in the Northern region, for spending on personal social services in 1979; what is the amount provided for 1993–94; and if she will make a statement.

The system employed for the distribution of central Government support for local authority services has changed substantially since 1979; it is not possible therefore to give comparable figures on how much was available in that year and the current year. Expenditure in 1978–79 by local authorities in the northern region, and resources available for 1993–94, including community care, are shown in the table. Increases over the 15-year period will have been subject to population and boundary changes. For the region as a whole, the increase in expenditure reflects that for England and demonstrates the Government's commitment to the development of personal social services.

Local authority personal social services—Resources
£ million
	1978–79 Outturn	1993–94 Standard spending¹	Real terms increase (per cent.)
Cleveland	12·8	62·9	71·3
Cumbria	8·2	46·6	98·1
Durham	12·1	62·6	80·4
Gateshead	5·3	24·8	63·2
Newcastle	11·4	37·6	15·0
Northumberland	5·7	28·0	71·3
North Tyneside	5·1	22·4	53·1
South Tyneside	4·4	19·5	54·5
Sunderland	7·9	32·7	44·3
Total	72·9	337·1	61·2
¹ Including community care.

Hospital Beds, Durham

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will make a statement on the implementation of the patients charter waiting time guarantee in the City of Durham;(2) how many people are currently waiting for a hospital bed in the City of Durham.

Waiting time information is collected centrally by health authority rather than metropolitan area. The North Durham health authority has been extremely successful in meeting the waiting time commitments in the patients charter. None of its patients have to wait more than two years for any in-patient or day case treatment or 18 months for hip or knee replacement or a cataract operation. Latest figures for 30 September 1992 show that 89 per cent. of North Durham patients had been waiting for less than a year.

Dentistry, Durham

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many courses of dental treatment were carried out in the Durham area under the NHS in 1979; and what were the equivalent figures for the last 12-month period for which figures are available.

The information is shown in the table.

Courses of treatment carried out in the Durham Family Health Services Authority area under the General Dental Service during 1979 and 1992–93
Year	Under 18¹	18 and over	Total¹
1979	103,630	153,160	256,790
1992–93	42,476	269,315	311,791
¹ Under the new dental contract introduced on 1 October 1990, most child treatment is undertaken under capitation where no separate course of treatment is identified. These figures are therefore not comparable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement about the availability of NHS dental treatment in the Durham area.

We are advised that patients in the Durham area have had no difficulty in registering with a national health service dentist.

Lung Cancer

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the difference in percentage terms, in lung cancer in women living in Liverpool compared with the national average; what money her Department has made available for the study of the causes of Liverpool's lung cancer cases; and if she will make a statement.

Statistics on the prevalence of particular forms of cancer are not calculated. The mortality rate from a malignant neoplasm of the trachea, bronchus and lung —International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision code 162—in women normally resident in Liverpool is approximately 80 per cent. greater than the rate in England as a whole. The Department has not funded any studies of the causes of lung cancer in Liverpool. Nationally, at least 80 per cent. of deaths from lung cancer are caused by smoking.

Patient Deaths

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients died while on the waiting list for cardiac surgery in each of the last two years for which figures are available.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for State—my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, West (Mr. Sackville)— gave to her on 14 April at column 608. The waiting list information requested is not available centrally.

Urgent Operations

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to place specific maximum waiting times on specific urgent operations; and if she will make a statement.

None at present. As part of the 1993–94 waiting time initiative, the national health service management executive is holding discussions with the medical professions about procedures and protocols for prioritising waiting list conditions. The usefulness of setting maximum waiting times for specific operations is an option which will be explored at these meetings.

Ambulances

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ambulances were operating in each health authority in England in each year since 1983.

This information is not available centrally.

Traffic Casualties

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been paid to the NHS under section 158 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

This information is not available centrally.

Nhs Staff (Holidays)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many statutory and public holidays, in addition to bank holidays, are enjoyed by employees of the national health service.

Staff employed on national health service Whitley terms and conditions of service are entitled to two additional days paid holiday each year.

Gp Fund Holders

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioner fund holders in the Yorkshire region overspent their budgets in (a) 1991–92 and (b) in 1992–93.

Five out of the 34 fund-holding units in Yorkshire region overspent their budgets in 1991–92. Information for 1992–93 is not yet available.

Tobacco Advertising

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 7 June, Official Report. column 44, what was the Government's position on the Commission's directive on advertising of tobacco products.

At the Health Council meeting on 27 May, the Government restated their position that adoption of the draft European Community directive on tobacco advertising is not necessary for the completion of the internal market.

Benomyl And Carbendazim

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what data exist within the Department as to the effects of Benomyl and Carbendazim—related products on women immediately prior to childbirth;(2) what links have been established between the use of Benomyl and Carbendazim in fungicides and the incidence of anophthalmic and microphthalmic conditions in humans;(3) what proposals the Government have for scientific inquiries into the use and effects of Benomyl and related products; and what inquiries have taken place so far.

Data on the metabolic effects on animals of pesticides are produced from experiments using laboratory animals and evaluated by the independent and Government scientists who advise Ministers before any pesticide is approved for use. I refer the hon. Member to the reply the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State—my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, West (Mr. Sackville) —gave the hon. Member for Rochdale (Ms Lynne) on 8 February at columns 478–79, for an explanation of the approval process and the assessment of the data seen.The data available to the Department do not indicate that Benomyl and Carbendazim-related products used as fungicides in the United Kingdom are likely to cause any adverse health effects to women or to their unborn children immediately before childbirth or throughout their pregnancies. Nor has the Department seen or been notified of any scientific reports that indicate that these products are causing adverse health effects on women or on children.I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) on 20 May at column

259, which stated that the Department is commissioning research into the incidence of anophthalmia in Great Britain from the environmental epidemiological unit at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The results of this work and the research now being undertaken by Moorfields hospital will be very carefully considered and any necessary action taken.

Alcohol Problems

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether generic monitoring of the implementation of community care will include the gathering of information on services for people with alcohol problems.

Yes.

Benlate

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has held with Dupont in the United Kingdom on the payment of the Dupont Company of compensation in the case of damage to users of Benlate.

None. Such matters should be resolved between an individual and the relevant manufacturer.

Overseas Development

Eastern Bloc (Training)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what resources are currently being devoted to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's financial sector scheme for extending work experience and training in the United Kingdom and other OECD countries to assist in modernising the financial services industry in ex-eastern bloc countries; and if he will list Britain's financial services industry organisations participating in the scheme and the locations of current secondees and the lengths of their approximate periods of secondment.

[holding answer 14 June 1993]: The sum of £9·3 million is allocated to the scheme covering selection costs, air fares, induction training in Britain and British Council management charges. Training is not offered outside the United Kingdom and the scheme is limited to participants from the former Soviet Union and the Baltic states.I am placing a list with the further details the hon. Member requested in the Library of the House.

United Kingdom Know How Fund Chancellor's financial sector scheme
Host companies	Town
3I plc	London
Abbey National plc	Milton Keynes
Bank of Scotland	Edinburgh
Bank of Wales	Cardiff
Barclays Bank	London
Baring Brothers and Co. Ltd.	London
BDO Binder	London
Beachcroft Stanleys	London
Bradford and Bingley Building Society	Bingley
Close Brothers Ltd.	London
Clydesdale Bank plc	Glasgow
D. C. Gardner Group plc	London
D. K. Ray and Co.	Beaconsfield
Deutch Bank AG	London
Eagle Star Insurance Company Ltd.	Cheltenham
Equitable Life Assurance Society	Aylesbury
Equity and Law Life Assurance	High Wycombe
Ernst and Young	London
Financial Research Associates	London
Friends' Provident Life Office	Dorking
Girobank plc	Bootle
Heart of England Building Society	Warwick
Herbert Smith	London
Hogg Robinson Financial Services Ltd.	Reading
Invesco MIM Holdings Ltd.	London
Italian International Bank plc	London
Kingston Smith	London
Lazard Brothers and Co. Ltd.	London
Legal and General Group plc	London
Linklaters and Paines	London
Lloyds Bank plc	London
Maclay Murray and Spens	Edinburgh
Marsden Building Society	Nelson

Host companies	Town
Martin Currie Investment Management Ltd.	Edinburgh
Mercury Asset Management Ltd.	London
Midland Montagu	London
Morgan Grenfell and Co. Ltd.	London
N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd.	London
Nabarro Nathonson	London
National Provincial Building Society	Bradford
National Provident Institution (NPI)	Tonbridge Wells
National Westminster Bank plc	London
Nationwide Building Society	Northampton
Newcastle Building Society	Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Northern Rock Building Society	Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Norton Rose	London
Principality Building Society	Cardiff
Rabin Leacock Lipman	London
Royal Bank of Scotland plc	Edinburgh
RYDEN	Edinburgh
Scottish Equitable Life Assurance Society	Edinburgh
Sedgwick Group plc	London
Shoosmiths and Harrison Solicitors	Northampton
Singer and Friedlander Ltd.	London
Slaughter and May	London
Smith New Court Securities	London
Sphere Drake Underwriting Management Ltd.	Brighton
Standard Chartered Bank	London
Stephenson Harwood	London
Sun Alliance Group	London
SunLife Assurance Society plc	London
Svenska Handelsbanken	London
Swiss Bank Corporation	London
Tods Murray WS	Edinburgh
Touche Ross	London
Woolwich Building Society	Bexleyheath
Wragge and Co.	Birmingham

Geographical distribution of current CFSS participants
Town	Count of town
Aylesbury	2
Beaconsfield	1
Bexleyheath	1
Bootle	2
Bradford	1
Brighton	1
Cardiff	1
Cheltenham	1
Edinburgh	3

Town	Count of town
London	18
Milton Keynes	2
Nelson	1
Newcastle-upon-Tyne	1
Northampton	2
Reading	1

Average lengths of current CFSS attachments
Duration range	Count of duration range
3 months	8
4–6 months	8
6–12 months	22

National Heritage

Dartmoor

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement on the new arrangements for the management of three field monuments on Dartmoor which are in the guardianship of English Heritage.

Yes. I am fully satisfied with the terms of the proposed agreement under which management responsibility for Grimspound, Hound Tor medieval village and Merrivale prehistoric site will be transferred to the Dartmoor National Park Authority from 1 July. These sites are the first to be transferred to local management under English Heritage's forward strategy. The park authority, with its proximity to the monuments, specialised knowledge and volunteer network, is well placed to provide the best care for these evocative sites and the best value for public money. This well illustrates the potential benefits of local management in appropriate cases.

Social Security

Retirement Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what percentage of the national insurance fund has been paid out in national insurance rebates, tax reliefs and other incentives in respect of personal pensions contracted out of the state earnings-related pension scheme for 1992–93; and what is the equivalent expected percentage for the years 1993–94 and 1994–95;(2) what was the cost of the national insurance rebates, tax reliefs and other incentives paid in respect of personal pensions contracted out of the state earnings-related pension scheme for 1992–93; and what are the equivalent expected costs for 1993–94 and 1994–95.

The information is in the table. Tax relief is not a cost to the national insurance fund and has not been included in the figures. The percentages are the estimated cost of the rebates and incentives as a percentage of the estimated gross contribution income to the national insurance fund.

Personal Pensions
Year	Cost (£ billion)	Per cent.
1992–93	2·50	7
1993–94	2·65	7
1994–95	1·80	5

Source: Government Actuary's Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the average annual earnings of those who have contracted out of the state earnings-related pension scheme (a) via an occupational pension scheme and (b) in favour of a personal pension plan.

Information on those contracting out of the state earnings related scheme via an occupational pension scheme is not immediately available. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is. Such information as is available is that the average earnings of members of occupational pension schemes (including those which are not contracted out of the state earnings related scheme) in calendar year 1991, were £16,200 per annum. Average earnings of personal pension optants in the tax year 1990–91 are estimated to be £10,300 per annum.

Sources: Occupational Pension Schemes—General Household Survey. Personal Pension Schemes—1 per cent. of National Insurance contributors.

Post Offices

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his oral statement of 7 June, Official Report, column 23, how many of the post offices referred to receive remuneration for work carried out in addition to the basic flat-rate payment.

A number of the approximately 2,700 sub-postmasters referred to may additionally receive some small one-off payments for minor items of business which occur only intermittently and on a small scale, such as payment for the issue of concessionary bus passes. The numbers receiving such payments fluctuate considerably, but because of their intermittent nature, no central record is kept of the total number of sub-postmasters who receive them at any given time.

Alcohol Residential Centres

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security to whom housing benefit payments should be made for alcohol residential centre clients.

The same provisions governing direct payment of housing benefit apply to alcohol residential centre clients as to all other tenants. Usually the benefit is paid to tenants, although it must be paid direct to landlords if a tenant has eight weeks or more rent arrears or direct payments of income support are being made. Local authorities may also pay housing benefit direct with the claimant's consent, or if it is in the claimant's best interests to do so, or if a claimant has left a property owing rent.

Disability Benefits

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many (a) new disability living allowance claims and (b) top-up claims have been refused, broken down by the reasons for refusal, in each month since February 1992 at each disability benefit centre and for the country as a whole.

The administration of disability living allowance is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard the chief executive of the benefits agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 15 June 1993.

As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many (a) new disability living allowance claims and (b) top-up claims have been refused, broken down by the reasons for refusal, in each month since February 1992 at each disability benefit centre and for the country as a whole.

Firstly, it may be helpful for me to say at this stage that new Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claims are dealt with by the regional Disability Benefit Centres (DBCs) and top-up claims are dealt with by the Claims Conversion Unit (CCU).

Annex A shows a breakdown of the number of DLA claims that have been refused, and the reasons for refusal by DBC since February 1992.

A breakdown of refusals on top-up claims by DBC is not available. However, Annex B details the number of top-up claims that have been refused by the CCU, and the reasons for refusal.

I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.

Annex A: Refusals on new claims for DLA by DBC February 1992
		Lay grounds
	Medical grounds	(a)	(b)	(c)	Total
Edinburgh	5	0	32	0	37
Newcastle	57	0	35	0	92
Leeds	19	0	54	0	73
Manchester	10	0	32	0	42
Bootle	3	0	34	0	37
Birmingham	17	0	16	0	33
Bristol	7	0	26	0	33
Cardiff	11	0	13	0	24
Wembley	33	0	61	0	94
Sutton	21	0	56	0	77
Glasgow	—	—	—	—	—
Dlau Warbreck House	1	0	3	0	4
Other MUs	—	—	—	—	—
Great Britain	184	0	362	0	546

March 1992
		Lay grounds
	Medical grounds	(a)	(b)	(c)	Total
Edinburgh	206	0	122	0	328
Newcastle	498	0	179	0	677
Leeds	282	0	334	0	616
Manchester	239	0	146	0	385
Bootle	129	0	141	0	270
Birmingham	194	0	1	0	195
Bristol	171	0	157	0	328
Cardiff	194	0	128	0	322
Wembley	263	1	374	0	638
Sutton	406	1	368	0	775
Glasgow	—	—	—	—	—
Dlau Warbreck House	3	0	17	0	20
Other MUs	—	—	—	—	—
Great Britain	2,585	2	1,967	0	4,554

Annex A: Refusals on new claims for DLA by DBC April 1992
		Lay grounds
	Medical grounds	(a)	(b)	(c)	Total
Edinburgh	412	0	87	0	499
Newcastle	1,263	1	134	0	1,398
Leeds	459	0	207	0	666
Manchester	715	0	138	0	853
Bootle	280	0	120	0	400
Birmingham	225	0	58	0	283
Bristol	330	0	141	0	471
Cardiff	254	0	86	0	340
Wembley	695	3	305	0	1,003
Sutton	628	0	237	0	865
Glasgow	—	—	—	—	—
Dlau Warbreck House	8	0	5	0	13
Other MUs	—	—	—	—	—
Great Britain	5,269	4	1,518	0	6,791

May 1992
		Lay grounds
	Medical grounds	(a)	(b)	(c)	Total
Edinburgh	552	1	107	0	660
Newcastle	1,087	0	64	0	1,151
Leeds	631	0	156	0	787
Manchester	810	0	126	0	936

	Lay grounds
	Medical grounds	(a)	(b)	(c)	Total
Bootle	528	1	73	2	604
Birmingham	356	0	161	0	517
Bristol	340	0	143	2	485
Cardiff	641	0	110	2	753
Wembley	704	1	163	1	869
Sutton	404	2	149	0	555
Glasgow	—	—	—	—	—
Dlau Warbreack House	3	0	9	1	13
Other MUs	—	—	—	—	—
Great Britain	6,056	5	1,261	8	7,330

Annex A: Refusals on new claims for DLA by DBC June 1992
		Lay grounds
	Medical grounds	(a)	(b)	(c)	Total
Edinburgh	928	0	298	3	1,229
Newcastle	1,002	0	77	0	1,079
Leeds	1,661	2	159	2	1,824
Manchester	1,114	1	104	3	1,222
Bootle	657	0	130	0	787
Birmingham	978	1	201	0	1,180
Bristol	559	0	135	0	694
Cardiff	801	0	170	0	971
Wembley	895	3	180	0	1,078
Sutton	843	4	168	4	1,019
Glasgow	—	—	—	—	—
Dlau Warbreck House	31	0	75	0	106
Other MUs	—	—	—	—	—
Great Britain	9,469	11	1,697	12	11,189

July 1992
		Lay grounds
	Medical grounds	(a)	(b)	(c)	Total
Edinburgh	1,979	2	253	5	2,239
Newcastle	1,450	1	67	1	1,519
Leeds	1,579	3	151	2	1,735
Manchester	1,864	2	93	3	1,962
Bootle	1,071	0	141	3	1,215
Birmingham	1,296	1	338	0	1,635
Bristol	872	0	81	1	954
Cardiff	1,345	0	129	1	1,475
Wembley	1,431	5	229	1	1,666
Sutton	2,333	11	192	14	2,550
Glasgow	—	—	—	—	—
Dlau Warbreck House	105	0	91	1	197
Other MUs	—	—	—	—	—
Great Britain	15,235	25	1,765	32	17,147

Annex A: Refusals on new claims for DLA by DBC August 1992
		Lay grounds
	Medical grounds	(a)	(b)	(c)	Total
Edinburgh	1,086	2	195	2	1,285
Newcastle	1,253	2	51	0	1,306
Leeds	1,864	6	117	1	1,988
Manchester	2,838	5	117	2	2,962
Bootle	1,567	0	111	1	1,679
Birmingham	1,423	3	305	2	1,733
Bristol	895	4	68	2	969
Cardiff	1,396	1	68	1	1,466
Wembley	1,449	5	194	4	1,652

		Lay grounds
	Medical grounds	(a)	(b)	(c)	Total
Sutton	1,717	17	141	4	1,879
Glasgow	—	—	—	—	—
DLAU Warbreck House	180	1	76	3	260
Other MUs	—	—	—	—	—
Great Britain	15,668	46	1,443	22	17,179

September 1992
		Lay grounds
	Medical grounds	(a)	(b)	(c)	Total
Edinburgh	2,020	0	206	4	2,230
Newcastle	1,505	0	73	0	1,578
Leeds	2,123	6	146	5	2,280
Manchester	2,343	10	111	0	2,464
Bootle	1,774	3	95	1	1,873
Birmingham	2,918	3	265	6	3,192
Bristol	1,115	5	78	6	1,204
Cardiff	2,227	2	147	0	2,376
Wembley	1,964	11	242	8	2,225
Sutton	1,539	4	179	3	1,725
Glasgow	—	—	—	—	—
DLAU Warbreck House	190	1	78	2	271
Other MUs	—	—	—	—	—
Great Britain	19,718	45	1,620	35	21,418

Annex A: Refusals on new claims for DLA by DBC October 1992
		Lay grounds
	Medical grounds	(a)	(b)	(c)	Total
Edinburgh	4,316	3	193	6	4,518
Newcastle	1,194	2	58	1	1,255
Leeds	2,270	10	118	1	2,399
Manchester	2,051	5	90	3	2,149
Bootle	2,034	2	107	0	2,143
Birmingham	3,473	12	255	5	3,745
Bristol	1,102	4	83	5	1,194
Cardiff	1,423	4	116	2	1,545
Wembley	1,960	22	153	2	2,137
Sutton	1,578	4	164	8	1,754
Glasgow	—	—	—	—	—
Dlau Warbreck House	520	2	97	4	623
Other M Us	—	—	—	—	—
Great Britain	21,921	70	1,434	37	23,462

November 1992
		Lay grounds
	Medical grounds	(a)	(b)	(c)	Total
Edinburgh	2,618	11	154	6	2,789
Newcastle	1,239	2	67	1	1,309
Leeds	1,781	4	107	1	1,893
Manchester	1,780	4	102	1	1,887
Bootle	1,287	2	119	4	1,412
Birmingham	2,412	8	224	4	2,648
Bristol	549	4	100	0	653
Cardiff	969	1	63	0	1,033
Wembley	1,395	16	140	3	1,554
Sutton	1,216	5	145	5	1,373
Glasgow	—	—	—	—	—
Dlau Warbreck House	394	1	63	3	461
Other MUs	—	—	—	—	—

Lay grounds

Medical grounds

(a)

(b)

(c)

Total

Great Britain

15,642

1,284

17,012

Annex A: Refusals on new claims for DLA by DBC December 1992
		Lay grounds
	Medical grounds	(a)	(b)	(c)	Total
Edinburgh	2,853	2	161	5	3,021
Newcastle	786	0	33	0	819
Leeds	1,870	6	88	2	1,966
Manchester	1,121	8	70	2	1,201
Bootle	1,048	5	79	0	1,132
Birmingham	2,149	18	167	8	2,342
Bristol	666	5	43	0	714
Cardiff	1,009	2	70	0	1,081
Wembley	1,083	8	87	3	1,181
Sutton	1,165	5	105	2	1,277
Glasgow	—	—	—	—	—
DLAU Warbeck House	535	3	45	2	585
Other MUs	—	—	—	—	—
Great Britain	14,285	62	984	24	15,319

January 1993
		Lay grounds
	Medical grounds	(a)	(b)	(c)	Total
Edinburgh	1,932	2	104	3	2,041
Newcastle	862	2	50	1	915
Leeds	2,272	8	87	0	2,367
Manchester	1,582	9	115	0	1,706
Bootle	1,425	1	98	0	1,524
Birmingham	1,883	10	145	4	2,042
Bristol	650	6	56	0	712
Cardiff	1,229	0	96	0	1,325
Wembley	1,223	6	261	0	1,490
Sutton	1,196	8	127	5	1,336
Glasgow	—	—	—	—	—
DLAU Warbeck House	943	4	99	8	1,054
Other MUs	—	—	—	—	—
Great Britain	15,197	56	1,238	21	16,512

Annex A: Refusals on new claims for DLA by DBC February 1993
		Lay grounds
	Medical grounds	(a)	(b)	(c)	Total
Edinburgh	1,010	6	78	4	1,098
Newcastle	851	0	62	0	913
Leeds	2,419	7	195	2	2,623
Manchester	1,624	10	96	0	1,730
Bootle	1,569	1	139	2	1,711
Birmingham	1,937	7	312	2	2,258
Bristol	841	10	51	3	905
Cardiff	1,109	2	94	2	1,207
Wembley	1,564	8	138	0	1,710
Sutton	1,410	7	117	6	1,540
Glasgow	1,093	0	56	1	1,150
DLAU Warbreck House	2,379	23	464	5	2,871
Other MUs	3	0	0	0	3
Great Britain	17,809	81	1,802	27	19,719

March 1993
		Lay grounds
	Medical grounds	(a)	(b)	(c)	Total
Edinburgh	1,042	5	89	5	1,141
Newcastle	974	2	51	1	1,028
Leeds	2,707	8	172	5	2,892
Manchester	1,893	14	89	1	1,997
Bootle	1,799	5	148	1	1,953
Birmingham	2,467	10	266	3	2,746
Bristol	1,030	2	67	2	1,101
Cardiff	1,775	2	90	3	1,870
Wembley	2,078	16	209	1	2,304
Sutton	1,454	7	185	3	1,649
Glasgow	1,827	2	86	0	1,915
DLAU Warbreck House	1,080	13	257	8	1,358
Other MUs	13	0	0	0	13
Great Britain	20,139	86	1,709	33	21,967

Annex A: Refusals on new claims for DLA by DBC April 1993
		Lay grounds
	Medical grounds	(a)	(b)	(c)	Total
Edinburgh	1,015	2	68	1	1,086
Newcastle	940	0	64	0	1,004
Leeds	2,375	6	131	1	2,513
Manchester	1,519	7	85	2	1,613
Bootle	1,728	1	115	1	1,845
Birmingham	2,546	14	216	2	2,778
Bristol	882	1	63	1	947
Cardiff	1,298	0	76	2	1,376
Wembley	1,601	17	170	3	1,791
Sutton	1,617	7	142	3	1,769
Glasgow	1,623	0	61	0	1,684
Dlau Warbreck House	274	13	92	4	383
Other MUs	9	0	0	0	9
Great Britain	17,427	68	1,283	20	18,798

May 1993
		Lay grounds
	Medical grounds	(a)	(b)	(c)	Total
Edinburgh	868	0	52	1	921
Newcastle	960	1	59	2	1,022
Leeds	2,228	3	115	2	2,348
Manchester	1,414	4	63	1	1,482
Bootle	1,453	2	71	0	1,526
Birmingham	2,003	3	182	4	2,192
Bristol	729	4	67	1	801
Cardiff	2,136	1	98	1	2,236
Wembley	1,529	15	147	2	1,693
Sutton	1,758	5	127	3	1,893
Glasgow	1,990	0	63	0	2,053
Dlau Warbreck House	103	1	42	0	146
Other MUs	11	0	0	0	11
Great Britain	17,182	39	1,086	17	18,324

Annex A: Other refusals during 1992 ¹
		Lay grounds
	Medical grounds	(a)	(b)	(c)	Total
Edinburgh	1,021	3	46	2	1,072
Newcastle	746	1	23	0	770
Leeds	918	5	44	0	967
Manchester	973	4	30	0	1,007
Bootle	675	1	30	1	707
Birmingham	971	5	51	1	1,028

		Lay grounds
	Medical grounds	(a)	(b)	(c)	Total
Bristol	441	3	28	1	473
Cardiff	668	1	29	0	698
Wembley	806	11	57	2	876
Sutton	791	8	50	3	852
Glasgow	—	—	—	—	—
Dlau Warbreck House	112	4	13	4	133
Other MUs	—	—	—	—	—
Great Britain	8,122	46	401	14	8,583
¹ These cases were decided in 1992 but the exact month is not known.
(Figures are for cases cleared by a scan of the database during December 1992.)

Annex A: Cumulative up to end of May 1993
		Lay grounds
	Medical grounds	(a)	(b)	(c)	Total
Edinburgh	23,863	39	2,245	47	26,194
Newcastle	16,667	14	1,147	7	17,835
Leeds	27,458	74	2,381	24	29,937
Manchester	23,890	83	1,607	18	25,598
Bootle	19,027	24	1,751	16	20,818
Birmingham	27,248	95	3,163	41	30,547
Bristol	11,179	48	1,387	24	12,638
Cardiff	18,485	16	1,583	14	20,098
Wembley	20,673	148	3,110	30	23,961
Sutton	20,078	95	2,652	63	22,888
Glasgow	6,533	2	266	1	6,802
Dlau Warbreck House	6,861	66	1,526	45	8,498
Other MUs	36	0	0	0	36
Great Britain	221,998	704	22,818	330	245,850
Reasons for refusal on lay grounds are:
(a)—on grounds of age.
(b)—on grounds of residence and presence.
(c)—other reasons.

Annex B: Refusals on top up claims for DLA for Great Britain
	MobA Beneficiaries		AA Beneficiaries
Month	Medical Grounds	Lay Grounds	Medical Grounds	Lay Grounds
Month	Medical Grounds	Lay Grounds	Medical Grounds	Age	Other	Total
1992
February	11	0	4	0	0	15
March	106	0	62	8	0	176
April	478	0	100	1	0	579
May	1,240	3	211	1	2	1,457
June	2,597	19	393	1	7	3,017
July	3,882	22	523	4	4	4,435
August	5,896	5	736	18	2	6,657
September	5,690	7	713	1	2	6,413
October	4,441	18	905	9	10	5,383
November	2,592	8	578	1	2	3,181
December	2,269	7	356	4	2	2,638
Others¹	1,813	5	481	82	3	2,384
1993
January	1,907	6	446	58	0	2,417
February	2,073	18	425	35	1	2,552
March	2,215	27	480	19	4	2,745
April	1,869	25	581	25	5	2,505
May	1,055	0	315	14	1	1,385
TOTAL	40,134	170	7,309	281	45	47,939
¹ These cases were decided in 1992 but the exact month is riot known.
Figures are for cases cleared by a scan of the database during December 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) whether the Benefits Agency has now completed its report on the differences in adjudication standards between disability benefit centres;

(2) what steps the Benefits Agency has taken to ensure consistency in adjudication decisions on disability living allowance between disability benefits centres.

The administration of disability living allowance is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to my hon. Friend and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Letter from Michael Bichard to Sir John Hannam, dated 15 June 1993.

As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking (i) whether the Benefits Agency has now completed its report on the differences in adjudication standards between Disability Benefits Centres and (ii) what steps the Benefits Agency has taken to ensure consistency in adjudication decisions on Disability Living Allowance between Disability Benefits Centres.

A study concerning standards of adjudication in Disability Benefits Centres is still in progress and findings are not expected to become available until late August 1993. Thereafter, recommendations will be carefully analysed before any changes are implemented.

The aim of the study is to assess standards of adjudication, including variations, across the Disability Benefits Centres and the main Disability Living Allowance Unit(s) at Blackpool. It includes a physical examination of casework, research among staff and an analysis of data arising from Review and Appeals activities.

I hope that you find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.

National Insurance

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has as to how many people below the basic rate income tax threshold will pay more national insurance contributions during the 1994–95 financial year as a result of the changes announced in the Budget.

[pursuant to his reply, 7 June 1993, column 140]: The following information was incorrect:"It is estimated that in 1994–95 about million people whose earnings fall below the basic rate income tax threshold will pay slightly more in national insurance contributions."The correct information is as follows:It is estimated that in 1994–95 about 2¼ million people whose earnings fall below the threshold for basic rate income tax of 25 per cent. will pay slightly more in national insurance contributions.

Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs

Human Rights

16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will support proposals for an international human rights tribunal.

The world conference on human rights will review the range of international mechanisms for the protection of human rights. We understand that there may be a proposal for an international human rights tribunal. We will give careful consideration to this, and to all other matters before the conference.

Israel

17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what indications he has received from Arab countries about their willingness to call off the Arab trade boycott of Israel.

The response by Arab countries to numerous approaches on this subject—including an EC demarche—has been uneven. There has been no collective formal response. But there is evidence that some relaxations have been made and the Kuwait Government have this month signalled their intention to discontinue the application of the boycott to third countries. We shall continue to press Arab Governments on this.

25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to meet the Israeli Foreign Minister to discuss matters pertaining to the peace process.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has no immediate plans to meet the Israeli Foreign Minister.

Hong Kong

18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next plans to meet the Governor of Hong Kong to discuss relations with China.

We keep in the closest touch with the governor of Hong Kong about our discussions with the Chinese authorities on Hong Kong. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and I will next meet the governor when he comes to London on 30 of June for one of his regular visits for consultations. As is customary, the governor will also have discussions with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister as well as other Ministers and senior officials.

South Africa

19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made towards the holding of multiracial elections in South Africa.

The Negotiating Council has agreed on an election date of 27 April 1994, subject to ratification by the larger negotiating forum on 25 June.

29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with parties involved in constitutional negotiations in South Africa.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs held useful talks with Nelson Mandela and Chief Buthelezi during their recent visits to London.

Pakistan

20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received from the Pakistani authorities concerning the progress of the police investigations into the murder of Mohammed Afzal in Juarah village, Pakistan, on 4 October 1992.

The high commission in Islamabad has still not had a full report from the Pakistan authorities about the murder of Mohammed Afzal. It has, however, been told by the Pakistan police that the men accused of the murder have been declared "permanent absconders". The high commission will stay in close touch with the Pakistan authorities.

Angola

21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government have taken to put pressure on UNITA to abide by the terms of the Bicesse accord and the Angolan election results.

We have actively supported United Nations efforts to secure a dialogue between UNITA and the Angolan Government leading to a ceasefire and full implementation of the Bicesse peace accords.

Mongolia

22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what new proposals he has to improve relationships between the United Kingdom and Mongolia.

Relations with Mongolia are very good. January marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations. Last year saw the introduction of a bilateral aid programme for Mongolia of £2·7 million over three years. This is aimed at helping the Mongolians with their economic reform programme, which is being carried out in the face of considerable hardship.A bilateral cultural exchange programme, renewed on 11 June, will facilitate cultural and academic contacts and exchanges, English language teaching and joint research projects. Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal, accompanied by Commander Timothy Laurence, RN, will visit Mongolia from 11 to 14 July. A bilateral round table meeting is scheduled to take place in Britain this October.

Cambodia

23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received about the political situation in Cambodia; and if he will make a statement.

We welcome the successful holding of elections in Cambodia last month and congratulate UNTAC on its preparation and conduct. The result is a clear sign that the Cambodian people want to decide their own future. We are encouraging the successful parties to work together constructively to facilitate the emergence of a new Government after a constitution has been adopted.

34.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in Cambodia following the elections.

The high turnout of the Cambodian electorate (89 per cent.) in the elections to the Constituent Assembly last month is a clear sign that the Cambodian people want to decide their own future. We are committed to recognising the results when they are certified as free and fair. Under the terms of the Paris agreements, the newly elected Constituent Assembly will draft and approve a new constitution before transforming itself into a legislative assembly which will form a new Cambodian Government. This is due to take place within three months. Meanwhile we are encouraging the successful parties to work together constructively to facilitate the emergence of a new Government.

Bosnia

24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his proposals to secure an end to the conflict in Bosnia.

The Washington agreement of 22 May set out the immediate steps to be taken by the international community to effectively tackle the conflict in Bosnia. It is intended to help establish conditions for a lasting and equitable settlement, in accordance with the principles of the Vance-Owen peace plan, to the appalling conflict in Bosnia. Some of these steps have already been achieved, for example the adoption of United Nations Security Council resolutions on safe areas in Bosnia and the creation of a war crimes tribunal. Action continues within the United Nations and NATO to follow up other elements of the Washington agreement. Lord Owen and Mr. Stoltenberg are continuing their negotiations with great determination.

32.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is proposing to take to restore the territorial integrity of Bosnia.

United Nations Security Council resolution No. 836 reaffirms the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the responsibility of the Security Council in this regard. The principles of the Vance-Owen peace plan for Bosnia provide the framework for securing this.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs by what means, following the Washington agreement, he envisages the implementation of the Vance-Owen plan for Bosnia.

The principles contained within the Vance-Owen peace plan provide the framework for securing a political settlement to the conflict in Bosnia. The Washington agreement of 22 May established a series of immediate steps to alleviate the suffering on the ground while work continues to find a lasting and fair political settlement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to President Izetbegovic in respect of Bosnian Muslim breaches in the ceasefires and the destruction of Croat villages by his forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

[holding answer 14 June 1993]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs met Bosnian President Izetbegovic on 14 June. One of the issues that they discussed was the recent Bosnian-Muslim offensive in central Bosnia, particularly around Travnik. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State underlined our concern at reports of Muslim brutality and ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Croats, and urged President Izetbegovic to order an end to this offensive and begin implementation of the Vance-Owen peace plan.

Global Security

26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next plans to visit the United Nations to discuss global security.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs expects to visit the United Nations to attend the United Nations General Assembly general debate in September. No dates have yet been fixed.

Exports Promotion

28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will detail measures his Department takes to promote United Kingdom exports overseas.

It is a key objective of the Department to promote United Kingdom exports. Seventeen per cent. of frontline diplomatic staff and 48 per cent. of senior locally engaged staff working in 196 missions overseas are employed full-time on this task. In total, nearly a quarter of frontline diplomatic staff time (calculated on the basis of regular returns from posts) is expended on commercial work.

Middle East

30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made towards peace in the middle east.

Another round of bilateral negotiations between the parties is beginning in Washington this week. There were encouraging signs at the end of the last round in May that the Israelis and Palestinians were beginning to address in detail issues of substance. We continue to urge on all parties the urgent need for further progress.

Social Chapter

31.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EC counterparts about the social chapter of the Maastricht treaty.

The social chapter has not featured in recent discussions with other member states.

Iraq

33. Mr.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to review the policy of imposing sanctions on Iraq.

The Security Council reviewed the sanctions in force against Iraq on 24 May. The Council concluded that Iraq had not complied with United Nations resolutions, and that there was therefore no justification for change.

Yugoslavia

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the impact of sanctions against Serbia on other countries of the former Yugoslavia and neighbouring countries; and if he will make a statement.

United Nations sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro place a significant economic burden on neighbouring states. The recent visits of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to Bulgaria, Macedonia and Romania enabled him to discuss this issue with the Governments of those most acutely affected. The international financial institutions are best placed to assess the needs of those affected and provide appropriate support to help these countries develop a suitable policy response.

Iran

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response Her Majesty's Government have made to the proposal put to foreign Ministers of the European Community member states by the United States Secretary of State on 9 June relating to trade and export restrictions on Iran.

We shall be considering carefully the issues discussed by the EC and United States foreign Ministers with our EC partners. We shall continue to support international efforts to promote a harmonised approach to effective controls on the export of dual use goods to countries of particular concern, including Iran.

Kurdistan

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Turkish Government to cease all military operations in Kurdistan and accept the Kurdish PKK's unilateral ceasefire, and work towards a political solution.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the then Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the hon. Member for Watford (Mr. Garel-Jones), to the hon. Member for Halifax (Mrs. Mahon) on 28 April at column 440.We regret the PKK's decision to end the ceasefire, and condemn the recent upsurge of violence in south-east Turkey. We frequently make clear to the Turkish Government the importance we attach to combating terrorism within a legal framework and with full respect for human rights.

Captain John Bashforth

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Indonesian authorities regarding the murder by pirates of Captain John Bashforth; and with what result.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs raised the death of Captain Bashforth with the Indonesian authorities when he visited Indonesia at the beginning of April. Also Her Majesty's Embassy in Jakarta has been in frequent touch with the Indonesian authorities. Since April they have obtained further evidence from the Indonesian authorities which we have passed to the coroner in Buxted for the inquest on 21 June.

Kashmir

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the human rights committee of the European Parliament on the issue of Kashmir; and if he will make a statement.

None. However, together with our European Community partners, we have emphasised to the Indian Government the importance of respecting human rights in Kashmir.

Eritrea

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the policy towards the new independent state of Eritrea.

We recognised Eritrea as an independent sovereign state on 14 May. We have had a warm relationship with the former provisional Government, now the Government of Eritrea, and have proposed entering into diplomatic relations. We have committed £12 million of humanitarian aid since January 1992 and also run a modest bilateral aid programme.

Royal Family

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 7 June, Official Report, column 82–83, what was the cost to his Department of each of the visits by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh; and what were the sums involved in categories of expenditure within the cost of each visit.

[holding answer 14 June 1993]: The costs to date to the Department of the overseas visits undertaken by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh during the financial year 1992–93 at the request of Government Departments are as follows:

Country	Date	£
France	12 May	nil
Malta	27 to 31 May	26,900
France	9 to 12 June	47,600
United States of America	13 to 14 July	nil
Germany	19 to 23 October	82,700
Dominica, Montserrat,
Anguilla,
British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands	11 to 20 March	nil

It is not possible to provide details of each category of expenditure without disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 7 June, Official Report, columns 82–83, if he will list the official engagements undertaken on each visit by (a) Princess Alexandra, (b) the Duke of Kent, (c) the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and (d) Princess Margaret.

[holding answer 14 June 1993]:The main official engagements undertaken during these visits were as follows:

a. Princess Alexandra

USA
60th anniversary celebrations of Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington.
Reception to honour cooperation between UK and US armed forces.
Columbia lighthouse for the blind.
Corcoran gallery of art.
Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada
Red Cross headquarters
Centre for physically handicapped children.
Fort King George and fine arts centre.
Newlo children's rehabilitation centre.
Workshop for the blind.

b. The Duke of Kent Japan

Priority Japan campaign—export promotions visits in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya including visits to department stores, meetings with local government, tour of airport, visits to factories, visit to exhibition, meetings with senior businessmen and British Chamber of Commerce, visit to research laboratories and meetings with politicians and members of Japanese Royal family.
Italy
Columbus 1992 ships and the sea exhibition.
Genoa metro project.
Germany
Munich Electronica Trade Fair.

c. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester

Belgium
British Chamber of Commerce in Belgium.
1992 Britain in Brussels festival:
—Industrial design exhibition;
—Scottish silver exhibition.

d. The Princess Margaret

Netherlands
International garden festival, Zoetermeer Het Loo (Palace).

Defence

Defamation Cases

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list by number and title the actions for defamation brought by or against serving members of Her Majesty's armed forces in each year since 1989 in which the Department has provided all or a contribution to one or both sides' legal costs and damages; and at what total cost in each case.

Since 1989 there has been only one such case. It involved the legal costs of a junior NCO who was the subject of an action for defamation arising from a report he made to the military police about alleged assaults on him by another soldier. The full costs of the case are not yet known.

Hercules

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the route flown at low level by Hercules XV193 on 27 May was a standard route established for use by RAF Hercules.

The Hercules fleet do not fly fixed or standard low-flying routes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) by what means are potential fixed low-flying routes for training of RAF Hercules aircrew surveyed prior to adoption;

Birdstrikes to RAF Hercules 1980 to 1992
Category	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992
1 and 2	32	47	37	53	51	60	50	67	61	33	36	37	46
3	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	32	47	37	53	51	61	50	67	61	33	36	38	46

Note: Breakdown of damage in categories 1 and 2 is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the minimum authorised altitude for the low-level training sortie undertaken by Hercules XV193 on 27 May.

It was 250 ft.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the minimum flying experience required from an RAF Hercules captain to fly the aircraft at (a) 500 ft minimum separation distance, (b) 250 ft minimum separation distance and (c) 100 ft minimum separation distance.

After at least six months service on operational Hercules squadrons, crews are trained, in preparation for specific operational commitments, to fly aircraft at 500 ft minimum separation distance (MSD); the training requires four sorties, totalling 12 flying hours. Subsequently, after six months service on tactical support squadrons, crews are selected for training to fly at 250 ft MSD; the training comprises 20 sorties, totalling 41 flying hours. Approximately six months after qualifying to fly at 250 ft MSD crews undergo a further course of five sorties lasting 12 hours in total. Of these crews, a very small number of specifically selected crews are permitted to fly below 250 ft MSD.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the areas in which RAF Hercules are authorised to fly at less than 250 ft.

Fixed-wing flying below 250 ft in the United Kingdom low flying system is restricted to three sparsely populated areas in northern Scotland, central Wales and the Borders which are designated as tactical training areas.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further precautionary measures have been adopted in the operation of the RAF Hercules fleet since 27 May.

(2) how many fixed low-flying routes in the United Kingdom are currently in use by the RAF Hercules fleet; and what is the established periodicity for reviewing and changing any such fixed low-flying routes.

The RAF Hercules do not fly fixed low-flying routes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many bird strikes have occurred to RAF Hercules aircraft in each year since 1980; and how many were in each of the damage categories 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

The information requested is as follows:

There is no reason to doubt the validity and safety of current operating procedures and thus no further precautionary measures have been adopted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the maximum bank angle permitted for turns by RAF Hercules flying at (a) 500 ft minimum separation distance, (b) 250 ft minimum separation distance and (c) 100 ft minimum separation distance.

The maximum permitted bank angle for RAF Hercules flying is 60 deg subject to the aircraft maintaining its authorised minimum separation distance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many RAF Hercules sorties at less than 250 ft were authorised in each year since 1980.

The numbers of movements authorised into the tactical training areas for flying below 250 ft by Hercules aircraft are as follows:

	Number
1980	1
1981	2
1982	10
1983	17
1984	28
1985	0
1986	15
1987	13
1988	7
1989	9
1990	28
1991	16
1992	9
¹1993	4
¹ To 30 April.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the route flown at low level by Hercules XV193 on 27 May was also flown by the other aircraft in the formation.

On 27 May Hercules XV193 flew the first part of the low-level element of its route in formation with other aircraft. As planned, the aircraft then broke formation to fly different routes for the final stage of the sortie.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the design bird strike impact strength of the windscreen of the RAF Hercules; and what measures have been introduced to increase the protection of Hercules aircrew against bird strikes since the aircraft's entry in service.

Information on the design bird strike impact strength is not available within my Department. In 26 years of service in the RAF no Hercules crew member or passenger has been injured a a result of bird strikes. As a result no measures to increase the crew's protection have been introduced since the aircraft entered service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) sorties and (b) flying hours are devoted to low-level flying training in the training syllabus of No. 242 Operational Conversion Unit and in the continuation training programmes of operational Hercules squadrons.

No. 242 Operational Conversion Unit is now 57 (Reserve) Squadron. After six months' service on tactical support squadrons, crews are selected for a five-week low-level flying course comprising 20 sorties and totalling 41 flying hours. Approximately six months after initial qualification crews undergo a further five-day low-flying course comprising five sorties and 12 flying hours.

Explosive Devices

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many bombs have been removed or rendered harmless on the coast of England and Wales by the Royal Navy in 1992.

A total of 19 bombs, some of which dated back to the second world war and earlier, were recovered from the coast of England and Wales by the Royal Navy in 1992.

Royal Clarence Yard, Gosport

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to ensure that the gate of the Royal Clarence yard at Gosport is maintained in a state appropriate for its historical importance.

The gate to Royal Clarence yard is being examined by consultants to determine what renovation work might be required.

Horse Guards Parade

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost of the Life Guards and Blues and Royals attending the Horse Guards parade ceremony on Thursday 27 May; and if he will make a statement.

Guidelines covering the presentation of new standards, guidons and colours to regiments of the Army are contained in The Queens Regulations for the Army 1975. It is customary that the Sovereign personally presents new standards or colours to the regiments of the Household Divisions in the case of the Household Cavalry on Horse Guards Parade. The men, horses and armoured cars participating in the ceremony on 27 May did so at no extra cost to the defence budget. The cost of transportation of troops to the ceremony was approximately £3,000.

Shells (Uranium)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at which sites his Department has tested armour-piercing shells tipped with depleted uranium.

Since the programme was first authorised and announced to the House, Official Report, 8 March 1979, cols. 777–78 and 25 January 1980, col 395, all United Kingdom depleted uranium firings, with the exception of a few small calibre rounds trialled at West Freugh in the late 1980s, have taken place at the Eskmeals and Kirkcudbright ranges. My Department has also test-fired DU armour-piercing shells at White Sands, New Mexico and Aberdeen proving ground, Maryland in the United States of America and at Gramat in France.

Science And Technology

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will designate one of his Ministers to be responsible for his Department's contribution to the Government's science and technology "Forward Look."

Paragraph 2.37 of the White Paper "Realising Our Potential—A Strategy for Science, Engineering and Technology" describes the preparation of the "Forward Look" by the Office of Science and Technology, and the participation of Government Departments through the existing, well-established machinery of the official and ministerial Cabinet Committees on Science and Technology.

Near-Market Research

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's policy is with regard to the funding of near-market research.

I refer the hon. Member to paragraphs 2.20 to 2.22 of the White Paper "Realising Our Potential—A Strategy for Science, Engineering and Technology".

Belize

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration was given by his Ministry prior to the decision to withdraw British forces from Belize being taken, to basing Gurkha regiments being transferred from Hong Kong in Belize rather than the United Kingdom.

We have no current plans to increase the number of Gurkha battalions stationed in the United Kingdom as a result of the rundown of the Hong Kong garrison. A Gurkha infantry battalion from Hong Kong will, however, be deployed to Belize on a six-month tour in October.

German Units (Repatriation)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those units due to be repatriated from Germany as a result of "Options for Change" that have not yet been found facilities in which to be based in the United Kingdom.

Accommodation, in one case albeit only temporary, has been identified for all the units redeploying to the United Kingdom from Germany. In some cases the exact nature of unit and location has not yet been decided.

Lumsden Road Estate, Portsmouth

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the sale price of the Lumsden Road estate, Portsmouth, to European Developments; and what was the net total value of the bid submitted by Swaything Housing Society and Portsmouth Housing Association taking into account the value of nominal rights given back to the Ministry of Defence.

This information is commercial in confidence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the reasons for his decision to dispose of the Lumsden Road site in Portsmouth to European Developments; and what precautions he has taken to ensure that the land is made safe for future use.

The marketing of the Lumsden Road site involved the full disclosure of the site's history to all potential purchasers. The decision was taken to sell to European Developments because it submitted the highest compliant bid. It is now a matter for European Developments and Portsmouth city council to ensure that the site is suitable for the purpose for which it will be used.

"Options For Change"

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all the United Kingdom Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force bases that (a) have been made redundant and (b) are due to be made redundant as a result of "Options and Change".

A list of the defence estate which has become, or could become, redundant as a consequence of the "Options for Change" is set out.Alternative defence uses are sought in all cases where an activity ends at a defence establishment and this search continues until the site is disposed of. It does not necessarily follow, therefore, that all the sites listed will be disposed of.

RN Diesel Repair Depot Blackbrooke Farm
HMS St Vincent (Furse House)
Royal Navy Stores Depot Lathalmond
HMS Daedalus
Royal Navy Armaments Depot Trecwn
Oil Fuel Depot Invergordon HMS Nelson Gunwharf
Royal Navy Stores Depot Exeter (Top Site)
HM Naval Base Portland
Royal Navy Hospital Stonehouse
Royal Navy Air Yard Wroughton
HMS Royal Arthur
Oil Fuel Depot Rosyth
Royal Navy Stores Depot Copenacre—Closure of all underground storage

Uniake Barracks, Harrogate
Richie Barracks, Kirknewton
Kings Barracks, Kirkcudbright
41 District Workshop Strensall
Royal Artillery Barracks Woolwich
Simpson Barracks Northampton
Old Park Barracks, Dover
Kitchener Barracks, Chatham
Oakington Barracks
Albermarle Barracks, Ouston
Queen Elizabeth Barracks Strensall
Sir John More Barracks Shorncliffe
Gamecock Barracks, Bramcote
Queen Elizabeth Barracks Guildford
RAF Hospital Ely
RAF Stanbridge
RAF Harrogate
RAF Swanton Morley
RAF Hullavington
RAF Swinderby
RAF West Raynham
RAF Church Fenton
RAF Brawdy
RAF Hospital Halton
RAF Hereford
Central Stores Depot Swanmore
Proof and Experimental Establishment Inchterf
Proof and Experimental Establishment Cold Meece

Land Sales

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what circumstances, when disposing of publicly owned land, he will not accept the highest bid.

When disposing of surplus property on the open market it is the Department's policy to accept the highest bid, provided that we are satisfied that the bidder is capable of honouring the conditions of the sale.

Directorate General Of Defence Accounts

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what performance targets have been set for the Directorate General of Defence Accounts for 1993–94.

Under the terms of the agency's framework document, a range of revised targets for 1993–94 has been set which will ensure continuing improvements in the quality of service that the agency provides to its customers, as well as reflecting the continuing need to secure economies in defence spending.The targets for the period 1993–94 are:

a. to complete the Agency's planned workload, as agreed with our customers, within the funds allocated for this purpose and to cope with any unforeseen requirements in the year;

b. to maintain the Agency's quality of service as defined in the Service Level Agreements and secondary targets;

c. to seek further efficiencies in the use of resources to the advantage of the Agency and its customers, thereby making efficiency savings of at least 1·5 per cent. of the total cash budget (excluding those savings arising directly from centrally managed efficiency measures);

d. to compete for payroll work offered through the Government's Market Testing programme and to win all that is competed for;

e. to carry out a study into the incidence of cost in the Agency so that fixed costs and variable costs are clearly and separately identifiable, with the further aim of reducing fixed costs.

Wales

House Prices

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish figures showing (a) average house prices paid by all buyers, (b) percentage changes in cash prices in prices relative to the preceding year and (c) percentage changes in prices relative to the preceding year after allowing for the effects of retail price inflation in Wales in each year from 1979.

Information on average house prices for the years 1979 to 1991 is published in "Welsh Housing Statistics and Housing and Construction Statistics", copies of which are in the Library of the House.

Health Authorities (Administration)

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish for the most recent year that figures are available (a) the percentage of total revenue expenditure on health services that each health authority spent on headquarters' administration and (b) the actual expenditure that each health authority spent on headquarters' administration.

The amount that each health authority spent on headquarters administration in 1991–92 together with its percentage share of total revenue expenditure was as follows:

	Expenditure on headquarters administration	Expenditure on headquarters administration as a percentage of total revenue expenditure
Health authority	£ thousands	Per cent.
Clwyd	2,581	1·6
East Dyfed	2,997	2·7
Gwent	1,557	0·9
Gwynedd	2,050	2·1
Mid Glamorgan	2,385	1·1
Pembrokeshire	478	1·1
Powys	1,955	3·4
South Glamorgan	6,542	3·1
West Glamorgan	2,036	1·3

Source: Summarised accounts of health authorities in Wales.

Notes:

(1) 1991–92 data is latest available.

(2) The figure for expenditure on headquarters administration is taken to be that covering authority administration and purchasing expenses.

(3) Excludes special health authorities (Welsh Health Common Services Authority and Health Promotion Authority for Wales) and family health services authorities which, by the nature of their functions, are not comparable with the above.

Gp Practices

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many single-handed general practitioner practices there are in Wales; and what is their average patient holding.

At 1 October 1992 there were 126 single-handed general practitioner practices in Wales. The average list size for this type of practitioner was 2,015 as at 1 April 1992 (the latest date for which data are available).

Health Authorities And Trusts

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) health authorities and (b) trusts were in existence on 1 April; and what is his forecast of the number on 1 April 1994.

There were nine health authorities, eight family health service authorities and 14 NHS trusts in Wales on 1 April 1993. The creation of further trusts will depend on decisions due to be made later this year, following public consultation on formal applications submitted for NHS trust status from April 1994.

Unemployment

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures he proposes to tackle unemployment in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

It is the job of Government to create the right conditions in which business might thrive, and a wide range of measures designed to create a self-sustaining market economy and thereby help unemployed people find work is already in place. Our strategy for growth is bearing fruit with four consecutive monthly falls in unemployment.

Hospital Beds

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many acute beds have been lost in Wales since 1979, expressed by number and as a percentage;(2) how many

(a) hospital beds and (b) acute hospital beds there were in Wales in (i) 1979 and (ii) at the latest date for which figures are available; and what is (ii) as a percentage of (i);

(3) how many hospital beds have been closed since 1979.

The information is as follows:

Average daily beds in NHS hospitals
			Change
	1979	1991–92	Number	Per cent.
Acute beds¹	10,133·3	8,834·7	-1,298·6	-12·8
All hospital beds	23,456·1	18,640·3	-4,815·8	-20·5
Acute beds as a percentage of all beds	43·2	47·4	—	—
Inpatient cases treated	349,695	500,336	150,641	43·1
¹ Excludes geriatric, maternity, mental handicap and mental illness beds.

Adoption And Fostering

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures he is taking to encourage more people to become foster parents; and if he will make a statement.

Guidance has been given to local social services authorities on recruitment of foster parents at paragraphs 3.7–3.11 of volume 3, "Family Placements", in "The Children Act Guidance and Regulations" series (HMSO). A copy is in the Library of the House.Grant is given to the Wales Centre of the British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering Organisation, one of whose activities is to run an annual "Find a Family" campaign in co-operation with local social services authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many children have been (a) adopted and (b) fostered in each year and in each county in Wales since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

The total number of adoption orders made each year in England and Wales since 1979 is

1. Number of children placed under private foster arrangements in Wales¹
	Clwyd	Dyfed	Gwent	Gwynedd	Mid Glam	Powys	South Glam	West Glam	Wales
1979	21	14	3	2	22	2	30	—	94
1980	28	10	3	4	17	29	40	1	132
1981	24	4	3	7	19	26	17	3	103
1982	9	4	12	6	17	4	12	3	67
1983	15	6	13	5	21	4	14	1	79
1984	7	6	6	5	17	2	18	2	63
1985	8	6	9	2	13	1	15	1	55
1986	15	6	6	6	16	1	17	—	67
1987	12	11	8	9	13	—	16	—	69
1988	16	4	11	14	—	1	16	—	62
1989	18	12	6	6	1	2	11	—	56
1990	15	6	8	5	—	6	6	—	46
1991	15	8	5	7	1	3	4	—	43
¹ At 31 March each year.

Data for 1979 and 1980 relates to children in foster homes supervised under the Children Act 1958.Data for 1981 onwards relates to private fostering arrangements supervised under the Foster Children Act 1980.

2.Number of children in local authority foster care in Wales¹
	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991
Clwyd	245	269	258	245	229	219	200	227	227	224	207	220	210
Dyfed	143	146	139	155	130	134	128	128	134	151	172	175	214
Gwent	292	288	278	301	308	297	291	302	307	325	323	377	341
Gwynedd	134	134	141	166	176	179	176	181	173	173	178	162	155
Powys	271	310	347	372	355	363	377	389	393	386	377	423	378
Mid Glamorgan	33	33	41	50	54	44	29	30	35	35	46	36	33
South Glamorgan	288	307	299	306	292	303	330	354	341	352	301	306	316
West Glamorgan	213	222	221	228	255	258	266	280	295	326	293	295	303
Wales	1,619	1,709	1,724	1,823	1,799	1,797	1,797	1,891	1,905	1,972	1,897	1,994	1,950
¹ At 31 March each year.

Cardiac Centre

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to announce the establishment of a second cardiac centre in south Wales; and if he will make a statement.

The option appraisal dealing with cardiac services in south Wales has been completed and an announcement will be made very shortly.

Timber

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much board feet of timber has been harvested from Welsh forests in each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

The volumes of timber harvested from Welsh forests since 1979 are shown in the following table, in thousands of cubic metres. The quantity of sawn wood produced from this timber would depend on the end-use and the efficiency of the conversion process, but each cubic metre is likely to produce about 220 board feet of sawnwood.

published by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys in its series FM2 "Marriage and Divorce Statistics" (HMSO). A copy is in the Library of the House.

The following tables show the numbers of children entering fostering arrangements by country in Wales since 1979.

Year	Volume ('000 m³)
1979	560
1980	630
1981	680
1982	730
1983	760
1984	780
1985	840
1986	930
1987	960
1988	905
1989	925
1990	920
1991	975
1992	1,020

Spine Cancer

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people in Wales died from cancer of the spine in each year since 1987.

The number of deaths to residents of Wales where the underlying cause was cancer of the spine is not available separately. However, the number of deaths where the underlying cause was cancer of the vertebral column (main part of the spine), excluding sacrum and coccyx and the number of deaths where the underlying cause was cancer of the pelvis and the lower part of the spine (pelvic bones, sacrum and coccyx) are given in the following table:

Residents of Wales
	Main part of spine¹	Lower part of spine and pelvis²
1987	4	4
1988	1	2
1989	1	3
1990	2	3
1991	2	3
1992	0	2
¹ 170.2.
² 170. 6

Source:

Office of Population Censuses and Surveys.

International Classification of Diseases (9th revision).

Mature Students

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many mature students entered into full-time or part-time education in Wales for each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

The numbers of mature students who commenced full or part-time courses at maintained and grant-aided further and higher education colleges in Wales and at the University of Wales each year since 1981 are shown in the following table. Comprehensive information for earlier years is not available.

Mature students¹ entered first year of course²
Year³	Full-time⁴	Part-time⁵
1981	5,500	16,400
1982	5,400	16,900
1983	5,200	19,600
1984	5,200	19,700
1985	5,500	21,100
1986	5,800	24,000
1987	5,800	26,700
1988	5,900	30,300
1989	6,900	35,500
1990	7,900	37,400
1991	10,600	40,400
1992	not yet available
¹ Students aged 21 or over at at 31 August preceding the academic year except in the case of postgraduates where the age taken is 25 or over.
² All courses regardless of level and including those of a recreational nature.
³ Student count at December for University of Wales, November for other colleges.
⁴ Includes sandwich students.
⁵ Includes part-time day, block release, evening only and open/distance learning.

Sources:

Further Education Student Record and Universities' Statistical Record.

Investment

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what work is currently undertaken by his Department to attract increased levels of investment into Wales by venture capital houses.

Every encouragement is given to venture capital houses to increase their investment in Wales. Through the financial services initiative and other means, my Department and the WDA have regular contact with providers of finance and their representative bodies, and all possible support is given for them to take advantage of the excellent investment opportunities available in Wales.

Corporate Jets

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions his Department has had with potential bidders for Corporate Jets; and if he will make a statement.

All such matters are commercial in confidence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will visit the Corporate Jets factory, Broughton, Clwyd.

I have no current plans to do so.

Central Heating Grants

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received from Maplewood avenue in Alyn and Deeside about the introduction of grants for the installation of central heating.

None.

South Llanelli

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what percentage of the total (a) receipts arising out of and (b) expenditure incurred on the development of south Llanelli has fallen to the Welsh Development Agency;(2) what has been the total

(a) expenditure incurred and (b) receipts by the Welsh Development Agency in respect of its joint venture with Llanelli borough council for the development of south Llanelli.

A provisional figure for WDA expenditure in respect of the re-development of south Llanelli up to the beginning of May 1993 is £14·1 million. Income due to the WDA for the same period is around £188,000. I am not in a position to advise on the borough council's income and expenditure as it is a matter for the local authority.

Enterprise In Wales

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to designate 1994 as a year for enhancing enterprise in Wales.

My policy is that every year is a year for enhancing enterprise in Wales.In the last 10 years, the number of self-employed people in Wales has risen by over a third.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to develop a Welsh enterprise foundation; and what efforts are currently undertaken by his Department to encourage an enterprise culture within Wales.

My Department works closely with a range of bodies including the WDA, DBRW TECs, local enterprise agencies, colleges and schools to promote enterprise in Wales. I am considering the Institute of Welsh Affairs' report "Wales 2010" including its proposal that the institute should act as the catalyst in establishing a Welsh enterprise foundation.

Cancer

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many cancer cases diagnosed among people living in Gwynedd were analysed by the various indentifiable categories of cancers for the latest available period; and if he will publish corresponding figures for five, 10, 15 and 20 years previously.

The latest available data on cancer registrations in Wales are for 1988 and are published at health authority level in table 9·03 of "Health and Personal Social Services Statistics for Wales, No 19, 1992". Reliable data on cancer registrations in Wales are available only from 1974. Data for Gwynedd for 1974 to 1983 are contained in table 2·8 of "Cancer Registration in Wales: 1974–84". Data for 1984 to 1986 are contained in table 1 of "Cancer Registration in Wales: 1984–86". Each of the above publications is available from the Library of the House.

Flu Vaccinations

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures are being taken to encourage people in Wales to receive flu vaccinations; and if he will make a statement.

In September of each year the Chief Medical Officer reminds all doctors of those groups of patients for whom immunisation against influenza is recommended. Further details are given in the 1992 edition of the Memorandum "Immunisation Against Infectious Disease" which is issued to all doctors in Wales. Posters are also issued to family health services authorities and health authorities for display in surgeries and other relevant patient areas.

Solvent Abuse

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures are being taken to tackle the problem of solvent abuse in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Initiatives in Wales to combat drug misuse, including solvent abuse, are undertaken locally by the health authorities and county councils. Nationally the Health Departments' anti-solvent campaign launched in February 1992 is still providing material to support the local campaigns.The prevention working group of the advisory council for the Misuse of Drugs is currently examining the whole area of volatile substance abuse and hopes to make recommendations during the course of next year.

Tourism

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many recognised visitor attractions there are in Wales; and how many of them are located in Clwyd.

The Wales tourist board knows of 421 tourist attractions in the Principality of which 53 are located in Clwyd. However there is no requirement for visitor attractions to be formally recognised.

Research And Development

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what steps he is taking to improve the take up of grants and other incentives for research and development by small and medium enterprises;(2) what steps he is taking to improve the ease of access to innovation support programmes by small and medium sized enterprises.

The Welsh Office carries out a range of promotional activities, working with other bodies including the training and enterprise councils, the Welsh development agency, the Design Council and the Development Board for Rural Wales, to encourage small and medium sized companies in Wales to take advantage of the support available for research and development both from the United Kingdom Government and the European Commission.The climate for innovation and take-up of grants for research and development are encouraged through the work of local initiatives such as information technology Wales and the Welsh medical technology forum.In addition my officials are now working closely with the Welsh relay centre which will play a central role in ensuring the results emanating from the EC's framework research and development programme are used effectively, particularly by small and medium enterprises.In order to build effectively on these and other initiatives to encourage innovation, we are consulting on how best to improve access to and delivery of business services in Wales.

Forward Look

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will designate one of his Ministers to be responsible for his Department's contribution to the Government's science and technology Forward Look.

Near-Market Research

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what his Department's policy is with regard to the funding of near-market research.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to paragraphs 2.20 to 2.22 of the White Paper "Realising Our Potential—A Strategy for Science, Engineering, and Technology".

Incomes

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) men and (b) women aged over 16 years have an income of less than £75 per week.

Estimates from the "New Earnings Survey" and "Employees in Employment" at April 1992 are that, in Wales, 1,500 full-time male and 2,000 full-time female employees on adult rates had gross weekly earnings below £75 per week. Comprehensive information for part-time employees is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people in Wales aged over 16 years who work (a) part-time and (b) full-time have an income of less than £75 per week.

It is estimated from the "New Earnings Survey" and "Employees in Employment" at April 1992 that, in Wales, 3,500 full-time employees on adult rates had gross weekly earnings below £75. Comprehensive information for part-time employees is not available.

Agriculture, Fisheries And Food

Viral Haemorrhagic Disease

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cases of viral haemorrhagic disease there were in each year since 1985.

Since 1985 there have been four recorded cases of viral haemorrhagic disease of rabbits in Great Britain, all of which occurred in 1992.

Agriculture And Food Research Council

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps she is taking to draw up a concordat of co-operation between her Department and the Agriculture and Food Research Council.

As the recent White Paper "Realising Our Potential—A Strategy for Science, Engineering and Technology" makes clear, a new system of research councils will come into effect on 1 April 1994. The Government have proposed that each of these new research councils should work with the Government Departments with which they have a significant policy connection to draw up and publish concordats.

Near-Market Research

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what her Department's policy is with regard to the funding of near-market research.

I refer the hon. Member to paragraphs 2.20 to 2.22 of the White Paper "Realising our Potential—A Strategy for Science, Engineering and Technology".

Science And Technology

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether she will designate one of her Ministers to be responsible for her Department's contribution to the Government's science and technology Forward Look.

Paragraph 2.37 of the recent White Paper "Realising Our Potential—A Strategy for Science, Engineering and Technology" describes the preparation of the Foward Look by the Office of Science and Technology, and the participation of Government Departments through the existing, well-established machinery of the official and ministerial Cabinet Committees on Science and Technology.

Benomyl And Cardendazim

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what formulations related to Benomyl or Cardendazim have been withdrawn from the market over the last 12 years.

Formulations of pesticide products are commercially sensitive. However, two products containing benomyl and 53 products containing carbendazim have been withdrawn since 1981. The benomyl products were Benlate T and Polycote Pedigree 3.Those containing carbendazim were Derosal 50 per cent. WP, Kombat, Delsene Flowable, Delsene 75, Midox Carbendazim, Battal WP, Bolda, CME 10288, Cosmic, Konker, Bavistin M, Bavistin WG, Mastiff, Corbel Duo, Cosmic FL B, Cosmic FL C, Fisons Garden Disease Spray, Focal Flowable (00910), Focal Flowable (03927), Septal, Septal Flowable, Focal WDG, Starlate, Carbate, Bio One-Shot for Diseases, Multi W, Multi W Flowable, Systemic Fungicide (carbendazim), Gammalex Liquid, Mystic Systemic Garden Fungicide, Mystic General Garden Insecticide/Fungicide, Chafer Carbendazim 511, Headland Suppress Plus, Tripart Defensor WP, Hispor 225L, Mantle 370 FW, Clifton Carbendazim, H115, DKB Tecnazene/Carbendazim Dust, Ashlade Carbonil, Ashlade M, Cosmic FL A, Ashlade Carbendazim Flowable, Ashlade Mancarb FL, Delsene M Flowable, Compo Carbendazim, Maximate, Sheen 362 SW, Arena Plus, Ashlade Mancarb Plus, Murphy Zap Cap Vegetable Care, 200 Plus and Bayfidan BM.In all cases the products were withdrawn or approval allowed to lapse because of commercial considerations.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what labelling arrangements apply to the use of Benomyl-related products indicating whether precautions should be used by pregnant women.

All pesticide products, including those containing benomyl and related active ingredients, are approved on the advice of the independent advisory committee on pesticides, only if the Government are satisfied that they can be used without risk to the public—whether users, consumers of treated produce, or those in the vicinity of the spraying operations. Labelling arrangements are covered by the approvals process and labels of benomyl products include warning to keep off skin, to wash after use and, for the home garden product, to store away from children. They do not include specific precautions to be taken by pregnant women.

Clenbuterol

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to her answer of 7 June, Official Report, column 30, if she will make a statement on the abuse of clenbuterol outside Great Britain.

I am aware of reports from other member states which allege that clenbuterol is being used illegally for growth promotion purposes. Ministers spoke to their counterparts in the Irish and Belgian Governments about these reports at the time and received assurances that every effort was being made to stamp out the misuse of this substance. The authorities concerned can be confident of our full support in their efforts to this end.

Nevertheless surveillance for clenbuterol in imported meat has been increased this year as indicated in my right hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member for Langbaurgh (Mr. Bates) on 2 March 1993 at columns 78–9.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the number of recorded incidents of clenbuterol abuse in each EC member state for each of the last three years.

In the United Kingdom over the past three years, 1,780 random samples taken under the national surveillance scheme from cattle, sheep and pigs have been analysed for the presence of clenbuterol. No positives have been found under this scheme for clenbuterol in Great Britain, but as indicated in my reply to the Member for Glandford and Scunthorpe on 7 June (Official Report, column 29–30), two clenbuterol positive samples were reported in 1992 from samples taken under the separate arrangements directed at retail and wholesale premises.In Northern Ireland three positives were found in 1991 (two in 1992) under the national surveillance scheme random sampling arrangements. In addition under intensive meat sampling procedures which have operated in Northern Ireland since 1991, and which are capable of detecting residue traces up to 120 days after administration has ceased, 965 suspect animals were detained and tested in 1991 (1,482 in 1992) of which 68 were found positive (112 in 1992) involving 28 producers (32 in 1992) out of a total of 36,000 producer herds. All levels detected were below the maximum residue level and thus presented no risk to human health. Nevertheless all carcases were condemned as the drug was used in unlicensed form.I regret that comparable information from other member states is not available from the EC Commission.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many incidents of clenbuterol abuse in meat imported into Britain from non-EC countries were recorded in each of the last three years.

Ongoing surveillance in Great Britain for clenbuterol in imported meat is carried out under a scheme, co-ordinated by the working party on veterinary residues in animal products, which is directed at retail and wholesale premises. All of the samples taken under the scheme since it was established in January 1990, from meat imported into Britain from non-EC countries and tested for the presence of clenbuterol, have proved to be negative.

Benlate Df

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what imports have taken place into the United Kingdom of Benlate DF over the last 12 years.

We have no record of any imports of Benlate DF.

Pesticides

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the names of those persons who sit on the Advisory Committee on Pesticides and their sponsoring or employing organisations.

The members of the advisory committee on pesticides and their sponsoring or employing organisations are as follows:

Chairman

Professor Sir Colin Berry:—DSc, MD, PhD, FRCPath, FFPM, Professor of Morbid Anatomy, Consultant in Histopathology and Director of the Pathological Institute at the Royal London Hospital.

Deputy Chairman

Professor Geoffrey Sagar:—CBE, BA, MA, DPhil(Oxon), Professor of Agricultural Botany and Vice Principal of the University College of North Wales.

Independent Members

BSc, MlSoilSci, MIWEM, Principal Research Scientist and Laboratory Manager, Soil Survey and Land Research Centre, Cranfield Institute of Technology.Professor Nicola Cherry:—BSc, MSc, MPhil, PhD, MD, Senior Lecturer, Centre for Occupational Health, University of Manchester.Professor Anthony Dayan:—BSc(Hons), MD. FRCP, FRCPath, FFPM, FIBiol, Professor of the DH Toxicology Laboratory, St. Bartholomews Hospital Medical College, University of London.Professor Gareth Jones:—BSc, MSc, PhD, DSc, MIBiol, FhS, Professor of Microbiology and Director of Research, Portsmouth University.Mr. John Leahy:—MA, CChem, MRSC, General Manager of Severn Trent Laboratories.Professor Donald Lee:—BSc, PhD, FIBiol, FRSA, Professor of Agricultural Zoology, University of Leeds.Dr. Alexander Proudfoot:—BSc(Hons), MB, ChB, FRCPE, Consultant Physician, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and Director of the Scottish Poisons Information Bureau.Mr. Roger Tayler:—BSc(Agric), Postgrad Dip Agric (Reading), NDA, CBiol, MIBiol, Senior Tutor in the Faculty of Agriculture and Food and Senior Lecturer in Crop Production, Department of Agriculture, University of Reading.Professor Paul Webster:—BSc, PhD, FBIM, FRSA, Head of Department, Department of Agricultural Economics, Wye College, University of London, Ashford, Kent.Members are reminded at the start of every committee meeting of the necessity for them to disclose any interests they may have (personal or nonpersonal, specific or non-specific) or financial in any item under discussion. Members with interests may only participate in so far as the chairman will allow by way of answering questions.

Thorp

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consideration he has given to the public responses received by 23 January in response to draft discharge authorisations for the BNFL thermal oxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield; and how many were (a) against and (b) in favour of granting such authorisation.

My right hon. Friend is currently considering a report on the representations received in response to consultation on draft radioactive discharge authorisations for BNFL Sellafield. 64,514 responses were against issuing the authorisations as drafted and 19,217 were in favour of granting them.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent discussions she has had with, and what representations she has received from, senior management at BNFL on draft authorisations for BNFL's thermal oxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield; and if she will make a statement.

In dealing with this matter the Minister and the chief inspector of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution act jointly under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960 in regulating radioactive discharges from sites licensed under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965. They have therefore received detailed applications from BNFL for new radioactive discharge authorisations for Sellafield, including THORP. BNFL has since written to emphasise the commercial importance it attaches to reaching a decision on the draft discharge authorisations 'without undue delay.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the application from BNFL for authorisation for proposed new radioactive discharge limits from the thermal oxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield fulfils the requirements of environmental assessment; and if she will make a statement.

The information supplied by BNFL in support of its application for new radioactive discharge authorisations for Sellafield, including the thermal oxide reprocessing plant, has been sufficient for the purposes of the radiological assessments carried out by this Department.

Volume 226: debated on Wednesday 16 June 1993

Written Answers To Questions

Transport

Red Star Parcel Service

Mersey Ferries

Train Accident, York

M1 To M62 Link Road

Railway Centre, York

"Is Your Flight Affected By A Royal Flight"

Forward Look

Near-Market Research

Coastguard

Railway Vandalism

British Rail (Appointments)

Lord Chancellor's Department

High Court Judges

Legal Services Ombudsman

Environment

Environment Statistics

Council Tenants

Water Charges

Air Pollution, London

Council Tax, Harlow

Radon

Local Government Finance

Merseyside Development Corporation

Wall Insulation

Chlorofluorocarbons

Ozone Depletion

Leeds Development Corporation

Science And Technology

Natural Environment Research Council

Near-Market Research

Planning Appeals

Benomyl

Rough Sleepers

Home Department

Bail Hostels

Juvenile Offenders

Firearms Control Board

Drugs-Related Offences

New Age Travellers

Police, Wales

Paul Malone

Police Retirements

Crime Statistics

Domestic Violence

Police (Racial Discrimination)

Notifiable Offences

Car-Related Offences

Security Firms

Strip Searching

Fire Service, Wales

Criminal Injuries (Compensation)

Voting Rights

Electoral Registers

Prisoners (Costs)

Ticket Touts

Northern Ireland

School Meals

Strip Searching

Gp Practices

Health Authorities And Trusts

Innovation Support

Near-Market Research

Research And Development

Science And Technology

Prime Minister

Thorp

Link Scheme

Teaching Company Scheme

Employment

Market Testing

Ec Social Fund

Social Affairs Council

Labour Statistics

Industrial Injury

Scotland

Health Authorities And Trusts