To ask the President of the Board of Trade what formal or informal approaches Her Majesty's Government have received from Governments of nations with utilities with a contract with British Nuclear Fuels plc for the use of THORP, to cancel or vary the contract or its terms; and what steps have been taken to alert other departments.

None.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what research he has commissioned and what grants he has offered for research on future dry cleaning technology from OTEC (MSG) Ltd.; and if he will place the conclusions of that research in the Library.

OTEC is a subsidiary of Master Services Group—MSG—which leads a project assisted'by a Department of Trade and Industry grant under DEMOS —DTI's environmental management options scheme. The grant fo £134,332 over 13 months is in support of the research and development of a hydrocarbon non-halogenated fluid as a possible replacement for CFC 113, a solvent used in the dry-cleaning industry. Production of CFC 113 is to be phased out by 1 January 1995.A summary of the results of the project will be issued in late 1994 for the benefit of the dry cleaning industry, and will be placed in the Librry of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what compliance tests were carried out on European regulations to phase out the use of solvent 113; who conducted these tests; and what alternative solvents or technologies were recommended.

My Department commissioned consultants Touche Ross to carry out a study into the effect of phase out of CFC 113—solvent 113—in the solvent-using sector. Copies of its report "The use of CFC 113 and 1,1,1 trichloroethane as solvents in UK industry" dated October 1992 were placed in the Library of the House.My Department has also produced a free leaflet entitled "Ozone Depleting Solvents. CFC Phase Out: Advice on Alternatives and Guidelines for Users", which is also in the Library of the House, and has supported a nationwide series of seminars organised by the Engineering Employers Federation to advise users on the range of alternatives.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the spending on research and development in each of the last five years given in 1992–93 prices in his Department.

The Department of Trade and Industry's expenditure on research and development is recorded in the "Annual Review of Government Funded Research and Development", copies of which are placed in the Library of the House. Table 1.2.3. of the latest edition shows DTI expenditure on research and development from 1987–88, based on 1991–92 prices. Revised figures, based on 1992–93 prices, will be published in the 1994 forward look of science and technology, which replaces the annual review.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects BNFL to publish its accounts for 1992–93; and what reasons it has given for the delay.

BNFL will file its accounts for 1992–93 within the period allowed by the Companies Act 1985, as amended, for laying and delivering accounts. In accordance with section 244 of the Act, BNFL has claimed and been granted a three-month extension to this period on the ground that it is a company which carries on business or has interests outside the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. The accounts are now due to be delivered to Companies House on or before 31 January 1994.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the average annual running costs of BNFL plants at (a) Capenhurst, (b) Springfields, (c) Chapelcross, (d) Sellafield and (e) Calderhall.

This is a matter for British Nuclear Fuels plc.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many press releases his Department has issued in each year since 1979.

The following numbers of press notices were issued by the Department for the years requested.

Year	Number of notices	Department
1979	897	Department of Trade, Department of Industry and Department of Consumer Protection
1980	937	Department of Trade and Department of Industry
1981	944	Department of Trade and Department of Industry
1982	1,039	Department of Trade and Department of Industry
1983	956	Department of Trade, Department of Industryand subsequently, from June 1983, the merged Department of Trade and Industry
1984	762	Department of Trade and Industry
1985	839	Department of Trade and Industry
1986	931	Department of Trade and Industry
1987	816	Department of Trade and Industry
1988	944	Department of Trade and Industry
1989	876	Department of Trade and Industry

Year	Number of notices	Department
1990	799	Department of Trade and Industry
1991	724	Department of Trade and Industry
1992	838	Department of Trade and Industry, including Department of Energy from April
1993	745	Department of Trade and Industry, including Department of Energy from April, up to 14 December

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many companies have been declared bankrupt each year since 1989, including that year.

Information on company insolvencies is regularly published by the Association of British Chambers of Commerce, on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry, in "Business Briefing", copies are available in the Library of the House. The figures concerned were most recently published in the edition dated 5 November.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total expenditure by his Department on administration in 1992–93; what is the estimated outturn for expenditure by his Department on administration for 1993–94 in (i) cash terms and (ii) real terms in, 1992–93 prices; and what is his estimate for expenditure on administration by his Department for 1994–95 in (a) cash terms and(b) 1992–93 prices.

The final outturn for the recurrent costs of running the Department in 1992–93 is £291.2 million. The running costs limit for 1993–94 is £330.6 million. An estimated outturn will be published in the spring in the 1994 departmental report and the unified Budget supplement. The Department's planned running costs expenditure for 1994–95 will be published in the unified Budget supplement.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to relax the conditions of the order which exempts companies from the requirement to hold an electricity generation or supply licence.

Following consultations with the Director General of Electricity Supply, electricity companies and other interested parties, I have decided to amend the Electricity (Class Exemptions from the Requirement for a Licence) Order 1990 to reduce the regulatory burden on small generators, own generators and consumers who sell on a small proportion of the electricity they purchase.The changes will be made as early as possible in 1994, I expect the changes to be broadly as follows, subject to considering the detailed technical amendments that will be required to achieve our aims.At present, small generators require a generation licence unless each of their generating stations provides not more than 10 MW, disregarding power going to certain qualifying customers on site. I will extend this exemption to cover generating stations which have a capacity of less than 100 MW and provide more than 10 MW but not more than 50 MW, disregarding power going to certain qualifying customers on site.At present, a consumer without an electricity supply licence may resell electricity to franchise customers if that electricity was originally purchased from the local public electricity supplier or in certain cases a second tier supplier. I propose to extend the exemption to allow the resale of electricity purchased from a second tier supplier to any franchise customers located on the reseller's site —this subject to overall limits based on the proportion and aggregate amount resold; these are expected to be 10 per cent. and 250 MWH per site respectively. I am also minded to exempt the resale of electricity purchased from an own generator subject to the same conditions and limitations.The existing exemptions for own generators and deminimis generators allow for the provision of electricity to qualifying groups of companies. I propose to allow more companies to be included in such qualifying groups by reducing the proportion of shares required to be held in a company for it to qualify as a subsidiary forming part of a qualifying group. I am also examining how we might allow certain joint venture companies to be included in a qualifying group. At present, an own generator requires a supply licence unless at least 51 per cent. of the electricity from his generating station goes to qualifying customers located on the own generator's site. I will remove this condition. In future, the proportion of electricity provided to particular customers will not be a factor in determining whether a supply licence is needed.At present, most generators who are exempt from the need for a generation licence but who have stations over 200 KW capacity must notify the Secretary of State of their name and address. I will remove that requirement.These changes will encourage own generators and others by reducing the regulatory burden with which they must contend.In addition, the Director General has granted a full second tier supply licence to Nuclear Electric. This will help to promote competition in the provision of electricity supply contracts to non franchise customers.The Government recognise the concern that rises in pool prices have caused, particularly to those large users who are on pool related contracts. The Director General of Electricity Supply has investigated the matter. He has carried forward work on the costs and margins of National Power and PowerGen and other relevant issues and has concluded that further steps need to be taken to ensure that customers are protected in future and to allow the satisfactory development of the industry. Discussions with the companies are continuing and he anticipates being able to decide by mid January whether a Monopolies and Mergers Commission reference is required.In their White Paper "The Prospects for Coal", the Government said that they would consider whether allowing large users to trade outside the electricity pool would be beneficial to the electricity market.The responses to my Department's consultation paper on dedicated generation established that there were many practical problems to be overcome if a workable dedicated generation scheme were to be found which would not disadvantage other consumers. The Government have concluded that they should not proceed with amendments to the order which would allow an interim scheme to operate within the electricity pool.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the European economic area will enter into force.

Following ratification of the European Economic Area—EEA—agreement by all EC member states and participating states of the European Free Trade Association the Community formally concluded the EEA at the ECOFIN Council on 13 December. This means that the European Economic Area will enter into force on 1 January 1994.The European Economic Area agreement extends most of the EC's single market to five states of the European Free Trade Association: Austria, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden; Liechtenstein may join later. The United Kingdom ratified the EEA on 15 November 1993.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what proposals he has for a legal national regime in which remote sensing can be accommodated; and what plans he has to develop an international regime in which the interests of have-not technology states can be accommodated.

[holding answer 15 December 1993]: I have no plans to add to the provisions of existing legislation including those of the Outer Space Act 1986. United Nations resolution 41/65 of 3 December 1986 creates an international framework within which the International Committee on Earth Observation Satellites, of which the British National Space Centre is a member, is at present exploring mechanisms for the closer involvement of developing countries.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress he has made in preparing for the Government's review of the future prospects for nuclear power in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

In their White Paper "The Prospects for Coal", CM 2235, the Government undertook to bring forward work on their review of the future prospects for nuclear power and to make a further announcement later this year.The Government have received a considerable number of representations about the review from hon. Members, members of the public, the nuclear industry and other interested parties, both on the areas which the review should cover and on the way in which the review should be conducted. In addition, the Trade and Industry Select Committee made recommendations in its report "British Energy Policy and the Market for Coal"—HC 237—earlier this year.The Government are carefully considering these representations as part of their preparatory work on the review. Some of the issues identified in the context of this work are the extent to which nuclear power is now competitive; the present economics of nuclear power generation; nuclear power's contribution to diversity and security of supply; and environmental aspects of nuclear power.We will announce the precise terms of reference for the review, and how it will be conducted, as soon as possible.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he intends to bring forward legislation to put into effect the reports announced on 31 March to implement most of the Law Commissioner's recommendations for reforming the law on commercial property leases.

Legislation to give effect to the Government's decision to implement the recommendations in the Law Commission's report, "Landlord and Tenant Law: Privity of Contract and Estate"—Law Corn. No. 174—for all future leases including commercial leases but not for existing leases, will be introduced as soon as there is a suitable opportunity.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will introduce requirements for all judges to undergo comprehensive medical and psychological examinations prior to appointment and thereupon annually.

High Court judges, circuit judges and district judges are required to undergo a medical examination as a condition of their appointment. In addition, medical examinations of serving judges are undertaken when appropriate. The Lord Chancellor has no plans to revise the current requirements.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor' s Department (1) what arrangements are made to ensure that special advisers to Ministers in his Department do not have access to the kind of information, and are not involved in the type of business, that would be likely to create suspicion of impropriety in relation to subsequent employment;(2) if he will list the names and job descriptions of each special ministerial adviser employed in his Department showing any particular outputs for which each adviser is responsible.

There are no special advisers to Ministers in the Lord Chancellor's Department.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list, by location the annual fuel heating bills for each of his Department's offices for the last four years, and for this year to date.

The Department's courts and offices are organised administratively into six circuits, the Supreme Court group and headquarters. The total expenditure for the last two financial years and year to date are as follows:

Location	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94
	£	£	£
Circuits
Midland and Oxford	1,047,150	991,539	456,937
North Eastern	596,478	692,134	230,214
Northern	640,705	714,775	409,274
South Eastern	2,514,268	2,338,134	668,232
Wales and Chester	315,991	300,854	206,347
Western	332,923	455,838	192,910
Supreme Court	643,157	640,979	237,755
Headquarters	421,374	399,934	218,899
TOTAL	6,512,046	6,534,187	2,620,568

Details of expenditure incurred prior to 1991–92 are not held centrally. A detailed list of expenditure in each individual court and office has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many clean-break settlements have been agreed in divorce cases since the inception of the Child Support Agency.

i. Live TV Link Applications (s.32 Criminal Justice Act 1988).Implementation 5 January 1989.
	Age Unknown1	Under 14	Under 17	Mixed age range	Total number of cases
1992
1 January-30 September 1992
Granted	229				229
Refused	9				9
1992
1 October-31 December 1992
Granted (or case disposed of prior to trial)		60	12	7	79
Refused		0	0	0	0
1993
1 January-to date
Granted (or case disposed of prior to trial)	270	120	57	447
Refused		8	4	2	14
1 Prior to the implementation of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 the age of the child was not recorded. The 'Mixed age range' column includes those cases where the child witnesses spanned both age ranges.

ii. Pre-Recorded Video Interview Application (s.32A Criminal Justice Act 1988, as inserted by s.54 Criminal Justice Act 1991). Implementation 1 October 1992.
	Under 14	Under 17	Mixed age range	Total number of cases
1992
1 October-31 December 1992
Granted (or case disposed of prior to trial)	4	2	1	7
Refused	0	0	0	0
1993
1 January-to date
Granted (or case disposed of prior to trial)	122	42	32	196
Refused	4	0	1	5

This information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many court cases there have been in each of the last two years involving children (a) under 17 years and (b) under 14 years; how many of these children requested the use of (i) video link, (ii) video recording and (iii) the use of screens in court; and how many requests were granted.

The information sought by the hon. Member on the total number of criminal cases involving children in the last two years has not been collated, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The tables give the information sought with regard to the usage of live television link equipment, pre-recorded video evidence and screens in criminal cases in the Crown court. In non-criminal cases, existing legislation does not allow for either television links or pre-recorded video evidence to be used, and the information sought with regard to the use of screens is not collated.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the number of High Court judges who are (a) Asian and (b) black, on 1 December.

As at 1 December 1993, there were 94 High Court judges. The ethnic origin of those appointed as High Court judges has not been recorded formally in the past, but it is known that none is black or Asian.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many press releases his Department has issued in each year since 1979.

The Lord Chancellor's Department issued 170 press releases in 1986; 147 in 1987; 182 in 1988; 175 in 1989; 206 in 1990; 245 in 1991; and 333 in 1992. A total of 297 have been issued to 14 December in 1993. There are no records of press releases before 1986.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many adjudicators there are (a) at first instance and (b) on appeal dealing with immigration cases; how many are (i) full-time and (ii) part-time, and how many are (1) black, (2) Asian and (3) female.

There are dealing with immigration cases (a) 116 immigration adjudicators at first instance and (b) 12 legal members and 27 lay members on appeal.Of the immigration adjudicators at first instance, 16 are full time and 100 are part time; three are black, four are Asian and 23 are female.Of the members of the Immigration Appeal Tribunal, three are full time and 36 are part time; four are black, six are Asian and 14 are female.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the total expenditure by his Department on administration in 1992–93; what is the estimated outturn for expenditure by his Department on administration for 1993–94 in (i) cash terms and (ii) real terms in, 1992–93 prices; and what is his estimate for expenditure on administration by his Department for 1994–95 in (a) cash terms and (b) 1992–93 prices.

The total expenditure by the Lord Chancellor's Department on running costs for 1992–93,

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what will be the terms of reference of the Lord Chancellor's Department proposed fundamental review of expenditure by his Department.

The Government announced in February 1993 that they would conduct in-depth reviews of all public spending by every department of state. The work will examine long-term trends in spending on individual programmes to assess whether they are sustainable, and seek out areas from which the state might withdraw altogether or where better targeting is now appropriate. The "Financial Statement and Budget Report" laid before the House of Commons on 30 November 1993 mentioned that the next batch of reviews would cover, among others, the legal departments.The terms of reference of the review will be to:

To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission, what plans exist to modernise audit and accountability arrangements for Government and quangos.

The Comptroller and Auditor General is the statutory auditor of all Government Departments, executive agencies, and of a wide range of other public sector bodies. In addition, he audits the accounts of some other public sector organisations by agreement. For all these bodies, the Comptroller and Auditor General reports to Parliament.The Comptroller and Auditor General is also the auditor of some 50 per cent. of executive non-departmental public bodies. For other non-departmental public bodies the auditor, normally from the private sector, is appointed by the responsible Secretary of state. The accounts of these bodies are laid before parliament.Recent reviews of the financial audit methods of the National Audit Office suggest that they are comparable with best practice in the auditing profession in the United kingdom.

To ask Secretary of State for National Heritage What has been public expenditure on the arts in real terms in each year since 1979.

Government funding for the arts is mainly provided through the Arts Council. Since 1979, its grant in aid in each year has been, in 1979–80 prices

	£000s
1979–80	63,125
1980–81	59,980
1981–82	61,995
1982–83	65,678
1983–84	66,053
1984–85	66,703
1988–86	65,771
1966–87	81,706
1987–88	79,689
1988–89	81,704
1989–90	77,940
1990–91	81,537
1991–92	84,711
1992–93	92,922
1993–94	91,799

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many meetings he has held with the Secretary of State for the Environment to discuss local authority funding of the arts; and when the meetings took place.

I have had no bilateral meetings with the Secratary of State for the Environment specifically to discuss local authority funding for the arts, but my officials remain in contact with their colleagues in the Department of the Environment on this and other issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list by location the annual fuel heating bills for each of his Department's offices for the last four years, and for this year to date.

My Department was established in April 1992. In the year 1992–93, the Department and its agencies spent £225,367 on identifiable heating costs. In the current year, we have spent £161,064 on identifiable costs. Costs are estimated in some cases where the new Department was a part-occupier of other Department's premises, or where energy costs refer also to other uses.The breakdown of costs is as follows:

	£
1992–93
Horseguards road	2,441
Grove house	1,210
Historic Royal Palaces Agency:
Hampton court	61,500
Kensington Palace	15,854
Tower of London	141,416
Banquetting house	2,946
1993–94 to date
Horseguards road	274
Grove house	1,746
Historic Royal Palances Agency:
Hampton court	53,700
Kensington Palace	8,175
Tower of London	97,169

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what representations his Department has received on the subject of Britain's time zone.

My Department has received representations on a move to central European time from its sponsor bodies and various trade organisations. All have been in favour of such a change.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what studies his Department has commissioned on the effects of an extra hour of evening daylight on rates of participation in outdoor sports activities; and if he will make a statement.

There has been no direct assessment of this kind. However the Sports Council, which is my Department's adviser on matters relating to sport and active recreation, takes the view that an additional hour of evening daylight would help to increase the opportunities for participation.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what estimate his Department has made of the likely effect on the British tourist industry of an extra hour of evening daylight all through the year; and if he will make a statement.

There has been no direct assessment of this kind. However, the English tourist board, which is my Department's adviser on domestic tourism matters, takes the view that an additional hour of evening daylight would help to extend the tourist season by enabling many outdoor attractions to open to a later hour. Such a move would also promote greater employment opportunities.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what mechanism there is for taking into account when determining his policies towards the awarding of commercial television franchises and towards possible mergers and takeovers in commercial television the level of violence depicted on television.

The licensing and regulation of commercial television are matters for the Independent Television Commission, which carries out the responsibilities laid on it by the Broadcasting Act 1990. All licensees, regardless of ownership, have to comply with the ITC programme code, which includes guidance on the portrayal of violence in programmes.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many press releases his Department has issued in 1992 and 1993.

The Department of National Heritage was established in April 1992. Between April and December 1992, the Department issued 129 press notices. In 1993, to date, the Department has issued 177 press notices.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will list the name and job description of each special ministerial adviser employed in his Department, showing any particular outputs for which each adviser is responsible.

There are no special ministerial advisers employed in my Department.

To ask the Attorney-General what arrangements are made to ensure that special advisers to Ministers in his Department do not have access to the kind of information, and are not involved in the type of business, that would be likely to create suspicion of impropriety in relation to subsequent employment.

There are no special advisers to Ministers in my Department.

To ask the Attorney-General if the Crown Prosecution Service has yet reached a decision in respect of prosecution over the alleged fraud within the social services department of the London borough of Bromley; and if he will make a statement.

No. The Metropolitan police have been asked to make further inquiries. When the result of those inquiries is known, the decision will be taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations have been made to the Government of Sudan on the subject of human rights and the rights to freedom of religious worship; and if he will make a statement.

Her Majesty's ambassador in Khartoum takes every suitable opportunity, both bilaterally and in concert with other European Union heads of mission, to express our concern to the Sudanese authorities at reported abuses of human rights and fundamental freedoms, freedom of religion among them. We were active earlier this year in securing the appointment of a special rapporteur to investigate the human rights situation in Sudan. At the United Nations General Assembly, we co-sponsored a hard-hitting resolution in the third committee, commending the work of the special rapporteur, which was passed on 6 December by 102 votes to 11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's policy is regarding the use of executive search consultants in making appointments to public bodies; and if he will (a) list the appointments where such consultants have been used and (b) list the cost in each case since April 1992.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office practice is not to make use of executive search consultants in making appointments to public bodies.

(a) Since April 1992 executive search consultants have not been used in making appointments to public bodies.

(b) None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which of the appointments made to public bodies by him since April 1992 have been advertised.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many press releases his Department has issued in each year since 1979.

The number of press releases issued per year by the FCO and ODA press offices is as follows:

	FCO	ODA
1979	176	160
1980	168	155
1981	221	125
1982	169	129
1983	138	149
1984	120	148
1985	142	186
1986	163	178
1987	168	148
1988	120	127
1989	177	135
1990	263	114
1991	221	102
1992	182	111
1993	189	191
1At 13 December 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the total expenditure by his Department on administration in 1992–93; what is the estimated outturn for expenditure by his Department on administration for 1993–94 in (i) cash terms and (ii) real terms, in 1992–93 prices; and what is his estimate for expenditure on administration by his Department for 1994–95 in (a) cash terms and (b) 1992–93 prices.

The final outturn for the recurrent costs of running the Department in 1992–93 is:

	£ million
FCO Diplomatic Wing	520.976
Overseas Development Administration	45.650
Total	566.626

The total running cost limit for 1993–94 in cash terms is:

	£million
FCO Diplomatic Wing	579.877
Overseas Development Administration	51.771
Total	631.648

An estimated outturn will be published in the spring in the 1994 departmental report and the unified Budget supplement.Estimates of expenditure will be published in the spring in the 1994 departmental report and in the 1994–95 supply estimates.The GDP deflators required to calculate real terms figures are shown on page 121 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1994–95", HC 31, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 10 December, Official Report, column 407, if there has yet been any response from the Turkish Government to the representations made by the British ambassador in Ankara in regard to the treatment of Manchester United supporters by the Turkish authorities; and if he will make a statement.

The Turkish authorities have told the British ambassador in Ankara that a formal response to his representations would be available soon. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has also received a letter from the Turkish ambassador confirming this stressing that the Turkish authorities are taking the allegations very seriously.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 10 December, Official Report, column 407, if he has (a) met or (b) plans to meet the Turkish ambassador to discuss the allegations of mistreatment of Manchester United supporters by the Turkish authorities.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has not met the Turkish ambassador to discuss these allegations. However, I met him on 8 November. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs wrote to the Turkish ambassador on 2 December with a list of the main allegations. We are currently awaiting his detailed response. When we have this we shall decide what further action should be taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 10 December, Official Report, column 407, what further action he now proposes to take in regard to the treatment of Manchester United supporters by the Turkish authorities.

We have pressed for a report from the Turkish authorities. Further action will be considered in the light of that report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many educational institutions the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Further and Higher Education has visited during his first 12 months in office.

I have visited a total of 67 educational institutions during my first 12 months in office, as follows:

Date	Institutions visited
Tuesday,15 December	Royal Holloway and Bedford New College
Monday,1 February	Brooklands College
Friday,12 February	Beanfield Infant School, Corby;
	Beanfield Junior School, Corby;
	Brooke CTC, Corby
Monday,15 February	Exeter University
Friday, 19 February	Open University, Milton Keynes
Friday, 26 February	New College, Oxford
Monday, 8 March	Coventry University
Tuesday,16 March	University of West of England
Friday, 19 March	Kirby College; University of Teeside
Monday, 22 March	Edge Hill College
Friday, 26 March	Daventry William Parker School
Wednesday, 31 March	Hackney College
Wednesday, 21 April	Central St. Martins School of Art
Friday, 23 April	Blackburn College;
	William Temple High School, Preston;
	North Cheshire College, Warrington
Wednesday, 28 April	University of Westminister
Friday, 30 April	Tresham College, Kettering
Friday, 14 May	Northampton School for Boys;
	Daventry Tertiary College
Tuesday, 20 May	London Institute of Education
Friday, 21 May	St. Crispin's School;
	Reading University
Saturday, 12 June	Nuffield College, Oxford
Friday, 28 May	Campion School, Northants
Friday, 4 June	Manchester College, Oxford
Wednesday, 16 June	St. Vincent College, Gosport
Friday,18 June	Beachborough School
Monday, 21 June	ADT College, Wandsworth
Friday, 25 June	Churchill College, Cambridge;
	Malvern Girls' College
Wednesday, 30 June	Berkshire College of Agriculture
Friday, 2 July	Magdalen College School, Brackley;
	Spoone School, Towester
Tuesday, 8 July	St. Antony's College, Oxford
Tuesday, 20 July	South Bank University
Wednesday, 21 July	Keele University
Tuesday, 17 August	Europe Kolleg, Kassel, Germany
Tuesday, 30 September	North Oxfordshire College, Banbury
Friday, 1 October	Nene College, Northampton (and also Friday, 5 November)
Wednesday, 6 October	Blackpool and Fylde College
Tuesday, 7 October	Blackpool Sixth Form College
Tuesday, 12 October	Martin-Luther-University, Halle, Germany;
	Leipzig University
Wednesday, 13 October	Technical College, Dresden;
	Teachers' Academy, Dresden
Friday, 22 October	Sparsholt College, Hampshire
Wednesday, 27 October	Leeds Metropolitan University;
	University Of Leeds (Main Campus);
	University of Leeds, Bretton Hall;
	Birkbeck College

Date	Institution Visited
Sunday, 31 October	Worcester College, Oxford
Monday, 1 November	East Birmingham College;
	Bournville College
Thursday, 11 November	Farnborough 6th Form College
Monday, 15 November	Wootton Bassett School, Wiltshire
Wednesday, 17	St. Martins' College, Lancaster;
November	Lancaster University
Sunday, 21 November	Oriel College, Oxford
Friday, 19 November	Guilsborough School, Northants
Thursday, 25 November	Cambridge Regional College
Friday, 26 November	University of Luton
Wednesday, 1 December	Bonn University, Germany
Thursday, 2 December	European University Institute, Florence

To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what reasons, at what legislative stage and by which procedure, the provisions contained in section 8(2)(b) of the Education Act 1944, concerning nursery education, were removed from the statute book.

Section 8(2)(b) of the Education Act 1944 was repealed by section 38(6) and schedule 7 of the Education Act 1980, and provision was substituted by section 24 of that Act. This was designed to clarify the imprecise wording of the 1944 Act as regards the nature of any duty to provide nursery education. The 1980 Act established that, as indeed had generally been assumed to be the position, there was a discretionary power, but no duty, on local education authorities to provide either nursery schools or education in nursery classes for children under five.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what evidence he has of any correlation between a school's examination performance and the number of taught hours.

Initial work carried out in the Department indicates on average a small but statistically significant positive correlation between the length of the taught week and educational performance as measured by public examinations and national tests. My right hon. Friend wrote to Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools in England on 9 December taking up his offer of help with a review of the length of the taught week and in particular asking for his advice on the relationship between the amount of taught time and the quality and standards of pupils' work; a copy of the letter, attached to DFE press notice 420/93, is in the Library. The chief inspector will be submitting an initial report by the end of January 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what changes he plans in the balance of numbers of masters level and doctoral level degrees in the arts and humanities in line with the changes for science and technology courses announced in the White Paper "Realising our Potential"; if he will discuss this issue with the British Academy; and if he will make a statement.

The British Academy implemented a revised structure for its awards for postgraduate research in the humanities at the start of the current academic year. This new structure is similar to that proposed in the White Paper "Realising our Potential" for courses in science and technology. For the 1993–94 academic year, the academy has made 529 new awards for study at masters level and 519 for doctoral study. It is for the academy to determine this balance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the local education authorities that currently employ environmental education advisers and the ones that have ceased to do so over the last five years.

The information requested is not centrally available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if he will make it his policy to ensure that all schools, in stating their moral values and outlining their general ethos, refer to the importance of their responsibility for the environment and the development of such awareness among their pupils;(2) how he intends to meet the requirements of "Agenda 21", objectives 36.5D, incentive training, E, local environmental studies and F promoting proven education methods with respect to estuaries;(3) if he will help to increase schools' awareness of estuarine sites of importance to wildlife by providing educational resources and training for the interpretation of estuaries;(4) what plans he has to set up pre-service and in-service training programmes for all teachers and educational planners to ensure delivery of environmental education as recommended at the Rio summit.

Environmental education is addressed through the statutory subjects of the national curriculum: schools themselves are responsible for how environmental education is delivered. National curriculum geography includes study of rivers, river basins and seas; and requires that pupils are taught about the quality and vulnerability of different environments and the possibilities for protecting and managing them.Schools are free to include reference to the importance of their responsibilities for the environment and the development of such awareness among their pupils in the statement of the school's ethos and values included in their prospectuses, if they so wish.The Government provide specific grant to support expenditure on the national curriculum which is devolved mainly to schools to spend on books and equipment or training. It is for schools and LEAs to decide what priority to give to particular subject areas and to make detailed plans in the light of their own staff development needs.My right hon. Friend seeks to ensure, through his criteria for the approval of initial teacher training—ITT —that courses give a thorough preparation for teaching the national curriculum. The detailed content of courses is a matter for ITT providers and not the Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance he has issued to local education authorities, schools and institutions of further and higher education on those aspects of Agenda 21 dealing with education for sustainable development and the environment.

None. A general Government strategy document on sustainable development is in preparation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress has been made in the implementation of the recommendation of the Toyne report: "Environmental Responsibility: An Agenda for Further and Higher Education".

When the report was published in February 1993, I welcomed it as a valuable contribution to debate in an area which involved complex issues. The report's recommendations were addressed to the whole higher and further education sector, but particularly the institutions themselves and the funding councils. We therefore distributed the report to vice-chancellors of universities, principals of colleges and the chairmen of the funding councils, drawing the recipients' attention to the recommendations addressed to their institutions. Implementation of these is a matter for them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make it his policy to ensure that Office for Standards in Education inspectors comment on the quality of environmental education when compiling reports following a school inspection.

Under the Education (Schools) Act 1992, registered inspectors conducting inspections of schools must report on the quality of education and standards achieved in accordance with Ofsted's published framework for inspection.I have asked Professor Sutherland to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his Department's policy is regarding the use of executive search consultants in making appointments to public bodies; and if he will (a) list the appointments where such consultants have been used and (b) list the cost in each case since April 1992.

The Department occasionally uses the services of executive search consultants as one of the options available to ensure a sufficiently wide field of suitable candidates for appointment to our public bodies. Since April 1992, we have used these services once. On 4 December 1992, we announced that the Department had paid £27,000 to employ Saxton Bampfylde International plc to assist us in searching for candidates suitable for consideration for the chairmanship of the Schools Curriculum and Asessment Authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what criteria are used in the selection of the chair and the executive members of (a) the Further Education Funding Council, (b) the regional committees of the Further Education Funding Council, (c) the Higher Education Funding Council and (d) the Funding Agency for Schools, in respect of relevant experience and qualifications; and if he will make a statement.

The criteria governing appointments to the Further Education Funding Council are set out in section 1(4) of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. There are no statutory requirements governing appointments to the regional committees of the Further Education Funding Council. However, the White Paper "Education and Training for the 21st Century", Cm 1536, made it clear that the composition of the regional committees would be similar to that of the council. The criteria governing appointments to the Higher Education Funding Council for England are set out in section 62(4) of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. The criteria governing appointments to the Funding Agency for Schools are set out in section 3(3) of the Education Act 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what are the minimum and maximum numbers of possible board members of (a) higher education corporations, (b) further education corporations, (c) grant-maintained schools and (d) city technology colleges; what guidelines he has issued concerning the composition of these boards; and what specific guidance has been given on how many board members should be (i) from ethnic minorities, (ii) women, (iii) from the local business sector, (iv) from local authorities and (v) from trade unions.

(a) The board of governors of higher education corporations must consist of not fewer than 12 and not more than 24 members, plus the principal unless the principal chooses not to be a member. The composition of the board is governed by the provisions of schedule 7A to the Education Reform Act 1988. This requires that up to 13 members shall be independent members appearing to have experience in industrial, commercial or employment matters or the practice of any profession. No specific guidance has been given on particular areas from which membership should be drawn.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what are the minimum and maximum numbers of possible board members of the (a) Further Education Funding Council, (b) regional committees of the Further Education Funding Council, regional committees of the Further Education Funding Council; (c) action trusts and (d) Funding Agency for Schools; what guidelines he has issued concerning the composition of these boards; and what specific guidance has been given on how many board members should be (i) from ethnic minorities, (ii) women, (iii) from the local business sector, (iv) from local authorities and (v) from trade unions.

Information relating to the first part of this question is as follows: Following my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's initiative, goals were set for increasing the representation of ethnic minority groups and women on our public bodies and the Department has made steady progress in this direction. Guidance is available on how these goals may be achieved. Notwithstanding this consideration, appointments to all our public bodies are made solely on the basis of the aptitude, merit and suitability of candidates to undertake the varying requirements associated with individual bodies.

	Maximum number of board members	Minimum number of board members
Further Education Funding Council	15	12
Regional Committees of the Further	approximately 12
Education Funding Council	members
Education Associations	not less than 5 members
Funding Agency for Schools	15	10

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what are the total numbers of (a) chairpersons and non-executive board members of city technology colleges, (b) chairpersons and members of the governing bodies of grant-maintained schools and (c) chairpersons and members of the governing bodies of further education and sixth form colleges.

(a) There are currently 14 chairmen of the city technology college governing bodies. Information is not held centrally on the total number of members of governing bodies but each governing body has at least nine members.(b) There are 697 chairmen of operating self governing —grant-maintained—schools' governing bodies. There are a further 108 chairmen designate for schools which are shortly to become self governing. Information is not held centrally of the total number of members of governing bodies but each governing body has at least 15 members.(c) The governing bodies of the 464 further education and sixth form colleges normally have between 10 and 20 members, including a chairman.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much was spent on the assisted places scheme in Devon in each financial year since 1990.

The information requested is given in the table:

Financial Year	DFE expenditure £000s
1990–91	1,903
1991–92	2,259
1992–93	2,573

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the cost of advertising by his Department has been for each year since 1979 and for each of the last 12 months.

The expenditure figures for advertising, including press, television and radio, by the Department for the financial years since 1979 are in the table.

Year	Advertising £k
1979–80	91.6
1980–81	8.9
1981–82	86.9
1982–83	6.0
1983–84	9.6
1984–85	18.5
1985–86	14.8
1986–87	532.0
1987–88	280.0
1988–89	515.0
1989–90	249.8
1990–91	2,604.0
1991–92	3,037.9
1992–93	1,086.4

It would involve disproportionate costs to break down into individual months the advertising campaigns run by the Department from January to December 1993. Advertising costs are not billed when the adverts actually appear. Details of the campaigns run in the calendar year 1993 are as follows:

Campaign	Date	Costs £k
GM schools	February to March	200.0
Testing in schools	April to May	449.0
Further and high education charters	September to October	486.0
	Total	1,135.0

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many press releases his Department has issued in each year since 1979.

The number of press notices issued by the Department in each year since 1979 are as follows:

	Number
1979	124
1980	209
1981	201
1982	311

	Number
1983	434
1984	218
1985	333
1986	348
1987	392
1988	418
1989	408
1990	406
1991	444
1992	425
1993	1423
1 To 14 December.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many Henry VIII clauses have been contained in legislation from the Department of Education since 1979; and if he will list the relevant clause and Act in each case.

The following provisions in Education Acts enacted since 1979 empower the Secretary of State to amend the Act in which they are contained:

	Section
Education (No. 2) Act 1986:	Section 30(5) and paragraph 5 of Schedule 3;
Education Reform Act 1988:	sections 3(4)(a), 41, 43(2)(a), 52(7)(a), 76(14) and 146(1) and paragraph 4 of Schedule 9; and
Education Act 1993:	section 41(10) and para-graph 1(4) of Schedule 3.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the total expenditure by his Department on administration in 1992–93; what is the estimated outturn for expenditure by his Department on administration for 1993–94 in (i) cash terms and (ii) real terms in, 1992–93 prices; and what is his estimate for expenditure on administration by his Department for 1994–95 in (a) cash terms and (b) 1992–93 prices.

The information requested is as follows:

i. The final outturn for the net recurrent costs of running the department in 1992–93 is £103.275 million.

ii. The estimated outturn for 1993–94 is £89.575 million.

iii. The Department's planned running costs expenditure for 1994–95 is £89 million.

The GDP deflators required to calculate real terms figures are shown on page 121 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1994–95", HC 31, copies of which are available in the Library.It should be noted that the 1992–93 figures includes recurrent expenditure of £15.347 million by the office of Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many powers were conferred upon the holder of his post by (a) the Education Reform Act 1988, (b) the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 and (c) the Education Act 1993; and if he will make a statement.

These Acts confer on the Secretary of State a number of powers. Examples are powers to give directions—for example, the power under section 34(1) of the 1988 Act by order to direct the date by which a scheme of local management is to be submitted—and powers of approval—for example, of proposal for the establishment of a new grant-maintained school under section 51 of the 1993 Act. The legislation also contains many examples of powers to prescribe forms or information to be contained in notices, or periods in which duties are to be performed. To identify all the powers in the legislation referred to in the question could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education when the results of the recent survey of student income and expenditure conducted by Research Services Ltd. will be published; and if he will make a statement.

Research Services Ltd. will be publishing the survey report today. I am placing copies in the Library.The survey is an important contribution to the information available about students' financial circumstances since the introduction of student loans. Other recent surveys in this area have been based on small, unrepresentative samples and often less than rigorous questionnaires. The survey reported on today is the most extensive of its sort since the last one in the series in academic year 1988–89.It confirms, as expected, that public support for students under 26 who have taken out Government-subsidised loans has increased since the last survey was conducted in 1988–89. Their income from grant, loan, access funds and benefits rose by about a third in real terms as compared with grant and benefits in 1988–89.At the same time, the report records the reduced financial burden on parents, whose contribution to younger students' income has on average fallen by about a fifth in real terms since 1988–89. On average, parents have continued to pay in full the contribution expected of them, with most paying more and only about a third paying less.The Government particularly welcome the survey's finding that a higher proportion of students from lower social groups are entering higher education. The fears of those who said that the introduction of loans would deter these groups have not been realised.A system of loans for maintenance rates is based on the recognition that everyone's spending needs are different. The accelerated switch from grant to loan which my right hon. Friend announced on 30 November will enhance still further the flexibility of our system of student support.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he proposes to make compulsory the fitting of safety belts to all seated positions in minibuses owned or used by schools.

I have been asked to reply.We are currently carrying out a review of the full technical and cost implications of seat belts in these vehicles.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the resources available to the police forces in Wales to enable them to maintain an appropriate level of policing over the Christmas period.

It is for the chief officer of each force to assess his operational requirements at any time, and to provide the appropriate level of policing.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received regarding the possibility of potential inadequacy of police resources in Wales over the Christmas period.

We have received one representation. This relates to police staffing levels in the south Wales police area over the Christmas bank holiday period.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to annnounce which local authorities will receive resources under the safer cities initiative; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend expects to make an announcement shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list the specific actions his Department has taken to combat racism in (a) Tower Hamlets and (b) the United Kingdom;(2) what action his Department has taken to encourage a positive public perception of immigrants.

I will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeals against refusal of entry to visitors were made in the last year in which appeals were accepted; and how many were successful.

The available information on the outcome of appeals against exclusion and against refusal of entry clearance for temporary purposes is given in Table 8.1 of Home Office Command Paper "Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 1992", Cm 2368, a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the three members he has appointed to the new immigration and nationality department complaints audit committee are members of the Conservative party.

The members of the IND complaints audit committee were appointed on the basis of the experience and expertise they would bring to the task. Party political affiliation, or the absence of it, played no part in their selection.As a matter of public record, one of the members is a Conservative member of a borough council. I have no knowledge of the political affiliations, if any, of the other two members.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in bringing forward proposals to ensure that the action to prevent drug misuse is co-ordinated effectively; and if he will make a statement.

The fight against drugs is one of the Government's priorities. We remain committed to tackling every aspect of the drugs problem and are actively addressing issues across a range of policy areas which are the responsibility of a number of Government Departments. We need, however, to review our strategy to ensure that the policies we are pursuing are correctly identified and are co-ordinated effectively.The Secretary of State for Health and I have therefore decided—with the support of our colleagues—to set up a new central drugs co-ordination unit. The unit will have two major tasks. First, it will ensure that departmental policies are planned, developed and implemented in England within a clear strategic framework. Second, the unit will take the lead in devising an effective basis for local co-ordination of action to tackle the drugs problem, which will add significantly to the value of much excellent work already being carried out locally in the public, private and voluntary sectors. The unit's immediate task is to review the strategy on drugs published in 1989 and make recommendations for its improvement.The unit will be attached to the Privy Council Office, reporting to the Lord President of the Council, who chairs the Cabinet committee on drugs issues. Individual Government Departments will remain responsible for their policies which impact on the drugs problem and will work closely with the unit.In Scotland, the arrangements for co-ordination are among the issues being addressed by the drugs task force led by my noble and learned Friend the Minister of State, Scottish Office. The Secretary of State for Wales will shortly announce the arrangements which will apply in Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider introducing further restrictions on the depiction of violence in films and videos.

We already have a well-established and rigorous system of video classification exercised by the British Board of Film Classification under the Video Recordings Act 1984 and 1993. In practice the BBFC exercises a similar role in relation to cinema films, although the legal responsibility under the Cinemas Act 1985 lies with local authorities.The BBFC's approach to the classification of films and videos is discussed in its annual report for 1992, a copy of which is available in the Library. This makes it clear that the BBFC takes its responsibilities very seriously, and that it is particularly concerned about the depiction of violence. The BBFC is required to have special regard to the fact that videos will be viewed in the home; consequently films are more restrictively classified on video than for the cinema, and some cinema films may not be regarded as suitable for release on video in any version. The BBFC, with others, has commissioned research into the viewing habits of young offenders in order to inform its future classification policy, and I understand that the results of this research are expected to be published early next year.The Government are not complacent about this issue, and we keep the present controls under regular review. Nevertheless, as I explained in my reply to the hon. Member on 7 December,

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many charities are currently registered in the united Kingdom; and how many of them hold funds in excess of £5 million.

At the end of November 1993, there were 169,829 charities on the register kept by the Charity Commissioners for England and Wales.No reliable figure exists for the number of charities which hold funds or other assets worth £5 million or more. There are, however, at least 345 registered charities in England and Wales with an annual income of £5 million or more in their last financial year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration he has given to altering the guidelines to ensure that charities dispose of their funds in excess of maintaining reasonable resources.

This is a matter for the Charity Commissioners. I understand that the commissioners are concerned about the high level of accumulations of income of some charities and are currently considering the key policy issues that arise from this. The commissioners will complete their examination of the matter in the new year and are planning to issue formal guidance to charities shortly after that.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list, by location, the annual fuel heating bills for each of his Department's offices for the last four years, and for this year to date.

I will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many man hours have been used in Operation Cheetah at the latest date.

Merseyside police estimate that, since April 1990, approximately 22,000 man days have been devoted to Operation Cheetah.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will consider launching an investigation into the activities of the group Combat 18.

If anyone has information that an individual or group is engaged in any kind of criminal activity he or she should pass it to the police. It is part of the normal responsibility of the police to keep an eye on all organisations that might pose a threat to public order.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many prisoners or ex-prisoners instituted legal action in relation to their imprisonment against the Home Office in 1992; and how many of these cases were settled out of court or were found against the Home Office;(2) on how many occasions prisoners or ex-prisoners were paid compensation or ex-gratia payment for other than losses of personal property in 1992; and what is the total of that compensation.

Responsibility for these matters has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for replies to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what educational facilities are available to prisoners currently housed at Wymott prison;(2) what work facilities are available to prisoners currently housed at Wymott prison;(3) what training facilities are available to prisoners currently housed at Wymott prison;(4) what exercise facilities outside the cell block area are available to prisoners currently housed at Wymott prison;

Responsibility for these matters has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.