To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each departmental policy review presently in progress or scheduled, (a) a description of the purpose of the review and (b) its expected date of completion. [10191]

The information requested for reviews which have already been announced is set out in the table.

Review	(a) Purpose	(b) expected completion date
Immigration detention policy, Official Report, 23 June, column 358.	Internal review of all aspects of immigration detention policy	Autumn 1997
Vulnerable and intimidated witnesses, Official Report, 3 July, column 236.	Interdepartmental review to look at further ways of assisting vulnerable witnesses—such as victims of rape and of domestic violence—and providing witnesses with greater protection from intimidation.	Aims to report to Ministers by end 1997
Prison and Probation Services, Official Report. 16 July, columns 172–73.	To look at ways in which the better integration of the two services could improve their performance and effectiveness. The review will include looking at the structure and organisation of the Probation Service, to complement the review of the Prison Service which is already under way.	Initial report by end 1997

In addition, my Department will be playing a full part in the Government's comprehensive spending review, details of which will be announced shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria the Government use to determine whether constitutional changes should be submitted to a referendum. [10206]

Legislation is currently before Parliament to enable referendums to be held on the Government's proposals for devolution to Scotland and Wales.We have also indicated that referendums will be held on the proposed strategic authority for London, on the voting system for elections to the House of Commons and in the regions on the questions of whether regional government should be established.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedural changes in respect of appeals concerning right of abode he plans following the European Court ruling in the Abbas Radiom case; and if he will make a statement. [10212]

The Special Immigration Appeals Commission Bill, which is currently before Parliament, would give a right of appeal to European Economic Area nationals in the small number of cases where the Secretary of State has decided that their exclusion, removal or departure from the United Kingdom would be conducive to the public good. There is currently no right of appeal in such cases.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 4 June, Official Report, column 175, how many of the project licences issued under the Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to experiment on non-purpose-bred dogs in 1995 covered procedures classified as being of (a) mild, (b) moderate and (c) substantial severity; at what kind of establishments these procedures were carried out; what was the nature of the research; and if these dogs were obtained directly from individual owners who had kept them as pets. [9005]

The 66 non-purpose-bred dogs which were acquired from non-designated sources in the United Kingdom were used under four different project licences; three were of mild severity and one of moderate. In all cases, the work was carried out in veterinary schools.A variety of breeds was used for studies relevant to the specific breed or type of dog involved. Two of the projects involved research into reproductive hormone levels in dogs. The third was a study of inherited diseases in dogs and the last was an animal welfare study to improve post-operative care of dogs undergoing clinical veterinary surgery.The majority of procedures involved taking blood samples for subsequent analysis. The remainder involved administration of analgesia. In all cases, the owner's consent to use the dogs was obtained. The dogs were later certified as fit to be discharged from the controls of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and were returned to their owners.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the main types of offences which fall into the category of violent offences. [9073]

Violent crime comprises the offences groups of violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery. A breakdown of the offence classifications within each offence group is given in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce measures to protect residents in the private housing sector from intimidation, harassment and nuisance from their neighbours. [9172]

We intend to introduce community safety orders in the Crime and Disorder Bill. Under our proposals, courts will be given the power to grant such orders on the application of a local authority or the police. The order will apply to a named individual or individuals and would require that person or persons to desist from specified anti-social behaviour. A breach of the order will be a criminal offence which would carry stiff penalties—including the possibility of imprisonment. An order will be able to protect the residents of private houses from anti-social behaviour by their neighbours in the same way that it will protect other people.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how often since 1992 his Department has been responsible for employment advertisements which contained age restrictions upon those who could apply. [9502]

Recruitment advertisements for assistant immigration officers include a minimum age limit of 18 and advertisements for Prison Officers include minimum and maximum age limits of 20 and 50 respectively. In addition, advertisements for psychological assistants in the Prison Service and for candidates for the prison officer accelerated promotion scheme included age restrictions until 1995.Apart from these exceptions, it is not Home Office policy for employment advertisements to include age restrictions. It is possible that a small number of individual advertisements since 1992 may have contained age restrictions, but this could be checked only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motorists were convicted of offences associated with road rage in the greater London area during the last 12 months. [9294]

The information requested is not available. "Road Rage" is not an offence covered by separate statute and motorists involved in criminal behaviour are likely to be charged with an offence appropriate to the circumstances in each case. None of these can be separately identified, as the statistics do not include details of the circumstances.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times employers have been investigated under section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996; in how many cases employers have been prosecuted under this act; and what level of fines were imposed in these cases. [9490]

The approach of the Immigration Service towards section 8 of the 1996 Asylum and Immigration Act is that if, during the course of normal operational activity, an employer is found to have breached section 8 they will be advised of its provisions and issued with a warning letter. The warning letter informs them that if they continue to offend consideration will be given to prosecution. There is no central record of the number of warning letters issued and there have been no prosecutions under section 8 to date.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his Department's policy in respect of those who entered the United Kingdom under the 1,000 quota rule from the former Yugoslavia; and if he will allow them to regularise their status in the United Kingdom. [9852]

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Brigg and Goole (Mr. Cawsey) on 16 July, Official Report, columns 176–78.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Police Federation about representation of special constables following the disbandment of NASCO. [9869]

I have not yet discussed the special constabulary with the Police Federation. I am aware that the working group on the special constabulary could not find a satisfactory answer to the question of representation and suggested that the Home Office meet the relevant bodies and representatives of the special constabulary to explore whether some form of formal representation for specials would be possible. This will be included in our work following the working group's report. I have an open mind on the issue and will seek the views of the Police Federation and other groups in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the percentage of special constables who have left the force in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [9844]

The in-post and wastage figures for special constables over the past five years are as follows:

Year ending	In-post	Resignations	Percentage
31 December 1992	19,243	3,982	20.7
31 December 1993	20,573	4,224	20.5
31 March 1995	20,026	4,474	22.3
31 March 1996	19,736	4,488	22.7
31 March 19971	19,836	4,169	21.0
1 The figures for 1996–97 are provisional.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will assess the advantages of providing special constables with a retainer as an incentive to remain on the force. [9846]

A pilot scheme, whereby special constables could qualify for a bounty payment of £200 on completion of 125 hours in a six-month period, was conducted in Dorset between 1991 and 1993. The results were inconclusive. While the number of hours performed by the specials increased slightly, the scheme had no effect on recruitment or retention. There is therefore no evidence to confirm that a retainer would have a marked effect on the wastage rate.Nevertheless, we will be considering the question of a bounty payment following the report of the working group on the special constabulary. The working group was against such a payment, but the Audit Commission, in its "Streetwise" report of last year, was in favour of retainers. These views will be taken into account and the police staff and local authority associations consulted before decisions are made.Police forces are tackling the wastage rate in other ways with the support of the working group's recommendations and over £9 million of Government grant has been

Grades	Total number of Staff in Post	(a) Number	(a) Percentage	(b) Number	(b) Percentage
2–5	61	1	Approximately 2	Nil	—
6–12	362	4	1	Less than 1
12 and Below	538	6	1	13	2
Parliamentary Works Directorate Craft Grades	83	2	2	3	4
Refreshment Department Catering Grades	266	10	4	20	8

Grades have been grouped to protect condidentiality.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to update the police national computer directly from courts. [9840]

The technical options by which court results could be entered directly onto the police national computer are being investigated by the committee for the co-ordination of the criminal justice system, under the direction of the cross-departmental trials issues group. It is too early yet to arrive at any conclusions.

To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, how often since 1992 the Commission has been responsible for employment advertisements which contained age restrictions upon those who could apply. [9562]

It is not the policy of the House of Commons to include age restrictions on eligibility in employment advertisements. The Establishments Office of the House, which is responsible for advising Departments on the content of employment advertisements, is not aware of any instance of age restrictions appearing in an advertisement since 1992.

To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many and what percentage of employees in the House of Commons are of (a) Asian origin and (b) Afro-Caribbean origin, broken down by grade. [9561]

The ethnic monitoring of staff employed by the Commission has been in place since 1988. This is on a voluntary basis and not all staff choose to respond to the ethnic monitoring questionnaire. The numbers and approximate percentages, by grade, of employees of (a) Asian origin and (b) Afro-Caribbean origin are:

To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire representing the House of Commons Commission if the Commission will consider introducing an 0345 phone number for the House. [9647]

There are no plans currently to do so, since it would commit the House to bearing a large part of the costs of any call received on such a number.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he is having with London borough councils in respect of new proposals to build houses; and if he will make a statement. [9097]

The Government's capital receipts Initiative will make additional resources available to local authorities to help meet housing need. In some London boroughs this might entail support for the building of new houses in partnership with registered social landlords. The Government are currently consulting on its proposals and we look forward to receiving local authorities comments.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what support his Department has given to the development and commercialisation of the technology described in FP50 over the last 10 years. [8984]

Higher efficiency motors have been available for a number of years and my Department recommended their use. However, sales were very low because they were about 25 per cent. more expensive than an equivalent standard motor.To overcome this cost barrier my Department supported, through the energy efficiency best practice programme, a club research project that lead to the development of a higher efficiency motor that did not carry a premium price. The project, managed by motor manufacturer Brook Hansen, cost £12 million and the Government's contribution was £4 million. More recently, further support has been provided to disseminate the results of the project via a range of publications and promotional events. We are also supporting the European Commission's work to promote the use of higher efficiency motors.The new motors are currently saving industry around £2 million per year in reduced electricity costs. It is estimated that these savings will eventually reach about £120 million per year, when there is a much greater range of models available and other manufacturers catch up. In terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, savings of £120 million wold equate to a reduction of some 3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what are the present air quality standards in the vicinity of Brent Cross shopping centre, with reference to (a) carbon monoxide, (b) nitrogen oxide, (c) nitrogen dioxide and (d) particulate material below 10 microns; what are the pertinent European limits for (a) to (d); and if he will make a statement. [9185]

As part of its national air quality monitoring programme, my Department, in collaboration with local authorities, monitors air pollutants using automatic and non automatic methods across London. The two automatic monitoring stations closest to the Brent Cross shopping centre are (i) an urban background station in the Kingsbury area of the London boroughs of Brent and (ii) a roadside station situated next to the A41 Great North Way at Swiss Cottage, in the London borough of Camden. The results of this monitoring for carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulate material below 10 microns, measured during 1996, are presented in the Table below.

Site	Carbon monoxide—max 8 hour running mean	Nitrogen oxide—98th percentile of hourly means	Nitrogen oxide—98th percentile of hourly means	Particles (PM10) max 24 hour average
Brent	8.00 ppm	191 ppb	55 ppb	61 ug/m3
Camden	Not measured	397 ppb	57 ppb	77 ug/m3

My Department also monitors nitrogen dioxide using non-automatic methods, in collaboration with local authorities, in its national diffusion tube survey. The results from the sites nearest to the shopping centre, for 1995, are given in the table.

London Borough	Location	Site type	Annual mean(ppb)
Barnet	158 Burnet Oak Broadway, Edgware	Kerbside	21
Barnet	32 Sanders Lane, Mill Hill	Background	18
Barnet	158 Burnt Oak Broadway, Edgware	Intermediate	17
Barnet	42 Lylton Road, New Barnet	Background	17
Brent	Abbydale Road, Alperton, Wembley	Kerbside	29
Brent	Stanley Avenue, Wembley	Background	20
Brent	66 Lodore Gardens, Kingsbury	Background	20
Brent	349–357 High Road, Wembley	Intermediate	21
Camden	Camden Town Hall, Judd Street	Kerbside	33
Camden	Church Hall, Wakefield Street	Background	19
Camden	St. Andrew's United Reform Church, Finchley Road	Intermediate	23
Camden	9–11 Froghal Way	Background	18

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions (a) have taken place and (b) are planned between his Department and the Health and Safety Executive on the use and development of safe alternatives to asbestos. [9190]

As my hon. Friend is aware from the Adjournment debate on 18 June, I have asked the Health and Safety Commission to advise me urgently on a mechanism for introducing a domestic ban on the import, supply and use of asbestos. Safe and effective alternative non-asbestos products are available for some, but possibly not all, uses. The Health and Safety Executive is currently researching the situation with other Government Departments and industry. The commission is consulting widely before giving its formal advice.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the green Ministers appointed to date in other Government Departments; when he intends green Ministers to have been appointed in all departments; and if he will make a statement. [9494]

The committee of green Ministers is chaired by his right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment. Other members of the committee have been appointed as follows:

Department	Minister
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food	Jeff Rooker MP
Chancellor's Departments	Dawn Primarolo MP
Culture, Media and Sport	Mark Fisher MP
Defence	John Spellar MP
Education and Employment	Dr. Kim Howells MP
Environment, Transport and the Regions	Glenda Jackson MP
Foreign and Commonwealth Office	Derek Fatchett MP
Health	Tessa Jowell MP
Home Office	Mike O'Brien MP
International Development	George Foulkes MP
Law Officers	The Lord Falconer QC
Lord Chancellor's	Geoff Hoon MP
Northern Ireland Office	The Lord Dubs
Public Service and Science	Peter Kilfoyle MP
Scottish Office	The Lord Sewel CBE
Social Security	Keith Bradley MP
Trade and Industry	John Battle MP
Welsh Office	Win Griffiths MP

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many and what percentage of civil servants in each of the grades 1 to 5 in his Department are of (a) Asian origin and (b) Afro-Caribbean origin. [9564]

There are no civil servants employed in my Department in the grades 1 to 5 who are of (a) Asian origin or (b) Afro-Caribbean origin.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make it his policy to encourage local planning authorities to allow the provision of residential wardens' accommodation at mobile home and caravan parks. [9171]

Development proposals for on-site residential accommodation for wardens are considered within the framework of Government policy as set out in planning policy guidance notes. PPG7 on "The Countryside—Environmental Quality and Economic and Social Development" restricts the provision of new dwellings in the open countryside in order to protect rural landscapes and the character of the countryside. There is scope for local planning authorities to grant permission for isolated dwellings in the countryside in exceptional circumstances, for example where these are essential for agricultural or forestry workers. The Government have not been persuaded that exceptions should be made to existing policy other than in certain exceptional cases provided for in existing guidance PPG7.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for each departmental policy review presently in progress or scheduled, (a) a description of the purpose of the review and (b) its expected date of completion. [10195]

The Department is undertaking a fundamental review of transport policy whose purpose is to lead a White Paper on an integrated transport policy. We anticipate the White Paper will be published next spring. A review of compulsory competitive tendering regulations and guidance, which seeks to identify changes which will improve the existing regime pending its replacement by a duty of best value, is due to be completed shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will review his decision in respect of the housing development at Briarfield Nurseries, Blackpool old road, Poulton Le Fylde, Lancashire. [10102]

The Secretary of State has no plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the nature of the proposed directive on the protection of employees from chemical risks; what procedure it will be subject to; and if he will make a statement. [10201]

The proposed directive on chemical agents would establish minimum standards for the control of hazardous chemicals in the workplace. It is based on article 118A and is subject to the co-operation procedure. It will be a directive under the framework directive 89/391/EEC.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what amendments he proposes to make to the guidance on the interpretation of definitive statements in circular 2/93. [10383]

We have revised the guidance in circular 2/93 which deals with the interpretation of information recorded on statements which accompany definitive maps. We have written today to the local government associations and others with an interest to advise them that paragraph 31 of the circular has been replaced with the following.

"Information recorded in the definitive statement about position or width or as limitations or conditions affecting a public right of way is conclusive evidence of position, width, limitations or conditions. Information may be recorded in the definitive statement which, in practice, restricts the use of the way by those whose rights to use it are recorded on the definitive map. Where such information is not about position or width, or is not recorded as a limitation or condition, highway authorities should examine the evidence in each case in order to resolve the inconsistencies."

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what advice he proposes to issue on definitive maps and statements in the light of recent High Court judgments. [10384]

We have been looking at the implications of a recent High Court judgment for the evidence that is required to prove that vehicular rights of way have been established through regular use. We have concluded that vehicular rights cannot be claimed through 20 years' use, under section 31 of the Highways Act 1980, if access to the route in question was prohibited by the Road Traffic Acts during any of those 20 years. The fact that people have driven along a footpath or bridleway does not mean that it has ceased to be a footpath or bridleway. Vehicle users will not be able to claim new rights of way on the basis of past use unless the landowner has dedicated a way for their use.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what assessment he has made of whether the current Civil Aviation Authority minimum seat pitch on aircraft is sufficient to allow for evacuation in an emergency; if he will review the CAA minimum seat pitch; and if he will make a statement;[8229]

The Civil Aviation Authority has set minimum requirements relating to the spacing of passenger seats for aircraft on the UK register as it is one of a number of factors which can have an effect on the evacuation of an aircraft in an emergency. These standards were the results of a thorough assessment by the CAA. In addition to other tests, demonstration evacuations were carried out on two aircraft types before the standard was adopted.Compliance with these standards on individual aircraft is initially checked by the CAA when it approves the aircraft's passenger cabin layout. While the operator of an aircraft is responsible for ensuring that the passenger cabin layout continues to meet the required standards, this will be the subject of checks as part of the CAA's on-going aircraft monitoring process.I have no evidence to suggest that a review of these standards is necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 15 July, Official Report, column 131, (1) whether the results of the development work on refining the shadow toll payment mechanism so that it is less dependent on traffic-related payments will cover those schemes contained in the accelerated review; [9957](2) in what circumstances shadow tolling of roads offers value for money; [9958](3) when he expects to be able to make an announcement on the refinements to shadow toll payment mechanisms to make them less dependent on traffic-related payments. [9959]

A consideration in selecting design, build, finance and operate projects for competition is potential commercial viability. Whether projects offer value for money depends entirely upon the bids submitted for individual projects. The development work on payment mechanisms was begun initially for possible application to the A40 west London approach and A13 Thames gateway DBFO projects. If this refinement of remuneration arrangements is successful it could be applied elsewhere, and we would announce its introduction when we are able to apply it to a particular project.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he will make to other EU countries to legislate to require all coaches carrying children to have seat-belts fitted. [9795]

[holding answer 21 July 1997]: Other EU member states are fully aware of the UK's keenness to have seat belts fitted to all coaches, and its national requirement for seat belts to be fitted in coaches used to carry children, but the decision to introduce a similar national requirement must remain one for the Governments of the individual EU member states. However, we expect that in the future more foreign coaches will have seat belts, especially from 1 October 1999 when any member state can impose a general requirement for all coaches being registered to have seat belts fitted.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will introduce legislation to prevent foreign coach operators carrying children as passengers in the United Kingdom without having seat belts fitted in their coaches. [9792]

[holding answer 21 July 1997]: It is a long standing principle that certain of the UK's national vehicle regulations do not apply to vehicles registered abroad which are temporarily visiting this country. Similar arrangements apply when British vehicles travel to other EU countries. We do not require visiting foreign coaches to comply with our domestic regulations by fitting seat belts for children, and I do not believe it would be realistic to alter this. However, we expect that more foreign coaches will be fitted with seat belts in future as an amended seat belt directive starts to take effect that will allow member states to require the fitting of seat belts to all new coaches.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he will take to prevent children being carried in European Union countries on coaches that do not have seat belts fitted. [9794]

[holding answer 21 July 1997]: When organised trips to European Union countries start in Britain, newer British coaches must have seat belts available for children. This requirement will extend to older coaches in February next year. While such vehicles will often continue to be used for the journey outside Britain, we do not have any jurisdiction over the domestic transport arrangements for children within other countries if they use a local vehicle. However, we would encourage those arranging trips for British children abroad always to use coaches fitted with seat belts.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the proposal for a rail link to Thamesmead. [10103]

The option of constructing a southerly extension to the docklands light railway to Thamesmead from Gallions Reach is being assessed as a potential public transport component of the Thames gateway bridge, one of the potential new river crossings for east London currently being appraised by my Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the marine accident investigation branch expects to submit its report on the incident between the flagged vessel Seahorse and the Irish vessel Exodus in March. [10208]

The marine accident investigation branch has carried out a joint investigation with the Irish Department of the Marine into this tragic accident. As this investigation was not an inspector's inquiry the report will not be published through the Stationery Office, but is expected to be available to the Marine Safety Agency and involved parties by the end of September.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will list the feasibility schemes put up to the Highways Agency by Northumberland county council in respect of the route of the Al in Northumberland; when these schemes were received; and which ones he proposes to implement; [9497](2) if he will list the article 14 highway directives issued in respect of the A1 from the new Tyne crossing to the Gorforth Park iterchange; and if those directions are still in force; [9496](3) for what purpose he has issued article 14 directives in respect of the A1 between the new Tyne crossing and the Gorforth Park interchange. [9515]

I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to my hon. Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will work with the motor industry to develop industry best practice for secondary protection against accidents for older drivers. [9301]

Manufacturers are continuing to improve the overall secondary safety of cars for all occupants. Longer-term departmental research with industry participation includes the possibility of tailoring car secondary safety to the physical characteristics of individual occupants.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will review the sight distance standards for non-signalised junction designs to take account of the perception-reaction characteristics of older drivers. [9295]

I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to my hon. Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of Devon county council's roadfit scheme. [9299]

The Department has not made any formal assessment of the Devon county council's roadfit scheme, but is taking a close interest in this and similar schemes directed at older drivers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what measures his Department takes to make drivers aware of declining sensory and cognitive abilities as they get older. [9300]

The present driver licensing system recognises that aging may affect driving ability, although this varies from person to person. Drivers must renew their licences at 70 years of age, at which point they are required to make a declaration about their health. A licence is then issued for up to three years only, subject to a further health declaration at each renewal.The Department's leaflet, "Advice to Older Drivers", provides advice on driving skills, legal requirements and guidance on when to consider giving up driving. I will arrange for copies to be deposited in the House Libraries.The Department has commissioned research to study the effects of aging on cognitive ability and to develop appropriate measures for elderly drivers in order to help them maintain their mobility safely.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking to work with other European countries towards developing a common approach to helping older drivers. [9302]

There are no current initiatives at European level to develop a common approach towards older drivers.The report on the safety of older car drivers in the European Union recently published by the European Road Safety Federation is a useful contribution to the international understanding of this issue.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will investigate the use of directional arrows at traffic signals with the objective of simplifying decision making for older drivers. [9296]

Work is being done to increase the conspicuity of traffic signals, including those with directional arrows, particularly in adverse viewing conditions. Some trials are under way to assess improvements that can be made to directional arrow signalling at more complicated junctions. Such improvements would help all drivers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what guidelines his Department issues to (a) the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, (b) police authorities, (c) doctors and (d) optometrists in respect of advice to older drivers who are considering giving up driving. [9298]

Guidance on giving advice to older drivers, including advice on preparing to give up driving when this becomes necessary is included within the publication "Medical Aspects of Fitness to Drive", which is published by the medical commission on accident prevention and endorsed by the Secretary of State's honorary medical advisory panels on driving. This publication is distributed widely to medical practitioners, who may also consult doctors at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency by means of a dedicated telephone line.The Department's chief medical adviser regularly meets the Association of Optometrists and issues associated with all aspects of driving are regularly discussed with the police.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what arrangements exist for the cleaning and maintenance of road signs on roads for which the Highways Agency is responsible; and if he will review these arrangements to take account of older road users. [9297]

I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to my hon. Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the progress made by United Kingdom motor manufacturers in the development of clean engine technology. [9317]

Although development of clean engine and after-treatment technologies is undertaken on an increasingly globalised basis, work done in this area in the UK continues to place its manufacturers among world leaders.The speed of development has been largely determined by the increasingly stringent emissions standards which have been set in recent years. Emissions standards recently agreed at the EU Environment Council for passenger cars, for 2000 and 2005, together with proposals in the pipeline for other vehicles, will provide a further stimulus to technological development in this area. Meanwhile, the Government's decision to provide fiscal incentives for heavy vehicles meeting more stringent emissions standards should also stimulate development of new technologies.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many maritime incidents were recorded by the Port of London Authority in each of the last five years. [9807]

The Department does not collect statistics on maritime incidents recorded by individual port authorities. I understand that the Port of London Authority has written to my hon. Friend offering an opportunity to visit it and discuss these matters.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will ensure that gains from property development undertaken by a commercial operator of the Epping to Ongar line are subject to clawback by London Underground Ltd. [9862]

Before making a decision on London Underground's proposed sale of the Epping to Ongar line, the Secretary of State will need to be satisfied that appropriate safeguards are in place concerning the future potential for this land.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions in what form he proposes to receive the dividends for Her Majesty's Government's residual shareholding in Railtrack. [9850]

The Government intend to take cash dividends for their residual shareholding in Railtrack; these will be paid into the Exchequer—consolidated fund extra receipts.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which representative bodies he intends to consult in July in respect of his roads review. [9866]

My noble Friend the Minister for Roads and Road Safety held a series of meetings during July on the arrangements for the forthcoming review with representatives of environmental groups; road user and construction groups; local government; statutory bodies; and industry. The bodies represented at these meetings were as follows:

• Alarm UK
• Automobile Association
• British Road Federation
• Confederation of British Industry
• Council for the Protection of Rural England
• Countryside Commission
• English Heritage
• English Nature
• Freight Transport Association
• Friends of the Earth
• Local Government Association
• Quarry Products Association
• Road Haulage Association
• Royal Automobile Club
• Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
• Transport 2000.

We shall issue a public consultation document shortly.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the total amount of funds which have been recovered by the BCCI liquidators since 1992; and what amount of funds is now held by them. [9998]

This information is contained in the report of the joint liquidators to the Secretary of State made up to 15 January 1997 copies of which have been placed in the Libraries of the House and a copy of which was sent to my hon. Friend on 30 May 1997.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will ask the liquidators to report progress to her Department in respect of their attempts to recover BCCI assets held by the United States Department of Justice; what sums are being claimed; and if she will investigate the delay in recovering those assets. [9999]

The joint liquidators reported on their efforts to recover BCCI assets held in the United States of America in their report to the Secretary of State pursuant to regulation 14 of the Insolvency Regulations 1994 for the period 16 January 1996 to 15 January 1997. Copies of this report have been placed in the Libraries of the House and a copy was sent to my hon. Friend on 30 May 1997.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when she last met the liquidators of BCCI. [10002]

My officials last met the liquidators of BCCI on 2 July 1997.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the worldwide assets of the BCCI companies, excluding those countries which have ring-fenced their assets; what proportion of the assets is available for distribution to creditors; what factors have led to the remaining assets being unavailable for distribution; what is the aggregate amount for which proofs of debt have been received worldwide, excluding duplicate proofs of debt and proof of debts submitted in countries which have ring-fenced; and what proportion of the amount is disputed. [10003]

These are matters for the liquidators. My Department does not hold this information.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the total worldwide liabilities of the BCCI companies, excluding those countries which have ring-fenced their assets. [1005]

My Department does not have this information.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will investigate the factors underlying the non-distribution of assets retained by the BCCI liquidators since 1992. [9997]

No, but if my hon. Friend will indicate the assets to which he is referring I will cause further inquiries to be made.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the current estimates of the percentage amounts of dividend payments for BCCI creditors; what is the current estimate of the aggregate total of dividends to BCCI creditors which will be paid; and by when they are expected to have been paid. [10001]

These are matters for the liquidators, but I understand that they hope to pay a substantial further dividend as soon as possible.

To ask the President of the Board of trade if she will set up an inquiry into the conduct of the liquidation of BCCI and the fees charged by the liquidators prior to the payment of the first dividend. [9996]

No. The conduct of the liquidation of BCCI is a matter for the liquidators, for the liquidation committee and for the court. The remuneration payable to the liquidators is a matter for the liquidation committee, the creditors generally or the court.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will investigate the compliance of demand notices issued to former employees by the English liquidators of BCCI with section 84(1) of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. [9892]

I am advised that section 84(1) of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 is unlikely to apply to the transactions in question, although other provisions of the Act may, if my hon. Friend has any concerns regarding them would he please send details to the Director General of Fair Trading, who enforces the Consumer Credit Act.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the global costs of the BCCI liquidation to date. [10006]

None.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what regulations govern the (a) reporting and (b) publication of liquidators' fees and expenses. [1000]

Regulation 14 of the Insolvency Regulations 1994 provides that liquidators shall send in an account of their receipts and payments if required by the Secretary of State at any time. In the case of BCCI the liquidators have made copies of their report available to all creditors and copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the global costs of Deloitte Touche's fees in respect of the BCCI liquidation to date. [1004]

This information is not held by my Department. Information on the total of realisations, remuneration, costs and other expenses of the UK liquidation is given in the joint liquidators' report to the Secretary of State made up to 15 January 1997, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries of the House and a copy of which was sent to the hon. Member on 30 May 1997.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on the role of social partners in the implementation of European structural funds in the United Kingdom. [10380]

The Government see the advantages of a wider social partnership, bringing employers' and trade union representatives into local European structural funds partnerships. We will expect the social partners to make a real contribution to the programmes, as existing partners do. The precise way in which they participate will be for each monitoring committee to determine locally.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the experience that the members of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission's committee investigating Scottish Residential Estate Agency Services have in respect of (a) Scots law and (b) the Scottish property market. [9953]

The role of the members of an inquiry group investigating a reference made to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission is to bring to that investigation a mixture of expertise in legal, economic, industrial, financial and other relevant disciplines. It has not been their function to have detailed expertise and knowledge of a particular market under investigation. In carrying out the investigation, the MMC obtains information from a wide range of experts in relevant fields as required and often retains consultants to provide expert advice.The chairman of the MMC informs me that the MMC group investigating this case had access to expert advice on Scottish law and the Scottish property market.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on the Government's policy on the regulation of the private health insurance sector. [8180]

The private health insurance sector is regulated through a combination of statutory legislation and industry best practice. Underwrites of health insurance are subject to prudential supervision under the Insurance Companies Act 1982; insurance intermediaries active in this field are subject to regulation under the Insurance Brokers (Registration) Act 1977 or industry-regulation under the Association of British Insurers general business code of practice. The Government continue to keep this under review.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade in what way she plans to implement the product safety directive concerning the mixing of unwrapped non-food articles with food products; what is the purpose of this legislation; what representations she has received from the food industry on this issue; what food products will be exempted; and if she will make a statement. [10204]

The general product Ssfety directive lays down general rules for assessing the safety of consumer products. There is concern that if unwrapped non-food items are sold mixed in with food products there would be a possibility that consumers could accidentally ingest them with consequent risk of injury. It has been agreed that European member states will ascertain whether such products are on sale within their national territories and inform the European Commission accordingly. My Department is investigating the position in the UK. I have received no representations from the food industry on this subject.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress is being made towards providing improved facilities for the National Physical Laboratory under the private finance initiative. [10379]

I am pleased to announce that I have today confirmed Laser—a joint venture between John Laing and Serco—as preferred tenderer for the redevelopment of the National Physical Laboratory's site at Teddington. Laser will now proceed to develop detailed plans to provide serviced accommodation for NPL and I hope to enter into a formal contract with it by November this year.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list the level of coal imports into Britain for each of the last 10 years; and what percentage of these imports are used in British power stations. [9291]

Available information is as follows:

Year	Coal imports into United Kingdom1 2	Percentage of imports used in UK power stations3 4
1987	9,781	—
1988	11,685	—
1989	12,137	—
1990	14,783	29.5
1991	19,611	37.2
1992	20,339	37.9
1993	18,400	28.1
1994	15,088	24.4
1995	15,896	27.0
1996	17,799	39.0
1 The 1993 import figure includes an additional estimate for unrecorded trade.
2 Source: HM Customs and Excise
3 Sources: Data for Great Britain from April 1990 provided by Eastern Merchant Generation Ltd., National Power, PowerGen and Scottish Power. Data for Northern Ireland prior to March 1992 provided by Northern Ireland Electricity. Data for Northern Ireland from March 1992 provided NIGEN.
4 This information was not collected before April 1990.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will visit Romsey to discuss with students of Southampton university the employment effects of the Government's minimum wage policy; and if she will make a statement. [9196]

I have no plans at present to visit the students of Southampton university. The national minimum wage will be introduced sensibly taking account of the economic circumstances prevailing at the time. The independent Low Pay Commission will recommend to Government the level at which the minimum wage might be introduced having considered all relevant economic circumstances, including the possible effect on employment, before formulating its recommendation.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the key functions of the consumer credit licensing appeals system; when the system was established; and by what authority. [9634]

Under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 the Director General of Fair Trading can decide not to grant, or to revoke, a consumer credit licence.In the event that the director general decides to refuse an application for a licence, or to revoke an existing licence, the Act provides for a right of appeal to the Secretary of State. The procedure for appeals is set out in the 1976 appeals regulations.I am considering making revisions to the 1976 regulations to speed up the appeals procedure and improve the decision making process. I have issued a consultation paper and will finalise the policy when I have considered the responses. A copy of the consultation paper is in the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the key functions of the advisory committee on arbitration law; when the committee was established; by what authority; and if she will list the names of the chairman and the Secretary. [9632]

The departmental advisory committee on arbitration law was set up in March 1985 by the then Secretary of State with the following terms of reference:

(i) To consider the draft model law on international commercial arbitration adopted by a working group of the United Nations commission on international trade law in February 1984 and, in the light of any representations made by British interests, to advise the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry:

(a) Upon any modification which the committee consider should be proposed by Her Majesty's Government to the text of the draft model law prior to its adoption by the commission;

(b) If and when a model law is adopted by the Commission, upon whether, and to what extent, the provisions of the model law should be implemented in England and Wales and upon what associated changes should be made to the law of England and Wales:

(ii) To examine the operation of the Arbitration Acts 1950 to 1979 in the light of the model law and to recommend to the Secretary of State any legislative or other steps which the committee considers should be taken to improve the system of arbitration in England and Wales;

(iii) To advise the Secretary of State, where appropriate, upon the implications which any changes resulting from their recommendations for arbitration in England and Wales may have for arbitration in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The DAC's formal work came to an end in January 1997 with commencement in England, Wales and Northern Ireland of the Arbitration Act 1996. The most recent chairman was Lord Justice Saville, now Lord Saville, and the secretariat was provided by the Department of Trade and Industry. A separate committee under the chairmanship of Lord Dervaird is considering aspects of Scottish arbitration law.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the key functions of the Overseas Projects Board; when the board was established; by what authority; and if she will list the names of the chairman and the Secretary. [9630]

The Overseas Projects Board was established in 1977 as a separate group within the framework of the British Overseas Trade Board to give Ministers and their officials independent advice on issues affecting UK industry's ability to compete effectively for major project business overseas.The present chairman is Andrew Buxton, chairman of Barclays bank and the secretary is Geoffrey Nuttall, an official in the Department of Trade and Industry.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list the representatives of the outbound travel industry whom the Minister for Competition and Consumer Affairs met in the United Kingdom between 1 May and 1 July. [9427]

[holding answer 18 July 1997]: Between 1 May and 1 July I have had official meetings in the UK with the following:

Steven Freudman and Ian Reynolds from ABTA; Alan Fluke and Martin Brackenbury from FTO; Chris Kirker and Julia Hendry from AITO.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what data her Department collects on activity on the Internet. [9444]

[holding answer 18 July 1997]: The Department of Trade and Industry subscribes to a number of proprietary studies and surveys of Internet activity. In addition, under the Government's IT for All initiative, run by the Department, two surveys of attitudes towards and usage of the Internet have been conducted. The first of these was published in December 1996 and the second will be published later this year. Also as part of a recent international benchmarking study, commissioned by the Department from Spectrum Strategy Consultants, the NOP research group collected information on, among other things, Internet activity in five countries—UK, USA, Japan, Germany and France. This study will be published by the end of this month. I will ensure that copies of the second IT for All survey and the international benchmarking study are placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the United Kingdom's record on implementing measures to complete the European internal market; and what assessment she has made of the record of other member states of the European Union in this respect. [9452]

[holding answer 18 July 1997]: I am placing a Commission table showing the state of transposition of the single market directives into national law in the UK and other member states in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps her Department is taking to ensure completion of the European internal market; and within what timetable. [9440]

[holding answer 18 July 1997]: Enhancement of the single market is a Government priority. We have helped to secure a warm welcome at the Amsterdam European Council for the Commission's action plan for the single market. The plan detailed an ambitious set of objectives for the next three presidencies of the Council of Ministers—Luxembourg, UK and Austria—to achieve practical improvements in the single market. The action plan closely reflects key UK priorities for the single market, including:

• Improvements in the enforcement of single market rules;
• Measures to simplify existing legislation and reduce burdens on business;
• A tightening up of rules on state aids;
• Measures to liberalise public utilities.

In addition, the Department has a unit called "action single market" which helps UK business overcome illegal state aids and trade barriers in other single market countries. It has scored successes in overcoming barriers across a wide range of sectors and problems types.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when she will publish the planned Green Paper on late payment of debt; and what will be the consultation programme on it. [9439]

[holding answer 18 July 1997]: The Green Paper will be published before the summer recess. The closing date for responses will be 3 October. During the consultation period we will welcome views in writing or in person from all those who have an interest.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what her Department's policy is on the timely payment of debt; and what its record has been on debt payment in the current financial year. [9324]

[holding answer 18 July 1997]: All Departments are required to pay all their bills within agreed contract terms, or 30 days from receipt of the goods or service or a valid invoice, whichever is the later, where no such terms exist. The Government will publish a league table of departmental payment performance for 1996–97 in the autumn.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list the hon. Members with whom she or her Ministers had meetings to discuss consumer issues following the questionnaire on that topic. [9442]

[holding answer 18 July 1997]: No. I have met a number of hon. Members from all parts of the House to discuss matters relating to the consumer questionnaire and received letters of thanks from several of her hon. Friends.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list the hon. Members who responded to the questionnaire on consumer issues. [9441]

[holding answer 18 July 1997]: No.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment she has made of the results of her Department's research into nuclear fusion; and if she will list the projects funded by her Department's expenditure on nuclear fusion since 1986. [8920]

[holding answer 16 July 1997]: My Department' s expenditure on nuclear fusion is managed by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, which uses it to pay its subscription to the Joint European Torus project and to carry out fusion research that is part of the European Union's fusion programme. The EU programme—including JET—is evaluated regularly, and the report of the most recent evaluation under the chairmanship of Professor Barabaschi was published in December 1996. I shall arrange for copies of the report to be placed in the Libraries of the House.The UKAEA' s research is regularly monitored by the European Commission and by officials of my Department.The projects funded by this expenditure since 1986 include:

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make it her policy to ban imports of timber other than from sustainable managed forests. [9535]

[holding answer 21 July 1997]: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made clear the Government's commitment to sustainable forestry in his answer of the 3 July, Official Report, column 234.The UK intends to adopt a new forest standard which will provide a benchmark for the regeneration of forests.We believe that the best way to protect the world's forests is by extending this approach multilaterally rather than by imposing a unilateral ban on timber imports. We will continue to work with timber-producing countries to help improve forest management standards world wide and ensure long-term conservation.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much her Department spends on biking press releases to (a) hon. Members and (b) other individuals or groups, each time her Department issues a press release; how many such press releases were issued by her Department (i) in the period 1 May to 1 July and (ii) in the period 1 January to 1 March; and if she will review her Department's use of couriers to deliver press releases and investigate the possibility of using fax or e-mail. [8813]

[holding answer 17 July 1997]: The DTI does not bike press releases. Such information is distributed by the Central Office of Information's news distribution service, NDS.NDS's delivery mechanisms include a newswire service which supplies press release to the Parliamentary Online Information Service, POLIS, which can be accessed by all MPs and Lords, hand deliveries, fax and postal deliveries, online database and a widely accessed web site on the Internet.These mechanisms are used either singly or in combination to ensure the most cost effective methods are used to reach the relevant target audiences and to suit the nature of the documents—for instance, whether press releases are dispatched on their own, or accompanied by reports, consultation documents etc; no separate costing is available for the hand delivery service alone.The number of press releases that my Department put out through NDS for the period 1 May to 1 July was 115. For the period 1 January to 1 March there were 180 press releases issued through NDS. My Department and the COI keep a watching brief on new developments to ensure the most cost effective delivery mechanism are used at all times.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list the civil servants who are co-ordinating her Department's input into the White Paper on International Development. [9313]

The preparation of the forthcoming White Paper on international development involves input from a number of different DTI directorates with the new issues and developing countries directorate acting as a liaison point within the Department.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what trans-shipment licences the Government have granted for electro-shock batons since 1990; and if she will list both originating and recipient countries. [9468]

One trans-shipment licence has been granted since 1990. This was granted on 19 April 1993 for goods originating in the USA and destined for Saudi Arabia.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when new regulations will be introduced to tighten controls on the verification of petrol pumps by repairers. [7785]

I am currently examining how best to protect consumers following the decision announced by the last Government on 10 June 1996 to deregulate weights and measures and allow self verification by manufacturers and others.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to review the financing, terms of reference and working of the committee for the rights of trade union members; and if he will make a statement. [9779]

My Department intends to consider the role and functions of the Commissioner for the rights of trade union members, together with other fairness at work issues, later this year.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 11 July, Official Report, column 646, if she will list the representations which her Department has received on retaining the aid and trade provisions and place a copy of each in the Library. [9476]

[holding answer 18 July 1997]: Nearly all the representations received since 1 June have been oral.The Department has also received written representations from the Export Group for the Constructional Industries and Major British Exporters. With the agreement of those organisations, I am placing copies of their letters in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many and what percentage of employees in his private office are (a) of Asian origin and (b) of Afro-Caribbean origin. [8943]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has five employees in his private office, none of whom is of Asian or Afro-Caribbean origin.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many and what percentage of employees, in each pay band, in the quangos for which his Department is responsible, are of (a) Asian origin and (b) Afro-Caribbean origin. [8944]

It is not possible to provide the information requested without incurring a disproportionate cost to the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many civil servants there are on each payband in his Department. [8945]

The number of civil servants in each pay band within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as at 17 July 1997 is shown in the following table:

	Number
SCS	21
A(U)	7
A(L)	48
B	83
HEOD	4
C	68
D(U)	74
D(L)	31

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the work opportunities which the tourism industry can offer under the welfare-to-work programme. [7523]

[holding answer 21 July 1997]: Tourism is one of the UK's leading growth industries. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will shortly be calling together people from tourism, hospitality and leisure to discuss how we can achieve our welfare to work objectives and help meet the industry's staffing needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what evidence he has evaluated that a not-for-profit national lottery would generate as much money for the good causes as the present lottery; [9445](2) what success he has had in attracting interests from companies to bid for the opportunity to run the national lottery in 2001 on a non-profit-making basis; [9449](3) if the Government plan to consider a bid to run the national lottery by Camelot in 2001 on a profit-making basis; [9447](4) what is his policy towards the continuation of a profit-making national lottery; [9446](5) if the Government remain committed to the principle of operating the national lottery on a non-profit-making basis; [9451](6) what representations he has received from companies showing an interest in operating the national lottery on a non-profit-making basis when the present contract expires in 2001. [9448]

[holding answer 18 July 1997]: Lottery proceeds should go to the good causes, with the minimum necessary being used to run the lottery efficiently and in the public interest. We will seek an efficient, not-for-profit and competitive operator on this basis. I made a statement about this matter to the House on 21 July, Official Report, columns 685–98.Camelot, if it chooses to bid, will be properly considered as a candidate to manage the new arrangements at the end of the current licence period.To date, I have received no formal representations from any other companies wishing to run the lottery after the year 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportions of (a) the national lottery, (b) bets on the Irish lottery and (c) other numbers draws are taken for (i) tax and (ii) good causes. [9900]

I have been asked to reply. Twelve per cent. tax is deducted from national lottery stakes and 6.75 per from bets on the Irish lottery and other numbers draws; 30 per cent. of national lottery stakes go to good causes; there is no statutory good causes deduction from Irish lottery or other numbers bets.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the allocations made to public institutions in the United Kingdom during the half year ended 30 June of individual works of art and museum objects pre-eminent for national, scientific, historic or artistic interest which have been accepted in satisfaction of inheritance tax, together with information, where applicable, as to conditions or wishes expressed by testators or executors in the matter of allocation; and if he will list the works of art and museum objects which are still awaiting allocation with the respective dates of their acceptance in satisfaction of inheritance tax. [8978]

[holding answer 21 July 1997]: The information which the hon. Member requests is as follows:

Item(s)	To whom allocated	Conditions/wishes expressed
Landscape with Lord Coventry on a Blue Roan Horse and Deer, Hounds and Attendants and a Dead Stag (painting) by John Wootton	The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty (for display at Antony House, Cornwall)	Conditional offer
Still Life with an upturned roemer (painting) by Willem Claez. Heda	Norfolk County Council (for display at the Castle Museum, Norwich)	Wish as to allocation
Two German Drawings: one by Martin Schongauer and one by Jörg Breu the Elder	Board of Trustees of the British Museum	Conditional offer
The House of Worth Peacock Gown	The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty (for display at Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire)	Conditional offer

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is his Department's definition of a public utility; [7577](2) if his Department defines Railtrack plc as a public utility. [7703]

There is no single, commonly accepted definition of a utility. The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines a public utility as

"an organisation supplying water, gas, etc to the community".

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the dates and attendees by Department and grade of meetings of officials which have taken place in his Department on the strategic defence review. [6761]

Various meetings have been held on various dates. It is not practical to list those attending. In any event, it is a long-established convention that Ministers are responsible for all policy decisions.