To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what provision for bicycle parking has been made at Portcullis House. [34085]

Bicycle parking to serve Portcullis House is already available at the Norman Shaw North Building.

To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee if he will list expenditure on (a) refurbishment of and (b) furnishings for the smoking room for each of the last five years. [34086]

The expenditure on both refurbishment and furnishings for the smoking room over the last five years has been of such a minor nature that separate records are not available.

To ask the President of the Council if she will list for an hon. Member elected in October 1974, who lost their seat in May 1997, (a) the salary and individual allowances received (i) in actual terms and (ii) at today's value, (b) the total pension granted and (c) the amount received as winding up allowance, and the purpose for which this allowance is granted. [34435]

The answers to the questions are in relation to the sums claimable and not to the sums actually received which are never divulged in individual cases:

(a) (i) Salaries: £;442,748

Office Costs Allowance (OCA): £;450,160

Additional Costs Allowance: £;162,363

(ii) cannot be obtained except at disproportionate expense.

(b) £;19,334.88 pa.

(c) The Winding Up Allowance available as at 1 May 1997, for those Members who left the House of Commons—for whatever reason—amounted to £;15,856 (being one third of the annual sum available of OCA at that time of £;47,568). Outgoing Members may submit claims up to that maximum to meet the cost of any work on Parliamentary business undertaken on behalf of that Member after the General Election date.

To ask the Attorney-General what percentage of cases prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service were begun with the defendant having indicated an intention to plead (a) guilty to the offence for which he or she was charged, (b) guilty to a lesser charge and (c) not guilty. [34482]

The Crown Prosecution Service holds no central records on plea indications. The information is held in branch offices on individual case files, and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Attorney-General how many defendants were convicted having (a) pleaded guilty to the offence with which they were originally charged, (b) pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and (c) pleaded not guilty in the last year for which figures are available. [34478]

The Crown Prosecution Service holds no central records on pleas to original or lesser charges. The information is held on individual case files in each branch office, and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost. However, central records are kept in relation to the number of defendants convicted following a not guilty plea.The number of defendants convicted in magistrates' courts following a plea of not guilty was 53,235 in 1997, 74.4 per cent. of contested hearings.The number convicted in the Crown Court following a plea of not guilty was 13,226, 60.3 per cent. of contested hearings.

To ask the Attorney-General what was the cost of gaining convictions against children for offences relating to prostitution in each year since 1992. [34361]

The information sought is recorded only on individual case files and is not collected or collated centrally. This information could therefore be collected only at disproportionate cost. Home Office statistics for 1989 and 1994 show a decline in convictions for soliciting in the 14 to 17 year old age group.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about the location of the National Assembly for Wales. [34734]

I have decided to provide accommodation for the Assembly through a new building in Cardiff. My officials are in negotiation with developers, and I will announce the precise location when those negotiations are complete.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he next plans to attend a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the European Union in relation to agriculture. [34277]

As the Minister responsible for agriculture in Wales, I will be attending the Agriculture Council meeting on 31 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he has taken to improve the marine environment of the Irish Sea as it affects the Welsh coast line. [33528]

Levels of pollution in the Irish Sea are being investigated in a Quality Status Report being prepared under the auspices of the Oslo and Paris Commissions. A Regional Task Force is overseeing the Report's preparation: its membership is made up of experts from the Irish and UK Governments, including from the Welsh Office.At the same time, action is in hand to tackle many of the sources of marine pollution. We are currently reviewing the National Contingency Plan for pollution from shipping and offshore installations which sets out the arrangements for dealing with pollution arising from spillages of oil and other hazardous substances into the marine environment. Whilst radioactive discharges into the Irish Sea are already at levels which cause minimal harm to the environment, we are reducing them still further. We have also said that we want to move toward the target of the cessation of discharges, emissions and losses of hazardous substances. The dumping of sewage sludge at sea is being phased out—Dwr Cymru Welsh Water stopped using this disposal route several years ago. Dwr Cymru is also introducing full treatment at all its coastal sewage discharges.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the social exclusion network as it affects (a) North and (b) South Wales. [33531]

The Welsh Office Social Exclusion Network is an internal Welsh Office group consisting of senior officials drawn from across the spectrum of the Department's functions. Its remit is to promote effective co-operation between the various parts of the Welsh Office to tackle social exclusion and to shift the focus of policies and programmes towards preventing social exclusion across Wales. Its work builds on and complements that of the Social Exclusion Unit, which is based within the Cabinet Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will estimate the number of jobs in the timber processing industry in Wales. [33529]

The Office for National Statistics' 1995 Annual Employment Survey estimated that there were 3,900 employees in the timber processing industry in Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many 18 and 19 year olds left school in Wales with no qualifications in each year since 1992. [33703]

Information on the qualifications on school leavers is not held by age group prior to 1994. From 1994, the collected information has distinguished as a single group all those aged 17 and over as at 31 August of the preceding academic year. This will include some pupils who leave school aged 17 and a few who left school aged over 19. The following table shows the number of such students who left school with no A-level, AS-level, GCSE, Certificate of Education or vocational qualification from BTEC, Pitmans, City & Guilds or RSA.

Number of people aged 17 and over leaving school with no qualifications1
Year	Number
1993–94	60
1994–95	55
1995–96	30
1 Age is at 31 August of the preceding academic year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many bus companies have been banned from operating buses in the last 12 months for which figures are available due to concerns about the condition of the vehicles. [33365]

In the period 1 March 1997 to 28 February 1998 twenty bus companies have had their licence revoked by the Traffic Commissioners due to inadequate maintenance of their vehicles. The companies concerned are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government to maintain the current coastguard helicopter search and rescue provision at Lee-on-Solent and Portland. [33378]

The Coastguard helicopters at Lee-on-Solent and Portland are contracted until 2001. The Coastguard Agency has no plans to change the current arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many individual journeys provided by bus operators in the north west traffic area were cancelled without notice during (i) 1994–95, (ii) 1995–96 and (iii) 1996–97; and what percentage of total journeys these figures represent. [33959]

My Department does not collect this information in the form requested. However, under the provisions of the Transport Act 1985 bus operators are required to run services in accordance with the details they register with the local Traffic Commissioner, whose staff monitor compliance on a random basis. Details are not available for 1994–95 and 1995–96 but the results of 22 monitoring exercises carried out in the north west traffic area in 1996–97 and 54 in 1997–98 to date, show that the number of individual journeys which failed to run was a negligible proportion, less than 3 per cent. of total bus journeys in the area. In view of local concerns, the traffic area office are planning further monitoring exercises in the area including Greater Manchester.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the inquiry into the derailment of a train carrying nuclear waste at Harwich on 8 January; and when its report will be published. [33906]

This incident occurred at approximately 17.50 hours on 8 January 1998, at Harwich Parkstone Quay Yard. During shunting operations one pair of wheels of a barrier wagon, between a locomotive and three nuclear flask wagons, became derailed on hand worked points. The barrier wagon contained no nuclear materials and there were no injuries.The incident was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive's Railway Inspectorate and a summary of the incident will appear in the 1997–98 Annual Report on Railway Safety which is due for publication in December 1998.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he (a) has made and (b) plans to make to the IPCC study into the Impacts of Aviation on Climate Change; and what consultations the Government have had, for the purpose of this study, with organisations outside the aviation industry. [34112]

The DETR plays a leading part in the International Civil Aviation Organisation which is working closely with the IPCC on this special report. One of the report's two lead authors is an adviser to the Department and the DETR is also supporting the participation of other key UK experts.The IPCC process is an open one and the draft report will be available for review by experts, governments and international non-governmental organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what reasons the aviation industry has given his Department for its opposition to new noise limits for departing aircraft at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. [34114]

The grounds put forward by the International Air Transport Association in their recent application for leave to apply for judicial review related to alleged deficiencies in the consultation paper. The Department has undertaken to publish a supplementary paper and IATA has therefore withdrawn its application. I expect those airlines and aviation organisations which are opposed to our proposals will give their reasons for this in their responses to the consultation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what measures he proposes to encourage the development of trams. [34491]

Light rapid transit systems, which include street running tramways, can have a role to play in delivering integrated transport in urban areas—particularly if they are planned as part of an overall local transport strategy. We look to local authorities to develop proposals through public/private partnerships and will consider on their merits any such proposals which require support from Government funds.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the number of park-and-ride schemes for which each local authority bid for funding under the transport policy and programmes system for 1998–99, indicating in each case the amount of money bid for; and if he will list by local authority, the number of schemes which received funding under the transport policy and programmes system for 1998–99, indicating in each case the amount of money allocated. [34522]

All the available information is contained in the table. Only park-and-ride schemes that individually cost £;2 million or more received scheme-specific allocations for 1998–99. Local authorities also have the freedom to pursue schemes below that value, using the block allocations they receive for packages of transport measures. Under the package approach they are not required to specify before the start of a financial year the schemes they will pursue using those allocations. So

Bids and allocations for park-and-ride schemes 1998–99 Major schemes (cost £;2 million or more)
£;000
Authority	Total bid	Number of schemes bid for	Allocation	Number funded
Cheshire	1,650	1	1,500	1
Hampshire	547	1	0	0
Norfolk	1,869	5	0	0
Windsor and Maidenhead	4,256	1	0	0

Minor works (under £;2 million)
£;000
Authority	Total bid	Number of schemes bid for	Block allocations for transport packages	P and R schemes within accepted packages
Bedfordshire	870	2	900	2
Birmingham	150	1	112,675	1
Blackburn	200	1	310	1
Bournemouth	500	1	223	1
Bradford	140	2	2800	2
Brent	85	1	0	0
Cambridgeshire	900	2	1,500	2
Cornwall	550	1	500	1
Coventry	725	1	112,675	1
Derby	500	1	450	1
Derbyshire	90	1	167	0
Devon	646	7	800	7
Gloucestershire	4	1	700	1
Greater Manchester PTE	40	1	38,750	1
Hampshire	1,000	1	883	1
Kent	250	2	1,215	2
Knowsley	50	1	410,000	1
Lancashire	30	1	990	1
Leeds	50	1	28,000	1
Lewisham	20	1	0	0
Lincolnshire	75	1	300	1
Medway Towns	100	1	0	0
Norfolk	170	1	1,000	1
North Yorkshire	185	3	300	3
Nottingham	39	3	754	3
Nottinghamshire	158	1	779	1
Oldham	50	1	38,750	1
Oxfordshire	48	1	1,500	1
Plymouth City	200	1	750	1
Poole	30	1	177	1
Rochdale	10	1	38,750	1
Rotherham	200	1	56,125	1
Sefton	150	1	410,000	1
Sheffield	50	1	56,125	1
Shropshire	200	1	700	1
Surrey	235	2	650	2
Swindon	929	2	750	2
Torbay	371	2	0	0
Tyne and Wear PTE	100	1	64,250	1
West Midlands PTE	2,963	9	112,675	9
Wiltshire	1,802	1	250	1
Wirral	50	1	959	1
Wolverhampton	350	2	112,675	2
Worcestershire	161	3	350	1
1allocation for West Midlands joint package
2allocation for West Yorks joint package
3allocation for Greater Manchester joint package
4allocation for Merseyside joint package
5allocation for South Yorkshire joint package
6allocation for Tyne and Wear joint package

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans his Department has to change the basis of actuarial assumption in the valuation of local authority pension funds. [34359]

My Department has no responsibility under the regulations governing the Local Government Pension Scheme to set actuarial assumptions in connection with the valuation of local authority pension funds. This is a matter for fund actuaries in the context of the triennial valuation exercise for each fund.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on how many heavy goods vehicles vehicle excise duty was paid in Northern Ireland in each of the years (a) 1994–95, (b) 1995–96 and (c) 1996–97. [34465]

The information is available only in calendar years, as follows:

Years	Numbers
1994	14,810
1995	15,844
1996	17,401

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the properties and land owned by his Department which he has identified as surplus to requirements, giving in each case their estimated value. [30317]

[holding answer 23 February 1998]: No properties or land which are surplus to requirements at the present time are held by the main Department or the Historic Royal Palaces Agency. The Royal Parks Agency have one dwelling, valued at approx £;90,000, which is surplus to requirements and which is being disposed of.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the bodies within the responsibility of his Department currently required by legislation to lay a report before Parliament. [33554]

[holding answer 9 March 1998]: The bodies within my responsibility which are required to lay a report before Parliament are

Name of Organisation	Type of Report
English Sports Council Lottery Fund	Annual Report and Annual Accounts
Arts Council of England Lottery Fund	Annual Report and Annual Accounts
Millennium Commission	Annual Report and Annual Accounts

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list those visits made within the United Kingdom since 1 May on which he has been accompanied under Rule 83 of the Ministerial Code indicating (i) those persons accompanying and (ii) the cost to public funds. [23756]

[holding answer 19 January 1998]: My wife accompanied me on the following official visits within the United Kingdom since 1 May:

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the Ministers, officials and others who accompanied him on his visit to Washington on 4 to 7 February, indicating the reasons why each attended, the itinerary of each and their travel and other expenses. [28188]

[holding answer 6 February 1998]: I was accompanied by nine key officials from the No. 10 Private and Press Offices and the Policy Unit and two outside experts. There was also the normal number of security and secure telecommunications staff who accompany a Prime Minister on an overseas visit. The three Ministers on the trip were each accompanied by an official.Because of the block booking arrangements, the cost per person for travel was £;3,500.The accommodation costs for all the members of the official delegation were fully met by the United States government. Costs for support staff were £;400 per person. The two outside experts met all their own costs.These arrangements are in line with overseas visits made by the previous Administration.The full cost of Ministerial overseas visits for 1996–97 was over £;7.8 million. This compares with expenditure since 1 May of less than £;5 million.

To ask the Prime Minister what representations he made to Prime Minister Netanyahu during their recent meeting concerning (a) Israeli commitments to honour existing agreements, (b) further Israeli redeployments, (c) Israeli expansion of settlements, (d) the opening of Gaza airport and (e) the resumption of final status talks. [34151]

[holding answer 12 March 1998]: I met Prime Minster Netanyahu on 9 March. I underlined the need for both parties to respect their commitments under existing agreements. I emphasised the need for progress on implementation of Interim Agreement commitments, particularly on further redeployments from the West Bank, security co-operation, Gaza port, airport and industrial estate and safe passage. I also set out the government's view that progress on these issues and avoidance of unilateral actions which destroy confidence are essential to restore trust and allow for a resumption of negotiations on final status issues.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 5 March 1998, Official Report, column 702, for what reason it is not his policy to give specific details of meetings between himself or his officials and (a) Rupert Murdoch and (b) representatives of News International. [34521]

As under previous administrations, it is not the normal practice to provide details of private meetings with specific individuals or organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to review legislation on knives; and if he will assess the advantage of banning knives with sharp points except when such knives are designated as for a specific and legitimate purpose. [33105]

The need for legislation to control the availability and promotion of knives as weapons was considered in detail by hon. Members during 1996 and 1997 during the passage of the Offensive Weapons Act 1996 and the Knives Act 1997, introduced by my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Baillieston (Mr. Wray) which was fully supported by my right hon. Friend and myself, then in Opposition. We had concluded that simply banning knives with sharp points except when such knives are designated for a specific and legitimate purpose would not achieve the desired end. Knives with legitimate purposes can be as lethal as ones which would not be so designated and such an approach would require a complex and costly designation system.While the Government have no plans at present for a further review, we remain open to any suggestions for a further tightening of legislation on knives, and would consider banning the sale of any specific bladed or pointed article which could be defined in a way which distinguished it from articles which do have legitimate purposes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in respect of the evidence of how many Metropolitan police officers the prosecution has been required to disclose that evidence given by that officer had previously been discredited. [342731

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis tells me that no central figures are kept on the number of cases where the prosecution has had to disclose that the evidence of an officer has on a previous occasion been discredited. Nevertheless, the Commissioner demands absolute integrity from his officers. If an officer gives evidence which raises concern with the trial magistrate or judge then they will direct that the matter be investigated. The procedure is for an internal investigation to be started. If, following such an investigation, the officer can be shown to be discredited then any cases in which the officer is subsequently involved would be reviewed by the Metropolitan Police and the Crown Prosecution Service.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evaluation he has made of technology to detect the presence of (a) class A and (b) class B drugs on persons entering prisons. [34467]

The Prison Service Security Group, through the Police Scientific Development Branch, are currently evaluating a number of drug detecting systems in laboratory tests and will be implementing field trials within prison establishments shortly. The evaluation will cover the detection of both class A and class B drugs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is undertaking to prevent the entry of class A and B drugs to prisons. [34466]

The Prison Service has in place as part of its drug strategy robust measures aimed at preventing the entry of drugs into prisons. In practical terms, the methods aimed at preventing the entry of drugs are the same for all classes of drugs. All drugs are hard to detect due to the small amounts usually involved, although the additional risks posed by class A drugs are recognised.Measures include: searching of visitors and of prisoners following visits; use of closed circuit television in visits areas; and perimeter searching. Many establishments use drug dogs which are an effective means of deterring visitors who may attempt to smuggle drugs. Prisoners found guilty of drug smuggling are liable to be placed on closed visits, while visitors may be arrested and denied future visits if found with drugs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will delay the triennial review of jackpot sizes for fruit machines. [34423]

We expect the Gaming Board to make its recommendations to us in June with a view to implementation of any agreed changes with effect from 1 October.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the report by Dr. Fisher of Plymouth University on jackpot prizes. [34422]

Dr. Fisher's report for OFLOT was on gambling and problem gambling among young people. The Government will carefully consider the report's findings, including those on fruit machines, and any implications for gambling controls.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the effect of the introduction of the £;2 coin on fruit machine revenues. [34429]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the range of penalties available to courts in respect of those subject to restriction orders as a result of offences related to football matches who failed to attend designated police stations. [34274]

Section 16 of the Football Spectators Act 1989 sets out the effect of a restriction order and provides for the offence of failure to comply with the duty to report. A person who fails to report to a police station without reasonable excuse is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment of up to one month or a level 3 fine (currently £;1,000) or both.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will liaise with the French authorities to ensure that tickets for the World Cup are not re-sold. [34285]

France has strict laws against ticket touting under their Penal Code. All tickets for the World Cup will carry the name of the person to whom they are issued by the French authorities. The tickets can be re-sold only with the written permission of the authorities, and without that authority the original purchaser remains liable for the actions of those in the ground who use the ticket. The French authorities have advised they will rigidly apply the law against those who are in breach of the Code. My right hon. Friend has welcomed this approach in meetings with his French counterpart. Additionally, United Kingdom officials have discussed with the French authorities the practical measures in place to minimise the ability to sell tickets without written permission from the relevant authorities. We have registered our concern at the potential impact on safety and security of touted tickets getting into the hands of rival fans.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 20 November 1997 from the hon. Member for Spelthorne concerning Mrs. H. Buckell of Staines. [34281]

The Home Office has no trace of ever having received the letter. Having now received a copy of it from the hon. Member, I will reply to him as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vehicles designed for transporting people are operated by the Heathrow Airport Division of the Metropolitan Police. [34284]

The Commissioner tells me that Heathrow Division has 52 vehicles of which 45 are designed for transporting people. These include motorcycles, response vehicles, beat vehicles and armoured Landrovers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how release dates of prisoners who are repatriated from abroad are calculated. [34935]

The release dates of repatriated prisoners are calculated on the basis of the legislation in force on the date on which the prisoner is repatriated, subject to the provisions of the Schedule to the Repatriation of Prisoners Act 1984 (as amended by Schedule 2 to the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997).The warrants under which prisoners are repatriated may contain reference to two separate periods. The first is the balance to serve, which is deemed to be the prisoner's sentence in this country. The second, for prisoners for whom it is applicable, is a period used solely to calculate the parole eligibility date of the prisoner.In calculating the balance of the sentence remaining to be served by a prisoner following return to this country, account is taken of the time served abroad by the prisoner including, where applicable, any remand time and any remission available to the prisoner. The resulting balance is administered in accordance with the relevant United Kingdom legislative provisions. Automatic release in the case of prisoners sentenced abroad to four years or more therefore occurs at the two thirds point of the balance to serve, and for prisoners sentenced abroad to less than four years, at the halfway point. Prisoners sentenced to periods of imprisonment abroad of four years or more are also eligible to be considered for discretionary release on licence (parole).As far as parole is concerned, it has always been the policy that a repatriated prisoner should be treated as if he had been sentenced here i.e. he should become eligible for parole after having served one half of his original term of imprisonment (or one third in the case of prisoners sentenced prior to 1 October 1992). For the purposes of achieving this, it was the practice to specify in the warrant for the purposes solely of calculating parole eligibility, a period equivalent to the time actually served by the prisoner abroad.Amendments made to the 1984 Act as a consequence of the introduction of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 resulted in anomalies with regard to the position of repatriated prisoners. In particular, the amendments linked parole eligibility and automatic release dates. As a consequence specifying a period in the warrant for the purposes of calculating parole eligibility had the unintended effect of bringing forward the prisoner's automatic release date. Judicial reviews brought in 1995 and 1996 brought these difficulties to light for the first time. It also emerged that the parole eligibility dates of prisoners had not previously been calculated fully in accordance with the terms of the legislation.The difficulties identified in the legislation were corrected by means of amendments to the 1984 Act contained in Schedule 2 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997. In the light of the amendments and the discovery that parole dates were not previously calculated entirely in accordance with the legislation, it has become clear that it is not always appropriate to specify in the warrant a period equivalent to the actual time served by the prisoner abroad since this does not always result in the correct parole eligibility date.Since 1 October 1997, therefore, normal policy has been to specify, for the purposes of calculating parole eligibility in accordance with the provisions of the Schedule to the 1984 Act, a period which ensures that the prisoner becomes eligible to be considered for parole after having served one half (or one third) of the original sentence. Each case is considered on an individual basis, taking into account the length of the original sentence, the time served abroad, and the balance to serve in this country.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps she takes to ensure plutonium held for civil purposes cannot fall into the hands of people whose possession of such would constitute a threat to national security. [34471]

The stringent physical protection measures in place for the protection of civil plutonium follow the relevant international recommendations published by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). These measures are kept under review to ensure their continuing effectiveness. For security reasons, I cannot give the details of the precise measures which are taken.Civil plutonium at UK nuclear facilities are subject to Euratom safeguards and to the terms of the UK Safeguards Agreement with Euratom and the IAEA.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate she has made of the costs of providing security to protect the stocks of plutonium held for civil purposes for the latest year for which figures are available. [34470]

Security costs for nuclear facilities are funded by the operator responsible for the relevant facility. They would include both the installation and maintenance costs of a range of physical protection measures, the guarding costs and the costs of the independent regulation of that security envelope. It is not possible to provide separate estimates of the costs of protecting the United Kingdom's stocks of civil plutonium.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much plutonium has been (a) exported from the UK and (b) imported into the UK for each year since 1979 indicating the countries of origin and destination for each movement. [34485]

Details of the quantities of civil plutonium exported from, and imported to, the United Kingdom, including countries of origin and destination, are published by my Department each year. Copies of all the annual plutonium figures since 1987 have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Figures relating to exports and imports before 1987 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much civil plutonium has been held in the United Kingdom in each year since 1979. [34475]

Details of the quantities of civil plutonium stored at United Kingdom nuclear facilities, including its form and ownership, are published by my Department each year. Copies of all the annual plutonium figures since 1987 have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Figures relating to holdings before 1987 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much civil plutonium has been (a) produced in the United Kingdom and (b) used in the United Kingdom in each year since 1979. [34473]

Details of the quantities of civil plutonium produced and used at United Kingdom nuclear facilities are published by my Department each year. Copies of all the annual plutonium figures since 1987 have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Figures relating to civil plutonium produced and used before 1987 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the estimate of £;2,700,000 for achieving millennium compliance at her Department has been revised. [32370]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: No. The estimate remains unchanged from that made under the previous Government. We will of course keep this under constant scrutiny.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the code checking exercise for millennium compliance at the Radiocommunications Agency's will be completed. [32373]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: Code checking of the Radiocommunications Agency's `business critical' bespoke software systems is planned to be complete in January 1999. All other bespoke software code checking is expected to finish by the end of May 1999.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the testing of systems for millennium compliance at the Export Credits Guarantee Department will be completed. [32375]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: The bulk of the systems will be tested by 31 March 1998. However, we are awaiting upgraded software from two package suppliers and thus the testing will not be completed until these are available later in 1998.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the estimate of 184,187 for achieving millennium compliance at the Export Credits Guarantee Department has been revised. [32376]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: No.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if her estimate of £7,200 for the cost of achieving millennium compliance in the Insolvency Service has been exceeded. [32363]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: The estimate of £7,200 was provided by the Insolvency Service in its response to a request for year 2000 plans to be provided to the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (cCTA) and represented the cost of remaining compliance testing for the Service's IT systems. This testing will not be completed until mid 1998 and current indications are that the original estimate will not be exceeded.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade to what extent her estimate for the costs of achieving millennium compliance in the Employment Tribunals Service has been revised, following the systems audit. [32366]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: The cost of system audits is £72,850 inclusive of VAT.The estimated cost of purchasing new compliant software is £116,860 inclusive of VAT.An estimate is awaited from third party suppliers on the costs of remedial work on other software.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the audit of the Employment Tribunals Service for millennium compliance will be completed. [32364]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: The audit is expected to be completed on schedule by the end of March 1998.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the Patent Office has completed contacting all suppliers about millennium compliance. [32371]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: The Patent Office is undertaking an extensive programme of checks to ensure that its effective operation is not prejudiced by the millennium date change. As part of this programme it has already been in touch with its existing suppliers of goods and services and will seek assurances on compliance from any new supplier with which it places a contract.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when all testing on Year 2000 compliance will be completed within the Department. [32353]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: The core DTI plans to complete Year 2000 compliance testing by the end of April 1999.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the estimate of £850,000 for achieving millennium compliance within the Patent Office has been revised. [32372]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: The Patent Office revisited this estimate in February as part of the quarterly monitoring of compliance programmes carried out by the CCTA but found no reason for change.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when (a) the conversion and (b) the testing of systems in Companies House for achieving millennium compliance will be completed. [32367]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: Conversion should still be completed by October 1998 with final testing anticipated over the Easter weekend, 1999.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade from which budgetary sub-head will the costs of millennium compliance be met by her Department. [32356]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: The cost of millennium compliance work on core DTI systems will be met from several budgetary sub-heads. Outsourced technical advice and support budgets for IT and premises will meet part of the cost. Where systems are being replaced or enhanced significantly for various reasons including millennium compliance, the Department's central IT capital budget is being employed. The cost of work done by officials to manage the programme falls on the relevant budgets such as salaries and accommodation.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the estimate of £317,000 for achieving millennium compliance in the systems at Companies House has been revised. [32368]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: No, it remains our current estimate.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the assessment of the main systems at her Department for millennium compliance will be completed. [32369]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: Assessment of business critical IT systems within the core DTI is complete and necessary remedial work has started.Officials plan to complete their assessment of building-related systems by the end of March 1998.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the estimate of £1,000,000 for achieving millennium compliance at the Radiocommunications Agency has been revised. [32374]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: The Radiocommunication Agency's initial estimate for its Year 2000 programme was £1.08 million; latest estimates indicate an expected cost of £1.04 million.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will estimate the cost to her Department of (a) consultants and (b) contractors engaged by the Department to address millennium computer compliance problems; and if she will list them. [32489]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: The costs of addressing the millennium compliance of core DTI computer systems are estimated as follows:

(a) Consultants: £1.6 million

(b) Contractors: £1.1 million.

Consultants and contractors have worked for the Department on a number of millennium computer compliance assignments. Numbers and personnel vary according to the needs of these assignments. At present the following consultants and contractors are engaged on this work in the core Department:

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many people working within the Department on millennium compliance have (a) given notice of their intention to leave and (b) left the Department in the last six months. [32352]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: No civil servants primarily engaged within the Department on millennium compliance work have given notice of their intention to leave or have left the Department in the last six months.In that period one consultant completed an IT millennium compliance assignment and left the Department. Another moved to other duties within his company and has been replaced by a colleague. Two more have very recently given notice of resignation from their respective companies and will be replaced.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the remedial work on millennium compliance at the Insolvency Service will be completed. [32362]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: The Insolvency Service anticipates confirming millennium compliance by the end of October 1998.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much her Department will spend on achieving millennium compliance for its own computer systems between the present time and 1 January 2000. [32687]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: My department plans to spend approximately £1.93 million on achieving compliance for its core computer systems between the present time and 1 January 2000.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action the OECD has taken to promulgate the need for computer systems to be millennium compliant. [33861]

I have been asked to reply.We are actively considering with the OECD what work they could undertake to raise awareness on the Millennium bug.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the testing of all systems within the Employment Tribunals Service will be completed. [32365]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: The ETS aims to complete testing by the end of 1998.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has for the Council for Science and Technology. [34934]

On behalf of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, I am pleased to announce today that, following extensive consultations and review, we are re-establishing the Council for Science and Technology with new terms of reference and the appointment of 14 independent members to serve as our premier advisory body on science and technology. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.I am delighted that we will be able to call on such a highly talented, experienced and distinguished people for independent, high level advice and very much look forward to working with them and with Sir Robert May as my Deputy.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment her clean car task force has made of the research into wet collectors and coalescent filters conducted by Ford and PCME. [33112]

The Cleaner Vehicles Task Force, of which Ian McAllister of Ford is a co-chair, will be exploring a wide range of issues affecting the development, purchasing and use of cleaner vehicles. An element of major importance will be the contribution of new technologies to environmental objectives.At this early stage, no assessment of any individual technological solutions has been made. However, under the Foresight Vehicle LINK Programme, the Government are providing over £5 million for collaborative research between industry and the science-base, to accelerate the exploitation of a range of environmentally friendly automotive technologies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the homicide inquiry reports set up under HSG(94)27 which are currently under way, their commissioning authorities and their proposed reporting dates. [33848]

The following homicide inquiries are underway:

Lead commissioning authority	inquiry
Southampton Health Authority	Mr. E
Dorset Health Authority	Mr. E
Leicestershire Health Authority	Mr. P
Leicestershire Health Authority	Mr. S-P
County Durham Health Authority	Mr. J
Wigan & Bolton Health Authority	Mr. B
Lambeth, Southwark & Lewisham Health Authority	Mr. F
Lambeth, Southwark & Lewisham Health Authority	Mr. H
North Essex Health Authority	Mr.L/Mr.E
Berkshire Health Authority	Ms M
Berkshire Health Authority	Mr. C
East Norfolk HA	Mr. H

Publication dates for the inquiry reports have not been finalised.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the possible link between the MMR vaccine and the development of autism. [33921]

Following recent media coverage of a paper published in The Lancet on 28 February, the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Kenneth Calman, issued a public statement on 12 March as follows:

"Since the Lancet article was published there has been much misleading media coverage about possible links between measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) and autism. I am concerned that health professionals should have available the best information to give to parents.

Despite the Lancet paper stating categorically 'We did not prove a link between MMR vaccine and the syndrome described', this work has been wrongly reported as demonstrating a real causal association.

Independent experts and I have seen the published research and we are not convinced that there is indeed any link. No evidence has been published that demonstrates that MMR plays a part in autism.

Only one of the 13 authors of the Lancet paper has suggested, although not via published papers, that MMR should be given as three separate injections at least a year apart. The following points are important for parents and health professionals alike:

There is no published evidence to support the separate doses suggestion. The suggestion is counter to the recommendations of the Department of Health's independent experts and the World Health Organisation.

There are clear adverse consequences from following such a suggestion: take up for three separate immunisations will undoubtedly be less than that where only one is needed—some children will inevitably miss one or two jabs.

During the period from the first to the third injections children will be left unnecessarily at risk from serious diseases whilst they wait, unprotected, for two years or more between vaccines. During this time they and their contacts are at risk of infection.

Concerned parents, may find it helpful to know that the Assistant Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Dr. Ralph Henderson, has written to the Department of Health this week saying:

'We believe none of these data [in the Lancet article] provide a basis for providing the different components of this vaccine in separate schedules.

We wished to inform you of this as a means of offering you and your colleagues support in remaining firm in supporting the continued use of this highly effective vaccine which has such an outstanding safety record.'

Immunisation policy is built on scientific evidence of benefit and risk. No scientific evidence of the risk of autism from MMR has been published. There is an inevitable increased risk in following the suggestion that children receive three separate vaccines, given that they may then be exposed to serious infections for far longer than necessary. Therefore I strongly recommend that parents continue to have their children vaccinated with MMR."

The Chief Medical Officer's statement also included the following joint statement by the British Medical Association, Community Practitioners' and Health Visitors' Association, Faculty of Public Health Medicine, General Medical Services Committee, Royal College of General Practitioners, Royal College of Midwives, Royal College of Nursing, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and Royal College of Physicians:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the provision of funding for renal services at (a) Preston and (b) Chorley and South Ribble Hospital. [33952]

The South Lancashire Health Authority contract for renal services with the Royal Preston Hospital for 1997–98 is for £640,000. No renal services are provided at Chorley and South Ribble hospital, with the exception of outreach nephrology outpatient clinics at the hospital, paid for through the Preston contract.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representation he has received on the incidence of deaths from kidney disease in the Chorley and South Ribble area. [33951]

We have not received any representations on the incidence of and deaths from kidney disease in the Chorley and South Ribble area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the BMA concerning its recent report on the therapeutic uses of cannabis; and if he will make a statement. [34459]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not had any discussions with the British Medical Association (BMA) on the therapeutic use of cannabis. However, the Chief Medical Officer and Departmental officials met the BMA on 10 March to discuss their report on the therapeutic uses of cannabis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total number of trusts in Oxfordshire; what is the average population served by each trust; what is the average national figure for all health authorities; and what is the Government's target figure for population coverage by health trusts. [34430]

The figures are set out in the table:

	Oxfordshire	England
Population (1996 estimates)	603,200	49,089,100
Number of National Health Service trusts	8	425
Population per NHS trust	75,400	115,500

There is no target for population cover by NHS trusts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients are currently on waiting lists in Oxfordshire; and how this compares to figures over the last two years. [34441]

Information on the number of residents of Oxfordshire Health Authority waiting on ordinary and day case waiting lists on 31 December 1997 and for the preceding two years is given in the table.

Numbers (in millions) of people and children, and the proportion of children, living in households with(a) income above half contemporary average income in 1979 and (b) above the 1979 half average in 1994–95, and (c) income above half contemporary average income in 1994–95. In each case figures are shown before housing costs (BHC) and after housing costs (AHC).
Year	Number of people		Number of children		Proportion of children
	BHC	AHC	BHC	AHC	BHC (per cent.)	AHC (per cent.)
(a) 1979	49.6	49.0	12.6	12.4	91	90
(b) 1994–95 above 1979 average	54.6	52.3	12.4	11.6	93	87
(c) 1994–95 above 1994–95 average	47.2	44.1	10.0	9.1	75	68

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on resourcing of community health trusts in Oxfordshire per head of population relative to other health authorities. [34450]

Different patterns of service provision in different parts of the country make such direct comparisons impossible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the statutory requirements for consultation when closing a community hospital. [34438]

The National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 requires that consultation must take place on the dissolution of NHS trusts. Additionally, the Community Health Councils (CHCs) Regulations 1996 require health authorities to consult CHCs on any proposals which the health authority has under consideration for any substantial developments of the health service in the CHCs' district and any substantial variation in the provision of such services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the level of poverty in (a) real and (b) relative terms in (i) 1979 and (ii) the most recent year for which data are available, giving the numbers and proportions of children above these levels. [28826]

I have been asked to reply.There are various indicators which can be used to determine the scale of the situation which needs to be addressed in reforming welfare.The tables shows the information required according to two indicators which can be used—people whose income is above half the average income, and numbers above the bottom quintile of the income distribution.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what proposals are under consideration to close Reigate Crown Court; and if he will make a statement. [33384]

The Court Service is currently reviewing the use made of Reigate County Court.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many Scottish Office civil servants were sent on (a) permanent and (b) temporary Brussels placements in each year from 1973 to 1997 [33708]

This information is not available from 1973. Reliable records are available only from 1990. The number of Scottish Office civil servants sent to Brussels each year is set out in the table. All were seconded on a temporary basis.

Year	Number
1990	1
1991	2
1992	6
1993	4
1994	4
1995	6
1996	5
1997	7

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the dates of each meeting of the European Council of Ministers since 1973 which was attended by himself or junior Scottish Office Ministers, specifying the policy areas under consideration in each case. [33709]

Records of the meetings attended by Scottish Office Ministers between 1973 and 1987 were not collated and the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The information for 1988 onwards is as follows:

Year	Scottish Office Minister attendance	Policy area of Council
1988	5	All Fisheries Councils
1989	4	Three Fisheries and one Regional Policy Council
1990	4	All Fisheries Councils
1991	5	Four Fisheries and one Agriculture Council
1992	8	Five Fisheries, two Agriculture and one Education Council
1993	8	Four Fisheries, one joint Environment/Transport, one joint Foreign Affairs/Agriculture, one Agriculture and one Justice and Home Affairs Council
1994	8	Six Fisheries, one Regional Policy and one Justice and Home Affairs Council
1995	7	Four Fisheries, one Agriculture, one Environment and one Justice and Home Affairs Council
1996	15	Eight Agriculture, five Fisheries and two Environment Councils
1997	10	Four Agriculture, three Fisheries, two Education and one Environment Council

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the occasions when Scottish Office Ministers have been members of Government delegations at meetings with (a) EU institutions and (b) EU member states' Governments. [34936]

Details as from 1 May 1997 are in the table.

Date	Meeting	Minister
Council of Ministers
May 20–21	Agriculture Council	Lord Sewel
June 26	Education Council	Mr. Wilson
October 16	Environment Council	Lord Sewel
October 20	Agriculture Council	Lord Sewel
October 30	Fisheries Council	Lord Sewel
November 20	Education Council	Mr. Wilson
December 9	Informal ESDP Council	Mr. Chisholm
December 18–19	Fisheries Council	Lord Sewel
Bilaterals with the European Commission
June 1–2	Meetings with Commissioners	Lord Sewel and
	Kinnock and Bonino	Mr. Wilson