asked Her Majesty's Government:How the recent reduction in funding for the Overseas Development Scholarships award will reduce the number of scholarships for new candidates which may be awarded in 1996 in comparison with those awarded in 1995, and whether there will be any change in the method of allocation used in 1996 in comparison with that used in 1995.

ODA will continue to provide substantial support in 1996–97 for scholarships and technical co-operation training under bilateral aid arrangements. The numbers of new awards are not available but are likely to show a small overall reduction from the totals funded in recent years.Selection criteria and procedures remain unchanged.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the outcome of the Environment Council on 4th March 1996.

My right honourable friends the Secretary of State for the Environment and the Secretary of State for Wales represented the United Kingdom at the Environment Council in Brussels on 4th March.The Council discussed the Commission's proposed amendment to the leghold traps regulation. In response to representations by the United Kingdom, the Commission was invited to produce a fixed timetable as soon as possible for concluding negotiations it is conducting with the fur-producer countries. The Council also accepted the proposal by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Environment that the import ban on furs obtained from leghold traps should come into force on 1st January 1997 unless the Community's final attempt at a negotiated agreement with the producer states on the introduction of alternative humane traps succeeds.Council Conclusions were agreed on the Commission's Communication on the wise use and conservation of wetlands. During an open debate on this, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Wales welcomed the conclusions and advised the Council of the extensive action taken by the United Kingdom to conserve wetlands which are already well protected by national and European legislation. My right honourable friend also provided the Council with a comprehensive report on the latest state of play in respect of the "Sea Empress" incident, particularly paying tribute to all those who had been involved in the clean up, and expressing the hope that the Commission would respond favourably to his request for financial assistance.Council Conclusions were agreed on the forthcoming 1996 session of the United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development and on the Community Strategy for the protection of the ozone layer. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Environment supported Common Positions which were agreed on the amendments to the Waste Shipments Regulation and on the Labelling of Dangerous Substances Directive (67/548). The Council also agreed a Community negotiating mandate for a protocol to the Barcelona Convention on the shipment of hazardous waste; and the Community negotiating mandate for an amendment to the Paris Commission to allow the use of hexachloroethane in certain limited circumstances.The Council discussed the annexes to the proposed Biocides Directive and, for the first time, considered the Commission proposal to control emissions from off-road vehicles and the Commission Communication on CO

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have any reports of suspected adverse reactions to glyphosate either on its own or in combination with other chemicals.

Incidents where ill health is alleged to have been caused by exposure to pesticides, including those containing glyphosate, should be notified to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). In the past five years HSE investigated 25 such incidents, affecting 36 people, in which glyphosate was one of the active ingredients. For two of these incidents, affecting three people, HSE's Pesticide Incidents Appraisal Panel assessed that the reported pesticide exposure was likely to be the cause of the reported ill health.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many local authorities have claimed Specified Capital Grant ("SCG") for private sector renovation in excess of the figure identified for that purpose in their Housing Investment Programme allocation for 1995–96; and what is the total value of such additional SCG claimed.

Local authorities' claims represent their estimates of expenditure attracting specified capital grant in 1995–96 and are subject to change until February 1997 when final audited claims for 1995–96 are due to be submitted. At this stage it is not possible to disaggregate claims and allocations for housing defects expenditure from those for private sector renewal. On this basis 244 local authorities claimed a total of £58.6 million in excess of their guideline allocation for private sector renewal and housing defects.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are in a position to announce the establishment of a UK Al Area under the provisions of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System.

We are pleased to announce that the seas around the UK coastline will become an Al Area: that is, an area within automated Very High Frequency (VHF) radiotelephone coverage of coast stations.Between now and 1999, VHF Digital Selective Calling (DSC) equipment will be installed in HM Coastguard's radio sites. Implementation will begin this year with stations in the English Channel. The GMDSS system is being implemented in line with requirements in the Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS) and applies to passenger and merchant vessels of 300 gross tonnage and upwards, for both national and international voyages.This decision means that, as implementation progresses, ship operators in the sea area around the UK coast will be able to press a simple distress button automatically to alert shore-based DSC stations as well as other ships. The system does not need voice activation or telegraphy and so will speed up the transmission of distress messages. In order to maintain services for smaller vessels not covered by the new system. HM Coastguard will maintain a listening watch on the present calling and safety channel, Channel 16, for as long as necessary after 1st February 1999.

asked Her Majesty' s Government:When the East London line will be reopened.

I understand that London Underground plan to re-open the East London line in early 1997, subject to receiving the necessary approval from the London Docklands Development Corporation for their proposed works on the Thames tunnel.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many applications were made to the High Court of Justice for leave to challenge administrative decisions by way of judicial review in 1974 and 1994 respectively, and the number of cases in each of those two years in which the ultimate finding by the courts was that Ministers or government officials had acted unlawfully.

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Chief Executive of the Court Service. I have accordingly asked the Chief Executive to reply direct.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will encourage the development of a private sector market in information by adopting a policy, on the same lines as that expressed in the US Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, that they will not restrict or regulate the use, resale or re-dissemination of public information by the public; charge fees or royalties for the resale or re-dissemination of public information; or establish user fees for public information that exceed the cost of dissemination.

The Government seek to make this information as widely available as possible and fees or royalties are waived or reduced for reproduction of material for educational or non profit-making purposes, or where the need for the fullest dissemination is paramount and outweighs other considerations. However the government view is that arrangements made for the commercial exploitation of Crown material produced at taxpayers' expense should where appropriate ensure some financial return to the Crown. This may be reflected in a charge to recover the cost of dissemination, or through sale of the material at a reasonable market price where an established market exists.Acts of Parliament and Statutory Instruments may be freely reproduced in value-added contexts without the need to seek prior permission and without charge. A simple standard licence (QLM/2) is also available covering the value-added reproduction of most quasi-legislative material—at a reduced royalty rate—in print form, and discussions are taking place with the publishing community to determine how far a similar regime might be extended to electronic publishing of quasi-legislative material.Since 1986 Government has encouraged the supply of government held information to the private sector through its guidelines on government held tradeable information. These recognise the importance of the information industry in the economy and seek to encourage closer links between government departments and the private sector, building on the considerable activity that already exists.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Ministry of Defence's Homosexuality Policy Assessment team assessed the prospects of Her Majesty's Government's success in defending the Ministry's current policy on homosexuality before the European Court of Human Rights; and if so, whether they will publish the results of that assessment.

In accordance with its terms of reference, the Homosexuality Policy Assessment Team was required to undertake an internal assessment of the current policy. The report of that assessment was placed in the Library of the House on 4th March.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are satisfied that the BBC has in place appropriate arrangements to meet its obligations under the new Royal Charter to ensure that complaints made by viewers and listeners of the Home Services are given due consideration and are properly handled by the Corporation?

Yes, the BBC has put in place a range of measures to ensure that complaints are properly dealt with, and these are continuing to be developed in the light of experience. Routine comments, queries and criticisms about the BBC's programmes and policies are dealt with by its Viewer and Listener Information services. A daily summary of telephoned comments is seen by senior programme-makers so that they can gauge public reaction, and written representations are answered by the Viewer and Listener Correspondence section or programme-makers as appropriate. In accordance with the policies set out in 'An Accountable BBC' in 1993, and in addition to these established arrangements for handling the whole range of public comments, the Governors agreed a new approach to handling serious complaints about what the BBC has broadcast.Since February 1994, viewers and listeners have been able to write to a named individual in the new post of Head of the Programme Complaints Unit. The present head of the unit is Mr. Fraser Steel. The unit is independent of the programme-making divisions of the BBC and is responsible for ensuring that complaints about serious breaches of accepted broadcasting standards are dealt with thoroughly, impartially and quickly. Its primary purpose is to provide appropriate means of redress to licence-fee payers. All programme areas are required to co-operate with the unit's investigations and to make corrections or provide redress on air where that is warranted. The procedure can also identify weaknesses which need to be addressed or provide management with the grounds for taking other action to prevent the recurrence of problems identified.Any complainant who is not satisfied with the way in which the complaint has been handled by the unit may ask the Governors' Programme Complaints Appeals Committee, chaired by the noble Lord, Lord Cocks of Hartcliffe, to consider the matter. It will do so if in its judgment the complaint raises significant issues of public interest. It will then make a recommendation to the Board of Governors, who will decide on the outcome. The decision and the action taken are publicised in the regular Governors' Programme Complaints Bulletin, which also analyses complaints received centrally by the BBC and gives an account of the work of the Programme Complaints Unit, it summarises each complaint, the unit's findings and action taken. Details of the BBC complaints procedure are set out in a free leaflet, on the letters page of the Radio Times and on Ceefax.

asked Her Majesty's Government:If they will confirm the publication date of the Fourth Report of the Steering Group on Undergraduate Medical and Dental Education and Research.

We are pleased to announce that the Fourth Report of the Steering Group on Undergraduate Medical and Dental Education and Research is published today, and copies will be placed in the Library. Both the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Health welcome and endorse the report.The steering group brings together all the main bodies involved in the management of undergraduate medical and dental education and research, and we are grateful to the representatives of these bodies who have served on the group.Close co-operation between the National Health Service and the universities is essential for the successful management of medical and dental education and research. The report acknowledges and welcomes the close co-operation that already exists between the NHS and the universities and explores how this can he further developed. It includes a revision of the "Ten Key Principles" which help define the shared goals of the two parties.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they expect the secure training centres at (a) Gringley in Nottinghamshire and (b) Cookham Wood in Kent to he ready for use.

Tenderers have proposed a range of projected opening dates for the two Secure Training Centres. These dates form part of the negotiations currently taking place and when agreed will be specified in the final signed contracts.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In what circumstances County Fire Officers have the authority to require that traditional fire EXIT signs are replaced by the new European sign depicting a running person and what costs they estimate are being incurred as a result.

Where fire authorities are responsible for enforcing fire safety legislation, they are also responsible for enforcing the requirements for the provision and use of fire safety signs included in the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996. Those requirements for pictogram signs will only apply to existing fire safety signs after 24th December 1998. The estimated costs of this are between £2 million and £12 million.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the average prison population of adult females in 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995 respectively; how many of these were on remand; and how many were serving sentences of (a) under 12 months, (b) 12 months or more but under four years, and (c) four years or more; andWhat was the average prison population of adult males in 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995 respectively; how many of these were on remand; and how many were serving sentences of (a) under 12 months, (b) 12 months or more but under four years, and (c) four years or more.

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

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the average custodial population of offenders aged under 17 and under 21 respectively in 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995; how many of these were on remand; and how many were serving sentences of (a) under 12 months, (b) 12 months or more but under four years, and (c) four years or more.

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

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish a table of Turkish asylum seekers similar to the one given on 18th April 1994 (H.L. Deb., col.

The information requested is given in the table.