asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will make representations to the Israeli Government concerning their orders to dynamite the homes of Palestinian terrorists.

We utterly condemn the recent bombings in Israel, and understand the Israeli government's pressing need for national security. But in the wider interests of peace, we have urged them to adopt a balanced response.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether in general discussions and exchanges on human rights it is made clear that the private possession of guns is in no sense a "human right" universally recognised by NATO and whether they will emphasise this to those countries where the United States has already persuaded their government otherwise.

The major UN human rights conventions neither explicitly prohibit nor explicitly permit the private possession of guns. Gun control is a matter for decision by individual countries and does not normally feature on the agenda for human rights discussions with other governments.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will intercede with the Ruler of Bahrain, His Highness Shaikh 'Issa Bin Salman al-Khalifa, to commute the death sentence of 'Issa Ahmad Hassan Qambar, which was upheld by the Court of Cessation on 17th March, bearing in mind the concern expressed by Amnesty International that the trial did not comply with the 1984 United Nations Safeguards guaranteeing the protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty (paragraph 5) and their fears that the defendant may have been convicted on the basis of a confession extracted under torture.

Mr. Qambar was executed on 26th March. He had been convicted by the Bahraini High Criminal Court for the murder of a policeman. Our Embassy in Bahrain followed this case closely and on the basis of the information they obtained, we did not consider that there were any grounds for intervention.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they agree that crimes against humanity, as defined in Article 3 of the Statute of the International Tribunal for Rwanda, and violations of Article 3 common to the Geneva Conventions and of Additional Protocol II, are crimes of universal jurisdiction, and if so, what arrangements they have made, together with other states, for the collection of witness statements and other evidence, preparatory to bringing charges against Saddam Hussain and his principal lieutenants for these crimes, and in particular for the mass murder by chemical weapons of over 5,000 men, women and children in the town of Halabja on 17th March 1988.

The article of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 providing for the prosecution by all parties or persons alleged to have committed grave breaches of the conventions do not cover breaches of Common Article 3. Additional Protocol 2 to the Geneva Conventions does not contain any provisions for the prosecution of grave breaches. As regards crimes against humanity, there is no international agreement providing for universal jurisdiction over such crimes, though it is proposed that they should form one of the categories of crimes over which the proposed International Criminal Court should have jurisdiction. We are aware that certain organisations are collecting and assessing information relating to events in Halabja in March 1988.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What support they have provided to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees' camp for Iraqi refugees in northern Saudi Arabia; how many refugees from that camp have been resettled in the United Kingdom; and how this number compares with the numbers of those resettled in the United States and in Scandinavia.

The UK has not provided any support for the Iraqi refugees in Saudi Arabia (some 13,080 in total), because the Saudi Government meet all camp costs and have not asked for any outside help. There has been some British Council assistance in the form of self learn English language tapes for the refugees.According to UNHCR records, some 16,508 refugees have been resettled abroad to date. Among the larger receiving countries are USA (8,057), Sweden (1,734), Iran (2,630), Australia (1,148), Netherlands (895). Denmark has taken 458, Norway 482 and Finland 302, while Canada has received 416 and the UK 56. Other receiving countries include Syria, Pakistan, Switzerland and New Zealand.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the outcome of the General Affairs Council on 25th March.

The A points listed in document 5975/96, which will be deposited in the Libraries of the House as soon as it is available, were approved. These included a draft mandate for a free trade agreement on South Africa, on which the UK abstained.The Council took note of the resolutions in Documents 4970/96 (PE-RE 15) and 5126/96 (PE-RE 18). Copies of these documents will be deposited in the Libraries of the House as soon as they are available.The Council discussed the follow-up to the Barcelona Conference and progress on negotiations and exploratory talks on Euro-Mediterranean Agreements. The Council also discussed the MEDA Regulation, covering financial assistance to Mediterranean countries; and had a brief discussion of EU/Albania relations, noting the Commission's intention to make a proposal for a new EU/Albania agreement.The Council discussed EU/Turkey relations. The Association Council with Turkey was postponed to allow the Council to consider Prime Minister Yilmaz' statement on 24th March. The Presidency stressed their determination to reinstate the Association Council shortly, in order to register real progress.The Council gave its formal agreement to the convening of an Intergovernmental Conference. The first meeting will be in Turin on 29th March. The Council also reached agreement in principle on the mechanism for keeping the European Parliament informed about the progress of the Intergovernmental Conference.The Council discussed Former Yugoslavia and agreed the appointment of a new EU Administrator in Mostar. The Council agreed that compliance by the Bosnian parties with Dayton would be an important condition for the April donors' conference. The Council also adopted a decision on demining in Former Yugoslavia.The Council discussed the Middle East Peace Process. The Presidency gave a brief report on the follow-up to the recent Foreign Ministers' meeting in Palermo and the Sharm el Sheikh Summit.The Council discussed the WTO telecoms negotiations and agreed a statement pointing to EU willingness to improve its offer in Geneva.The Council discussed EU/Canada relations, agreeing that the Presidency and Commission should draw up an EU action plan with Canada.The Council heard a report from Portugal on the recent all-party talks on East Timor held in Austria under UN auspices.A Portuguese proposal for an EU-Africa summit and a Commission communication on conflict prevention in Africa were remitted to officials for further consideration.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What assessment has been made of arrangements for co-ordinating government policy towards the South West.

The Government Office for the South West already plays a valuable role in ensuring close dialogue between government and the people, businesses and local representative bodies of the South West. But this is the largest English region, and it has distinct identities and needs. In recognition of this, my right honourable friend the Prime Minister has asked the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Urban Regeneration, Mr. Curry, to act as a central co-ordinator of government policy towards the South West. Working with colleagues in the relevant government departments, Mr. Curry will take a close interest in the broad issues affecting the whole of the South West, but will focus particularly on the concerns and interests of the peninsular counties of Devon and Cornwall.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In the light of paragraph 10 of their Memorandum on their approach to European defence issues at the 1996 IGC, which are the "wholly European military structures" that they believe it would be "wasteful to develop" separately; whether they consider it would be "wasteful to develop" structures over which the United States retains a veto; and whether these include surveillance capabilities some of the products of which may not be passed to the United Kingdom or other US allies on request.

The Government's primary concern is to avoid the development of separate, purely European command structures which would duplicate those already available within the Alliance and would damage NATO as well as being wasteful. The Government believe that it is better instead to capitalise on existing structures within NATO, which continues to provide the basis of our common security. These arrangements do not include purely national capabilities, including the surveillance capabilities of the United States.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Answer given by Earl Howe on 19th March (

A survey into the attitude of members of the Armed Forces towards homosexuality was conducted as part of the department's recent homosexuality policy assessment, recommended by the High Court following the unsuccessful challenge made last year to the legality of the policy by four former Service personnel. The Armed Forces are, with certain qualifications where nationality and residence rules are concerned, Equal Opportunities Employers under the Race Relations Act 1976; we therefore see no requirement to conduct a similar assessment of the attitude of Service personnel towards the recruitment of ethnic minorities.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the report in The

The Guardian article to which the noble Lord referred was correct in stating that Irish and Commonwealth citizens are to be excluded from applying for certain Civil Service posts. The article was no doubt prompted by the following statement made in another place by my right honourable friend, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 1st March:"The European Communities (Employment in the Civil Service) Order 1991 brought UK law into line with European Community requirements, by permitting nationals of other member states to apply for certain civil service posts, but a number of anomalies remain. One of these is that citizens of the Republic of Ireland (and of Commonwealth countries) are currently eligible for recruitment to a wide range of posts in the Home Civil Service, including those which constitute "employment in the public service" (in EC Treaty terms), whereas nationals of other European Economic Area countries are only eligible for those posts which do not constitute such employment. It is clear that we need to amend the current rules. Recruitment schemes with closing dates for the receipt of applications on or after 1st June 1996 for posts which constitute "employment in the public service" will therefore be reserved for United Kingdom nationals and will not be open to Irish or Commonwealth citizens. Applications from citizens of these countries will from 1st June be treated on the same basis as those from citizens from other European Economic Area countries. The change will not affect the position of citizens of the Republic of Ireland and of Commonwealth countries already in post on 31st May 1996. Neither will it affect the position of candidates from those countries for recruitment schemes with a closing date for the receipt of applications before 1st June 1996.My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is making arrangements for changes to the rules for entry to the Northern Ireland Civil Service which will achieve the same position there in the same timescale."There are about 132,000 posts in the Home Civil Service in the "reserved" category, amounting to about 25 per cent. of the total. Many of these will not be direct entry posts. Citizens of the Republic of Ireland and of the Commonwealth will continue to be eligible for recruitment to about 75 per cent. of Civil Service posts.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will issue their consultation paper on proposals for promoting greater competition in the water industry.

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Environment has today issued a consultation paper on extending competition and customer choice in water and sewerage services.Competition is the best guarantee for consumers that they receive value for money, better services and lower prices. The Government are looking to increase progressively competition in the water industry within a strong regulatory framework designed to ensure effective protection and enhancement of water quality and the environment. The proposals in this consultation document,

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many inspectors were employed by the Health and Safety Executive on matters concerned with railway safety in each year from 1990 to date; and how many such inspectors they expect to remain in post during the coming year.

The following table shows the number of inspectors employed by the Department of Transport in 1990, and by the Health and Safety Executive from 1991 to 1996 on railway safety matters.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish any estimates they have received from local authorities as to the level of financial help that those authorities will require as a result of the recent changes in social security benefits for asylum seekers.

Officials in the Departments of the Environment and of Health have invited local authority associations to provide estimates of the likely costs that local authorities, in England, will face. None has yet been received.

asked Her Majesty's Government:(a) how many households in Gloucestershire were recorded in the 1991 census as living in accommodation matching the definition of a single room in a shared house; and (b) how many young people are projected by Gloucestershire County Council to approach young single housing projects in the coming year.

The number of households in Gloucestershire recorded in the 1991 Census of Population as having residents living in one room in a shared dwellings was 1,223. This figure includes a bedsit where there was only one self-contained dwelling in the building, but excludes one roomed flatlets with a private bath or shower, WC and kitchen facilities.Information on projections by Gloucestershire County Council is not held centrally.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What further action is needed to implement Council Directive 91/689/EEC as amended by 94/31/EC (the Hazardous Waste Directive).

The Special Waste Regulations 1996 were laid before Parliament today and will come into force on 1st September 1996 and implement Council Directive No. 91/689/EEC on hazardous waste as amended by Council Directive 94/31/EC. These regulations replace the Control of Pollution (Special Waste) Regulations 1980.The main provisions of the 1996 regulations are to:

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the allowances paid to ex-offenders on the Training for Work Programme were last uprated for inflation.

All participants on Training for Work, including ex-offenders, receive an allowance based on the benefit they were receiving immediately before they joined the programme plus a training premium of £10 a week. Allowance payments were increased in line with the increase in underlying benefits in April 1995.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will provide figures for the number of annual recorded cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) in other member countries of the EC, with a breakdown by age group of those affected.

Since 1993, the European Community has funded a project to co-ordinate the surveillance of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in those European countries with existing or proposed national CJD surveillance programmes—i.e. France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. This project is co-ordinated by the National CJD Surveillance Unit in Edinburgh. The data collected for 1993 and 1994 were published in the National CJD Surveillance Unit's Fourth Annual Report (August 1995), copies of which are available in the Library. The 1995 figures are not yet available. The incidence of CJD in the UK is similar to that in the other European countries taking part in the project.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will announce the appointment of the Director General of the Prison Service.

With the approval of the Prime Minister, my right honourable friend the Home Secretary has today appointed Richard Tilt as Director General of the Prison Service.My right honourable friend also proposes to establish a Prison Service Advisory Board to advise him on the performance and plans of the Prison Service, including the key performance indicators, and on policy matters relating to the Prison Service. The advisory board will have a part-time non-executive chairman and the other members will include the director general, other senior Home Office and Prison Service officials and other non-executives.My right honourable friend has concluded that the terms of the framework document which established the Prison Service as an executive agency of the Home Office in 1993 would benefit from some clarification. My right honourable friend proposes to ask the advisory board further to consider the need for such clarification and to make recommendations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:On how many occasions in the past month practical difficulties have caused the cancellation of passport inspection on Eurostar trains from Paris.

In the period 21st February 1996 to 20th March 1996 practical difficulties led to the scheduled passport control on board Eurostar services from Paris being replaced on 10 occasions (about 3 per cent. of the total) by a control on arrival at Waterloo International.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the terms of contractual arrangements between the Home Office and European Passenger Services (EPS) concerning the regularity of on-train inspection of passports by immigration officers on Eurostar trains from Paris; and how much EPS pays for this service.

The regularity of on-board passport control by immigration officers on Eurostar services is agreed in discussions between the Immigration Service and European Passenger Services. The details of the terms and costs of the contract which sets out the basis for these discussions are matters of commercial confidentiality which it would not be proper to disclose.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many immigration officers are employed to inspect passports on Eurostar trains from Paris; and how many more inspectors would be required to ensure that all passengers' passports are checked on such trains.

Currently there are 116 immigration officers based at Waterloo International, all of whom are engaged in carrying out passport controls on Eurostar services. This level of staff is sufficient to carry out passport control on board all services from Paris except those which we have agreed with European Passenger Services will not have on-board clearance. In addition, there are occasions when practical difficulties, such as staff sickness, lead to the cancellation of a scheduled on-board control. We do not have spare staff at Waterloo International to cater for such circumstances; it would clearly be very wasteful of resources to do so. In the absence of on-board controls, we seek to delay passengers as little as possible at our control at Waterloo International and to meet our published service standard for maximum queuing times.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many aliens currently have the right of permanent residence in the United Kingdom for business or employment purposes.

European Economic Area nationals and their family members may reside freely in the United Kingdom in employment or business, in accordance with European Community law. All foreign nationals, including EEA nationals, and Commonwealth citizens who have been granted settlement in the United Kingdom under the Immigration Rules may seek employment or to establish a business here. Information on the number of such persons currently resident in the United Kingdom is not available.The numbers of persons who have been granted settlement each year, in total and identifying separately those accepted on the basis of employment or an existing business, are published in Table 6.3 of the annual publication Control of

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the growth in population of Britain's prisons can be reconciled with the proposed reduction in the number of serving prison officers; and whether they will list the prison facilities such as gymnasia, libraries, education blocks and workshops which are now unused or only partially used as the result of a lack of supervisors.

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:What is their response to the hope expressed by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration in paragraph 10 of his third report

Neither the Child Support Agency nor any other business unit will be required to make savings which lower efficiency.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the third report of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration,

No. The inability of the courts to provide adequate or consistent levels of child maintenance is well documented. There is nothing in the Parliamentary Commissioner's recent report to suggest that the courts would have been able to cope with the flows of work and the disruptions—often deliberate—faced by the Child Support Agency.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in the light of their commitment to supporting marriage expressed in Clause 1 of the Family Law Bill, they will compensate those falsely identified by the Child Support Agency as absent parents for injury caused to their marriages.

A new type of consolatory payment will be introduced. In the tiny proportion of cases where the Child Support Agency is culpable of sending a maintenance enquiry form to a person who is not the parent of the child (or children) in question, that person will be entitled to a consolatory payment for the upset and inconvenience caused by this error. This new payment will be introduced from 1st April 1996.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they accept the view expressed by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration in May 1995 and repeated in paragraph 13 of his third report (

An independent complaints examiner will be recruited for the Child Support Agency later this year. The agency will be running a pilot scheme during the summer in order to inform the guidelines within which the examiner will operate. The intention is that a full independent complaints service will be in operation shortly after that.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What legal criteria they employ to identify two people as an unmarried couple.

For the purposes of deciding entitlement to social security benefits, decisions about whether a man and a woman are living together as an unmarried couple are made by adjudication officers. Guidance on the factors to be taken into account is issued by the Chief Adjudication Officer. The adjudication officer will normally consider whether the alleged couple share normal household tasks, how long the couple have been together, whether they share bills and other household expenses, if other people regard them as a couple, and whether there are children of their union or they share responsibility for childcare. Information about a sexual relationship is not requested, but if volunteered, will also be taken into consideration.Decisions are made on the facts of the individual case. The criteria do not represent a rigid formula, and the presence or absence of any single factor will not by itself determine the decision.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether for each year from 1950 to 1995 inclusive they will state the public sector debt as a percentage of GDP.

The information requested is shown in the table. Figures for public sector debt are available only from 1970.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will state for each year from 1950 to 1995 inclusive capital spending as a percentage of—

The attached table shows capital spending as a proportion of total spending on a national accounts definition for central government, local authorities and general government.The data necessary to calculate these proportions are available only back to 1963 and up to Q3 1995.