asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they support the United States of America's policy of funding and building up Israel as a regional nuclear super-power in the Middle East.

Relations between the United States and Israel are a matter for the two countries concerned.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What effect on NATO countries' relations with Middle Eastern countries they consider the proposed United States agreement with Israel will have, especially in view of Israel's wish to be provided under that agreement with advanced US Counter-proliferation systems and with "real-time" input from US surveillance and intelligence satellites and to prevent sales of spy satellites and satellite photographs to Arab countries.

Bilateral arrangements between NATO allies and other countries are a matter for the governments concerned.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will support Egypt and other countries in requiring that Israel's actions as well as others' are fully examined at the Sharm El Sheikh follow-up meeting on terrorism later this month.

The meeting planned for 22nd April was cancelled. But the United Kingdom will continue to be closely involved in the work following up the Sharm El Sheikh summit.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What financial objectives they have set for London Transport.

We have written to Peter Ford, chairman of LT, to set new medium-term financial objectives for LT to achieve in 1998–99. These replace the objectives which came to an end on 31st March 1996. The package of new objectives sets challenging but achievable targets for the continued improvement in LT's financial performance and efficiency. The objectives are set out below.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will take steps to reduce the confusion caused to patients by the variety of names given to the same drug.

The "brand name" of a medicine is determined by the manufacturer and is considered for its suitability by the licensing authority before a product is put on the market. Where a "brand name" is used for a medicine, the "generic" or "common" name of the active ingredient must always be shown clearly on all labelling in addition.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they can give further details of the forthcoming firearms amnesty.

My right honourable friend the Home Secretary and my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Scotland have today announced that a national firearms amnesty will start on 3 June and will run for the rest of that month. It will apply to England and Wales and to Scotland and will enable people to hand in to a police station illegally held weapons without fear of prosecution. It will not, however, give immunity against any offences committed using those weapons. The amnesty will also provide an opportunity for people to hand in unwanted but legally held weapons.Guidance has been issued to the police to ensure that all appropriate arrangements are made to facilitate the surrender of weapons during the period of the amnesty.Publicity material will be made available locally to provide people with information as to how they can hand in weapons.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What were the United Kingdom's overall regional trade balances during the latest three years for which figures are available with (a) North and South America; (b) Africa; (c) Australasia and the Pacific; (d) Asia; and (e) the European Communities.

The information for the three years to 1994 is published by the Office for National Statistics in table G2A of the Geographical Analysis of the Current Account of the Balance of Payments, which appeared in the October 1995 issue of Economic Trends and is available in the Library of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the outcome of the Agriculture Council held in Luxembourg on.1st to 3rd April.

I refer my noble friend to the Statement given by my noble friend Lord Lindsay to the House on 3rd April 1996 (Official Report, cols. 356–360).

asked Her Majesty's Government:What financial support will be provided to UK beef producers and slaughterhouses in the current financial year.

I refer my noble friend to the statement that my noble friend Lord Lindsay repeated on 16th April 1996 (Official Report, col. 597).In addition to the support measures previously announced, particularly for the rendering industry and for the slaughter of young bull calves, the measures set out below have now been implemented. Parliamentary approval for additional provision and for the funding of new services will be sought in Supplementary Estimates for Class III Vote 1 (Intervention Board—Executive Agency: CAP market support and administration) and Class III Vote 2 (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; operational expenditure, agencies and departmental administration). Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £190 million will be met by repayable advances from the Contingencies Fund.1. Supplementary compensation payments on steers and heifers—i.e. older beef cattle whose market value is greater than cull cows.Cost: £80 million on Class III Vote 1. An advance from the Contingencies Fund of the full amount is required.2. Emergency aid to the slaughtering industry, comprising two elements:

asked Her Majesty's Government:What targets have been set for the Pesticides Safety Directorate in 1996–97.

My right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has set the Pesticides Safety Directorate the following targets relating to financial performance, efficiency, the delivery of pesticides approval services and policy advice in 1996–97:

• To achieve 100 per cent. recovery of costs;
• To comply with budgetary controls resulting from the Public Expenditure Survey and the Supply Estimates;
• To achieve an overall efficiency gain of 3 per cent.;

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the saving to public funds incurred by paying 50 per cent. compensation on BSE-infected cattle before 1990; and what has been the further saving incurred since the reduction of compensation in 1994.

If compensation had been paid at 100 per cent. prior to February 1990 it is estimated that the Government would have incurred an increase in compensation payments of somewhere in the order of £3.5 million.Farmers receive the market value of their animals slaughtered as BSE suspects, up to a ceiling. The calculation of the maximum compensation rate for BSE suspect animals was changed with effect from 1st April 1994 to better reflect the age structure of the cattle population succumbing to the disease and so match market values more accurately. Had the previous method of calculation been used in the period 1st April 1994 to 31st March 1996 then expenditure on BSE compensation could have been up to £4.25 million higher, depending on the market value of the animals

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will consider using the Narang Test, reported in

We have asked Dr. Narang for details of the urine test he claims to have developed to diagnose BSE in cattle in the field. So far he has failed to provide us with any details of his test for assessment; nor has he published details of it in an independent, peer-reviewed journal, me usual way to verify such tests.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether there have been any outbreaks of BSE in the European Community apart from the recent case in France.

The following number of BSE cases have been notified in the following countries up to 18th April 1996:

• Republic of Ireland 124
• France 17
• Portugal 34 (of which 3 are cases imported from UK)
• Germany 4 (all cases are imported from UK)
• Denmark 1 (case imported from UK)
• Italy 2 (both cases imported from UK)

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will provide quarterly figures for the percentage of outbreaks of BSE in the United Kingdom split between pure beef, mixed and pure milk herds for the last two years.

The following table shows the quarterly figures of BSE cases, by date of confirmation, by production type:

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they can provide the most recent quarterly figures for the incidence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the United Kingdom and whether the number of cases has declined in the last two years; and

The following table shows the number of BSE cases confirmed by region, by date of confirmation for the last two years (April 1994 to March 1996):five years. The total number of cases in 1995 was 40.8 per cent. lower compared with 1994.