asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will list the defence capabilities that European members of NATO currently obtain from the US which they would have to "spend double their defence budgets to obtain" for themselves as stated by the Foreign Secretary on 21st March 1996 (HC Deb., col. 521).

For any European member of NATO to achieve a defence capability comparable to that of the US would require more than a doubling of their defence expenditure. A list of the most important specific capabilities which currently only the US can provide to the Alliance would include satellite intelligence and strategic Heavy Lift.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will list the states whose representatives participated, as members or observers, in the conference organised from Strasbourg in June 1995 by the European Commission for Democracy through Law, on the theme "Constitutional Justice and Democracy by Referendum"; and whether they will give the reasons for the lack of participation by the United Kingdom.

The following states were represented, as either members, associate members or observers, at the seminar on "Constitutional Justice and Democracy by Referendum", organised by the European Commission for Democracy through Law:

• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Finland
• France
• Hungary
• Italy
• Japan
• Lithuania
• Moldova
• Netherlands
• Poland
• Romania
• Russia
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Switzerland
• Turkey
• Ukraine
• United States

The United Kingdom is not a member of the European Commission for Democracy through Law. It was not invited to send participants to the seminar.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In cases where local authority finance has been capped, whether any allowance has been made to enable local authorities to cover the costs of modifying their software systems to address the problems caused by the year 2000.

No. But we would consider representations where authorities consider that modification of their software represents a significant and unpredicted new burden.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which European Union countries have so far failed (a) to transpose the provisions of the Habitats Directive into their national laws; and (b) to deposit with the Commission their lists of special areas of conservation which the directive requested them to do by June 1995, and what effect these delays will have on the future operation of the directive.

There is no official information available to the Government on member states' implementation of the Habitats Directive.The directive required member states to transpose its provisions by June 1994. Member states may choose the means of transposition into their national laws. It is for the European Commission to judge the extent to which such transposition in respect of the Habitats Directive has taken place.As far as the Government are aware, although all member states are actively engaged in site selection and consultation, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands have not so far submitted any part of their national lists of sites.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food should adopt the precautionary principle in cases where clear-cut evidence about the safety of food products is not available and cannot be obtained.

The Government already follow the precautionary principle in relation to the safety of food products. They require evidence of safety when a novel food is produced or when a new substance is added in the course of food production. If prima facie evidence is found of a new risk in established foods, the Government take action which leaves a significant margin of safety.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Environment Agency has now prepared its Code on Enforcement Practice.

The Environment Agency's Code on Enforcement Practice was adopted on 23rd April and copies have been placed in the Library of the House. It takes the form of a statement of enforcement policy which sets out how the agency will operate, and detailed guidance for warranted officers, setting out their responsibilities. The documents will be revised over time in the light of experience and comments from all the agency's customers.

Forest asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have completed their review of the results of trials of tugs in the Dover Strait and at Stornoway; and when they will publish those results and their intentions for the future.

The 1995–96 trial period for the two tugs finished on 30th April 1996. The results of the trials are currently being analysed and will be published in due course. We will make public our intentions for future tug deployment on completion of our consideration.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the future use for sport and recreation of British Coal recreational land is now safeguarded from conversion to other uses, and, if not, whether any other deadline for the transfer of such sites to new owners and occupiers has been set; andGiven that British Coal has refused to transfer any sites to the National Playing Fields Association, what alternative arrangements are being made for this land.

The Government's objective remains that British Coal land in active use for sport and recreation will be retained for those purposes. Discussions continue with British Coal and the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation as to how this can best be achieved. Those discussions will be concluded as soon as possible.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will provide a full listing of sites in the British Coal recreational package giving names, locations, current occupiers and current uses.

This is a matter for British Coal.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Answer given by Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish on 30th April (H.L. Deb., col. 1472), whether they will place in the Library a list of research papers dealing with the second order effects of benefit changes, stating to which benefit change each paper relates.

It is not possible to identify all those research papers which may prove useful for assessing the public expenditure consequences of benefit changes, including second order effects. An example of how research informs these assessments can be found in Options for Equality in State Pension Age (CM 1723, December 1991). Paragraphs 18 and 19 of Appendix 3 describe how the available research was used to estimate the indirect effects on public finances of changing state pension age. All the publications in the department's research report series are placed in the Library and the Research Yearbook provides details of individual projects commissioned by the department.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the rate of unemployment in the United Kingdom in May 1979, and what is the current rate of unemployment in: (a) the United Kingdom; (b) the United States of America and (c) Japan.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) publishes figures based on the internationally standard definition of unemployment recommended by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). It is the ILO definition of unemployment that provides the best basis for international comparisons. According to the available figures published by the OECD, the United Kingdom's ILO unemployment rate stood at 5.0 per cent. in the second quarter of 1979. In January 1996 (the latest available date for the comparison requested) the UK rate stood at 8.4 per cent., compared with 5.7 per cent. in the USA and 3.4 per cent. in Japan.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to ratify the additional protocol to the European social charter providing for a system of collective complaints; and, if not, why not.

The Government do not intend to ratify the additional protocol to the European social charter providing for a system of collective complaints. The Government do not consider that the protocol would improve the charter's supervisory system.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, following the establishment of literacy centres, they have any specific plans to improve the availability of books and teaching materials in schools.

The specification against which local education authorities bid for GEST funds to host literacy centres included funding for the purchase of books and any IT or other equipment related to the school's strategy for raising standards in literacy.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether following the review of education at 16 to 19, they have specific plans to ensure that the necessary new books and teaching materials are provided for students and libraries.

It is for schools and colleges to prioritise their spending depending on local needs and the overall resources available to them. We have asked for advice from the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority and the National Council for Vocational Qualifications on the implementation of the Dearing proposals for 16–19 qualifications. Detailed plans for following up the Dearing Review will take account of that advice.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to take steps to rectify the continuing failure, referred to in the Law Commission's Thirtieth Annual Report 1995 (Law Com. No. 239), to implement the Law Commission's reports on criminal law; and, if not why not; andWhether they intend to implement the Law Commission's report on

The Government value the work of the Law Commission, which has led to many valuable reforms of the criminal law. One measure currently before Parliament is the proposal to abolish the year and a day rule in homicide, which I hope will become law this session.Final decisions have yet to be taken on four other Law Commission reports relating to the criminal law, and these are currently under consideration. In particular, we are undertaking further work to assess the Law Commission's proposals for reform of the law on offences against the person.The Government are committed to introducing a Bill to combat loan fraud, as recommended by the Law Commission in their report,

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to respond to the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights in the cases of Singh and Hussain by introducing legislation to comply with those rulings; and if not, why not.

The Government have already announced that they are considering the implications of the judgments and will announce what changes will be made to take account of them as soon as possible.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the wheelchair voucher scheme announced by Mr. John Bowis on 23rd February 1996 will be available to people in Northern Ireland; and if not, why not.

The announcement on 23rd February referred only to England. In Northern Ireland, the Department of Health and Social Services is currently exploring with the four health and social services boards how the wheelchair service might be improved. In this context they will be considering the implications for Northern Ireland of the proposals for a voucher scheme.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many non-self-destructive anti-personnel land-mines they hold in stock at the most recent known date.

It is our established policy for security reasons not to reveal information relating to stock levels of munitions held or planned. However, as stated by my noble friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 23rd April 1996, Official Report, col. WA 89, we intend to reduce quantities by almost half as soon as is practicable.If agreement is reached for an international ban on all anti-personnel mines, or if viable alternatives to anti-personnel mines emerge, we will commence destruction of our remaining anti-personnel mines (none of which has a self-destruct capability).

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether any further cases of PrPCJ Disease have been identified since January 1996 and whether there is any reason to suppose the incubation period for this form of CJ Disease does not exceed 10 years [

One further case of the new variant of Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease has been confirmed since the announcement on 20th March that 10 cases had been identified.The incubation period for CJD is thought to range from five to 20 years.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, they regard the "hen test" as a reliable predictor of irreversible neuropathy caused by organophosphates.

The test in hens, as done according to modern protocols (e.g. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development guidelines) is the most satisfactory test generally availablefor the prediction of ability to produce organophosphate-induced delayed peripheral neuropathy. Hens are more sensitive to the development of the syndrome than laboratory rodents.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are satisfied that studies of long-term exposure to organophosphates in animals may confidently be extrapolated to humans.

Some caution is necessary in extrapolating animal studies to humans. It is important to consider factors such as metabolism and pharmacokinetics when making such extrapolations. The expert members of the Government's advisory committees and the department's professional staff are aware of these constraints when considering data from studies before advising the Government.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is necessary for organophosphates to age before neuropathies result.

The term aging refers to the enzyme neuropathy target esterase (NTE) not to organophosphates. The production of organophosphates-induced delayed peripheral neuropathy (OPIDN) appears to be associated with but not necessarily caused by phosphorylation, with consequent inhibition of NTE. OPIDN appears to occur only when inhibition of NTE is greater than 70 per cent. and this is followed by monodealkylation (aging). There is some evidence that the underlying mechanism may be different with some phosphoramidates—for example, the phosphorothioamidate pesticide methamidophos; with this substance, at high doses, aging does not seem to be obligatory for the development of OPIDN.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is known about the effects of exposure to organophosphates in humans upon enzymes other than neuropathy target esterase (NTE).

The acute effects of the organophosphates are caused by the ability of these compounds to inhibit various esterases, in particular acetylcholionesterase. Some, if not all, organophosphates have non-anticholinesterase effects; diisopropyl phosphorofluoridate (DFP) influences dopaminergic and somatostatinergic pathways in the rat and leptophos affects Gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) regulated chloride channels, as may sarin. Furthermore, parathion, parathion-methyl and malathion affect camodulin-dependent phosphodiesterase activity.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in view of the findings of scientists at Duke University Medical Centre and University of Texas Medical Centres that the action of carbonates is heightened when used in combination with other pesticides, they will require manufacturers to ensure that formulations of pesticides are safe for humans who may be exposed to them, and that these formulations are not used in combination with other pesticides.

I understand that the work referred to has not been fully published as yet. When publication has taken place the Government will consider whether the findings have implications for the regulation of pesticides. In approving pesticides the possibility of additive or synergistic effects in mixes are considered. The safety margins are such that any risks of adverse effects are small. It is not possible to test for synergistic effects using all possible combinations but such effects are very unlikely at very low doses and where observed in animal experiments they are generally due to metabolic causes.