To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the annual expenditure on schemes to teach Welsh as a second language to adults in Wales.

Welsh Office support for the teaching of Welsh to adults amounts to over £305,000 in 1989–90. This complements the support given by LEAs, which are the main providers in this field.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the number of ewe and lamb slaughterings in Wales for each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Estimates of slaughterings of sheep are available only for the two categories shown in the table:

	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
Ewes and rams	80·7	131·7	194·2	198·5	1224·3
Sheep and lambs (excluding ewes and rams)	1,478·6	1,646·6	1,739·5	1,793·0	12,161·1
1 Provisional.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will convene a meeting of teacher unions in Wales to discuss with them resignations from the teaching profession in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

We are always prepared to consider requests from the teachers' unions for meetings to discuss issues of concern to them. We have had no such request.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will make a statement on stress in the teaching profession in Wales;(2) what is his assessment of the impact upon teachers of the demands of the Education Reform Act in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

There is widespread support in the teaching profession for the changes introduced by the Education Reform Act and notably for the introduction of a national curriculum and local management of schools. We are well aware that this support is tempered by concerns about the demands placed on teachers by the pace of these changes. We have instigated a number of measures to help teachers and provide them with support.We are providing grant support to LEAs in Wales in 1990–91 of £3·9 million specifically for in-service training to support the teaching and assessment of the national curriculum; and a further £4·5 million, under the education support grant scheme, on projects directly related to the introduction of national curriculum core subjects. We are also providing about £0·5 million of funding for the Curriculum Council for Wales to develop through its teacher support groups practical help and advice for teachers in implementing the national curriculum.The Secretary of State for Education and Science and my right hon. Friend are currently considering advice from the School Examinations and Assessment Council about the administration of assessment of the national curriculum at key stage 1 (five to seven-year-old pupils). In considering our response we are particularly concerned that the systems should be practicable for teachers and not excessively demanding. The assessment arrangements will be developed in the light of practical pilot studies in schools in Wales.Our officials have been working with local education authorities to develop a co-operative approach to information requirements; we intend to ensure that the demands on schools are kept to the minimum necessary and that all agencies ensure that requests for information are not duplicated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the percentage collection of the poll tax in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

I expect the vast majority of the people of Wales to abide by the law. I therefore expect a very high percentage collection of the community charge.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps have been taken to ensure that the standard fencing erected on behalf of his Department on the A483 Ruabon bypass is adequate for the purpose of preventing livestock from straying on the highway; and if he will make a statement.

All fencing along the Ruabon bypass complies with appropriate departmental standards and specifications.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements will be made to cover the gap between the date at which membership of the existing consultative health council comes to an end and 1 January 1991 when the proposed new structure will come into existence.

I assume the right hon. Gentleman is referring to community health councils. It is intended that new councils will be set up in shadow form from 1 January 1991 but will not take over from existing councils until 1 April 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what have been the results of his recent visit to Saudi Arabia.

I was pleased to be able to visit Saudi Arabia between 5 and 8 February as the guest of Shaikh Hisham Nazer, the Minister for Petroleum and Mineral Resources. I was accompanied on the visit by a team of Welsh business men and representatives of the university of Wales. In the course of my visit I held productive discussions with leading Saudi Ministers, business men and academics, and I was delighted by the enthusiasm with which we were received.The business mission was a resounding success and £7 million of orders for Welsh companies have already been secured, with a further £2·5 million anticipated in the immediate future, and the prospect of more to come thereafter. Three joint venture partnerships with Saudi companies have also been identified; and some 50 inquiries for the supply of products, offers of distributorship and supply partnerships have been made by Saudi businesses, which are being channelled to appropriate Welsh and United Kingdom companies.Following my meeting with the Saudi Minister for Education and visits by the university of Wales representatives to Saudi universities and higher education establishments, new and valuable academic links between Wales and Saudi Arabia have been forged. We anticipate formal co-operation agreements between the university of Wales and the King Saud university and the King Fahd university of petroleum and minerals. This will lead to significantly more Saudi students studying in Wales and an expansion of staff and student interchanges.I suggested reciprocal visits to Wales by the principals of the five Saudi colleges of agriculture and by a mission of Saudi business men and I am glad to say that both these invitations were enthusiastically accepted.This has been one of the most successful missions from Wales and is further evidence of the growing strength of the Welsh economy. When we welcome the teams of Saudi business men and academics in the near future they will be able to see for themselves the quality of products and research produced in Wales and I am sure that this will lead to further opportunities for mutual investment and exchanges between Wales and Saudi Arabia.

To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will make a statement on his policy in relation to the Icklingham treasure.

I do not think it would be appropriate for me to comment on this particular matter while it is still under police investigation. I have kept in close touch with developments and had a number of meetings with those involved. In the meantime, my noble Friend Lord Hesketh has announced in another place the plans of the Secretary of State for the Environment to amend the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, with a view to strengthening legislative controls on scheduled sites.

To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will give details of any proposed changes to the cash limits of his Department's votes in 1989–90.

[pursuant to his reply, 29 January 1990, c. 3]: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary revised supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class XIII, vote 2 will be increased by £7,178,000 from £181,266,000 to £188,444,000. The increase will be charged to the reserve and will therefore not add to the planned total of public expenditure. The additional provision is required to enable the Government to accept a number of important works of art in lieu of tax.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of rising audit fees on inflation.

None. It is not possible to identify the effect of audit fees in any of the usual measures of inflation.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any proceedings have been commenced against Beaulieu Textile Company (Belgium) and its company directors for value added tax evasion following the Harrogate carpet fair in July 1989.

No proceedings have been commenced against a company by the name of Beaulieu Textile Company (Belgium). At the Harrogate carpet fair in September 1989 the following directors of the Beaulieu Group of Companies were arrested and have so far been charged with cheating the public Revenue and offences under section 39(3) of the Value Added Tax Act 1983:

• Jan de Clerck
• Dominiek de Clerck
• Luc de Clerck
• Francis de Clerck

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures are used by Her Majesty's Government to assess the backlog of work or the degree of delay in the handling of personal tax affairs in the various tax districts; what, by the measures used, is the trend in the level of backlog over a recent convenient period; and whether he will publish separate figures for the various tax districts.

The principal measure used to assess the backlog of work in tax districts is the regular count of papers on hand that have been awaiting attention for more than 14 days and two months.The unworked papers over 14 days old at April during the period 1985 to 1989 were:

	Number
April 1985	1,983,000
April 1986	1,354,000
April 1987	172,000
April 1988	70,000
April 1989	82,000

The position in April 1990 is expected to be broadly similar to that in April 1989.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the average interest rate for each year since 1981.

Average base rates for each year are contained in table 13.15 of "Financial Statistics".

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what financial contribution the United Kingdom makes to the European Investment Bank; and what control is exercised over its lending and granting policy.

The United Kingdom's present subscription to the European Investment Bank is a total of 5·51 becu, paid in annual instalments in the period October 1988 to October 1991. Control over the bank's lending and granting policy is exercised by the bank's governors and board of directors. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is a governor of the bank, and the United Kingdom has five representatives on the board of directors.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each year since 1978 the weight of mortgage interest in the retail prices index, together with the implied total payable by householders to mortgagees.

The weights for mortgage interest payments in the general index of retail prices, expressed as parts per thousand, have been as follows. The fall between 1986 and 1987 is partly a reflection of a change in methodology recommended by the RPI advisory committee.

	Weight
1978	23
1979	31
1980	38
1981	42
1982	41
1983	30
1984	39
1985	46
1986	54
1987	44
1988	42
1989	60

Each year's weight reflects the estimated liability of the average household covered by the index, given a standardised mortgage arrangement, the expenditure being valued at the interest rate ruling in mid-January. The figure cannot be used to calculate the actual amount payable by all households over a period.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for Southend-on-Sea district council the number of residential hereditaments rated at less than £100 a year, by steps of £100 to £500, from £500 to £1,000 and over £1,000, together with the poundage in the current financial year.

The poundage is £2·535. But the information about rateable values could not be produced without a disproportionate expenditure of time and resources.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report, the number of residential properties in Grimsby with a rateable value not exceeding £200 per annum, and the number in excess of that amount.

This information could not be produced without a disproportionate expenditure of time and resources.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who is responsible for checking at the point of entry that a carrier has the correct documentation.

[holding answer 26 February 1990]: Customs and Excise is responsible for checking all documents relating to the customs clearance of imported goods. It is not responsible for checking other documents.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will make it her policy to consult (a) General Sir Frank King, General Officer Commanding and (b) Sir Peter Leng, Commander of Army Land Forces, Northern Ireland, 1973–75 to establish their view of events surrounding the Clockwork Orange project.

No. Both General Sir Frank King and General Sir Peter Leng have made it clear that they do not recall any project specifically named Clockwork Orange, nor any project aimed at denigrating Members of Parliament.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a further statement on the current political situation in South Africa.

President de Klerk has taken fundamental decisions which have gone further in the direction of ending apartheid than those taken by any previous Government. The way is open to peaceful negotiations with the ANC and with those who represent other groupings in South Africa to work out a new democratic constitution, which, as President de Klerk has said, must have the support of the majority of South Africans.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has held recent discussions with (a) Chancellor Kohl and (b) other European Community state leaders concerning current relations between the nations of the European Community and the Republic of South Africa and the possibility of Community aid for political parties in South Africa.

I last discussed South Africa with my European Community colleagues at the Strasbourg European Council on 8–9 December 1989.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has any plans to make an official visit to South Africa.

I have no present plans to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will make official visits to London's cardboard city and to people living in similar circumstances in Manchester and other major cities.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn) on 13 February 1990 (Official Report, column 136).

To ask the Prime Minister what recent representations she has received on investment in transport infrastructure.

I have received representations on a wide range of issues concerning investment in transport infrastructure.

To ask the Prime Minister when she next expects to pay an official visit to a textile factory.

I visit textile factories from time to time and very much like the woollen products of Yorkshire mills.

To ask the Prime Minister if she plans any meeting with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

I have no present plans for such a meeting. But I pay tribute to the most important role the Council of Europe is playing in the development of democracy in Europe.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 27 February.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 27 February.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 27 February.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 27 February.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 27 February.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 27 February.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 27 February.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 27 February.

This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today. This evening I hope to have an audience of Her Majesty the Queen.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what quality tests have taken place since 1 December 1989 on Perrier water for consumer protection; and on what dates they took place.

Following the discovery of traces of benzene in Perrier water in the United States of America tests on United Kingdom supplies were undertaken on behalf of the Food Safety Directorate between 12 and 15 February. The results were made available in the form of news release 67/90 on 15 February. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.Enforcement of the Natural Mineral Waters Regulations 1985 is the responsibility of local authorities. In addition the responsible authority in the water's country of origin is required to carry out periodic checks to ensure continued compliance with the terms of the original regulations of the water under the directive by that authority. Information on any quality tests undertaken by that authority is not required to be circulated.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what regulations exist in other European Community member states on the importation of British meat and bone meal.

The information requested is as follows:

• France
• Currently ban imports of British meat and bone meal;
• Italy
• Require confirmation that the meat and bone meal does not originate from bovines, ovines or caprines;
• Netherlands
• Prohibit the feeding to ruminants of meat and bone meal derived from ruminants; and
• West Germany
• Application must be made to the appropriate land authority for an import permit. This will state the particular certification which is required in each case. The Ministry is unaware that any such application has been made or of the certification required.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will place a copy of the feasibility study commissioned from Binder Hamlyn in February 1989 on the new Covent Garden market in the Library.

I expect to be able to place a summary of the report in the Library of the House within the next few days.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether any fisheries research vessels are leased or hired to other bodies or nations.

None of the Ministry's fisheries research vessels has been leased or hired to other bodies or nations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the estimated output of oil and gas from the North sea in the next decade; and what is the estimated consumption of oil and gas in the next decade.

Many factors will influence output and demand for oil and gas over such a long period. Of particular importance will be the extent to which new fields are found and brought into production. With exploration and drilling activity likely to reach an all time record for the United Kingdom this year, I am confident that the United Kingdom will become fully self-sufficient in gas and remain a net oil exporter well into the 1990s.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what has been his Department's budget for energy conservation for each year since 1979, in constant prices.

Expenditure by my Department on energy efficiency programmes since 1979 has been as follows (1989 prices in brackets):

£ million
	Expenditure	1989 prices
1979–80	2·4	(5·0)
1980–81	4·5	(7·8)
1981–82	6·9	(10·7)
1982–83	9·4	(13·6)
1983–84	11·4	(15·5)
1984–85	17·5	(22·8)
1985–86	22·5	(27·9)
1986–87	24·5	(29·2)
1987–88	18·6	(21·2)
1988–89	18·5	(19·8)
1989–901	15·0	(15·0)
1 Estimated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will obtain for his departmental library a copy of the report number EERU 060, a survey of the wind energy resource of Cornwall, to examine the influence of settlement patterns and topography on optimum wind turbine size and disposition, by Dr. Geoffrey Williams, published in July 1989 by the energy and environment research unit of the Open university, Milton Keynes.

Yes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will obtain for his departmental library a copy of the video and transcript of the Public Eye programme "The nuclear obsession—time for an energy alternative" broadcast on 16 February.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what reports he has received concerning the relative merits of different desulphurisation methods for power station emissions; and what consideration he has given to the comparative requirements of limestone and subsequent output and disposal of gypsum.

I am aware of a number of reports about particular methods of power station flue gas desulphurisation. It is for the electricity supply industry to consider the appropriate choice of technology for desulphurisation; and that will be subject to normal planning a ad environmental requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give details of the instances in which long periods were being worked on offshore installations and of other reasons leading to the safety notice of 10 January; if he will give details of what steps are being taken to enforce this safety notice; and if he will make a statement.

Details of long hours being worked offshore were received from offshore workers, who have asked to remain anonymous. As the hon. Member is aware, my safety directorate has undertaken to guarantee anonymity whenever requested. Approaches have also been made to my safety directorate by safety representatives and by a union.Safety notices are non-statutory documents. However, careful consideration will be given to taking action under section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 in any instance where it is found that the health or safety of any offshore worker is affected by unreasonably long hours being worked.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has concerning the sentencing in Kathmandu of six persons for a term of six months' imprisonment because of conversion to Christianity.

We are making inquiries in Kathmandu about reports of these sentences. My noble Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office discussed the treatment of Christians in Nepal with both the Nepalese Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister during his visit to Kathmandu last week.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial aid the Government have provided to Romania since the overthrow of President Ceaucescu; and what financial aid the Government will supply to Romania over the next two months.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the aid provided to Romania by the International Red Cross since the overthrow of President Ceaucescu.

After the overthrow of the Ceaucescu regime the International Red Cross provided approximately 9,000 tonnes of relief goods, (food, clothing and medical supplies) with an estimated value of over £10 million. This assistance was provided by 29 different national Red Cross societies. The United Kingdom contribution being approximately £300,000. The IRC is now developing programmes of assistance to targeted groups including rural dispensaries, orphanages, homes for the elderly and homes for the handicapped.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what medical supplies, food, clothing and other non-financial aid the United Kingdom Government have provided to Romania since the overthrow of President Ceaucescu; and what medical supplies, food, clothing and other non-financial aid the Government will supply to Romania over the next two months.

We donated a consignment of 1·8 tonnes of medical supplies on 24 December and several items of medical equipment since then, including 1 million disposable syringes worth £40,000. Five victims of the December fighting are in the United Kingdom for major surgery, at a cost yet to be determined. A further £53,000 has been made available to finance a project by Marie Stopes International to improve birth control services in Romania. We are contributing about £5·8 million to the food aid and medical supplies packages sent, or so far agreed, by the EC. Further funds, as yet to be determined, will be made available over the next two months for medical supplies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government have taken to co-ordinate the efforts of voluntary agencies, individuals and others involved in providing aid to Romania since the overthrow of President Ceaucescu.

We have received many offers of help for Romania from individuals and organisations and have taken them into account in providing official relief assistance. We are also in close touch with the British Red Cross, which is co-ordinating many private offers of help.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Burmese Government about their commitment to free and fair elections; and if he will make a statement.

The Burmese military Government have disregarded basic human and political rights since they seized power in September 1988. We have made clear our opposition to their oppressive policies.Most recently, on 14 February, the latest in a long series of demarches by the Twelve to the Burmese authorities called for the elections planned for May to be open to all candidates. In spite of these and other international protests, hundreds of opposition politicians have been arrested since July 1989. They have included Aung San Suu Kyi, the most popular opposition leader, who, on 17 February, was finally debarred from standing in the elections.It now seems unlikely that the elections can be regarded by the international community as anything other than a sham. We will nevertheless continue to do what we can to encourage the regime, both directly and through the continuing western aid boycott, to hold genuinely democratic elections.

To ask the Attorney-General what consideration he has given to the health and safety implications of flicker light in the courts.

Lighting in courts is designed to conform to the standards and codes of practice current at the time of installation.Professional advice to the Lord Chancellor's Department indicates that there is no firm evidence that fluorescent lighting constitutes a health and safety risk. If there were evidence that any particular mode of lighting constituted a risk to health or safety, the standards would be amended to eliminate such risk.

To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions there have been of people publicly calling for the death of Salman Rushdie; and if he will make a statement.

No prosecutions have been instituted for incitement to murder or threats to kill, due to a lack of sufficient evidence to justify the institution of criminal proceedings. However, where demonstrations which have included people publicly calling for the death of Salman Rushdie have led to instances of public disorder, prosecutions have followed. The director regards as a matter of extreme gravity any conduct on the part of any person within this jurisdiction which does amount to the offence of incitement to murder. It will remain his policy, with my full agreement, to deal accordingly with evidence establishing such conduct that may be placed before him.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer on 15 January, Official Report, column 68, what consideration he has given to the report by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds on "Native Pinewoods in Scotland: A Review 1957–1987", and its assessment of the changes in the area of native pinewoods.

The Forestry Commission has studied this report, including its assessment of the changes in the area of native pinewoods. The report proved useful in the preparation of the "Guidelines for the Management of Native Pinewoods" published by the commission last December.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what area of the Black Wood of Rannoch has been cleared of previously underplanted alien conifers in the last 12 months; what area has been identified for such treatment in the Forestry Commission's conservation plan for this site; and what area will be restored in this manner in the next 12 months.

[holding answer 19 February 1990]: Spruce and other non-native species have been planted on 169 hectares of formerly open ground in the Black Wood of Rannoch, mostly adjacent to the main wood. Under the Forestry Commission's conservation plan for the wood all these areas will be cleared over a period of years; 8 hectares have been cleared so far—3 in the past 12 months—and 20 hectares are scheduled for clearance in the next 12 months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the total Government expenditure has been on water supplies in Scotland in the last, and current, financial years; and what these sums represent per head of population.

Expenditure on water supplies in Scotland is met by regional and islands councils, as the water authorities, and paid for by consumers. Grant payments from central Government, made under the Rural Water Supplies and Sewerage Acts 1944–70 and the Industrial Development Act 1982, for water supplies in 1988–89 amounted to £4·420 million (£0·87 per head); in 1989–90 grant payments to January 1990 were £4·155 million (£0·82 per head).

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much funding has been given by his Department for the Scottish Sports Council in each of the past 12 years.

Grant aid to the Scottish Sports Council since 1979–80 has been as follows:

Year	Grant-in-Aid £
1979–80	2,829,000
1980–81	3,240,000
1981–82	3,510,000
1982–83	4,088,907
1983–84	3,887,000
1984–85	4,149,000
1985–86	4,340,000
1986–87	4,585,000
1987–88	4,698,000
1988–89	15,799,000
1989–90	5,150,000
1990–91	5,517,000
1 Includes the figure of £1 million towards the cost of the Scottish Sports Council's new headquarters building at South Gyle, Edinburgh.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if a date has been set for the flotation of the Scottish electricity supply industry; and if he will make a statement.

We have considered carefully the options for floating the Scottish electricity companies in 1990 and 1991. We have concluded that the best time to float Scottish Power plc and Scottish Hydro-Electric plc will, subject to market conditions, be in May or June of 1991. The Scottish successor companies will begin operating on 31 March 1990, when they inherit the assets and liabilities of the two Scottish electricity boards. The Scottish nuclear company will remain in the public sector.The Government's decision on flotation timing will enable the Scottish companies to present to investors a satisfactory track record of successful performance following the withdrawal of the nuclear element from the privatisation programme. It will also give them an opportunity to firm up arrangements before privatisation to export Scottish electricity to England and Wales. However, the decision will not prevent two of Scotland's largest plcs from competing for new business and operating on a fully commercial basis while they remain in Government hands.I believe that this is the right decision for Scotland. The privatisation of Scottish electricity will be of tremendous significance to the Scottish economy, and we are anxious that there should be sufficient time to get it right. We considered the possibility of a much earlier flotation date but decided that this would not be wise. The new plcs will, following this decision, have a full opportunity to consolidate the new industry structure and to make their mark with the public, the financial community and with electricity customers both north and south of the border in advance of their flotation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will establish as a matter of urgency a ministerial working party which represents all interested parties and receives evidence on the widest possible basis, charged with recommending a national waste disposal policy.

Part II of the Environmental Protection Bill, which is currently before the House of Commons, contains provisions which will strengthen and enhance the existing legislation. It would be premature to consider setting up any such working party.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list any statutory duties his Department has to inspect landfill waste sites.

Inspection of landfill waste sites is for the district and islands councils in Scotland, in their capacity as waste regulatory authorities. Although the hazardous waste inspectorate does not have a statutory duty to inspect landfill waste sites, it may visit landfill waste sites in discharging its remit to examine the management of hazardous waste and to advise local authorities on their duties under part I of the Control of Pollution Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will undertake a new national survey of waste tips in Scotland; if he will take steps to establish a register of old waste dumps; and what action he is taking to inform river purification boards of the location of waste dumps which pose a risk of contamination to drinking water supplies.

In February 1988 district and islands councils in Scotland were asked to identify all waste disposal sites which had received biodegradable waste. The hazardous waste inspectorate urged authorities to monitor these sites to establish what degree of risk exists, if any, and to take appropriate remedial action. A follow-up survey is planned later this year to assess what progress has been made in Scotland.The recent report of the House of Commons Environment Committee has recommended that a register of contaminated land be set up for England and Wales, a matter which we will consider when assessing the implications of the report for Scotland.Little of Scotland's drinking water supply is taken from groundwater. River purification boards have been statutory consultees for all waste disposal developments since 1978.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the involvement of the hazardous waste inspectorate in the events at Morriston Park building site in Cambuslang.

The hazardous waste inspectorate's involvement at Morriston Park has been to provide independent advice to ensure that the developers and the district council were aware of the steps which should be taken to establish reliable information about the presence or otherwise of landfill gas at the site.This advice was based on the Government's technical memorandum on the monitoring and control of landfill gas, namely waste management paper No. 27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will outline the powers district councils have to compel house builders to make safe sites they propose to build on.

Part G of the Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations 1981–87 contains provisions governing the preparation of sites under which matter harmful to health must be removed from the site of any building intended for human use and habitation and from the ground in the vicinity of the building. The regulations are enforced by the relevant local authority, usually the district council. Under section 6 of the Building (Scotland) Act 1959 a warrant must be obtained from the local authority before work starts; under section 9(5) of the Act it is an offence for any person to occupy or use a building, constructed by virtue of such a warrant, before a certificate of completion is issued.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what planning regulations there are setting out procedures to be carried out in investigating whether methane gas is present on a building site before building commences.

There are no planning regulations setting out procedures for an investigation for the presence of methane gas on a building site before building commences. The Scottish Development Department issued a planning advice note (No. 33) in 1988 on the development of contaminated land which advised developers and local authorities on the need to identify and investigate land previously used for industrial and waste disposal purposes in order to assess the risks in developing such land.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what powers he has to compel house builders to make safe sites they propose to build on.

The construction of new houses must be carried out in accordance with the Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations 1981–87, which include provisions governing the preparation of sites. Enforcement of the regulations is the responsibility of the relevant local authority under powers contained in the Building (Scotland) Act 1959.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what powers he has to compel house builders to remedy any safety risk discovered after building is completed on a site, and houses have been sold.

None. Under section 13 of the Building (Scotland) Act 1959, however, local authorities have powers to take action in respect of buildings found to be dangerous.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the construction of ships at the Scott Lithgow yard on the lower Clyde would infringe any agreement made with the European Commission.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the dates of meetings of the Council of Environment Ministers attended by him or members of his ministerial team in the past 10 years.

I refer the hon. Member to the replies that I gave him on 24 January 1990, Official Report, column 728. In the period concerned, meetings of the Environment Council have been attended by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment or another Minister from the Department of the Environment who has represented the interests of the United Kingdom as a whole.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what is the latest number of recorded leukaemia cases in (a) Dunoon and the Cowal area and in (b) the rest of Argyle and Bute and (c) the rest of Scotland;(2) whether he has any plans to refer cases of cancer among the population around Holy Loch to the committee on medical aspects of radiation in the environment;(3) whether his Department has commissioned any studies or intends to commission any studies into whether there is any link between the United States Navy's operations in Holy Loch and leukaemia clusters among children in the area.

Up-to-date information on the number of leukaemia cases in the detail sought is not readily available. A study, which compared leukaemia incidence in the vicinity of Holy Loch over three time periods between 1968 and 1984 with the Scottish average, showed a raised incidence in only one of the periods studied.The committee on medical aspects of radiation in the environment, following its study at Dounreay, is currently assessing the evidence relating to leukaemia incidence around all the other Scottish nuclear sites and Scotland as a whole. It is not considered necessary, therefore, to commission any separate studies at this time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will publish the Scottish commentary on public expenditure.

My Department is issuing today "Public Expenditure to 1992–93: A Commentary on the Scotland Programme". I have, as in previous years, arranged for a copy to be sent to each Scottish Member. Copies are also being placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many students have received assistance under the postgraduate students allowance scheme in every year since 1979.

Table 1—Total Employment in the New Towns 15 March Each Year
	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
Cumbernauld	14,180	14,727	14,897	14,244	15,129	16,314
East Kilbride	26,236	27,049	27,279	28,308	30,157	30,569
Irvine	16,100	17,505	17,986	19,054	19,908	21,530
Livingston	12,825	14,137	15,821	16,473	17,952	18,988
Glenrothes	15,907	16,303	16,303	17,522	17,803	18,506

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the estimated local income tax rates required to replace the gross income, including rebates, raised from the community charge in each region and district authority on the basis of current expenditure in 1989–90 and planned expenditure in 1990–91.

[holding answer 19 February 1990]: Approximate rates of local income tax required to replace the budgeted income from the community charge in 1989–90 are given in the table. Information on the 1990–91 budgets is not yet available.

[holding answer 18 December 1989]: This information is not readily available prior to session 1986–87 and figures from that date are as follows:

Session	Number
1986–87	2,940
1987–88	3,050
1988–89	2,673
11989–90	2,931
1 To date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many jobs have been lost and how many gained in each of the past five years in the Scottish new towns.

[holding answer 12 February 1990]: The tables show the total employment and net employment change in each of the Scottish new towns for each of the past five years. The information is taken from annual employment surveys undertaken by each new town. Although new town annual reports give some information on job gains and losses, this is not available on a consistent or comprehensive basis.

Local income tax rate
	pence in £
Borders	8·5
Berwickshire	8·2
Ettrick and Lauderdale	8·5
Roxburgh	8·5
Tweeddale	8·6
Central	9·7
Clackmannan	10·4
Falkirk	8·9
Stirling	10·7
Dumfries and Galloway	8·5
Annandale and Eskdale	8·8
Nithsdale	8·5
Stewartry	8·4
Wigtown	8·5
Fife	10·4
Dunfermline	10·1

	pence in £
Kirkcaldy	10·3
North East Fife	11·1
Grampian	9·7
Aberdeen	10·5
Banff and Buchan	9·5
Gordon	9·1
Kincardine and Deeside	8·7
Moray	9·0
Highland	7·9
Badenoch and Strathspey	8·1
Caithness	7·8
Inverness	7·8
Lochaber	8·2
Nairn	7·9
Ross and Cromarty	8·3
Skye and Lochalsh	7·8
Sutherland	7·1
Lothian	13·2
East Lothian	12·9
Edinburgh	13·5
Midlothian	12·6
West Lothian	12·4
Strathclyde	10·3
Argyll and Bute	9·6
Bearsden and Milngavie	10·3
Clydebank	10·3
Clydesdale	10·4
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth	9·5
Cumnock and Doon Valley	9·5
Cunninghame	9·6
Dumbarton	10·3
East Kilbride	11·0
Eastwood	9·7
Glasgow	10·6
Hamilton	10·1
Inverclyde	10·1
Kilmarnock and Loudoun	9·3
Kyle and Carrick	10·6
Monklands	10·1
Motherwell	10·5
Renfrew	10·2
Strathkelvin	10·3
Tayside	10·7
Angus	10·1
Dundee	11·2
Perth and Kinross	10·3
Orkney	5·1
Shetland	3·9
Western Isles	5·2
SCOTLAND	10·4

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information is available to him about the survivability of HIV in (a) dechlorinated tapwater, (b) settled raw sewage and (c) seawater.

Studies on the survival of HIV in dechlorinated tap water, settled raw sewage and sea water have been carried out at the water research centre and published in "Water Science Technology", volume 21, pages 55 to 59, 1989, copies of which are available in the Library. The concentration of HIV added to samples of water declined rapidly in the first four days, a tenfold decline occurring after an average 1·8 days in dechlorinated tap water, 2·9 days in settled raw sewage and 1·6 days in sea water. The authors conclude that it is extremely unlikely that HIV poses any threat to disinfected water supplies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what new proposals he has to cut waiting lists for operations within the National Health Service in the Greater Manchester area.

I understand that the North Western regional health authority has provisionally identified up to £1·25 million from its £1·9 million waiting list fund allocation in 1990–91 for the 12 health districts covering the Greater Manchester area. Details are still being discussed with districts, but this funding should enable 8,000 patients to be treated from the waiting lists. This is in addition to the £4·9 million allocated to these districts from the fund in the three years to 31 March 1990.A management team, led by Mr. John Yates of Inter-Authority Comparisons and Consultancy, is examining waiting lists in South Manchester (general surgery and plastic surgery) and Oldham (general surgery). If the team recommends additional funding, allocations will be made in 1990–91 from the £12 million reserved for problem waiting lists.In addition, we have approved and funded new consultant posts in Central Manchester (ophthalmology) and Bolton (trauma and orthopaedics) from the 100 new consultant posts targeted at districts with long waiting lists.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the current Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale waiting lists as between differing specialties; and what are the comparable figures for five years ago.

The information requested is given in the table:

In-patient waiting list, Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale District Health Authority, as at 31 March, 1984 and 1989
Specialty	1984	1 1989
General Surgery	724	217
Urology	296	295
Trauma and Orthopaedics	287	179
Ear, Nose and Throat	406	246
Ophthalmology	57	248
Oral Surgery	62	93
Accident and Emergency	2	—
Anaesthetics	24	33
Gynaecology	677	426
General Medicine	5	—
Dermatology	41	9
Rheumatology	3	34
Paediatrics	3	5
Geriatric medicine	1	—
Mental Handicap	38	9
Mental Illness	26	13
TOTAL	2,652	1,807

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when the North West Thames regional health authority proposes to begin the construction of the planned clinical block and the education centre at the Luton and Dunstable hospital;(2) whether the North West Thames regional health authority has made any decision to defer the projected construction of a clinical block and an education centre at the Luton and Dunstable hospital.

North West Thames regional health authority recently reviewed its capital programme due to the decline in residential land sales and the rise in building costs. I understand that both schemes are scheduled to start on site on 1 April 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many directly managed National Health Service beds have been closed within St. Helens and Knowsley within the last three years; what proportion of these beds have been replaced; by whom they are managed; and whether they are still located within the boundary of the health district.

We do not hold this information centrally. The overall number of hospital beds available within the St. Helens and Knowsley health authority for the last three years is as follows:

Average daily available beds
Year	Number
1986	2,305
1987–88	2,073
1988–89	1,809

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide a breakdown of the number of prescriptions issued for each individual benzodiazepine by community pharmacists during (a) 1986, (b) 1987 and (c) 1988.

The information requested is as follows:

Number of Prescriptions 1986–88 (millions)
	Great Britain
Benzodiazepines	1986	1987	1988
Temazepam	7·2	7·8	7·7
Nitrazepam	5·5	5·2	4·6
Diazepam	5·2	5·1	4·5
Triazolam	2·0	2·2	2·2
Lorazepam	3·1	2·9	2·1
Chlordiazepoxide	1·1	1·0	0·9
Oxazepam	0·8	0·8	0·6
Lormetazepam	0·2	0·2	0·2
Loprazolam	0·1	0·1	0·2
Clonazepam	0·1	0·1	0·1
Clobazam	0·0	0·0	0·1
Totals	25·3	25·5	23·2

These estimates are based on a sample of prescriptions of approximately one in 200 in England and Wales and one in 100 in Scotland which were dispensed by chemists and appliance contractors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has given to family practitioner committees and health authorities to ensure that doctors do not prescribe benzodiazepines for longer periods than those recommended by the Committee on Safety of Medicines.

The prescribing of these drugs and the management of patients taking them are professional matters. Doctors already have advice about the use of benzodiazepines from the Committee on Safety of Medicines, the Royal Colleges of Physicians, Psychiatrists and General Practitioners, the British Medical Association and the British National Formulary. We support that advice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the awards given to voluntary organisations under section 64 procedure for the financial years 1988–89 and 1989–90.

For 1988–89 I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Nuneaton (Mr. Stevens) on 30 June 1989 at columns 571–74. The full list of awards in 1989–90 will be published after the financial year has ended.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the latest figure he has for the number of units of blood held by the National Blood Transfusion Service; and what was the figure for (a) one year ago, (b) two years ago and (c) five years ago.

According to the national directorate of the Blood Transfusion Service, the average daily stock of blood held by the transfusion service in 1989 was 19,800 units. This was the first year in which such a statistic has been collected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health. pursuant to the answer to the hon. and learned Member for Burton on 20 February, (1) what effective difference there is between the statutory and the non-statutory indemnity;

The statutory indemnity was issued under the terms of section 172 of the Water Act 1989 which permits my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State to indemnify a water undertaker in respect of certain liabilities incurred by the undertaker only in connection with its increasing the fluoride content of any water it supplies.The non-statutory indemnity was issued to cover liabilities incurred by the water undertaker in connection with the supply of fluoridated water to persons in its water region, or the exporting of this fluoridated water outside its water region, where the undertaker has not first increased the fluoride content.The reasons for the issue of the non-statutory indemnity were fully explained in the minute which was laid before Parliament by my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Health on 23 November 1989. The non-statutory indemnity was issued on 22 December 1989 as no objection to the proposal to undertake this contingent liability was signified within the prescribed period.Paragraph 2 of the statutory indemnity describes the terms of the indemnity given to Severn Trent Water.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the latest estimated opening date for the new Pendle community hospital.

The latest estimated opening date for the new Pendle community hospital is September 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations he has received regarding extra funding to create more speech therapist posts in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

We have received a number of representations about various aspects of speech therapy services. It is for individual health authorities to determine the number of speech therapist posts to be provided in their area. In England, the number of speech therapists employed in the NHS increased by 80 per cent. between 1979 and 1988.The funding of speech therapist posts in Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the annual cost of prescribed surgical footwear; and what future plans he has to review the design of National Health Service surgical footwear.

The annual cost of surgical footwear prescribed through the hospital service is estimated at £20 million. The Department has recently issued for consultation with the industry a revised technical specification for orthopaedic footwear. North West Thames RHA, which acts as the centre of responsibility for the provision of surgical appliances and orthopaedic footwear, is responsible for approving manufacturers of orthotic appliances and surgical footwear.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many registered disabled people in the Bolton area are currently living in their own homes, supported by the community care initiative; and what is the cost of providing such care to each individual.

We do not hold information showing where registered disabled people are living, or what level of funding is provided for their individual care needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total amount of blood products imported into the United Kingdom from overseas in each of the three years up to 1989, or the latest years for which figures are available; what was the cost of such imports; and which countries were the major suppliers.

Information on the total amount of blood products imported into the United Kingdom is not held centrally.Figures for 1986, 1987, 1988 (the most recent held) relating to the usage of factor VIII concentrate are given in the table:

	1986	1987	1988
United Kingdom usage of imported Factor VIII concentrate (millions of international units)	53·8	59·2	55·2

These are imported from other European countries and North America.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total adult population of Shropshire has been during each of the past five years.

OPCS estimates of the resident population of Shropshire aged 18 and over are as follows:

Mid year	Thousands
1984	288·3
1985	293·0
1986	296·6
1987	301·0
1988	305·7

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has now appointed the members of the Unrelated Live Transplant Regulatory Authority.

Yes. I am pleased to announce that the chairman of the authority is Professor Martin Bobrow, Prince Philip professor of paediatric research at the united medical schools of Guy's and St. Thomas's. The other members are:

• The Reverend Professor Gordon R. Dunstan, Professor Emeritus of Moral and Social Theology, King's College, London.
• Dr. Philip A. Dyer, Head of Tissue Typing, St. Mary's Hospital, Manchester.
• Mrs. Diana Eccles, Chairman, Ealing Health Authority.
• Professor Mary G. McGeown, Queen's University, Belfast.
• Sir Michael McNair-Wilson, Member of Parliament for Newbury.
• Mr. Stuart G. Macpherson, Senior Lecturer in Surgery, University of Glasgow; Hon. Consultant Surgeon, Glasgow Health Board.
• Dr. Netar P. Mallick, Senior Lecturer in Renal Disease, Manchester University; Physician in Charge, Department of Renal Medicine, Manchester Royal Infirmary.
• Professor John R. Salaman, Professor of Transplant Surgery, University of Wales; Consultant Surgeon, Cardiff Royal Infirmary.
• Miss Sally M. Taber, Director of Nursing, London Bridge Hospital.
• Mr. James Wellbeloved, Director General, National Kidney Research Fund.
• Mrs. Celia Wight, Senior Regional Transplant Coordinator, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the distance learning training material for district health authority and local authority staff employed on registration and inspection duties under the Registered Homes Act 1984 is to be issued.

The Government attach great importance to achieving high standards of care in residential and nursing homes. I am therefore pleased to announce the issue today of a training package for inspection staff—"Making Sense of Inspection: Registered Homes Act 1984: Training Course for Registration and Inspection Staff". We hope that all authorities will make full use of it.The aim of the training package is to:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will announce the allocation of the remaining new consultant posts referred to in the White Paper "Working for Patients".

I have today approved 65 posts for the remaining two years of this scheme, 35 for 1990–91 and 30 for 1991–92. This follows my announcement on 31 October last year of the first 35 posts far 1989–90.As I said at that time, these new posts will help reduce waiting times in districts and specialties with particularly long waiting lists. They will also help reduce the working hours of junior doctors, and improve the career structure in the respective specialties.As with the initial allocation, these posts were to be fully funded up to a maximum of £500,000 per year per post. This includes the cost of support staff, running costs and equipment. The average annual cost of these posts will be around £380,000, plus an average additional one-off starting cost of around £30,000.The new posts are to be in: general surgery (12 posts); trauma and orthopaedic surgery (14); ear, nose and throat surgery (six); obstetrics and gynaecology (seven); opthalmology (nine); urology (eight); plastic surgery (five); and one post each in neurosurgery, accident and emergency, audiological medicine and paediatric surgery. They will be supported by appropriate numbers of medical, nursing, professional, technical and administrative staff.Once all 100 new consultants are in post, the total annual cost of the scheme will be around £37 million. We expect the scheme to have a significant impact on some of the longest waiting times, and it will also provide a healthy boost to the expansion of the consultant grade.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will give details of occasions when he has refused to meet delegations of regional hon. Members of a particular party affiliation;(2) if he will make a statement on his decision to refuse to meet a delegation of Labour Members from the north-west to discuss the role of the chairman of the North Western regional health authority and health care in this region.

My ministerial colleagues and I very rarely decline to meet delegations of hon. Members. On the occasion referred to by the hon. Member I declined because there had already been four meetings between Ministers and delegations of hon. Members from all parties from the north-west to discuss health care in the region in the two months either side of the hon. Member's request and I did not believe that any more could usefully be added to what had already been discussed. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health had also met the hon. Member to discuss local health issues shortly after he wrote.If the hon. Member wishes to bring a delegation of hon. Members to raise new points I or one of my colleagues would be willing to meet them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals, mental institutions and other assets under the control of his Department have been sold in the last five years; and what is the sum of money received from the purchasers.

The Department does not routinely hold information relating to the numbers of hospitals, mental institutions and other health authority assets sold. The total sum received from sales of assets in the last five years are as follows:

Years	£ million
1984–85	50,655
1985–86	85,167
1986–87	148,996
1987–88	200,873
1988–89	271,339

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the money from the sale of hospitals, mental institutions and other assets under the control of his Department has been accounted for; and what is the method in which it has been reinvested.

The total sum received by each health authority from the sale of hospitals, mental institutions and other assets is recorded in its annual accounts and by the Department in the appropriation account for vote XIV, 1. The receipts which are treated as appropriations in aid allow additional capital spending over cash limit allocations in the year in which they are received.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the activity of a National Health Service trust hospital will be monitored to ensure that (a) it provides the appropriate staff and facilities for teaching medical students where appropriate, (b) it meets its commitments for such teaching and (c) it continues to treat the appropriate range of diseases required for undergraduate medical teaching.

National Health Service trusts will be directly accountable to my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State. They will need to satisfy him not only that they have undertaken to provide adequate facilities for teaching medical students, but that these undertakings have been met. In addition, as agents for the distribution of the service increment for teaching, regional health authorities will consult universities and agree with NHS trusts what facilities should be provided for teaching medical students. They will monitor the performance of trusts against these agreements, taking into account the views of universities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the names of any firms of outside consultants and the terms of their contracts employed by his Department in connection with the National Health Service reforms.

The information requested is as follows:

• National Economic Research Associates
• To report on contracting arrangements for patient services.
• Coopers and Lybrand Deloitte
• To assist in work on costing for patient services contracts.
• Coopers and Lybrand Deloitte
• To assist in work on costing for patient services contracts within Wirral Health Authority
• Resource Management Services
• To analyse the informal cost sharing arrangements between Medical Schools and Teaching Hospitals in Southampton Health Authority
• Davies Design Consultancy
• To help in the production of a booklet on the outpatient environment.
• Price Waterhouse
• To develop training material for Capital Charges.
• BBL and D
• To assist in production of GP's Funding Programme.
• BBL and D
• To prepare publicity leaflet on prescribing budgets for GPs.
• BBL and D
• To prepare artwork/layout of a second Working Paper on prescribing budgets.
• BBL and D
• To assist in work on Indicative Prescribing Budgets
• Coopers and Lybrand Deloitte
• To investigate District Information Systems.
• Health Information Management Services
• To co-ordinate the Departments Information project.
• DBI Associates Ltd.
• To recommend new arrangements for approval and monitoring of strategic IT projects.
• Andersen Consulting
• To investigate the IT requirements for providers of patient services.
• Peat Marwick McClintock
• To investigate the IT implications of proposed changes to Minimum Data Sets.
• Peat Marwick McClintock
• To investigate the requirements for patient identification on existing computer systems.
• Andersen Consulting
• To investigate the impact of the White Paper recommendations on existing computer based outpatient systems.
• Pareto Consulting
• To assist with the development of an IT strategy for the National Health Service.
• Price Waterhouse
• To develop NHS Trusts. Financial Management simulation exercise.
• Coopers and Lybrand Deloitte
• NHS Trusts leadership and management skills study.
• Andersen Consulting
• To make recommendation on support for potential NHS Trusts.
• Kings Fund College; Office for Public Management; Nuffield Institute; Management Advisory Service
• To Develop Learning Sets for potential community care NHS Trusts.
• David Richards
• To prepare proposals for guidance and training for top Management in the NHS, to support introduction of local pay flexibility.
• Coopers and Lybrand
• To investigate the costing methods in the NHS Hospital Service and to determine the most appropriate for application in support of contract price setting.

The terms of these contracts were prepared on an individual basis in line with the specific requirements of the work undertaken, drawing as necessary on relevant expertise within the Department, and in line with the guidance issued by Treasury on employment of external consultants.