To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which of his Ministers has been given responsibility for energy use by his Department; and what is his or her brief regarding energy efficiency.

I am responsible for energy matters in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. My brief is to promote awareness of the Government's energy efficiency campaign and raise the profile of energy efficiency and energy-saving technology in the FCO estate both at home and overseas.There is a policy of saving 15 per cent. on energy consumption/costs over five years on the home estate. Overseas, the FCO is providing information material to posts to target local industry, commerce and Government decision makers in an attempt to stimulate commercial/ technological spin-offs for United Kingdom energy efficiency/saving measures. The FCO is also carrying out other initiatives under the overseas aid programme to help developing countries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the status of the recognition and diplomatic representation currently accorded to each of the Soviet republics.

We do not recognise the individual Soviet republics as states. The question of diplomatic relations, therefore, does not arise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what efforts Her Majesty's Government are supporting to bring the warring parties in Sudan to the negotiating table; and if he will raise during the visit of John Garang, leader of the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement, in April the case for initiating round-table talks.

We have urged on both sides in the civil war the need for a ceasefire and the early discussion and settlement of all outstanding problems, but neither the Government of Sudan nor their opponents appear ready to bring this long-running, tragic and wasteful conflict to an end.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will meet his counterparts in the coalition countries to discuss the establishment of a war crimes tribunal to try the activities of Saddam Hussein in the Gulf war; and if he will make a statement.

Various mechanisms already exist under the Geneva conventions for prosecuting grave breaches of the conventions. It is too early to say what machinery might be applied in this case.

To ask the Prime Minister what proposals he has to provide additional support for local authorities to improve the enforcement of the Shops Act 1950; and if he will make a statement.

Local authorities have a wide range of functions and duties of which enforcement under the 1950 Act is but one. Local authorities receive a substantial contribution towards their total spending of some £40 billion through external grants. The amount provided in external support is being increased by nearly £3 billion this coming year. It is for local authorities to decide how they allocate their resources to provide services and meet their duties.

To ask the Prime Minister what figures the Government have for the average weekly cost to pensioners for heating and lighting in (a) Northern Ireland, (b) Peterborough, (c) north Wiltshire and (d) Richmond and Barnes.

The information requested is available only at regional levels. For data on the average weekly expenditure on heating and lighting by pensioners in Northern Ireland I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Mr. Salmond) on 13 March at columns 540–41.

To ask the Prime Minister if he intends to make any official visit to constituencies in the north-west London area.

I am making a series of visits to all parts of the country and very much hope to include constituencies in London.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will publish in the Official Report, an updated version of the table that was given in his answer to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North (Mr. Howell) on 17 March 1988, Official Report, columns 636–37.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my right hon. and learned Friend the Chief Secretary on 18 February 1991 at column 13.

To ask the Prime Minister, further to his oral answer of 28 February, Official Report, column 1116, if he is now in a position to make a statement about East Timor.

[holding answer 15 March 1991]: Through our embassy in Jakarta, we keep a close watch on developments in East Timor and have made clear to the Indonesians our concern about infringements of human rights, such as those described in the Amnesty report. We will continue to do so.All countries have a sovereign right under the United Nations charter to secure the means of their own self-defence. Applications to export defence equipment are carefully scrutinised on a case-by-case basis. We do not allow the export of arms and equipment likely to be used against civil populations. In the case of Indonesia this criterion extends to possible use against the civilian population of East Timor.

To ask the Prime Minister from which Government Departments United Kingdom contributions to the cost of EC technical assistance to the Soviet Union will be paid; and what proportion from each Department.

[holding answer 15 March 1991]: The Commission is continuing its exploratory discussions with the Soviet Union and will soon table a proposal on technical assistance to the Soviet Union. The Government will react in due course to that proposal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the latest assessment of the level of famine in sub-Saharan Africa.

The World Food Programme estimates that 29 million people may be at risk of starvation in 25 sub-Saharan African countries. Populations within Ethiopia, Sudan, Mozambique, Angola and Liberia are the most seriously affected with more than 20 million people at risk. I have placed the World Food Programme's most recent table of estimates for Africa in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Government's latest estimate of the number of people facing famine in Africa; and what is the Government's total commitment to emergency relief during this financial year.

The World Food Programme estimates that 29 million people may be at risk of starvation in 25 sub-Saharan African countries. The total provision this financial year for humanitarian assistance is £74 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs by how much the budget to tackle famine in Africa has been increased for every year since 1987 at 1991 prices.

There is no separate allocation for famine relief in Africa within the overall humanitarian assistance provison. This provision is enhanced as required during each financial year in order to respond quickly and appropriately to developing countries' needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received on the subject of tropical forests; and if he will make a statement.

I receive numerous letters from hon. Members and members of the public who are rightly concerned about tropical deforestation. Many are also interested in the emerging World bank forestry policy paper due for publication in July. My postbag also includes letters from environmental NGOs such as the World Wide Fund for Nature and representatives of the trade.In addition I have recently received over 25,000 postcards from Friends of the Earth members who are calling for limitations on tropical timber imports and greater attention to environmental and social safeguards in projects carried out by the International Tropical Timber Organisation—ITTO.The United Kingdom Government believe that import restrictions would be counterproductive and would almost certainly tempt some tropical forest countries to accelerate conversion of forest to agricultural or ranch land. Restrictions or outright bans may also encourage loggers to speed up their rate of timber extraction to recoup investments in machinery and infrastructure. The positive way forward is to encourage Governments to manage and use their forest resources sustainably and to help provide them with the capacity to do this.The ODA is already at the forefront of initiatives to ensure that ITTO works as an effective organisation. We supported work to produce ITTO guidelines on best management practice of natural tropical forests and will continue to encourage countries to adopt them. We pressed for the establishment of an expert panel to review ITTO project proposals which has now been set up. We are also financing two independent experts to help ITTO review how it handles projects generally including the appraisal of their environmental and social impacts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the level of development aid to Burma in each of the financial years from 1986–87 to the present; and what is the planned level for 1991–92.

British aid to Burma since 1986–87 has comprised:

£'000
	1986–87	1987–88	1988–89	1989–90
Technical Co-operation	889	1,157	1,037	131
Aid and Trade Provision	3,119	3,005	305	17
Disaster Relief	10	—	91	4
Other	51	85	23	46
Total	4,069	4,247	1,456	198

Since the aid programme was suspended in late 1988 due to human rights concerns, expenditure has been limited to residual contract payments under the aid and trade provision—all now complete—completion of training awards for Burmese students already in the United Kingdom, pensions, and humanitarian assistance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much food aid has been delivered to Sudan since March 1990; and how much of this food has reached rebel-controlled southern Sudan.

The precise figures requested are not available from the World Food Programme. However, its statistics show that 282,000 tonnes of food aid was delivered to Sudan from January to December 1990. Of this, 33,300 tonnes was supplied to the south.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of officers in grades 1 to 7 in the Overseas Development Administration are women.

The number and percentage of women at G7 and above in the ODA is as follows:

	Per cent.
Grades 1 to 3	none
Grade 5	5–11·40
Grade 6	9–13·40
Grade 7	22–10·95

These figures include eight women who are on secondment to other aid organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what resources and facilities Her Majesty's Government are prepared to make available by way of medical and technical assistance to Iraq following the report of the United Nations investigative team; if a decision has been made in principle to provide such assistance; and if he will make a statement.

We have already provided £2·5 million in humanitarian assistance through the International Committee of the Red Cross. When the UN mission's report on emergency needs is available, we shall respond to any UN appeal for humanitarian assistance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he is making to the United Nations on the provision of development aid towards (a) mine removal and (b) provision of clean water supplies in Cambodia.

Britain is currently supporting the humanitarian aid programmes of United Nations agencies

ODA grants to NGOs 1989–90
Agency	JFS	Emergencies (Disasters, Refugees Food Aid)	Others	Total
Acord	450,074	610,000	50,000	1,110,074
Action Aid	499,801	—	735,449	1,235,250
Action on Disability and Development	134,326	—	—	134,326
Action Water	10,000	—	—	10,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of overseas aid is being spent on educational projects; in what main areas; and if he will make a statement.

In 1989, the latest year for which final figures are available, £180·4 million was spent bilaterally on education projects out of a total bilateral expenditure of £1,113 million. Main areas of expenditure were:

	£ million
Training Support Schemes	110·5
British Council	43·2
English Language Teachers	13·0
Capital projects	6·9
Books, seminars and research	6·8
	180·4

A number of technical co-operation staff working overseas are also in education, but they are not designated by sector.Much money made available from the aid programme to multilateral organisations such as the World bank, is committed to education. Our bilateral efforts complement this investment.Future expenditure plans will take into account the priority which overseas Governments give to the call made at the world conference on education for all in Thailand in 1990 for a greater emphasis on basic education and adult literacy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the non-governmental organisations associated with overseas development which received financial support from his Department in 1989–90, the total sum received by each organisation in that year and the breakdown of the total sum received by each organisation to show separately the sums received (a) under the joint funding scheme, (b) for emergency relief and (c) other.

The information requested is as follows:

To ask the Lord President of the Council what is the amount of the office costs allowance per Member for each of the last 10 years; what percentage of the total allowance has been spent in each of the last 10 years; and, of the amount of the allowance which has been spent in each of the last 10 years, what proportions have been spent on (a) secretarial salaries, (b) research expenses and salaries, (c) miscellaneous office expenses and (d) other secretarial services.

The amount of the office costs allowance and the percentage of total estimates provision spent in each of the last 10 years is in the table. Information on the proportions spent on secretarial salaries, research expenses and salaries, miscellaneous expenses and other secretarial services is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

The Office Costs Allowance
Financial Year	OCA Maximum per Member	Percentage of total Estimates provision spent1
	£
1980–81	7,859	92
1981–82	8,384	96
1982–83	8,752	98

To ask the Lord President of the Council, pursuant to his answer of 6 December to the hon. Member for Northampton, North, (Mr. Marlow) Official Report, column 463, what are his reasons for deciding not to bring forward or proceed with any Government amendments to the War Crimes Bill.

To preserve the possibility of the use of the Parliament Acts in the event of disagreement between the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the Bill should be returned to the House of Lords in precisely the same form as it went to it last year, apart from purely technical changes necessary to reflect the passage of time. It has been presented to the House of Commons in that form. The Government have decided not to propose suggested amendments under the procedure provided in the Parliament Acts because the Bill as it stands meets the Government's objectives of implementing the recommendations of the war crimes inquiry, ensuring that any prosecutions are well founded and well prepared and that any defendants have proper and effective safeguards. If the House of Lords wishes to propose amendments in a spirit of seeking to secure the support of both Houses, the Commons will be able to consider these and decide on a free vote.

To ask the Lord President of the Council when the Government last proposed a motion excluding the Committee stage or amendment of a Bill similar to the motion on the War Crimes Bill.

A motion to similar effect was last made by the Government on 1 December 1976, relating to the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Bill.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the differences between men and women in respect of invalidity benefit when they reach normal retirement age.

There are no differences in the way invalidity benefit entitlement is determined or paid between men and women when they reach normal retirement age.Payment of invalidity benefit can continue after normal retirement age 60—women—or 65—men—only if there is entitlement to retirement pension. Invalidity benefit is then payable until retirement pension is claimed or age 65—women or 70—men—is reached.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which of his Ministers has been given responsibility for energy use by his Department; and what is his brief regarding energy efficiency.

I have given the Minister of State, Baroness Trumpington, special responsibility for energy use within my Department. I attach great importance to the efficient use of energy both within the Department and the industries with which my Department has contact. In line with the Government's objectives, our aim is to save 15 per cent. of departmental energy costs over the next five years. I have asked the Minister of State to encourage the practice of energy efficiency in our policies and pronouncements.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will list the numbers of veterinarians that have been lost from each location where they are employed since 1979; and if he will make a statement;(2) further to his answer to the hon. Member for South Shields of 12 March,

It is not possible or meaningful to list the number of veterinary posts that have been lost from each individual location where they are employed since 1979 because where individual locations have been closed, amalgamated or relocated, additional veterinary posts have been allocated to other locations to cope with the additional work load.The number of veterinary posts located at veterinary investigation centres was 87 in 1979, is 84 in 1991 and it is expected that there will be 72 such veterinary posts in 1995. The numbers of veterinary posts in those central laboratories which comprise the central veterinary laboratories was 97 in 1979, is 73 in 1991 and it is expected that there will be 73 veterinary posts in 1995.For the same reasons it is not possible or meaningful to list the

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish in the Official Report the results of the test for the presence of BSE undertaken by Dr. Harash Narang, at the public health laboratory, Newcastle, on the bovine brains supplied by his Department.

Publication of the results of the research being undertaken by Dr. Narang is a matter for him. All the material and data requested by him as a part of this study have been supplied by my Department.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has issued guidelines to local authority environmental health departments on recommended levels of staffing for implementation of the Food Safety Act and the registration of food premises in particular.

I have been asked to reply.Staffing levels are a matter for local authorities to determine locally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when the accounts for the Training Agency for 1989–90 and 1990–91 will be laid before Parliament.

It had been planned to lay the White Paper accounts for the Training Agency for 1989–90 before Parliament in December 1990, but their preparation has been delayed and they will now be published in May 1991. The Training Agency has now ceased to exist as a separate operation entirely and no further White Paper accounts will be prepared.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are estimated to work in the racehorse breeding industry.

The information requested is included in the estimates for agriculture and horticulture, which do not separately identify the racehorse breeding industry. In September 1990, the latest date for which information is available, there were 307,000 employees in employment in agriculture and horticulture in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received from the Rathbone Society about the precautionary notices of redundancy it has issued to its staff in England and 'Wales and the imminent closure of the training and employment service it provides for people with learning difficulties; what reply he is sending; what action he is taking; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 15 March 1991]: The chief executive of the Rathbone Society wrote to my right hon. and learned Friend on 1 March and the chairman wrote on 10 March. I shall be replying shortly.On 26 February my right hon. and learned Friend announced we were making available an additional £120 million for employment training in 1991–92 bringing our total expenditure on the programme to £877 million.Training and enterprise councils will be able to use this additional money to provide training in line with the priorities set out in their plans including training for those with learning difficulties and other special needs. It is for individual TECs to decide, in the light of local circumstances, with whom they will contract to provide the necessary training.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what the unemployment figures for Hendon, North have been during each of the last 12 months for which figures are available; and if he will state what factors have affected any changes in them.

[holding answer 15 March 1991]: The information requested can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the House of Commons Library. The figures available are on the unadjusted basis and are therefore affected by seasonal influences.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total budget for television, newspaper and other advertising for the launch of training and enterprise councils; what is the total budget for advertising for each TEC so far established; what is the cost of such advertising nationally and locally, expressed in terms of each person now undertaking training; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 15 March 1991]: The total budget for television, newspaper and other advertising for the launch of training and enterprise councils is £10 million.The overall budget for local publicity and marketing by TECs in 1990–91 is £4 million. The amount allocated to individual TECs is adjusted during each financial year according to changing requirements.The figures on the cost of TECs advertising nationally and locally, expressed in terms of training can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he proposes to take to ensure that the complaints procedure at Ashworth hospital is one that the patients can have complete confidence in.

One of the Special Hospitals Service Authority's tasks in its current action plan, agreed in last year's ministerial review of the authority's performance, is to design and implement a revised complaints procedure. The authority has informed me that a formal policy and statement of principles have now been agreed and that the detailed procedures are being finalised. It intends to implement the new procedures from 1 June 1991. Apart from these internal arrangements, the Mental Health Act Commission has statutory responsibilities under section 120 (1) of the Mental Health Act 1983 for investigating complaints made by, or in respect of, patients detained under the Act. Commissioners make regular visits, as the Act requires, to Ashworth and other hospitals where patients are detained.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will give the number of in-patients, out-patients and day-patients treated in the northern region in 1980, 1985 and 1990, together with the percentage change.

The information available is given in the table. It is not possible to make a direct comparison of in-patient treatments between 1989–90 and earlier years. Following implementation of the Korner reports on health service information, the basis of counting in-patient treatments was changed in 1988–89 to reflect the number of individual episodes of care under a consultant. The old and new methods of counting in-patients were both used during 1988–89 in order to provide continuity in time series comparisons.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received regarding insulin supplies to national health service patients; and if he will make a statement.

Representations have been received on the safety of human insulin. While at present there is no evidence of a problem associated specifically with human insulins, the Committee on the Safety of Medicines will continue to liaise with the British Diabetic Association in closely monitoring the situation. Representation has also been received on the supply of free needles for insulin manufacturers proprietary syringes. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill (Mr. Davis) on 11 March at column 353.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health which of his Ministers has been given responsibility for energy use by his Department; and what is his or her brief regarding energy efficiency.

I have this responsibility. My brief is to contribute to the target saving in energy of 15 per cent. over the next five years for all Government Departments. In addition, we are aiming to achieve the same target saving for the national health service. This is against a background of savings in the order of 30 per cent. made since 1977–78.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has made any arrangements to monitor the effectiveness of the national screening programme for breast and cervical cancer, measured both in health terms and cost-effectiveness; and if he will make a statement.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave him on 21 February at columns 241–42. We are collecting information which will monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of the computerised call and recall for breast and cervical screening programmes. As these are new programmes it will be a number of years before their effect in health terms or cost-effectiveness can be fully assessed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide the hon. Member for Don Valley with a full copy of the financial data submitted by Doncaster royal infirmary during consultations on self-governing trust status.

No. The supporting financial statements through applications for national health service trust status are confidential documents submitted to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the method by which his Department will calculate the amount to be transferred from his Department to local authorities when community care is implemented.

The White Paper "Caring for People"—Cm. 849—set out the factors which will be taken into account in calculating the sums to be transferred from the social security system to local authorities. The amount to be transferred will be determined in the 1992 public expenditure survey following discussions with the local authority associations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people die in intensive therapy units annually; whether he can break the number down according to age groups; and what percentage are likely to be considered as organ donors.

According to information provided by the national audit of potential donors, initiated by the Government in 1989, just over 1,000 patients per month died in intensive therapy units in England during 1989 and their average age was 57 years. Some 8·4 per cent. were considered to be potential cadaveric organ donors on the basis that they were confirmed brain stem dead and there were no general medical contraindications to organ donation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what Government funding is given to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service; what licences or other Government approvals are required for the activities of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service; and what official contacts he has had with the British Pregnancy Advisory Service in the past year.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service—BPAS—does not receive central funding though some of its income will come from its contracts with health authorities. BPAS nursing homes, like all hospitals, homes and clinics within part II of the Registered Homes Act 1984 must be registered by the relevant health authority and inspected at least twice a year by that authority. In addition, BPAS and other private sector clinics providing abortion treatment must be approved by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State under the Abortion Act 1967. BPAS also operates a number of pregnancy advice bureaux which are registered by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. All approved places and pregnancy advice bureaux are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the Department's staff. BPAS premises have therefore received a number of official visits by departmental and NHS staff over the past year.From 1 August BPAS will be obliged to comply with licence conditions contained in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, and any extra conditions which are imposed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority—HFEA—if it wishes to continue to provide assisted conception services which are subject to regulation by that Act. If it is licensed it will also be expected to follow the guidelines in the code of practice that the HFEA will produce.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce legislation to prohibit the use of artificial fertility techniques by women who are virgins; and if he will make a statement.

The provision of treatment to single women was debated in both Houses of Parliament during the passage of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill last year. The results of these debates are

	Appeal Successful	Appeal Unsuccessful	Total
Income Support	123	368	491

	Allowed	Disallowed	Adjourned	Total
Family Credit	43	93	56	192
Social Fund (Funeral Benefit)	2	4	—	6
Unemployment Benefit	51	140	55	246
Sickness Benefit	55	50	58	163
Invalidity Benefit	677	378	645	1,700
Severe Disablement Allowance	22	14	20	56
Maternity Benefit	—	1	—	1
Statutory Sick Pay	4	10	9	23
Guardian's Allowance	—	1	—	1
Child Benefit	23	72	46	141
Mobility Allowance	1	36	10	47
Injury and Disablement Benefit	31	26	56	113
Reduced Earnings Allowance	54	32	80	166
Pensions	6	31	20	57
Attendance Allowance	6	6	7	19
Invalid Care Allowance	10	17	31	58

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the main funding headings which are used in providing grants to voluntary organisations and the changes that have taken place over the last five years.

On 4 April last year my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced the publication of reflected in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. The Act makes no reference to a woman's marital or other status as a condition for receiving treatment.In accordance with section 13(5) of the Act, a woman shall not be given treatment services unless account has been taken of the welfare of any child who may be born as a result of the treatment, including the need of that child for a father. Treatment services involving donated gametes or the creation of embryos in vitro may not be provided to a woman unless a suitable opportunity has been given to receive proper counselling about the implications of the proposed steps.As required by the Act, a code of practice will be produced by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority which will include guidance to treatment centres on counselling and the welfare of the child. Such centres will need to comply with the provisions of the Act and will be expected to follow the code of practice guidelines. The final draft of the code of practice must be approved by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and laid before Parliament.These and other provisions of the Act are expected to come into force on 1 August 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the number of appeals heard and decided by tribunals concerning (a) income support, (b) family credit, (c) social fund funeral benefit and (d) non-income-related benefits during the year 1989–90.

The number of appeals heard and decided during the 1989–90 year is as follows:the report of the efficiency scrutiny of Government funding of the voluntary sector. Annex D of that report, a copy of which is in the Library of the House, contains a list of grant schemes through which voluntary organisations were funded in 1987–88 and 1988–89. Details of changes which have taken place over the last five years are not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish in a table under the relevant headings all funding given to voluntary organisations in the most recent year for which figures are available and for the previous four years.

Details of the total grants made to voluntary organisations by Government Departments are announced each year by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. Details for 1988–89 were announced on 11 May last year, at columns 254–55. Similar announcements covering total grants made in 1987–88, 1986–87 and 1985–86 were made respectively on 16 May 1989, Official Report, columns 120–21, 14 April 1988, Official Report columns 217–19, and 2 March 1987, Official Report columns 464–65. A further announcement in respect of total grants made in 1989–90 is expected to be made shortly.A list of all voluntary organisations funded by Government Departments was placed in the Library of the House when details of grants made in 1988–89 were announced last May.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will bring forward proposals to make companies providing financial services liable for losses resulting from poor or misleading advice given by independent intermediaries who market the products of a small range of companies.

Independent advisers are responsible for the advice they give, and their conduct of business is subject to rules made under the Financial Services Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what discussions he has had with the regulatory bodies about the classing of the sale of home income schemes to elderly people as best practice under the terms of the Financial Services Act;(2) if he will issue advice directly to elderly persons to draw their attention to the risks associated with entering into home income schemes;(3) what consideration he has given to introducing controls on the sale of home income schemes to elderly people.

These are matters for the regulatory bodies. I understand that the Financial Intermediaries, Managers and Brokers Regulatory Assocation and the Life Assurance and Unit Trust Regulatory Organisation have issued guidance to their members.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he proposes to take to ensure that sufficient information is available to the public to clearly explain the distinction between tied and independent agents.

The Securities and Investments Board and the self-regulating organisations, such as LAUTRO and FIMBRA, are responsible for making and enforcing rules on these matters under the Financial Services Act. The distinction between tied agents and independent financial advisers is important and I refer to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to my hon. Friend the Member for Colne Valley (Mr. Riddick) on 7 December 1990, at columns 223–24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will bring forward proposals to require tied agents to disclose commission on products in the same way as independent agents.

The Securities and Investments Board and the self-regulating organisations, such as LAUTRO and FIMBRA, are responsible for making and enforcing rules on such matters under the Financial Services Act. On the general issue of disclosure, I refer to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to my hon. Friend the Member for Colne Valley on 7 December 1990, at columns 223–24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what expenditure is expected in 1990–91 on the residual obligations of British Shipbuilders.

Arising out of settlement of an outstanding claim by Trafalgar House, British Shipbuilders now has a liability of £17 million not covered by the provision in the 1990–91 supply estimates. Parliamentary approval for the necessary payment to BS will be sought through a supplementary supply estimate on class IV vote 2 in 1991–92. Pending that approval, this expenditure, which is urgent, will be met by a repayable advance from the Contingencies Fund.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish the figures of injuries caused by fireworks in 1990.

According to reports from hospitals in England, Wales and Scotland, 805 people required treatment for injuries caused by fireworks during the three weeks leading up to 5 November 1990 and the few days after, an increase of less than 1 per cent. However, serious injuries fell by 7 per cent. There was an increase in injuries to young adults, but a fall of 12 per cent. in injuries to 13 to 15-year-olds, the group most at risk. There was an increase of 16 per cent. in injuries from bangers and of 10 per cent. for rockets, and sadly, of 12 per cent. from sparklers. Injuries from other fireworks went down. Injuries from incidents in the street were up 7 per cent., but injuries from family firework parties were down 4 per cent. and from small public displays down 17 per cent. There were 110 million fireworks let off in 1989 and we estimate that there were 12 to 15 per cent. more let off in 1990. The detailed breakdown for 1990 and the preceding four years is as follows:

Firework injuries in Great Britain
(4-week period in October-November)
Year	1990	1989	1988	1987	1986
TOTAL	805	800	877	960	846
Place of accident
1. Family or private party	269	280	300	260	286
2. Semi-public display (e.g. scouts, cricket club)	59	71	69	88	72
3. Large public display	135	135	123	155	119
4. Casual incident in street, etc.	264	247	298	364	299
5. Other place	64	46	65	73	52
6. Indoors	14	21	22	20	18
Type of firework
1. Banger	158	136	162	163	161
2. Rocket	144	131	164	174	159
3. Roman candle, coloured fire, etc.	66	89	83	96	88
4. Home-made or extracted powder	7	18	17	24	14
5. Other proprietary fireworks	73	125	86	109	118
6. Sparklers	93	83	102	95	80
7. Unspecified type	264	218	263	299	226
Severity of injury
1. Fatal injury	—	—	—	—	—
2. Detained more than one night	38	46	69	60	48
3. Sufficient to cause absence from work or equivalent	138	142	167	158	160
4. Minor injury	590	551	587	661	582
5. Unspecified injury	39	61	54	81	56
Eye injuries (included in 2–5)	269	275	269	312	291
Age group of injured persons
1. Over 20	269	251	280	252	235
2. 16–20	142	135	151	168	145
3. 13–15	134	152	166	220	207
4. Under 13	260	262	280	320	259

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if his Department has made any contribution to the second preparatory meeting for the 1992 United Nations conference on environment and development.

I have today published a report entitled "Global Climate Change: The Role for Technology Transfer". The report was prepared for UNCED by Touche Ross and financed jointly by my Department and the Overseas Development Administration.The report has been distributed widely to those delegates attending the preparatory meeting for UNCED starting today in Geneva. I hope the report will offer a constructive contribution to their further discussions on technology transfer in the context of climate change and help future work move forward in a positive way. It establishes a working background on technology transfer which should assist both developing and developed countries to identify the scope for mutual partnership and assistance which will contribute to the international response to climate change.I have arranged for copies of the report to be made available to the Libraries in each House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will list the amounts spent by his Department in support of new technologies, technology transfer and innovative research and development in the northern region since 1983.

The Department does not have reliable regional innovation spend figures because its innovation budget is not allocated on a regional basis. The amount spent in specific areas is dependent on the number of companies that come forward with good projects. Any figures would thus be a reflection of industry activity rather than Government policy. However, for the special reason that we are looking to attract European structural funds, there has been an allocation made for SPUR, which supports product development. The northern region (the north west, north east, and Yorkshire and Humberside) has so far been allocated nearly one third of the SPUR budget.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will list the major investment projects attracted from overseas to the northern region since 1983, together with the capital cost of each project and the amount of grant offered.

The table lists details of major inward investments known to have located in the northern region since 1 January 1983. These are projects where known capital costs were over £5 million, and the table details the amount of regional selective assistance offered to each company.

Major inward investments in the Northern region since 1983
Company	Project costs	RSA grant
	£ million	£'000
Kodak Ltd.	6·4	2,000
British Alcan Aluminium plc	7·0	2,000
Transfer-All Purpose Foils Ltd.	5·3	819
Forbo-Mayfair Ltd.	6·5	700
Black and Decker	9·9	2,000
THC Fabricators (UK) Ltd.	6·2	575
Philips Components Ltd.	9·9	900
Black and Decker	22·0	2,450
Komatsu Ltd.	16·4	1,200

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to secure the future of the commercial aircraft manufacturing industry; and if he will make a statement.

It is for industry to safeguard its future by remaining competitive while Government create a climate in which enterprise can flourish. In the particular case of the commercial aircraft industry, Government have provided substantial launch aid and support pre-competitive research through the CARAD programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received alleging unfair terms in maintenance contracts for office and industrial equipment.