To ask the Attorney-General (1) what recent representations he has received concerning the publication of the book "Juliette" by the Marquis de Sade;(2) if he will make a statement on the decision of the Crown Prosecution Service not to bring prosecutions against Arrow Books for the publication of the book "Juliette" by the Marquis de Sade.

The acting Director of Public Prosecutions announced on 20 December 1991 that he did not intend to institute criminal proceedings against Arrow Books in relation to the publication to which the hon. Member refers. He had concluded, after consulting senior Treasury counsel and leading counsel, that the evidence was insufficient to afford a realistic prospect of conviction. In coming to that decision the acting director had also had regard to the nature of the book, the circumstances of its publication and the statutory defences available under the Obscene Publications Act 1959.Since that decision was announced, I have received representations from five Members of Parliament and eight other individuals.

To ask the Attorney-General whether the Director of Public Prosecutions has reached a decision on whether to prosecute police officers in Middlesbrough who were found by an inquest on 29 November 1991 to have unlawfully killed Mr. Oliver Pryce.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has requested a transcript of the evidence given at the inquest and will consider the case when it has been received.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will list by name the local authorities that have made representations to him about the law on Sunday trading since his statement of 27 November 1991, Official Report, columns 913–18.

Since I answered the private notice question from my hon. Friend the Member for Orpington (Mr. Stanbrook) on 27 November 1991 at column 913, I have received letters from Cambridge city council, the city of Coventry, Hull city council, Ipswich borough council, Scunthorpe borough council and Worthing borough council. In addition, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth, East (Mr. Atkinson) forwarded to me a letter he had received from Bournemouth borough council.

To ask the Attorney-General whether he is still pursuing the Government's claims against Arthur Andersen over the collapse of De Lorean.

I have been asked to reply.The Department of Economic Development for Northern Ireland is pursuing its action against Arthur Andersen.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those companies that submitted a bid in respect of the sale of the port of Tilbury by 6 January.

No. That is a matter of commercial confidence between the Port of London authority, as vendor of the port of Tilbury, and the parties concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to conclude the inquiry into the extent of his Department's liability to Mr. and Mrs. Paul Reeman as a result of the failure of Cornelis Johanna to pass the stability test on 15 November 1990.

I am awaiting advice as to the extent of the Department's liability, if any, to the present owners of the Cornelis Johanna.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport further to his letter of 20 December 1991, to the hon. Member for South Hams, if he will set out the results of the inclining experiment so as to establish more precisely the degree to which the stability of the Cornelis Johanna BM 204 is apparently deficient and assist in determining any remedial measures which may be required; and if he will make a statement.

The results of any inclining experiment conducted will be made available to all the parties concerned and advice will be given on any remedial measures necessary to bring the stability up to the required standard.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will specify the consultations including dates of meetings and correspondence which took place on the north coast of Scotland on the review of Her Majesty's coastguard service with (a) local authorities, (b) coastguard staff and (c) the public.

All coastguard district management teams and sector officers within Aberdeen region, including the north coast of Scotland, were consulted personally by regional management over the sector review during the consultative period lasting from February to June 1991; all views of the coastguard staff so aired were considered.Local authorities and the public were not directly approached since this was an internal management review. However, I announced the placing of a copy of the review document in the House of Commons Library to ensure wide circulation of its proposals on 21 March 1991 during the adjournment debate which was in answer to my hon. Friend the Member for St. Ives (Mr. Harris).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he is having with local authorities with a view to improving traffic speed and parking in the metropolitan area; and if he will make a statement.

I am in the process of consulting local authorities and others on the proposed network of red routes and on guidance on traffic management and parking in London as part of the implementation of part II of the Road Traffic Act 1991. I am also soon to have a discussion with the Parking Committee for London set up by the local authorities under the Act.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on applications for payment of unpaid value added tax that are based on evidence collected by computers.

Both the Value Added Tax Act 1983 and the VAT General Regulations 1985 give Customs the power to issue demands for payment that are based on information held by a computer. The majority of that information is provided by the taxpayer to Customs and then input manually.The Finance Act 1985 (section 10) entitles Customs to provide evidence based on computer-held information to a court of law within the meaning of the Civil Evidence Act 1968 (part I). Such evidence may be manually prepared or produced directly from the computer, but is based on information held on the computer. A certificate similarly based, advising the existence of a debt, may also be accepted under schedule 7 of the VAT Act 1983, until such time as the evidence may be refuted.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the advisory cost limit for answering parliamentary questions applies to answers provided by chief executives of executive agencies (a) in reply to parliamentary questions and (b) in reply to letters from hon. Members.

(a) Yes, and (b) no. The advisory limit has increased to £400, as announced in the Official Report, 14 January 1992 at column 546, and applies where the answers to written parliamentary questions are provided by chief executives of executive agencies. It does not apply to replies to letters from hon. Members.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will define the present remit of the central unit on purchasing.

The central unit on purchasing has been subsumed by the public competition and purchasing unit (PCPU). PCPU's remit is to promote the programme of work set out in the White Paper "Competing for Quality" (Cm 1730), and to continue existing work on the Government purchasing initiative (GPI). This involves advising Departments on how to obtain value for money through the adoption of best purchasing and project management practice, working with Departments to develop professionalism and to create infrastructures to support their purchasing and supply activities, monitoring Departments' progress in implementing the GPI and reporting annually on departmental progress to the Prime Minister.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many responses he has received following the consultation over the re-organisation of navigation authorities covering inland waterways; and if he will list the organisations responding and place copies of their responses in the Library.

The following 26 responses have been received as part of the review of the navigation functions of the British Waterways Board and the National Rivers Authority:

• Amateur Rowing Association
• Association of Waterway Cruising Clubs
• Commercial Narrowboat Operators Association
• Country Landowners Association
• East Cambridgeshire District Council
• English Nature
• Neath Borough Council
• Port of London Authority
• River Wye Preservation Trust
• Salmon and Trout Association
• Severn Fisheries Council
• Turner Marinas Ltd.
• Welsh Anglers Council
• Wye Salmon Fisheries Association
• Association of District Councils
• British Canoe Union Council of Welsh Districts
• Driffield Land Owners and Occupiers Association
• Inland Waterways Association
• Mr. Stephen Peters
• River Thames Society
• Royal Yachting Association
• Sedgemoor District Council
• Transport and General Workers Union
• Water Companies Association
• Welsh Salmon & Trout Angling Association

All further responses received will be taken into account. The accepted practice, where responses are made available, is to place a list of organisations responding in the Library of the House of Commons and place copies of the responses in the Department's library. When all the main responses have been received, we shall follow this for all responses where the respondent does not ask for the response to be kept in confidence.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the level of his Department's funding of the feasibility study by Halcrow Fox into land reclamation and open-cast mining in north-west Leicestershire; what are the terms of reference for Halcrow Fox; and if he will make a statement.

My Department has given approval for derelict land grant of £33,300 towards the Ashby Woulds feasibility study to be undertaken by Halcrow Fox and Partners. The purpose is to undertake a feasibility study for utilising the opportunities for the reclamation and after-use of derelict land and other mineral-bearing and vacant sites in the Ashby Woulds area. The Department has also given approval for derelict land grant of £26,200 for a geotechnical survey of the former Donisthorpe colliery tip to be undertaken by the same team of consultants.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the composition of the steering group appointed to guide the work of the study funded by his Department into land reclamation and opencast mining in north-west Leicestershire; if he will make it his policy to ensure the adequate representation of the local community on the steering group; and if he will make a statement.

The steering group guiding the feasibility study of reclamation and after-use opportunities for derelict land and other mineral-bearing vacant sites in the Ashby Woulds and Donisthorpe area consists of officers of Leicestershire county council, north-west Leicestershire district council and my Department together with representatives of the British Coal Opencast Executive, A. F. Budge (Mining) Ltd., and Hepworth Building Products Ltd. The local authority members of the steering group take account of the interests of the local community.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last visited Oxleas wood, south-east London; and if he will make a statement.

Representatives of English Nature, my advisors on matters relating to sites of special scientific interest, have visited Oxleas wood on several occasions, most recently on 28 November 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those sites licensed to take special waste; and if he will indicate which of the sites are currently taking special waste.

The information required is not held centrally in a form which would enable the Department to give an accurate response to the question. The issuing of disposal site licences is the responsibility of the local waste regulation authority in whose area the site is located and it is required to maintain a public register containing copies of disposal licences currently held in its area.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what strategic advice was offered to each authority in Tyne and Wear county on the number of additional houses and households to provide for in their unitary development plans; and whether his Department's more recent household projections for Tyne and Wear will give rise to any revision of his guidance.

The "Strategic Guidance for Tyne & Wear", which was issued in April 1989, stated that the five unitary development plans should provide for a basic requirement of 30,100 dwellings to be built between the beginning of 1988 and the end of 2001. These would he distributed as follows:

	Number
North of the River Tyne (City of Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside MB)	12,600
Gateshead MB	5,800
South Tyneside MB	5,000
Sunderland MB	6,700
Total	30,100

This strategic guidance has formed the basis of the draft plans currently in course of preparation in the five districts. It is being monitored by the district councils and will be revised and updated as necessary. Recent household projections will be taken into account in the revision process.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what account was taken of the weight of responses to the Building Regulations (Fire) Consultation Document issued in March 1990 concerning periods of fire resistance, compartment size and non-conbustibility in producing the 1992 edition of the Building Regulations Fire Safety Approved Document.

The Department received some 220 responses to the consultation document on proposed amendments to part B (Fire Safety) of the Building Regulations 1985. The comments were fully and carefully considered and we concluded that it would be appropriate to make some changes to the guidance before publishing it as an approved document. Certain fire resistance periods were increased, as we were persuaded that those proposed may not have taken sufficient account of possible risks to firefighters. Provisions for certain building elements to be constructed of materials of limited combustibility were reintroduced for hospitals and fire fighting shafts, where for different reasons people may be expected to remain in the vicinity of a fire for longer than would normally be expected. We also accepted the suggestion that it would be more appropriate to consider compartment volume rather than floor area when deciding on maximum permitted compartment sizes in buildings used primarily for storage purposes. This takes account of the increased fire load associated with high stacks of stored goods.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will consider the use only of certificated bailiffs for recovery of council tax arrears;(2) if he will introduce legislation to apply section 15 of the Court and Legal Services Act 1990 to goods which can be seized by private bailiffs when recovering arrears of council tax.

No. The employment of bailiffs is a matter for each local authority to determine. Local authorities will issue their bailiffs with a code of practice. These codes, which control the activities of bailiffs, will include the goods which can be distrained. I consider that this provides sufficient safeguards for both council tax payers and local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will relax the two-year time limit within which action must be taken against community charge defaulters.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I will shortly be laying regulations to extend from two to six years the time within which enforcement action may be taken. Whilst authorities will have been able to take action against the bulk of community charge defaulters within the original two years, this will not be possible in every case. We are determined that authorities should be able to enforce against all defaulters. There will be no amnesty for non-payers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received on abolition of private bailiffs for recovery of community charge arrears; and what response he has made.

We have received a number of representations. We believe that local authorities should continue to be able to call on the assistance of private bailiffs in enforcing the community charge.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what guidance he has issued to local authority associations regarding the offering of realistic repayment arrangements for people in arrears with community charge before taking court action to recover arrears;(2) what guidance he has issued to local authority associations on the order in which the following enforcement remedies for recovery of community charge arrears should be used when more than one are applicable

My Department, in conjunction with the local authority associations, produced a series of community charge practice notes to assist local authorities with the implementation of the community charge. The note on the collection of the charge advised authorities about their discretion to accept payments on account and to permit flexible payment arrangements for community charge payers. The note on enforcement explains that it is for the authority to decide, in each case, which power to use in particular circumstances; or the order in which the powers are to be used having regard to the cost-effectiveness of the various options. It is not a defence against the making of a liability order that a benefit claim is outstanding. However, we expect local authorities to seek to ensure that they do not summons people where bona fide benefit applications are outstanding.As with the community charge my Department in conjunction with the local authority associations will be issuing a new set of practice notes to assist local authorities with the implementation of the council tax. In producing these notes we shall of course look at all aspects of the administration of the tax to see what lessons can be learnt from the community charge.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will review his policy on the provision of weekly/fortnightly payment methods for payment of the council tax;(2) if he will commission research to examine the cost effectiveness of setting up weekly payment arrangements for the council tax in order to prevent arrears.

We are content that the Local Government Finance Bill provides a sufficiently flexible regime for council tax payments. Tax payers will have a right to pay in 10 monthly instalments. In addition authorities can offer their tenants the option of making payments at the same frequency as their rent payments. This could include weekly or fortnightly payments. There is nothing to prevent an authority making agreements with tax payers about the frequency of instalment payments, but such agreements would fall outside the statutory enforcement procedures. It will be for local authorities to decide, within the flexibility provided, which is the most cost effective approach.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all those local authorities who will lose area protection grant in 1992–93 showing the amount to be lost expressed both in £ million and £ per poll tax payer.

The total amount of area protection grant payable in 1992–93 will be £308 million. A table showing the proposed reduction in area protection grant between 1991–92 and 1992–93 expressed in million pounds and pound per chargepayer is shown.

Reduction in area protection grant between 1991–92 and 1992–93
Local authority	(£ million)	(£ adult)
Greenwich	-4·1	-25
Hammersmith and Fulham	-3·0	-25
Lambeth	-0·4	-2
Lewisham	-4·2	-25
Southwark	-3·7	-25
Tower Hamlets	-3·3	-25
Wandsworth	-5·6	-25
Barking and Dagenham	-2·8	-25
Hillingdon	-3·0	-17
Hartlepool	-1·7	-25
Langbaurgh-on-Tees	-0·8	-7
Middlesbrough	-1·5	-15
Allerdale	-1·8	-25
Barrow-in-Furness	-1·5	-25
Carlisle	-1·5	-19
Copeland	-1·4	-25
Eden	-0·9	-25
Amber Valley	-2·2	-25
Bolsover	-1·4	-25

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce the outcome of the consultation on the local government finance settlement for 1992–93; and if he will make a statement.

I hope to lay before the House tomorrow the Revenue Support Grant Report (England) 1992–93, the Revenue Support Grant Distribution (Amendment) (No. 2) Report (England), the Population (England) Report (No. 3), and the Special Grant Report (No. 3); together these reports establish the amount of grant to be paid to local authorities and the basis of its distribution for 1992–93. I shall be sending copies of these reports to all authorities, together with a table showing the standard spending assessments and grant entitlement of each authority; these will also be placed in the Library and Vote Office. I should also make it clear that I stand firmly by my intentions for capping criteria which I announced on 26 November.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing for all relevant local authorities (a) the post-16 component of their education standard spending assessment in 1991–92, (b) their actual expenditure in 1991–92 and (c) the proposed figure for 1992–93, showing aggregate totals for England expressed in £ million and constant prices.

I have today placed a table in the Library showing the requested information on standard spending assessments. Comparable information on actual expenditure on post-16 education is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will consider special credit applications from local authorities to cover the open-ended cost of renovation grants.

My Department has recently considered applications for a share of £25 million available as supplementary credit approvals (SCAs) to assist local authorities facing greatest pressure through demand for mandatory renovation grants in 1991–92. Bidding authorities were informed of our decisions in November 1991. For 1992–93, £30 million has been earmarked for issue as SCAs for mandatory grants. Local authorities will be invited to bid for a share of this reserve in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the levy imposed on London boroughs by the London residuary body in 1991; and what is the expected levy for the coming year.

The levy imposed on inner London boroughs for the year 1991–92 was £15.7 million. The LRB has indicated that the levy for the year 1992–93 will be of the order of £35 million to £40 million. This includes a substantial element to cover late rating adjustments, for which the former Inner London education authority had made inadequate provision.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing for each education authority (a) their education standard spending assessment for 1991–92, (b) their budgeted expenditure in 1991–92 and (c) the proposed standard spending assessment for 1992–93, showing aggregate totals for England expressed in £ million and constant prices.

I have today placed a table in the Library showing the requested information.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list by name the local authorities that have made representations to him about the law on Sunday trading.

My Department has not received any such representations from local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has about the recycled content of newspapers published in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Following discussions with the Government, the newspaper publishers agreed in September 1991 to a target of 40 per cent. waste paper in United Kingdom newspapers by the year 2000. As part of that agreement, the industry agreed to produce audited annual figures for the recycled content of newspapers, starting with figures for 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on what grounds local authorities were excluded from bidding for the maintenance of the royal parks.

[holding answer 16 January 1992]: Local authorities were not invited to tender for this work because the Government believe that they should not operate as trading bodies. Their role should be to enable their charge payers to enjoy high standards in those services for which they are responsible without necessarily providing them themselves. It is certainly not their role to enter into competition with the private sector.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, if he will make an announcement about the selection of contractors to carry out the garden and landscape maintenance work in the royal parks.

I have selected the following contractors to carry out the garden and landscape maintenance work in the royal parks from 1 March 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the Prime Minister's answer of 13 January, Official Report, column 469, if he will set up an inquiry into the leaking of his letter to the Secretaries of State for Wales and for Scotland referring to the RECHAR programme.

[holding answer 17 January 1992]: Preliminary inquiries have proved inconclusive and I have accepted the advice I have been given that nothing would be gained from pursuing them.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list (a) the number of Government amendments and (b) the topics covered which were tabled in the course of the parliamentary passage of (i) the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and (ii) the Local Government Finance Act 1988.

[holding answer 20 January 1992]: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what research has been conducted by his Department into the potential for conversion of oilseed rape into fuel; what contacts he has had with EC and non-EC countries which have undertaken research into this matter; and if he will make a statement.

The Department of Energy has considered the potential for conversion of biomass, including oilseed rape, into liquid fuels. The costs appear to be uncompetitive with the cost of competing fossil fuels.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish the guidelines for the independent inquiry being commissioned by his Department regarding the cost-effectiveness of relocating the petroleum engineering directorate in Aberdeen.

I am arranging for a copy of the terms of reference for the study to be placed in the Library of the House.

Adviser	Area	From	To
Kleinwort Benson	Financial	July 1987	April 1991
Touche Ross	Regulatory/Accounting/Audit services	August 1987	Continuing
Slaughter & May	Legal	August 1987	Continuing
Merz & McLellan	Technical	August 1987	November 1990
Professor Littlechild	Regulatory	November 1987	May 1989
James Capel	Lead Brokers	May 1988	March 1991
Rowe and Pitman	Brokers	May 1988	March 1991
Price Waterhouse	Systems audit/Logistics/Reporting accountants	June 1988	Continuing
Deloitte Haskins and Sells	Reporting accountants	June 1988	December 1990
Peat Marwick McLintock	Reporting accountants	June 1988	December 1990
Binder Hamlyn	Reporting accountants	June 1988	December 1990
Ernst & Whinney	Reporting accountants	June 1988	December 1990
Coopers & Lybrand	Reporting accountants	June 1988	December 1990
Spicer & Oppenheim	Reporting accountants	June 1988	December 1990
Lowe Bell	Marketing and Public Relations	July 1988	April 1991
Lloyds Bank	Receiving bank and Registrars operations	August 1988	February 1990
British Market Research Bureau	Market research	August 1988	February 1990
Davis Polk & Wardwell	US legal	September 1988	Continuing
Russel Reynolds	Executive selection	December 1988	February 1989
Goldman Sachs	US financial	December 1988	Continuing
Osler Renault	Canadian legal	February 1989	Continuing
The VPI Group	Joint marketing	February 1989	January 1990
Anderson Mori & Rabinowitz	Jananese legal	March 1989	Continuing
Wood Gundy	Canadian financial	March 1989	Continuing
Nomura	Japanese financial	March 1989	Continuing
Saxton Bampfylde	Executive selection	March 1989	October 1989
Jones Lang Wootton	Property adviser	March 1989	February 1990
Nuclear Services Group	Decommissioning costs	April 1989	April 1989
Williams Lea	Printing advice	April 1989	Continuing
Credit Suisse First Boston	European financial	June 1989	Continuing
Lamb and Edge	Property valuers	June 1989	April 1990
Grimley J. R. Eve	Property valuers	June 1989	April 1990
Gerald Eve	Property valuers	June 1989	April 1990
Knight Frank Rutley	Property valuers	June 1989	April 1990
Weatherall Green & Smith	Property valuers	June 1989	April 1990
Debenham Tewson & Cheshire	Property valuers	June 1989	April 1990
Hartnell Taylor & Cook	Property valuers	June 1989	April 1990
Connell Hallum & Brackett	Property valuers	June 1989	April 1990
Matthews & Goodman	Property valuers	June 1989	April 1990
Cook & Arkwright	Property valuers	June 1989	April 1990
Bernard Thorpe	Property valuers	June 1989	April 1990
Henry Butcher	Property valuers	June 1989	April 1990
Debenham Tewson & Chinnocks	Property valuers	July 1989	March 1991
Edward Erdman	Property valuers	July 1989	January 1991
Coopers & Lybrand	Salary advisers	July 1989	April 1990
UKAEA	AGR output	September 1989	October 1989
Lloyd Northover	Design consultants	January 1990	April 1990

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what studies have been carried out of the consequences for the safe earthing of electric cookers and other appliances arising from the changeover from the supply of domestic water via lead piping to plastic.

I understand that, as part of the national water metering trials, the Department of the Environment commissioned a study to investigate the change in the earthing characteristics of domestic properties when work is carried out on the water supply pipe in order to install an external water meter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the individuals and organisations retained to advise him or his Department on electricity privatisation, giving in each case the commencement and termination date of their contract and the nature of the advice they supplied.

The following advisers were retained in connection with the restructuring and privatisation of the electricity supply industry in England and Wales:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his estimate of the fees to be paid out in 1991–92 for advice on electricity privatisation; and what estimate has been made for 1992–93.

It is estimated that Government expenditure in 1991–92 on fees for advice on electricity privatisation will be approximately £7 million. Details of expected expenditure in 1992–93 will in due course be published, in the usual way, in the supply estimates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the individuals and organisations retained by him or his Department to advise on coal privatisation, giving in each case the commencement date of their contract and the nature of the advice supplied.

The information requested is as follows:

N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd.	30 May 1991	Financial matters
Touche Ross	12 June 1991	Accountancy matters
Clifford Chance	19 June 1991	Legal matters
Wardell Armstrong	5 August 1991	Technical and mining
John T. Boyd		matters

I also have in mind to appoint a consultant to advise on coal mining safety matters, and expect to make an announcement on this soon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what information his Department has received in respect of the recent further gas discovery by Kelt UK Ltd. at Haygate lane in the Vale of Pickering, including the nature of the gas; and if he will make a statement.

Preliminary pressure testing of Kelt's Pickering No. 1 well indicates a significant accumulation of gas. No gas has yet been produced from the well, and it is thus not yet possible to establish the chemical make-up of the gas. The well is currently suspended.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what were the total fees paid out for advice on electricity privatisation in 1986–87 and each year since at current prices.

No expenditure was incurred by the Government in 1986–87 in respect of advice on the restructuring and privatisation of the electricity supply industry in England and Wales. For subsequent years, Government expenditure on advisory fees was as follows:

	£ Million
1987–88	0.8
1988–89	5.5
1989–90	12.2
1990–91	51.9

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) by what mechanism the Government are honouring their commitments with regard to crude oil exports to South Africa made under the 1985 package of EC sanctions now that the guidelines of 31 January 1979 covering the United Kingdom's crude oil exports are no longer in force;(2) when he expects the investigation into the alleged breach of the United Kingdom's guidelines prohibiting crude oil exports to South Africa by the tanker Almare Terza to be completed;(3) what factors have affected the time taken by his officials to investigate the alleged breach of the United Kingdom's guidelines prohibiting crude oil exports to South Africa by the tanker Almare Terza.

As I made clear in response to my hon. Friend the Member for Wanstead and Woodford (Mr. Arbuthnot) on 8 March 1991, Official Report, column 301, the Government expect companies to abide by the 1985 EC measures against South Africa. Notice has been issued to the industry advising them of the continued existence of the ban. The investigation into the alleged shipment of United Kingdom continental shelf oil to South Africa on the tanker Almare Terza has proved complex and time consuming. It has been established that the cargo changed ownership at least five times on the international market. No response has, however, proved obtainable from the last identified owner, International Transportation Company based in the Cayman islands, and other inquiries have proved inconclusive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the Atomic Energy Authority's investigation into the nuclear material accountancy discrepancy at Dounreay.

I have now received the report from AEA Technology into the nuclear material accountancy discrepancy at Dounreay. The investigation by the Atomic Energy Authority has confirmed the preliminary view that the discrepancy has not involved safety or environmental hazards and that there are no grounds for believing that security procedures were deficient, or that any diversion of material has occurred.A re-assessment of the discrepancy has reduced the earlier reported "Material-Unaccounted-For" (MUF) of 11 kg U-235 (10.2 kg U-235 in high enriched uranium and 1.1 kg U-235 in low enriched uranium) to approximately 3 kg total U-235. The new figure takes into account the discharge of liquid waste containing uranium, and the re-assessment of solid waste and other materials. A more refined measurement was also made of the hold-up of uranium in the plant.The report identifies a number of areas where it will be necessary to improve management procedures, accountancy, and record keeping. The Atomic Energy Authority has accepted all the recommendations made in the investigation report and has taken action to implement them. I have asked my officials to monitor implementation of the report's recommendations by the Atomic Energy Authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to provide assistance to the Russian Federation to reduce the problems of social dislocation and pollution arising from the 10 previously unknown Russian cities, including Arzamas-16 and Tomsk-7; and if he will make a statement.

In Russia our bilateral assistance through the know-how fund is concentrated in four priority sectors—banking and finance, energy, food distribution and employment services. We are already implementing several pilot projects in Moscow and St. Petersburg, designed to address the social consequences of the transformation to a market economy. Assistance through the European Community and through the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is of growing importance. We will continue to consider the most effective ways of providing assistance through the various channels.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 23 January.

This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House I shall be having further meetings later today.

To ask the Prime Minister if he has any proposals to review the present honours system; and if he will make a statement.

I have no immediate plans to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement as to the effect of the Maastricht agreement and the Single European Act upon the powers, role and future of the Crown and the heads of state of other European Community members.

The powers, role and future of the Crown remain unaffected by the Single European Act and the treaty on European union agreed at Maastricht. The position of heads of state of other member states of the Community depends on their respective constitutional arrangements.

To ask the Prime Minister whether he has any specific plans to reduce the protection to farmland currently in operation through the planning system; and if he will make a statement.

New planning policy guidance was set out on 22 January at columns 203–4 in a reply from my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning to my hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Mr. Hunter). This affirms the Government's commitment to protecting the best and most versatile agricultural land. Planning authorities should also weigh environmental considerations, including any special designation of the area, and economic factors, including the need for diversification to provide wider employment opportunities in rural areas, in preparing development plans and deciding planning applications.

To ask the Prime Minister under which sections of the treaty of Rome, as amended by the Maastricht agreement, the powers of Parliament to repeal legislation enacted by its predecessors are curtailed.

The powers of Parliament to repeal legislation enacted by its predecessors are not curtailed by the treaty of Rome, either in its present form or as amended by the treaty on European union agreed at the Maastricht European Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the additional annual cost to the Exchequer of providing income support for 16 and 17-year-olds at the same rates as (a) 18 to 24-year-olds and (b) people aged 25 years and over.

Based on caseload information for 1990, the best available estimate of the cost of increasing the rate of income support for 16 and l7-year-olds who satisfy current entitlement conditions is around an annual £50 million if the rate paid to 16 to 17-year-olds is increased to that paid to 18 to 24-year-olds, and around £170 million if the rate is increased to the full adult rate. Increasing the rate paid to 16 to 17-year-olds to the full adult rate would require that the rate paid to 18 to 24-year-olds be increased to the same figure, at an additional estimated cost of £280 million; or a total cost of £450 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his latest estimate of the total number of households, including dependants, in receipt of income support, by tenure.

The information is not available in the form requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether claimants with a disability who are receiving assistance with mortgage interest payments will retain that assistance if upon taking up a job they qualify for disability working allowance; and if he will make a statement.

Disability working allowance (DWA) will not include help with mortgage payments. However, no one will be obliged to claim and of those who choose to do so only a small number will be worse off than if they remained on income support. We estimate that about 10,000 DWA recipients will have mortgages and will be better off on DWA.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether employed status ET or YT trainees, or self-employed people, with a disability are eligible to claim disability working allowance; and if he will make a statement.

People with a disability who are self-employed or working for an employer, including those on employment training and youth training schemes with employed status, are eligible to claim disability working allowance if they work for 16 or more hours a week.

Regions	Unemployed	Others	Part time work	Total
1990	82,000	210,000	18,000	310,000
North Eastern	14,000	28,000	3,000	45,000
London North	14,000	35,000	2,000	51,000
South Western	6,000	17,000	2,000	25,000
Wales	4,000	19,000	2,000	26,000
Midlands	14,000	35,000	3,000	52,000
North Western	14,000	33,000	2,000	50,000
Scotland	5,000	9,000	1,000	14,000
London South	10,000	34,000	3,000	47,000
1989	84,000	179,000	17,000	281,000
North Eastern	16,000	26,000	2,000	45,000
London North	14,000	28,000	2,000	44,000
South Western	5,000	16,000	3,000	23,000
Wales	6,000	15,000	1,000	22,000
Midlands	12,000	29,000	2,000	44,000
North Western	16,000	32,000	4,000	52,000
Scotland	5,000	9,000	1,000	15,000
London South	9,000	24,000	2,000	35,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many contracts the Industrial Services Consortium of Bradford has been awarded by his Department in the last two years, to date; if he will review a decision taken by the purchasing and supply directorate to concentrate leaflet work at Canons park; what reduction in employment of disabled people will result at ISCO 5 if this decision is approved; and if he will make a statement.

The purchasing and supplying of leaflets is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and copies will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when social fund inspectors are to conclude their review of the refusal to pay community care grant to Mr. Robert Ingram, of Bradford; and if he will make a statement.

I am informed by the social fund commissioner that the review to which the hon. Member refers was completed on 15 January. Mr. Ingram has been notified of the social fund inspector's decision.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing the numbers of claimants of income support in respect of mortgage interest both nationally and in each standard region, for 1989, 1990 and the most recent date in 1991, distinguishing between claimants who are (a) unemployed, (b) economically inactive, including pensioners or long-term sick and (c) claimants who are working less than 24 hours a week.

[holding answer 20 January 1992]: The information requested is in the tables:

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many trawlers his Department has examined in the last year to ensure the physical output of their engines matches the details in their official documents, in respect of those with de-rated engines within the 221 kW limit.

None. There are no currently available and practicable means of verifying recorded engine power in the course of inspections at sea. My Department is considering whether there is any way of overcoming this difficulty.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he intends to include details of a United Kingdom decommissioning scheme in the submission to the EC multi-annual guidance programme.

My right hon. Friend the Minister has indicated that he is prepared to consider decommissioning as part of a package including effort control. The industry has put forward proposals in response to this invitation and fisheries departments are considering the options but no decision has yet been taken.It is too early to say what will be included in the United Kingdom's submission on the multi-annual guidance programme.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will list the locations of all the cold stores in the United Kingdom where BSE-confirmed cattle carcases have been stored or are being stored, giving for each cold store the number of BSE-confirmed carcases which have been stored there in each year; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will make a statement about the legislative conditions imposed upon the storage of BSE-confirmed carcases in cold stores.

BSE carcases are stored for short periods only prior to transportation to incineration plants and at the plants to even out the flow to the incinerators.There are two dedicated storage centres in the United Kingdom, both in Devon. These centres are used only for BSE carcases. They are operating within local authority regulations and are bound by contractual conditions with the Ministry. The throughput of carcases at these centres is strictly controlled and regular inspections are carried out by the state veterinary service.In addition to these centres refrigerated lorries are also sometimes used (in Staffordshire, Shropshire, Leicestershire, Lancashire and Derbyshire) for temporary storage while awaiting full loads for transportation.Information on the number of carcases stored is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the projects, the purposes, and the cost of his Department's use of the Coopers and Lybrand group since 1989.

In the period since 1 April 1989 Coopers and Lybrand Deloitte has been engaged by the Department in connection with projects and studies on the subjects listed. Further details, including details of the costs of these projects, are commercially confidential.

• Subject of Assignments
• Scrutiny of demand and funding for Departmental Central Services
• Environmental/Safety Controls study on Chlorinated Substances Markets
• Study on barriers to takeovers in EC CFC Market Study
• Computing Services Industry study
• Managing into the 90s programme: Review of material
• Revision of Managing into the 90s newsletter
• Efficiency/effectiveness of proposed accounting systems Inward Investment review
• Financial viability of the Management Charter Initiative
• Information system strategy Study for Information Technology Division
• Study of safety-related computer-controlled systems
• Market Assessment Study of computer misuse
• BTG appointment of Reporting Accountants
• Work programme following local authority Regulation of Business Seminar
• Conference: Selling to Firms and Industries once in the public sector
• Study into Radiocommunications Agency's networking requirements
• Review of Radiocommunications Agency's licensing procedures
• Citizen's Charter and Local Authority Regulation
• Study of Ozone depleting substances
• Local Authority regulation of business
• Research into knock-on effects of inward investment
• UK Australian trade investment study
• Internal scrutiny of fairs and promotion branch: survey of chambers of commerce, trade associations etc.
• Local government regulation of business; development of specifications for alternative approaches to the evaluation of the regulation of business by local authorities
• Local government regulation of business; conference between business and local government
• Industry profile of printed cartons in EC: market study

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has any plans to prevent auditing firms from performing actuarial tasks for their audit clients.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the sections of the Companies Acts which relate to the selling by an auditor of non-auditing services to his audit clients.

The relevant provision in the Companies Act 1989 is paragraph 7(1) of schedule 11, which requires recognised supervisory bodies to have adequate rules and practices regarding the professional integrity and independence of company auditors. In addition, the Companies Act 1985 (Disclosure of Remuneration for Non-Audit Work) Regulations 1991, made under section 390B of the Companies Act 1985, require companies that are not small or medium sized to disclose in their accounts the remuneration of their auditors and their associates for non-audit work for the company and its associated undertakings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what rules he has approved relating to the action which the recognised supervisory bodies are required to take in respect of auditing firms whose standards are found to be deficient.

Before recognising supervisory bodies for company auditors under part II of the Companies Act 1989, my right hon. Friend was satisfied that each had procedures for maintaining auditors' competence, adequate arrangements and resources for monitoring and enforcing compliance with its rules, effective arrangements for the investigation of complaints, and fair and reasonable rules and practices relating to membership, eligibility to accept appointments, and discipline.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will make it his policy to require the recognised supervisory bodies to publish the names of the firms found to have poor auditing standards.

The recognised supervisory bodies have undertaken to publish the names of auditors whose performance has been the subject of adverse disciplinary findings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps are currently taken by his Department to prevent the export of instruments of torture.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will make it his policy to include exports of equipment used for executions within the remit of the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1989;(2) if he will make it his policy to ban any exports from the United Kingdom of any equipment designed for use in the torture or ill treatment of prisoners or the carrying out of executions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what powers he has to control the manufacture, sale and export of equipment used for execution and torture; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what is his policy on the manufacture and export of prisoner disorientation equipment;(2) what is his policy on the exports of instruments of torture including electronic torture chambers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what export licences are required prior to the export of equipment which could be used for torture or execution;(2) if he will introduce a ban on the manufacture of equipment which can only be used for torture or for the purpose of execution.(3) if he will press the European Commission for further European action to control the export of equipment which is likely to be used for internal repression or torture purposes only.

My Department has received a copy of the Amnesty International report "Repression Trade (UK) Ltd" to which we will respond after careful study. The Government deplore the use of any equipment knowingly exported for the use of torture and other such violations of human rights. The Export of Goods (Control) Order 1991 provides for the control of the export of leg irons, shackles and gang chains. I confirmed on 17 October (Official Report, cols 200–201) the Government's long-held policy that no exports of these items will be permitted.I announced at the same time measures to control certain oversized handcuffs with a linking chain which were usable as leg irons. Electronic equipment of the type which, it is alleged, has been used for torture is widely available and has many innocent uses. We will also consider Amnesty International's request for controls on the export of death penalty equipment.There is no legislation controlling the manufacture of this equipment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of the individuals criticised in his Department's report on (a) Pergamon Press and (b) Kina Holdings are still permitted to act as company directors and auditors.

These reports were published many years ago and other than the fact of Mr. Maxwell's death, I do not have information about the present status of those mentioned in the reports. The hon. Member will be aware that the disqualification provisions were enhanced as part of the Government's insolvency law reforms of 1985 and are now consolidated in the Company Directors Disqualification Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations he has made to the European Commission concerning the United Kingdom auditing industry.

Auditing matters have been discussed in connection with negotiations over the fifth draft company law directive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will investigate the level of audit fees in Britain.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many writs he has issued against the advisers to James Ferguson Holdings plc.

One.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has any plans to require companies to publish their work accident record in the notes to the accounts.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has plans to ask the Office of Fair Trading to investigate the fees charged by merchant banks during contested takeovers.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he next plans to meet representatives of the textile and clothing industry to discuss the effect of the recession.

The Secretary of State and I met with representatives of the textile and clothing industry on 8 January to discuss the Uruguay round. There are no plans at present for a further meeting.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action the Government has taken to ensure that the interests of the United Kingdom are properly represented at Expo 92 in Seville.

[holding answer 20 January 1992]: The Government have committed £25 million towards the British presence at Expo 92. This is more than was provided for any previous world exposition. The British pavilion is an outstanding design by Nicholas Grimshaw, an excellent example of the high quality of British engineering, including a spectacular wall of water. Inside, its exciting exhibition demonstrates British innovation and discovery. A wide range of cultural events has been organised for the six month period of Expo 92 and this, together with the pavilion, will show our originality in arts and culture.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information his Department holds on the impact of escapees from fish farms diluting the gene pool of wild species, with particular reference to salmon.

There is only one marine salmon farm in Wales and any escape of farmed salmon is therefore unlikely to have a significant effect on the stocks of wild salmon in Welsh rivers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish for each of the last 10 years the number of fish farms in Wales indicating the location of each one by the use of ordnance survey grid reference numbers.

The number of fish farms in Wales in each year since 1986 was as follows:

	Number
1986	55
1987	60
1988	65
1989	75
1990	70
1991	68

Data were not collected before 1986. Fish farmers are not required, when registering with my Department, to give the ordnance survey grid references of their sites.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions relating to the choice of fuel for the Pembroke power station he has had with the Countryside Council for Wales regarding the advice received from English Nature with regard to the impact of orimulsion on the pollution-sensitive species.

None. The proposal to extend Pembroke power station (to enable it to burn orimulsion) is currently being considered by the Secretary of State for Energy under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. I understand that the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) has lodged an objection with the Department of Energy against the proposal. Concurrently Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution (HMIP) is considering an application from National Power under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 for authorisation to burn orimulsion fuel at Pembroke. As one of the statutory consultees, CCW is being consulted by HMIP about the application.In these circumstances it would not be appropriate for my right hon. Friend to hold discussions with CCW on this matter, particularly in view of his statutory appellate role in respect of applications under the Environmental Protection Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he will respond to the fifth report of the Welsh Affairs Committee, Session 1990–91, "Affordable Housing" (HC 581).

I am pleased to announce that the response has been published today.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much money was made available to students in Wales through the access funds in the academic year 1990–91; and how many students benefited.

Access funds totalling £600,000 were distributed by the Welsh Office to further and higher education colleges outside the university sector in Wales for the academic year 1990–91. Allocations to individual institutions were made on the basis of eligible student numbers. According to returns from institutions £563,183 in access funds was actually disbursed to 1,930 students, which amounts to an average of about £300 per student assisted. The Universities Funding Council is responsible for the allocation of access funds to colleges of the University of Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the name and nationality of the director, secretary-general or president, as applicable of (a) the Commission of the European Communities, (b) the World bank, (c) the International Monetary Fund, (d) the European bank for reconstruction and development, (e) the secretariat of the Council of Europe, (f) the secretariat of the Western European Union, (g) the secretariat of the Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe and its new institutions, (h) the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and (i) the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; and if he will make a statement on whether any British citizens are being advanced for these posts when vacancies arise.

(a) The president of the European Commission is Jacques Delors, a French national. The president is appointed from among the members of the Commission by common accord, and British citizens will be advanced for the post when appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, further to his answer of 16 January, Official Report, column 615, which of the objective 1 regions of the European Community regional policy will not benefit from the cohesion funds agreed at the Maastricht summt; whether Her Majesty's Government requested the inclusion of Northern Ireland as a beneficiary of the cohesion fund; and if he will make a statement.

The following objective I regions will not benefit from the cohesion fund: the French overseas departments, Corsica, Abruzzi, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Apulia, Sardinia, Sicily and Northern Ireland.The cohesion fund benefits member states not regions, with a per capita GNP of less than 90 per cent. of the Community average. Northern Ireland is not a Community member state and so cannot qualify in its own right. The United Kingdom's per capita GNP is too high for it to qualify. Northern Ireland's objective 1 status is not affected by the cohesion fund. It will continue to benefit substantially from the three principal structural funds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Mrs. Nazir Begum, born in 1931, applied to the post in Islamabad to visit her nephew in the United Kingdom; when the letter, dated 19 November 1990, from solicitors in Bradford, inquiring about the application was received by the post; when a decision on the application is to be made; and if he will make a statement.

In the absence of any information on this case held in the migration and visa department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, I have asked our high commission in Islamabad for a full report. I will give the hon. Member a substantive reply as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his visits to Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Russia.