To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the reasons for not implementing Judge Stephen Tumim's recommendations to install low-voltage electricity points in the cells of A and D wings at Parkhurst prison during refurbishment last August; and if he will make a statement.

Work on the refurbishment of A and D wings at HM prison Parkhurst began in August 1990, ten months before Her Majesty's inspectorate of prisons made its visit, and too late to incorporate changes in the contract. I regret that, due to an oversight, my response to the report implied that the work began in August 1991. The inspectorate's recommendation will be implemented in future refurbishment work at the prison.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many certificates have been issued under section 27 of the Data Protection Act 1984.

I am aware of none so far as the Home Office is concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now instruct the Metropolitan police to withdraw protection from Mr. Salman Rushdie.

It is not for the Home Secretary to instruct the police on an operational policing matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines are issued to town and parish councils about the use of polling cards supplied by borough councils in elections and by-elections.

We issue no such guidelines to town and parish councils.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to require parish or town councils to display prominently, in more than one place, the notification of a by-election.

We see no need to amend the existing requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by how much the expenses permitted to parliamentary candidates will rise for the 1992 general election over the amounts permitted at the general election of 1987.

My right hon. Friend hopes to lay proposals on this matter before Parliament shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to require parish and town councils to advertise an election or a by-election by issuing poll cards to each voter, where such poll cards are offered without a charge to the parish or town council concerned.

It is for the parish council to decide whether it wishes to issue poll cards for an election or by-election when the poll is not combined with the poll at another election. We can see no reason for any change.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines he has issued for town and parish councils on the publication of notices concerning by-elections.

We issue no such guidelines. The requirements for giving public notice of a casual vacancy on a town or parish council and for giving notice of a by-election are set out in sections 87(2) and 232 of the Local Government Act 1972 and in the Representation of the People Local Elections (Parishes and Communities) Rules 1986.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to extend section 11 funding to cover children from other than new Commonwealth countries; and if he will make a statement.

We accept the need to bring forward legislation on this point when there is a suitable opportunity.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what investigations the Charity Commission is undertaking into the sale by the Royal National Institute for the Deaf of equipment available free on the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

The Charity Commission is not undertaking any investigation into the alleged sale by the Royal National Institute for the Deaf of equipment provided by the national health service. The commission knows of nothing to suggest that the institute has carried out any such practice. The Charity Commission has received representations about the institute's subsidiary company Sound Advantage, which is not a charity, and the commission is considering the institute's investment in that company.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received concerning the conduct of the recent by-election of Tadley town council, near Basingstoke.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will launch an investigation into the use being made of credit reference agencies for purposes other than verification by a commercial organisation from which credit has been sought.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make it his policy to introduce tighter controls over the access to information held by credit reference agencies.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to increase penalties (a) for misuse of credit reference agencies and (b) for release of information by such agencies other than after strict verification of the identity and purpose of any inquirer.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many requests have been made by countries involved in the CSCE process to initiate the involvement of independent experts as agreed at the Moscow conference on the human dimension; and if he will list the subject matter of the problem and the outcome.

None. The mechanism evolved at the Moscow conference on the human dimension has not yet come into operation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the occasions when the United Kingdom has used the conference on the human dimension inquiry mechanisms agreed at the Vienna CSCE meeting in 1989, indicating the countries to which the inquiry was directed, the subject matter and the inquiry and the outcome.

The United Kingdom has made use of the CHD mechanism eight times. Prior to the fall of the communist regimes, the United Kingdom addressed the treatment of ethnic minorities in Bulgaria, the detention of human rights activists in Czechoslovakia—three times—and Romania—twice. The mechanism was also used to raise two family-reunion cases with the Soviet Union, which was subsequently resolved.Additionally, the United Kingdom has been associated with 14 uses of the mechanism by the member states of the European Community acting together.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reservations the United Kingdom entered concerning the independent expert procedure agreed at the Moscow meeting of the conference on the human dimension of the CSCE.

The United Kingdom made no reservations about the independent expert procedure, but did make an interpretative statement on the experts' access. A further interpretative statement on the use of this procedure was made jointly by Belgium, France, Spain and the United Kingdom. The text of both statements is attached to the copy of the concluding document of the Moscow conference, which is available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the success or failure of the arms embargo on (a) Serbia and (b) Croatia; and if he will make a statement.

There are widespread and disquieting press reports of breaches of the embargo. We do not so far have independent evidence to substantiate them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 4 February, Official Report, column 117, to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North-West (Mr. Bellingham), whether he has had any success in establishing the identity and activities of the team in Yugoslavia which was reported in The Guardian on 17 January.

No. There are various unsubstantiated reports but no clear evidence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the criteria by which Her Majesty's Government decided to recognise the independence of Slovenia and Croatia and declined to recognise the independence of Macedonia and of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

We and our EC partners recognised Croatia and Slovenia on the basis of the report of the arbitration commission attached to Lord Carrington's conference. As for Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia, there remain important matters which require further discussion among EC partners before a similar step is taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current position respecting the accreditation of representatives of Slovenia and Croatia to the United Kingdom; what is the position respecting United Kingdom representation in Ljubljana and Zagreb; and if he will make a statement.

The Governments of Slovenia and Croatia have made no approaches concerning the accreditation of diplomatic representatives. There is currently a British consulate in Zagreb, but no representation in Ljubljana.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has had discussions with representatives from Yugoslavia about the proposed referendum in Bosnia-Herzegovina on 28 February in respect of that republic's independence; what Her Majesty's Government's policy is on the issue; and if he will make a statement.

We await the outcome of the referendum with interest and will discuss its implications with European Community partners before establishing a firm policy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current human rights situation in Iran.

As my hon. and learned Friend the Minister of State told the House on 5 February, we remain very concerned about the human rights situation in Iran. The reports of the United Nations special representative, Mr. Galindo Pohl, following his visits to Iran in 1990, contain ample evidence to justify these concerns. A further report, following his visit last December, is due to be presented to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva later this week. We shall study this report carefully together with the response made by the Iranian Government to the allegations contained in Mr. Pohl's earlier reports before deciding on further action.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the proposed Westminster Foundation for Democracy; and what funding is being made available by his Department.

I have consulted the political parties represented in the House about establishing an independent foundation, to be known as the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, to help strengthen political parties and other pluralist democratic institutions in emergent democracies. The proposal has been generally welcomed and the body will be established under prerogative powers once the parties have all nominated governors.The foundation will receive £200,000 for the remainder of the financial year 1991–92, and £1 million in 1992–93.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Government permitted the restart of arms sales to the Lebanon.

Sale of military equipment to Lebanon, as to other countries not covered by a specific embargo, has always been assessed on a strict case by case basis. We do not at present sell arms to Lebanon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration was given to the human rights situation in Kuwait, prior to completing the bilateral military agreement with Kuwait under the defence co-operation memorandum of understanding of 10 February.

We keep a close watch on human rights issues worldwide. They are important considerations in our bilateral relations with all countries and we discuss them with other Governments, including that of Kuwait, on a regular basis. There have recently been welcome improvements in Kuwait in this regard.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes he proposes to make in his department's diplomatic wing cash limits and running costs limits for 1991–92.

[pursuant to his reply, 6 February 1992, c. 215]: With regard to changes to this Department's diplomatic wing cash limits and running costs limits for 1991–92, the details for the running costs limit decrease on vote 1 should be by £1,781,000 from £480,241,000 to £478,460,000.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many shareholders there were in the United Kingdom in 1979; and what is his estimate of the equivalent figure today.

It is estimated that in 1979 fewer than 3 million adults in Great Britain owned shares. The latest Treasury-stock exchange survey showed that in 1991 share ownership had risen to more than 11 million adults in Great Britain. Information for the United Kingdom as a whole is not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what submissions he has received from the Building Societies Commission or building societies ombudsman on the subject of investment bond-related home income plans;(2) if he has any plans to review the regulation of lending by building societies for

The regulation of investment business, including investment bond-related home income plans, is a matter for the Securities and Investments Board and the relevant self-governing organisations. As regards the activities of building societies, the concern of the Building Societies Commission is to promote the protection of shareholders and depositors in societies. The prudential guidance to building societies on the subject of lending risks, and the corresponding capital adequacy requirements, were reviewed by the commission in consultation with the building societies during 1990 and set out in the prudential note on this subject in March 1991. Building societies have been required since March 1990 to provide additional capital to cover the risks associated with lending on a deferred interest basis, which is a feature of some equity release schemes. The commission has also recently required building societies to clarify and document their lending policies, which will assist in the maintenance of lending standards.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people over 60 years have been told they will not receive tax relief on private health insurance premiums because they have claimed for treatment which the Government do not consider would have been available on the national health service.

I regret that I have no figures on the incidence of individuals losing relief because of their having claimed for treatments not allowed by the regulations. It is my understanding that such instances should be very rare, because, in order to be certified as eligible for relief, a private medical insurance contract must only offer such allowable treatments.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much tax relief has been paid to the over-60s who have taken out private health insurance during each of the past two years.

The relief has not yet been running for two full years. In 1990–91 the relief cost £55 million and I anticipate the cost for 1991–92 to be £60 million.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the treatments which the over-60s cannot use without losing tax relief on their private health insurance premiums; and how many people, having claimed tax relief on their premiums, have had to repay those premiums.

Broadly speaking, no treatments are permitted unless they are already predominantly provided free under the NHS and are performed by a registered medical or dental practitioner in the United Kingdom to the insured as an in or out-patient of a private or NHS hospital. In addition general practitioner performed surgery is also permitted, as are various services such as physiotherapy or home nursing provided they form part of, or are consequent upon, an allowable treatment.I regret that I have no figures on the number of claimants who have received unapproved benefits and who, as a consequence, have paid higher premiums because of a withdrawal of tax relief.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list what shares the Government hold in private sector companies and their market valuation on (a) 1 January and (b) 1 February.

The table shows the ordinary shares held by the Government in private sector companies with the market valuation of such holdings at the close of business on 1 January 1992 and 31 January 1992.

Government ordinary shareholdings in private sector companies
Company	Number of shares (millions)	Market Valuation (£millions)
		1 January	31 January
BAA	14·8	78·7	83·7
British Airways	3·2	7·4	7·8
British Gas	0·1	0·2	0·2
British Petroleum	101·2	296·6	290·5
British Steel	1	1	1
BT	1,256·7	4,122·1	4,134·6

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list debts over £100 million owed to the Government by United Kingdom private sector companies on I January 1992, not including debts arising from as yet unpaid tax bills.

The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to meet representatives of the United Kingdom merchant fleet to discuss the effect of Her Majesty's Government's policies on the future prosperity of merchant shipowners registered in the United Kingdom.

I will be meeting Michael Everard, president of the Chamber of Shipping, on 19 February.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing by what percentage the net take-home pay of a married man with two children on (a) half average earnings, (b) average earnings and (c) one and a half times average earnings has changed (i) between 1974 and 1979, (ii) between 1979 and 1992, (iii) annually between 1974 and 1979 and (iv) annually between 1979 and 1992, giving (1) the average figure for each year between 1974 and 1979 and (2) the average figure for each year between 1979 and 1992.

[holding answer 10 February 1992]: The figures requested are shown in the table.

Growth in real take home pay at multiples of average earnings, 1973–74 to 1991–92
Married couple with two children
Financial year	Multiples of average earnings
	0·5 per cent.	1·50 per cent.	1·5 per cent.
1973–74 to 1974–75	1·4	0·1	0·50
1974–75 to 1975–76	-3·7	-3·9	-3·5
1975–76 to 1976–77	-1·2	-1·6	-2·9
1976–77 to 1977–78	0·1	-1·0	-1·7
1977–78 to 1978–79	7·9	7·6	7·5
1973–74 to 1978–79
Total growth	4·3	0·7	-1·1
Average annual growth rate	0·8	0·1	-0·2
1978–79 to 1979–80	2·8	4·1	5·1
1979–80 to 1980–81	-0·3	1·0	1·6
1980–81 to 1981–82	-3·0	-2·6	-3·0
1981–82 to 1982–83	1·2	0·4	-0·1
1982–83 to 1983–84	5·0	4·4	4·3
1983–84 to 1984–85	3·9	3·5	3·5
1984–85 to 1985–86	1·3	1·3	1·5
1985–86 to 1986–87	3·6	4·5	5·0
1986–87 to 1987–88	4·0	5·8	7·1
1987–88 to 1988–89	2·8	4·4	5·6
1988–89 to 1989–90	1·1	1·2	1·4
1989–90 to 1990–91	-0·3	-0·2	-0·1
1990–91 to 1991–92	3·1	3·0	2·6
1978–79 to 1991–92
Total growth	27·9	35·0	40·1
Average annual growth rate	1·9	2·3	2·6

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what new proposals he has for changes in working methods in the civil service.

Under the "next steps" initiative, chief executives are given personnel management and financial flexibilities to enable them to deliver targets set by Ministers. "Next steps" is providing benefits to customers, taxpayers and staff.

To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will retain the reading rooms and storage space at the Bloomsbury site of the British Library for the next 10 years for use by the library; and if he will make a statement.

No; it is not the intention that the British Library should continue to use the round reading room or other storage space, at the Bloomsbury site after 1996. The British museum is considering options for the use of all the space to be vacated by the Library. The return of this is eagerly awaited and central to the museum's future plans.

To ask the Minister for the Arts how many library authorities he has visited (a) since his appointment, separately specifying those he has visited (b) in the past six months and (c) in 1992.

I have visited six library authorities since I took office. In January 1992, I visited two libraries in Wiltshire and I am planning to go to Berkshire, Newham and Buckinghamshire libraries next month.

To ask the Minister for the Arts what was the total budget of the South West regional arts board in each of the last three years; and what percentage of the total budget was spent in the South Hams parliamentary constituency in each of the last three years.

The information requested is as follows:

	1988–89	1989–90	1990–91
South West Arts Total Budget	£2,166,134	£2,280,090	£2,514,120
Direct expenditure in South Hams as percentage of total	1·63	1·43	1·44

To ask the Prime Minister what percentage of the work force of the Cabinet Office are disabled.

The percentage of registered disabled persons employed by the Cabinet Office is 1–3 per cent. The Cabinet Office is an equal opportunities employer, and continually seeks to encourage the employment of people with disabilities.

To ask the Prime Minister what percentage of the work force of the Prime Minister's office are disabled.

None. For recruitment purposes, my office is part of the Cabinet Office which is an equal opportunities employer.

To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the Director of British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. concerning the transportation of radioactive waste for re-processing at Sellafield in Cumbria.

None.

To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the Director of British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. concerning the siting of the repository for radioactive and toxic waste at the Sellafield re-processing plant in Cumbria.

None. Proposals for developing a repository for intermediate and low-level radioactive wastes are a matter for UK Nirex Limited. The Departments of Energy and of the Environment are in contact with Nirex from time to time.

To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he had with the directors of industry concerning environmental pollution during his recent visit to Northern Ireland.

The subject did not arise.

To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to visit Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

I hope to make another visit to Scotland in the near future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has had regarding the feasibility of collecting information about and monitoring trends in referrals to the hospital eye service; and if he will make a statement.

Other than two parliamentary questions from my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Edgbaston (Dame Jill Knight), on 20 December 1991 at column 356, we have received no representations.The Department collects information on the hospital eye service through regular statistical returns. This includes data from district health authorities on the number of glasses, contact lenses and low vision aids prescribed and the number of patients attending the hospital eye service in connection with these services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the estimated number of patients who need erythropoieten treatment who have been refused on the ground of cost (a) nationally and (b) regionally.

This information is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of the total number of people who have (a) been removed from national health service hospital waiting lists and (b) been placed on pending waiting lists prior to being added to waiting lists, in the last 12 months.

If a hospital doctor decides that someone needs treatment they are either treated immediately or put on a waiting list for non-urgent treatment. In the 12 months to September 1991 nearly 2.8 million patients were admitted to hospitals from waiting lists. The names of a further 334,118 were removed from lists for other reasons, for example, because they had already been treated or no longer needed treatment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (I) how many non-haemophiliacs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who have contracted HIV as a result of contaminated national health service blood/tissue transfers (a) remain alive, (b) have developed AIDS and remain alive and (c) developed AIDS and have since died;(2) how many non-haemophiliacs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have contracted HIV infection as a result of national health service transfers of

There have been 61 reports in England, Wales and Northern Ireland of HIV infection in people who received blood in the United Kingdom. All of these reports related to the period prior to October 1985. In addition, there has been one report of HIV infection in a patient who received a tissue transfer after October 1985 from a donor who was subsequently found to be HIV positive.The total number of infected people thought to be alive is 30.The number of people reported with AIDS is 29, of whom 23 are known to have died.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total number of people who received national health service transfusions of blood contaminated with the HIV virus; how many have subsequently been diagnosed HIV positive; and how many have died.

[pursuant to the reply, 14 November 1991, c. 656]: I have decided that the special provision already made for those with haemophilia and HIV is to be extended to those who have been infected with HIV as a result of national health service blood transfusion or tissue transfer in the United Kingdom. The payments will also apply to any of their spouses partners and children to whom their infection may have been passed on. The rates of payments are shown in the table. Similar help will be available throughout the United Kingdom.The Government have never accepted the argument for a general scheme of no fault compensation for medical accidents, as such a scheme would be unworkable and unfair. That remains our position.We made special provision for those with haemophilia and HIV because of their very special circumstances. It has been argued that this special provision should be extended to include those who have become infected with HIV through blood or tissue transfer within the United Kingdom. I have considered very carefully all the circumstances and the arguments which have been put to us. I have concluded that it would be right to recognise that this group, who share the tragedy of those with haemophilia in becoming infected with HIV through medical treatment within the United Kingdom, is also a very special case.The circumstances of each infected transfusion or tissue recipient will need to be considered individually to establish that their treatment in the United Kingdom was the source of their infection.A small expert panel is being set up to consider cases where necessary. I am pleased that Mr. Benet Hytner QC has agreed to chair this panel and I shall shortly appoint two medical assessors to assist in this work. Further detailed work needs to be done on the machinery for handling individual claims for these payments; but payments will be made as soon as possible.Parliamentary authority for making these payments will be sought through supply estimates and the confirming Appropriation Act. On the basis of the reported cases the estimated cost could be £12 million. However, I cannot be certain about the cost, as numbers of valid claims are not known.I share the great sympathy which is universally felt for the blood and tissue recipients who have tragically become infected through their treatment. Money cannot compen-sate for this, but I hope that the provision we are making will provide some measure of financial security for those affected and their families.

Table
The amounts of payments to be made to the HIV infected NHS blood and tissue transfer recipients are:
	£
—Infant	41,500 each
—Single adult	43,500 each
—Married adult without dependant children	52,000 each
—Infected person with dependant children	80,500 each
and to the infected spouses and/or children of the above:
Adult infected spouse or partner of the blood or tissue recipient	23,500 each
Infected child who is married	23,500 each
Unmarried infected child	21,500 each

These are the amounts paid to people with HIV and haemophilia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the total amount paid by his Department to campaign against the use of tobacco products in the past year.

In 1991–92, the Health Education Authority, which is wholly funded for this purpose by the Department of Health, will have spent an estimated £6 million on smoking and health campaigns. In addition, health authorities mount local campaigns from within their own resources.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the cost of producing the national health service management executive report on the performance of the national health service in the first six months of its reform; how many copies of the report were printed; what was the cost associated therewith; who approved the cost; and if he will make a statement.

Ministers are accountable to the House for all their Department's expenditure. The estimated cost of producing, distributing and launching 35,000 copies of the booklet "NHS Reforms—The First Six Months.' is £34,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account is taken of clinical priorities in respect of the treatment of individual patients in implementing (a) the waiting list initiative and (b) the patients charter.

It is for clinicians to decide when a patient should be admitted for treatment having regard to the individual's clinical priority. However, because we believe that no patient should wait excessively for any treatment, under the patients charter, we are introducing a two-year waiting time guarantee from 1 April. We are also investing an additional £39 million through the waiting list fund next year to ensure that everyone is treated within a reasonable time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which 10 companies have been the leading indirect beneficiaries of spending within the aid trade provision since its inception in 1978; and what percentage of total aid and trade provision—ATP—spending each has attracted.

The ATP commitments since 1978 total £1,374 million. The 10 largest aggregate commitments by lead contractor were as follows:

	Percentage of total commitments
Balfour Beatty	21·7
GEC	8·1
Davy	6·3
Biwater	4·5
AMEC International	4·3
Snamprogetti UK	3·4
NEI	3·3
JBE	3·2
Phillips Radio Communication Systems	2·5
Marconi	2·0

Project	£ million
Balfour Beatty
Cameroon NW Electrification	1·795
Malawi Power Transmission	2·590
China Yueyang Transmission Line	3·072
Malaysia Pergau Hydro-electric	234·000
Burma Bridge Project	0·090
Colombia Bridges	0·301
Colombia Bridges Extension	0·152
Indonesia Bukit Asam Railway Bridges	0·152
Indonesia Mrica Hydro Project	12·075
Jordan HV Transmission Line	3·611
Malaysia Shungei Ahning Dam	2·344
Paraguay Power Transmission Scheme	1·350
Paraguay Power Transmission Scheme	2·870
Peru Mini Hydro Project	4·852
Philippines Wood Burning Power Station	1·967
Philippines Dendro Power Station Adviser	0·040
Sri Lanka Samanalawewa Hydro Project	16·570
Thailand Mini Hydros Pilot Plant	2·500
China Beijing Subway	7·070
Tunisia Railway Equipment	0·500
Total	297·901

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 4 December, Official Report, columns 149–50, what was the total proportion of each project budget for technical and scientific co-operation with Brazil earmarked for long-term consultancy inputs, including management charges, costs of technical co-operation officers and travel and subsistence costs for consultants.

The information requested is as follows:

Project	Per cent.
1 Anglo-Brazilian Climate Observation Study	53
2 Caxiuana Research Station	12
3 Forestry Development of Aromatic Plants and Essential Oils	17
4 Recife Environmental Control Project	30
5 Tocantins Forestry and Rural Development Project	18
Demini Yanomami Health Care Project	nil
7 Floodplain Forest Ecology and Management Project	11
8 Tapajos Forest Management Project	16
9 Central Amazonia Flora and Vegetation Project	29
1 Includes short-term consultancy fees.

Projects 8 and 9 were approved since the answer given on 4 December.

To ask the Attorney-General how many criminal cases were brought to trial in (a) the magistrates courts and (b) the Crown courts in each of the past five years; how many of them resulted in pleas of guilty; and how many which involved not guilty pleas resulted in acquittal.

Tables 1 to 3 give the information that is currently available. Table 1 shows the number of defendants proceeded against at the magistrates courts from 1986 to 1990, the latest available. The figures for the number of pleas of guilty are not separately collected. Tables 2 and 3 give the information for cases and defendants dealt with at the Crown court in the years 1987 to 1991. The information provided comes from two different sources, each using different definitions and collection mechanisms. As a consequence, the figures in tables 2 and 3 are not directly comparable with those in table 1.

To ask the Attorney-General how many defendants in the Court of Appeal criminal division were (a) granted leave to appeal against conviction and (6) refused leave to appeal against conviction in each of the past five years; and how many cases where leave was granted resulted in the conviction being quashed.

The number of defendants granted leave to appeal against conviction in each of the past five years was:

	Number
1987	400
1988	429
1989	460
1990	561
1991	662

These figures include a small number of referrals direct to the full court by a single judge.The numbers of defendants refused leave to appeal against conviction in each of the last five years were:

	Number
1987	964
1988	913
1989	960

To ask the Attorney-General what further proposals he has to increase the provision of public legal services in Wales.

The Lord Chancellor has no specific proposals to increase the provision of public legal services in Wales.

To ask the Attorney-General how many repossession orders were made at Barry county court in favour of building societies or other lending institutions between (a) 1979 and 1989 and (b) 1990 and 1991.

The table gives the total number of mortgage possession actions entered and orders made in Barry county court for each year since 1987, the earliest year for which the information is available. These figures do not indicate how many houses have been repossessed through the courts as not all of the orders made will have resulted in the issue and execution of warrants of possession. At this stage, the 1991 figures are provisional and, therefore, liable to revision in the future.

Mortgage possession—actions entered and orders made in Barry county court
Year	Actions entered	Orders made
1987	184	127
1988	188	147
1989	170	94
1990	225	144
1991	286	225

To ask the Attorney-General if he will obtain for his departmental library a copy of the report, "Needless Deaths in the Gulf War", published by Middle East Watch last November.

No. Copies of the report are already held by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence.

To ask the Attorney-General what is the average period between a visitor visa application being refused in Dhaka and an appeal against refusal to grant a visitor visa being heard before an immigration appeals tribunal in the United Kingdom.

The appeal process does not start until an appeal is lodged with the entry clearance officer at the post overseas. This is the responsibility of the appellant and it is not therefore possible to give the average sought. However, it currently takes between nine and 15 months to process an average case from the date notice of appeal is lodged to the issuing of the immigration adjudicators' determination. This depends largely on the time taken for the parties to prepare for the hearing, over which the immigration appellate authorities have no control. If leave is granted, an appeal against an adjudicator's determination to the immigration appeal tribunal takes on average between four and six months, again depending on the length of time taken for the parties to get ready for the hearing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give for each region, and for Great Britain as a whole, the latest results of the youth training leavers survey, showing for male and female trainees and for each separate ethnic group and for those with a disability (a) those in full time work with the same employer, (b) those in full time work with a different employer, (c) those in part time work, (d) those on a full time course at a college/training centre, (e) those on another YTS, (f) those doing something else, (g) those who were unemployed and (h) those who had obtained a vocational qualification together with (i) the number of questionnaires issued, (ii) the usable percentage response rate and (iii) the percentage of respondents who were early leavers.

As the information requested is contained in a number of tables, I will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of (a) employees in employment and (b) self-employed in the Chelmsford constituency in June 1983, June 1987 and at the latest available date.

Latest available constituency data for the self-employed relates to the population census for 1981. Information available for employees in employment is from the periodic censuses of employment and is given in the table. No census was taken in 1983.

Employees in employment in the Chelmsford constituency
September of each year	Number of employees
1984	42,600
1987	49,700
19891	53,200
1 Latest available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will visit Hexagon Community Ltd. in Liverpool in the near future to discuss the funding of the adult training programme.

Contractual and financial arrangements for adult training provision with Hexagon Community Ltd. are entirely a matter for the Merseyside training and enterprise council.My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Wantage (Mr. Jackson) meet TEC chairmen on a regular basis to discuss the matters for which TECs are responsible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he intends to apply the White Paper, "Proposals for Training Contracts", to private education establishments; and if he will make it his policy to recover the costs of training teachers who have already left the state sector for private schools.

The effect of the change in the law that may be made, following the planned consultation on the clarification of the law relating to the enforceability of training contracts, will be determined in any particular case by the terms of the contracts of employment drawn up between the employers and employees concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the total cost of reviews of parts of his Department carried out by Price Waterhouse in the past year.

This information is not readily available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry by how much British Telecom's regulated prices have changed in real terms since 1984.

The prices of BT's main services, controlled by the "price cap" in its licence, have fallen by around 27 per cent. in real terms since privatisation. This control covers residential and business charges for domestic and international calls, exchange line rentals and directory enquiries, which represent over half of BT's turnover.

Electricity Council Years ended 31 March HCA Convention
£ millions
	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
Before tax1	(592·6)	1,444·9	1,441·5	1,1664	2,117·9
After tax1	(592·6)	1,444·9	1,315·0	810·2	2,117·9
Total borrowing as at 31 March1	4,700·3	4,208·2	2,874·6	1,597·3	(181·5)

Amershan International Years ended 31 March HCA Convention
£ millions
	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981
Profit before tax2	4·897	6·656	6·014	4·011	4·079
Profit after tax2	3·350	4·562	6·405	2·777	2·667
Loans and investment grants1	3·870	3·918	8·002	8·935	15·229

British Gas Years ended 31 March HCA Convention
£ millions
	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986
Profit before tax3	743	1,106	1,185	992	1,100
Profit after tax3	556	875	1,031	804	720
Bank loans and short term borrowing— (increase)/decrease3	(146)	31	(4)	162	(112)

Britoil (incorporated 1 August 1982. Formerly part of the British National Oil Corporation) Years ended 31 March
HCA Convention
£ millions
	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981
Profit before tax4	(43)	(35)	69	256	435
Profit after tax4	(31)	(26)	33	67	73
Loans and deferred liabilities4	18·1	—	55·6	—	—