To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made by his Department in promoting the adoption and enforcement of measures to prevent the release into the wild of non-native species of animals, plants and pathogens.

Section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 makes it illegal to release non-native and certain listed animals into the wild and to plant or cause to grow in the wild certain listed plants. The lists of both animals and plants were extended earlier this year. Part VI of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 introduced new provisions to prevent or minimise environmental damage arising from an escape or release of genetically modified organisms into the environment. Regulations under these provisions will be made shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps his Department has taken to restore the ecological balance of the River Ver in Hertfordshire.

The responsibilities and powers to take action for this purpose rest with the National Rivers Authority. My Department has approved the expenditure required for its proposals.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans were submitted by Her Majesty's Government to the European Commission by 1 April about the United Kingdom's strategy for stabilising its carbon dioxide emissions by 2005.

The Government sent the Commission a copy of the Environment White Paper (Cm 1200) when it was published in 1990. This set out the United Kingdom's strategy and a first set of measures to limit CO₂ emissions. A further report was sent to the Commission last month, updating the White Paper and the first year report (Cm 1655) in the light of the United Kingdom's revised conditional target for CO₂ emissions and further decisions on measures to limit emission including the announcement of the establishment of an energy saving trust. The report has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will make a statement on the reasons why the European Environment Council did not conclude an agreement on the proposed Commission regulation on the supervision and control of shipments of waste within, into and out of the European Community at its meeting on 26 May; and what efforts he intends to make to ensure the conclusion of a satisfactory agreement at an early date;(2) if he will set out each of the reservations held by Her Majesty's Government on the amended draft EC regulation, COM (92)121 final, on the supervision and control of shipments of waste within, into and out of the European Community.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment gave to the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome (Mr. Robinson) on 3 June at column 544. I also refer the hon. Member to my Department's explanatory memorandum on this amended proposal. A copy of the memorandum has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is taking to bring about an immediate reduction of waste importation for illegal disposal; and what action he proposes to prevent importation for illegal disposal in the long term.

[holding answer 25 June 1992]: The Transfrontier Shipment of Hazardous Waste Regulations 1988 make it an offence to import waste in breach of the regulations and allow competent authorities to object to any shipments which might lead to a breach of controls over disposal. The draft EC Waste Shipments Regulation would extend and improve these controls. It includes a requirement for any shipment which contravenes the regulation to be taken back.If the hon. Member has any information about wastes currently being imported for illegal disposal then I should be glad to receive it.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many sites within (a) England and (b) Yorkshire and Humberside receive imported toxic waste; and if he will identify the sites and state the level of toxic waste disposed of at each site for the last year in which figures are available.

[holding answer 25 June 1992]: Some 18 companies in England, including one in west Yorkshire, received imported hazardous waste (as notified under the Transfrontier Shipment of Hazardous Waste Regulations 1988) in the financial year 1991–92. The details are as follows:

Company and location	Waste disposal authority	Quantity (tonnes)
Biffa Waste Services Ltd., Bray	Berkshire	333
Chemical Mfg. and Refining Ltd., Rye	East Sussex	31
Cleanaway Ltd., Ellesmere Port	Cheshire	1,178
Collier Industrial Waste Ltd.,	Greater	6,735
Trafford Park	Manchester
DP Effluent Treatment Ltd., Runcorn	Cheshire	185
Gelpke and Bate Ltd., Rye	East Sussex	16
Grosvenor Power Service,	Greater	80
Carrington	Manchester
Grundon Waste Ltd., Colnbrook	Buckinghamshire	927
ICI Chemicals and Polymers, Runcorn	Cheshire	3,721
Lancashire Tar Distillers,	Greater	2,047
Cadishead	Manchester
Lanstar Waste Treatment,	Greater	9,534
Cadishead	Manchester

Company and location	Waste disposal authority	Quantity (tonnes)
Leigh Environmental Ltd., Trafford	Greater	4,441
Park	Manchester
Polymeric Treatment Ltd.. Walsall	West Midlands	3,192
Progressive Waste Ltd., Trafford	Greater	1,867
Park	Manchester
Rechem (Southampton) Ltd., Fawley	Hampshire	5,629
Solrec Ltd.. Morecambe	Lancashire	19
Thornton Processing Ltd.. Bradford	West Yorkshire	3
Triton Transformer Services Ltd., Newark	Nottinghamshire	578

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what new policies or initiatives he announced in (a) his address to the Royal Society of Arts on 28 May and (b) his interview with Brian Walden on independent television on 7 June.

No new initiatives were announced on either occasion.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what figures he has for the total purchases of each of CFCs, HCFCs, methyl chloroform, halons and carbon tetrachloride by Her Majesty's government for the latest year for which figures are available: and if he will make a statement.

This information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with the chairman of OFWAT about the number of service companies in which the water companies have acquired an interest or which they have bought out since privatisation; and if he will make a statement.

The director-general's role is to regulate the activities of the companies appointed as water or sewerage undertakers. He has no statutory powers in relation to any group holding company or any other company within a group. However, under the Water Industry Act 1991 the funds of the core water and sewerage businesses are ring-fenced and must be kept separate from any other activities. This separation is reinforced by section 50 of the Competition and Service (Utilities) Act 1992, which takes effect on 1 July. The director-general will now have a specific duty to ensure that customers' interests are protected as respects any activities outside the core business, in particular by securing that transactions between core and associated companies are undertaken at arm's length. He is in the process of introducing measures to enable him to fulfil this duty.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the prosecutions of local authorities which have been successfully undertaken under the litter code.

Information on the number of litter abatement orders obtained is not held centrally. However, the Tidy Britain Group undertakes regular surveys of local authorities to monitor the implementation of part IV of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The latest survey was carried out in March this year. Nine out of 419 authorities surveyed reported that they had been served with a litter abatement order. Forty-six authorities reported that they had been notified of an intention to bring a prosecution under part IV. In most cases litter abatement orders would not be necessary because the litter would have been cleared away before the case came to court.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the regulations governing the use of derelict land grants and similar financial assistance for reclaiming former mining areas and land liable to subsidence for housing purposes; what involvement his Department has in such projects; and if he will state the criteria that local authorities are required to follow in implementing such schemes.

The use of derelict land grant (DLG) is governed by rules based on the provisions of the Derelict Land Act 1982, and guidance issued by Her Majesty's Treasury. Under these rules the Department makes grant available to local authorities, private firms and individuals, and voluntary organisations for the reclamation of derelict land. Local authorities and other persons seeking grant should contact the appropriate regional office of the Department for advice on the availability of grant for particular schemes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will publish the responses to his Department's consultation paper "Internal Management of Local Authorities in England", and whether he will make a statement.

I have placed a list of the respondents in the Library of the House and have made copies of the responses available to the Library.The consultation document produced a number of positive and interested reactions, and confirmed me in the view that there is scope for internal management changes which would make for better and more effective local government. I have today invited the three main local authority associations, the Audit Commission, Dr. Michael Clarke of the Local Government Management Board and Professor George Jones to join a working party chaired by my Department with a remit to:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements he proposes to safeguard staff redundancy entitlements in the event of the bankruptcy of a purchaser of a PSA business.

In the event of the purchaser's bankruptcy within five years of the sale the Government will make up any shortfall in the redundancy payments due to civil servants who transferred with the business. This will however be subject to total redundancy payments not exceeding the amount individuals would have received had they been made redundant at the point of sale uprated to allow for inflation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much he is spending on the rental of accommodation in London for his Department; and what is the highest rental charge he is paying per square foot for accommodation.

[holding answer 23 June 1992]: It is not policy to reveal the open market rents negotiated by Government for its office accommodation as these are commercially confidential. However, the internal charge paid by my Department for its central London offices includes £10,625,159 per annum (exclusive of VAT) as the assessed rent based on open market values. The highest assessed charge per square foot is £19.61.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will declare more special protection areas under the EC directive on the conservation of wild birds.

[holding answer 24 June 1992]: The Government are firmly committed to an accelerated SPA designation programme. Minsmere-Walberswick in Suffolk was designated on 19 May and four sites were designated in Gwynedd as recently as 10 June. I expect to make further designations soon.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total number of local authority housing tenancies available within (a) England and (b) Yorkshire and Humberside, annually for the years 1980 to 1991.

[holding answer 25 June 1992]: The information derived from local authorities' annual housing investment programme returns is as follows.

Local authority dwellings either occupied or available for letting at 1 April each year
Thousands
	England	Yorkshire and Humberside
1980	4,667	582
1981	4,815	588
1982	4,719	580
1983	4,576	559

	England	Yorkshire and Humberside
1984	4,477	550
1985	4,425	544
1986	4,356	537
1987	4,325	531
1988	4,242	520
1989	4,098	505
1990	3,959	485
1991	3,835	473

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce measures permitting waste regulation authorities to visit waste production sites, within the area of the authority, and examine waste intended for reclamation and take samples for analysis.

[holding answer 25 June 1992]: Waste regulation authorities have powers under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to enter premises in their areas where any controlled waste (whether or not it is to be recycled) is kept, treated or deposited, and carry out investigations and to take samples.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what powers are available enabling waste regulation authorities to check if the waste production sites within their area have appropriate licences.

[holding answer 25 June 1992]: Waste disposal authorities are the bodies which, under the Control of Pollution Act 1974, are responsible for issuing and enforcing waste disposal licences. Under that Act, these authorities are empowered to enter premises in their area to determine whether or not a waste disposal licence is required in respect of a particular activity; they may also serve a notice to obtain information needed to reach such a determination.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will introduce measures requiring all producers of recyclable waste to inform waste regulatory authorities in that area of production, of the exact chemical composition of waste, certified by an independent, competent chemist;(2) if he will require all producers of recyclable waste to send a copy of a chemical analysis, and other relevant details, which have been verified by the waste regulation authority for the area of production, to the waste regulation authorities receiving the waste for disposal.

[holding answer 20 June 1992]: The Secretary of State has no intention of introducing such measures. Regulation of waste management activities is necessary to avoid pollution of the environment and harm to human health. However, any such regulation must be sensibly designed to minimise burdens on industry and to promote recycling wherever this is consistent with environmental protection objectives.As part of the duty of care on holders of controlled waste introduced on 1 April, any waste regulation authority may seek access to records (including descriptions) of waste transferred from producers' premises. Such descriptions must contain sufficient information to enable the waste to be dealt with safely and legally. The inclusion of a full chemical analysis will not always be necessary for this purpose.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will take steps to ensure that (a) importers of waste, (b) producers of recyclable waste, (c) carriers of waste and (d) those who treat or dispose of waste, notify receiving waste regulation authorities before they begin relevant contract work;(2) if he will empower receiving waste regulation authorities to halt the disposal, recycling or reclamation of waste when

[holding answer 25 June 1992]:] The Environmental Protection Act 1990 provides substantially enhanced powers for waste regulation authorities over and above those currently available to waste disposal authorities under the Control of Pollution Act 1974. Beyond implementing the provisions of the 1990 Act, the Secretary of State has at present no plans to amend or extend the powers of waste regulation authorities in respect of the disposal, carrying, recycling or reclamation of waste.Under requirements imposed by the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989, carriers of controlled waste are required to register with the relevant waste regulation authority.Waste regulation authorities will be able to monitor through their licensing functions activities involving the treatment, keeping, recycling, reclamation and disposal of controlled waste.Authorities have powers to take action, including requiring the cessation of operations, where such activities are being carried on in a manner likely to cause pollution or harm, or are not in compliance with licence conditions.With reference to imports of waste, a draft EC regulation on movements of waste would require financial guarantees or insurance to cover failed and illegal consignments, and would introduce provisions to secure the return or disposal of waste in such circumstances.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children between the ages and five and 16 receive their education outside school; and what percentage of the total five to 16-year-olds population this figure represents.

In January 1991, some 6,000 children aged five to 15 were receiving education in England otherwise than at school under arrangements made by local education authorities. This represents less than 0.1 per cent. of the total population aged five to 15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what percentage of officers in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 respectively and overall in his Department are women.

The number and percentage of women in post in each grade requested and the overall number in the Department are as follows:

	Number of women in grade	Per cent women
Grade 1–3	0	0
Grade 4	3	33.3
Grade 5	25	21.9
Grade 6	113	28.3
Grade 7	50	28.9
Overall	1,565	55.4

The figures include staff in the Teachers Pensions Agency, of which the chief executive (grade 5) is a woman. They also include 386 HMI, of whom the majority together with their support staff will transfer to the Office of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, which is to be constituted as a separate non-ministerial department from 1 September 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he received a copy of the report of the Calderdale education department concerning Ashtree infants school, Mixenden junior school and Stanningley Green junior school; what response he is making to the report; and if he will make a statement.

We have not seen this report. I understand that it was commissioned by Calderdale education authority and is addressed to the governing bodies of the schools. It is for the governors and Calderdale LEA to decide what, if any, further action needs to be taken in the light of the report's findings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many civil servants have been allocated to support and monitor the operation of grant-maintained schools in England; and how many grant maintained schools existed as at 22 June.

As of 22 June, there were 73 civil servants working specifically on the support and monitoring of grant-maintained schools. There were 217 grant-maintained schools operating with a further 49 approved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what reports he has received about the drop-out rate of students from higher education in the United Kingdom.

Details of non-completion of higher education courses can be found in "University Mangement Statistics and Performance Indicators in the UK", published last year by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals and the Universities Funding Council, and "Leaving Rates among First Year Students in English Polytechnics and Colleges", a Department for Education statistical bulletin published earlier this month. The Library has copies of both reports.The available evidence suggests that completion rates hayed remained relatively stable during the 1980s. No particular trend has emerged. International comparisons indicate that the United Kingdom has one of the highest ratios of qualifiers to new entrants in Europe.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he intends to extend the technology schools initiative; and if he will make a statement.

I am delighted to confirm that we will be making a further round of allocations for 1993–94 under the technology schools initiative. We will be inviting capital bids in the circular letter to be issued to local education authorities shortly. Grant maintained schools will be invited to bid later in the summer. The first round of the initiative has proved very popular. We have made allocations to 100 schools to enhance their technology teaching and offer courses with a strong vocational emphasis. We will extend this network in 1993–94 by making further allocations to maintained schools with the potential for excellence in technology. We intend to foster diversity in schools: this round of the initiative will further increase the choices available to pupils and parents.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will announce the postgraduate bursary and studentship rates payable by his Department for the academic year 1992–93.

The main maintenance rates under the Department's own postgraduate awards scheme for certain professional and vocational courses in the academic year 1992–93 will be as follows (1991–92 rates are shown in brackets):

	£	£
Bursaries
London	3,085	(2,950)
Elsewhere	2,435	(2,330)
Parental home	1,840	(1,760)
Studentships
London	5,195	(4,970)
Elsewhere	4,130	(3,950)
Parental home	3,045	(2,915)

These represent increases of about 4.5 per cent. on the current year's rates. The relevant supplementary allowances will be increased broadly in line.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is his policy with regard to the granting of legal representation in criminal cases where a defendant's liberty is at risk.

It is for the courts to decide whether to grant criminal legal aid in accordance with the statutory criteria laid down in the Legal Aid Act 1988. One of the factors to be taken into account in determining whether it is in the interests of justice that legal aid for representation be granted is whether the offence is such that, if proved, it is likely that the court would impose a sentence which would deprive the accused of his liberty.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will set out the charges which are classified as less serious charges, susceptible to refusal of legal aid under the new arrangements; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 19 June 1992, Official Report, column 681.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what representations he has received about the rate at which magistrates courts are able to deal with poll tax enforcement cases.

I have received a small number of representations from local authorities.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what estimate he has made of the income to be raised from local authorities for fees in relation to community charge under the Magistrates Courts Fees (Amendment) Order 1992.

The current estimate is that fees from local authorities in relation to community charge enforcement proceedings in 1992–93 will yield £5.8 million.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) if he will make a statement on the practice of some justices' clerks of requiring local authorities to pay cash in advance of hearings for fees under the Magistrates Courts Fees (Amendment) Order 1992;(2) when he plans to issue guidance to justices' clerks and local authorities about the operation of the Magistrates Courts Fees (Amendment) Order 1992.

It is appropriate for a fee to be charged when the relevant application is made. It is the intention to issue guidelines shortly to justices clerks on this and other points on the 1992 order on which queries have been raised.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer on 22 June to the hon. Member for Cardiff, West, Official Report, column 70, if he will give the latest estimated outturn cost of the proposed Cardiff bay barrage on the same cash price basis as the £147.7 million estimate had been made.

The latest estimate of the outturn cost of the barrage and related expenditure based on the GDP deflator at market prices dated 10 March 1992 up to 1995–96 and inflation at constant 2.5 per cent. after that, is £167.4 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement concerning the proposed byelaws promoted by the North West and North Wales sea fisheries committee for the protection of salmon and sea trout in north Wales coastal waters.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to my right hon. Friend the Member for Woking (Mr. Onslow) on 19 June.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how he intends to respond to the representations he has received concerning the EC Directive on Second Hand Goods and the possible imposition of VAT on the sale of second hand goods.

The Sixth VAT Directive requires tax to be charged on the full selling price of all goods and services unless otherwise relieved. Although there is no general relief for second hand goods, there are special schemes for certain of these goods including works of art, antiques and collectors' items under which tax is charged only on the seller's margin.The draft Seventh VAT Directive which requires unanimity for its adoption proposes a harmonised scheme which will in general extend this relief to other second hand goods. The Government have taken into account the representations it has received in establishing its negotiating position. My right hon. Friend the Paymaster General has received representations from both the fine art trade and the Charities Tax Reform Group and is fully aware of their concerns.Any changes to the United Kingdom's current zero rates would require unanimity for adoption and we cannot therefore have unacceptable changes forced upon us. I refer the hon. Gentleman to my right hon. Friend the Paymaster General's response to a question from the hon. Member for Leeds, West (Mr. Battle) on 17 June,

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil servants were employed in the National Economic Development Office and Council; how many of those have been moved to (a) the Department of Trade and Industry and (b) elsewhere in the civil service; and how many have been made redundant.

At the time of my right hon. Friend's statement on 16 June, the NEDC and NEDO employed 113 staff, including four on secondment to other organisations and five on fixed-term contracts which will end before NEDO is due to close on 31 December. In addition, NEDO staff included two secondees from other organisations, including one civil servant.Staff on secondment to NEDO will be entitled to return to their parent organisation. As my right hon. Friend explained in his statement, some staff may be offered limited period appointments in the DTI and there may be other opportunities in Government Departments. Those who do not secure employment in the civil service will be eligible for redundancy compensation by analogy with the usual civil service rules. I shall not know how many staff have been made redundant until after NEDO has closed at the end of the year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the relative public expenditure on economic development as between England and Wales over the past 10 years; to what extent this has resulted in a convergence between the two economies; and if he will make a statement.

A territorial analysis of public expenditure is published as appendix E in the statistical supplement to the autumn statement 1991. Information on territorial gross domestic product is published in an article on regional accounts in the November 1991 issue of Economic Trends.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes he proposes to make in the basis upon which the pensions of former public servants who retired between 1976 and 1979 are paid.

I have no proposals for any such changes.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps have been taken to consult interested parties on the proposed EC statutes for a European co-operative society, a European Mutual society and a European association and the accompanying directives regarding the involvement of employees.

The Treasury has today issued a consultative document on these statutes. I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the list of sites for helicopter landing and taking off facilities in London which has been drawn up for the Department's working group on heliports in the capital.

It is the task of the working group carrying out the London heliport study to identify possible sites for a heliport to serve central London. The Government will publish the working group's report on such sites when they have been identified and evaluated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what plans he has to change the laws relating to helicopter landing sites in gardens; and if he will make a statement;(2) what conclusions he has reached on how noise from helicopters using temporary landing sites should be controlled; and if he will make a statement.

In August 1991, as part of the consultation paper, "Control of Aircraft Noise", the Government requested views on possible legislation to control noise from helicopters taking off and landing at temporary sites (including private gardens). Responses to this paper are currently being carefully considered and the Government's conclusions will be announced in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what percentage of officers in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 respectively and overall in his Department are women.

The numbers and percentages of women employed in the Department as at 23 June 1992 are:

	Women
Grade	Number	Percentage
1	0	0.0
2	0	0.0
3	1	4.3
4	1	5.8
5	8	7.4
6	6	4.0
7	70	9.5
All grades	7,218	46.0

The figures relate to all permanent staff and are calculated on a head count basis, i.e. part-timers count as one. Non-industrial equivalent grades and staff in the Departments' Agencies are included.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what conclusions have been reached by the working group set up to discuss ways of deregulating buses in London; and if he will make a statement.

The consultative forum had an introductory meeting in May to discuss a work programme. The second meeting has been fixed for July. The purpose of the forum is not to reach conclusions about deregulation, but to provide the Government with a variety of views, which we can take into account in formulating detailed plans for the introduction of deregulation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many nuclear fuel rods have been transported to Dounreay by helicopter from overseas in each year since 1979.

This information is not available from the Department of Transport.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the current safety regulations concerning the air transport into or from Scotland of (a) unirradiated and (b) irradiated nuclear fuel.

I refer the hon. Member to the written answer on 22 June 1992, Official Report, column 31.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if she will list for each travel-to-work area the proportion of total unemployed who had been unemployed for more than 12 months in (a) April 1984, (b) November 1984, (c) April 1990, (d) April 1992 and (e) May 1992 respectively;(2) if she will list the proportion of the work force by the narrow definition for each travel-to-work area who had been unemployed for more than 12 months in

Claimant unemployment figures by duration are available only on a quarterly basis, for January, April, July and October of each year. The information available can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now release his Department's files relating to the Shingle street incident in 1940 into the public domain.

I have been in correspondence and discussion with my right hon. Friend the Member for Suffolk, Coastal (Mr. Gummer), in whose constituency Shingle street is, on this matter. As a result of those discussions, I am reviewing the files held in the Department dealing with the evacuation of the civilian population from several villages on the east coast, including Shingle street, during the second world war with a view to opening them to the public.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all the bilateral and multilateral agreements directly or indirectly negotiated by his Department or a body acting on behalf of his Department with (a) Switzerland and (b) Liechtenstein.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 24 June, Official Report, columns 208–11.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account he took in his decision on the extradition of Lorrain Osman of (a) the jailing of the prosecutor who collected the original evidence, (b) the doubts on the credibility of the principal witness, (c) the motives of the Malaysian authorities in seeking a prosecution and (d) the loss of defence documents.

The Home Secretary's decision is the subject of legal challenge and the matter is therefore sub judice.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to make a decision on a review of the case of Roy William Meads, currently serving a prison sentence.

My right hon. and learned Friend hopes to reach a decision on this case shortly. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as a decision has been reached.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis into the circumstances surrounding the televising of the arrest of the Maxwell brothers to find out who gave the time and place of the arrest to the media.

The Maxwell investigation is being undertaken by the Serious Fraud Office in conjunction with the City of London police. It is the policy of both the Serious Fraud Office and the City of London police that no information about impending arrests and searches should be provided to the media. The policy was followed prior to the arrest of Kevin and Ian Maxwell on 18 June.Neither the commissioner of the City of London police nor the director of the Serious Fraud Office has any evidence to suggest that unauthorised briefing occurred. Any person having such evidence should make it available to them so that it may be investigated.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish the next bulletin of statistics on recorded crime.

Home Office Statistical Bulletin 14/92, published on 24 June, contained the figures of notifiable offences recorded by the police in the period April 1991 to March 1992. We expect to publish a bulletin with the figures for the period July 1991 to June 1992 in September.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is yet able to announce the successful applicants for Home Office programme development visit grants for local projects dealing with crime and criminal justice.

I am pleased to announce that £1.8 million over three years has been awarded to 12 projects around the country under a scheme designed to stimulate innovative new local responses to crime problems.The successful projects selected for funding by the Home Office programme development unit in 1992–93 (budgets subject to final confirmation) are:

	£
Domestic Violence Crisis Intervention Pilot (Islington Safer Cities/Metropolitan Police)	100,000
Mediation and Employment Project (Community Justice Centre, Cardiff: South Glamorgan Social Services)	100,000
Women and Violence (Leeds Inter-agency Project)	90,000
Healthy Alliance for Dorset (School-based multi-agency project: Bournemouth, Poole)	70,000
Young Children First (High/Scope UK: Lewisham, Liverpool, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Manchester)	58,000
Preventing Criminality (Multi-agency: Sheffield)	55,000
Education, Advice and Counselling for Black Young Men
(Lewisham Youth Aid)	55,000
Mobile Advice and Support Service for Families (Welsh Women's Aid: North Wales)	38,000
Asian Women, Domestic Violence and Mental Health (Southall Black Sisters)	34,000
Peer Education Nottingham	30,000
Support and Advice for Vulnerable Elders (Lewisham Social Services)	30,000
Youth Education Programme (Keighley Domestic Violence Forum)	10,000

I should like to congratulate the successful applicants and recognise the energy, commitment and high quality that was such a striking feature across the 750 proposals received from all parts of the country. The aim of the programme development unit is to respond to and encourage the excellent ideas that are generated at local level.We shall be looking very carefully at the progress of these projects so that good ideas whose value is proved can be widely disseminated.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list all the bilateral and multilateral agreements directly or indirectly negotiated by his Department or a body acting on behalf of his Department with (a) Switzerland and (b) Liechtenstein.

My Department has no bilateral or multilateral agreements with Liechtenstein. The current agreements to which Swiss organisations are also party are as follows:

i. Participation in International Organisations

• European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN)
• European Co-ordination Centre for Research and Documentation in Social Sciences ('The Vienna Centre')
• European Molecular Biology Conference and Laboratories (EMBC/EMBL)
• European Science Foundation (ESF)
• European Space Agency (ESA)
• European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF)
• Human Frontier Science Programme (HFSP)
• Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL)
• International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)

ii. Other Multilaterial Programmes and Studies

• Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS)
• DNA Repair and Cancer programme (under the EC Medical and Health Research Programme)
• Effects of atmospheric pollutants (European Top Chamber Project)
• European Geograverse (EGT)
• European Palaeoclimate (ESF Programme)
• Greenland Ice Core Programme (GRIP) (ESF Programme)
• Ocean Drilling Programme (ODP) (ESF European Consortium)
• Polar North Atlantic Margin (PONAM) (ESF Programme)
• Royal Society's European Science Exchange Programme (ESEP)
• Studies on myeloid leukaemia and osteosarcoma (under the EC Readiation Protection Programme)
• Study of hypoxic cell radiosensitiser RO-03–8799 in the radiotherapy of advanced cervical carcinoma
• Western European Geological Surveys (WEGS)

iii. Bilaterial Collaborations

• Memorandum of Understanding with the Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (ISAR)
• Mesozoic climate change: effects and causes (ETH, Zurich )
• Microbiological studies in Jordan to simulate the effects of alkaline groundwater on waste repositories as net analogues of cement (NAGRA, Wettingen)
• Study of the ecology and epizootiology of Lyme disease (University of Neuchatel)

iv. Collaborations with Commercial Organisations

• Analysis of SHT receptor systems in dementia (Sandoz Foundation for Gerontological Research)
• Biotechnology (Ciba-Giegy)
• Biotechnology (Sandoz)
• LINK SPG selective drug delivery and targeting (Ciba-Giegy)
• HIV Clinical Trials (Roche)

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what targets have been set for the Central Office of Information in 1992–93.

The Central Office of Information has four targets for the 1992–93 financial year. They are:

(i) to break even in current cost terms after covering all costs, including interest on borrowings;

(ii) To achieve a 1 per cent reduction in unit cost of output in real terms, while maintaining suitable levels of quality;

(iii) to deliver all work in accordance with client specification: and

(iv) to deliver all work on time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will state the cost of (a) raising the disregard on war disability pension from £10 to £15 and (b) abolishing the disregard on war disability pension.

The cost of raising the disregard on war disability pension from £10 to £15 across the income-related benefits is estimated to be around £5 million a year. Abolishing the disregard on war disability pension would save around £15 million a year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on war disability pension and the disregard amount.

The £10 statutory disregard of war disablement pensions applies across the income-related benefits. Local authorities also have a discretionary power to enhance this disregard at their own expense in calculating entitlement to housing benefit and community charge benefit. We have no plans to change these arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many and what percentage of officers in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 respectively and overall in his Department are women.

The information for the Department at 15 April 1992 is in the table.

Grade	Total	Women	Percentage
1	1	0	0
2	4	0	0
3	13	4	31
4	10	13	30
5	99	22	22
6	285	66	23
7	522	97	19
Others	81,254	55,566	68
Total	82,188	55,758	68

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list all the advisory and enforcement agencies, referred to in the letter of 5 June from the Minister for Social Security and Disabled People to the right hon. Member for Manchester. Wythenshawe, which oversee the implementation of legislation governing provisions for disabled people; if he will state the terms of reference of each agency; if he will specify the achievements of each agency in the past 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

The principal bodies are in the table. Their terms of reference are publicly available. Ministers may also seek the advice of other bodies including local authorities and other service providers.A comprehensive list of the achievements of all these bodies in the last 10 years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Many of their reports are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received in the current year about restoring benefit entitlement to students during summer vacations.

We have received a number of representations from hon. Members, some local branches of the National Union of Students and from members of the public. A letter was also received from the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average waiting time for people on invalidity pension who have had to wait for the upgrading in line with inflation in Scotland; and if he will name the benefit offices with waiting lists of four weeks and over.

I understand from Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency that the information in the form requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, but that the uprating exercise was completed in the normal way. However, if the hon. Member has a particular case in mind, he may wish to write to the chief executive giving further details.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his Department's policy on purchasing ozone-depleting chemicals and goods manufactured with these substances; and in which year his Department expects to cease using, purchasing or releasing ozone-depleting substances, controlled by the Montreal protocol and HCFCs.

[holding answer 22 June 1992]: The Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments purchasing criteria includes a requirement to seek out and use suitable substitutes. Our policy, in line with the rest of the United Kingdom, is to eliminate the use of these products, if possible, in advance of the date set out in the EC regulation and Montreal protocol. We will consider the use of HCFCs when discussions on their control under the Montreal protocol are completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the extent to which preventive psychotherapeutic work with children and young people is likely to reduce the risk of adolescent suicide, violence, drug-taking and severe sexual problems.

These risks arise from a large number of often inter-related factors. We are not aware of any clear evidence that preventive psychotherapeutic work is likely to influence the incidence of these risks.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of research on the effect difficulties in childhood cause in adult life; and what assessment she has made of the role of child psychotherapists in this area.

There are some links between emotional disturbances in childhood and those occurring in adult life but these are sometimes weak and the relationship between the two is by no means simple. Although the treatment of disorders in children is sometimes claimed to prevent later adult psychiatric disorder, the evidence in support of this claim is not strong.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number of children in (a) residential and (b) day centres for children and young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties or both; what the average cost to maintain each young person is; and what is the cost of psychotherapy for such children.

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many child psychotherapy advisers are available to her Department.

There is no formally appointed adviser for child psychotherapy corresponding to the Chief Medical Officer's consultant adviser in child psychiatry. Leading child psychotherapists are consulted as necessary. The Department itself employs a range of professional advisers in the field of mental health, including psychotherapy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many qualified child psychotherapists are practising in the United Kingdom (a) by region, (b) by health authority and (c) in the inner cities; and how many sessions are worked in each authority.

The latest available statistics showing the number of qualified child psychotherapists practising within the national health service in England, by region, and by district health authority are set out in the table. Information about the numbers of staff employed within the inner cities or the number of sessions worked in each health authority is not collected centrally.

Child Psychotherapists employed in the National Health Service in England, as of 30 September 1991
England	WTE1
Yorkshire	39.40
Hull	2.40
East Yorkshire	2.00
Grimsby	2.00
Scunthorpe	13.00
York	1.00
Harrogate	2.00
Calderdale	6.80
Dewsbury	7.20
Leeds Western	1.00
Yorkshire RHA HQ	2.00
North West Thames	72.80
North West Hertfordshire	10.00
Barnet	0.30
Harrow	10.00
Hillingdon	1.00
Riverside	29.50
Parkside	22.00
North East Thames	1.00
Bloomsbury and Islington	1.00
South West Thames	27.27
North West Surrey	3.00
West Surrey and North East Hampshire	1.90
South West Surrey	1.20
Mid Surrey	1.00
Mid Downs	4.80
Richmond. Twickenham and Roehampton	5.37
Wandsworth	9.00
Merton	1.00
Wessex	3.40
Portsmouth and South East Hampshire	3.40
West Midlands	1.00
South Birmingham	1.00
North Western	45.33
Lancaster	2.00
Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre	9.80
Preston	5.50
Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley	1.00
West Lancashire	1–00
Bolton	1.00
North Manchester	12.63
Salford	3.30

England	WTE1
Stockport	9.10
Trusts	13.00
St. James Hospital	21.00
North Hertfordshire	30.60
Mount Vernon	3l.00
Hillingdon Hospital	37.00
Lifecare	41.00
Manchester Central	52.40
SHAs	1.00
Hammersmith and Queen Charlotte's	1.00
Total	204.20
1 Whole Time Equivalents.
2 Yorkshire Region.
3 North West Thames Region.
4 South West Thames Region.
5 North Western Region.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements she will make to meet the psychiatric needs of children living with disturbed family members, who have been released into the community from mental health institutions under the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990.

The needs of individuals with psychiatric disturbance, whether or not recently discharged into the community, and of affected family members, including children, are the responsibility of district health authorities and social services departments. It is for these authorities to determine needs and to provide or purchase services accordingly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many national health service multi-disciplinary teams there are for child mental health based in child and family consultation centres; and how many such teams include a child psychotherapist.

The number of multi-disciplinary teams is not known centrally. Each district health authority is responsible for making provision to meet the mental health needs of children in its area, if necessary by purchasing services from another district. Where a local service does not employ a child psychotherapist, psychotherapeutic services may be provided by other members of the multi-disciplinary team such as child psychiatrists or clinical psychologists.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the ability of the current provision of child psychotherapy to meet the demands for treatment of children and their families.

Assessment of the need for child psychotherapy services is a matter for health authorities in the planning of district child mental health services. Psychotherapy is only one of a range of treatments which can be offered to children with mental disorders.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the level of demand for the services of child psychotherapists for teaching, supervision and consultation from other professionals working with children.

It is for the other professions involved to determine what contribution to the training and support of their members could usefully be made by child psychotherapists.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children and young people in the United Kingdom have psychological problems or disturbances assessed as requiring treatment from mental health specialists, including child psychotherapists.

The overall prevalence of mental health problems in the child and adolescent population is estimated at up to 20 per cent., with 7 to 10 per cent. having moderate to severe problems. Information about the numbers assessed as needing treatment from particular professional groups, is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what function she envisages for child psychotherapists in the implementation of the aims of "Health of the Nation".

The White Paper on "The Health of the Nation" is expected to be published shortly. All health professionals will be expected to make an appropriate contribution to achieving its aims.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many private nursing home beds are occupied in homes situated in (a) Murton, (b) Seaham, (c) Easington. (d) South Hetton, (e) Shotton. (f) Peterlee, (g) Horden and (h) Blackhall, respectively; and at what cost to the Exchequer.

This information is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the total numbers of electors registered in each parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom (a) on the current electoral register and (b) on the registers in force for each of the years from 1978–79 to 1991–92.

The numbers in each parliamentary constituency on the 1992 electoral register were published in OPCS Monitor EL 92/1, and similar figures for earlier years were published in successive annual volumes of Electoral Statistics (Series EL). Copies of these publications are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will arrange for her Department to receive copies of the annual reports and accounts of companies which provide abortion in private clinics.

The Department's responsibility is to ensure that the requirements of the Abortion Act 1967 are satisfied and that patients receive an appropriate standard of medical care.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list those who have sight of the reports compiled by her Department's inspectors on private clinics which provide abortions.

These reports are drawn up as confidential documents because of the information they contain on individual patients, doctors and others concerned with treatment etc. As such they are available only to those in the Department who need to see them in carrying out their duties of administering the 1967 Abortion Act and supporting regulations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the complication rates associated with individual clinics approved under section 1(3) of the Abortion Act 1967.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 19 June at col. 706–7.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the gestation and grounds of the seven abortions performed after 28 weeks gestation from 1 April 1991 to 30 September 1991.

All of the post 28 week cases were performed under ground E (that there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped).

Number of weeks gestation	Number of abortions
29	4
30	1
33	1
36	1

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has on procedures approved by other EC Governments for counselling mothers considering abortion.

Information is available from some other EC countries about national laws as they apply to abortion but this does not extend to details about any counselling procedures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will extend the practice of providing information on the condition of the woman and her aborted pre-born child, together with the full statement on the medical condition of the child to those abortions performed on grounds of disability before 24 weeks.

A large amount of information on abortion is already provided to the Department and published by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. During the passage of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 an assurance was given that further information would be obtained in the special case of abortion after 24 weeks, and this is being done. We have no plans to extend these arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the sources from which statistics are compiled by her Department on complications following abortion.

The statistics published by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys are derived from the abortion notification forms sent to the Chief Medical Officer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make arrangements for her Department to receive the reports of local health authority inspections of private clinics approved under section 1(3) of the Abortion Act 1967.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received regarding the addition of fluoride to drinking water; what advice she provides to members of the public who do not want fluoride in their drinking water; and what effective measures are available to the public for the removal of fluoride from drinking water, and at what cost.

Since 9 April 1992 the Department has received a total of 23 communications relating to the addition of fluoride to drinking water and two parliamentary questions have been asked. The Department believes the fluoridation of water to a level not exceeding one part per million to be a safe and effective means of preventing tooth decay. We do not advise members of the general public on how to extract fluoride from their water supply.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions her Department has had with South Birmingham health authority concerning the incident of a HIV positive man infecting a number of women in Birmingham; what proposals her Department intends to bring forward to amend the law to render this type of behaviour a criminal offence; and if she will make a statement.

The Department is in close touch with South Birmingham health authority about this case and is considering carefully a range of wider issues related to it.We have asked the health authority to ensure that everything possible is being done to protect the public health and that it is satisfied with the care being offered to all those concerned. We have also emphasised the need to maintain confidentiality.Questions of criminal law are for my right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary. We understand, however, that there are difficulties both in principle and in practice with creating an offence of this sort. These are being considered carefully by my right hon. and learned Friend, who will look at the precedents in other countries before reaching a final view.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much service accommodation is located in (a) Lothian and (b) Scotland; and how much service accommodation in (i) Lothian and (ii) Scotland is currently empty.

As at 31 March 1992, the latest date for which figures are available, MoD owned 753 service married quarters in Lothian and 6,567 in Scotland. Of these, 174 were vacant in Lothian and 954 in Scotland. Many of the unoccupied properties were either undergoing major maintenance work or modernisation, some were already allotted to service families who were due to move in shortly and others were being considered for disposal. In addition, 249 properties in Scotland were in the process of being sold, 53 of these were in Lothian.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many applications from service personnel to purchase his Department's accommodation through the services discount scheme have been received in each of the last 10 years.

Since the introduction on 1 December 1983 the following numbers of applications have been received.

Financial year	Number of applications
1984–85	10,853
1985–86	16,255
1986–87	29,002
1987–88	51,261
1988–89	81,234
1989–90	78,298
1990–91	35,662
1991–92	22,026

Many of these applications are multiple bids from service personal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what communications he has had in the last six months with local authorities about the housing opportunities available to ex-service personnel and their families.

As part of the process of assembling a database to inform those leaving the services who may wish to seek local authority accommodation, officials of my Department wrote in December 1991 to the housing officers of local authorities seeking information about their policies regarding the housing of ex-service personnel. The results of these enquiries are now held centrally at the joint service housing advice office, Old Sarum, which was set up in May this year to provide advice on a range of housing matters to service personnel. At a local level, regular contact has been maintained, and continues to be maintained, by service units with local authorities on the housing needs of service personnel leaving the service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel have purchased their homes through the services discount scheme in the third quarter of financial year 1991–92.

A total of 102.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total amount of discounts given out by the services discount scheme in each year since its inception.

The amount of discount given out by the services discount scheme since its introduction on 1 December 1983, is as follows:

Financial year	Discount in £
1983–84	Nil
1984–85	1,300,415
1985–86	2,427,607
1986–87	4,173,860
1987–88	3,734,206
1988–89	7,299,277
1989–90	8,158,387
1990–91	9,681,730
1991–92	6,942,010

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 21 May, Official Report, column 256, what are the reasons behind his Department's policy not to publish the list of Ministry of Defence research projects in universities and polytechnics which are unclassified.

The hon. Gentleman knows that it has been our consistent policy not to release details of individual research contracts at universities and other institutions of higher education, but to leave it to the institutions themselves to confirm their involvement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many research projects in universities and polytechnics are currently being funded by the Ministry of Defence; what is their total worth; and how many of these research projects are currently classified secret.

The Ministry of Defence is currently funding in universities and other institutions of higher education in Britain 789 research contracts and agreements with a total value of £75.1 million. One is classified secret.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what work in the field of chemical and biological warfare the United Kingdom was carried out at the Canadian military establishment at Suffield in Alberta; and what was the nature of this work.

The experimental station Suffield in Alberta was set up in 1941 under an agreement with the Canadian Government to establish a joint United Kingdom-Canadian chemical weapons experimental site. About 10 United Kingdom scientists went to Canada to help set up the new site. By 1946, the station was entirely staffed by Canadians and was taken over by the Canadian Defence Research Board in April 1947 and eventually became the Defence Research Establishment Suffield. During the second world war there was collaboration between the United Kingdom and Canada involving work at Suffield on a retaliatory capability in chemical weapons and biological weapons against the threat that such weapons might be used against the allied forces. Both the United Kingdom and Canada have abandoned all work on offensive chemical and biological warfare and since then both countries have been solely concerned with the provision of effective protective measures for their armed forces against the threat that chemical and biological weapons may be used against them. Collaboration in chemical and biological defence has continued up to and including the present day under various collaborative arrangements already outlined in my reply of 21 May 1992, Official Report, columns 255–56.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 20 January, Official Report, column 16, if he will publish the text or details of the 1980 memorandum of understanding on chemical and biological (CB) defence between the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Canada; what is the purpose of the agreement; whether the memorandum is still in force; what amendments have been made and for what reasons; and whether the results of research in British universities and polytechnics funded by the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment have been passed to other countries under this memorandum.

The memorandum of understanding (MOU) remains in force and is classified. Since it was signed in 1980, there have been four amendments; three to extend the MOU and one to expand its scope. The MOU addresses exchange of information on chemical and biological defence research and development and on production and procurement of chemical and biological defence equipment.Reports of research in British universities and polytechnics funded by the chemical and biological defence establishment are not routinely passed direct to the United States and Canada, but the results of such work contribute to the science and technology base which is shared with these countries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 21 May, Official Report, column 255, with regard to the UnitedKingdom—UnitedStates—Canada—Australia armies agreement referred to in point (c), when the agreement was signed; in what year the panel on nuclear, biological and chemical defence within the quadrupartite working group started its work; what is the nature of its work; who are the members of the panel; and whether members of the Ministry of Defence visit United States Department of Defence establishments in the course of the workings of this panel.

A Basic Standardisation Agreement (BSA) was agreed between the American, British and Canadian armies in 1954. In 1963 the Australian army joined the programme and all four armies ratified the BSA in 1964. The quadrupartite working group on nuclear biological and chemical (NBC) defence first met in 1978 and its purpose is to identify and recommend to armies how interoperability may be achieved in the field of NBC defence. The five United Kingdom members of the group are drawn from Ministry of Defence branches which are active in NBC defence. The group meets every 18 months on a cyclical basis in the United States. United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. Meetings in the United States are held at department of defense establishments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 21 May, Official Report, column 255, in what year the sub-group for chemical and biological defence research, referred to in point (f) of the answer, was set up; what is the nature of its work; and when Australia and New Zealand formally joined the programme.

The sub-group for chemical and biological defence research, involving the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Australia, was formed in 1967. Its aim is to guide and co-ordinate exchanges and active collaboration in research and development activities for chemical and biological defence. New Zealand has not actively participated in this sub-group.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many research developments and contracts and agreements have been awarded to the British Ministry of Defence by the United States strategic defence initiative programme since January 1987; what is their total worth; and if he will list them.