To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to improve the safeguards against abuse of the Interception of Communications Act 1985.

None. I have every confidence in the existing arrangements for oversight by the Interception of Communications Commissioner and tribunal of the operation of the Act. I refer the hon. Member to the reference in paragraph 7 of the commissioner's report for 1991, Cm 1942, to the determination of the agencies involved in the interception of communications to obey the spirit as well as the letter of the law.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are, in relation to the last full year for which figures are available, (a) the total value of the economic contributions made by prisoners' own labour to the funding of the prison service, (b) the value of the sales of goods produced by prison labour to third (outside) parties and (c) the proportion which the answers to (a) and (17, respectively represent of the total annual cost (including depreciation, interest and other capital costs) of the prison service or so much of this information as is available in any form; and if he will make a statement.

The last full year for which figures are available is 1990–91. The information is as follows: (a) £47.6 million; (b) £5.7 million; (c) 0.03 per cent. (a); 0.004 per cent. (b).The figures at

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from local authorities regarding the need to strengthen the ability of local authorities to enforce byelaws about dog-fouling; what consideration he is giving to the introduction of legislation to make the fouling by dogs of footways and other areas to which the public have access, an offence; and if he will make a statement.

We have received two recent representations from local authorities about the powers available to them to enforce byelaws for the regulation of dogs. I have been informed that the Government Departments concerned are considering whether further legislation on the subject of dog fouling would be appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what powers an immigration officer may copy personal correspondence in the possession of persons applying for temporary visitors' visas on arrival in the United Kingdom; and for how long such copies may be retained by his Department.

Under the Immigration Act 1971 an immigration officer may examine and detain for up to seven days a document produced to him or found on a search.It is standard practice to photocopy such documents and the copies may be retained as long as considered necessary, but are normally destroyed after three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many empty police houses there are for each police authority area; and if he will make a statement.

Details of empty police houses as at 31 March 1991, which are the most recent figures available, are set out in the table. Of the total of 1,614, the number due to be reallocated to serving police officers was 710 and the number identified for sale as surplus to requirements was 517.

Empty police houses as at 31 March 1991
Police Authority	Empty houses
Avon and Somerset	38
Bedfordshire	3
Cambridgeshire	17
Cheshire	27
City of London	0
Cleveland	2
Cumbria	65
Derbyshire	80
Devon and Cornwall	20
Dorset	25
Durham	22
Dyfed-Powys	34
Essex	47
Gloucestershire	35
Greater Manchester	70
Gwent	29
Hampshire	40
Hertfordshire	17
Humberside	21
Kent	40
Lancashire	61
Leicestershire	8
Lincolnshire	34
Merseyside	7
Norfolk	11
Northamptonshire	13
Northumbria	32
North Wales	70
North Yorkshire	42
Nottinghamshire	14
South Wales	50
South Yorkshire	8
Staffordshire	32
Suffolk	25
Surrey	6

Police Authority	Empty houses
Sussex	12
Thames Valley	56
Warwickshire	11
West Mercia	56
West Midlands	15
West Yorkshire	9
Wiltshire	25
Metropolitan Police	1385
Total	1,614
1 Includes flats.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a list of empty residential property in the London borough of Greenwich in the ownership of the Metropolitan police and the type of accommodation available; how long each property has been vacant; and what is the intended future use.

The information is as follows:

Property	Type	Number of units	Period vacant months	Future use
Swanne House	Maisonnette	3	9	Awaiting allocation
Swanne House	Maisonnette	1	4	Awaiting allocation
Swanne House	Maisonnette	1	3	Awaiting allocation
Lynher Lodge	Flat	1	11	Under review
Lynher Lodge	Flat	1	3	Awaiting allocation
Rennetts Wood House	Flat	2	6	Under review
Rennetts Wood House	Flat	1	18	Under review
Rennetts Wood House	Flat	1	1	Awaiting allocation
6c Vanburgh Park Road	Flat	1	14	Under review
6d Vanburgh Park Road	Flat	1	6	Under review
Eltham Hill/ Kingsground	Flat	9	Withdrawn from allocation prior to disposal
Shooters Hill Road	Flat	3	Awaiting conversion for operational use

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations he has held on the provisions of the Asylum Bill to be introduced this Session; and if he will make a statement.

Ministers and officials are frequently in contact with various refugee and voluntary organisations active in the asylum field and are generally familiar with their views. I have had a number of meetings with interested organisations and we are ready to consider any particular points they may wish to raise.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received in respect of reforms to the procedure governing asylum application in the United Kingdom.

Between July 1991 and April 1992 approximately 2,400 representations were received from hon. Members, interested organisations and members of the public, many being members of organisations such as Amnesty International who sent pro forma letters. Since April we have received approximately 230 representations from members of the public, many forwarded by hon. Members and mostly pro forma letters from Amnesty International members.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what payments have been made to the new refugee unit, which was formerly part of the United Kingdom Immigrants Advisory Service.

Since becoming independent of UKIAS on 6 May, the new refugee unit has received £100,000 in May and £206,250 in June. The sum of £200,000 was given to UKIAS last year to finance the separation costs and the unit was given an additional £33,420 in March when still part of UKIAS.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with other EC Ministers with regard to refugees from the former state of Yugoslavia; and if he will make a statement.

Discussions on the situation of persons displaced by the various conflicts in the region of former Yugoslavia, took place at a meeting of EC Immigration Ministers in Lisbon on 11 and 12 June. Ministers were able to exchange information on how each member state is coping with these problems.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had on the setting up of the new refugee unit; and if he will make a statement.

My hon. Friend the Member for Fareham (Mr. Lloyd) announced on 12 March, at column 592, that at the joint invitation of my right hon. Friend the Member for Mole Valley (Mr. Baker) and the London representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees a planning group was being established to devise a constitution for a new organisation to provide asylum seekers with legal counselling and representation in appeals. My right hon. and learned Friend and I look forward to receiving the group's proposals. In the meantime, the group has assumed responsibility for the general oversight of the refugee unit which was previously part of the United Kingdom Immigrants Advisory Service and is now called the new refugee unit. I met Mrs. Usha Prashar, who chairs the group, on 26 May.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the length of time being taken over uniform business rate appeals; how many such appeals are pending; what percentage have been pending for over three months, six months and one year, respectively in (a) England and (b) the Harwich constituency; and what specific steps he is taking to speed up appeals throughout (i) England and (ii) the Harwich constituency.

Non-domestic rating appeals in England are dealt with by valuation tribunals, and those in Harwich by the Essex North valuation tribunal.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what contribution his Department made to the proceedings of the reconvened Brundtland commission on environment and development in London on 22 to 24 April.

My Department contributed £30,000 towards the costs of the London meeting of the World Commission on Environment and Development in April. The Secretary of State for the Environment also hosted a dinner and reception for the commissioners.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide a table of expenditure on each urban development corporation and each urban development area for each year from 1987–88 (a) at current prices and (b) at 1987–88 prices.

The tables show annual grant in aid to the urban development corporations for each year from 1987–88 (a) at current prices and (b) at 1987–88 prices.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide a table of expenditure showing the running costs of each regional office of his Department and the cost of running sub-regional offices aggregated by region and with Greater London shown separately and excluding the funding programmes operated by the offices for each year from 1987–88 (a) at current prices and (b) at 1987–88 prices.

The costs of running each of my Department's regional offices are set out in the tables. None of these offices has a sub-regional office. Both tables exclude the separate local office networks of Property Holdings and PSAS and, before 1990–91, that of the PSA:

£ million
Region	1987–88	1988–89	1989–90	1990–91	1991–92
(A) Costs of running each DOE regional office at current prices
London	3.7	3.6	4.1	3.9	4.2
South East	2.7	2.4	3.0	2.9	3.3
Eastern	1.9	1.9	2.4	2.2	2.6
South West	1.9	1.7	2.1	2.1	2.5
East Midlands	2.5	2.4	3.1	2.9	3.3
West Midlands	3.1	2.8	3.5	3.4	4.0
North West	4.4	4.2	5.3	5.5	6.4
Yorkshire and Humberside	2.8	3.0	3.6	3.6	4.4
Northern	2.7	2.6	3.3	3.2	3.7
Merseyside Task Force	1.5	1.5	1.7	1.7	2.1
(B) Costs of running each DOE regional office at 1987–88 prices
London	3.7	3.4	3.6	3.1	3.2
South East	2.7	2.3	2.6	2.4	2.5
Eastern	1.9	1.7	2.1	1.8	2.0
South West	1.9	1.6	1.9	1.7	1.9
East Midlands	2.5	2.3	2.7	2.4	2.5
West Midlands	3.1	2.6	3.0	2.7	3.0
North West	4.4	3.9	4.6	4.4	4.9
Yorkshire and Humberside	2.8	2.8	3.2	2.9	3.4
Northern	2.7	2.5	2.9	2.6	2.8
Merseyside Task Force	1.5	1.4	1.5	1.4	1.6

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what factors will be considered in deciding the future use of county hall; and when the matter falls to be determined.

The Government will be making a statement on this subject shortly. It will take account of the agreement which the London residuary body have already entered into for the sale of the Riverside building, with an option to withdraw by 31 December of this year, and the financial and wider considerations relating to any alternative proposal for the occupation of the whole county hall site.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the resources available to English Nature to notify and protect those sites which are of special interest but which await notification or renotification as sites of special scientific interest.

Resources for all English Nature's programmes are considered in assessing its corporate plan prior to the annual grant in aid allocation in the autumn. A 13 per cent. increase in grant in aid for 1992–93 was announced last year. The plan for 1993–96 is currently before me.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with the chairman of English Nature on the fulfilment of English Nature's statutory duties to notify as sites of special scientific interest those areas of land which in its opinion are of special interest.

Ministers from this Department meet the chairman of English Nature on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of issues. I shall be meeting Lord Cranbrook on 8 July to discuss English Nature's corporate plan, which includes the provision to be made for the notification programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many management agreements exist between owners and occupiers of sites of special scientific interest and English Nature; how many agreements have been reached in each of the last five years; and how many are estimated to be made in the current financial year and the next financial year.

The information requested is as follows:

Financial year	New cases	Renewals
Numbers reached in the last five years
1987–88	273	—
1988–89	313	—
1989–90	221	—
1990–91	323	—
1991–92	271	359
Estimated to he reached
1992–93	220	330
1993–94	200	350

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many sites are awaiting notification or renotification as sites of special scientific interest; how many are likely to be notified by the end of March 1993; and when the sites of special scientific interest notification programme inherited from the Nature Conservancy Council will be complete.

I am advised by English Nature that at 31 March 1992, the renotification of sites in England was 97.7 per cent. complete; 54 sites originally notified under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 remain to be considered for notification under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. By the end of March 1993 the number of renotified and notified sites is expected to be 3,765. Thereafter, English Nature will notify sites as and when the appropriate scientific interest is identified.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidelines the Office of Water Supply has issued to water companies on fitting water meters to newly constructed properties.

The Director General of Water Services has set out charging guidelines for water companies to follow which include the installation of meters where the overall benefit outweighs the cost of installation. Meters can be installed cheaply in new properties and most companies already insist that they are metered. The guidelines encourage all companies to adopt such a policy.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the Government will reconsider their decision to commute present revenue grants for house improvement and slum clearance in favour of a single capital sum payable to local authorities in September.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the level of benzene in petrol in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) the United States; and what discussions he will be having with petrol manufacturers to reduce the levels of benzene in petrol.

The maximum permissible benzene content of petrol in the United Kingdom is set by European Community directive 85/210/EEC at 5 per cent. by volume. Typical levels in the United Kingdom are between 3 and 4 per cent. and 1 and 2 per cent. in the United States of America. Government action to reduce people's exposure to evaporate emissions of volatile organic compounds, which include benzene, is directed at reducing emissions to the atmosphere. Major reductions will be achieved by new European Community standards on vehicle exhaust emissions which will come into effect from the end of this year: a second stage of even tighter standards is proposed thereafter. Proposals are expected shortly from the European Commission for directives on the control of fuel evaporation in the distribution network and during refuelling operations. The permitted summer time volatility of petrol in the United Kingdom will also be reduced from 1993. The Government are in discussion with both oil and motor industries on these matters.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps are being taken to establish a national coastal zone unit within his Department.

We have noted the recent recommendation of the report of the House of Commons Select Committee on the Environment on coastal zone protection and planning that a national coastal zone unit be set up within the Government to provide an overview of coastal policy. We will be responding to this recommendation, and to the others made by the Committee, in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to implement the EC directive on the conservation of flora and fauna and habitats in the United Kingdom; and what additional resources he estimates will be required for this purpose.

The United Kingdom's current nature protection provisions give this country a firm basis for implementation of the directive. We are considering what further provisions are necessary to enable the directive to come fully into force within the two years prescribed.At the same time the Government's scientific advisers are working on the criteria for site selection as the first step towards compiling the United Kingdom's national list of candidate sites to be considered as sites of Community importance.The resource requirements for implementation over the next few years will be discussed with the country agencies and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee in the context of the normal corporate planning and grant in aid allocation processes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give an estimate of the number of homeless children in London currently and in 1982; and if he will make a statement.

The information is not held centrally and my Department does not make estimates.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his current estimate of the number of homeless (a) in London, (b) in Wales and (c) in the United Kingdom; what were the comparable figures in 1982; and if he will make a statement.

The available information represents the numbers of households for whom local authorities accepted responsibility for securing permanent accommodation, under the homelessness provisions of the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 and the Housing Act 1985.The information for England and London is as follows:

	England	London
19921	38,460	10,850
1991	145,140	39,590
1982	71,620	20,630
1 First quarter.

A new reporting system was introduced for authorities other than non-metropolitan districts from the third quarter of 1982 so the figures for the year are not strictly comparable with those for subsequent years.For information about Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland I refer the hon. and learned Member to my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales, for Scotland and for Northern Ireland respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures the Darwin initiative is expected to take which the United Kingdom has not already been taking through its research and aid programmes; and what is likely to be its cost.

The Darwin initiative will assist in carrying out international studies of available natural resources, the building up of inventories of the most important species and the promoting of exchange of information and techniques for conservation.The aim of the Darwin initiative is to build on the work already being done in the United Kingdom and to develop a new integrated strategy for promoting the protection of biodiversity. We are still considering the resource implications.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what relationship he proposes between the Darwin initiative and the work of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research.

We are still considering how to involve existing scientific and environmental groups in the Darwin initiative. However, the work of the consultative group for international agricultural research, which includes the development of higher yield crop varieties and the study of sustainable agricultural practices, shares the same long-term goal of the sustainable use of the world's resources promoted by the Darwin initiative.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in what ways he proposes that the Darwin initiative will help the developing countries to obtain compensation for the commercial exploitation of their genetic resources.

The Darwin initiative aims to support the implementation of the biodiversity convention. That convention facilitates the setting up of benefit sharing arrangements between countries providing potentially valuable biological resources and those who develop them.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what will be the role of non-governmental organisations in the action team to be established to develop the framework for the Darwin initiative.

Interested organisations in the private and public sector, including non-governmental organisations will be invited to help develop the Darwin initiative.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment If he will make a statement on the implications of the EC's signature of the biodiversity convention for the draft directive on patenting of life forms still under discussion in the Community.

The European Parliament is presently considering the draft directive on patenting of life forms, in the context of the recently signed biodiversity convention. It is not anticipated that the biodiversity convention will have any significant implications for the draft directive.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he has decided to take against Salford city council following the issue of a notice under section 19A of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980, part III, for its failure to make the statutory rate of return in respect of building maintenance work in 1989–90.

My right hon. and learned Friend has given careful consideration to the response which Salford city council has made to the notice served on 1 July 1991, and has today given a direction under section 19B of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1990 in respect of building maintenance work. The direction places restrictions on the extent of building work undertaken by the authority without the express agreement of the Secretary of State.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to review the exemption of Crown bodies from town and country planning legislation; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. A public consultation paper will be issued in a few weeks' time, embodying detailed proposals by my right hon. and learned Friend and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales. With the agreement of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, the proposals will also apply to Crown exemption under Scottish planning legislation.The usual constitutional position is that the Crown is exempt from all statutory provisions, unless they state to the contrary. For this purpose, the Crown includes the Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Crown Estate, Government Departments and Parliament itself. Crown bodies are not entirely exempt from planning legislation; they may, for example, apply for planning permission in anticipation of disposal of their land under section 299 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.But most Crown development, with the exception of trunk roads which are subject to the provisions of the Highways Act 1980, in Scotland the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, is undertaken under non-statutory arrangements set out in part IV of DOE circular 18/84, Welsh Office 37/84. All Crown bodies have agreed to these arrangements, whereby a Crown body that wishes to develop land, obtain listed building consent or acquire hazardous substances consent, serves a notice of proposed development on the local planning authority. Where they and the authority fail to reach agreement, the development proposal is referred to the Secretary of State for decision, if necessary following a non-statutory public local inquiry.The citizens charter White Paper noted the progressive removal of immunities that shelter Government Departments and Crown bodies from regulations, inspection and enforcement requirements placed on others. My right hon. and learned Friend believes that it is now appropriate to bring Crown exemption under the planning system largely to an end. He proposes that all Crown bodies should be required to apply to the local planning authority for planning permission, listed building consent and hazardous substances consent in the normal way. There will be limited exceptions to this, principally where national or prison security is involved, or for trunk roads proposals, which are already subject to statutory procedures equivalent to town and country planning procedures. One consequence of this proposal will be that Crown developers will be legally required to undertake environmental impact assessments of their proposals, as required by EC directive 85/337, in the same way as other developers, replacing the non-statutory arrangements in DOE circular 15/88—Welsh Office 23/88.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list (a) the 12 representatives of non-governmental organisations and (b) representatives of other organisations who attended the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development as advisers to the official United Kingdom delegation.

[holding answer 22 June 1992]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment and Countryside to the hon. Member for. Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 15 June, Official Report, columns 400–1.

Disconnections by Water Authorities
Authority	1984–85	1985–86	1986–87	1987–88	1988–89
Anglian	218	774	2,268	1,586	1,880
North West	110	238	457	775	779
Northumbrian	70	59	300	480	870
Severn Trent	650	1,074	1,000	932	1,101
South West	76	404	404	324	100
Southern	115	1.249	1,152	1.164	1,354
Thames	788	225	576	1,594	935
Welsh	90	350	950	2,067	1,117
Wessex	0	0	0	32	83
Yorkshire	25	189	293	560	999
Total	2.142	4,562	7,400	9,514	9,218
Statutory Water Companies	—	—	—	—	6,037

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the average number of days geriatric patients spent in hospital after an operation for each year since 1981.

The information requested has been collected centrally only since 1987–88. The first reliable figures were for 1988–89 and are given in the table.

Average post-operative stay
Year	Number of days
1988–89	9.7
1989–90	9.4
1990–91	8.9

The information relates to patients over 65.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has had in regard to the adequacy of payments to councillors; if there is any action he will be taking to increase their allowances; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 23 June 1992]: I have received a number of representations from local authorities, local authority associations and from individual councillors. Councillors' allowances are reviewed annually in the light of movements in costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the number of water supply disconnections in each of the five years prior to water privatisation for each water authority area in England and Wales.

[holding answer 23 June 1992]: The information the hon. Member requests is set out in the table. Information on disconnections prior to privatisation was only collected by the Department for water authorities as part of the water authorities' annual charges returns. Information on statutory water company disconnections was not collected by the Department prior to 1988–89.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will publish the findings of the study undertaken by the North London Blood Transfusions Service on behalf of her Department, into the risks associated with blood transfusions involving human T-cell leukaemia; and if she will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Wakefield (Mr. Hinchliffe) on 15 June at columns 415–16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list, by regional health authority for the last four years, the number of cases of cancer that have been reported associated with the virus human T-cell leukaemia; and if she will show in her answer the percentage of those cases that proved fatal.

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of patients who receive white cell blood transfusions that have not been screened for human T-cell leukaemia.

We are not aware of any general medical opinion that such a study would he beneficial.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library the most recent report of the Advisory Committee on Medical Aspects of Air Pollution on the effects of sulphur dioxide.

The second report of the Advisory Group on the Medical Aspects of Air Pollution Episodes on sulphur dioxide and acid aerosols is expected to be published later this year. A copy will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what written advice and guidance is given to employees of the national health service including trusts on the conflicts of interest that may arise when they hold a beneficial interest in private care homes or hostels.

Health authorities and trusts as employers are responsible for ensuring that their employees' private interests do not conflict with their public duties. Current guidance issued by the Department in personnel memorandum (86) 7, a copy of which is available in the Library, includes a model contract of employment for general managers of health authorities. This stipulates that the employee must declare to the authority any financial interest or relationship which may affect its policies or decisions.Advice on professional conduct issued by the General Medical Council recommends that when a doctor refers a patient to a private care home or hostel in which he or she has an interest, the patient must be informed of that interest before the referral is made.

Parliamentary electors registered in selected constituencies of West Yorkshire, 1983–1992
Note: BC = borough constituency: CC=county constituency
Parliamentary constituency		1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992
Batley and Spen	BC	74,699	75,131	75,435	74,953	75,334	75,987	76,125	76,327	77,486	77,381
Colne Valley	CC	70,455	70,502	70,789	70,827	71,057	71,658	71,755	72,079	72,948	72,935
Dewsbury	CC	70,623	71,028	71,879	71,656	71,838	72,183	72,315	72,575	73,767	73,816
Huddersfield	BC	68,951	68,814	68,609	67,215	67,247	66,983	66,121	65,921	68,272	68,324

The figures in this table are those supplied by electoral registration officers at the times when the registers come in to use each year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if her Department (1) will investigate the link between childhood leukaemia and benzene; and if she will make a statement;(2) if she will conduct a study into the number of leukaemia cases resulting from exposure to benzene resulting from petrol fumes.

Benzene is toxic at high doses and is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer—IARC—as a human carcinogen, being associated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what considerations she has given to the report by the World Health Organisation Commission on Health and Environment; and what steps she has taken to develop policies to meet the principles set by the Commission.

We have welcomed the report. Its proposals are consistent with the Government's policies, as expressed in the White Paper "This Common Inheritance" published in September 1990 and with the Department's responsibilities for the promotion and protection of the public health.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people died from drug misuse in the United Kingdom in the last year for which figures are available.

In 1990, there were 294 deaths registered in the United Kingdom with the underlying cause given as drug dependence or non-dependent abuse of drugs, other than alcohol or tobacco. In addition, it is estimated that there were more than 900 deaths registered where the underlying cause was attributed to poisoning and where drugs controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 were mentioned on the death certificate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the total number of electors registered in (a) Colne Valley, (b) Huddersfield, (c) Dewsbury and (d) Batley and Spen parliamentary constituencies in each year since 1982.

The information requested is shown in the table.with blood disorders and leukaemia. The IARC advises on whether a chemical is carcinogen from animal studies and human data.The Department's independent expert advisory Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment discussed the question of- the carcinogenic effects of benzene, in relation to not only levels in petrol, but the whole range of sources of exposure of the general population, at its meetings in 1990 and 1991. The committee's conclusions were:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that adults with learning difficulties are not precluded from participating in cooking and catering duties by the application of food hygiene regulations consequential on the Food Safety Act 1990.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 19 June at column 708.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to ensure that patients at present being cared for within national health service provision will not be discharged into the independent sector without their agreement.

Guidance issued to health authorities in February 1989 HC(89)5 a copy of which is available in the Library, makes it clear that patients must not be placed in private nursing or residential homes against their wishes if it means that they, or their relatives, will be personally responsible for any charges.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will place in the Library copies of the annual profiles of comparative activity by all health authorities prepared by the Audit Commission and resulting from the reports of local auditors;(2) what information from the Audit Commission she has made available to Parliament to enable comparative assessment to be made of the activities of health authorities.

We are in correspondence with the chairman of the Audit Commission to clarify and agree future engagements for the publication of comparative information on health service activity. In this context we will consider with the commission how the profiles of health authority expenditure, prepared by staff of the commission, can best serve the need for high-quality comparative information which is a key element in providing greater patient choice and in the successful operation of the reforms.The Department publishes each year an extensive range of comparative data on many aspects of the health service in the form of health service indicators. The indicators for 1990–91 will be published and placed in the Library next month to enable comparative assessments to be made of health authority activities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Corporate Affairs on 9 June, Official Report, column 129, by what methods Her Majesty's Government are keeping a close watch on developments in human genetics.

The Government are monitoring these developments by a number of means. Scientific and medical staff keep up to date through professional literature and close links with medical scientists. Government Departments maintain long-standing contacts with representative patient, professional and international organisations. These include the Medical Research Council and its scientific boards, the Nuffield Foundation which last year set up the Nuffield Council of Bioethics, the Council of Europe and the European Community.I would also refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the then Minister of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Canterbury (Mr. Brazier) on 17 January at column

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much was allocated by each family health services authority to (a) fund-holding general practices and (b) non-fund-holding general practices for the purposes of funding computer equipment in the financial years 1991–92 and 1992–93;(2) whether she will list the allocation of funds to each FHSA in the Wessex region for the purposes of funding computer equipment in general practices in the financial years 1991–92 and 1992–93.

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 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.

There are no bilateral treaties recorded with Liechtenstein. The information requested on Switzerland is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all the Council of Europe conventions to which the United Kingdom and (a) Switzerland and (b) Liechtenstein are signatories.

There are 42 conventions to which the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Liechtenstein are all signatories. The United Kingdom and Switzerland are both signatories to a further 29 conventions and the United Kingdom and Liechtenstein one further convention.The table lists these conventions.1.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of the land area of the island of Cyprus is administered by (a) the Government of the United Kingdom, (b) the Government of President George Vassiliou, the Greek Cypriot leader and (c) the Government of Mr. Raul Denktas, the Turkish Cypriot leader.

The figures for the respective categories are approximately:

(a) 3 per cent.

(b) 57 per cent.

(c) 38 per cent.

An additional 2 per cent. lies in the United Nations-controlled buffer zone. We do not recognise the area under de facto Turkish Cypriot administration as forming in any sense a separate sovereign state.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Spanish Government on the legal proceedings being taken against Monzer al-Kassar in Spain, in relation to Lockerbie.

I have had no such discussions.There is no evidence to link Monzer al-Kassar to the Lockerbie bombing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations between the United Kingdom and the Government of Bhutan.

We have no diplomatic relations with Bhutan, but maintain friendly contacts mainly through our high commission in New Delhi.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's position in the European Community on human rights issues in East Timor.

We share the concerns expressed by the European Community about the human rights situation in East Timor. The United Kingdom, with Community partners, condemned the killings in Dili last year. We fully endorse the view—agreed by all Community countries—that our continuing concerns about the situation there should be conveyed directly to the Indonesians.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration he has given to the recent Amnesty International report on South African security force complicity in torture and political killings; and what action he intends to take.

Her Majesty's Government are aware of the Amnesty International report on South Africa. We have consistently taken the view that the South African Government must accept primary responsibility for maintaining law and order and should investigate allegations of misconduct by members of the security forces promptly and thoroughly. We have also given practical support to Judge Goldstone's commission of inquiry which is currently examining many of the allegations in the Amnesty report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations were made by groups from Mauritius and the Seychelles, to the Minister for Overseas Development in Rio de Janeiro about trust funds for the Ilois from Diego Garcia; and if he will make a statement.

No representations were made by these groups to the Minister for Overseas Development in Rio de Janeiro.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs under what circumstances financial assistance is denied to British citizens stranded outside the United Kingdom where no alternative means of support is immediately available.

British citizens who, through unforeseen circumstances, are without funds overseas and who have no other identifiable source of help may as a last resort be given a repayable loan to enable them to return to the United Kingdom. This facility, for which a fee is levied, is not normally available to certain categories, including British nationals normally resident overseas and dual nationals in the country of their second nationality.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what was the evidentiary basis for the statement at page 64 of his Department's survey of contaminated land in Wales, August 1988, that certain areas of the site of the former explosives factory at Pembry, Dyfed are known to be contaminated with phenols and that some remedial measures have been attempted;(2) what was the evidentiary basis for the statement at page 50, paragraph 6, Llanelli, of his Department's survey of contaminated land in Wales, final report, March 1984, that certain areas of the site of the former explosives factory at Pembrey, Dyfed are known to be contaminated with phenols and that some remedial measures have been attempted.

The surveys were based on desk studies using information from a range of reference sources. Detailed site surveys were not undertaken; instead, information on potential contaminants at individual locations was usually based on known past uses of the land and the materials normally associated -with those uses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will list the categories of phenols which are known to his Department to be contaminating the site of the former explosives factory at Pembrey, as stated in his Department's surveys of contaminated land in Wales;(2) if he will describe the remedial measures which have been attempted in respect of the phenols which are contaminating certain areas of the site of the former explosives factory at Pembrey as described in hs Department's surveys of contaminated land in Wales.

This information is not held by the Welsh Office. However, as is indicated on page 15 of the report "Survey of Contaminated Land in Wales, March 1984", phenol in the soil normally dissipates as a result of leaching and natural degradation. This is something the sampling programme recently commissioned by Llanelli borough council can be expected to check.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he is taking to ensure that adults with learning difficulties in Wales are not precluded from participating in cooking and catering duties by the application of food hygiene regulations consequential on the Food Safety Act 1990.

The Food Safety Act does not prohibit anyone from preparing their own meals or beverages. The Food Hygiene (General) Regulations 1970, as amended, set out the controls necessary for the hygienic preparation of food other than in domestic settings. Environmental health departments advise on controls bearing in mind the nature of any food safety risk, including the type of food handled and the preparation included. Adults with learning difficulties can participate in cooking and catering duties if the hygiene controls can be satisfied.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the best estimate of the current number of elderly people (a) aged over 85 years, (b) aged 75 to 85 years and (c) aged 65 to 75 years in (i) Wales as a whole, (ii) in each county in Wales and (iii) in each district in Wales.

The 1990 mid-year estimates of population, produced by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, of age groups over 85, 75 to 84 and 65 to 74 for the counties and county districts of Wales are given in the table:

	85 +	75–84	65–74
WALES	44,500	161,700	274,100
Clwyd	6,900	24,400	39,000
Dyfed	5,600	21,400	36,800
Gwent	6,200	23,100	41,100
Gwynedd	4,900	16,000	24,500
Mid Glamorgan	6,800	27,300	48,300
Powys	1,800	7,300	12,200
South Glamorgan	6,500	21,000	35,800
West Glamorgan	5,900	21,300	36,300
Alyn and Deeside	800	3,400	6,100
Colwyn	1,300	4,300	6,300
Delyn	900	3,400	5,800
Glyndwr	700	2,800	4,400
Rhuddlan	1,400	4,400	6,200
Wrexham Maelor	1,700	6,100	10,300
Carmarthen	800	3,500	6,300
Ceredigion	1,300	4,300	7,100
Dinefwr	600	2,400	4,100
Llanelli	1,500	5,000	8,500
Preseli Pembrokeshire	900	3,800	6,800
South Pembrokeshire	600	2,300	3,900
Blaenau Gwent	1,300	4,600	7,600
Islwyn	1,200	3,600	6,200
Monmouth	1,100	4,300	7,400
Newport	1,500	6,300	11,500
Torfaen	1,100	4,400	8,400
Aberconwy	1,400	4,400	6,300
Arfon	1,000	3,200	4,900
Dwyfor	600	2,000	3,200
Meirionnydd	800	2,300	3,500
Ynys Mon	1,200	4,100	6,600
Cynon Valley	1,000	3,800	6,500
Merthyr Tydfil	900	3,200	5,500
Ogwr	1,600	7,000	12,400
Rhondda	1,300	4,900	8,000
Rhymney Valley	1,000	4,500	8,300
Taff-Ely	1,000	4,000	7,600
Brecknock	600	2,600	4,500
Montgomeryshire	800	3,100	5,200
Radnorshire	300	1,600	2,500
Cardiff	4,700	15,300	25,700
Vale of Glamorgan	1,700	5,700	10,200
Port Talbot	800	2,900	5,200
Lliw Valley	1,100	3,800	6,300
Neath	1,100	3,900	6,500
Swansea	3,000	10,700	18,200

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on water quality in Wales.

The National Rivers Authority's 1990 survey of river quality shows that 94 per cent. of river lengths in its Welsh region are of good or fair quality. A total of 90 per cent. of the 50 bathing waters on the Welsh coastline identified under the EC directive met its stringent mandatory standards for total coliforms and faecal coliforms last year. As regards drinking water quality, the first annual report of the drinking water inspectorate published last year confirms that of the tests of water quality carried out in 1990 by Dwr Cymru Cyf, 99 per cent. complied with the rigorous statutory standards set in the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989, SI 1989 No. 1147. Meanwhile, Dwr Cymru is continuing with the implementation of its 10-year, £1.8 billion capital investment programme aimed at achieving further improvement to the standards of drinking water, river and coastal water quality.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement concerning the effects of local management of schools on remedial schools in Wales and, in particular, how it has affected teacher/student ratios over the last two years.

Welsh Office circular 38/91 required local education authorities to submit by 30 September 1993, at the latest, proposals to extend their LMS schemes to special schools so that they can be funded by LMS formulae. No proposals have been received to date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement concerning the effects of local management of schools on (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Wales over the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

As at 1 April 1992, more than 650 primary schools and around 200 secondary schools were in receipt of delegated powers. The heads and governors of these schools can decide for themselves how best to use their budgets to meet priorities within their schools and the needs of individual pupils. It is our intention that all schools will be in a similar position by April 1995.Many of the initial doubts and concerns raised with me about LMS have now been dispelled, but there are still some issues that I consider need further evaluation. While circular 36/88 required all local education authorities to review their schemes after three years, it is my intention that the Welsh Office should itself look again in detail at the LMS arrangements. As part of this review, I have commissioned the consultants, Coopers and Lybrand Deloitte, to provide an overview of how LMS is developing in Wales and to suggest areas where improvements can be considered. Their findings will be circulated to LEAs and other interested parties for comment. A copy will also be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will make a statement on the level of pre-school education provision in Clwyd;(2) what pre-school education provision is available in each Welsh county; and if he will make a statement;(3) if he will make a statement on the level of pre-school education provision in Powys;(4) if he will make a statement on pre-school education provision in Dyfed;(5) if he will make a statement on the level of pre-school education provision in Gwynedd.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to table 2.04 of "Statistics of Education in Wales: Schools"—No. 5, 1991—a copy of which is in the Library of the House. The provision of education in school for children under five years old is at the discretion of local education authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any plans to fund the expansion of postbus services in Wales; and if he will make a statement on further improvements in the postbus services.

No. This is a matter for the Post Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any plans for the improvement of sewage outfall arrangements affecting the Afon Conwy following the construction of the Conwy tunnel; and if he will make a statement.

As part of its programme of improvements to sewage discharges affecting EC identified bathing waters, Dwr Cymru is undertaking a major scheme, due for completion in about two years and costing approximately £ 2 million, to intercept 11 discharges currently made into the Afon Conwy. The effluent will be pumped to a sewage treatment works and discharged via a 4.5 km long sea outfall. In addition, some other works further upstream on the Afon Conwy are being improved to meet standards set by the National Rivers Authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many fresh water reservoirs in Wales have been tainted with toxic algae blooms since April; what are the comparable figures for April to June 1991; and if he will make a statement.

The National Rivers Authority is engaged in developing action plans to deal with the problem of potentially toxic blue-green algal. The authority first undertook extensive monitoring to identify those lakes and reservoirs at risk of developing toxic blue-green algae blooms. It issued public information leaflets and, when blooms have occurred, gave advice to the owners, water users and local authorities affected. The NRA no longer considers that it needs to undertake routine monitoring and is now concentrating its efforts on a major research programme to develop ways of dealing with blue-green algae. Recent monitoring has focused on those waters not previously sampled or not previously found to have abundant populations of algae but where the presence of algae is now being reported. The data from such monitoring does not therefore provide a comprehensive assessment of the extent of blue-green algae blooms, nor information which is comparable with data collected in previous years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 18 June, Official Report, columns 612–13, what proposals he has for a further re-advertisement of the proposed Cardiff bay barrage in the supplement to the Official Journal of the European Communities utilising the amended figure of £106 million as the estimated cost; what consultations he has had with the European regional development fund concerning grant aid for the barrage proposal; and if he will make a statement.

As I explained in my answer of 16 June 1992, the figure in the pre-qualification notice is intended to be purely indicative. Cardiff Bay development corporation has no plans to publish a further notice. An application for assistance from the European regional development fund could not be made before the Bill had received Royal Assent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 18 June, Official Report, column 613, for what reason it was decided to increase the quantity of structural concrete from 125,000 m³ to 140,000 m³ and the amount of steel sheet piling from 17,000 tonnes to 20,000 tonnes between the original advertisement in the supplement to the Official Journal of the European Communities dated 14 November 1990 and the most recent re-advertisement dated 5 June 1992.

The estimated quantities of both steel sheet piling and concrete have increased in the course of the detailed design of the barrage. In addition, the amount of sheet piling was increased following agreement with the National Rivers Authority on the requirements of the fish pass.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with (a) Mr. Ray Stoner, (b) the chairman of Cardiff Bay development corporation, (c) Cardiff city council engineering department and (d) the National Rivers Authority concerning the estimated likely date of completion of the studies into dewatering wells and retrofitted land drains as a means of deflecting the side-effects of rising groundwater from the proposed Cardiff Bay barrage; and what proposals he has for consultation on and publication of such proposals.

Study of the feasibility of dewatering wells is continuing and I shall publish a report when the work is completed. I shall be seeking the views of Mr. Stoner, the CBDC, Cardiff city council and the NRA on the results. It would not be appropriate to pursue the option of retrofitting land drains in advance of the outcome of the dewatering studies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what further information he has on the choice, evaluation, attraction and development of "people draw" activities under the aegis of Cardiff Bay development corporation used in pursuance of the £25 million total expenditure allocated for that purpose in annexes C and D of the financial memorandum of the Cardiff Bay Barrage Bill.

The financial memorandum of the Cardiff Bay Barrage Bill does not mention £25 million to be allocated to "people draw" activities. I believe the hon. Gentleman to be referring to annexes C and D of the letter of 13 December 1990 sent by the previous Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney (Mr. Rowlands).Cardiff Bay development corporation intends the major "people draw" activity in this area to be a national science centre based on Techniquest. Proposals for the next stage of development are currently being considered.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the National Rivers Authority Wales region and Welsh Water plc concerning the implementation in Wales of the EC municipal waste water treatment directive; when he expects to publish firm proposals on the definition of sensitive waters, treatment standards, dilution factors and other relevant criteria for compliance; and if he will make a statement.

Considerable progress has been made within the United Kingdom towards implementing the urban waste water treatment directive—UWWTD. A working group, whose membership includes representatives from the National Rivers Authority, the water companies and the relevant Government Departments, including the Welsh Office, is drawing up a national implementation programme to be established by the end of 1993. The directive's provisions have, wherever possible, been incorporated into the on-going investment programmes being undertaken by the water companies, including Dwr Cymru, to improve those sewage discharges adversely affecting EC identified bathing waters. Interim advice on applying UWWTD standards in consents to discharge to coastal and territorial waters has been issued by Government to the National Rivers Authority. The UWWTD requires member states to identify sensitive and less sensitive areas also by the end of next year: the Welsh Office, jointly with Department of the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, issued a consultation paper last March about the criteria and procedures to be used to identify those areas, and the responses received are now being considered.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the cost of (i) each of the special presidency events and (ii) each of the other special events that will be incurred by the United Kingom as set out in the booklet "The United Kingdom Presidency of the European Community".

Of the 79 special events listed in the United Kingdom presidency programme booklet, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is providing funding support for 11 at a total cost of £315,426. These are:

	£
Presidency Art Exhibition, Brussels	100,500
Britain and Europe Summer School, LSE	5,000
European Night at the Proms, Albert Hall	22,776
UK Presidency Conference, QEII Centre	113,650
EC R&D meeting of Chief Scientists and European Parliament Committee, Edinburgh	5,000
Women of Europe Awards, FCO	2,000
EC Organ Festival, Bolton	15,000
Association of European Journalists Conference	7,000
Advent for Europe Concert, Durham	5,000
New Year's Eve Festival and Concert, Barbican	35,000
Beacon Europe, throughout Europe	5,000

Other Government Departments and the EC Commission are helping to organise or finance a further 32 events. EC ministerial meetings in the UK, including the European Council, are being funded from the FCO presidency budget of £9.8 million.

To ask the Prime Minister how many events in the calendar of special events for the United Kingdom presidency of the European Community are taking place in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 23 June 1992]: The presidency programme booklet includes two events in Wales, the informal meeting of EC Employment and Social Affairs Ministers in Chepstow and the presidency concert at the Llangollen international eisteddfod. Further events in Wales are planned but not yet confirmed.In addition, the European arts festival includes 58 events in Wales and Beacon Europe will take place throughout the United Kingdom.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will introduce legislation to abolish the death penalty for those offences for which it remains in force in England and Wales.

The abolition of the death penalty is a matter which only Parliament can decide, each Member of Parliament voting according to his or her conscience. The Government have to abide by the decision of the House of Commons, which voted against the abolition of the death penalty during the last debate on capital punishment in December 1990.

To ask the Prime Minister what steps he has taken, or will be taking, to promote as a priority the plan of action for survival, protection and development of children, agreed by Commonwealth Heads of Government at their meeting in Harare in 1991, for improving child health in Commonwealth countries in the present decade; what information he has received from other Commonwealth countries in regard to implementing the plan of action; and if he will make a statement.

I presume that the right hon. Member is referring to the plan of action adopted by the World Summit for Children in 1990.In response to the summit's call for national plans of action, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, in conjunction with other Departments, has compiled a report, which was presented to the UNICEF secretariat at the end of February, outlining our policies for children in this country and the work of the United Kingdom's aid programme of particular relevance to women and children in the third world. The report examines problem areas which persist in developed, industrialised societies and explains what measures the Government are taking to alleviate them in this country; and it reviews those areas of the United Kingdom's aid programme such as primary health care, water and sanitation, and education which are of greatest direct impact on women and children in the developing countries.We plan to publish the report as a Command Paper before the end of the month.We understand that Commonwealth states are at various stages of preparation in work on their national reports.

To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he had with the United States Administration during his recent visit to Washington about the resumption of nuclear testing by the United Kingdom.

I had discussions on a range of matters with President Bush and other members of the US Administration. The Government's position on nuclear testing remains as I stated in my reply to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 12 May at column 90.