To ask the Attorney-General if he will introduce a leakage prevention programme for all refrigeration and air conditioning equipment owned and operated by his departments; if he will publish targets for reductions in leakages; and if he will make a statement.

The premises occupied by the Law Officers' departments all form part of the estate of Property Holdings, which is part of the Department of the Environment, and is responsible for any refrigeration and air conditioning equipment incorporated in those premises.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will implement a refrigerant recycling and reclaim policy covering all departmental equipment currently using chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons; if he will publish targets for departmental reuse and recycling; if he will implement an equipment conversion and replacement programme for all departmental uses of CFCs and HCFCs; and if he will make a statement.

The Law Officers' departments have no current plans for introducing a refrigerant recycling and reclaim policy. However, the departments are replacing halon fire extinguishers with ozone-friendly alternatives. Consideration will be given to the phasing-out of equipment such as refrigerators using CFCs and HCFCs where practicable alternatives exist. Small items of equipment using CFCs and HCFCs, such as refrigerators, will be disposed of in an approved manner which ensures the secure recovery of the gas.

To ask the Attorney-General what precedents he considered in preparing his advice for Ministers to sign public interest immunity certificates in relation to the Matrix Churchill case.

I have already told the House of my legal advice on public interest immunity. The signing of the certificates falls within Lord Justice Scott's terms of reference and detailed questions about this matter are now a matter for his review.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what training is made available to judges and magistrates in relation to defendants who may have suffered a bereavement; and if he will make a statement.

No specific training is given. Written Answers to However, all members of the professional and lay judiciary are encouraged to be sensitive to the needs of those appearing before them.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will implement a refrigerant recycling and reclaim policy covering all departmental equipment currently using chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons; if he will publish targets for departmental reuse and recycling; if he will implement an equipment conversion and replacement programme for all departmental uses of CFCs and HCFCs; and if he will make a statement.

It is already departmental policy not to procure new or replacement equipment which uses CFCs, and for existing equipment which uses them to be disposed of by qualified contractors when it is replaced. It is also departmental policy to convert and replace this equipment as the opportunity arises. The Department is committed to the targets for the reduction and elimination of CFCs and HCFCs established by the Montreal protocol.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will introduce a leakage prevention programme for all refrigeration and air conditioning equipment owned and operated by his Department; if he will publish targets for reductions in leakages; and if he will make a statement.

The operation and planned maintenance contracts for the Department's estate provide for the routine testing, including leak detection, of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment owned and operated by the Department. Since these arrangements are intended to reduce leakage to the minimum, ultimately the target is nil.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 2 November, Official Report, column 26, what has been the cost to the Exchequer of the chief executive of Her Majesty's Land Registry's visits to Australia and New Zealand during the last 12 months.

The hon. Member's question concerns a specific matter on which the chief executive of Her Majesty's Land Registry is best placed to provide an answer and I have accordingly asked the chief executive to reply direct.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment the Public Record Office has made of the contribution made by family historians and genealogists to the world of archives and records in the United Kingdom since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

The hon. Member's question concerns a specific matter on which the chief executive of the Public Record Office is best placed to provide an answer and I have accordingly asked the chief executive, the Keeper of Public Records, to reply direct.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what arrangements he is considering to safeguard county record offices for local historians and genealogists in the event of local government reorganisation; and if he will make a statement.

No decisions have yet been made on local government reorganisation in either England or Wales. It is, therefore, too early to be able to assess the implications of reorganisation for county record offices. In the context of the Lord Chancellor's responsibility for public records, the Lord Chancellor will in due course be considering any advice offered to him by his Advisory Council on Public Records about any implications for the provision of archive services.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the number of mortgage repossession orders in each local authority in England and Wales in each year since 1987.

Information cannot be provided on the basis of local authority areas. Mortgage possession statistics are collected from county courts the catchment areas of which cannot be easily related to the boundaries of local authority areas. The number of orders for each court, county and standard economic region are published quarterly and placed in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to accept the recommendation of the Roskill report that complex fraud cases should be tried by a tribunal comprising a judge and two lay members.

Legislation would be required before this recommendation could be implemented. We have no current plans to introduce such legislation, but the procedures for serious fraud cases will be kept under review, taking into account any relevant conclusions or recommendations from the Royal Commission on criminal justice when it reports next year.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will introduce legislation to restore the right of defendants to challenge jurors without giving reasons.

I have been asked to reply.We have no plans to do so.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he intends to take legal action following the Customs and Excise's seizure of a quantity of alerce timber in Oxfordshire in May; and if he will make a statement.

Decisions on whether to institute legal proceedings are a matter for the Commissioners of Customs and Excise. I understand that the commissioners, on the basis of the evidence before them, do not feel that they would be justified in instituting criminal proceedings in this case.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the costs to the Treasury of mortgage interest tax relief and its year-on-year projected costs through to 1995–96, displayed at current prices; and what would be the effect on these costs of a 1 per cent. fall in interest rates.

The cost of mortgage interest tax relief in 1992–93 is provisionally estimated to be £5·2 billion based on the conventional assumption of no further changes in interest rates. A further one percentage point fall in interest rates—if assumed to take effect from 1 January 1993—would reduce the cost to about £5·1 billion.The cost in future years will depend on the pattern of borrowing, the eligibility of borrowers for mortgage interest tax relief, tax rates and interest rates.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the United Kingdom percentage deficit total in trade of imports for the current and last financial year; and what percentage of this deficit derives from EEC partners.

Information about visible trade is published regularly in the Central Statistical Office's "Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics", and is also available on the Central Statistical Office database, which may be accessed by the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the percentage rise in the United Kingdom's manufacturing output during 1990–91 and 1991–92.

Indices of United Kingdom manufacturing output can be found on the CSO databank, which can be accessed by the House of Commons Library. Information is currently available for months up to September 1992.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the planned real terms increases in the following components of public expenditure for 1993–94 compared with the latest estimates for 1992–93 of (a) general Government expenditure excluding privatisation proceeds, (b) the new control total, (c) central Government expenditure, (d) central Government support for local authorities in England, (e) local authorities' self-financed expenditure in England and (f) total standard spending for local authorities in England.

[holding answer 27 November 1992]: The information requested, consistent with the autumn statement, is set out in the table.

Per cent. real growth in 1993–94 on 1992–93
Public expenditure plans and projections	Estimated outturn
General Government expenditure (excluding privatisation proceeds)	3·75
New control total	2·30
Central Government expenditure within the new control total	10·40
Support to local authorities in England	2n/a
Local authorities' self-financed expenditure in England	3n/a
Local authorities' standard spending in England	40·4
1 Growth rate after adjusting for transfers and classification changes.
2 Figures for total central Government support for local authorities in England are not available at this stage. A detailed break-down will be published in the Statistical Supplement to the

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many new offices were built to accommodate staff handling the work flowing from the changes introduced in 1990 in relation to independent taxation for married women and the associated changes relating to bank and building society interest; where these new offices are located; what the cost of these offices was; and how many of these offices have subsequently been closed.

[holding answer 30 November 1992]: Twenty-four Inland Revenue offices were set up to deal with the very substantial growth in claims for tax repayments that was expected to follow the introduction of independent taxation in 1990 and the abolition of composite rate tax on bank and building society interest in 1991. These offices are located in Barnsley; Barnstaple; Belfast (two offices); Birkenhead; Bolton; Bootle; Dundee; Falkirk; Glenrothes; Great Yarmouth; Hull; Leicester; Manchester; Middlesbrough; Nottingham (two offices); Plymouth; St. Austell; Southampton; Sunderland; Swansea; Telford; and Wrexham.Eleven of the buildings that house these offices were purchased, for a total cost of some £55 million, with the remainder being rented. Nineteen offices are to be closed, because tax repayment claims have not been received on the scale we expected. In all but four cases, the Inland Revenue is to re-use the buildings for other work.

To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-on-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission what steps have been taken to implement new health and safety measures in the Palace of Westminster in respect of the provision of suitable office furniture, lighting and ventilation as well as eye tests in respect of VDU users for (a) staff employed by the Commission and (b) staff employed by hon. Members.

All possible steps are being taken to ensure that the House complies with the new health and safety measures in respect of the provision of suitable office furniture, light and ventilation in the Palace of Westminster and the parliamentary outbuildings. All office furniture being purchased for use in conjunction with VDUs in the Palace of Westminster complies with the minimum requirements set out in European Community Council directive 9/270/EEC.An expanded occupational health service has been in place in the Palace of Westminster since September 1991, to deal with health and safety issues with particular emphasis on pending legislation including the EC directive on VDU users. The occupational health adviser is available to all staff employed by the House of Commons Commission and staff employed by right hon. and hon. Members to assess and advise on working environments, light and ventilation, the ergonomics of individual work stations and work patterns, with a view to making recommendations as appropriate. In addition, VDU eye tests are freely available to all the above staff; appointments for these should be made direct with the occupational health adviser.

To ask the Chairman of the Information Committee when the Official Report for 1991–92 will be available to hon. Members on CD-ROM.

A CD-ROM version of the Official Report for 1991–92 is expected to be available for purchase by individuals later this month and will be made accessible to hon. Members via the Library in early 1993. The question of supply through the Vote Office to those hon. Members who wish to receive it, as an alternative to the bound volumes, is under consideration.

To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee what was the estimated cost to the House of printing and publishing early-day motions in (a) Session 1991–92 and (b) Session 1992–93 up to the summer adjournment.

The estimated cost to the House of printing and publishing early-day motions in:(a) Session 1991–1992 is £860,000, and (b) Session 1992–1993 up to the summer adjournment is £485,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received concerning the consultation document "The Franchising of Passenger Rail Services"; and if he will make a statement.

Over 100 responses have been received to the consultation document, including more than 50 expressing interest in operating passenger rail services under franchise. The replies are being considered and various points are being pursued and clarified with some of the respondents. We hope to be able to announce early next year the first services or groups of services that will be prepared for franchising.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the progress made by his Department on setting targets under the citizens charter.

The Department has made significant progress in establishing an effective framework of targets across its areas of responsibility. These are detailed in the recently published White Paper "The Citizen's Charter, First Report: 1992" (Cm 2101). Nationalised industries and executive agencies sponsored by the Department have published their targets in individual charters and service guides; further details can be found in the bibliography of the White Paper.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to establish pump priming funds for companies wishing to establish company employee transport schemes.

No. Transport to places of employment is a matter for the individuals and companies concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action has been taken by his Department in connection with the rate assessment and scheme identification study into the A5 from Old Stratford to the M42 announced in the "Roads for Prosperity" White Paper of May 1989.

The report on the scheme identification study for the length of A5 between Old Stratford in Buckinghamshire and the M42 near Tamworth is under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from (a) resident's associations, (b) local highways authorities, (c) individual members of the public and (d) bus operators on the effect of road humps on traffic in (i) the streets where they are sited and (ii) the nearest streets without road humps which provide alternative routes.

No central record is kept of the number of such representations and it would not be economic to produce such figures. Road humps are installed on local roads, for which local authorities have responsibility. For this reason, the majority of the approaches I received on road humps are from local highway authorities seeking technical advice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects contracts to be placed for the widening of the M1 from junction 1 to its junction with the M6.

Apart from the scheme for widening between junctions 9 and 10 (northbound) on which work will start next year, it is too early to predict with any certainty when contracts might be placed for the other four schemes which make up the proposed widening of the M1 between the M25 (junction 6A) and the M6 (junction 19). Preparation work is proceeding satisfactorily. The public were consulted on proposals for widening the length between the M25 and junction 10 in September and on the length between junctions 10 and 15 earlier this month. Consultations on proposals for junction 19 and for the length between junctions 15 and 19 are expected to take place around the middle of next year. We will make every effort to announce our preferred option for each scheme within as short a time as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to eliminate traffic noise from the emergency telephones on motorways.

It is not possible totally to eliminate the effects on motorway telephones of noise generated by passing traffic. All new telephones are equipped with noise-cancelling microphones to reduce the effects of noise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to reduce the distance between emergency telephones on motorways.

I have no plans to reduce the distance between emergency telephones on motorways.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce whether the new policy on motorway service areas will apply to the A1 when it has been upgraded to motorway standard.

I hope to make an announcement before Christmas.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many civil servants are currently employed by his Department (a) in London and (b) elsewhere.

Sixteen thousand and seventy six civil servants are currently employed by the Department, including its executive agencies; 2,594 are in inner London, 695 in the intermediate and outer London area, and 12,787 elsewhere.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the annual cost to British Rail of maintaining the railway viaduct at Colne, Lancashire.

Detailed costs of the maintenance of individual structures on lines are a matter for British Rail.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies he has commissioned of foreign underground transport systems as a means of improving (a) the operational efficiency (b) the number of passengers carried by and (c) the financial outturn of London Transport.

None. London Underground Ltd. has close links with other metro systems worldwide, and draws on their experience, where appropriate, to improve its own performance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the level of liaison between highway authorities when one highway authority is proposing a road scheme that has an indirect effect on a neighbouring authority.

The level of liaison is a matter for authorities themselves to determine. In deciding whether to accept a particular scheme for transport supplementary grant support, the Secretary of State considers all aspects including the supporting information provided in the authority's transport policies and programme submission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the improvements which have been made by London Transport as a result of the passengers charter provisions on (a) avoidance of delays and disruption of passengers, (b) paying of compensation to passengers whose journeys have been delayed or disrupted and (c) providing timely information to passengers about delays and disruption.

London Underground's customer charter introduced a refund scheme for customers whose journeys are delayed for 20 minutes or more for reasons within LUL's control. The number of such delays is now lower than it was when the scheme was launched in July. On information, my Department has set London Underground targets to improve by 1 April 1993 the quality of information provided on trains and at stations, so that 78 per cent. and 76 per cent. of customers respectively rate it as acceptable or better. Both these targets are now being met.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what future date it is proposed to start construction on the Middleton-Denton section of the M66 motorway.

I expect work at the northern end of the scheme from the River Irk to the junction of the existing M66 with the M62 motorway to start next March. My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Transport are considering the inspector's report of the public inquiry into revised orders and compulsory purchase orders for the central and southern sections of the scheme which ended last February. Subject to that, work could start on the Tameside section south of the River Medlock in 1995 and on the final section between the River Medlock and the River Irk in 1996.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he now expects to publish the survey of the A38 undertaken by his Department; when the survey was originally intended to be published; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 1 December 1992]: The study into the long-term needs of the A38 between Exeter and Plymouth, which was announced in the White Paper "Roads for Prosperity", was always regarded as a longer-term project, and no date for its commencement or completion was set.I now intend to invite fee competition bids for this study early next year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many village bypass schemes not on primary routes have been accepted for transport supplementary grant during the most recent five years for which information is available.

[holding answer 1 December 1992]: Following is the information:

Year	Number of schemes
1988–89	13
1989–90	12
1990–91	10
1991–92	7
1992–93	11

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in what circumstances his Department could be expected favourably to consider for transport supplementary grant a village bypass scheme which is not on a designated primary route; what guidance he has issued to local highways authorities about this matter beyond the published criteria for transport supplementary grant; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 1 December 1992]: My Department receives annual bids for eligible schemes from the 108 English local highway authorities. They are considered on their overall merits in competition. The number accepted for TSG depends on the level of resources available.The Department issues an annual circular explaining the operation of the TSG system. The latest edition is local authority circular 3/92. It contains details of the eligibility criteria. All roads which are of more than local importance are eligible for TSG. In addition, guidance notes on the completion of the finance forms used to support bids for TSG are issued to each local highway authority. These notes include particulars of information required to support bids for TSG on individual major schemes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consider reforms of the Q registration system for motor vehicles to prevent abuses.

Yes. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is currently reviewing the system for the allocation of Q registration marks in consultation with the police and other interested parties.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each local authority in Lancashire the capital receipts held by them resulting from the sale of land, property and other assets.

The total usable receipts held by each local authority in Lancashire as at 31 March 1992 are shown in the table. Information disaggregated into receipts from sale of land, property and other assets is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list, by local authority area in England and Wales, the value of capital receipts held by those authorities, and the annual interest attracted on those capital receipts for revenue spending.

No information is held centrally on the interest attracted on usable capital receipts for each local authority. I have arranged for the latest available information on the usable capital receipts held by authorities in England at 31 March 1992 to be placed in the Library of the House. Information for Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to adopt passive solar designs for all Government buildings.

The Department of the Environment encourages all forms of energy efficiency measures in Government buildings, including that of passive solar design where appropriate. However, the application of such measures is the responsibility of individual Departments.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the settlement figure to local authorities from the financial year 1984–85 to 1991–92; and what was the percentage increase from 1984–85 to 1991–92.

The information is as follows:

English local authority settlement figures
Year	Grant related expenditure £ million
1984–85	19,882
1985–86	21,221
1986–87	22,790
1987–88	23,742
1988–89	26,006
1989–90	27,662

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he has taken following the seizure in Oxfordshire of convention on international trade in endangered species appendix 1 listed timber in May 1992.

This is a matter for Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, who are primarily responsible for the enforcement of CITES controls in the United Kingdom. I understand that an extensive investigation was carried out by their officers, but insufficient evidence was discovered to support a prosecution. Customs action has therefore been confined to the seizure of the timber.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements he proposes to make for the establishment of a new advisory agency to assist leaseholders seeking enfranchisement.

I announced on 17 November, during a sitting of Standing Committee B on the Housing and Urban Development Bill, that the Government would be prepared to contribute towards the costs of a leasehold enfranchisement advisory agency for an initial period. The Leasehold Reform Co-ordinating Committee is working on a scheme for such an agency and hopes to submit proposals shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many civil servants are currently employed by his Department (a) in London and (b) elsewhere.

The Department of the Environment currently employs 4,012 civil servants in London, 686 of them in agencies; 2,722 civil servants are employed elsewhere, 721 of them in agencies.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy towards the conservation of elephants.

The Government share the widespread international concern about any threat to the survival of the elephant, and we have given strong support to efforts to conserve the species. For example, we are contributing £600,000 this year to a number of elephant conservation projects in Africa, in addition to our substantial support for general wildlife projects which also benefit elephants. We are committed to maintaining the current ban on the ivory trade for as long as necessary, and at the conference of the parties to the convention on international trade in endangered species in March, we played a leading part in opposing moves to allow a resumption of trade.We also supported proposals made at the conference for more discussion between elephant range states and non-range states on the complex questions of elephant management and trade. To this end, one of the Department's senior officials is at present leading an EC fact-finding mission to Africa; they will meet policy makers, wildlife managers, conservationists and nongovernmental organisations in a number of countries.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce the budget for urban development corporations for 1993–94.

The 1993–94 budget for UDCs will be announced as soon as the figures have been finalised.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the planned expenditure on the urban programme in 1993–94; how much of this is to be diverted to city challenge; what plans there are to make city challenge available to all urban programme authorities; and what assessment he has made of the reduction in the number of jobs to be created resulting from the change in the urban programme funding.

The answer is:

(a) A total of £ 176 million is to be made available to urban programme authorities in 199–94; (b) None. City challenge resources for next year are additional to the £176 million; (c) All 57 urban programme authorities were invited to compete in round 2 of city challenge. The future of city challenge will be considered in the light of next year's review of urban needs and progress in the areas successful in the first two competitions; (d) Taking city challenge together with the urban programme, resources will rise from £319 million in 1992–93 to £408 million in 1993–94. I would therefore expect to see a corresponding increase in the number of jobs created as a result of this expenditure.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much of the funds allocated to the urban programme for 1993–94 Rochdale will receive; and how much of Rochdale's allocation will be financed through (a) the sale of council houses and (b) the sale of council owned land.

Local authorities' provisional urban programme allocations for 1993–94 will be announced next January as usual. Allocations will cover continuing commitments entered into in 1992–93 and prior years.It is for the local authority to decide how to finance the 25 per cent. contribution it is required to make to urban programme revenue expenditure.In assessing bids for the urban partnership fund in 1993–94, we will take account of the authority's willingness and ability to provide part of the finance from usable capital receipts.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many jobs have been created in the Rochdale area as a result of urban programmes in the last five years.

The estimated number of jobs created/preserved in the Rochdale area as a result of urban programmes (UP) in the last five years is as follows:

Number
1988–89	215
1989–90	693
1990–91	663
1991–92	4,900
11992–93	150
1 Interim estimate.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has yet considered the response of Sefton metropolitan borough council to the notice served on the authority on 24 August under section 19A of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend has given careful consideration to the response which Sefton metropolitan borough council has made to the notice served on the authority on 24 August, and has today given a direction under section 19B of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980. The effect of the direction is that, after 1 June 1993, the authority will cease to have the power itself to carry out highways maintenance work as described in the authority's document entitled "Annual Service Contract No. 7".He has also today served a notice on the council under section 19A of the 1980 Act setting out his view that in 1990–91 the authority had failed to achieve the required rate of return in carrying out the work described in section 10(2)(d) of the Act—maintenance work, other than such works of maintenance in connection with highways or the maintenance of a sewer. The authority is required to respond to the notice by 13 January 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he proposes to take against those local authorities whose direct labour organisations made significant financial losses in 1990–91.

Statutory notices under the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 and the Local Government Act 1988 were served on 36 local authorities between July and September of this year in respect of financial failure in 1990–91. My right hon. and learned Friend has now considered the responses of the 10 authorities on which notices were served on 16 July. He has today given directions under section 19B of the 1980 Act to Canterbury city council in respect of new construction work and to Halton borough council in respect of highways and sewerage work.He has decided to take no further action in respect of financial failure in 1990–91 by Aylesbury Vale district council (building maintenance), Blackburn borough council (other cleaning), Gillingham borough council (building maintenance), Hampshire county council (ground maintenance), Kerrier district council (building cleaning), South Bedfordshire district council (building maintenance) and Wear Valley district council (building maintenance). In all these cases, either the relevant work is now being carried out by private contractors or the authority has demonstrated to my right hon. and learned Friend's satisfaction that it has taken the necessary remedial measures to ensure that statutory requirement were met in 1991–92 or are likely to be met in the current financial year.Similarly, he has decided to take no further action for the present against the London borough of Tower Hamlets (building maintenance) and Halton district council (building maintenance), pending receipt of further quarterly financial returns. He is still considering responses from the remaining 26 authorities on which notices were served during August and September.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if a local authority will be entitled to spend all the capital receipts it receives from an airport sale; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 26 November 1992]: Under regulations which came into force on 13 November 1992, local authorities may spend in full the capital receipts obtained between that date and 31 December 1993 from sales of most assets, including share or loan capital in airport companies acquired before 15 February 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the average time taken by the Ministers in his Department, including himself, to answer letters from hon. Members, in each of the first three quarters of 1992, measuring the time from the receipt of the letter to the despatch of the substantive reply.

[holding answer 1 December 1992]: It is not possible to identify from my Department's records an arithmetical average length of time taken to reply to an hon. Member's letter. Figures from my Department will be published in the Official Report, and made available in the House Libraries, early next year, showing the volume of ministerial correspondence from hon. Members in 1992, the targets set for reply and the percentage of replies within target. My Department's objective is to reply within three weeks of receipt, and this target was achieved for 58 per cent. of letters for hon. Members received in the first nine months of this year.The table shows information for each of the first three quarters of 1992, and the year to date:

	Within 3 weeks Per cent.	Within 4 weeks Per cent.	Within 5 weeks Per cent.
1st quarter	65	84	95
2nd quarter	58	75	90
3rd quarter	48	69	85
Overall	58	76	91

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about the retention of sheltered housing incorporating a warden service.

Clauses in the Housing Urban Development Bill will give housing authorities the powers to provide welfare services for the tenants and account for the costs within the housing revenue account. These powers would avoid disruption to these services following a Court of Appeal judgment. However, our policy is that the HRA should be a landlord account, and our intention is that these powers should remain in force only until local authorities have had an opportunity to make new arrangements for these services. Before we take any decisions about changes to the arrangements, there will be full consultation with all interested parties, early in the new year.The Department has received approximately 130 representations about this subject from local authorities, their organisations and others. The powers in the Bill for housing authorities to provide welfare services and account for their costs in the HRA have been widely welcomed. Many of them suggest that welfare services should continue to be provided by housing authorities as part of the housing service, or at least until local government reorganisation is complete. These representations will be considered along with those received in response to next year's consultation exercise.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many organisations submitted tenders for the contract of supplying vehicles under the Government car service; which company won the contract; when the tender for the contract will next be advertised; and if he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.Cars for the Government car service are generally purchased by the Department of the Environment through a number of running contracts placed by the Ministry of Defence with vehicle manufactures. The requirements are advertised at approximately three-yearly intervals. The next advertisement is likely to be placed in 1994–95.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will set out the differences between the European Economic Community established under the treaty of Rome and the union to be established by the treaty of Maastricht.

The union embraces both intergovernmental co-operation—in the fields of common foreign and security policy and justice/home affairs—and co-operation under the treaty of Rome. The Community institutions will act in the former fields under the provisions of titles V and VI of the Maastricht treaty, which sets out different rules from those applicable under the treaty of Rome.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the articles in the Maastricht treaty which he expects to give rise to the need for domestic legislation in each year from 1993 to 1999.

It is not possible to predict in which areas co-operation with the other member states in the period 1993–99 will give rise to a need for domestic legislation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received regarding the use of Esperanto as a means of resolving linguistic problems within the European Community consequent on accession of Scandinavian and eastern European countries.

None. We would expect the rules governing the languages of the institutions of the Community to be a matter for consideration in the course of accession negotiations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the countries which have signed the Council of Europe convention for minority or regional languages, together with those eligible which have not signed; and if he will make a statement.

The following countries have signed the Council of Europe convention on regional or minority languages: Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway and Spain.The following countries are eligible but have not signed: Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.We are still considering whether to sign the European charter on regional or minority languages.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many civil servants are currently employed by his Department (a) in London and (b) elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

On 31 October 1992, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office employed 3,679·5 staff in London and 3,613·5 staff elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the application of article J.5 of the provisions on a common foreign and security policy of the proposed treaty on European union in circumstances where United Kingdom policy or interests differ from the policy of the union as represented by the presidency.

Article J.5 of the treaty on European union provides for the presidency to represent the union on the basis of common positions within the common foreign and security policy. In order for there to be a common position, all member states must agree to it. Where there is no common position, member states speak for themselves. Article J.5(4) specifically safeguards the United Kingdom's ability to fulfil effectively its responsibilities as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy towards the enforcement by military means of a no-fly zone over Bosnia; and if he will make a statement.

We fully support United Nations Security Council resolutions 781 and 786, which ban military flights in the airspace above Bosnia-Herzegovina. The ban does not apply to United Nations protection force flights or to other flights in support of United Nations operations, including humanitarian assistance.There have been no confirmed reports of combat activity involving aircraft over Bosnia-Herzegovina since 13 October. The Security Council resolutions have therefore had an effect. We are, however, concerned about reports from the United Nations Secretary-General of other flights over Bosnia-Herzegovina, apparently violating the ban. The Security Council made clear in SCR 786 its determination to consider urgently further measures to enforce the ban in the case of such violations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list the dates on which regulations equivalent to the Public Works Contracts Regulations 1991 were enacted or came into force in each other EC member state.

Council directive 89/440/EEC of 18 July 1989 was implemented in the United Kingdom by the Public Works Contracts Regulations of 21 December 1991. Latest information available from the European Commission on implementation for directive 89/440/EEC in other member states is as follows:

• Denmark—8 June 1990 (further measures 14 August 1990 and 25 June 1991)
• Germany—19 July 1990
• Belgium—1 August 1990
• Portugal—11 December 1990
• France—3 January 1991 (further measures 31 March 1992)
• Spain—18 April 1991
• Netherlands—11 September 1991
• Italy—27 December 1991
• Ireland—1992

As at 28 September 1992, no notification of implementation had been received by the Commission from Greece or Luxembourg.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government in respect of whether the determination of which nationals of third countries will require visas to enter the United Kingdom should be made by the Council of the union acting by a qualified majority after 1 January 1996.

The Government accept article 100c—to be inserted into the treaty of Rome when the treaty on European union enters into force—which provides for member states to agree a common list of countries whose nationals will require a visa when crossing the external borders of member states.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the outcome of investigations into allegations by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection in respect of the treatment of primates at Shamrock (GB) Ltd. and Hazleton UK.

The Home Office animals (scientific procedures) inspectorate has investigated the allegations contained in written and video material sent to the Home Office by the BUAV, in respect of the treatment of animals at Shamrock Farms and Hazleton UK. The results of that investigation have been reported to the Animal Procedures Committee and to me, and I have had the benefit of the APC's comments on those conclusions.The investigation found evidence of poor standards of care and handling at Shamrock Farms, and a lack of effective managerial control. Insufficient attention was paid to the maintenance of a regime in which animals are treated at all times with due dignity and respect, and in which the physical and emotional needs of the animals are given proper emphasis. My conclusion is that poor technique and over-forceful handling may have resulted in avoidable stress and possible suffering.I have concluded that these findings represent a significant failure on the part of the named day-to-day care person at Shamrock, and I have directed that Shamrock's certificate of designation be amended to appoint a new person to that role.Other measures are being taken in the light of the report:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his advisers on fire services have made of the adequacy of the fire services provided by Cumbria county council; and what advice they have given on maintaining adequate cover within the standard spending assessment.

Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Fire Services is satisfied that the Cumbria fire service provides effective and efficient fire services. It is for Cumbria county council to decide, in the light of its statutory responsibilities and of its standard spending assessment each year, on the level of provision which is allocated to the Cumbria fire service.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Northumbria as to the number of officers in his force who have received training in dealing with domestic violence.

Eighteen officers have undergone specialist training. The subject is covered at a more general level in other training within the force.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many wives were (a) murdered and (b) assaulted by their husbands in the area covered by the Northumbria police force in each of the last five years.

The number of wives who were the victims of offences currently recorded as homicide committed by their husbands in the Northumbria police force area in each of the last five years is a follows:

Year	Number
1987	1
1988	1
1989	1
1990	1
1991	—

Information on assaults of wives by their husbands is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ask the chief constable of Northumbria to list the domestic violence units in the area covered by his force.

There is currently one such unit, situated at South Shields police station.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many husbands were (a) killed or (b) assaulted by their wives in the area covered by the Northumbria force in each of the last five years.

The number of husbands who were the victims of offences currently recorded as homicide committed by their wives in the Northumbria police force area in each of the last five years is as follows:

Year	Number
1987	—
1988	—
1989	1
1990	—
1991	—

Information on assaults of husbands by their wives is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many teenagers are in secure accommodation following criminal proceedings.

According to records held centrally, which are approximate, there were 4,800 prisoners aged 14 to 19 in secure prison service establishments on 30 June 1992.Information supplied by the Department of Health shows that, on 31 October 1992, there were 119 teenagers serving sentences under section 53 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 in secure community homes or youth treatment centres. On 31 March 1991, the latest date for which such information is available, there were 12 teenagers subject to criminal care orders and 51 teenagers remanded to the care of a local authority held in secure accommodation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young people in young offenders institutions are (a) convicted and (b) on remand.

The table shows how many under 21-year-olds were held in prison service establishments in England and Wales on 27 November 1992.

Establishment type	Sentenced young persons	Unsentenced young persons	Total
Local prison	129	128	257
Remand centre	1,224	1,487	2,711
YO institution	4,214	0	4,214
Female establishment	50	48	98
Total	5,617	1,663	7,280

The figures for the unsentenced include remand, trial and convicted but unsentenced young persons.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement following his review of the funding of marriage guidance.

The marriage guidance organisations which receive grants from the Home Office will be notified shortly about their levels of grant for 1993–94.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to record the number of young offenders in remand centres or young offenders institutions who suffer from dyslexia.

The prison service has no plans to keep separate records of the number of young offenders who suffer from dyslexia. Particular emphasis is, however, placed upon assisting those young offenders in custody who have a range of learning difficulties. The White Paper "Custody, Care and Justice" (Cm 1647), published in September 1991, states that the first priority for education programmes in prisons must be to identify and provide help for those prisoners who have difficulty reading or writing, and who are unable to do simple arithmetic.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what public interest immunity certificates he has signed in respect of documents supplied by his Department to Sir John May's inquiry.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Metropolitan police as to what documentary evidence they have supplied to Sir John May's inquiry into the Guildford Four convictions; and on what terms.

No. Questions about the disclosure of documents held by the Metropolitan police are the responsibility of the Commissioner and not of my right hon. and learned Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to publish all oral evidence taken by Sir John May in his inquiry into the Guildford Four convictions when the inquiry is completed.

As was the case in connection with the oral evidence given to his inquiry into the convictions of the Maguire family and those convicted with them, it will be for Sir John May to decide whether to take any oral evidence in connection with his inquiry into the convictions of the Guildford Four, and whether and in what form any such evidence should be included in his report to my right hon. and learned Friends or otherwise made public.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 3 November, Official Report, columns 129–30, what has been the cost to the Exchequer of the chief executive of the Forensic Science Service's visits to the Netherlands during the last 12 months.

This is a matter for which the Forensic Science Service is responsible and I have asked the chief executive to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many former asylum seekers have been granted work permits in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 1 December 1992]: Comprehensive information on the number of asylum seekers who have withdrawn their application or have been refused asylum, and have subsequently been granted a work permit by the Department of Employment, is not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.Asylum seekers in the United Kingdom whose applications have not yet been decided may apply after six months from the date of application for authorisation to seek employment without a work permit. Persons granted asylum or exceptional leave are granted such authorisation at the time of the grant.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Nigerian Government in respect of ratifying the Commonwealth exchange of prisoners treaty; and what progress has been made in reaching bilateral agreements on sentencing and deportation.

[holding answer 23 November 1992]: The United Kingdom and Nigeria are both party to the multilateral scheme for the transfer of convicted offenders within the Commonwealth. There have been no bilateral discussions with the Nigerians about the scheme, or about agreements on sentencing and deportation.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will agree to order that copies of all documents that are made available by Government Department's to Lord Justice Scott's inquiry in the export of arms, components and machine tools to Iraq shall also be made available on request to those committees of the Congress of the United States conducting comparable inquiries or investigation.

No, but requests for information will be considered on their merits.

To ask the Prime Minister whether the briefing material relating to United Kingdom exports to Iraq, prepared for the Foreign Secretary's meeting with Tariq Aziz, the Iraqi Foreign Minister in September 1989, still exists; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. The brief referred to British media interest in Iraqi procurement activities in the United Kingdom, naming Learfan and Matrix Churchill as examples. No further details were given and there was no other reference to United Kingdom defence exports to Iraq.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list all the occasions since 1972 on which a reimbursement by Her Majesty the Queen of civil list annuities to the Treasury in relation to other members of the royal family has taken place and what sums were involved in each case.

Since 1975 Her Majesty the Queen has fully reimbursed the Consolidated Fund for the annuities paid under section 3 of the Civil List Act 1972. I will arrange for the right hon. Gentleman to have the detail of each refund.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral answer to the right hon. and learned Member for Monklands, East (Mr. Smith) of 26 November, Official Report, column 982, when the discussions with Her Majesty the Queen on taxation of her income began; and what consideration was given to the timing of the announcement.

[holding answer 1 December 1992]: Her Majesty indicated to me some months ago before the summer recess that she wished consideration to be given to the basis on which she might voluntarily pay tax. Once discussion had reached a stage where it was clear that arrangements could be put in place for next year, I agreed with Her Majesty that I should notify the House as soon as possible.

To ask the Prime Minister how many tublic interest immunity certificates have been signed by Ministers in each of the last six months; and in what circumstances.

[holding answer 24 November 1992]: Ministers signed two public interest immunity certificates in June, two in July, six in September, three in October and two in November.

To ask the Secretary of State fin Employment what proposals she has to improve arid extend employment training schemes in areas directly affected by coal mine closures; and what age groups such schemes will cover.

The training and enterprise councils in areas affected by potential coal mine closures have submitted action plans giving their proposals for a range of labour market measures. All unemployed people in areas most affected by pit closures and any redundant miners who live outside them will be eligible for assistance, including training, as appropriate. Local arrangements will depend on final action agreed with TECs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proposals she has to increase the availability of statistics on the number of young people seeking a youth training place by district.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, to my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Mr. Mitchell) on 1 December 1992, Official Report, columns 127–28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what considerations underlie her policy of restricting places on the employment training scheme to unemployed people between the ages of 18 and 49 years; and if she will raise the upper limit.

Employment training is open to unemployed people up to the age of 59 who meet the general eligibility conditions. However, those aged 50 and over do not fall within any of the categories of unemployed people who have priority for places. Under training for work, which is to replace employment training from April 1993, age will not be a factor in determining priority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to her answer of 19 October, Official Report, column 114, what sorts of information relating to accidents at installations covered by the Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1984 are held by the Health and Safety Executive; what arrangements have been made for the analysis of information relating to accidents at such sites; and if she will make a statement.

In respect of accidents at an installation subject to the Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazard Regulations 1984—CIMAH—that are defined as major accidents by regulation 2, the Health and Safety Executive—HSE—holds information provided by manufacturers in accordance with regulation 5(1). This requires that where a major accident occurs on a site, the manufacturer should notify the HSE and provide the following information as soon as it becomes available:

• The circumstances of the accident;
• The dangerous substances involved;
• The data available for assessing the effects of the accident on persons and the environment;
• The emergency measures taken;
• A statement of the steps envisaged to alleviate the medium or long term effects of the major accident, if any and the steps necessary to prevent a recurrence.

In accordance with regulation 5(2) of CIMAH, the HSE is responsible for collecting information about major accidents to enable a full analysis to be made. The HSE complies with this requirement by investigating every major accident that occurs on a site subject to CIMAH, determining the cause, collecting information and sending a report to the European Commission for entering on a database used for accident prevention purposes. An analysis of such reports is sent to the competent authorities annually.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to her answer on wages councils on 26 November, Official Report, column 820, when the decision to abolish wages councils was first published.

The Government's decision to abolish the wages councils was published on 5 November.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the maximum current annual quota of factory inspectorate new recruits; and if he will ensure that the capacity for training recruits is not an artificial barrier to recruitment.

The Health and Safety Executive estimates that it is possible at maximum to train 90 newly recruited factory and agricultural inspectors effectively each year.There have been two competitions per annum in recent years to enable planned targets to be met. The rate at which new inspectors can be absorbed into the system is determined not only by institutional training capacity but also by the time of qualified inspectors taken up in training them on the job.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what public interest immunity certificates he has signed in respect of documents supplied by his Department to Sir John May's inquiry.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will call for a report from the Royal Ulster Constabulary on what documents they have supplied to Sir John May's inquiry and on what terms.

No. Questions about the disclosure of documents held by the Royal Ulster Constabulary are the responsibility of the Chief Constable and not myself.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received on behalf of small slaughterhouses since 1 October; and what measures he proposes to enable such businesses to survive in the single European market.

Many right hon. and hon. Members have written to me about small slaughterhouses.The Government welcomes the EC fresh meat directive 91/497 which will ensure that all meat traded in the single market is produced to common standards of hygiene and inspection—standards which have applied for almost 30 years to meat moving in international trade. It is high time for the same standards to be applied to meat intended for our domestic market.The single market hygiene legislation is not intended to destroy traditional small businesses, which play an important part in the rural economy. My Department has taken a number of steps to ensure that this directive can be implemented sensibly and without imposing unnecessary burdens. During the EC negotiations, we secured agreement that very small abattoirs did not need to comply with all the detailed structural requirements and that all meat premises would be eligible for temporary derogations of up to three years from 1 January 1993 to enable them to upgrade their premises to meet the new standards.The Agriculture Departments, as licensing authorities, have made arrangements for all operators to receive advice on what is required, and for ensuring consistent and sensible decisions on licensing. Our veterinary field staff have been instructed to be flexible and realistic in seeking solutions to structural and hygiene problems.As a further safeguard, I have asked two independent experts in meat hygiene to assess hygiene standards in a small cross-section of plants and to advise whether the improvements being required exceed what is necessary to rectify structure-related hygiene problems.My Department has this week issued further guidance to local authorities on the provision of veterinary supervision at slaughterhouses. This guidance, which has been placed in the Library, should reduce the estimated cost of the inspection service substantially at some plants. My Department believes that the cost to the industry as a whole should be reduced by some £2 million, compared with estimates made by independent consultants on behalf of MAFF earlier this year.Local authorities have considerable flexibility to arrange provision of the inspection service in the way which is most appropriate to their local circumstances subject to the overriding need to achieve adequate veterinary supervision. Pending transfer of responsibility for meat inspection to the proposed national meat hygiene service, I shall monitor inspection charges very closely, and will continue to encourage plant operators to discuss with their local authority any possible options for reducing costs. Local authorities have discretion to recover less than the full cost of the inspection service if they so choose, provided the amount recovered complies with the relevant EC legislation. In the longer term, the national meat hygiene service will be required to provide an efficient and cost-effective service to the industry.Despite all these measures, I am aware that there remains considerable concern about the impact of the new legislation on small slaughterhouses. This concern is not confined to the United Kingdom, and I am therefore arranging for the December Council of Agriculture Ministers to consider whether any further action at Community level is required to safeguard small traditional slaughtering businesses.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for what reasons the European Economic Community rejected the appeal from the United States of America for a third party to determine by arbitration the level of damage to its interests occasioned by the subsidised production of oilseed products; at what meeting of the Council of Ministers this decision was made; and under what voting requirements.

The United States proposal for binding arbitration to settle the oilseeds dispute was rejected by the Commission after consultation with a committee of senior trade officials from member states, meeting under United Kingdom chairmanship during our presidency, because of doubts about its consistency with general agreement on tariffs and trade arbitration rules and because other approaches seemed to offer wider scope for an acceptable settlement. The proposal was not put to the Council of Ministers for a formal decision. A number of further options were put forward by both sides during bilateral negotiations before agreement was reached on a satisfactory compromise.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give an estimate of the effect on job numbers in rural areas of (a) the current common agricultural policy reform package and (b) further changes arising from the general agreement on tariffs and trade agreement; and if he will make a statement.

The impact of the common agricultural policy measures agreed in May on employment in rural communities will depend on the response of the farming community over the next few years. The draft general agreement on tariffs and trade settlement is consonant with reforms already agreed and should therefore have no specific impact on employment in rural communities.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the progress establishing new environmentally sensitive areas; and what management commitments and financial remuneration he is proposing.

In January of next year we plan to launch new environmentally sensitive areas in the Avon valley, Exmoor, lake District, north Kent marshes, south Wessex downs and South West Peak. Full details of the management terms and financial remuneration will be published at the time of the launch. We also plan early next year to hold consultations on a further six new English environmentally sensitive areas which we hope to introduce in the following winter.