To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (i) how many juveniles have been convicted of (a) offences against property, (b) assault, (c) taking cars without the owner's consent, (d) driving without a licence and (e) dangerous driving in England in each of the last five years;(2) how many juveniles have been convicted of burglary in England in the last five years.

The information is given in the table.

Number of juveniles (persons aged 10 to under 17) convicted at all courts of certain offences 1987–91)
England Principal offence	1987	1988	1989	1990	11991
Offences against property
Burglary	10,244	8,474	7,060	6,266	5,549
Theft and handling stolen goods	19,967	16,365	10,013	9,123	7,976
Fraud and forgery	436	357	317	243	214
Criminal damage	1,462	1,420	1,072	1,120	969
Assault
Grievous bodily harm	582	616	565	551	464
Actual bodily harm	2,789	2,983	2,863	2,423	2,190
Assault on constable	259	240	233	232	192
Common assault1	59	59	157	220	231
Theft or unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle

Table A Number and percentage of offenders found guilty at all courts and cautioned in the East Midlands region, Nottinghamshire police force area and England and Wales by age and type of offences 19911
Area/type of offence	Cautioned		Aged under 21 years Found guilty		Total found guilty or cautioned		Cautioned	All Ages Found guilty	Total guilty or cautioned
	Number	Per cent.	Number	Per cent.	Number	Per cent.	[= 100%]	[= 100%]	[= 100%]
East Midlands region
Indictable offences	10,868	69	9,541	36	20,409	48	15,782	26,311	42,093
Summary non-motoring offences	3,081	59	6,011	17	9,092	22	5,226	36,420	41,646
All offences (excluding summary motoring)	13,949	66	15,552	25	29,501	35	21,008	62,731	83,739
Nottinghamshire pfa
Indictable offences	4,353	67	3,501	38	7,854	50	6,452	9,190	15,642
Summary non-motoring offences	1,040	66	2,100	18	3,140	23	1,573	11,885	13,458
All offences (excluding summary motoring)	5,393	67	5,601	27	10,994	38	8,025	21,075	29,100
England and Wales
Indictable offences	119,424	66	115,376	34	234,800	46	179,885	335,394	515,279
Summary non-motoring offences	38,649	39	63,279	14	101,928	19	98,880	450,558	549,438
All offences (excluding summary motoring)	158,073	57	178,655	23	336,728	32	278,765	785,952	1,064,717
1 Provisional.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the number of offences committed by juveniles in England while on bail in each of the last five years.

Information is not currently available nationally. However, my Department is presently examining with the police ways in which the extent of offending on bail can be effectively monitored at a national level.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consult the police authorities on the reform of legislation to permit custodial sentences to be imposed on juvenile offenders.

We intend to consult widely, including representative organisations of the police service, before bringing any firm legislative proposals before Parliament.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of offenders in (a) the east midlands, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) Mansfield and (d) England and Wales were under 21 years in the last year for which figures are available.

[holding answer 15 January 1993]: Information for 1991, which is provisional, is given in the tables.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration is being given to the deportation of Mr. George Pai of Manchester.

Mr. Chan Yee Yau, also known as Georgie Pai, last entered the United Kingdom in breach of an extant deportation order. He was arrested on 9 December 1991 and detained as an illegal entrant with a view to his removal. On 19 December 1991 an application on Mr. Yau's behalf to the divisional court for leave to move for judicial review of the decision to remove him was granted. The case was adjourned pending the outcome of a relevant case then before the European Court of Justice. On 24 December 1991 the court granted an application for bail, and Mr. Yau was released. His case is still pending before the divisional court.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Manchester on the progress of the investigations into Triad gangs in Greater Manchester.

No. These are operational matters and the responsibility of the chief officer of the Greater Manchester police.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of stabbing there have been in each of the last three years in which the perpetrator has been aged (a) under 16, (b) 16 to 20, (c) 21 to 24 years or (d) other.

Information is not collected centrally on the age of the perpetrator in all incidents of stabbing. However, the number of currently recorded homicides in England and Wales where the method of killing was by a sharp instrument is shown by age of suspect for the years 1989, 1990 and 1991 in the following table:

Offences currently recorded as homicide involving a sharp instrument by age of principal suspect
Age of principal suspect	1989	1990	1991
Aged less than 16	1	2	2
Aged 16–20	32	25	32
Aged 21–24	34	35	29
Aged 25 and above	104	108	149
Total	171	170	212

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when he expects to publish the Licensed Betting Office Regulation 1986 (Amendment) Regulations;(2) what consideration is being given to allowing betting offices to open during evening hours.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. and learned Friend gave to a question from my right hon. Friend the Member for Westminster, North (Sir J. Wheeler) on 19 January 1993, at column 141.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce restrictions on the manufacture, use and sale of equipment that can be used to eavesdrop on the activities of private individuals.

We have no present plans to impose restrictions on the manufacture and sale of equipment that can be used to receive and amplify sound.As part of their response to the Calcutt review of press self-regulation—

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of persons currently under the supervision of the probation service in England and Wales are considered to be mentally disordered or mentally ill.

In 1991, 147 persons conditionally discharged from psychiatric hospitals were under probation service supervision and a total of 911 persons commenced probation orders with a requirement of psychiatric treatment—784 non-residential, 119 residential, eight juvenile non-residential. Information on mental disorder and mental illness in respect of the total probation caseload is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will arrange for the post in Islamabad to refer the latest entry clearance application by Mr. Sodigar Hussain, date of birth 21 July 1959, to join his wife in the United Kingdom to him for consideration under the review concerning couples with children separated for more than five years; and if he will make a statement.

Any further application by Mr. Hussain will be considered by the entry clearance officer under the immigration rules taking account of relevant policy guidance.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now release Karimjit Singh Chahal from Bedford prison; and if he will make a statement.

The decision to detain Mr. Chahal is regularly reviewed, but at the present time my right hon. and learned Friend sees no grounds for his release.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a decision is to be taken on the application to remain in the United Kingdom by Mrs. Hildegarde Biel—Ref: IMP R63833/5 (S) and PO 17232/92; and if he will make a statement.

We hope to reach a decision shortly, and I will then write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of the decision of the magistrates court in Leeds to impose a fine on Leeds city council after a child in its care committed a burglary on (a) crime prevention and reduction and (b) the resources available for diverting young people from criminal activity.

It would not be appropriate to comment on, or assess the impact of, a decision of the courts in an individual case. Nevertheless, we intend to monitor carefully the effect of the new powers for courts introduced by the Criminal Justice Act 1991 which, inter alia, allow them to make local authorities liable to pay fines and compensation when children in their care commit offences. The purpose of these new provisions, which parallel those which apply to parents, is to ensure that local authorities do all in their power to ensure that children in their care do not commit offences. Local authorities are under a separate duty under the Children Act 1989 to encourage children in their areas not to commit criminal offences.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the change in (a) duty rate and (b) total duty received on whisky and whiskey in each of the past 15 years.

The information is as follows:

	Estimated duty ( £m) on whisky/whiskey	Percentage change in duty rate
1977–78	447	0.0
1978–79	567	0.0
1979–80	572	13.7
1980–81	578	14.6
1981–82	623	6.4
1982–83	478	5.0
1983–84	818	1.9
1984–85	591	1.9
1985–86	714	0.0
1986–87	667	0.0
1987–88	698	0.0
1988–89	682	0.0
1989–90	650	10.0
1990–91	726	9.3
1991–92	730	4.5

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish tables giving for an administrative assistant, an administrative officer, an executive officer, a higher executive officer and a principal UG7 (a) the maximum annual salary on 1 April each year since 1970 and on 1 August 1992 excluding range or performance points, (b) the percentage of the national average wage represented by each figure and (c) the value today of the figures for 1 April 1976, 1 April 1980 and 1 April 1985 if they had been increased in line with (i) the movements in the retail prices index and (ii) the gross domestic product deflator.

The information is as follows:

	Salary1 £	Percentage of national average earnings2
Administrative Assistant
1 April 1970	943	72.3
1 April 1971	1,037	73.8
1 April 1972	1,123	71.7
1 April 1973	1,235	68.1
1 April 1974	1,456	71.9
1 April 1975	1,940	73.1
1 April 1976	1,940	61.4
1 April 1977	1,940	56.0
1 April 1978	2,608	67.0
1 April 1979	2,894	63.7
1 April 1980	3,155	57.0
1 April 1981	4,070	64.7
1 April 1982	4,340	62.2
1 April 1983	4,584	61.4
1 April 1984	4,813	58.1
1 April 1985	5,054	56.8
1 April 1986	5,357	55.8
1 April 1987	5,799	56.1
1 April 1988	6,081	53.5
1 April 1989	6,324	50.7
1 April 1990	7,322	53.5
1 April 1991	8,720	58.9
1 April 1992	8,790	55.59
1 August 1992	8,790	355.5
If increased in line with Retail Price Index to 1 April 1992:
1 April 1976	6,526
1 April 1980	6,382
1 April 1985	7,353
If increased in line with Gross Domestic Product Deflator to 1 April 1992:
1 April 1976	6,890

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the contracts awarded by his Department to KPMG Management Consultants over the past 12 months.

HM Treasury has awarded two contracts to KPMG Management Consultants over the past 12 months, one for staff appraisal training and a research project.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the cost to public funds in (a) 1990, (b) 1991 and (c) 1992 of granting banks tax relief on setting money aside in case of default on debts by third world countries.

The available information is given in my reply to the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Meacher) on 7 December 1992, at columns 471–72.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the cost to the Treasury of tax relief on employer-provided child care in (a) 1990–91, (b) 1991–92 and (c) 1992–93; and what are his estimates for the cost in 1993–94.

The revenue cost of exempting employer-provided child care is estimated to be about £10 million for each of the years 1990–91, 1991–92 and 1992–93. The revenue cost for 1993–94 would depend on the level of provision.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the effect on Treasury revenue in 1993–94 of extending tax relief on employer-provided child care to (a) employer-provided cheques and vouchers for child care and (b) all forms of employer assistance for child care.

Exempting all existing employer assistance for child care would have a revenue cost, at 1992–93 levels of provision and subsidies, of approximately £5 million. There is insufficient information to subdivide this estimate. We expect that if such a measure were introduced there would be substantial behavioural effects.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what investigations he is intending to make into the production of "Made in UK" labels in Serbia and Macedonia which were supplied to Messrs. Dewhursts of Driffield, North Humberside;(2) what proposals he has for the examination of tachographs in establishing the source of textile products imported by Dewhursts of Driffield, North Humberside;(3) whether he intends to arrange for the interview of vehicle drivers employed or formerly employed by Burlington Ocean Express so as to secure statements on their involvement in the transportation of textile products from Serbia to an Otex-owned factory in Macedonia;(4) what information he has as to the relationship between Otex of Macedonia and Genex of Serbia;(5) what proportion of textile imports for Messrs. Dewhursts held at port in December 1992 were subject to individual examination.

[holding answer 19 January 1993]: Customs tell me that they have almost completed inquiries in this case and so far there is no evidence to suggest any breaches of sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro. As the case is not yet finalised, it would be inappropriate to comment further.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many disabled people below the pensionable age are living in Northern Ireland.

Estimates derived from the surveys of disability undertaken by the policy planning and research unit of the Department of Finance and Personnel in 1989–90 indicate that, according to the definition used in the survey, there were 96,000 disabled people under pension age in Northern Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many public access agreements have been concluded in Northern Ireland in each of the past three years in respect of Forestry Commission holdings sold to the private sector; and what percentage of total sales these figures represent.

The Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland is responsible for state forestry in Northern Ireland. It has not entered into any public access arrangements in respect of woodland areas disposed of in the past three years. All such disposals during this period were in isolated localities, were small in size and were of no recreational significance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to seek to allow local authorities in Northern Ireland additional powers and responsibilities; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 11 January 1993]: I have no such plans. However, the Government believe that there is considerable scope to transfer greater power, authority and responsibility to locally elected representatives in Northern Ireland and would be willing to give serious consideration to any proposals regarding future arrangements for regional or local government in Northern Ireland which seemed likely to prove widely acceptable. These issues are best considered in the comprehensive context of further political talks.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will estimate the total expenditure on (a) green form assistance, (b) legal aid for civil cases and (c) legal aid for criminal cases that will be authorised in 1993–94 (i) in England and (ii) in the Yorkshire region on the assumption that the current eligibility rules continue to apply and also on the assumption that the new eligibility criteria which were proposed at the time of the autumn statement are introduced on 1 April.

The only estimates available for 1993–94 are those for England and Wales as a whole. For England and Wales it is estimated that following the abolition of contributory green form assistance, £138.7 million will be spent on legal advice and assistance in 1993–94; £142.4 million would be spent if there were no changes to financial eligibility. It is estimated that £508.7 million will be spent on civil legal aid in 1993–94 and that £548.2 million would be spent if there were no changes to financial eligibility. The changes will have little effect on total expenditure on criminal legal aid which it is estimated will be £570 million in 1993–94.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will estimate for England and for the Yorkshire region the number of applications for (a) green form assistance and (b) civil legal aid that will be approved in 1992–93; and how many would be eligible under the new rules.

For England and Wales as a whole it is estimated that in 1992–93, a total of 1,461,000 bills will be paid for legal advice and assistance under the green form scheme and that 413,000 civil legal aid certificates will be issued. For the Yorkshire and Humberside region, not including Hambledon, Richmond, Ryedale or Scarborough, it is estimated that in 1992–93, 120,000 bills will be paid for advice and assistance under the green form scheme and that 40,000 civil legal aid certificates will be issued. It is not possible to estimate how many of these green form bills would have been paid, or these civil legal aid certificates issued, had the new eligibility limits been in force.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will estimate for England and for the Yorkshire region the number of applications for (a) green form assistance and (b) civil legal aid that will be approved in 1993–94 (i) on the assumption that the current eligibility rules are unchanged and (ii) on the assumption that the new eligibility criteria proposed at the time of the autumn statement are introduced on 1 April; and if he will estimate how many of those receiving legal aid under the new criteria would receive less aid in cash terms than they would have received under the old rules.

The only estimates available for 1993–94 are those for England and Wales as a whole. It is estimated that in 1993–94 under the current financial eligibility regulations, 1,548,000 bills for legal advice and assistance under the green form scheme would have been paid, and that 452,000 civil legal aid certificates would have been issued. Under the new regulations it is estimated that around 1,400,000 green form bills will be paid and 333,000 civil legal aid certificates will be issued. It is not possible to estimate the number of people who will receive less aid in cash terms under the new criteria.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many papers withheld at the Public Record Office have been subsequently released after review by the Lord Chancellor's advisory council in each year since 1979.

The Advisory Council on Public Records has a role in considering and commenting on applications to the Lord Chancellor by Departments for the extended closure of public records, that is, beyond the statutory period of 30 years after their creation. It has never reviewed records after they have been closed.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what response he has made to the representations made to him by the Institute of Physics concerning the maintenance of the dual support system for physics departments not currently considered to be in the top rank.

The president of the Institute of Physics wrote to the chief scientific adviser on 17 November with the institute's views on the forthcoming science and technology White Paper. These included comments on the operation of the dual support system. The chief scientific adviser replied on 27 November thanking him for the institute's comments, which will be considered in preparing the White Paper.Copies of the institute's comments were placed in the Library of the House on 18 December.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress his Department is making in discussions with interested parties concerning development of alternatives to lead shot; and if he will make a statement.

My Department set up a working group with interested parties on 31 October 1991 to develop a programme for introducing non-toxic shot and phasing-out lead shot in wetland areas.The group has concluded that a target for commercial quantities of non-toxic shot for 12-bore shotguns to be available by September 1995 is feasible. The group intends that the majority of lead shooting over wetlands should be phased-out by September 1997; a ban on lead shot could operate from that date. The group will continue to pursue these objectives.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what criteria are used in assessing applications for grants under the rough sleeping initiative.

Grants under the rough sleepers initiative in central London are given at the discretion of the Secretary of State. Projects are assessed against their value in meeting the policy objectives of the initiative. Capital projects comply with the standards laid down in the Housing Corporation's published schemework procedure guide and the value for money criteria published in the corporation's total cost indicator and grant rate circular.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the amount of grant received by each organisation under the rough sleeping initiative.

I will write to my hon. Friend about this shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent meetings he has had with the parliamentary alternative energy group; and what meetings he has planned with the parliamentary alternative energy group in the current year.

My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment attended a reception organised by the parliamentary alternative energy group at the House of Commons on Monday 14 December 1992. He has no plans at present to meet the group this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to bring forward new measures to safeguard lowland peatlands of nature conservation importance in the United Kingdom.

A working group on peat extraction comprising representatives of the main interested parties is preparing advice for my right hon. and learned Friend. The Government strategy for peatlands will be announced after receiving the working group's advice and considering all other relevant information.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to propose that a meeting of each EC nation's environmental inspectorate will also include the environmental authorities of central and eastern European nations; and if he will make a statement.

The Government attach importance to improving the quality of inspection through, inter alia, exchanging information and experience. To this end, in November last year, the United Kingdom presidency launched the network of EC environmental enforcement agencies. The value of participation in the network by central and east European countries can be assessed in due course when we have had more experience of how the network is working and taking account of other options that may be available. The Department is already providing some advice and assistance to central and east European inspectorates through the environmental know-how fund.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in what form he intends to publish the responses received from the first consultation exercise on contaminated land; if he will place a copy of all responses in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

We are still considering the way forward on proposals for registers of land which may be contaminated which have been the subject of two consultation exercises. Copies of responses to both consultation exercises will be placed in the Library when we have announced our decisions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what criteria are used in assessing applications for grants under section 73 of the Housing Act 1985.

Grant under section 73 of the Housing Act 1985 is given at the discretion of the Secretary of State against criteria set out each year in notes for the guidance of applicants. I have today placed in the Library a copy of the guidance notes for 1993–94.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the amount of grant received by each organisation under section 73 of the Housing Act 1985 in each of the past three years.

I have today placed in the Library a list showing grants to homelessness voluntary organisations in England under the main section 73 grant programme in 1990–91, 1991–92 and 1992–93.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to introduce World Health Organisation standards for lead in drinking water; and if he will take steps to eradicate lead from drinking water supplies.

We are considering whether any changes are needed in the light of the revised guidelines that the World Health Organisation is expected to publish later in the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many new homes will be provided by Sandwell metropolitan borough authority in 1993–94; what is the total provision from central funds which will be received by the authority in support of capital expenditure on housing; and what capital expenditure he expects the authority to incur next year.

The level of local authority housing capital expenditure in Sandwell in 1993–94, and priorities within the capital programme for that year, are matters for the council to decide in the light of available resources. Sandwell's housing investment programme allocation for 1993–94 is £21,554,000. Further resources for 1993–94 could be made available to Sandwell from housing special programmes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to review the planning laws relating to car boot sales.

My Department issued a public consultation paper—"Temporary Uses of Land, External

Numbers employed in local authorities in Hampshire At June of each year
	1987		1988		1989		1990		1991		1992
Authority	Full-Time	Part-Time	Full-Time	Part-Time	Full-Time	Part-Time	Full-Time	Part-Time	Full-Time	Part-Time	Full-Time	Part-Time
Hampshire County	29,205	27,295	29,515	27,836	27,775	28,324	27,604	27,827	27,796	27,070	28,150	27,907
Basingstoke	655	49	669	45	687	35	714	42	723	40	683	41
East Hampshire	418	78	379	95	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	462	221	369	198
Eastleigh	481	63	489	75	537	86	512	82	436	106	399	86
Fareham	495	46	493	47	504	45	506	59	508	64	487	68
Gosport	479	143	464	143	470	150	490	160	449	147	365	148
Hart	300	45	306	59	286	63	297	64	306	69	278	48
Havant	694	142	688	164	676	157	659	172	640	177	629	205
New Forest	722	175	676	192	713	212	752	207	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Portsmouth	2,312	502	2,307	569	2,304	548	2,291	520	2,141	511	2,083	536
Rushmoor	614	90	584	84	606	83	617	90	610	90	585	97
Southampton	2,322	208	N/A	N/A	2,243	285	2,271	302	2,226	350	2,153	358
Test Valley	566	176	547	190	549	188	547	196	541	197	542	198
Winchester	552	94	581	80	605	147	618	170	649	178	614	125

N/A= Data not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he is giving to the holding of a public inquiry before coming to a decision on whether the THORP at Sellafield should proceed.

The regulatory authorities' consultation on their proposed draft authorisations for the Sellafield site, including THORP, ends on 25 January. The chief Lighting and Miscellaneous Amendments to the Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1988"—in August last year inviting views on the proper scope of permitted development rights for the temporary use of land, including the use of land for markets and car boot sales.More than 1,250 responses to the consultation paper have been received and are currently under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidance he gives to local authorities seeking to provide financial and other assistance to those whose homes are affected by environmental disasters of any kind.

Guidance issued by my Department and others covering a wide range of local authority functions may be relevant, depending on the circumstances. Local authorities have a general power to incur expenditure which is in the interests of and will bring direct benefit to their area or its inhabitants, and we expect them to make appropriate use of that discretion.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people were employed (a) full time and (b) part time in local government in Hampshire in each year since 1987.

The information is given in the table for each authority in Hampshire. Totals have not been given because data for some authorities are not available centrally.inspector of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution and my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food will then consider whether there is a need to make changes to the draft authorisations in the light of comments received. Once they have decided whether, and if so how, the authorisations should be amended, my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State and my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food will consider whether to afford a hearing in accordance with the terms of the legislation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will report on the achievements of the United Kingdom's presidency of the Environment Council.

At the outset of our presidency I set a number of objectives. The first was to follow through the agreement reached at Rio and to begin to formulate the Community's response to them. This was to carried forward in many ways. Environment Ministers discussed the way forward at their informal meeting at Gleneagles in September following the lead given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in the eight-point strategy that he put to the Lisbon European Council in June. Development Ministers have also given priority to UNCED follow-up in their declaration on the future of development policy. Much of the work in Brussels over the last six months has also been about measures to help put into practice the agreements reached at Rio. Foremost among these has been the consideration and endorsement by the Council of the fifth environmental action programme, which will not only provide the blueprint for the Community's environmental policy up to the end of the century, but will constitute the basis for the Community's response to "Agenda 21".The second objective was to improve the integration of environmental considerations into other policy areas as the key to sustainable development. This is also a central theme of the fifth action programme, and reflects the strengthened text we had successfully negotiated into the Maastricht treaty.Improved integration is a long-term objective, but good progress was made over the last six months. The Government commissioned a widely acclaimed report from the Institute for European Environmental Policy and made the subject the centrepiece for ministerial discussion at the Informal Council, where useful ideas for improving integration at Community level were generated. These were reflected not only in the conclusions of that meeting, but in the Council resolution on the fifth action programme. The Department of the Environment also collaborated with other Departments to influence and monitor the activities of other EC policy areas. Environmental issues were discussed in eight different Councils during the United Kingdom presidency, and a number of special conferences linked to the integration theme were organised or supported.The third objective was to secure improvements in the implementation and enforcement of environmental legislation across the Community. The Government secured significant achievements here. We hosted the first meeting of the network of environmental enforcement authorities, securing participation from all member states and agreeing terms of reference and a programme of work for the future. This should ensure that the network is now firmly established as a mechanism for improving standards across the Community through exchanges of information, personnel and ideas between environmental regulators. The Government also secured an undertaking from the Commission to produce regular reports for the Council of Ministers on the application of existing Community legislation in the member states, held a first formal debate on this subject at the December Council meeting, and obtained the Council's agreement that such debates should take place annually in future. The Government have continued to press the Commission to bring forward proposals for a Community body to audit the application of EC environmental legislation, and have secured growing support from other member states for this idea.The Government also made progress on a broad range of detailed measures in the Council.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the oral answer of 14 January by the Secretary of State for National Heritage to the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner), Official Report, columns 1075–76, to what categories of questions regarding the security service Ministers are now willing to provide substantive replies.

As I said in my statement to the House on 6 May last year, at column 65, successive Governments have not commented on matters relating to security and intelligence. The reason for that is clear: it is difficult to comment without revealing, by what is said or not said, information that can have a bearing on the effectiveness of these services and the safety of their staff.Nevertheless, from time to time there will be matters of public concern on which it is desirable and possible to make a considered statement. There are precedents under successive Administrations when such statements have been made without prejudice to the general convention. An example is the assurance which I gave hon. Members on 29 June 1992,

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on progress with setting up a United Nations arms register.

[holding answer 19 January 1993]: The register was established by a UN general assembly resolution in December 1991. In December 1992 the general assembly approved by consensus a report by technical experts on the register's implementation. Participating countries are required to provide their first returns of information by 30 April 1993 covering arms imports and exports in the calendar year 1992. The Secretary-General will produce an annual report containing the information registered which will be available for consultation by member states.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement concerning Her Majesty's Government's policy regarding the tapping of telephones of members of the royal family or their personal friends.

[holding answer 19 January 1993]: The interception of communications during their transmission by means of a public telephone system is subject to the provisions of the Interception of Communications Act 1985. The Government have accepted Sir David Calcutt's recommendation to consider whether the legislation adequately protects private telephone calls. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for National Heritage assured the House in his statement on 14 January, there is no substance to rumours about the involvement of the security and intelligence agencies in interception of the communications of the royal family.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral answer of 14 December 1992, Official Report, column 37, what are the criteria distinguishing an intergovernmental binding decision and treaty if both are justiciable in the International Court of Justice.

[holding answer 19 January 1993]: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 15 January, at column 822.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what action is taken at the time, or subsequently, if a vessel is observed to be violating the rules for preventing collisions in the English channel;(2) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the rules for preventing collisions in the English channel and the policing of the rules by radar or otherwise.

The channel traffic separation scheme, coupled with radar surveillance by the United Kingdom and France of traffic in the Dover strait, has been effective in reducing the level of accidents in the area by over 85 per cent. Where there is evidence of a contravention of the rules, appropriate follow-up action will be taken by the Department which may include prosecution.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many responses have been received to date on his Department's consultation paper on speed limits; and how many such representations have advocated the fitting of speed limiters on cars.

A total of 142 responses were received and six advocated the fitting of speed limiters to cars.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will invite Steve Wright of BBC Radio 1 to assist the campaign to raise awareness of the effect of greater speed on pedestrian fatalities.

My Department always looks to enlist the media's support for its publicity campaigns to reduce road casualties. Radio 1 has been particularly helpful in pressing home the messages of recent Christmas drink-drive campaigns. We are currently drawing up our campaign plans for 1993 and look forward to their continuing support.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make available copies of all papers presented to the Council of Ministers and European Commission and the individual directorates general by his Department relating to the development of (a) transport link projects between Wales and Ireland, (b) the trans-European transport network and (c) the INTERREG programme.

Over a period of many years my Department and others have contributed to the EC Commission's work on transport links between Wales and Ireland and on trans-European networks in the context of the European regional development fund, the series of EC transport infrastructure programmes and, more recently, the development of networks guidelines for transport. It would not be possible at reasonable cost to identify all the papers in question: there is also the difficulty that in some cases the material may contain commercially sensitive information. INTERREG, an EC initiative on cross-border co-operation under the structural funds, is a matter for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Northern Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement outlining his Department's policy on the establishment of trans-European networks; and what representations he has made to the European Community concerning prioritisation for the development of such routes.

As one of the signatories to that treaty, the Government support the provisions of Maastricht, including the articles on trans-European networks for transport, energy and telecommunications. With other member states, we are now contributing to the Commission's work in drafting network guidelines for various transport modes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements he intends to make to safeguard concessionary travel arrangements for employees, and their dependants, and for retired staff on the privatisation of British Rail.

We intend to take powers in the forthcoming Railways Bill to ensure that future passenger service operators may be compelled to provide travel facilities so as to protect the benefits currently enjoyed by BR staff, pensioners and their dependants. The regulator will be enabled to impose conditions in operators' licences requiring them to honour these existing travel facilities. Successor employers of present BR staff will be under an obligation to secure such facilities because the obligation will be preserved when those staff transfer from BR. Pensioners and their dependants, and others with preserved facilities, will continue to enjoy the travel facilities which they have now.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish the paper on railway pensions to which he referred on 12 January, Official Report, column 794.

I am publishing the paper today and have placed copies in the Library. It confirms that there should be a joint industry pension scheme to succeed the present BR open scheme; that there should be arrangements to ensure that pensions to which present railway staff are now entitled are safeguarded; and that their future pension benefits should be no less favourable than in the present BR scheme. It also invites comments on two alternative arrangements proposed to secure the rights of railway pensioners and on other proposals made in the paper.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from (a) English Nature, (b) the Herefordshire nature trust and (c) the Council for the Protection of Rural England regarding the environmental impact of the published route for the A49–465 Hereford bypass; and if he will make a statement.

All three bodies submitted written representations concerning the environmental impact of the scheme, in particular on the Lugg meadows site of special scientific interest.In addition, the Herefordshire nature trust and the CPRE appeared at the public inquiry which opened in 1991. Both these groups put forward alternative routes to that proposed by the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what total area of farmland would suffer from severance under (a) the published route for the A49–465 Hereford bypass and (b) the western alternative route 1C; what proportion of the area in each case would be (i) grade 1, (ii) grade 2 and (iii) grade 3a; and if he will make a statement.

The total area of farmland to be severed is not readily available. MAFF's evidence to the public inquiry gave as the prime reason for their support of the eastern route the view that the western route options traverse more of the best quality land than the eastern options and the former would also result in the isolation of significant pockets of very high quality land inside the western bypass line.The areas of farmland required for the scheme, in the grades requested are:

	Published Route hectares	Alternative 1C hectares
Grade 1	1.1	5.2
Grade 2	22.6	20.0
Grade 3a	29.2	15.8

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the lengths of (a) the published route for the A49–465 Hereford bypass and (b) the western alternative route 1C; what are the (i) estimated construction costs and (ii) vehicle travelling times for both HGV and other vehicles, of each of the two routes; and if he will make a statement.

The length of the published route is 13.6 km, 8.4 miles. The length of the alternative route 1C is 9.15 km, 5.7 miles.The estimated construction cost, excluding land, at Q2/1992 prices for the published route is £28.2 million. The cost of alternative route 1C is £21.1 million.Vehicle travelling times are:

	HGVs minutes	Other vehicles minutes
Published Route	11.10	9.04
Alternative 1C	7.84	6.36

These times are based on speeds for HGVs of 64 kph, 40 mph, on single carriageways and 80 kph, 50 mph, on dual carriageways. Speeds for other vehicles are 80 kph, 50 mph, on single carriageways and 97 kph, 60 mph, on dual carriageways.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the distances and travelling times expected for (a) HGV vehicles and (b) other vehicles starting from a common point on the A49 north and ending at a common point on the A465 south (South Wales) along (i) the inner ring road through Hereford, (ii) the published route for the A49–A465 Hereford bypass and (iii) the western alternative route 1C; and if he will make a statement.

The distances and travelling times are as follows:

	Length	HGV times (minutes)	Other vehicle times (minutes)
(i) Inner Ring Road	8.61 km (5.3 m)		11.78
(ii) Published route	14.48 km (9.0 m)	12.13	9.85
(iii) Alternative 1C	8.15 km (5.0 m)	6.91	5.73

Journey times for HGVs on the existing road are not available as surveys were not undertaken. However, in general terms in an urban area these can be expected to be considerably longer than for other vehicles.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the total cost of the recent ministerial visit to Chicago; who went; and what was studied.

[holding answer 15 January 1993]: I am grateful to the hon. Member for giving me the opportunity to confirm that the total cost of the recent visit to Chicago was not £25,000 as reported by the Evening Standard, but just under £7,000. I can only assume the £25,000 estimate was based on at least one journalist's attempt to justify his own expenses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the completion date of the third River Dee crossing; and if he will make a statement.

Transport grant approval has been given for a start to be made in 1994–95. The scheme is expected to take approximately two and a half years to complete. The precise start date will be a matter for Clwyd county council to determine following the transport grant settlement for 1994–95 which will be announced towards the end of the year.