To ask the Secretary of State for Employment by how much the numbers of unemployed claimants have changed since June 1987 in (a) London constituencies and (b) constituencies where a colliery has closed in the past five years.

Information on colliery closures by parliamentary constituency is available only for the financial years from 1987–88 to 1991–92.In the London parliamentary constituencies claimant unemployment has risen by 109,603 since June 1987. This compares with a fall of 28,134 in the parliamentary constituencies where a colliery has closed.These figures are on the unadjusted basis and are therefore affected by both seasonal influences and by changes in the coverage of the count.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will list the contracts awarded by her Department to (a) Coopers and Lybrand management consultants, (b) Touche Ross management consultants, (c) Price Waterhouse management consultants, (d) Ernst and Young management consultants, (e) Chrichton Roberts Ltd., (f) KPMG management consultants and (g) Leopold Joseph management consultants, with the total cost of the contracts with each contractor, for (i) the past 12 months and (ii) 1991–92.

Information in the precise form requested is available only at disproportionate cost. However, I am able to provide some limited information relating to contracts for 1992–93.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many contracts for consultancies were awarded by his Department over (a) the last 12 months and (b) 1991–92.

The information is not available except at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many unemployed people have taken part in the Restart scheme in the Durham city area; and how many went on to full-time employment.

Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many

	1987–88	1988–89	1989–90	1990–91	1991–92
Civil legal aid certificates
England and Wales	67·1	63·8	61·7	69·2	75·2
Scotland	57·2	69·1	69·3	76·3	69·4
Northern Ireland	74·0	77·0	78·0	76·0	85·0
Criminal legal aid orders
England and Wales	91·6	92·3	92·7	93·1	92·8
Scotland (summary proceedings only)	86·7	92·6	88·7	92·5	91·2
	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991
Northern Ireland (grants by magistrates' courts only)	96·7	96·8	97·0	97·6	98·1

Separate figures for England and for Wales are not available. Criminal legal aid in Scotland is granted in the first instance by the courts and in appeal cases by the Scottish Legal Aid Board. In Northern Ireland all criminal

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when Summerfield Ltd. was granted a licence as an employment agency.

Summerfield Limited has not applied for a licence to operate as an employment agency under the Employment Agencies Act 1973.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the timetable for the implementation of the Law Commission's proposals to reform the law on divorce.

The Lord Chancellor has no immediate plans for implementation of the Law Commission's recommendations for reform of divorce law. He continues to welcome views on these recommendations and will consult further before any measures on this subject are introduced.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the average payment for legal aid and advice during each of the last five years in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

The average payment for legal aid and advice during each of the last five years was as follows:applications for legal aid were successful in each of the last five years in

The number of applications for legal aid granted in each of the last five years, in percentage terms, were as follows:legal aid is granted by the courts. The information requested is held centrally in Scotland and in Northern Ireland only in respect of applications and grants of legal aid at summary level.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the average expenditure per head of the population on legal aid in each of the last five years in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

Average expenditure per head of the population on legal aid in each of the last five years was as follows:

	1987–88 £	1988–89 £	1989–90 £	1990–91 £	1991–92 £
England and Wales	8·85	9·69	11·51	13·88	18·50
Scotland	8·46	10·61	10·59	12·59	15·27
Northern Ireland	5·57	7·77	7·38	8·24	9·47

Separate figures for England and for Wales are not available.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the cost of the legal aid granted in R. v. Ward; and what was the value of the overseas assets shown by Mr. Ward.

The cost to legal aid of this case has yet to be determined. Information as to personal means is confidential.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to inform hon. Members and the general public of the conclusions he reaches after his evaluation of the question of county court judgments carrying interest has been completed.

As is the usual practice of the Lord Chancellor's Department, any proposals arising out of the July 1991 initiatives to extend the provision of interest on county court judgments would be widely circulated and views sought from interested parties including the legal profession; county court user groups; advice agencies; business organisations and the judiciary. Again, following our usual practice, respondents to consultation would be informed directly of the outcome of the consultation exercise before implementation and there would be widespread general publicity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what studies were carried out by his Department into the market for polyester textiles in the United Kingdom and the EC prior to authorisation of financial assistance for the Indonesian textile group Texmaco; and what were the conclusions of these studies.

In February 1991 and again in February/March 1992, IDB carried out specific research into the European market for micro-denier polyester fabrics. These studies established that:

1. the world textile market is expected to show consistent growth through to the year 2000; and

2. there was an excess of imports over exports in the European Community market for micro denier polyester fabrics, the products which the company proposes to manufacture in Northern Ireland.

It was concluded, therefore, that with a competitive cost base in Northern Ireland the company could achieve its forcast share of the European Community market, primarily at the expense of imports.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the number of planning applications received in the last 12 months for each district council in Northern Ireland; how many of these were approved by the planning department; and how many were rejected.

The available information relates to the number of applications received and the number determined in the period in question and is as follows:

Period January 1992-December 1992
District Council Area	Number of applications received	Number of applications approved	Number of applications refused
Antrim	563	503	61
Ards	859	782	133
Armagh	818	844	49
Ballymena	750	715	53
Ballymoney	327	336	8
Banbridge	510	471	26
Belfast	1,777	1,880	142
Carrickfergus	284	1269	138
Castlereagh	390	342	42
Coleraine	757	718	31
Cookstown	509	437	42
Craigavon	809	683	88
Derry	932	900	60
Down	1,054	906	91
Dungannon	715	632	47
Fermanagh	1,152	1,027	69
Lame	336	305	34
Limavady	417	388	26
Lisburn	1,060	932	171
Magherafelt	635	578	74
Moyle	193	210	10
Newry and Mourne	1,278	1,176	58
Newtownabbey	533	477	40
North Down	643	581	62
Omagh	749	688	46
Strabane	469	442	41
Total	18,519	117,222	11,542
1 Excludes December Figures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many requests were received by the planning department for article 31 inquiries in the last 12 months for each district council in Northern Ireland; and how many of their requests were accepted.

In 1992 six requests were received from Castlereagh borough council and in one instance article 31 was applied and one was received from Belfast city council which was refused.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many appeals were made to the planning directorate for each district council in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months; and on how many occasions the planning directorate supported the council's view.

The information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the total number of incidents where domestic electricity supply has been disconnected in each constituency in Northern Ireland, in the last 12 months.

Northern Ireland Electricity does not hold information on electricity supply disconnections by parliamentary constituency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the total number of incidents where domestic water supply has been disconnected in each constituency in Northern Ireland, in the last 12 months.

The water supplied to a property which is used solely for domestic purposes is not metered and is not subject to disconnection for non-payment of an account.The water supply to a property which has mixed domestic and other use may be metered and would be subject to disconnection where an account remains unpaid.A number of metered supplies which include a domestic content have been disconnected during 1992. Details are shown in the table.

DOE (NI) water executive division and sub-division	Number of disconnections
Northern
Coleraine	4
Ballymena	6
Cookstown	1
Antrim	6
Magherafelt	1

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to assess the extent of problems being created by the existence of illegal money lenders; and what steps are being taken to combat these problems.

In Northern Ireland the Department of Economic Development's trading standards branch shares enforcement responsibility for the Consumer Credit Act 1974 with the Director General of Fair Trading.The branch actively enforces this Act throughout the Province and takes appropriate enforcement action where breaches of the legislation are detected and supporting evidence is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many contracts for consultancies were awarded by his Department over (a) the last 12 months and (b) 1991–92.

[holding answer 24 February 1993]: A total of 852 contracts for consultancies were awarded from April 1991 to March 1992 and 491, excluding figures for the Department of Economic Development which are not yet available, from April 1992 to date.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many incidents involving the reportable release of radiation from British Nuclear Fuels' Sellafield site have taken place since 1979; and what steps Her Majesty's Government have taken to improve (a) safety and (b) speed of reporting of accidents at Sellafield to the appropriate authorities.

Current criteria for reporting incidents at nuclear sites were most recently revised by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy on 30 April 1987, Official Report, column 203.Information about reportable incidents prior to November 1986 is not immediately available. Since then, my Department has recorded four reportable incidents involving off-site releases of radioactivity from the BNF Sellafield site. A statement of reportable incidents at nuclear sites is published quarterly by the nuclear installations inspectorate, and copies are held in the House Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment his Department has made of the location of plague pits for buried corpses in urban areas.

The Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England holds records on archaeological sites which include some details of burial sites of plague victims. Any such sites discovered in the course of archaeological excavations must be reported to the Health and Safety Executive.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total cost of administration in percentage terms of the community charge to date; and if he will make a statement.

Charging authorities in England budgeted to collect about £23.5 billion of community charges in total for the years 1990–91, 1991–92 and 1992–93. The estimated cost to authorities of collecting this sum is about £1.4 billion, which is 6 per cent. of the estimated yield.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the actual expenditure on departmental publicity to planning matters for each year since 1979.

The information in respect of publicity relating to planning matters, excluding staff costs, is as follows:

Year	Expenditure £
1987–88	118,000
1988–89	51,000
1989–90	104,000
1990–91	65,000
1991–92	122,000
1992–93	1143,000
1 Forecast.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the provisions governing the granting of planning permission for floating helipads on rivers.

There are no provisions governing the granting of planning permission which are specific only to floating helipads on rivers, as distinct from other development proposals.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the partnership for change conference to be held in Manchester later this year.

We intend to hold an international conference, "Partnership for Change", in Manchester in September on the implementation of the earth summit agreements. I have invited a small number of eminent people to join an international advisory group to advise me on the preparations for the conference, and in particular on themes, outputs and participants. The group is chaired by Dr. Martin Holdgate, director general of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The members are: Mr. Delmar Blasco, Mr. Claude Fussier, Dr. Hiroya Ichikawa, Mrs. Yolanda Kakabadse, Dr. Ashok Khosla, Ms. Rachel Kyte, Mr. Warren Lindner, Mr. Michael Ndubiwa, Professor Michael Scoullos, Mr. Youba Sokona and Mr. Jan-Olaf Willums.The group held its first meeting on 8 and 9 February and I am considering its detailed recommendations. A report of the group's discussions is available from my Department.Manchester city council also intends to host a complementary international event, Global Forum, for all sectors concerned with sustainable development and the environment. Manchester city council and I have agreed that "Partnership for Change" should go ahead in September and that Global Forum should follow in the first half of next year, thus maximising the opportunities for an exchange of experience of the implementation of sustainable development.Partnership for change will be a working conference of invited participants primarily from the local government, business and voluntary sectors on 20–22 September. Global Forum will be an open-access event encompassing many different activities over several days. My Department and Manchester city council will be working together closely in planning the two events.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment to what extent eligibility for the single person discount for council tax purposes is affected by the receipt of income from the independent living fund.

[holding answer 23 February 1993]: From 1 April 1993, payments to all those people who currently receive money from the independent living fund will be made from a new body, the independent living (extension) fund. Receipt of income from the fund will not affect eligibility for a single person discount for council tax purposes. A discount will apply to any single adult dwelling regardless of the resident's income.Payments from the independent living (extension) fund will be fully disregarded for council tax benefit purposes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the standing orders of each unit in all branches of the armed forces.

There are over 2,000 ships and establishments within the armed forces and each is required to produce standing orders relevant to its own particular location and role. We have no objection in principle to publishing the standing orders for a specific ship or establishment, subject to security considerations, but to do so for every ship and establishment would entail disproportionate cost and effort.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current number of British soldiers deployed with UNPROFOR II; and if he will make a statement.

On 23 February 1993 there were 2,426 British soldiers deployed with UNPROFOR Bosnia-Herzegovina command.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 17 February, Official Report, column 255–56, to the hon. Member for Upminster (Sir N. Bonsor), what is the total number of personnel who will be replacing the forces currently deployed as part of UNPROFOR II in May.

The total number of personnel who will be replacing the British units currently deployed with UNPROFOR Bosnia-Herzegovina command is 2,188.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the report by the review board for Government contracts on its seventh general review of the profit formula for non-competitive government contracts.

The Government have accepted the overall target rate of return on capital employed as recommended by the review board in its report. The new rate will be 19 per cent. compared with the current rate of 21 per cent., both on the basis of historic costs. It will be effective from 1 March this year. There are other points in the report which officials will be discussing with the CBI as part of our continuing drive to secure maximum value for money from our defence contracts. The report is now being printed and copies will be placed in the Library in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the review of United Kingdom secondary medical care in the armed forces has now been completed; and if he will make a statement.

The review of future requirements for secondary care in the armed forces has now been completed. It confirmed that the primary purpose of military hospital beds was to train armed forces medical services personnel for their roles in war. It concluded that around 1,500 hospital beds will be required in the United Kingdom. We aim to provide 1,100 to 1,200 of these in service hospitals and the remainder in wards staffed by armed forces personnel in NHS hospitals, subject to discussions with the NHS authorities concerned. There would then be a requirement for only four service hospitals in the United Kingdom.Our aim in these discussions will be to examine the feasibility of establishing wards manned by armed forces personnel in hospitals in Salisbury and East Anglia, and at Plymouth, where such discussions are already in hand. we shall also be exploring the possibility of co-operating with the NHS in Catterick. In the light of the outcome of these discussions, we would aim to modernise and possibly extend the existing facilities in the service hospitals at Gosport, Aldershot and Wroughton. We would no longer require the service hospitals at Woolwich and Halton; or at Plymouth where we are well on the way towards establishing the joint venture with the NHS.It is too soon to be certain of the implications for employment at the hospitals concerned but every effort will be made to reduce redundancies to a minimum and ensure offsetting employment wherever possible. We shall now consult the trades unions on details of our plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are for the withdrawal of the United Kingdom military contribution to the United States-led coalition operation in Somalia; and if he will make a statement.

In the light of the significantly reduced requirement for relief flights, following the major improvement in the humanitarian situation in Somalia, it has been decided that the two RAF C130 aircraft deployed in support of the US-led humanitarian relief operation in Somalia should cease flying operations in theatre with effect from 28 February and return to the United Kingdom as soon as practicable thereafter. This decision reflects the scaling down of the US presence in Somalia in preparation for the formal handover to UNOSOM II and follows consultation with the US authorities. The RAF operation, which involved the delivery of some 3,000 tonnes of aid, was highly successful and played a key part in alleviating a major humanitarian problem. Those involved, both in theatre and in support, can be congratulated on the professionalism and effectiveness of the United Kingdom effort.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the management of defence helicopter support.

Specialist offices providing support for the helicopters used by the armed forces are currently located in London, Yeovilton, Harrogate and Andover. Following consultation with the trades unions I have concluded that these should now be brought together at Yeovilton to form the Defence Helicopter Support Authority. The new authority, which will comprise some 170 staff, will be in operation by April 1994. This rationalisation will bring both operational and financial advantages and will place the authority within the area of main military helicopter activity and closer to the helicopter industry. Just under 80 civilian posts will move to Yeovilton from the other locations. We wish to retain skilled staff where possible and steps will be taken to avoid or minimise redundancies. Where these prove unavoidable staff affected will receive the appropriate compensation and will be eligible for the services provided by the MOD redundancy counselling and outplacement service.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what practices have been agreed by the immigration Ministers of the EC states on burden of proof and interpretation of particular articles of the Dublin convention in relation to asylum.

Immigration Ministers of the member states of the European Community meeting in London on 30 November 1992 noted a report from officials on work towards the implementation of the Dublin convention and asked that work on outstanding matters should be taken forward. In current work under the Danish presidency particular attention is being given to means of proof.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what agreement has been reached by the immigration Ministers of the member states of the European Community on the calculation of time periods under the Dublin convention in relation to asylum.

Immigration Ministers of the member states of the European Community meeting in Lisbon on 11 June 1992 agreed conclusions on the calculation of periods of time under the Dublin convention. These stipulate that Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays are to be counted.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the address and the name of the director of the Centre for Information, Discussion and Exchange on Asylum; which persons will have access to information supplied by the United Kingdom to CIREA; what information is to be held by CIREA; and what assessment CIREA has prepared of countries of origin of asylum seekers.

CIREA has no director. Its meetings are serviced by the General Secretariat of the Council. The information it receives is at present passed only to participants representing other member states of the European Community. Consideration is still being given to what information it should receive and circulate: it has concentrated initially on statistics and changes in national legislation. CIREA has not itself prepared any assessment of countries of origin of asylum seekers but will in due course discuss joint evaluations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration has been given by EC immigration Ministers to the preparation of a manual of practice for applying the Dublin convention in relation to asylum; and what aspects such a manual is intended to cover.

Consideration is currently being given to the preparation of a manual covering a range of practical questions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what conclusions have been reached by the immigration Ministers of the member states of the European Community on the transfer of asylum applicants and their applications under the Dublin convention in relation to asylum.

Immigration Ministers of the member states of the European Community meeting in London on 30 November agreed conclusions on the transfer of asylum applicants and their applications. All transfers are to be carried out in accordance with national laws and procedures. An applicant who is liable to transfer to a second member state may travel on his own initiative or accompanied by an official of the first member state.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library the document requested by the Strasbourg European Council of Home Affairs Ministers meeting on 8 and 9 December 1989, relating to the substantive law and procedural law of asylum in the EC states.

No. This was a working document not intended for publication, and some of its contents are now out of date.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the report to his Department by Patricia Morgan on offending while on bail; a survey of recent studies, in respect of the Northumbria police research into the subject; and what changes he proposes to make in Government policies as a result of the report.

The report referred to, published early in 1992 as paper 65 in the Home Office research and planning unit series, drew together and reviewed research into offending on bail carried out by a number of police forces, including Northumbria.The report referred to the desirability of establishing agreed methods of producing reliable data, on a national basis, about the incidence and extent of offending on bail. This point is currently being pursued by the Home Office in consultation with the Association of Chief Police Officers. The Northumbria police are also involved in this work.As I indicated in my reply to the hon. Member for Coventry, South-West (Mr. Butcher) on 28 January at column

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many domestic violence units there are in south Wales.

There are three family protection units covering the force area, which are responsible for both domestic violence and child abuse.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on progress with the establishment of the national criminal records system; and when he proposes to publish the consultation document on the use of information to be held by the NCRS.

Progress is well in hand towards the implementation of the first phase of the national criminal records system—the updating and retrieval of criminal records on the police national computer—in the spring of 1994. My right hon. and learned Friend expects to publish by the summer of this year a consultation document on the use of criminal records for employment and related purposes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration he has given to establishing a national firearms board; and when he expects to reach a decision.

A public consultation paper was issued last year proposing that firearms licensing should be administered by a new civilian firearms control board. My right hon. and learned Friend is currently in the process of consulting ministerial colleagues and will make an announcement as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish a list of the current application of the know-how funds by (a) cost, (b) purpose of each project, (c) country where funds are to be used and (d) the British firms or institutions involved.

A regularly updated list of know-how fund activities by country, cost, purpose and project status is already available from the libraries of the House. To break this down further to include details on each participating British firm and institution would involve disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries have received or will receive advice on privatisation programmes through the British aid programme.

Advice on privatisation is provided in response to Government requests and no central records are kept. However, the main beneficiaries of this advice have been and are likely to continue to be in eastern and central Europe and the former Soviet Union. Advice has been provided to Bulgaria, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovenia and Ukraine.Advice on privatisation to developing countries has been on a smaller scale. Countries benefiting in recent years include Guyana, Jamaica, Pakistan, Tanzania and Zambia.It is not possible to predict which countries will request advice in the future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of his reply dated 16 February to the hon. Member for Cardiff, West concerning the auditing arrangements of the Commonwealth development corporation.

I am arranging for the letter to the hon. Member from my right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what amounts of aid have been given to the Slovenian Government for the assistance of displaced people and refugees (a) as part of general European Community aid and (b) as direct British aid.

[holding answer 23 February 1993]: Figures for direct European Community aid to the Slovenian Government for the assistance of displaced people are not readily available. The United Kingdom has not provided any direct aid to the Slovenian Government for the assistance of displaced people but we have instead provided support to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees who co-ordinates the international community's response to the humanitarian crisis in the former Yugoslavia. In 1992 the UNHCR provided a total of US$10,137,464 for the assistance of displaced people and other victims of the conflict in Slovenia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the number of displaced persons and refugees in Slovenia.

[holding answer 23 February 1993]: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is responsible for co-ordinating the international relief effort to the former Yugoslavia. Her most recent report, dated 10 February, shows that there are about 75,000 displaced people and refugees in Slovenia.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if his Department will establish a campaign to promote cycling holidays.

My Department does not fund promotional activities itself. However, boosted by Chris Boardman's gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics, cycling is growing rapidly as a sport and leisure activity. The Manchester velodrome and national cycling centre are under construction. It is for the English tourist board to decide how Government funding of promotional activities is allocated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his current estimate of the size of waiting lists in Wales for hospital treatments; and what it was at the equivalent period in 1990. 1991 and 1992, respectively.

The latest available information for waiting lists as at 31 March in each year is published in table 4.1 of "Welsh Hospital Waiting List Bulletin 1992 No. 2" a copy of which is in the Library of the House.A similar table, giving figures as at 30 September was published in "Welsh Hospital Waiting List Bulletin 1993 No. 1" on 24 February 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairmen of the Welsh family health services authorities concerning requests for help and information in relation to access to NHS dentists from April; what information he has on the total number of requests received by Welsh family health services authorities; and if he will make a statement.

The Secretary of State for Wales met chairmen of family health services authorities and district health authorities on 7 July 1992 when general dental services were discussed. A further meeting is planned for 15 April 1993.According to the fortnightly returns submitted by family health service authorities the number of people seeking assistance in finding dental treatment is as follows:

Fortnight ending	Number of Patients contacting FHSAs
14 August 1992	742
28 August	754
11 September	715
25 September	644
9 October	681
23 October	673
6 November	714
20 November	632
4 December	569
18 December	582
1 January 1993	183
15 January	766
29 January	777
12 February	733

The information given in these fortnightly returns is intended for general managerial purposes and is not statistically validated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the current levels of outstanding community charge payments for each authority in Wales.

The latest available information for arrears of community charges relates to the position at 31 March 1992, and is given in the table.

Arrears of community charges at 31 March19921
	£000
Alyn and Deeside	1,866
Colwyn	1,148
Delyn	983
Glyndwr	890
Rhuddlan	1,069
Wrexham Maelor	2,711
Carmarthen	467
Ceredigion	801
Dinefwr	393
Llanelli	978
Preseli Pembrokeshire	439
South Pembrokeshire	521
Blaenau Gwent	1,395
Islwyn	1,046
Monmouth	1,229
Newport	3,734
Torfaen	1,115
Aberconwy	596
Arfon	1,117
Dwyfor	230
Meirionnydd	353
Ynys Mon	1,113
Cynon Valley	1,072
Merthyr Tydfil	547
Ogwr	1,130
Rhondda	498
Rhymney Valley	1,822
Taff Ely	1,676
Brecknock	279
Montgomeryshire	325
Radnorshire	113
Cardiff	6,560
Vale of Glamorgan	1,131
Port Talbot	704
Lliw Valley	449
Neath	804
Swansea	3,057
1 Including arrears for 1990–91 and 1991–92.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the total cumulative sales of local authority dwellings for each authority in Wales.

Information on the number of sales, following the reorganisation of local authority boundaries in 1974, is given in the following table.

Total Sales of local authority dwellings1
Welsh Districts	1974-September 1992
Aberconwy	1,778
Alyn and Deeside	2,048
Arfon	1,496
Blaenau Gwent	2,556
Brecknock	1,507
Cardiff	9,079
Carmarthen	1,464
Ceredigion	1,668
Colwyn	1,042
Cynon Valley	1,618

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to use unemployment statistics from December in each year when making assessments associated with his Department's review of assisted area status in Wales.

Because seasonal factors have differing effects in travel-to-work areas, the unemployment statistics used in the review of assisted areas are annual averages.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many contaminated land sites identified by his Department will also appear on the proposed new register of contaminated land sites.

The Government are currently considering the outcome of the consultation exercise on contaminated land registers which was undertaken last year. An announcement on the way forward will be made as soon as possible. In advance of this it would not be appropriate to attempt to provide the information sought.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the current levels of outstanding rents on council dwellings for each authority in Wales.

Local authorities' own forecasts of rent arrears for 31 March 1993 are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received concerning council tax single occupancy discount; what reply he has sent; and if he will make a statement.

I have received several representations.Council tax bills are determined by the valuation band of dwellings, based on their market value at 1 April 1991. Bills also take account of the number and status of adult residents. It is thus a property tax with a personal element.The personal element represents 50 per cent. of the full bill. If there are two adult residents, there is no reduction in the personal element. But if there is just one adult resident, there is a reduction of 50 per cent. in the personal element, which equates to 25 per cent. of the full bill.These arrangements are a considerable advance on those which existed under rates, where single adult households received no discount at all.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consideration he has given to increasing the single occupancy discount for council tax.

None, since Parliament approved the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the members of training and enterprise councils presented to him when TECs were originally set up.

TEC members at the 'TECs operational dates are shown in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the expenditure on each (a) primary school pupil, (b) secondary school pupil and (c) average for all pupils, for the last financial year for which information is available.

In 1990–91 the expenditure on each nursery and primary school pupil in Wales was £1,308 and on each secondary school pupil was £1,953. The average expenditure on all pupils in nursery, primary and secondary schools was £1,570.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many representations he has had about the future funding of school orchestras in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

To date I have received 13 written representations from Members of Parliament and in excess of 500 from organisations and members of the public about the funding of the school music service in Wales.

To ask the Attorney-General what is the current legal status of "One Girl's War" by Joan Millar; and what are the legal costs incurred to date by the Treasury Solicitor.

The injunctions granted in England on 28 November 1986 to prevent publication of the book "One Girl's War" by Joan Millar were discharged by consent on 21 October 1992. In proceedings in the Republic of Ireland, although an injunction was originally granted against the publishers, it was discharged on 2 December 1986. The legal costs incurred to date by the Treasury Solicitor are estimated to be £35,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the turn-round of correspondence relating to disability allowance applications met his targets; and if he will make a statement.

The arrangements for replying to correspondence relating to operational questions on disability living allowance is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what guidelines he has established for the Benefits Agency to respond to requests for the release of medical records to unsuccessful applicants for disability living allowance and attendance allowance.

The information used to decide a claim for disability living allowance or attendance allowance is made available to the claimant on request. Only medical evidence that is considered, on the advice of a medical practitioner, to be harmful to a person is withheld.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to (a) reduce the number of consecutive days on which the temperature must be 0°C or below in order for severe cold weather payments to be made or (b) increase the ceiling on savings which can be held without disqualification for severe cold weather payments.

We have no plans to change any of the fundamental elements of the scheme.

To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee why the Smoking Room was excluded from the scope of the inquiry into the House's refreshment facilities conducted by Food Services Associates.

The consultancy brief issued to Food Services Associates was

"to examine food production and food service systems"

and to

To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee what estimate he has made of the cost of implementing the proposals contained in the report of Food Services Associates to reform the refreshment facilities of the House.

The Food Service Associates report, which the Committee is currently considering, estimated the cost of equipment at £2.8 million. Before the Committee reports to the House, an estimate will be required of the total cost of any proposals, including equipment, building works, electrical and mechanical works, installation and ventilation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for ensuring the transfer of the freeholds from the London residuary body to the dioceses of London and Southwark, of former voluntary maintained schools with the Inner London education authority whose freeholds transferred to the London residuary board on the abolition of the Inner London education authority.

Following the abolition of the Inner London education authority there was no general need to transfer land used for the purposes of voluntary schools since it would have remained in the hands of the appropriate voluntary school trustees.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what are the latest statistics on the number of disabled students in further and higher education; and what future resources will be allocated to encourage more disabled people to enter these.

A total of 42,000 students with learning difficulties and disabilities enrolled on further education courses on 1 November 1991. Information on the number of such students in higher education is not held centrally. My right hon. Friend's initial guidance to the further and higher education funding councils emphasised the need to facilitate access to further and higher education for students with learning difficulties and disabilities. Both the councils are taking account of the particular needs of these students in their allocation of resources to institutions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of young people who are or have been excluded or suspended from school also have a statement of special educational needs; and of those, what proportion have statements which refer to emotional and behavioural difficulties.

Information on permanent exclusions has been collected by the Department over a two year period beginning with the summer term 1990 under the national exclusions reporting system (NERS). A preliminary analysis of year one returns showed that 12·5 per cent. of pupils permanently excluded had statements of special educational needs. We have no information as to how many of those statements refer to emotional and behavioural difficulties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many of the young people who have been excluded or suspended from school and who are also statemented, have had to wait more than (a) three months, (b) six months, (c) nine months and (d) one year before appropriate placement and funding were provided.

This information is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many young people, by local authority area have been (a) suspended and (b) excluded from school in each year since 1988.

The Department has been monitoring permanent exclusions from English maintained schools over a two-year period beginning with the summer term 1990 under the national exclusions reporting system (NERS). A preliminary analysis of year one NERS data shows that some 3,000 permanent exclusions were reported. It is not possible to provide an area breakdown of the figure because of assurances given as to confidentiality. The Department does not collect information on temporary exclusions.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the employment of people with disabilities in the civil service.

The annual report on progress in the employment of people with disabilities in the civil service is presented in the magazine Independent published today.The report shows that during 1992, 8,336–1·5 per cent—registered disabled people were employed in civil service departments and agencies, an increase of 312 people over 1991. In addition to this, the civil service employs many more people with disabilities who choose not to register as disabled.I am arranging for copies of

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of hospitals have bars on hospital premises which sell alcohol for consumption by doctors.

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has on the cost to each health authority in England and Wales of providing psychiatric patients with beds in the private sector; and if she will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Bristol, South (Ms Primarolo) and the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) on 23 February at column 555. The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.Information concerning Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.