To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much was spent on official entertainment in his Department in 1991–92 and 1992–93 to date.

In 1991–92 expenditure on official entertainment in the Lord Chancellor's Department was

Applications received for asylum in the United Kingdom by Polish nationals, excluding dependants, and decisions
Number of principal applicants
	Decisions1
					Refusals
	Applications received	Total decisions	Recognised as refugee and granted asylum	Not recognised as refugee but granted exceptional leave	Total refused	Refused asylum and exceptional leave after determination	Refused on safe third country grounds2	Refused under para 101 of Immigration rules3
April 1992	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
May 1992	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
June 1992	1	1	—	—	1	1	—	—
July 1992	4	1	—	—	1	1	—	—
August 1992	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
September 1992	3	3	—	—	3	—	3	—
October 1992	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
November 1992	4	2	—	—	2	—	2	—
December 1992	63	6	—	—	6	1	4	1
January 1993	85	9	—	—	9	—	9	—
February	19	5	—	—	5	—	5	—
1 Decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period.
2 Refused on the grounds that the applicant had arrived from a safe third country.
3 Refused for failure to provide evidence to support the asylum claim within a reasonable period, including failure to respond to two invitations to interview to establish identity.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions have been made in each police authority area in respect of (i) the Football Spectators Act 1989 and (ii) the Aggravated Vehicle-Taking Act 1992, respectively, since the Acts came into force.

Information collected centrally on the number of prosecutions, convictions and orders given under the Football Spectators Act 1989 for 1990 and 1991 is given in the table. 1992 data will not be available until autumn 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the revised closing date for tenders in respect of the market-testing exercise at HM prison Manchester.

13 April 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from Poland have applied for political asylum since April 1992; and of these, how many have been granted asylum.Court proceedings data under the Agravated Vehicle-Taking Act 1992, which did not come into force until April 1992, will not be available until autumn 1993.

Number of orders made under Section 15(1) of the Football Spectators Act 1989 by police force area 1990 and 1991
Police Force Area	Orders
1990
Derbyshire	17
Dorset	1
Merseyside	1
1991
Merseyside	4

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list, for each year of the last 10 years, the number of police officers in the Metropolitan police area per head of population and the actual numbers used in the calculation.

The information is as follows:

	Population	Establishment	Ratio
1982	7,329,000	26,615	1:275
1983	7,214,000	26,915	1:268
1984	7,200,000	27,115	1:266
1985	7,202,000	27,165	1:265
1986	7,241,000	27,515	1:263
1987	7,247,000	27,815	1:261
1988	7,237,000	28,115	1:257
1989	7,201,000	28,415	1:253
1990	7,223,000	28,423	1:254
1991	7,260,000	28,439	1:255
1992	7,284,000	28,680	1:254

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his statement to the House on 2 March, Official Report, column 139, what he estimates will be the total capital costs of the secure units; and how much will be available in the current financial year and in each of the next five years.

As my right hon. and learned Friend indicated in his statement on 2 March, at columns 139–42, we are now working up detailed plans for the introduction of a new secure training order for persistent juvenile offenders between the ages of 12 and 15. At this stage, it is not possible to provide detailed estimates of the extra capital provision likely to be required for this purpose.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on official entertainment in his Department in 1991–92 and 1992–93 to date.

My Department's expenditure on official entertainment in the financial year 1991–92 was £28,094; and in the current financial year, to 28 February, is £16,387.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 24 February, Official Report, column 609, if he will give funding to revive the Cleveland Alternatives for Young People project.

I understand that the Cleveland Alternatives for Young People project, which originally received funding from the Department of Health, is now a part of the local authority's youth justice team and that its services continue to be offered by the local authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now make a statement about the death of Andrew Ohene in Swaleside prison on 13 June 1992.

At the inquest into the death of Mr. Ohene, which concluded on 5 February 1993, the jury recorded the verdict that death was caused by "misadventure aggravated by lack of care". Following the inquest, the prison service operational director with responsibility for Swaleside prison established an inquiry into the circumstances of Mr. Ohene's death. The inquiry is being conducted by Mr. John Harrison, the governor of Canterbury prison, and by Dr. Roger Ralli, principal medical officer within the prison service's directorate of health care.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will provide by police authority for England details of the ratio of the standard spending assessment and the population served for the years 1991–92, 1992–93 and 1993–24; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will list the ratio of the approved establishment to the population served in each police authority area in England in 1991–92 and 1992–93, and proposed for 1993–94; and if he will make a statement.

The information is shown in the table.

Force	Police: population ratio (officers per person)			SSA: Population ratio (£ per person)
	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94
Avon and Somerset	464	464	464	38·73	44·71	46·45
Bedfordshire	478	454	454	37·88	47·03	49·59
Cambridgeshire	544	540	540	32·38	39·58	41·12
Cheshire	509	503	503	35·16	41·18	42·79
City of London	5	5	5	5,033·90	5,655·37	6,480·49
Cleveland	371	371	371	48·50	55·85	58·03
Cumbria	414	413	413	43·19	50·25	52·21
Derbyshire	515	508	508	34·34	40·81	42·40
Devon and Cornwall	525	516	516	34·08	40·14	41·61
Dorset	515	509	509	34·51	40·72	42·30
Durham	435	435	435	40·96	47·65	49·51
Essex	511	501	501	37·13	43·77	45·87
Gloucestershire	455	455	455	38·89	45·56	47·33
Greater Manchester	363	362	362	49·32	56·36	58·51
Hampshire	533	522	522	35·13	41·96	44·25
Hertfordshire	501	500	500	39·14	46·06	47·82
Humberside	432	430	430	41·32	48·23	50·10
Kent	504	491	491	37·32	44·44	47·06
Lancashire	437	436	436	41·09	47·53	49·38
Leicestershire	488	481	481	36·64	43·13	44·80
Lincolnshire	491	491	491	36·36	42·19	43·83
Merseyside	306	306	306	58·72	67·70	70·33
Norfolk	534	525	525	33·38	39·48	41·01
Northamptonshire	503	493	493	34·98	42·02	43·66
Northumbria	400	397	397	44·63	52·12	54·15
North Yorkshire	510	508	508	35·16	40·78	42·37
Nottinghamshire	433	433	433	41·55	47·85	49·71
South Yorkshire	429	426	426	41·75	48·61	50·50
Staffordshire	474	473	473	37·84	43·84	45·55
Suffolk	544	537	537	32·74	38·62	40·12
Surrey	460	459	459	43·29	51·08	52·72
Sussex	480	474	474	39·22	42·48	44·75
Thames Valley	529	517	517	35·94	43·19	45·92
Warwickshire	482	480	480	37·66	43·93	45·81
West Mercia	543	535	535	33·15	38·74	40·25
West Midlands	376	375	375	47·38	54·64	56·76
West Yorkshire	390	390	390	45·99	53·13	55·20
Wiltshire	516	487	487	36·72	46·07	48·28
Metropolitan	256	258	258	92·93	100·14	104·56

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the local education authorities who have adopted new agreed syllabuses since 29 September 1988, stating for each such local education authority whether the syllabus is newly prepared or is an adopted syllabus of another local education authority; and in the latter case if he will give the name of that adopted syllabus and the date of preparation.

I understand the local education authorities for Clwyd, Dyfed, Powys and Gwent have adopted new agreed syllabuses since 29 September 1988 and that none of them is an agreed syllabus of another LEA. I further understand that Gwynedd LEA has completed a review of its agreed syllabus and that Mid Glamorgan, West Glamorgan and South Glamorgan LEAs are at present reviewing their agreed syllabuses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give for each local education authority (a) the number of determinations granted to schools by the Standing Advisory Committee on Religious Education under section 12 of the Education Reform Act 1988, (b) the total number of county and controlled schools and (c) the percentage of such schools which have been granted exemption from daily Christain worship; and if he will give the corresponding figures for Wales as a whole.

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has for the merger of the Welsh Development Agency and the Development Board for Rural Wales.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what authorisation was (a) sought and (b) granted for departmental officials from his NHS directorate to attend the opening of Tillery Valley Foods new factory on 1 March.

No specific authorisation was required for the visit, which was undertaken by the director, NHS Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the total received for Wales from the European regional development fund in each year since 1987–88; and what are the expected receipts for each year until 1996–97.

Since 1987–88, the amounts allocated from the European regional development fund are given in the table:

	£ million
1987	57·8
1988	63·3
1989	38·8
1990	27·4
1991	89·0
11992	54·9
11993	61·9
1 Figures quoted are based on an exchange rate of £1 = 1435 ecu.

Negotiations are continuing over Wales' allocation for 1994–97.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to develop a national technology strategy for Wales.

I already have a policy which actively encourages the strengthening of the technology base in Wales. This includes maximising the use in Wales of Government support means such as SMART, SPUR, STRIDE and other technology transfer schemes.In addition, other initiatives such as the creation of Imperial Park, the formation of the Welsh relay centre and the publication by the WDA of the "Welsh Academic Directory" are designed to assist.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each year since 1987–88 (a) the estimated market value at 1993 prices of property owned by the Welsh Development Agency, (b) the amount raised by the sale of property, (c) the total floor area of property owned and (d) the total floor area of property sold; and if he will provide forecasts of the corresponding figures for years until 1996–97.

I have arranged for the chief executive of the agency to write to the hon. Gentleman, and for a copy of his response to be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much of the finance for the work of the Welsh Development Agency has come from European Community sources in each year since 1987–88; and how much is expected to come from European Community sources in each year to 1996–97.

Figures for the period 1987–88 to 1992–93 are set out in the table:

Finance from the European Community
	£
1987–88	502,166
1988–89	2,560,725
1989–90	1,759,046
1990–91	3,917,682
1991–92	1,231,505
11992–93	804,252
1 To 5 March 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how much has been allocated to and how much has been spent of the Welsh Development Agency's technology growth fund budget, in each of the last four years;(2) if he will list the projects which have been funded from the Welsh Development Agency's technology growth fund budget in each of the last three years; and what was the funding level granted to each project.

The Welsh Development Agency's technology growth fund—TGF—is supported from its investment, grant in aid budget which includes a number of other investments. TGF expenditure in each of the last three years and a forecast outturn for the current year is as follows:

Total WDA technology growth fund payments
	£
1989–90	540,000
1990–91	120,000
1991–92	92,500
1992–93	400,000

I am not able to provide details of support to individual companies as this may be commercially sensitive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to improve investment in Welsh organic farming.

I am considering a new grant scheme to encourage organic methods of production on farms and holdings in Wales. A consultation paper will be issued shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has to improve the quality of training in high technology in Wales.

A rigorous quality standard is applied to high technology training under employment training in Wales. A comprehensive quality system, based on the European quality award and developed by the department in collaboration with the Wales Quality Centre, is used by training and enterprise councils in contracting with their training providers.Under the new training for work programme I expect all Welsh TECs to continue to offer quality training in high technology skills.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the total cost of services provided by local authorities and other public bodies in connection with the official duties of lords lieutenant in Wales.

Personal expenses arising from the official duties of lords lieutenant in Wales are paid by the Welsh Office. Expenditure in 1992–93 is estimated to be £16,500. Information on the cost of services provided by local authorities and other public bodies is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all the projects in Wales that have gained approval under the European Community's RECHAR programme to date and the amount of funding granted.

I will write to the hon. Gentleman and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the budget for each training and enterprise council in Wales for 1992–93.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn) on 10 November 1992, at column 723.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to increase available resources to local education authorities in Wales to assist with promoting policies of integrating children with special educational needs in mainstream schools; and how much has been allocated to each local education authority for this specific purpose in each of the last five years.

Resources for local authorities are not hypothecated and it is for authorities to determine funding for integration in the light of local circumstances and priorities. For 1993–94, under the grants for education support and training—GEST—programme, the Welsh Office is making grant available to local education authorities to support expenditure of £223,000 on projects for the integration of children with special educational needs into mainstream settings. The Department has also invited applications from county joint planning teams for pump priming funding under the mental handicap strategy for integration in education.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all those services or functions that have been contracted out from his Department since November 1991 without market testing an in-house bid against external competition, with, in each instance, the successful contractor and the reasons for the decision to exclude an in-house bid.

There have been none.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many representations he received during the consultation period on the future of local government in Wales; how many of these representations urged him to abolish Montgomeryshire; and if he will make a statement.

Since June 1991 I have received many tens of thousands of representations in the form of letters, petitions and other submissions including a small number who favoured unitary authority status for Powys.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will grant funding to the substance advisory committee to enable it to employ a full-time worker in the Llandrindod Wells area; and if he will make a statement.

This financial year the Welsh Office has allocated to Powys health authority over £131,000 from central funds for combating drugs misuse, to supplement the authority's own investment in this field of work. The location of the drugs misuse workers is a matter for the health authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many cases of drugs dependency have been recorded in Wales in each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

This information is not available in the form requested. Figures relating to the number of first admissions to mental illness hospitals for drugs-related diagnoses are published in "Mental Health Statistics for Wales". The latest information on the number of addicts in Wales notified by medical practitioners to the chief medical officer at the Home Office is published in "Statistics of Drug Addicts notified to the Home Office, UK 1991: Area tables". Copies of these publications are available in the Libraries of the House.Further information is available from the Welsh drug misuse database, which was set up in April 1991. The database records anonymous information on individuals applying to voluntary/statutory drugs services of general practitioners in Wales with problems relating to the misuse of drugs. A total of 1,759 new cases of drugs abuse were recorded in 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received regarding the future of Carmel woods in the Gwenlais valley; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has received representations from hon. Members, individuals and organisations. An appeal for the registration of a claimed old mining permission in respect of land including the woods is currently before him. A public inquiry has been held and a decision will be reached as soon as possible after the inspector's report is received.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent on official entertainment in his Department in 1991–92 and 1992–93 to date.

The amounts spent by the Welsh Office on official hospitality were:

	Amount
1991–92	£35,982
11992–93	£34,569
1 28 February 1993

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what quantities of aid by bilateral, United Kingdom and EC programmes have been given to Nicaragua in each of the last 10 years.

Following is the information.

Official development assistance (net) to Nicaragua 1982–1991
($ million)
	United Kingdom (bilateral)	Other DAC donors (bilateral)	European Community
1982	0·06	76·83	7·27
1983	0·10	72·85	6·85
1984	0·01	71·65	14·68
1985	0·15	67·08	12·65
1986	0·13	104·45	9·07
1987	—	111·11	14·29
1988	0·32	166·24	24·56
1989	0·10	182·70	19·66
1990	0·13	273·58	1n.a.
1991	0·36	1n.a.	1n.a.
1 n.a.—not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what measures he will implement to ensure that the equal opportunities practices established in the civil service will be continued in any areas where services are contracted out to private companies.

Where services are contracted out to private companies, the Government do not intend to require particular employment policies and practices, and such requirements will not be included in tender documents. EC directives impose restrictions on the Government's ability to take account of non-commercial matters. Subject to these restrictions, departments and agencies may wish to give prospective contractors the opportunity to provide information on their employment policies and practices, including equal opportunities, that such contractors may believe is relevant to their ability to fulfil the contract for which they are bidding.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what arrangements are in place for the modification of insurance agreements between public service providers and insurance companies in order to underwrite the service commitments outlined in the Citizens Charter White Paper (July 1991, Cm 1599).

No special arrangements have been established in relation to the commitments set out in the "Citizen's Charter", Cm 1599. Government Departments do not generally insure, as it is considered more cost effective to deal with claims as they arise.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was spent on official entertainment in his Department in 1991–92 and 1992–93 to date.

The expenditure by my Department on official entertainment was £282,770 in 1991–92 and £52,567 in 1992–93 to date. The 1991–92 figure includes £234,126 directly attributable to the 1991 economic summit.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress has been made on the United Kingdom's bid to host the European Bioinformatics Institute; and if he will make a statement.

I am delighted to announce that the United Kingdom has been successful in its bid to host the European Bioinformatics Institute at Cambridge. This was agreed yesterday by the governing council of the European molecular biology laboratory. The EBI is expected to be fully operational within two years. Accommodation will be provided jointly by the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust.Winning this bid represents a significant boost for British science. Molecular biology is an exciting and important area of modern science, with great potential for industry, and the EBI will provide researchers with vital informatics support. Securing this facility for the United Kingdom underlines our commitment to international science and will reinforce our leading position in molecular biology in Europe and beyond.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the issue on approval of codes of practice under parts III and IV of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991.

Three codes of practice have been prepared by the highway authorities and utilities committee, representing highway authorities and utilities in Great Britain, and have been approved by the Secretaries of State for Transport, Scotland and Wales. They are the codes on:

Reinstatement, approved under Sections 31 and 130, dated June 1992, published September 1992.

Diversionary works, approved under Sections 84 and 143, dated June 1992, published October 1992.

Co-ordination and Co-operation, approved under Sections 56, 59, 60, 115, 118 and 119, dated November 1992, published February 1993.

The Secretaries of State for Transport, for Scotland and for Wales have issued a code of practice, dealing with safety at street works, under sections 6 and 124. This was published in February 1993.In addition, the Secretaries of State have arranged for the publication of the code of practice on inspections prepared by the highway authorities and utilities committee and dated July 1992. The Secretaries of State commend the use of this code although they have no statutory power to approve it.All of the codes have been the subject of extensive public consultation before approval, issue or commendation. All apply to the whole of Great Britain, and all are published by HMSO.Copies of all the codes of practice have been deposited in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many night flights will be permitted at Heathrow and at Gatwick in the winter under his recent proposals, excluding aircraft which are at present exempt and assuming that airlines use the same mix of aircraft as in the past year.

At Heathrow the mix of traffic in the period 2330 to 0600 does not differ markedly between the seasons. Assuming airlines use the same mix of traffic as in the past year, the proposed winter quota of 5,000 for Heathrow would translate into about 2,000 movements by aircraft counting one or more under the proposed new system and there would be about 300 movements by zero-rated aircraft in addition to those currently exempt. The assumption that the mix of traffic at Gatwick at night in the winter season will remain unchanged is unlikely. The best estimate is that the proposed winter quota of 6,450 for Gatwick will translate into between 2,350 and 3,500 movements depending on the build-up between scheduled and chartered services. There would also be some movements by zero-rated aircraft in addition to those currently exempt.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on official entertainment in his Department in 1991–92 and 1992–93 to date.

Child casualties1by Police force area and severity: Great Britain 1990–1991
Casualties
	1990			1991
	Killed	Injured	Total	Killed	Injured	Total
Metropolitan Police	30	6,627	6,657	34	5,913	5,947
Cumbria	5	392	397	6	326	332
Lancashire	11	1,415	1,426	5	1,332	1,337
Merseyside	9	1,726	1,735	14	1,617	1,631
Greater Manchester	17	3,177	3,194	28	2,883	2,911
Cheshire	12	735	747	3	672	675
Northumbria	19	1,244	1,263	10	1,199	1,209

The Department of Transport, excluding its agencies, spent £169,050 on official entertainment during 1991–92, and has spent £194,222 to date—5 March 1993—during 1992–93.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the criteria used by his Department for the calculation of spending on roads leading to red routes in Greater London; how much has been spent in Islington; and how much is further planned on the Al red route in Islington.

The specific traffic management measures to be introduced on and adjacent to red routes will be determined in local plans to be prepared under the direction of the traffic director in accordance with his network plan.Some £680,000 has been spent by the Department on approved works on roads adjacent to the A1 pilot red route in Islington. Apart from maintenance, there are no plans at present for further expenditure on the pilot scheme in Islington, but the traffic director will be reviewing the route in due course to ensure that it is operating in accordance with his network plan for red routes generally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate has been made of the effect a drop in the national speed limit to 60 mph would have in a reduction in energy consumption.

We have made no precise estimate of the effect on fuel consumption of such a reduction in speed limits. The calculation is a complex one as fuel consumption would be affected by a number of factors, particularly the level of compliance with the speed limit, the rate of acceleration and braking, and the transfer of traffic to roads which already have a speed limit of 60 mph or less. However, the Government are keeping speed limits under review for both safety and environmental reasons. Our strategy is set out in the Department's document "Killing Speed and Saving Lives".

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many children were (a) killed and (b) injured on the roads in each police authority area in England in each year since 1990; and if he will make a statement.

The table shows the number of children aged up to 15 killed and injured on the roads, by police authority area for 1990 and 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of passenger trains using the core west coast main line are arriving within five minutes of their scheduled times for the latest available period.

Under the passengers charter, punctuality on InterCity services is measured by the number of trains arriving at their destinations within 10 minutes of the advertised time. On this basis, the west coast main line's performance for the period ending 27 February was 89·2 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will order an inquiry into whether excessive force was used by private security guards to evict protesters from Twyford Down; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 9 March 1993]: No. Any allegations about the use of excessive force to remove trespassers from the Department's land at Twyford Down are for the police to investigate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many sets of steps have been built on motorway verges to connect with grey boxes; what is the purpose of the boxes; what is the average cost of the construction of the steps; what is their expected annual usage; and amortised over 20 years what is the predicted average cost of such use.

[holding answer 9 March 1993]: No central record is kept of the total number of sets of steps or their total usage. The steps are provided for safety reasons for when maintenance engineers carrying equipment need to gain access to the grey boxes mounted on embankments or at the bottom of slopes. Such access might be routine—about four to seven times a year per site—or for emergency repairs which might be during the day or night. The average cost of a set of steps is about £1,000. The grey boxes house electronic equipment for the motorway emergency telephones and matrix signals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his policy on the introduction of probationary plates for young or inexperienced drivers.

[holding answer 9 March 1993]: My right hon. Friend is considering various options for reducing the high accident rate associated with young drivers. Probationary plates are just one of many possibilities. We hope to issue a consultation paper shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will undertake a survey of all offices and agencies for which he has responsibility to ascertain to what extent staff supplying a service to the public are curtailing their work on a Friday afternoon earlier than other days of the week; and if he will make a statement on his policy on hours of staff working each week.

[holding answer 8 March 1993]: As part of implementating the citizens charter, my Department has already undertaken a number of surveys of customers' attitudes and needs. Among other things, they have enabled the Department to adjust office "opening hours" more closely to what the public want. We do not apply a uniform rule, but we have a number of changes to provide a better service; for example the Driving Standards Agency now offers driving tests on Saturdays and summer evenings. We will continue to keep the position under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the casualties sustained by Her Majesty's armed forces' peacekeeping force stationed in Bosnia; and how they were sustained.

There have been two deaths, that of Lance Corporal Edwards during an exchange of small arms fire by the warring factions in Gorni Vakuf on 13 January 1993, and that of Lance Corporal Rocke in the early hours of Saturday 6 March, the circumstances surrounding which are currently being investigated. There have been a further 48 casualties whose injuries were sufficiently serious or incapacitating that medical evacuation was necessary. Most have been of a minor nature resulting from road traffic accidents but more serious were a shrapnel wound sustained during a mortar attack, a ruptured liver suffered while taking exercise and an acid burn and fractured collar bone sustained from separate road traffic accidents.

On and off duty road traffic accidents involving British Forces Belize
	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	11992
Number of accidents	13	6	26	33	22	50	244
Number of injuries3	9	8	5	4	8	7	17
Number of deaths	0	0	0	1	0	0	6
1 Figures for 1992 are provisional.
2 Up to July 1992.
3 Comprises only those injuries resulting in admission to hospital.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what sums of money have been paid to the Government of Belize in each of the past 10 years for the payment of road repairs and maintenance; and if he will make a statement.

The Ministry of Defence does not make any payments to the Government of Belize in respect of road repairs and maintenance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if it is the practice for boards of inquiry to investigate road traffic accidents occurring in other countries which involve armed forces personnel and vehicles and in which service men and women have suffered fatal or serious injuries; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated cost at current prices of the Royal Navy Gulf patrols in each year since 1987; and what are his estimates for the next two financial years.

The costs of individual fleet tasks could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to meet his Australian counterpart to discuss rehabilitation of the former United Kingdom nuclear test sites in Australia; and if he will make a statement.

The Australian Minister for Primary Industries and Energy met my noble Friend, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, in November 1991 to discuss the Australian request for a United Kingdom contribution towards the cost of further rehabilitation of the former United Kingdom nuclear weapon tests sites at Maralinga and Emu Field. We have no plans for further meetings, but there has been regular contact with the Australian authorities on this subject and we hope to respond to the Australian request shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many traffic accidents involving military personnel have occurred in Belize in each of the past seven years; what was the number of service men killed or injured in these accidents; and if he will make a statement.

The information requested is set out in the table.

Road traffic accidents involving military personnel serving overseas are investigated by the service police in liaison with the local police authorities. The findings of the police investigation are submitted to command headquarters for consideration. A board of inquiry may subsequently be convened if the command authorities require an internal investigation additional to that of the police, but this is not normally considered necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will detail the examination results for Welbeck college, Nottinghamshire for the last two academic years.

The information on A-level results is set out in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 26 February to the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox), Official Report, column 740, if he will place in the Library a copy of the review on which he based his decisions concerning RAF hospitals.

I will write to my hon. Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 17 February, Official Report, column 255, what estimate he has made of the costs of deploying personnel from the United Kingdom to undertake naval control of shipping tasks at Gibraltar in periods of tension or war, hitherto undertaken by Royal Naval Reserve personnel; what plans he has to close the maritime headquarters; what use it is intended to make of the accommodation at HMS Calpe; from whose budget the annual costs have hitherto been met; on whose budget the costs of the Territorial Army element of the Gibraltar Regiment are borne; and if he will make a statement.

Naval control of shipping staff would only deploy to Gibraltar in the event of a major conflict. The extra costs of deploying an RNR officer would be approximately £160 per person travel costs, should a trooping flight be unavailable, and £1·55 per officer per day for mess accommodation at current prices. There are no plans to close the maritime headquarters. The accommodation at HMS Calpe will be used as a community centre by the staff of Commander British Forces Gibraltar and their families. The costs of pay, bounty and allowances for volunteer reservists at HMS Calpe fall to the top level budget of the Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command; all other costs fall to the higher level budget of the Commander British Forces Gibraltar within the top level budget of the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff as do the costs of the TA element of the Gibraltar Regiment.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the annual estimated yield if a 20 per cent. tax was imposed on the enhanced value of agricultural land sold for building development; and if he will make a statement.

I regret that a reliable estimate could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals who claim self-employed status each year are subsequently found to be employed.

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has any plans to review the principles of contract of service and contract for services in distinguishing between employed and self-employed status.

The principles of contract of service and contract for services are matters of general law. The application of these principles to the question of employment status for tax purposes is kept under review.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in what circumstances the Inland Revenue treats an individual with one source of income as self-employed.

Whether or not an individual is self-employed is a question of fact and law, and depends on the terms of the engagement concerned, rather than the number of sources of income.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out the criteria applied by the Inland Revenue in determining whether an individual is self-employed; and if he will make a statement.

Guidelines to help an individual decide whether he or she is self-employed or an employee are set out in the Inland Revenue leaflet IR56/N139. These are summarised briefly in the table. But the criteria must be considered as a whole. Any one of them is unlikely to be sufficient in itself and the relative weight to be given to each may vary accordingly to the particular circumstances of the case.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in which publication, speech or statement his Department has described how it takes account of the family perspective and the life cycle in the targets, activities and statistics of his Department.

The "1993 Departmental Report for the Chancellor's Departments", Cm 2217, outlines the roles and objectives of the Treasury. The Chancellor's Budget statement and the "Financial Statement and Budget Report" outline developments in the economy, provide economic forecasts and set out the Budget proposals. The "Autumn Statement" and "Statistical Supplement to the Autumn Statement" set out public spending plans. The policies outlined in these various publications take account of implications for the family.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on how his Department takes account of the family perspective and the family life cycle in the targets, activities and statistics of his Department.

These issues are considered by the Treasury in the formulation and implementation of the Government's economic and financial policy.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes he proposes to the rules covering the claiming of expenses against tax in respect of a person opting for the payment of fees to a company rather than of a salary to himself.

I cannot comment on suggestions for tax changes at this time of year. But benefits in kind provided by a company to its directors or employees, and expenses paid on their behalf for which they could not obtain a tax deduction, are chargeable to tax on the individuals in the normal way.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list all those services or functions that have been contracted out from his Department since November 1991 without market testing an in-house bid against external competition, with, in each instance, the successful contractor and the reasons for the decision to exclude an in-house bid.

All services or functions in the Treasury that have been contracted out since November 1991 were either new services or functions, or had previously been contracted out. In all these cases, there was no in-house team to bid.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he (a) has taken and (b) proposes to take to reduce opportunity for tax avoidance by full-time employees through the payment of fees to private companies in lieu of salaries; and if he will make a statement.

I refer to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) on 5 March, at column 341.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has as to the number of companies which are being used as vehicles for tax avoidance purposes for individuals who have their salaries paid through the companies; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment the Inland Revenue has made of the number of single person service companies currently established primarily for the purpose of receiving fees in lieu of salaries where that person works full time for one organisation; and what plans he has to regulate these companies.

Aggregate information of the sort requested is not available centrally. But tax avoidance arrangements of all kinds are kept under review and action is taken as appropriate.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidelines have been issued to the Inland Revenue on the handling of tax returns of individuals who opt to register as self-employed rather than as an employee of a company; and if he will make a statement.

Whether an individual is an employee or self-employed for a particular engagement is a question of fact and law. Inland Revenue staff receive guidance to help them deal with all aspects of tax returns.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when catering for No. 11 Downing street was put out to contract; if this was by public tender; how many tenders were received; and for how long the contract will run.

There is no single contract covering the provision of catering services for official functions at No. 11 Downing street. Arrangements are made for individual functions as and when they arise.

To ask the Chancellor of tine Exchequer what was the change in levels of trade in manufacturing between (a) the second half of 1973 and September 1992 and (b) since September 1992.

The latest information is available from table A9 of the "Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics" and its annual supplement which are available in the Library of the House, and from the Central Statistical Office database which can also be accessed through the Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement giving the details of those policies which have been introduced by his Department in each of the last five years in order positively to encourage individuals to improve their skills and qualifications.

[holding answer 9 March 1993]: In the 1991 Finance Act my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, introduced tax relief at source for fees paid by an individual for training towards most national vocational qualifications and their Scottish equivalents.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received concerning the possible impact upon the property market of the abolition of stamp duty on the purchase of houses; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 9 March 1993]: We have received a number of representations about stamp duty on land and buildings. I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget statement.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether listing officers are required to correct factual errors on the council tax valuation list which are brought to their attention before 1 April.

[holding answer 8 March 1993]: Listing officers are required to take such steps as are reasonably practicable in the time available to ensure valuation lists are accurately compiled on 1 April 1993. This will include taking account where possible of factual errors brought to their attention before that date.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of domestic properties located on registered agricultural holdings in England and Wales have been valued for council tax purposes (a) by officers of the Valuation Office agency and (b) by valuers engaged from the private sector.

[holding answer 8 March 1993]: The valuation for banding of all known composite dwellings was undertaken by officers of the Valuation Office.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list all those regulations affecting small firms which have been abolished by his Department in each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 8 March 1993]: This information is not available in the precise form requested. The Chancellor is fully committed to relieving the regulatory burden on small businesses to the maximum possible extent. A significant number of taxes have been abolished altogether, including car tax, the investment income surcharge, the national insurance surcharge, development land tax, on-course betting duty, capital duty and a number of stamp duties. Both Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise have made major contributions to reducing the burden of tax administration on small businesses. Each Department has its own deregulation unit, strategically placed to ensure that deregulation is well to the fore when policy options are being considered. Measures implemented in recent years include significant increases in the threshold for VAT registration, the introduction of a cash accounting scheme to simplify VAT administration for smaller traders, increases in the corporation tax threshold, the introduction of an option for small businesses to submit three-line accounts instead of full accounts, and a major and continuing programme in both Departments to cut down on and simplify the forms which businesses have to complete.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library copies of all circulars and other advice issued by his Department concerning the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 and the acquired rights directive.

[holding answer 8 March 1993]: Responsibility for market testing has been passed to the efficiency unit of the Cabinet Office, which will be issuing guidance shortly.

To ask the Attorney-General what personnel and resources in the Crown prosecution service are now being devoted to the investigation and possible prosecution of recent war crimes.

The war crimes unit of the Crown prosecution service, which was established to advise the police on war crimes committed between 1939 and 1945, is made up of seven lawyers together with appropriate administrative staff. The unit also provides advice to the Metropolitan police in connection with their inquiry concerning the Falkland Islands. The latter is the most recent allegation of war crimes on which the unit is currently giving advice.

To ask the Attorney-General how much was spent on official entertainment in his Department in 1991–92 and 1992–93 to date.