Written Answers

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Written Answers To Questions

Tuesday 16 March 1993

Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs

Chile

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the Chilean Government concerning information relating to the arrest and imprisonment in 1974 of William Beausire; and what future action he proposes to take to secure the release of such information.

We made repeated representations to the Chilean authorities about Mr. Beausire's disappearance until 1990. In March 1991, the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation appointed by President Aylwin's democratically elected Government concluded that Mr. Beausire was arrested in Buenos Aires on 2 November 1974 and handed over to the then Chilean intelligence organisation, DINA, in whose custody he was held until his disappearance in June 1975.The view of the Chilean authorities is that any further evidence concerning human rights abuses committed in the past should be taken up through legal channels. Our embassy in Santiago is ready to assist in any way possible, should a member of the Beausire family wish to pursue the case further.

European Community Committee Of The Regions

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what basis Her Majesty's Government have offered to endeavour to secure six seats for Scotland in the proposed Committee of the Regions; and what numbers he plans to allocate to Wales, Northern Ireland and England, respectively.

No final decisions have been taken on the allocation of seats between the different parts of the United Kingdom. However, the Government will wish to ensure that Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England are all appropriately represented on the Committee.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement outlining the report-back procedures offered to Wales in connection with the proposed Committee of the Regions; and what cost will be involved in these procedures.

Consultations on arrangements continue. The costs will depend on final decisions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will specify the proposed representation of the United Kingdom delegation for the Committee of the Regions for (a) each of the English standard regions, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

No final decisions have been taken on the allocation of seats between the different parts of the United Kingdom.

Montenegro

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement of his policy in regard to British-Montenegran relations; and what conditions he will require to be satisfied before sanctions against Montenegro are lifted.

Sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro apply equally to the two republics. The conditions for lifting sanctions are set out in United Nations Security Council resolution 757 (1992), a copy of which is in the Library of the House. We are encouraging the leaderships of both republics to change their policies. The President of Montenegro, Mr. Bulatovic, is paying a working visit to London on 18 and 19 March and will meet my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

Public Bodies

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many appointments to the public bodies listed in "Public Bodies" for his Department were made from names supplied by the public appointments unit; and if he will list them.

In the case of the diplomatic wing of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, there were three:

Wilton Park Academic Council—

Mr. Anthony Bruce

Wilton Park Departmental Board—

Miss Ruth Watts Davies and
Miss Valerie le Moignan

In the case of the aid wing, none.

Departmental Spending

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage share of total departmental spending was accounted for by non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1979.

The percentage share of total Foreign and Commonwealth Office expenditure on non-departmental public bodies since 1979 is as follows:

Year	Per cent.
1979–80	7·73
1980–81	6·71
1981–82	6·65
1982–83	6·87
1983–84	6·85
1984–85	7·04
1985–86	7·26
1986–87	7·42
1987–88	7·38
1988–89	6·93
1989–90	7·59
1990–91	7·76
1991–92	6·31

Thailand (Prisoner)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the approaches which have been made by his Department to the Thai authorities in the last three months regarding the application of Patricia Cahill for a royal pardon from the King of Thailand.

Our embassy in Bangkok has been in regular touch with the Thai authorities about this case, most recently on 24 February. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Eddisbury (Mr. Goodlad), also raised it when he visited Bangkok last October.

Immigration

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the current queues awaiting interview in Bombay, New Delhi, Calcutta, Dhaka, Islamabad, Karachi, Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam.

As at 31 December 1992, the queues awaiting interview were:

Settlement	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Bombay	0	124	351	239	714
New Delhi	0	298	246	117	661
Dhaka	522	1,830	252	293	2,897
Islamabad	45	844	244	901	2,014

There are no queues in Karachi, Calcutta, Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.As at 31 December 1992, the estimated waiting times—in months—were:

	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4
Bombay	0	4	7	10
New Delhi	0	3	3	10
Dhaka	3	6	7	9
Islamabad	3	3	6	9

Settlement queues are organised as follows:

Q1: Persons with a claim to the right of abode, dependent relatives over 70 years, special compassionate cases.
Q2: All spouses, and all children under 18 years.
Q3: Fiancé(é)s and others applying for the first time for settlement.
Q4: Re-applicants.

Visitors

During periods of seasonal high demand applicants for visit visas in Islamabad requiring a full interview can expect to wait up to five days. Elsewhere, they are dealt with on the day of application.

Foreign Affairs Council

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council held on 8 March.

I attended the Foreign Affairs Council on 8 March. My hon. Friend the Minister for Trade represented the United Kingdom on trade issues.The Council reached a common position on the Commission's proposal of a one-year cohesion fund instrument. The European Parliament will now be consulted and it is expected that the regulation will enter into force in time to meet the 1 April deadline set at the Edinburgh Council.

Foreign Ministers signed an EC association agreement with Bulgaria. Similar agreements were signed with Poland and Hungary in December 1991, and with Romania in February 1993.

The Council agreed an additional protocol to the European economic area agreement following Switzerland's rejection of the EEA. This now opens the way to the ratification of the agreement which will create the world's largest single market, covering the Community and six European Free Trade Association countries.

Foreign Ministers discussed the Community's relations with Russia. They reaffirmed the Community's continued support for economic and political reform in Russia.

The Council continued its discussion of a Commission proposal to change the decision-making procedures for Community anti-dumping and other commercial defence measures. The Commission reported to the Council on developments concerning the general agreement on tarrifs and trade Uruguay round and EC/USA trade issues.

The Netherlands and the Commission, together with France and Italy, agreed to hold further discussions on possible trade measures in respect of rice from the Netherlands Antilles.

In a discussion of latest developments in the former Yugoslavia, Lord Owen outlined his strategy for securing the agreement of all parties to the Vance-Owen proposals. Ministers gave unanimous support to this approach and agreed that existing sanctions should be tightened.

St Helena

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what procedures are used to select the general manager of the St. Helena development agency.

After a tender competition, the Overseas Development Administration retained Pieda, a firm of economic and planning consultants, to help develop St. Helena's Small Industries Authority into a development agency and recommend a general manager.The consultants' nominee for this proposed position was approved by the Overseas Development Administration and the St. Helena Government. The agency has still be be set up.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the report by Mr. Brian Smith on matters relating to the heritage of St. Helena to be available; and if he will place a copy in the Library.

I expect Mr. Smith's report to be completed by the end of April 1993. The St. Helena Heritage Society and the St. Helena Government jointly commissioned the report. I hope to place a copy in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give the number of votes and the percentage they represent of the eligible population on the new electoral roll on St. Helena and the figures for the previous roll.

The new electoral roll is not yet complete.In the 1989 election the electoral roll comprised 2,532 voters, of whom 1,588 voted. This represented 63 per cent. of those registered to vote.

No figure for the eligible population in 1989 is available but the last census, in 1987, gave a figure of 3,508.

Lord Chancellor's Department

Legal Aid

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what representations he has had over the proposals for restricting the availability of legal aid in respect of redress for injuries inflicted in accidents; and if he will make a statement.

The Lord Chancellor and I have received a number of such representations. The Lord Chancellor gave evidence about these matters to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 24 February 1993.

National Finance

Car Tax

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 4 March, Official Report, column 245, what level of sales was assumed to estimate the revenue forgone at £750 million, when car tax was abolished; what proportion of the retail prices reduction has been replaced by price increases; and if he will estimate the effects on (a) the retail prices index and (b) the tax and prices index if the £750 million is fully replaced by other taxation and also by manufacturers' price increases.

The estimated revenue loss in 1993–94 of £750 million—car tax and consequential VAT—was based on car sales of around 1·5 million. There are considerable difficulties associated with monitoring the retail price of new cars and no estimates are available on how prices have changed since the abolition of car tax was announced in November 1992. Were the revenue to be recouped wholly from an increase in the excise duty on road fuels, this would have an estimated impact effect of 0·1 per cent. on both the retail prices index and the tax and price index.

Mortgage Relief Scheme

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the take-up rate of the mortgage relief scheme in Warrington, South has been in each year since its commencement.

I regret that this information is not available.

Personal Income Tax

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 24 February, Official Report, columns 593–94, if he will estimate the total tax forgone in each region in each year since 1988–89.

Available information is given in the table. Some regional estimates are based on small samples and all figures are given to the nearest £50 million.

Estimated change in tax revenue at rates in excess of 40 per cent.
£ million
Region of residence of taxpayer	1988–89	1989–90	1990–91
North	50	50	50
Yorkshire and Humberside	100	150	200
North West	150	250	250
East Midlands	100	150	150
West Midlands	150	150	250
East Anglia	100	100	150
South East	1,600	1,800	2,150
South West	200	300	250
Wales	50	100	50
Scotland	100	100	150
Northern Ireland	¹—	50	50
United Kingdom²	2,600	3,200	3,700
¹Under £25 million.
²Includes members of the forces and Merchant Navy and a small number of civil servants overseas who are not allocated to regions.

Regulations

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 9 February, Official Report, column 539, if he has now finished compiling and has checked for accuracy and consistency of definition the comprehensive provisional list of regulations for which his Department is responsible; and when he intends to place this list in the Library.

Work is proceeding as quickly as possible on checking my Department's list of regulations affecting business. A consolidated list of regulations for all Departments will be compiled by the central deregulation unit of the DTI and placed in the Library as soon as possible.

Council Tax

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what monitoring is carried out of the extent to which, in the area of every local authority, council tax listing officers have fully complied with their instructions to make inquiries from local authorities as to the existence of planning restrictions limiting dwellings to occupation by persons engaged in agriculture.

[holding answer 8 March 1993]: Monitoring of the major activities of council tax work was undertaken by visits to each listing office by central and regional office staff. There was no specific monitoring of the extent to which listing officers complied with the instructions referred to in the question.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 25 January, Official Report, column 522, if he will publish the advice given to listing officers on the approach they should take to the valuation of farmhouses for council tax purposes.

[holding answer 8 March 1993]: Listing officers are required to band dwellings on the basis prescribed by council tax legislation.

National Heritage

Tourism

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what information he has showing the percentage breakdown in the modes of transport used by British domestic tourists since 1985.

Domestic tourism trips of one night or more by British residents¹ Main mode of transport used to reach destination as a percentage of all modes
Per cent.
	²1985	²1986	²1987	²1988	²1989	²1990	²1991
Own/friend's/firm's car	69	69	69	72	72	72	73
Hired car	2	1	1	1	1	2	2
Regular bus or coach	7	7	8	6	6	6	5
Coach tour	3	3	3	2	3	3	3
Train	11	12	12	12	10	10	10
Plane	1	1	1	1	2	2	2
Boat	⁴—	⁴—	⁴—	⁴—	1	1	1
Other	6	6	5	5	4	4	4

Notes:

¹ Residents of Great Britain 1985–88; residents of the United Kingdom 1989–91.

² Source: British Tourism Survey Monthly (BTSM).

³ Source: United Kingdom Tourism Survey (UKTS) not comparable with BTSM.

⁴ less than 0·5 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will publish the figures for (a) the total

Overseas visits to the United Kingdom¹: Number of visits to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and percentage of visitors spending at least one night in the country shown³.
	England		Scotland		Wales		Northern Ireland
Year	visits (thousands)	Percentage of visits	visits (thousands)	Percentage of visits	visits (thousands)	Percentage of visits	visits (thousands)	Percentage of visits	Total United Kingdom visits(thousands)
1985	12,427	92·2	1,196	8·9	544	4·0	54	0·4	13,482
1986	11,655	90·7	1,165	9·1	484	3·8	54	0·4	12,861
1987	13,191	91·5	1,304	9·1	543	3·8	56	0·4	14,413
1988	13,074	89·9	1,249	8·6	539	3·7	53	0·4	14,548
1989	14,320	89·3	1,327	8·3	596	3·7	67	0·4	16,037
1990	15,052	90·1	1,481	8·9	627	3·8	67	0·4	16,705
1991	13,538	88·2	1,459	9·5	575	3·8	85	0·6	15,352
1992²	11,512	88·0	1,405	10·7	502	3·8	70	0·5	13,080
¹Excluding visits by residents of the Irish Republic.
²January to September only.
³Some visitors visit more than one part of the United Kingdom in a single trip and are included in the totals for each country they visit. The sum of the percentages for each year can, therefore, exceed 100 per cent.

Source: International Passenger Survey.

Regulations

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to his answer of 4 February, Official Report, column 251, if he has now finished compiling and has checked for accuracy and consistency of definition the comprehensive provisional list of regulations for which his Department is responsible; and when he intends to place the list in the Library.

The information is contained in the table:number and

(b) the percentage of overseas visitors to the United Kingdom visiting (i) England, (ii) Scotland, (iii) Wales and (iv) Northern Ireland in each year since 1985.

The information is contained in the table:

Public Bodies

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many appointments to the public bodies listed in "Public Bodies" for his Department were made from names supplied by the public appointments unit; and if he will list them.

The Department of National Heritage is still in the process of setting up a central database of public appointees and therefore the information to answer this question is not yet available. Until this information is held centrally, this question could be answered only at disproportionate cost.

Local Authority Services

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for South Hams (Mr. Steen) of 10 November 1992, OfficialReport, columns 687–89, if he will list the members of the steering committee which is monitoring the investigations of the local provision of libraries, etc., by way of (a) their professional and occupational qualifications, (b) their occupations, (c) country in which they reside and (d) their remuneration; and if he will make a statement.

Nominations to the steering committee have been invited from the key library organisations, local authority associations and from the library supply trade. I will announce the names when they are known.

Defence

Army Bands

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he is yet in a position to make a statement about the future of Army bands.

The organisation of Army bands has been reviewed in order to ensure that the right numbers of bandsmen, providing music to the high standard expected, are employed in proportion to the Army's total size and that the important contribution that bands make to the regimental system is retained. The results of this review are as follows.The number, size and affiliation of the state bands of the Household Division and of the Royal Artillery will be unchanged.The size of other future bands will increase. In future all bands will have either 35 or 49 musicians, replacing present arrangements where many bands have fewer than 20 musicians. Such small bands are not musically viable and have proved difficult to recruit.The need to ensure that bands are large enough to be musically viable makes it impossible to retain the present number of bands, taking into account the number of bandsmen who will be available as the Army reduces in size. However, in bringing forward new arrangements, it has been considered highly desirable to ensure that a substantial link is retained between an infantry or cavalry regiment and an allocated band. It is possible to do this while providing fewer bands overall, by allocating a number of bands to the Royal Armoured Corps, and to each of the divisions of infantry. The precise way in which these bands will meet regimental needs will be determined in accordance with the wishes of the regiments within the infantry divisions and of the Royal Armoured Corps. Under present arrangements, many regimental bands play for their regiment on only a limited number of occasions, and under the new arrangements there will be sufficient musical capacity overall to meet all regimental needs and to do so in a manner that will be consistent with regimental ceremony and traditions.All other arms and corps which now have bands will in future have a band of 35 bandsmen, as for the first time will the Army Air Corps.The overall organisation will be as follows:

	Bands	Size	Numbers
Household Cavalry	2	35	70
Foot Guards	5	49	245
Royal Armoured Corps	4	35	140
Infantry Divisions:
Scottish	2	35	70

	Bands	Size	Numbers
Queens	2	35	70
Kings	2	35	70
Prince of Wales	2	35	70
Light	1	49	49
Parachute Regiment	1	35	35
Royal Irish Regiment	1	35	35
Royal Artillery	1	49	49
Royal Engineers	1	35	35
Royal Signals	1	35	35
Army Air Corps	1	35	35
REME	1	35	35
Royal Logistic Corps	1	35	35
Adjutant General's Corps	1	35	35

In addition, we shall be establishing a central music authority for the Army, headed by an inspector of Army music, responsible for recruitment, training and appointment of Army musicians. This will help to ensure the improvement and future maintenance of musical standards throughout the Army.

The operational role of bandsmen will remain unchanged.

These arrangements will ensure that the traditional role of music in support of the regimental system will continue, and that the Army as a whole will enjoy the highest standard of musical support.

Regulations

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 12 February, Official Report, column 690, if he has now finished compiling and has checked for accuracy and consistency of definition the comprehensive provisional list of regulations for which his Department is responsible; and when he intends to place the list in the Library.

My Department has completed its review and check for accuracy of the provisional list of administrative requirements which impact on business. My Department is not responsible for any primary or secondary legislation under which regulations are made which impact on industry. However, there are certain forms which the Department requires or invites companies with whom we conduct business to complete. A list of these is being placed in the Library.

Raf Vulcan

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what was the cost of continuing training flights for the RAF Vulcan display flight from the end of September 1992 to date; and if he will make a statement;(2) what was the cost, for the last year for which figures are available, of the operation of the RAF Vulcan display flight; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I recently gave to the hon. Member for Nuneaton (Mr. Olner) on 9 March 1993, column 549, and 12 March 1993, column 725 respectively.

Overseas Development Administration

Family Planning

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department has sought from British manufacturers and suppliers of contraceptives in connection with the Overseas Development Administration's promotion of family planning in the developing world; and if he will make a statement.

The provision of contraceptives forms a relatively modest part of our population assistance, but it is increasing. The aim is to provide contraceptives of a type relevant to the needs of developing countries and selected in consultation with local institutions. A British manufacturer, Cilag Ltd., is currently supplying delfen foam—an aerosol contraceptive—to Pakistan under an ODA project worth over £500,000. Other British manufacturers have been invited to tender for condom contracts.

House Of Commons

Sittings Costs

To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, what are the costs of preparing for a sitting of the House over the weekend of 13–14 March.

No additional costs have been incurred by House Departments.

Intended destinations of school leavers from 1980 to 1991 (excluding those that intended to stay in full-time education) England

Thousands

1979–80

1980–81

1981–82

1982–83

1983–84

1984–85

1985–86

1986–87

1987–88

1988–89

1989–90

1990–91

Northern

Employment

39·89

35·83

35·67

37·05

34·16

33·19

32·14

30·59

26·36

7·81

9·48

8·77

Training schemes

—

11·36

9·52

8·97

Other

4·24

4·96

4·65

4·84

6·34

6·01

5·74

6·51

7·41

10·66

8·44

7·27

TOTAL

44·13

40·79

40·33

41·89

40·50

39·20

37·89

37·10

33·77

29·83

27·44

25·01

Yorkshire and Humberside

Employment

60·18

55·12

53·93

55·05

53·45

51·59

50·50

50·63

41·68

16·83

19·10

14·89

Training schemes

—

14·02

9·12

7·65

Other

5·68

5·62

6·69

7·76

9·04

9·77

10·43

10·36

11·72

16·91

12·10

11·31

TOTAL

65·85

60·74

60·62

62·80

62·49

61·37

60·93

60·99

53·39

47·76

40·33

33·84

North West

Employment

76·06

69·01

65·85

66·15

62·34

61·26

59·61

58·36

49·52

21·22

24·35

19·85

Training schemes

—

15·36

11·46

9·08

Other

9·95

10·99

13·83

14·04

15·55

14·20

15·03

14·65

14·48

20·39

15·33

13·93

TOTAL

86·00

80·00

79·67

80·19

77·88

75·46

74·64

73·01

64·00

56·97

51·15

52·85

East Midlands

Employment

41·79

38·96

38·06

40·32

38·51

38·43

36·71

36·24

13·49

15·65

10·99

Training schemes

—

9·55

6·05

4·70

Other

6·20

5·73

6·26

6·91

8·29

8·98

7·67

8·13

12·61

10·03

8·75

Birmingham Northern Relief Road (Exhibition)

To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an application for an exhibition relating to the Birmingham northern relief road to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from 19 to 26 April 1993.

Education

Unemployed Graduates

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of students who graduated in 1992 are still unemployed.

Details of graduate destinations will be given in a statistical bulletin to be published shortly. Some 12 per cent. of full-time first degree students who graduated from higher education institutions in Great Britain in 1991 whose destinations were known were reported believed unemployed at December 1991. Destinations of 1992 graduates are not yet available.

Labour Statistics

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his answer of 9 March, Official Report, column 522, if he will break down the figures for employment, including other, of school leavers into (a) unemployment, (b) employment and (c) training schemes.

The table gives an estimated breakdown of the figures of school leavers for "employment, including other" into their involvement in employment, training schemes and other. The Department does not collect data on school leavers who become unemployed.

1979–80

1980–81

1981–82

1982–83

1983–84

1984–85

1985–86

1986–87

1987–88

1988–89

1989–90

1990–91

TOTAL

47·99

44·69

44·32

47·23

46·80

47·40

44·38

44·37

35·66

31·73

24·44

West Midlands

Employment

60·40

52·80

53·04

54·15

53·23

52·08

51·50

48·98

42·28

19·51

20·98

14·33

Training schemes

—

14·58

10·62

9·80

Other

6·84

9·18

9·43

11·06

11·65

10·75

10·45

12·56

12·33

17·35

13·30

14·38

TOTAL

67·23

61·98

62·47

65·21

64·88

62·83

61·95

61·54

54·60

51·44

44·90

38·51

East Anglia

Employment

19·37

18·35

18·27

18·71

17·97

17·79

17·95

16·74

15·85

9·67

8·93

5·74

Training schemes

—

3·16

1·91

1·42

Other

2·07

2·66

2·54

2·95

3·34

3·18

4·08

3·67

5·86

5·80

5·59

TOTAL

21·44

20·42

20·93

21·24

20·92

21·13

20·83

19·53

18·68

16·64

12·76

Greater London

Employment

67·45

57·91

57·74

56·50

52·24

48·45

44·66

42·14

35·57

24·08

22·13

16·22

Training schemes

—

1·98

1·70

1·39

Other

11·82

14·03

14·37

16·16

16·31

16·54

15·62

14·95

18·02

17·33

16·43

TOTAL

79·27

71·94

72·11

72·66

68·55

64·98

60·28

57·76

50·53

44·07

41·16

34·04

Other South East

Employment

108·09

96·62

96·19

100·66

95·74

90·07

88·53

88·29

77·21

50·11

47·98

33·69

Training schemes

—

8·52

4·74

3·42

Other

13·44

13·88

16·74

16·38

17·61

19·32

17·83

18·52

17·38

28·13

24·22

22·37

TOTAL

121·53

110·50

112·94

117·04

113·35

109·39

106·35

106·81

94·59

86·76

76·94

59·49

South West

Employment

44·39

39·16

40·51

40·62

39·21

39·27

37·60

34·24

17·92

16·66

10·93

Training schemes

—

9·08

5·42

3·80

Other

4·54

5·76

5·70

7·50

7·53

6·49

6·91

6·82

11·35

10·24

10·73

TOTAL

48·93

44·92

46·21

48·12

46·74

45·76

44·51

41·06

38·35

32·32

25·45

Total England

Employment

517·61

463·75

459·27

469·21

446·85

432·13

418·11

409·58

354·64

180·62

185·27

135·41

Training schemes

—

87·61

60·54

50·23

Other

64·78

72·23

80·33

87·19

95·27

95·40

92·61

97·34

96·44

141·28

116·79

110·75

TOTAL

582·38

535·98

539·59

556·40

542·12

527·53

510·72

506·92

451·09

409·52

362·61

296·39

Notes:

(1) Data on training schemes was not collected separately until 1988–89. Prior to this figures were included in "Employment" category.

(2) Prior to 1989–90, employment included those intending to take up full-time education at a later date. From 1989–90 onwards these are included in "Other" category.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish a table showing the destination of 16-year-old school leavers by region for each year since 1980 specifying the numbers and percentages going into (a) employment, (b) unemployment, (c) training schemes, (d) full-time education, (e) part-time education and (f) other.

Intended destinations of school leavers aged 15 as at 31 August 1980 to 1991 England

Thousands

1979–80

1980–81

1981–82

1982–83

1983–84

1984–85

1985–86

1986–87

1987–88

1988–89

1989–90

1990–91

Northern

Full-time education

2·96

4·34

4·93

3·98

3·97

4·53

4·65

5·23

4·90

5·36

5·71

6·17

Employment

34·48

30·42

29·50

30·36

28·39

27·29

26·52

25·78

21·88

4·46

6·03

5·80

Training schemes

—

10·80

9·09

8·40

Other

3·53

4·12

3·56

3·62

4·65

4·73

4·50

5·14

5·73

7·89

6·20

5·29

TOTAL

40·97

38·87

38·00

37·96

37·01

36·55

35·66

36·15

32·50

28·51

27·03

25·66

Yorkshire and Humberside

Full-time education

6·13

8·21

9·10

8·61

7·79

8·29

8·62

8·42

8·97

10·36

9·37

11·59

Employment

51·01

45·76

43·53

43·71

43·35

41·81

40·68

41·33

34·31

11·26

13·01

9·63

Training schemes

—

13·26

8·63

7·25

Other

4·00

4·27

4·82

5·82

6·68

7·39

8·10

8·00

9·09

12·91

8·78

7·93

The tables give the available estimates of the intended destinations and percentages of 16-Year-old school leavers by region in England since 1980. The Department does not collect data on school leavers who become unemployed or those intending to study part-time.

1979–80

1980–81

1981–82

1982–83

1983–84

1984–85

1985–86

1986–87

1987–88

1988–89

1989–90

1990–91

TOTAL

61·15

58·24

57·45

58·14

57·82

57·49

57·41

57·74

52·37

47·78

39·79

36·39

North West

Full-time education

11·62

13·84

14·48

14·62

15·42

15·74

15·20

16·88

14·75

15·68

14·56

16·67

Employment

65·47

58·51

53·68

53·42

51·27

50·54

49·05

48·57

40·41

14·41

16·55

14·73

Training schemes

—

14·40

10·98

8·77

Other

7·88

9·28

11·29

11·30

12·01

11·36

12·05

11·29

11·84

15·03

10·64

8·89

TOTAL

84·96

81·63

79·45

79·35

78·70

77·64

76·29

76·74

66·49

59·51

52·73

49·05

East Midlands

Full-time education

7·40

8·44

9·42

8·68

8·25

8·94

8·72

9·02

8·64

8·14

8·64

10·64

Employment

35·77

33·42

31·56

32·93

31·65

30·81

29·79

29·71

25·71

9·01

11·09

7·14

Training schemes

—

9·18

5·84

4·44

Other

4·89

4·64

4·58

4·85

5·92

6·78

5·90

6·64

5·86

8·62

6·95

5·52

TOTAL

48·07

46·50

45·56

46·47

45·83

46·52

44·41

45·36

40·21

34·95

32·52

27·73

West Midlands

Full-time education

9·81

13·05

14·16

13·88

13·08

13·04

12·52

13·41

13·01

12·89

11·94

14·35

Employment

51·25

44·25

43·21

43·87

43·21

42·92

42·55

39·54

34·84

13·13

14·74

9·67

Training schemes

—

13·76

10·24

9·41

Other

5·19

7·14

7·02

7·81

8·97

8·00

7·90

9·72

9·19

12·37

9·71

9·60

TOTAL

66·26

64·43

64·39

65·56

65·26

63·95

62·97

62·67

57·04

52·15

46·63

43·02

East Anglia

Full-time education

3·42

4·65

4·46

4·17

4·68

4·55

4·27

4·87

5·33

4·85

3·75

4·77

Employment

16·04

15·19

14·67

14·49

13·84

13·98

13·99

12·84

12·28

6·43

6·45

3·59

Training schemes

—

3·11

1·82

1·37

Other

1·54

1·44

1·84

1·62

2·20

2·50

2·22

3·22

2·68

4·11

3·61

3·24

TOTAL

21·00

21·28

20·96

20·28

20·72

21·02

20·48

20·94

20·29

18·49

15·63

12·98

Greater London

Full-time education

6·72

8·54

9·52

9·91

10·38

10·35

11·64

11·84

11·79

11·33

10·91

12·02

Employment

46·65

39·16

36·05

35·30

33·10

30·60

28·58

27·86

22·53

14·40

13·82

10·02

Training schemes

—

1·71

1·46

1·19

Other

7·72

8·97

9·69

10·15

10·51

11·16

10·26

10·39

9·57

11·22

10·22

9·04

TOTAL

61·09

56·67

55·25

55·35

53·98

52·11

50·48

50·08

43·89

38·67

36·42

32·26

Other South East

Full-time education

17·93

22·34

22·91

24·17

23·78

24·66

24·67

24·95

23·88

25·75

22·36

26·83

Employment

79·81

70·82

66·35

68·33

65·97

62·77

60·77

61·32

51·86

30·63

30·84

20·08

Training schemes

—

7·81

4·33

3·08

Other

8·65

8·80

10·66

10·92

12·30

13·44

12·43

13·03

12·82

18·35

13·64

11·34

TOTAL

106·39

101·97

99·92

103·42

102·04

100·87

97·87

99·30

88·56

82·54

71·17

61·33

South West

Full-time education

10·42

12·50

13·30

12·15

12·47

12·90

13·36

13·23

12·38

13·46

14·95

Employment

35·46

31·18

31·07

30·39

30·01

30·37

28·64

28·99

26·92

11·60

11·66

6·90

Training schemes

—

8·68

5·23

3·56

Other

3·27

4·11

3·78

5·44

5·69

4·81

5·04

5·11

5·12

7·50

6·41

5·75

TOTAL

49·15

47·79

48·15

47·98

48·17

48·09

47·04

47·33

45·27

40·16

36·77

31·15

Total England

Full-time education

76·42

95·91

102·27

100·18

99·81

103·00

103·66

107·85

104·48

106·73

100·70

117·97

Employment

415·95

368·71

349·64

352·79

340·80

331·10

320·57

315·93

270·74

115·33

124·19

87·55

Training schemes

—

82·69

57·63

47·47

Other

46·68

52·76

57·23

61·53

68·91

70·16

68·40

72·54

71·91

98·00

76·17

66·58

TOTAL

539·05

517·38

509·14

514·51

509·52

504·25

492·63

496·31

447·13

402·76

358·69

319·57

Notes:

(1) Data on training schemes was not collected separately until 1988–89. Prior to this figures were included in "employment" category.

(2) Prior to 1989–90, employment included. those intending to take up full-time education at a later date. From 1989–90 onwards these are included in "other" category.

Intended destinations of school leavers aged 15 as at 31 August 1980 to 1991 England

Percentages

1979–80

1980–81

1981–82

1982–83

1983–84

1984–85

1985–86

1986–87

1987–88

1988–89

1989–90

1990–91

Northern

Full-time education

7·2

11·2

13·0

10·5

10·7

12·4

13·0

14·5

15·1

18·8

21·1

24·0

Employment

84·2

78·3

77·6

80·0

76·7

74·7

74·4

71·3

67·3

15·6

22·3

22·6

Training schemes

—

37·9

33·6

32·7

Other

8·6

10·6

9·4

9·5

12·6

12·9

12·6

14·2

17·6

27·7

22·9

20·6

TOTAL

100·0

Yorkshire and Humberside

Full-time education

10·0

14·1

15·8

14·8

13·5

14·4

15·0

14·6

17·1

21·7

23·6

31·8

Employment

83·4

78·6

75·8

75·2

75·0

72·7

70·9

71·6

65·5

23·6

32·7

26·5

Training schemes

—

27·7

21·7

19·9

Other

6·5

7·3

8·4

10·0

11·6

12·8

14·1

13·9

17·3

27·0

22·1

21·8

TOTAL

100·0

North West

Full-time education

13·7

17·0

18·2

18·4

19·6

20·3

19·9

22·0

26·3

27·6

34·0

Employment

77·1

71·7

67·6

67·3

65·1

64·3

63·3

60·3

24·2

31·4

30·0

Training schemes

—

24·2

20·8

17·9

Other

9·3

11·4

14·2

15·3

14·6

15·8

14·7

17·7

25·3

20·2

18·1

TOTAL

100·0

East Midlands

Full-time education

15·4

18·2

20·7

18·7

18·0

19·2

19·6

19·9

21·5

23·3

26·6

38·4

Employment

74·4

71·9

69·3

70·9

69·1

66·2

67·1

65·5

63·9

25·8

34·1

25·7

Training schemes

—

26·3

18·0

16·0

Other

10·2

10·0

10·4

12·9

14·6

13·3

14·6

24·7

21·4

19·9

TOTAL

100·0

West Midlands

Full-time education

14·8

20·2

22·0

21·2

20·0

20·4

19·9

21·4

22·8

24·7

25·6

33·3

Employment

77·4

68·7

67·1

66·9

66·2

67·1

67·6

63·1

61·1

25·2

31·6

22·5

Training schemes

—

26·4

22·0

21·9

Other

7·8

11·1

10·9

11·9

13·7

12·5

15·5

16·1

23·7

20·8

22·3

TOTAL

100·0

East Anglia

Full-time education

16·3

21·9

21·3

20·6

22·6

21·6

20·9

23·3

26·3

26·2

24·0

36·8

Employment

76·4

71·4

70·0

71·5

66·8

66·5

68·3

61·3

60·5

34·8

41·2

27·7

Training schemes

—

16·8

11·6

10·6

Other

7·3

6·7

8·8

8·0

10·6

11·9

10·8

15·4

13·2

22·2

23·1

25·0

TOTAL

100·0

Greater London

Full-time education

11·0

15·1

17·2

17·9

19·2

19·9

23·1

23·6

26·9

29·3

29·9

37·2

Employment

76·4

69·1

65·2

63·8

61·3

58·7

56·6

55·6

51·3

37·2

38·0

31·1

Training schemes

—

4·4

4·0

3·7

Other

12·6

15·8

17·5

18·3

19·5

21·4

20·3

20·7

21·8

29·0

28·1

28·0

TOTAL

100·0

Other South East

Full-time education

16·9

21·9

22·9

23·4

23·3

24·4

25·2

25·1

27·0

31·2

31·4

43·7

Employment

75·0

69·5

66·4

66·1

64·6

62·2

62·1

61·7

58·6

37·1

43·3

32·7

Training schemes

—

9·5

6·1

5·0

Other

8·1

8·6

10·7

10·6

12·0

13·3

12·7

13·1

14·5

22·2

19·2

18·5

TOTAL

100·0

South West

Full-time education

21·2

26·2

27·6

25·3

25·9

26·8

28·4

28·0

29·2

30·8

36·6

48·0

Employment

72·1

65·2

64·5

63·3

62·3

63·2

60·9

61·2

59·5

28·9

31·7

22·1

Training schemes

—

21·6

14·2

11·4

Other

6·7

8·6

7·8

11·3

11·8

10·0

10·7

10·8

11·3

18·7

17·4

18·5

TOTAL

100·0

Total England

Full-time education

14·2

18·5

20·1

19·5

19·6

20·4

21·0

21·7

23·4

26·5

28·1

36·9

1979–80

1980–81

1981–82

1982–83

1983–84

1984–85

1985–86

1986–87

1987–88

1988–89

1989–90

1990–91

Employment

77·2

71·3

68·7

68·6

66·9

65·7

65·1

63·7

60·5

28·6

34·6

27·4

Training schemes

—

20·5

16·1

14·9

Other

8·7

10·2

11·2

12·0

13·5

13·9

14·6

16·1

24·3

21·2

20·8

TOTAL

100·0

Notes:

(1) Data on training schemes was not collected separately until 1988–89. Prior to this figures were included in "Employment" category.

(2) Prior to 1989–90, employment included those intending to take up full-time education at a later date. From 1989–90 onwards these are included in "other" category.

Grant-Maintained Schools Centre

To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what purposes the Government intend in future to fund the Grant-Maintained Schools Centre.

Government grant to the Grant-Maintained Schools Centre will continue to support certain activities related to schools once approved for grant-maintained status. In addition, I now intend that it should be available to support the dissemination of factual information about grant-maintained status. The Grant-Maintained Schools Centre will be bound by the same code of practice as it is proposed should apply to local education authority officers and which is currently under discussion with them. In the meantime, the Grant-Maintained Schools Centre will be bound by the draft code which is the basis for discussion: copies are being deposited in the Libraries of both Houses.

Somerset University

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his answer of 15 February, Official Report, column 52, if he will give the date upon which he gave his consent to the use of the name "Somerset University"; and if he will publish the document in which his consent is recorded.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for York (Mr. Bayley) on 23 February, Official Report, column 509.

Education Authorities (Political Control)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many local education authorities are Conservative controlled.

Conservatives are the majority party on 26 local education authorites in England.

Teachers' Salaries

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the average classroom teacher's salary inclusive of incentive allowances and incremental enhancements for each education authority in England.

The table shows the average salary of standard scale teachers in the maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools sector on 31 March 1990. The figures are based on the actual salaries paid to teachers including incentive allowances, London allowances, and other discretionary payments. More recent figures are not yet available separately for each LEA. The 1992 new earnings survey recorded the average earnings of all school teachers in England and Wales, including head and deputy head teachers, as £20,498.

	£
ILEA	15,990
Barking	15,896
Barnet	15,440
Bexley	15,599
Brent	16,493
Bromley	15,902
Croydon	15,865
Ealing	16,161
Enfield	15,435
Haringey	16,062
Harrow	15,305
Havering	15,361
Hillingdon	15,670
Hounslow	15,427
Kingston	15,551
Merton	16,413
Newham	16,514
Redbridge	15,505
Richmond	15,171
Sutton	15,615
Waltham Forest	15,485
Birmingham	14,839
Coventry	14,887
Dudley	14,411
Sandwell	14,681
Solihull	14,702
Walsall	14,663
Wolverhampton	14,588
Knowsley	14,790
Liverpool	14,839
St. Helens	14,626
Sefton	14,821
Wirral	14,531
Bolton	14,372
Bury	14,673
Manchester	15,050
Oldham	14,188
Rochdale	14,664
Salford	14,632
Stockport	14,682
Tameside	14,517
Trafford	14,652
Wigan	14,832
Barnsley	14,514
Doncaster	14,682
Rotherham	14,576
Sheffield	14,961
Bradford	14,276
Calderdale	14,627
Kirklees	14,537
Leeds	14,733
Wakefield	14,668
Gateshead	14,962
Newcastle	14,788
North Tyneside	14,663
South Tyneside	14,592
Sunderland	14,553
Isles of Scilly	13,909
Avon	14,692
Bedfordshire	14,681
Berkshire	14,799
Buckinghamshire	14,468
Cambridgeshire	14,444
Cheshire	14,659
Cleveland	14,691
Cornwall	14,652

	£
Cumbria	14,602
Derbyshire	14,650
Devon	14,433
Dorset	14,684
Durham	14,700
East Sussex	14,587
Essex	14,761
Gloucestershire	14,451
Hampshire	14,491
Hereford	14,704
Hertfordshire	14,763
Humberside	14,825
Isle of Wight	14,486
Kent	14,750
Lancashire	14,602
Leicestershire	14,748
Lincolnshire	14,685
Norfolk	14,619
North Yorkshire	14,543
Northampton	14,518
Northumberland	14,637
Nottinghamshire	14,750
Oxfordshire	14,641
Shropshire	14,689
Somerset	14,554
Staffordshire	14,807
Suffolk	14,455
Surrey	14,852
Warwickshire	14,699
West Sussex	14,562
Wiltshire	14,411

Transport

Air Pollution

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he will take to reduce the levels of nitrogen oxides and improve air quality in urban areas.

An emissions test was included in the MOT test in November 1991. Tough European Community standards for new cars were introduced on 1 January. This has meant the fitting of catalytic converters to most new petrol-engined cars. A typical vehicle equipped with a catalyst in good condition will reduce its emissions of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen by about 90 per cent. Since 1 September 1992 there has been a metered smoke test in the annual test for heavy diesels. A range of measures is also being implemented to cut traffic congestion and pollution through better traffic management, parking controls and improved public transport. The Department of Transport is also carrying out a wide-ranging study of urban traffic congestion, including the possible role of road pricing.

Regulations

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 8 February, Official Report, column 418, if he has now finished compiling and has checked for accuracy and consistency of definition the comprehensive provisional list of regulations for which his Department is responsible; and when he intends to place the list in the Library.

Railway Lines, North-West

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will make a statement about the future of the Carnforth-Barrow and Barrow-Carlisle Cumbrian coast railway lines;(2) if he will make a statement about the future of the Wigan-Southport and the Ormskirk-Preston railway lines.

Our policy is to franchise the operation of all British Rail's passenger services to the private sector. Each franchise will be based upon the timetable operated by British Rail just prior to its commencement. In the meantime, decisions about services on individual lines remain a matter for British Rail.

Free Flight Offers

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of the President of the Board of Trade on 15 December 1992, Official Report, column 147, on guidelines on free flight offers, what progress has been made in the Government's consideration of the Civil Aviation Authority's proposal on a statutory financial protection scheme to reimburse scheduled passengers in the event of an airline collapsing.

The position remains as indicated in the answer of 15 December. Primary legislation would be needed to implement such a financial protection scheme and will necessarily depend on there being an opportunity to introduce such legislation.

Railways (Crimes)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many crimes against the person and robberies were committed on the Liverpool Street to Romford line stations and trains over the past five years.

Figures are not readily available for years before 1991. Figures for crimes against the person on stations and trains between Liverpool Street and Romford in 1991 and 1992 are as follows:

	1991	1992
Robberies	31	31
Sexual offences	17	13
Assaults	34	30
Theft from person	37	50
Other	314	359
Total	433	483

Road Tolls

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what issues other than revenue raising and reduction of congestion will be included in his consideration of further road tolls.

My right hon. Friend plans to publish by the early summer a Green Paper which will discuss the basis of charging for the use of inter-urban roads and all the issues arising from that. Reaction to the Green Paper will be an important consideration in developing policy in this area.

Road Accidents (Children)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures are being taken to reduce the number of children killed and injured outside schools by motorists; and if he will make a statement.

The Department has introduced a wide range of engineering, educational and publicity measures to reduce the number of children who are killed or injured on the roads. These were outlined in our 1990 policy document "Children and Roads: A Safer Way". In particular trials are being conducted of variable speed limits outside schools on busy trunk roads.

Exhaust Emissions

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 16 February, Official Report, columns 150–51, if he will give consideration to compensating engineering companies and garages in respect of the development and purchase of equipment to undertake the off-road testing of diesel exhaust emissions to comply with the new regulations; and if he will estimate the costs involved.

The suspension of the metered check of diesel smoke is only temporary and it is my intention to reinstate it at the earliest opportunity. Consequently I do not consider that there is any case for offering compensation to equipment manufacturers. Equally, since owners of diesel-engined vehicles still have to go to MOT testing stations which have been authorised to test diesels where excessive smoke continues to be checked by eye, garages with smoke meters are not losing any fee income during the period of suspension.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action has been taken since 1 April 1991 in response to complaints about smokey vehicles; how many operators have been required to have vehicles tested at a testing station; and how many prohibition notices and operator license variations have been issued as a result.

Since April 1991 the vehicle inspectorate has asked some 3,000 vehicle operators to check vehicles for excessive smoke, following complaints. Most operators have responded positively to these requests and have taken steps, where appropriate, to remedy defects. A follow-up vehicle inspection has been necessary only in a relatively few cases. I am not aware of any complaint which has resulted in the issue of a prohibition notice or action against an operator's licence. A vehicle would be inspected at a testing station only if that were necessary to clear a prohibition.

Cycle Routes

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the operation of the scheme launched in 1982 to promote cycle routes in five towns; and if he will make a statement.

Carefully designed cycle routes were implemented in the towns in the study under this scheme. Much was learnt about how to provide safe, good-quality routes and facilities and the technical lessons have already been published. These routes did not result in an increase in cycling and in particular did not attract people to cycle instead of using their cars. However, the routes did improve safety for cyclists, who tended to congregate on them. The final report will be published soon.

Selby Bypass

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what stage has been reached in his departmental key event programme for the construction of the Selby bypass as published in September 1987; and what slippage has occurred.

The 1987 White Paper categorised the proposed Selby bypass for construction from 1991 onwards. Preparatory works have since proceeded and, following a public inquiry, orders establishing the line and necessary alterations to side roads were made last month. We expect the next stage, which is the publication of the draft compulsory purchase order, to occur this summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to be in a position to invite tenders for the construction of the Selby bypass and how soon thereafter to start work on the project.

As statutory, financial and other procedures have still to be completed for the Selby bypass scheme, it is too early to give a firm date for when tenders could be invited. After the compulsory purchase order is published, the legal procedures allowing for objections, and possibly a public inquiry, have to be followed. Once this order is made it typically takes six to 12 months until we would be in a position to invite tenders. Works could be ready to start about six months later.

Road Accidents

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pedestrians under the age of 16 years were killed or injured in road accidents in 1992.

The latest available data, for 1991, show that 20,848 pedestrians under the age of 16 were killed or injured in road accidents.

Passenger Rolling Stock

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what proposals there are to introduce new or newly constructed passenger rolling stock on the London, Tilbury and Southend line; what is the estimated cost; and when he expects it to be introduced;(2) what action has been taken since 1988 to remove the danger of electrical explosions in the guard's vans and EMU rolling stock in operation on the London, Tilbury and Southend line; what modifications to rolling stock are still to be carried out; and what is the total cost of any modifications that have

(a) been carried out and (b) are still to be carried out;

(3) how many units in each class of electrical multiple unit rolling stock are in use on the London, Tilbury and Southend line; what is the average age of each class of EMU; and what is the average age of all the rolling stock in use on the line;

(4) how many and which class of electrical multiple unit operating on the London, Tilbury and Southend line are being used with the guard's brake and adjoining passenger accommodation locked out of use as a precaution against electrical explosions;

(5) on how many occasions since 1988 there have been explosions in the guard's vans and electrical multiple unit rolling stock operating on the London, Tilbury and Southend line; and if he will give the date, class and EMU involved and the cause of the explosion for each incident.

The number of units and the average age of the rolling stock in each class are as follows:

Class	Number of units	Average age (years)
302	30	35
308	27	32
310	37	27
312	14	16

The overall average age of the fleet is 29 years.There have been two explosions in the guard's vans of London, Tilbury and Southend line rolling stock since 1988. These occurred on 15 September and 11 October 1991, and involved a class 308 unit and a class 312 unit respectively. Both incidents were caused by failure of the high tension cable insulation.I understand from British Rail that the necessary repairs to the class 310 and 312 units have been done, and work on class 302 and class 308 units should be completed later this month, at a total cost of around £125,000.The guard's van and adjoining coach on each of the seven class 302 and class 308 units still to be repaired are currently locked out of use.My right hon. Friend and I have asked British Rail to tell us by Easter what rolling stock it wishes to lease using the £150 million leasing facility announced at the time of the autumn statement, and for which routes. Rolling stock for the London, Tilbury and Southend line is one of the options.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of new rolling stock to be ordered by British Rail over the coming year is planned to he awarded to ABB York.

Orders for new rolling stock are awarded by British Rail following competitive tendering in accordance with the EC utilities directive [90/531/EEC].

Jubilee Line

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to which company the contract for building the new Jubilee line rolling stock will be awarded.

This is a matter for London Underground Ltd., which I know will not make a statement until a contract is signed.

Biofuels

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of the relative polluting effects on the environment of biofuels compared with those of petrol or diesel; and if he will make a statement;(2) what plans he has to encourage the wider availability of and increased use of bioethanol and rape methyl ester as a substitute for petrol or diesel;

(3) what plans he has to encourage the wider availability of and increased use of blended biodiesel and bioethanol blends as substitutes for petrol or diesel.

[holding answer 15 March 1993]: The Department is sponsoring research assessing the environmental, operational and cost implications of a range of alternative road transport fuels including biofuels. This includes a study exploring the feasibility of conducting limited in-service field trials of alternative fuels. The series of linked reports should be complete by mid 1993. In addition the Department is carrying out emission tests on a separate biodiesel trial being conducIed by Reading Buses.While, in principle, biofuels offer the possibility of reduced carbon dioxide emissions, the case in terms of other emissions is not clear cut; and the cost of biofuels is very high. I am waiting for the outcome of the work currently under way. I have no plans, therefore, to encourage wider availability and use of biofuels at this stage.

Environment

Major Accident Hazards

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what communications he has received recently from the European Commission in regard to EC directive 82/501/EEC on major accident hazards of certain industrial activities.

The United Kingdom received a letter from the European Commission acting under article 169, dated 18 February 1993, concerning the application of EC directive 82/501/EEC to a waste disposal incinerator in Gwent owned by ReChem International. The Department is currently considering this matter and a response will be made within the time limit set by the Commission.

Correspondence

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to reply to the letter dated 28 January from the hon. Members for East Lothian and for Durham, North-West (Ms Armstrong) requesting a meeting to discuss problems in the cement industry, which was transferred to his Department from the Department of Trade and Industry on 22 February.

I refer the hon. Member to my letter to him dated 15 March.

Regulations

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 12 February, Official Report, column 831, if he has now finished compiling and has checked for accuracy and consistency of definition the comprehensive provisional list of regulations for which his Department is responsible; and when he intends to place the list in the Library.

Work is proceeding as quickly as possible on checking my Department's list of regulations affecting business. It will be placed in the Library as soon as possible.

Housing

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what percentage of dwellings of each housing association registered with the Housing Corporation is (a) available for let, (b) to be let after minor repairs, (c) to be let after major repairs, (d) to be sold, (e) awaiting demolition and (f) unlet for any reason; and if he will give the national average for each category;(2) if he will list in rank order the percentage of dwellings available for letting but unlet for each housing association registered with the Housing Corporation, with an average for all associations.

Statistics on dwellings owned and managed by registered housing associations are collected by the Housing Corporation, which publishes annually figures for England as a whole. The information that is available at national average level, as at the end of March 1992, is as follows:

	Percentage	Percentage
(i) Dwellings under letting		97·5
(ii) Vacant and available for letting (of which:		1·1
—requiring minor repair	0·4)
(iii) Vacant and not available for letting		1·4

Housing Revenue Account Subsidy Entitlement 1990–91—1992–93
	1990–91	1991–92	1992–93
North	275,278,991	275,964,537	292,913,237
Yorkshire and Humberside	321,571,885	332,420,714	354,760,455
East Midlands	192,713,670	197,135,706	201,536,213
East Anglia	74,249,318	71,679,794	65,237,486
Greater London	1,276,108,272	1,480,846,136	1,493,948,150
Rest of South-East	336,167,195	341,806,561	314,043,605
South-West	154,360,061	156,794,565	155,524,572
West Midlands	336,758,611	361,423,559	386,746,613
North-West	517,181,874	566,554,277	621,708,028
ENGLAND	3,484,389,877	3,784,625,849	3,886,418,359

Source: LAH Division (Housing Revenue Account Subsidy Claim Forms) 10 March 1993

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many tenants have exercised their right under the charter programme to make bids for a housing action trust; and how many of these bids have been successful.

We have had approaches from five tenants' groups. None has yet made a formal bid.

Local Government Finance

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the standard spending assessment per head of population for each local authority in England for each year from 1989–90 to 1993–94.

The information requested has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each year since 1974 the total expenditure of Worcester city council and Wychavon district council, and the average expenditure of the English district councils.

	Percentage	Percentage
(of which:
—awaiting or undergoing works	1·2
—awaiting sale	0·1
—other	0·1)

I shall ask the Housing Corporation to write to the hon. Member with information about individual housing associations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the amounts of local authority housing capital provision for each of the last five years for each standard region of England and in total.

I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 27 January 1993, Official Report, column 778 to the hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the amounts of housing revenue account subsidy given to local authorities for each of the last five years for each standard region of England and in total.

The information requested is shown in the table. Housing revenue account subsidy was introduced in 1990–91 and so there is no comparable information for 1988–89 or 1989–90.

Standard spending assessments for 1990–91 to 1993–94 and grant-related expenditure from 1981–82 to 1989–90 for Worcester and Wychavon are given below in millions of pounds and in pounds per head of resident population, together with the corresponding average for all shire districts.It would be possible to provide information prior to 1981–82 only at disproportionate expense.

Standard spending assessments and grant-related expenditure in millions of pounds
Year	Worcester	Wychavon	Average for all shire districts
1993–94	7·434	7·866	9·387
Adjusted 1992–93	7·297	7·700	9·175
1992–93	7·297	7·700	9·174
1991–92	6·896	7·214	8·720
1990–91	5·401	5·692	6·796
1989–90	5·557	4·704	6·111
1988–89	4·867	4·094	5·410
1987–88	4·551	4·047	5·202
1986–87	4·735	4·235	5·461
1985–86	4·157	3·981	4·940
1984–85	3·939	4·042	4·778
1983–84	4·066	4·160	4·967

Year

Worcester

Wychavon

Average for all shire districts

1982–83

3·888

3·950

4·729

1981–82

3·000

3·544

4·198

Standard spending assessments and grant-related expenditure in pounds per head
Year	Worcester	Wychavon	Average for all shire districts
1993–94	88·6	76·8	92·1
Adjusted 1992–93	88·3	75·6	90·8
1992–93	88·3	75·6	90·8
1991–92	84·0	71·2	86·6
1990–91	66·5	56·3	67·8
1989–90	69·6	47·5	61·3
1988–89	63·5	41·4	54·6
1987–88	59·7	41·3	52·8
1986–87	62·1	43·6	55·8
1985–86	54·7	41·5	50·7

Region	1987–88	1988–89	1989–90	1990–91	1991–92	Total £ million
North West¹	54·8	55·4	53·3	51·1	56·1	270·7
Northern	54·5	46·0	45·6	46·6	44·8	237·5
Eastern²	0·1	0·1	0·4	0·5	0·4	1·5
South East³	0·8	0·4	0·1	0·2	0·2	1·7
South West	3·1	4·0	3·0	4·0	5·5	19·6
London	50·3	46·6	41·6	40·8	45·7	225·0
East Midlands	22·4	19·1	17·7	23·1	21·8	104·1
Merseyside	32 8	32·3	31·8	36·0	36·8	169·7
Yorkshire/Humber	35·1	36·8	36·1	40·0	49·8	197·8
West Midlands	56·8	51·5	52·9	53·0	54·6	268·8
Grand total⁴	310·7	292·2	282·5	295·3	315·7	1,496·4
¹DOE region excludes Merseyside.
²Derelict land grant only.
³UDG and DLG only.
⁴Includes outturn figures for urban programme and derelict land grant; and UDG approvals for 1987–88 and 1988–89 only—UDG subsequently subsumed within city grant.

Further details of these and other urban group programmes, including urban development corporations, city grant, task forces and city action teams, are in the Department's annual reports.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what were the total amounts of central Government support for local authorities, voted in the estimates for his Department, for each of the last five years for each standard region of England and in total.

The total amounts of central Government support for local authorities voted in estimates for which the Department of the Environment accounts, and included in the planning total, for the last five years were:

£ million
Year	Number
1987–88	19,180
1988–89	19,772
1989–90	20,715
1990–91	24,575
1991–92	32,376

Year	Worcester	Wychavon	Average for all shire districts
1984–85	51·9	42·4	49·2
1983–84	53·6	43·6	51·3
1982–83	51·3	41·7	49·0
1981–82	39·9	37·7	43·8

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the amounts of central Government support for local authorities under his Department's inner cities programme for each of the last five years for each standard region of England and in total.

The total amounts of expenditure outturn achieved by local authorities under my Department's urban group of programmes for each year from 1987–88 to 1991–92 are as follows:In order to allow for comparison, these figures have been adjusted to reflect consistent definitions of the planning total and to include proxies for the yields of non-domestic rates prior to 1990–91.Figures for each standard region in England are not available, and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what are the figures for the yield from non-domestic rates for each of the last five years for each standard region of England, and in total;(2) what are the figures of non-domestic rate payments to local authorities for each of the last five years for each standard region of England and in total;(3) what were the amounts of rate support grant for local authorities for each of the last three years of its operation for each standard region of England and in total;(4) what were the amounts of revenue support grant and community charge grant for local authorities for each of the last three years for each standard region of England and in total;(5) what was the amount of grant given to local authorities for community charge transitional relief in respect of 1990–91, for each standard region of England, and in total;

(6) what were the amounts of grant given to local authorities under the community charge reduction scheme in respect of (a) 1991–92 and (b) 1992–93 for each standard region of England and in total.

Non-domestic rate distributable amounts and yields
	Non-domestic rate yield					Non-domestic rate payments to local authorities
Region	1988–89 £ million	1989–90 £ million	1990–91 £ million	1991–92 £ million	1992–93 £ million	1990–91 £ million	1991–92 £ million	1992–93 £ million
North	345	370	444	479	457	679	806	795
North West	960	1,049	986	1,052	1,029	1,373	1,622	1,613
Yorkshire and Humberside	655	715	755	829	770	1,082	1,277	1,265
East Anglia	305	330	303	344	362	445	532	528
South East	1,750	1,910	1,888	2,243	2,324	2,344	2,773	2,745
South West	605	660	631	743	755	1,023	1,229	1,224
West Midlands	805	880	809	874	832	1,126	1,345	1,341
East Midlands	570	625	585	632	625	878	1,044	1,035
London	2,900	3,170	2,607	3,010	3,209	1,477	1,780	1,759
England	8,895	9,710	9,007	10,206	10,363	10,428	12,408	12,306

Notes:

Columns 1 and 2 show estimated net non-domestic rate yield for 1988–89 and 1989–90 including income from properties which from 1990–91 would be shown on the central or crown lists.

Columns 3 to 5 show the estimated amount of non-domestic rates raised by local authorities for each year of the community charge system from properties shown on local lists—that is the contribution to the pool plus the allowance for the cost of collection. For 1990–91 and 1991–92 there are based on final calculations by authorities (taking into account prior year adjustments where appropriate. For 1992–93 the amounts shown are the provisional calculations of the contribution to the pool, taking into account in-year recalculations resulting from the provisions of the Non-Domestic Rates Act 1992. These amounts are not comparable with columns 1 and 2, which will include income from properties not on local lists.

Columns 6 to 8 show the amount of non-domestic rates paid to local authorities from the non-domestic rates pool for each year of the community charge system, 1990–91 to 1992–93. For 1992–93 payments from the pool include an Exchequer payment which compensates local authorities for the shortfall in 1992–93 which would otherwise occur as a result of the Non-Domestic Rating Act 1992. Payments of non-domestic rates in respect of 1988–89 and 1989–90 are assumed to be the same as the estimated yield, as shown in columns 1 and 2 respectively.

Rate support grant, revenue support grant and community charge grant
	Rate support grant (£ millions)			Revenue support grant (£ millions)			Community charge grant (£ millions)
Region	1987–88	1988–89	1989–90	1990–91	1991–92	1992–93	1991–92
North	796	849	843	595	594	1,031	311
North West	1,624	1,716	1,694	1,481	1,530	2,419	626
Yorkshire and Humberside	1,278	1,325	1,306	888	903	1,603	489
East Anglia	306	302	287	235	206	491	210
South East	1,211	1,048	947	1,332	1,294	2,857	1,075
South West	809	819	786	525	443	1,094	480
West Midlands	1,052	1,040	1,052	1,081	1,051	1,774	527
East Midlands	758	783	762	583	546	1,116	405
London	1,633	1,804	1,902	2,748	3,084	4,275	682
England	9,466	9,686	9,578	9,468	9,652	16,661	4,805

Notes:

Columns 1 to 3 show the rate support grant payable in each year from 1987–88 to 1989–90. The rate support grant for the receiver for the Metropolitan police has been included within the figure for London.

Columns 4 to 6 show the revenue support grant payable in each year of the community charge system from 1990–91 to 1992–93. The figures for 1992–93 include additional grant payable in respect of the teachers pay award.

Column 7 shows the community charge grant receivable in respect of 1991–92 community charges, as estimated by authorities when setting their community charges for 1992–93.

Community Charge Reduction Scheme Grants
Region	Transitional relief 1990–91 (£ millions)	CCRS 1991–92 (£ millions)	CCRS 1992–93 (£ million)
North	37	100	88
North West	49	202	200
Yorkshire and Humberside	28	104	104
East Anglia	11	44	45
South East	41	186	115
South West	23	120	119
West Midlands	19	125	124
East Midlands	24	121	104

The information Requested is as follows:

Region	Transitional relief 1990–91 (£ millions)	CCRS 1991–92 (£ millions)	CCRS 1992–93 (£ million)
London	20	119	93
England	252	1,121	992

Note: The above figures show the amount of grant estimated to be payable transitional relief in 1990–91 and community charge reduction scheme(CCrs) in 1991–92 and 1992–93

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the difference in the level of Government grant and business rates per head of population and per household between the London borough of Wandsworth and the London borough of Hackney.

The amounts of revenue support grant (RSG) and income from the uniform business rate (UBR) per head of resident population and per household for 1993–94 for the authorities requested are given:

Local Authority	RSG £ per head	RSG £ per household	UBR £ per head	UBR £ per household
Wandsworth	619	1,459	213	501
Hackney	1,082	2,625	213	516

Note: The household figures are from the 1991 census.

Urban Regeneration Agency

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all the people Lord Walker has met in furtherance of his role as chairman-designate of the Urban Regeneration Agency, the dates of these meetings and the reasons for them.

Since the announcement of the Government's intention that he should be the first chairman of the Urban Regeneration Agency, Lord Walker has met numerous people on a range of matters and has listened to the views that many of them have expressed on the Urban Regeneration Agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what consultations he has had and plans to have with local authority associations on the composition of the board of the Urban Regeneration Agency; and when he intends to begin appointing board members;(2) if he will make a statement on the criteria to be used in selecting people for appointment to the board of the Urban Regeneration Agency.

Board members will not be appointed until after the Housing and Urban Regeneration Bill has received Royal Assent. In making the appointments, the Secretary of State will take into account views expressed during Parliament's consideration of the Bill and the responses to the consultation exercise on the agency, including those from the local authority associations. His aim in selecting board members will be to make a range of expertise available to the agency, choosing them for the contribution they can make, not because of whom they represent.

Tree Preservation Orders

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will complete draft proposals for the revision of the legislation on tree preservation orders.

The system of tree preservation legislation has proved its value over the years and remains extremely effective. It has been modified and strengthened from time to time and the Government are currently undertaking a formal review to see whether further progress can be made. My Department is continuing to study representations made in the light of the consultation stage of this review.

Waste Management

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what contribution has been made by British experts to the waste management policy group of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Officials from my Department attend all meetings of the group to reflect United Kingdom experience and interests. The head of my Department's waste technical division chaired the group's advisory committee which prepared the 1992 OECD council decision on the control of transfrontier movements of wastes destined for recovery operations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what initiatives his Department supports in local authorities to support the separation and recycling of household wastes.

My Department supports local authority initiatives for separating and recycling waste through supplementary credit approvals for recycling. The following authorities have been allocated supplementary credit approvals for 1992–93:

Authority	Amount £'000
London Boroughs
Camden	10·015
Croydon	180·000
Ealing	185·000
Enfield	76·000
Greenwich	136·910
Hackney	38·538
Hammersmith and Fulham	38·785
Haringey	18·000
Hounslow	81·000
Kingston upon Thames	13·000
Lambeth	20·000
Merton	50·000
North London Waste Authority	600·000
Richmond upon Thames	40·000
Southwark	78·000
Sutton	183·000
Waltham Forest	10·000
Metropolitan Authorities
Barnsley	65·000
Bolton	25·000
Calderdale	20·500
Doncaster	67·000
Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority	133·000
Kirklees	14·000
Leeds	2,662·000
Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority	24·000
Newcastle upon Tyne	160·000
North Tyneside	10·000
Salford	12·000
South Tyneside	24·000
Sunderland	10·000
Wakefield	88·950
Walsall	95·000
West Yorkshire Waste Management joint committee	950·950
Wolverhampton	196·100
County Councils
Cambridgeshire	181·000
Cheshire	225·000
Cornwall	254·000
Devon	251·000
Gloucestershire	95·000
Hampshire	630·000
Hereford and Worcester	55·000
Humberside	40·000

Authority	Amount £'000
Leicestershire	285·000
Norfolk	80·000
North Yorkshire	79·000
Somerset	54·000
Staffordshire	6·000
Suffolk	15·000
District Councils
Adur	355·000
Allerdale	30·000
Alnwick	3·000
Bassetlaw	7·000
Bath	53·120
Blaby	20·000
Bolsover	30·000
Braintree	15·000
Brighton	76·000
Bristol	185·000
Broxborne	40·000
Burnley	40·000
Carlisle	19·000
Castle Morpeth	60·000
Castle Point	12·000
Chelmsford	12·000
Cherwell	6·000
Chesterfield	7·000
Copeland	35·000
Cotswold	90·000
Darlington	12·000
Derby	54·000
East Hampshire	70·000
East Yorkshire	10·000
Ellesmere Port and Neston	5·000
Exeter	15·000
Gedling	31·000
Guildford	75·000
Harborough	6·000
Harrogate	22·000
Hartlepool	246·308
Hastings	57·000
Hinckley and Bosworth	45·000
Isles of Scilly	42·000
Leicester	65·000
Lewes	140·000
Luton	56·000
Melton	30·200
Mid Devon	4·000
Mid Suffolk	24·000
Milton Keynes	2,000·000
Newark and Sherwood	32·050
Northavon	55·000
North Dorset	4·000
North Hertfordshire	6·000
Norwich	199·000
Nottingham	150·000
Nuneaton and Bedworth	8·000
Oxford	110·000
Plymouth	45·000
Reading	43·000
Restormel	58·000
Rother	35·000
Rushmoor	16·000
Ryedale	76·000
St. Albans	158·000
Scarborough	88·000
Scunthorpe	79·000
South Derbyshire	37·000
South Holland	20·150
South Somerset	176·000
Test Valley	263·000
Tewkesbury	18·000
Thurrock	14·000
Tonbridge and Malling	95·000
Wansdyke	23·000
Waverley	15·000
Wealden	220·000
West Dorset	48·000

Authority	Amount £'000
West Wiltshire	9·900
Woking	107·000
Wokingham	17·000
Wrekin, The	94·000
Wycombe	5·000
Total	14,994·926

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what evaluation he has made of the application to the United Kingdom of the recent report on management of plastic wastes in Europe by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

We have examined the report, which will be a useful contribution to the current debate on recycling.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what volumes of hazardous or toxic wastes have been imported into the United Kingdom since 5 May 1992; what ports of entry were involved; and what checks are made on consignments of imported wastes to ascertain if consignment papers match cargoes.

Imports of hazardous or toxic wastes to the United Kingdom from 5 May 1992 until 12 March 1993, by last Customs office of entry, are as follows:

Port of entry	Waste (tonnes)
Boston	149·0
Dover	7,109·7
Felixstowe	3,070·1
Fleetwood	98·7
Great Yarmouth	125·6
Grimsby	64·3
Harwich	1,511·5
Heysham	940·3
Holyhead	328·4
Immingham	7,880·4
Ipswich	466·3
Kingston upon Hull	2,350·5
Liverpool	782·5
Newport (Gwent)	977·5
Newry	31·7
Purfleet	56·6
Ramsgate	2,896·8
Southampton	1,199·4
Teesport	0·7
TOTAL	30,040·0

A transfrontier shipment note giving details of the nature, amount and destination of a consignment of toxic or hazardous waste must be sent to the relevant waste regulation authority before the wast shipment can take place and must travel with the consignment. The waste regulation authority is responsible for ensuring that the contents of consignments match the descriptions given in transfrontier shipment notes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what volumes of (a) lindane, (b) chlorobenzenes, (c) chlorophenols, (d) chlorinated methoxy benzene and (e) other dioxin-contaminated wastes have been imported into the United Kingdom since 1 January; what import licences have been issued over the past 15 months for such imports; and if he will make a statement on council decision 93/98/EEC on transfrontier transport of hazardous wastes and their disposal of 1 February, in so far as it applies to the United Kingdom.

Imports are not recorded in the exact manner indicated by the hon. Member. The tables show the amount of waste imported (a) from 1 January 1992 to 12 March 1993 and (b) from 1 January 1993 to 12 March 1993.Under decision 93/98/EEC of 1 February 1993, the Council approved the procedure for the conclusion, on behalf of the Community, of the Basel convention on the control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal. The Council on 23 March will consider the date of deposit of the instrument of approval by the Community.

Transfrontier shipments Summary totals report between 1 January 1992 and 12 March 1993
Wastes	Totals (tonnes)
Total Absorption Effluents	20·6
Total Acetate	26·4
Total Acetone	15·8
Total Acids Tars	0·2
Total Aerosol	416·8
Total Alkalies	17·5
Total Alkyl Amine Salt	0·7
Total Mixed	1,724·2
Total Ashes and Slags	23·3
Total AZO Dyes	3·2
Total Blomate	9·8
Total Tropical Bleaching Powder	168·1
Total BTH Residue	83·5
Total Carbon/Charcoal Waste	4·0
Total Electrical Transformer	27·5
Total Catalyst Cr, Cu, Zn, Solids	99·6
Total Celite Waste	202·1
Total Chemicals	505·6
Total Chlorinated Compounds	22·2
Total Chlorinated Solvents	4,473·7
Total Clean Out	17·8
Total Contaminated Solvents	198·0
Total Cosmetics	3·4
Total Cyanide Waste	65·8
Total Fire Damaged TVs	45·1
Total DDT Dusting Powder	15·2
Total Dichlorodiphenytrichloroe	1·5
Total Dielectric Fluid	12·6
Total Diethylhexylpthalate	4·5
Total Distillation Residue	69·4
Total Drums Filter Aids	75·4
Total Dry Cleaning Processes	18·6
Total Durotak 280–2630	63·9
Total Grinding Dust from Brake	961·9
Total Effluent Treatment Waste	37·3
Total Electric Capacitors	82·7
Total Empty Containers	23·9
Total Facron "S" Liquid Formulae	37·1
Total Fatty Acid	6·2
Total Filtercake Mixed Metals	969·9
Total Filtration Products	6,490·9
Total Flammable Solvents	77·3
Total Fluegas/Furnace Soot/Dust	22·5
Total Fly-ashes/Slags	10,663·9
Total Freon TDFC	2·5
Total Furnace Dust	90·2
Total Glycolmethacrylate Scrap	2·4
Total Haloginated Compounds	42·5
Total Halogenated Sludge	296·9
Total Hexachlorobenzene	306·8
Total Herbicides	20·7
Total Hexachlorobutadene	252·2
Total Hospital Waste	628·3
Total Ink Solution	2·0
Total Inorganic Acids	17·0
Total Inorganic Waste	20·6

Wastes	Totals (tonnes)
Total Isocianate + Urea	17·0
Total Isolation Material	42·3
Total Laboratory Chemicals	84·9
Total Luminiscent Tubes	14·6
Total Metal Hydroxide/Oxides	147·2
Total Methanol	2·2
Total Methyl Methacrylate	4·0
Total Miscellaneous Waste	39·8
Total Miscellaneous Chemical Waste	196·8
Total Chlorinated Solvent Mix	195·3
Total Mother Layer (RD 41400)	265·2
Total Nickel Baths Sludge	3·0
Total Nitrobenzotrifluoride	10·8
Total Oil Sludge/Wax/Grease	6·3
Total Organic Acids	17·0
Total Organic Waste Mix	405·8
Total Paint Waste	260·1
Total Paracetamol Waste	3·4
Total Paranitrochlorobenzene	18·0
Total Polychlorinated Biphenyl	4,022·2
Total PCB Contaminated Material	6·0
Total PCB Fluid/Transformer	16·1
Total Pesticides	1,430·9
Total Pharmaceutical Waste	101·3
Total Styrenated Phenol	1·4
Total Phosphate Salt	16·8
Total Polyester Waste	0·8
Total Polymer Paste (PVC)	1·9
Total Polypropylene Waste	278·5
Total Polysterene Waste	14·3
Total Potassium Contaminated	20·0
Total Printing Waste	3·8
Total Purification Residues	38·1
Total Misceaneous Redundant	362·5
Total Pesticide Residues	1,902·6
Total Resin Waste	13·7
Total Sewage Sludge	8·4
Total Silicon Polymere	16·6
Total Sludge Waste	465·2
Total Solid Material	43·8
Total Solvent—Cleaning	1·1
Total Solvent Sludges	386·6
Total Sulphuric Acid	1,051·1
Total Factory Sweeping Waste	343·4
Total Tar Residue/Liquid	218·7
Total Toxic Metals Contaminated	44·0
Total Transformer Carcass	31·4
Total Treatment	396·6
Total Trichloroethane Residue	2·5
Total Ureas	1·1
Total Used Paints and Emulsion	59·6
Total Varnish Waste	170·0
Total Waste Water	2,506·4
Total Yarn Waste	208·5
Total Zinc Salts/Waste	21·9
GRAND TOTAL	45,435·0

Transfrontier shipments Summary totals report between 1 January 1993 and 12 March 1993
Wastes	Totals (tonnes)
Total Aerosol	119·8
Total Mixed	305·4
Total Tropical Bleaching Powder	149·0
Total Celite Waste	22·9
Total Chlorinated Solvents	9·6
Total Clean Out	4·5
Total Contaminated Solvents	10·4
Total DDT Dusting Powder	0·2
Total Dielectric Fluid	7·2
Total Filtration Products	115·7
Total Haloginated Compounds	42·5
Total Halogenated Sludge	37·7

Wastes	Totals (tonnes)
Total Inorganic Waste	7·4
Total Isocianate + Urea	17·0
Total Laboratory Chemicals	10·2
Total Luminiscent Tubes	14·6
Total Miscellaneous Chemical Waste	11·4
Total Oil Sludge/Wax/Grease	1·1
Total Organic Waste Mix	72·6
Total Paint Waste	49·2
Total Polychlorinated Biphenyl	139·9
Total PCB Contaminated Material	6·0
Total PCB Fluid/Transformer	1·0
Total Pesticides	119·8
Total Pharmaceutical Waste	18·2
Total Polypropylene Waste	278·5
Total Miscellaneous Redundant	64·5
Total Pesticide Residues	301·5
Total Solvent—Cleaning	1·1
Total Solvent Sludges	3·2
Total Sulphuric Acid	40·0
Total Factory Sweeping Waste	22·2
Total Tar Residue/Liquid	58·8
Total Transformer Carcass	22·4
Total Treatment	73·6
Total Varnish Waste	41·3
Total Waste Water	118·9
GRAND TOTAL	2,319·2

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what progress has been made by the European Commission and the EC technical adaptation committee in drawing up a list of wastes under the framework directive on waste, and a list of hazardous wastes under the hazardous waste directive;(2) what consultation he has had with industry prior to producing the draft list of those wastes which would be considered hazardous in the context of the hazardous waste directive and associated measures;(3) upon what scientific basis he has concluded that the recycling of paper sludge to agricultural land should be regarded as hazardous;(4) what assessment he has made of the additional costs to United Kingdom industry if it were prevented from recycling paper sludge on agricultural sites and obliged instead to use formal landfill sites.

The draft lists, known as the European waste catalogue, are being drawn up by the Commission's consultants for consideration by the technical adaptation committee. The catalogue is still at a formative stage and no decisions have yet been taken.Successive drafts of the catalogue have been widely circulated for comment to a growing list of representative bodies, beginning in October last year.In the light of responses to consultation, the Government are considering the draft catalogue, its potential cost implications, and the implications for the special waste regulations. Paper sludge is shown as non-hazardous in the draft. Other wastes from the paper manufacturing industry are shown as hazardous. Whether this would represent a change from the position under the existing special waste regulations will depend upon the precise composition of the waste concerned.

Tenants' Choice

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many tenants have exercised their rights under the tenants' choice programme to transfer from local authorities to housing associations.

This information is not held in the form requested. However, 830 dwellings have transferred to housing associations, following successful tenants' choice ballots.

Uniform Business Rate

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what individual valuations have been calculated and currently applied to the specifically and separately rateable British Coal installation within Selby district in relation to the introduction of uniform business rate.

The Selby mine complex is assessed as one hereditament comprising land, buildings, rateable plant and machinery at five mines and a coal disposal point at Gascoigne Wood. Kellingley colliery is a similar property.The table shows a breakdown of the 1992–93 assessments.

	Rateable value (£)
	Selby	Kellingley
Land value	46,000	30,250
Buildings, structures, rateable plant and machinery	3,786,500	1,148,550
Access rights (shafts etc.)	3,981,462	1,142,129
Mineral element	6,132,579	1,760,075
TOTAL	13,946,541	4,081,004

There is also a tipping site at Cridling Stubbs with an assessment of £59,228.

Solid Fuel

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what responses he has received to the consultation paper issued in July 1992 about a proposal to limit the sulphur content of solid fuel for domestic use; and what action he has taken on the issue.

My Department received comments from 23 organisations. These were mostly in favour of the proposal, but a number of practical problems of monitoring and enforcement were raised. We are currently considering next steps in the light of these responses.

City Challenge, Bradford

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to the application of Bradford city challenge funds for providing grant aid to Springram Ltd. in connection with a new factory at Euroway estate, Bradford.

[holding answer 5 February]: Any such application is a matter for Bradford city challenge in the first instance. No formal proposal has been put to the Department for consideration.

Hedges

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many hedge planting and hedge repair schemes were carried out in rural areas in each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 15 March 1993]: Grants for hedgerow planting and for major repairs have been available under the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food's farm and conservation grant scheme and its predecessors since 1976. Farmers in environmentally sensitive areas may also benefit from the option of planting and repairing hedgerows under conservation plans. However, the information requested with regard to these schemes can be provided only at disproportionate cost.Incentives are also offered under schemes run by the Countryside Commission. The countryside stewardship scheme seeks to conserve those features of the landscape which contribute to the preservation and abundance of our wildlife. The precise number of agreements involving hedgerow restoration and planting is not known, but an approximate figure since the scheme's launch in July 1991 is 344 agreements. The hedgerow incentive scheme provides grant aid for the restoration and management of our most valuable hedgerows. Since its launch in July 1992, 481 agreements have been made.

Countryside Stewardship Scheme

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many successful applications were made under the countryside stewardship scheme in (a) 1991 and (b) 1992; what was the cost of such schemes for each year; how many schemes involved additional payments for public access; what was the total amount paid in additional access payments; and what was the amount of land for which access has been paid.

[holding answer 15 March 1993]: The table provides the information requested in relation to agreements secured with land managers under countryside stewardship as a result of applications to the scheme in 1991. Figures for 1992 are based on agreement offers made—final figures for agreements secured are not yet available.

Countryside stewardship	1991	1992
Successful applications which resulted in agreements or agreement offers	900	1,384
The cost of agreements secured or offered¹	£3,250,000	£6,900,000
Number of agreements secured or offered in each year involving additional payments for public access	300	350
Amount paid for additional access^{1 2}	£350,000	£625,000
Amount of land to which access payments apply^{1 2}	7,000 (hectares)	12,474 (hectares)
¹Figures shown for 1992 under these categories are based on the cumulative total for agreements secured as a result of applications made in 1991 and agreement offers made as a result of applications in 1992. Payments in respect of 1992 agreements are estimated only and most will not fall due until September 1993.
²In 1992 an additional access option was introduced to offer payments for the creation of linear routes. Figures are not included in the table, but it is estimated that 1992 agreements will lead to the creation of about 163 km of new linear access.

Leeds Development Corporation

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out for each year since its creation the publicity and public relations budget of the Leeds development corporation.

[holding answer 15 March 1993]: Leeds development corporation's expenditure on publicity and public relations, which includes the corporation's promotional and marketing activities, was £223,000 in 1988–89, £324,000 in 1989–90, £480,000 in 1990–91 and £499,000 in 1991–92. For 1992–93 the proposed level of expenditure is £300,000.

Home Department

Northern Ireland-Related Offences

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the occupations, by census classification or other categorisation, of each person killed in Great Britain in violence related to the security situation in Northern Ireland since 1969.

The available information, which may not be completely accurate, is:

1 Cancer research specialist
3 Children
3 Cleaners
1 Car worker
1 Club manager
3 Company directors
1 Company manager
1 Courier
1 Door attendant
2 Electricians
1 Gardener
6 Housewives
2 Journalists
2 Labourers
1 Librarian
1 Maintenance worker
1 Management consultant
3 Members of Parliament
1 Office worker
2 Pipe fitters
1 Plasterer
5 Police officers
1 Postman
1 Psychiatric nurse
1 Punch-card operator
1 Quantity surveyor
1 Railway guard
1 Restaurateur
1 Sales clerk
1 Securities dealer
44 Service personnel
1 Shop assistant
1 Shop manager
1 Stockbroker
1 Stock controller
1 Store supervisor
2 Students
1 Telephonist
1 Tube driver
1 Typist
2 Unemployed
3 Unknown
1 Wages clerk
2 Waiters/Waitresses
2 Welders

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what has been the average length of sentence imposed on persons convicted for Northern Ireland-related offences in Great Britain in each year since 1969;(2) what has been the average length of sentence imposed by the courts since 1973 on a terrorist convicted of Northern Ireland terrorist-related activities, excluding homicide, in England and Wales;(3) what has been the average length of sentence imposed by the courts since 1973 on a terrorist convicted of Northern Ireland terrorist-related activities, excluding homicide, in Scotland.

The available statistics are contained in Home Office statistical bulletin "Statistics on the Operation of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Acts 1974 and 1976—29 November 1974 to 26 March 1984"—tables 4 and 5, issue number 10/84, and "Statistics on the Operation of Prevention of Terrorism Legislation—1992"—tables 5 and 6, issue number 5/93, copies of which are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the average length of sentence imposed by the courts since 1970 on a terrorist convicted of a Northern Ireland-related homicide in England and Wales.

All 10 suspects who have been convicted of a Northern Ireland-related homicide in England and Wales since 1970 were convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the occupations, by census classification or other categorisation, of each person killed on the European mainland in violence related to the security situation in Northern Ireland since 1969.

The available information, which may not be completely accurate, is:

1 Child
1 Diplomat
1 Driver
1 Housewife
8 Service personnel
6 unknown

Security Situation

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the annual number of arrests and convictions directly related to the security situation in Great Britain since 1969.

The available information relates to convictions following detention under prevention of terrorism legislation. This is contained in the Home Office statistical bulletin, issues 10/84 and 5/93.

Home Department

Young Offenders

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of places required in secure training units for the 11 to 15 years age group which he announced on 2 March; and if he will publish the evidence on which he bases that estimate.

Work is proceeding on the development of detailed plans for the introduction of the new secure training order for persistent juvenile offenders between the ages of 12 and 15, including an assessment of the number of places likely to be required.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 10 March, Official Report, column 557, when he expects to be able to provide an initial rough figure for the capital costs of (a) the individual units and (b) the total programme of secure training units for the 11 to 15 age groups announced on 2 March.

As my right hon. and learned Friend indicated in his statement on 2 March, columns 139–42, it is envisaged that the centres will be provided through agreements with suitable organisations which may come from the public, voluntary or private sectors provided that they can demonstrate the ability to meet the standards we shall be setting and to give value for money. Both the capital and revenue costs involved in implementing secure training orders are likely, therefore, to depend, inter alia, on a process of competitive tendering. This will take place once specifications have been drawn up.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 9 March, Official Report, column 478, if he will give the reasons for the Government's view that corporal punishment is not an acceptable way of dealing with offenders.

There are considerable doubts about the effectiveness of corporal punishment as a deterrent. The courts had largely stopped using this form of punishment before its abolition in 1948, not least because of evidence which seemed to indicate that its use was counterproductive; those who were flogged were found to be more likely to commit further offences than similar offenders who were not subjected to corporal punishment.Moreover, the use of corporal punishment would be contrary to the United Kingdom's obligations under article 3 of the European convention on human rights which states that no one shall be subjected to torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Thames House

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much is being spent on the refurbishment and structural work at Thames house.

The projected outturn cost of the work on Thames house is £238 million.

Police (Discipline)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 22 February, Official Report, column 430, from which police authorities the 19 police officers retired.

My answer of 22 February contained an inaccuracy, for which I apologise. The number of police officers who had retired after disciplinary charges had been brought against them, but before those charges had been heard should have been given as 18, not 19. The police authorities from which the 18 officers retired in 1991 are set down in the table:

	Number
Cambridgeshire	3
Durham	1
Gloucestershire	1
Lancashire	2
Merseyside	1
Northumbria	1
South Wales	3
Surrey	1
Sussex	2
Thames Valley	2
West Midlands	1
Total	18

United Kingdom Immigrants Advisory Service

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the plans for a new voluntary body to take over the general immigration work of the United Kingdom Immigrants Advisory Service.

I announced on 8 July 1992, columns 202–203, that the Government had decided to terminate the grant in aid paid to UKIAS and that my right hon. and learned Friend had invited Mr. Humfrey Malins to lead a small planning group, outside Government, to draw up proposals for a new voluntary body which would receive grant under section 23 of the Immigration Act 1971 and would take over UKIAS's general immigration work.After consulting widely, the planning group completed its proposals at the end of last year and published its report on 29 January. A copy is in the Library of the House. The Government have now considered this report and have concluded that the trustees of an organisation constituted and structured as the planning group proposes would be able to meet their responsibilities under charity law and to satisfy the Home Office that there would be proper accountability for the grant paid. Accordingly, my right hon. and learned Friend is asking the planning group now to take steps to implement its proposals and establish the new body as outlined in the report.The Government are most grateful to Mr. Malins and the members of the planning group for their work on the report and for their willingness to take their proposals forward, and also to the Reverend David Haslam and members of the standing executive committee who have formed an interim administration to run UKIAS during the transitional period so that the service to immigration appellants can continue.

Immigration (Prison Detention)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are currently being detained in prison as a result of immigration procedures; and what information he has on the length of time they have been held.

On 31 January 1993, there were 299 detainees held in prison service establishments in England

Population of persons detained under the Immigration Act 1971 in prison service establishments in England and Wales on 31 August 1992 by length of detention¹
	Length of detention¹
	1 day to 1 month	Over 1 month to 2 months	Over 2 months to 3 months	Over 3 months to 6 months	Over 6 months	Total detainees
31 August 1992	51	28	25	63	55	222
¹Time which had been served by 31 August 1992.

Market Testing

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the cost to date of the market test exercise in relation to establishment division 5 information systems and pay services.

Up to 31 March 1993 the cost of the market test of ED5 information systems and pay services is expected to be £217,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what financial arrangements he proposes to make with potential contractors in his market testing of establishment division 5 information systems and pay services to cover liabilities under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 and the EC acquired rights directive.

The potential contractors will be required to take account of the possible implications of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 and the EC acquired rights directive in their bids.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will require all prospective contractors for the work of the establishment division 5 information systems and pay services to be certificated to BS 5750 and hold the "TickIt" qualification.

Prospective contractors will need to demonstrate that they can deliver the service to an acceptable quality standard, such as the BS 5750 and "TickIt" qualification.

Genetic Engineering

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make representations to his EC partners to secure that all EC genetic engineering regulations are cross-linked with those on animal experimentation and welfare.

We ensure that appropriate opportunities are taken to remind our EC partners of the need to bear in mind the principles of EC directive 86/609/EEC on animal experimentation when considering genetic engineering matters.

and Wales under the Immigration Act 1971. The latest available information relating to the period of detention is for 31 August 1992 and is given in the table.

Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to amend the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937 to include films shown on television, in private clubs, and in video form.

We have no plans to amend the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937.

Animal Experimentation

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward proposals to impose a statutory requirement upon all those undertaking work under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to receive compulsory training.

From 1 April 1994 applicants for personal licences will be required to have completed successfully an accredited training programme. In addition to this, from 1 April 1995, first-time project licence applicants will require further pre-licensing training, to be acquired from accredited training programmes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to secure the formation of animal care and use committees at all establishments designated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

The regulatory system established under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 places responsibility on the holder of a certificate of designation issued under section 6 to ensure proper standards of animal care and use at his or her establishment. In discharging that responsibility, it is open to the certificate holder to establish an animal care and use committee according to local circumstances and need. There are no plans to require such committees at all designated establishments.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to extend the conditions of the code of practice on housing and care of laboratory animals to cover breeding and supply establishments.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to an earlier question from the hon. Member on 3 November 1992, column 128.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the number of his departmental inspectors to undertake work in relation to the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

None.

Crime Statistics

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many crimes have been committed by those aged 18 years and younger each year since 1983;(2) what was the total number of convictions for all offences in each year since 1983.

Information on "known offenders"—those found guilty or cautioned—by age is published annually in the Command Paper "Criminal Statistics England and Wales". Table 5.23 of the 1988 and 1991 publications gives the requested data for indictable offences back to 1983.Figures showing the number of convictions for all offences are also published annually in the above-mentioned publication. Table 5.8 of the 1991 issue gives figures back to 1981.A copy of this publication is available in the Library. 1992 data will not be available until the autumn of 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people were convicted for committing crimes involving the use of firearms in each year since 1979;(2) how many people are currently serving prison sentences for committing crimes that involved the use of firearms.

Information for the years 1979, 1980, 1987 and 1989 to 1991 on the number of persons convicted of offences involving the use of firearms in England and Wales is given in the table. Information about other years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.Information is not held centrally about the number of persons currently serving prison sentences for offences that involve the use of firearms. However in 1991, 1,261 offenders were sentenced at the courts in England and Wales to immediate custody for indictable offences and 15 for summary offences which all involved the use of firearms.1992 data will not be available until autumn 1993.

Number of offenders convicted of offences involving the use of firearms by type of offence 1979, 1980, 1987, 1989, 1990 and 1991 England and Wales
Year	Indictable	Summary
1979	2,830	6,139
1980	3,073	5,915

Notifiable offences recorded by the police by offence group
	Number of offences
Metropolitan Police District	January 1992	February 1992	March 1992	April 1992	May 1992	June 1992
Violence against the person	2,793	2,624	2,848	3,043	3,062	3,696
Sexual offences	410	415	428	445	449	543
Burglary	18,244	15,907	16,803	15,942	13,859	15,415
Robbery	1,743	1,666	1,908	1,935	1,830	2,094
Theft and handling stolen goods	37,443	36,624	40,026	38,638	36,613	40,359
Fraud and forgery	3,554	3,324	3,489	3,471	3,022	3,872
Criminal damage	14,445	13,596	15,432	14,867	13,724	13,695
Other offences	599	612	543	573	589	549

Year	Indictable	Summary
1987	2,569	1,827
1989	3,008	1,378
1990	3,157	1,169
1991	3,289	934

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were reported in each year since 1983.

The available information is for notifiable offences recorded by the police. Statistics for 1983 to 1991 were published in table 2.24 of the 1991 volume of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales". The latest available figures are for the 12 months ending June 1992 and were published in Home Office statistical bulletin 31/92. Copies of both are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes involving the use of firearms were committed in each police authority in each year since 1979.

Statistics on notifiable offences recorded by the police in which firearms were reported to have been used by police force area were published in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales", supplementary tables 1989 Vol. 3—for the years 1979 to 1989 and 1991 Vol. 3—for the years 1990 and 1991—table S3.1(A). Copies of these publications are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes involving physical violence were reported in each year since 1983.

The available information is for notifiable offences recorded by the police. Violent crime which involves physical violence or the threat of physical violence come within the offence groups of violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery. Statistics for 1983 to 1991 were published in table 2.24 of the 1991 volume of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales". The latest figures are for the 12 months ending June 1992 and were published in Home Office statistical bulletin 31/92. Copies of both are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences were committed, in total, and by category of offence, in the Metropolitan police district, in each of the six months up to the latest available date.

The available information is for notifiable offences recorded and is shown in the table.

Number of offences

Metropolitan Police District

January 1992

February 1992

March 1992

April 1992

May 1992

June 1992

Total

79,231

74,768

81,477

78,914

73,148

80,223

Drivers (Drugs)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been convicted for driving under the influence of illegal drugs in each year since 1979.

This information is not separately identifiable in the statistics collected centrally.

Crime Prevention

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to place a statutory responsibility upon local authorities to allocate a budget for crime prevention measures.

No. It is for individual local authorities to determine their expenditure priorities within overall budgets.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his plans for the greater involvement of local authorities in (a) crime prevention and (b) protection to the general public from the effects of crime.

Local authorities are already closely involved in crime prevention and the protection of towns and neighbourhoods through their participation in the delivery of a number of the Government's housing and inner city initiatives, including city challenge, estates action and the safer cities programme. Outside these programmes, the Government welcome the increasing development by local authorities of their own community safety strategies and action plans, in partnership with the police and other agencies, following guidance issued to them in Home Office circular 44/90 (Welsh Office circular 28/90).

Wolds Prison

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department's operational guidelines and circulars concerning the prison service are issued to Her Majesty's prison Wolds.

If the contractor is required, under the terms of the contract, to follow prison service practice or procedures then the appropriate guidelines or circulars are issued to him.

Primates

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will establish a United Kingdom register of breeding primates.

There are no plans for a register exclusively for the United Kingdom. The Primate Society of Great Britain has suggested the establishment of a European primate register, and we have raised this idea with our EC partners. These discussions are at an early stage.

Dog Breeders

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce legislation to control and restrict the activities of dog breeders and dealers.

None. Establishments where dogs are bred for sale are already subject to the controls of the Breeding of Dogs Act 1973. The controls of the 1973 Act were strengthened by the Breeding of Dogs Act 1991.

Pet Animals Convention

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ratify article 10 of the Convention on the protection of pet animals.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to a question from the hon. Member for Gateshead, East (Ms Quinn) on 19 November 1992 at column 293.

Hong Kong (Passports)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many British passports giving the right of entry to Britain have been issued to citizens of Hong Kong in each of the last three years.

Registrations under the British nationality (Hong Kong) selection scheme commenced on 25 May 1991. Between then and 6 March 1992, 3,405 British citizen passports were issued in Hong Kong to scheme beneficiaries. The corresponding figure for 7 March 1992 to 6 March 1993 was 18,767.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who is responsible for the appointment of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis; and to whom the appointee is subsequently responsible.

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis is appointed by her Majesty the Queen. He subsequently conducts the business of that office under the direction of the Secretary of State.

Policing Costs

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the police authorities, with the sum involved in each case, affected by the reduction in class IX, vote I, sub-head D2, "special grants for policing costs", in the spring supplementary estimates.

No police authorities were affected by this reduction, which was due to a lower than anticipated level of grant being due in support of payments made by assisted police authorities.

Prime Minister

Banking Supervision

To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had concerning the content of the second report of the Treasury and Civil Service Select Committee, Session 1992–93, "Banking Supervision and BCCI: The Implications of the Bingham report."

I meet my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer regularly to discuss matters of common interest.

Water And Sewerage Services, Scotland

To ask the Prime Minister when he expects a decision to be taken on the future of water and sewerage services in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland has received nearly 5,000 responses to

	1 April 1980 £	1 August 1990 £	1 October 1991 £	1 November 1992 £
Cash Terms
Ceiling on charges for in-patient treatment	1,250	2,546	2,667	2,780
Ceiling on charges for out-patient treatment	125	255	267	278
Emergency treatment fee	6·75	18·20	19·30	20·10
Constant Price terms (1992–93 Prices)
Ceiling on charges for in-patient treatment	2,562·79	2,846·81	2,787·01	2,780
Ceiling on charges for out-patient treatment	256·28	285·13	279·01	278
Emergency treatment fee	13·84	20·35	20·17	20·10

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total estimated cost of road traffic accidents to the national health service at current prices and in cash terms (a) in 1980 and (b) in each of the last three years.

This information is not held centrally.

Misappropriation

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action is taken when national health service cash or assets have been misappropriated or improperly obtained by (a) members of the public, (b) members of staff or (c) managers, directors or chairmen.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 20 January at column 322.

Nursing Homes

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence she has received from family health services authorities that general practices are de-registering or refusing to register elderly residents of nursing homes.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will issue guidelines to general practitioners about the extent to which palliative treatment should be given by general practitioners to residents of nursing homes.

his consultation paper on the future of water and sewerage services in Scotland. He will make a decision when all responses have been considered.

To ask the Prime Minister which Department is responsible for deciding on the future of water and sewerage services in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland is responsible for deciding on the future of water and sewerage services in Scotland.

Health

Traffic Casualties

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the schedule of charges for the hospital treatment of traffic casualties in current prices and in cash terms (a) in 1980 and (b) for each of the last three years.

The information requested is shown in the table:

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice she has issued to family health services authorities to deal with the de-registering or the refusal to register by general practitioners of elderly residents of nursing homes.

Family health services authorities are aware of their obligations in this area. They are able to provide to patients a list of alternative doctors in their area. Under the National Health Service General Medical Services Regulations 1992, family health services also have the power to assign a patient to a general practitioner should that patient experience problems in registering in the normal way.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners in Derbyshire have refused to give palliative care to residents of nursing homes in the county; and what steps she has taken to rectify the situation.

We have no evidence to suggest that any general practitioner in Derbyshire has refused to provide palliative care to patients resident in nursing homes.

Warrington Hospital

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the post-operative infection rates for each year since 1990 for Warrington general hospital.

This information is not collected centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. D. Hannah, chairman of Warrington health authority, for details.

Complementary Therapies

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the savings to the NHS drugs budget from the use of complemetary therapies in general practice; and if she will make provision to fund research to provide evidence for such savings.

No such assessment has been made directly involving complementary therapies. The Department and the National Health Service management executive have taken a number of measures to contain spending on the NHS drugs budget and shall continue to seek ways of improving the effectiveness of these measures, as well as considering, new ones.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the contribution that complementary therapists make to the health of the nation.

The national health service may adopt a variety of approaches in meeting the health needs of the population. Natural therapies may be incorporated in local arrangements for health care, including programmes aimed at meeting the targets in the key areas initially selected for action in "The Health of the Nation" strategy, where they are considered appropriate and cost-effective.

Breast Implant Surgery

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to make prospective patients aware of the risks involved in breast implant surgery.

The Department keeps the potential risks of these implants under review and provides advice. The Chief Medical Officer wrote to all doctors on this topic in January 1992. A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library.It remains the professional responsibility of clinicians to inform patients about the possibility of any known side effects in the process of obtaining consent.

Abortion

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment has been made of the incidence of significant under-reporting of the numbers of abortions in some health authorities; and if she will make a statement;(2) if she will obtain for her departmental library a copy of a publication the name of which has been supplied to her.

Any evidence of under-reporting is always investigated. The publication referred to is the November 1992 issue of the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, a copy of which is held in the Department's library. One of the articles in the journal is about apparent discrepancies in the number of abortions carried out in one health region. The figures are being investigated and follow-up action will be taken if required.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give a breakdown by district health authority of the number of abortions performed in the latest year for which figures are available which are recorded (a) through the formal notification procedure and (b) through records of hospital activity; if she will calculate the percentage discrepancy in each case; and if she will make a statement.

A comparison of data from the hospital episode statistics (HES) system with those from the formal notification system is being carried out. Any discrepancies will be further investigated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations she has received concering possible under-reporting of abortions by some health authorities.

Two such representations have been received since the beginning of 1991.

Psychiatric Care

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to establish a statutory right of access to a key worker and a care programme for all those under the care of a consultant psychiatrist who currently live in the community.

We have no plans to introduce new legislation to this effect.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to ensure that mental health review tribunals do not discharge patients from compulsory detention in hospital unless adequate after-care arrangements are provided.

The care progamme approach makes it the responsibility of all district health authorities, in collaboration with local social services departments, to draw up individual care programmes for all in-patients about to be discharged from mental illness hospitals. This includes those patients discharged by a mental health review tribunal. I understand that tribunals take account of proposed aftercare arrangements in the evidence they receive when considering discharge.

Prescriptions

To ask the Secretary of State for Health on average how many items of prescription are dispensed each day (a) to patients exempt from charge and (b) to patients paying for prescription.

In 1991, the latest year for which information is available, an average of 1·01 million prescribed items were dispensed each day by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, of which about 812,000 went to patients exempt from charge or entitled to charge remission and some 199,000 went to patients who paid charges or held prescription prepayment certificates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions for moisturising creams were dispensed in 1991–92.

Moisturising creams as such are not a recognised therapeutic category. The number of prescriptions for emollients dispensed by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors in England in 1991 was 2·2 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies her Department has made of the evolution of prescribing patterns in each of the 10 categories of medicines to which she proposes to extend the selected list system.

None. It will be for the Advisory Committee on National Health Service Drugs to decide what data it needs to enable it to complete its review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from pharmaceutical companies about the implications for employment of the proposed extension of the selected list for medicines.

We have received a number of representations from pharmaceutical companies. In response, we have pointed out that the changes we are introducing mirror measures being taken throughout Europe to limit the growth of drugs bills. Investment and employment in the United Kingdom pharmaceutical industry depend on a number of factors in both the United Kingdom and other key pharmaceutical markets.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what level of prescribing must be reached before a generic drug is included within part 8 of the drug tariff.

Entry to the drug tariff is triggered automatically when 100,000 prescriptions are written generically per year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her estimate of the number of prescription items to be written under the national health service in the 1993–94 financial year.

This information is not available in the form requested, but it is estimated that some 448 million prescribed items will be dispensed by community pharmacists, appliance contractors and dispensing doctors in 1993–94.

Personal Social Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the level of resources for spending on personal social services, including community care, in 1992–93 and 1993–94; and if she will make a statement.

Total standard spending for local authority personal social services in 1992–93 is £4,850 million. In 1993–94 standard spending will be £5,585 million, an increase of 15 per cent. Included in the 1993–94 total is the special transitional grant of £565 million for community care. This provides evidence of the Government's commitment to social services. Standard spending next year will be more than 33 per cent. higher in real terms than in 1990–91. Expenditure by local authorities in 1992–93 is 67 per cent. higher in real terms than in 1978–79, and the special transitional grant is 35 per cent. higher than the transfer of resources from the Department of Social Security.

Leprosy Patients (Thalidomide)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from the Committee on the Safety of Medicines concerning the use of thalidomide to treat leprosy patients.

None.

Complaints Procedure

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints were made by patients to family health service authorities about general practitioners during the last year for which figures are available; and how many of these complaints were upheld.

The latest available figures relating to formal complaints are contained in table 5.14 (Family Health Services) of "Health and Personal Social Services Statistics 1992", a copy of which is in the Library.Figures for the numbers of comments, suggestions and informal complaints made to family health services authorities are not available centrally.

Young Offenders

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the local authorities who have provided secure units for juvenile offenders and those which have not.

I refer my hon. Friend to the replies I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Elmet (Mr. Batiste) on 20 January at columns 318–19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision has been made by local authorities in the north-east to provide secure accommodation for young offenders.

The information is shown in the table.

Secure accommodation in North East region
Location	Managing authorities	Number of secure places
New Aycliffe Royston House	Durham	14
Aycliffe Community Home special unit	Durham	36
Netherton Park Elm secure unit	Northumberland	5

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the premises in the Hexham constituency which have been used to provide accommodation for young offenders in each of the last five years; if she will provide details of the local authorities who have made use of them; and if she will make a statement.

Information is not available centrally about the individual premises in which children or young people are looked after by local authorities or voluntary organisations other than for local authority secure units. There are no secure units in the Hexham constituency.The provision of accommodation for young people on sentence is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary.

Doctors' Working Hours

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average number of hours worked by (a) consultants and (b) junior hospital doctors in England in each of the past five years (i) by region and (ii) nationally.

Information on the average hours worked by consultants and junior hospital doctors is not available centrally. Information on regional averages could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.The average weekly contracted hours for junior hospital doctors in England is available for the period 1988–91, as at 30 September each year, as follows:

1988:82 hours 1989:81 hours 1990:80 hours 1991: 80 hours (all figures rounded to the nearest whole hour).

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many junior hospital doctors worked fewer than 83 hours a week as at 1 March; and how many remain above that figure.

Category	1987–88	1988–89	1989–90	1990–91	1991–92
Children under 16	—	—	1,541,180	1,560,390	1,842,550
Students under 19	—	—	334,000	346,220	410,150
People on income support/family credit	—	—	1,129,970	1,380,240	1,650,570
Holders of exemption certificate AG2	—	—	171,980	215,200	271,990
Registered blind/partially sighted	—	—	14,540	14,880	21,880
Those who need certain complex lenses	—	—	36,760	49,230	62,250
Diagnosed diabetes/glaucoma sufferers	—	—	255,430	324,920	384,380
Relatives aged 40 and over of diagnosed glaucoma sufferers	—	—	165,120	262,580	335,660
New scheme	—	—	3,649,000	4,153,660	4,979,420
Old scheme	11,694,800	12,392,830	1,630,750	—	—
Total¹	11,694,800	12,492,830	5,279,750	4,153,660	4,979,420
¹From April 1989, national health service sight tests were restricted to certain groups in the population. The sight tests paid for in 1989–90 include some conducted prior to 1 April 1989—old scheme—when national health service sight tests were universally available. The remainder paid for in 1989–90 do not represent a full year under the new system, because of the delay in payments. The figure for 1989–90 is not, therefore, directly comparable with that for 1990–91.

Antacids

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 22 February, Official Report, column 480, what was the total prescription volume and costs for (a) antacids and (b) anti-ulcer drugs for each of the last 10 years.

Prescriptions (thousands)
	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991
Antacids (1.1)¹	6,320	6,558	6,733	6,978	7,406	7,757	7,953	7,701	7,713	8,469
Ulcer-healing drugs (1.3)¹	2,165	2,431	2,794	3,234	3,859	4,515	5,104	5,792	6,698	7,961

Net Ingredient Cost (pounds thousands)
	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991
Antacids (1.1)¹	15,717	17,956	18,796	17,280	18,397	20,005	20,999	20,795	20,902	23,876
Ulcer healing drugs (1.3)¹	31,652	41,422	51,087	63,533	81,930	101,719	124,262	146,996	180,081	222,241
¹British National Formulary category.

Notes:

1. 1982 to 1990 data based on a sample of one in 200 prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists and appliance contractors only.

2. 1991 data cover all prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors, and personal administration.

Regulations

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 5 February, Official Report, column 379, if she has now finished compiling and has checked for accuracy and consistency of definition the comprehensive provisional list of regulations for which her Department is responsible; and when she intends to place the list in the Library.

This information is not available centrally.

Eye Tests

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people received eye tests free of charge in each of the last five years by category of exemption from charges.

The number of free national health service sight tests paid for in each financial year in England in each of the last five years are shown in the table, by category of exemption from charges.

The information is as follows:

A consolidated list of regulations for all Departments will be compiled by the central deregulation unit of the Department of Trade and Industry and placed in the Library as soon as possible.

Dr Kypros Loucas

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will establish a special compensation scheme for patients found to have been wrongfully treated by Dr. Kypros Loucas;

(2) what requests for assistance Her Majesty's Government have received from the General Medical Council in respect of the inquiry into the conduct of Dr. Kypros Loucas.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave her on 15 March at column 7.

Maternity Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women were delivered in England during each of the financial years 1990–91 and 1991–92; and how many (a) complete and (b) incomplete records have been included in the maternity hospital episode system data files for each of these two financial years.

[holding answer 12 March 1993]: There were 665,065 deliveries in England during 1990–91, the latest year for which figures are available.During 1990–91 there were 400,448 delivery episodes recorded on the maternity hospital episode system. An analysis of the quality and completeness of these data is proceeding. The data files for 1991–92 are not yet available.

Wales

Housebuilding Statistics

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the latest year-on-year figures in public sector housebuilding, giving figures for elderly persons' accommodation separately; and if he will make a statement.

Information on activity is given in the table:

Completions of local authority and new town dwellings and units provided by housing associations
	Built for the elderly	Total
1990–91	385	3,525
1991–92	396	3,885

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the latest year-on-year figures for housing association housebuilding.

Information on activity is given in the table:

Total units provided by housing associations in Wales
	Total
1990–91	3,060
1991–92	3,548

Committee Of The Regions

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had in relation to the functions of the Welsh Economic Council and proposals for a forum for membership of the Committee of the regions representing Wales; and if he will make it his policy to make strict definitions of the purposes of the proposed council and forum to avoid duplication of functions.

I have received 89 responses to my consultation paper on the Welsh Economic Council; consultations are continuing.

Heads Of The Valley Authority

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list those organisations and individuals who made representations to him proposing a unitary authority based on Blaenau Gwent, Merthyr Tydfil together with the community areas of Rhymney, Darran Valley and New Tredegar.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will list those organisations and individuals who recommended to him the establishment of the proposed Heads of the Valleys unitary authority.

My proposal to establish a Heads of the Valley unitary authority was based upon my consideration of the large number of often conflicting representations I received about the possible boundaries of unitary authorities in the valleys. Copies of the representations I received, both to my consultation paper of June 1991 and to my statement to the House of 3 March 1992, are in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a further statement on the application of the criteria of the community identity and traditional loyalty to which he made reference in Cm. 2155 "Local Government in Wales", to his proposed unitary authority based on Blaenau Gwent, Merthyr Tydfil, together with the community areas of Rhymney, Darran Valley and New Tredegar.

I am well aware of the strength of community identity that exists in these areas. I am confident that the proposed Heads of the Valleys authority, which is based on communities which share similar heritage, will be well able both to respond to the needs of local people and to ensure the provision of high quality services efficiently, economically and effectively.

Nhs Expenditure

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what has been spent per head of the population on the national health service in Wales in each year since 1985 at (a) current and (b) outturn prices.

The information requested is given in the table.

NHS (in Wales) Expenditure (Gross) per head
	(a) 1992–93 prices £	(b) Outturn prices £
1985–86	508	339
1986–87	527	363
1987–88	552	401
1988–89	570	445
1989–90	578	479
1990–91	597	536
1991–92¹	640	614
1992–93^{1 2}	691	691
¹Using provisional mid-year population estimate for 1991.
²Using provision following spring supplementary estimates.

Training And Enterprise Councils

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the total budgets for each training and enterprise council in Wales for 1992–93 and the estimated budgets for 1993–94; and what are the amounts in each case for (a) youth training and (b) adult training.

The information requested in respect of 1992–93 was given in my replies to the hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn) on 10 November 1992.Information relating to 1993–94 budgets is not available, as contracts with training and enterprise councils have not yet been finalised.

Regional Technology Centres

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to develop regional technology centres to establish delivery mechanisms for innovation and technology transfer and offer specific services to small and medium-sized enterprises in Wales.

Colleges in Wales provide a regional network of centres of technology and, with the active support of the Government, many of these organisations including North East Wales institute (NEWI), Carmarthenshire college of technology and art (CCTA) and the university of Glamorgan, already deliver focused technology transfer services to Welsh industry, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). University colleges, and companies, in Wales make extensive use of the teaching company scheme and are involved in many of the LINK programmes.The Welsh Development Agency also encourages technology transfer; Imperial Park is being developed and this and other initiatives such as the Welsh relay centre and support under the European STRIDE and DTI college-industrial units programmes will build on existing strengths and make an invaluable contribution towards enhancing the innovative culture we are seeking to encourage within Welsh SMEs.Moreover, as I announced recently, the Government are reviewing the scope for transferring responsibility for a range of schemes for encouraging industrial innovation and technology transfer in Wales from the Department of Trade and Industry to the Welsh Office.

Far East Investment

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations have been made by his Department to companies and organisations in (a) Taiwan, (b) Hong Kong and (c) Singapore concerning the development of inward investment programmes in Wales.

My Department, together with Welsh Development International, is in close touch with a number of companies in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore about the opportunities for investment in Wales.

Local Government Reorganisation

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what time scale he proposes for the further consultation on the White Paper on local government reorganisation.

I would welcome views from right hon. and hon. Members and all other interested parties as soon as possible.

School Music

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the answer of 9 March to the hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones), Official Report, columns 513–14, what proposals he has to consult the chairman of the Welsh Arts Council in relation to the funding of school and county-level brass bands, youth choirs and orchestras.

None. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to the hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside on 9 March, columns 513–14.

Market Testing

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the consequences of market testing bids for civil service jobs in Wales for divestment of work out of Wales.

If such aspects arise, I will consider them in the context of each case.

National Museum Schools Service

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many county councils currently support financially the national museum schools service; how many of them have indicated that they will cease to support that service after 1 April; what assessment he has made over the impact of the future level of funding on the achievement of national curriculum history syllabus targets in primary and secondary schools; and if he will make a statement.

Five local education authorities currently give financial support to the schools museum service. Three of them have indicated their intention to give some continuing support next year, but South Glamorgan and Gwynedd have said that they will withdraw support. The £150,000 grant from the Welsh Office which my right hon. Friend announced on 9 December 1992 should more than offset the reduced support from the local education authorities, and should allow the present service to be sustained. The total level of financial support will also depend on contributions from schools. No assessment of the effects of the reduced local education authority support can yet be made.

Regulations

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 8 February, Official Report, column 485, if he has now finished compiling and has checked for accuracy and consistency of definition the comprehensive, provisional list of regulations for which his Department is responsible; and when he intends to place the list in the Library.

Pursuant to the answer given on 8 February, I can now confirm that there are no such Wales-only regulations.

Health Staff (Bloodborne Diseases)

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidelines he will issue to Welsh health authorities in relation to prompt reporting to his Department of the present or past service of bloodborne virus-infected health professionals in their employ involved in invasive forms of treatment or surgery with a view to recall systems, counselling and, where necessary, redeployment away from invasive surgery.

The Welsh Office will be associated with the review of advice on procedures to be adopted by health authorities announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health on 11 March 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has in relation to improvement of medical records database to enable accurate recall of ex-patients, where those patients were treated or their babies delivered by health professionals subsequently found to be suffering from AIDS or infected by HIV, Hepatitis B or other bloodborne viruses and diseases.

The Welsh Office is supporting a project to improve the quality and consistency of the medical record which will help in the identification of patients who may have been treated by an infected health professional.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received in relation to Mid Glamorgan health authority's decision not to notify the public or to issue specific recall notices to patients treated by, or children delivered by or with the assistance of their late doctor employee, deceased suffering from AIDS.

My right hon. Friend has received three representations about this matter.

Royal Naval Armaments Depot, Trecwn

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the terms of reference of the study that has been commissioned into the suitability and specific qualities of RNAD Trecwn for decommissioning munitions; and what form the study will take.

The study is being managed jointly by the Welsh Development Agency, Dyfed county council and Preseli Pembrokeshire district council. It will be primarily a locational study, seeking to identify the specific advantages of RNAD Trecwn for decommissioning. The study will be carried out in parallel with a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation study into decommissioning munitions being carried out by the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA).The terms of reference of the RNAD Trecwn study are to analyse:

skill availability;
depot size and handling capacity in relation to information provided by the NAMSA study;
security and administration;
locational advantages and disadvantages, including transport and internal movements; and
suitability for the methods of decommissioning required, as identified by the NAMSA study.

Youth Training

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the youth training budget for each of the seven Welsh training and enterprise councils for the 1993–94 financial year.

The information requested is not yet available. The training and enterprise councils have been given indicative budgets during the course of negotiations, but contracts for 1993–94 have not been finalised.

Welsh Development Agency

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the appointment of the chairman of the Welsh Development Agency.

I am considering a large number of applications received in response to advertisements for this appointment. This will not be completed in time for a new appointment to become effective before the end of this month and I have therefore asked the present chairman, Dr. Gwyn Jones, to continue in post until the end of June. I am pleased to say that Dr. Jones has told me that he has been able to adjust his commitments to enable him to do so. I will make a further announcement about the appointment in due course.

Ancient Monuments

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many ancient monuments in Wales are currently scheduled; how many he estimates ought to be scheduled; when he estimates the scheduling will be complete; how many scheduled monuments have been damaged or destroyed in each of the last five years; what were the causes of that damage or destruction, and if he will make a statement.

Responsibility for this subject has been delegated to Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments. I have asked the chief executive, John Carr, to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from E. A. J. Carr to Mr. Eric Martlew, dated March 1993:

I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Wales about the scheduling of ancient monuments in Wales since the matters you raise are the responsibility of the Agency.

The identification and scheduling of monuments of national importance is a key activity for the Agency. An evaluation of all known archaeological remains in Wales is underway and currently 2,697 monuments have been scheduled. It is estimated that when this exercise is completed, the total number of scheduled monuments in Wales might be of the order of 5,500.

We have been considering how the Agency's work in this area might be accelerated and you will be interested to know that during the next financial year, Cadw will be supplementing the work of its Inspectorate by employing a contractor to work on the scheduling enhancement of Roman military sites in the Principality. We shall also be reviewing the way in which contractors could be used to further accelerate this work.

The Agency routinely monitors the condition of all scheduled monuments on a three year cycle, and where damage has been identified all such cases are investigated. Depending on the circumstances of each case our response has ranged from a warning to those involved to a prosecution of the offenders. In two cases a successful prosecution has been mounted and a further two cases have been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service.

The Agency has no precise record of the number of scheduled monuments that may be damaged each year but from the monitoring arrangements I mention above this is kept under review. You might find it helpful to have details of

those monuments descheduled in the last five years due to reasons of damage or destruction though you will see that in each case damage occured before 1988.

1988–89

Y Gaer Camp, Clwyd:
The site has been levelled and landscaped removing any evidence of the monument when developed as a caravan park in the 1950s.

1989–90

Mount Sion Round Barrow, Dyfed:
This monument was situated in the middle of two gun ranges and was destroyed by gunfire in 1981.

Mynydd Llanybyther, alignment of standing stones, Dyfed:
No remains of this monument survive. It was probably destroyed when the area was first planted by the Forestry Commission in 1957.

Siemens Laboratory, West Glamorgan:
Demolished following grant of scheduled monument consent in 1987.

1990–91

Castell Dol Wlff:
The monument was lost when the site was levelled and a bungalow built over the site in 1983.

Rose Valley Barrow:
The remains of the barrow are thought to have been lost as a consequence of natural erosion. The original mound is thought to have been levelled when the site was brought into agricultural use and ploughed probably in the 1970s.

Northern Ireland

Royal Victoria Hospital

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many beds for patients there are in the Royal Victoria hospital at present and how many there were during each of the last five years.

The average numbers of available beds in the Royal Victoria hospital from 1987 to 1991–92 are as follows:

	Number
1987	1,008
1988–89	1,019
1989–90	977
1990–91	939
1991–92	879

Information on the number of available beds at present in the Royal Victoria hospital is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many nurses will be employed at the Royal Victoria hospital at the end of 1993.

It is not possible to state the number of nurses who will be employed at the Royal Victoria hospital at the end of 1993. This will be determined on the basis of service requirements at that time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many nurses have been employed at the Royal Victoria hospital for each of the last five years; and what was the ratio of nurses to patients in each year.

The information is set out in the table.

	Number of nurses		Nurse (WTE)/Patient Days ratio²
Year	Total	W.T.E¹
1988–89	1,388	1,085·70	1:266
1989–90	1,408	1,110·10	1:253
1990–91	1,398	1,107·88	1:243
1991–92	1,475	1,190·26	1:218
¹W.T.E = Whole Time Equivalent.
²Nurse to patient ratios are calculated on the basis of one nurse (whole-time equivalent) to the number of patient days (excluding out-patients).

Security-Related Offences

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the annual number of arrests and convictions directly related to the security situation in Northern Ireland since 1969.

The number of arrests in Northern Ireland under the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Acts and the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Acts, and the number of convictions for scheduled offences tried by a judge without a jury in the Northern Ireland courts are readily available only from 1975. The available information is set out in the table.

Year	Number of Persons arrested in NI under the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Acts and the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Acts	Number of Persons convicted for Scheduled Offences
1975	4,149	995
1976	8,567	900
1977	6,040	1,148
1978	5,029	837
1979	4,769	844
1980	3,570	550
1981	5,043	562
1982	4,017	744
1983	2,873	577
1984	2,475	464
1985	2,068	625
1986	2,283	567
1987	1,951	680
1988	1,782	487
1989	1,670	414
1990	1,614	440
1991	1,788	388
1992	1,842	354

Notes:

1. Figures included arrests under the NI (Emergency Provisions) Act, which are available up to 30 September 1992 only and exclude arrests under section 11 and section 13 of that Act prior to 1 June 1978, which are not available.

2. Not all persons who are arrested are charged or convicted; and not all findings of guilt are made the same year as the relevant arrest.

3. If an individual is arrested on more than one occasion, he/she will be added to the statistics on each occasion.

4. An individual convicted at different trials is added to the statistics on each occasion, and only once on each occasion whether or not he/she is convicted of more than one offence at each trial.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what has been the average length of sentence imposed on persons convicted for security-related offences in Northern Ireland in each year since 1969;

(2) what has been the average length of sentence imposed by the courts since 1970 on a terrorist convicted of a Northern Ireland-related homicide in Northern Ireland;

(3) what has been the average length of sentence imposed by the courts since 1973 on a terrorist convicted of Northern Ireland terrorist-related activities, excluding homicide, in Northern Ireland.

Sentences of imprisonment given to persons convicted of scheduled offences at the Crown Court sitting without a jury 1987–1991
	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991
Life imprisonment (number of persons)	10	12	11	15	11
Determinate prison sentence (number of persons)	333	257	227	241	262
Average determinate prison sentence (excluding life sentences)	4 years 8 months	5 years 2 months	5 years 9 months	5 years 10 months	6 years 9 months

Note: Some persons were convicted of more than one offence.

Sentences of imprisonment given to persons convicted of murder^ at the Crown Court sitting without a jury*
	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991
Life imprisonment (number of persons)	10	12	11	15	11
Determinate prison sentence (number of persons)	21	10	7	16	28
Average determinate prison sentence	11 years 9 months	11 years 6 months	17 years 2 months	13 years 7 months	16 years 2 months

Notes:

1. Some persons were convicted of more than one offence.

2. Where a person was convicted of more than one offence, the most serious, or that receiving the longest sentence is recorded.

^* 3. The offence of murder in the above table also includes attempted murder, aiding and abetting murder and conspiracy to murder.

Sentences of imprisonment given to persons convicted of scheduled offences, excluding murder^, at the Crown Court sitting without a jury, 1987–91*
	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991
Life imprisonment	—	—	—	—	—
Determinate prison sentence (number of persons)	312	247	220	225	234
Average determinate prison sentence (i.e., excluding life sentences)	4 years 3 months	4 years 11 months	5 years 5 months	5 years 4 months	5 years 8 months

Notes:

1. Some persons were convicted of more than one offence.

^* 2. For the purposes of the above table the offence "Murder" also includes attempted murder, aiding and abetting murder and conspiracy to murder.

Labour Statistics

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the sectoral distribution of the Northern Ireland labour force in percentage terms in 1971, 1981 and 1991 in (a) agriculture, (b) manufacturing, (c) other industry, including construction, mining, transport and communication, gas, electricity and water, (d) private services, including distribution, banking and finance and

Statistics collected distinguish offences scheduled under the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1991 and its predecessors, which are usually terrorist related, and tried at the Crown court sitting without a jury. They are readily available only from 1987 onwards and are as follows:miscellaneous services, but excluding security,

(e) public services, including professional and scientific agencies, and public administration, but excluding security related activities and (f) security, including locally recruited armed forces and private security personnel, but excluding regular Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.

The sectoral distribution of the employed civilian labour force in Northern Ireland in percentage terms in 1971, 1981 and 1991 is as follows.

Sectoral distribution of Northern Ireland civilian employment, 1971, 1981, 1991
	Employees in employment			Self-employed
	1971 Per cent.	1981 Per cent.	1991 Per cent.	1971 Per cent.	1981 Per cent.	1991 Per cent.
Agriculture	5·9	3·8	3·6	46·5	40·0	n/a
Manufacturing	35·2	24·0	19·1	2·0	3·9	n/a
Other industry	15·0	12·0	10·2	12·7	17·1	n/a
Private services	44·0	60·3	32·2	38·8	39·0	n/a
Public Services	44·0	60·3	34·9	0·0	0·0	n/a
Total	100·0	100·0	100·0	100·0	100·0

Notes:

1. It is not possible to provide separate information for security personnel in the form requested.

2. Figures for self employed have been obtained from the census of population, and are not yet available by industrial sector for 1991.

3. Separate information on public and private sector services was not collected prior to 1983.

Regulations

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 4 March, Official Report, column 249, if he has now finished compiling and has checked for accuracy and consistency of definition the comprehensive provisional list of regulations for which his Department is responsible; and when he intends to place the list in the Library.

Electricity

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the undertaking on rises in electricity prices given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Wiltshire, North (Mr. Needham) to the then hon. Member for Hartlepool on 16 October 1991 in evidence taken before the Energy Committee (HC No. 25 of 1991–92, page 5) remains the policy of Her Majesty's Government.

Yes, the mechanism described by the then Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland was implemented and remains in place.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish details of changes in the fuel cost element of electricity generating cost in Northern Ireland for each of the past three years for which records are available and the present year to date.

The fuel costs incurred in the generation of electricity were:

	£ million
1989–90	105·3
1990–91	106·1
1991–92	96·7
¹1992–93	99·7
¹To 28 February.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will sanction higher than inflation and fuel element-related increased charges by Northern Ireland Electricity to domestic and industrial consumers in Northern Ireland.

This is a matter for the Director General of Electricity Supply in Northern Ireland.

Employment

Training

15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress there has been on the delivery of the youth training guarantee in Hampshire.

Hampshire training and enterprise council and the careers service have been working extremely hard to ensure that the YT guarantee is met. I am pleased to say that there are now over 6,000 young people on YT and that the number waiting for places has reduced dramatically in recent months.

16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what types of apprenticeship are being brought forward through the youth training scheme in the south-east of England.

Some 10,300 apprenticeships covering a wide range of skills were operating under youth training in the south-east in spring 1992.

17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will make a further statement on the implementation of training for work.

Annual contract negotiations with training and enterprise councils are well on their way to completion and training for work will start from the 29 March as a major part of the 1·5 million opportunities we are making available to help people back to work.

23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what types of apprenticeship are coming forward through the youth training scheme.

Some 54,000 apprenticeships were operating under youth training in the spring of 1992, over 30,000 more than in 1984; and covering a wide range of occupations. One example is the county Durham training and enterprise council engineering initiative, offering training to craft and technician levels for over 100 young people.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many people were participating in (a) employment training, (b) employment action, (c) the enterprise allowance scheme and (d) youth training in each region and in Great Britain as a whole in each month since September 1992; and if she will make a statement;(2) if she will publish a table showing for each region and for Great Britain as a whole the destination of leavers from

(a) youth training schemes and (b) ET, giving the most recent figures, and figures for each earlier period since the scheme began to operate, broken done in the same way as the answer of 15 February to the hon. Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn), Official Report, column 58.

As the information is contained in a large number of tables, I will write to the hon. Member.

Long-Term Unemployment

18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what measures the Government have introduced to help the long-term unemployed, aged over 45 years, to obtain work and training.

All our employment and training services are open to people aged over 45 years, including the additional half million places available from April.

Wages Councils

19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what further representations she has received on the abolition of the wages councils; and if she will make a statement.

I have continued to receive representations for and against abolition of the councils.

Enterprise Allowance

20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the annual expenditure on enterprise allowance since its inception.

Annual expenditure on the enterprise allowance scheme (EAS) and its successor since 1991–92, the business start-up scheme (BSUS), is as follows:

	£ millions (GB)
1982–83	2·4
1983–84	23·2
1984–85	76·7
1985–86	103·9
1986–87	143·4
1987–88	195·9
1988–89	196·7
1989–90	170·9
1990–91	133·0
1991–92	105·2

Labour Statistics

21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of male unemployed people in Blaenau Gwent have been without work for between one and two years.

In January 1993, on the unadjusted bases, 18 per cent. of male claimants in the Blaenau Gwent parliamentary constituency had been unemployed for between one and two years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the figures for jobs lost in the Sheffield area in the steel and engineering industry over the last 12 months.

Figures at the level of industrial and geographical detail specified are only available from the census of employment—subject to confidentiality restrictions. The results of the 1991 census of employment will be available from 8 April. For the period specified, estimates are available only for broad industry groups by standard region.

Youth Unemployment

22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will outline the measures which she has taken to alleviate youth unemployment in Woolwich; and what assessment she has made of the results.

Woolwich is covered by South Thames training and enterprise council. The TEC has recently increased its youth training opportunities by 75 per cent., from 2,000 to 3,500. This is sufficient to meet the demand for places locally.

Equal Opportunities

24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps she is taking to promote equal opportunities in employment irrespective of age; and if she will make a statement.

We deplore age discrimination and take every opportunity to persuade employers to treat everyone on their merits. Employers who practise age discrimination miss out on the skill, experience and reliability which older people can offer.

Vacancies

25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many vacancies are currently available at jobcentres in the west midlands.

In January 1993, on the seasonally adjusted basis, there were 6,000 unfilled vacancies registered at jobcentres in the west midlands region.These do not represent the total number of vacancies available in the area.

Job Clubs

26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress has been made in the development of special job clubs in the north-east.

There are currently 15 specialist job clubs in the north-east, giving extra help to executives, people with language or literacy difficulties, ex-offenders and people with disabilities.

Cumbria Training And Enterprise Council

27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when she next intends to visit Cumbria TEC to discuss its budget.

My right hon. Friend has no plans to visit Cumbria TEC but she has recently met the chairman of the TEC. I, or other Employment Department Ministers, intend to visit all of the TECs in due course.

Disabled People

28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans she has for encouraging more employers to provide opportunities for people with disabilities.

The Department will continue to encourage employers to provide opportunities for disabled people through a programme of education and persuasion backed by practical help. From 1 June 1993 employers using the disability symbol will be required to make five specific commitments central to good practice in the employment of people with disabilities. We will continue to develop and improve the schemes and services which help to meet the employment and training needs of people with disabilities.

Full-Time Employment

29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment in how many standard planning regions in the United Kingdom full-time employment has increased since 1979 for (a) men and (b) women.

Male full-time estimates are not available for the period requested. Since 1979 total male civilian employment has increased in East Anglia and the south-west. The number of females in full-time civilian employment has increased in the south-east, East Anglia, the south-west, east midlands and Yorkshire and Humberside.

Industrial Accidents

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many industrial accidents there were in ports covered by the national dock labour scheme in 1988.

The information is not readily available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.The table shows the total number of occupational injuries within the docks and harbour industry in Great Britain during the 1988–89 financial year.

Injuries in all Docks and Harbours as Reported to the Health and Safety Executive's Factory and Agricultural Inspectorates 1988–89
	Fatal	Major	Over 3 day	Total
Total	10	133	659	802

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many industrial accidents there were in ports previously covered by the national dock labour scheme in 1991.

Injuries in all Docks and harbours as Reported to the Health and Safety Executive's Factory and Agricultural Inspectorates 1991–92¹

(provisional)

Fatal

Major

Over 3 day

Total

Total

469

563

¹Year commencing 1 April.

Market Testing

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will make it her policy to ensure that no charges will be imposed upon local authorities for schemes currently granted under the training and information wings of the Health and Safety Commission, as a result of the introduction of the market-testing proposals.

I have no such plans at present.

Foundry Industry

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans she has for increasing the number of training places in the foundry industry.

Employers in all sectors of industry and commerce are responsible for training their employees.Training and enterprise councils in England and Wales, and local enterprise companies in Scotland, plan for and provide youth training, and training places for unemployed adults, which meets their local labour market needs.

Regulations

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to her answer of 9 February, Official Report, column 595, if she has now finished compiling and has checked for accuracy and consistency of definition the comprehensive provisional list of regulations for which her Department is responsible; and when she intends to place the list in the Library.

I placed a list of all legislation for which the Department, including the Health and Safety Executive, is responsible in the Library on 15 March.

Trade And Industry

Cycles

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the value of bicycle parts imported into the European Community and the equivalent or actual number of completed cycles imported, together with the comparable Community and United Kingdom production and the number of completed cycle equivalents sold in the United Kingdom, in each year since 1988.

The information requested is in the table.

EC(12) Imports of cycles and cycle parts from non-EC countries
1988–91	£ million
Values	1988	1989	1990	1991
Cycles	95	171	314	486
Cycle Parts	140	206	320	346

Values

1988

1989

1990

1991

thousands

1988

1989

1990

1991

Cycles

2,129

3,049

5,144

6,809

Note:

Cycles are defined in terms of division 8712 of the harmonised system—bicycles and other cycles (including delivery tricycles) not motorised.

Value figures converted from ECUs to sterling using annual average exchange rate.

Estimates of production, in terms of value, for the UK cycle industry are published in "Business Monitor" PA1002, a copy of which is available in the Library., Official figures of EC wide production are not available.

Official figures of cycle sales in the United Kingdom are not collected.

Proyecto Venezuela

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will assess the results of Proyecto Venezuela, the Venezualan-British business development initiative.

The main objectives of Proyecto Venezuela were to bring the opportunities in Venezuela to the attention of British industry and to raise the profile of United Kingdom companies in Venezuela. A research and publicity campaign and an intensive ministerial visiting programme helped achieve these objectives. Over 500 companies requested information on Venezuela, 185 companies and 500 company representatives attended seminars on Venezuela and in 1992 five missions comprising 118 companies visited the market. There was also a successful energy and environment seminar in Caracas held in conjunction with PDVSA, the Venezuelan State Oil Company.In 1992, our direct export to Venezuela increased by 13 per cent. over 1991 and the United Kingdom continues to be one of the largest foreign direct investors in Venezuela. Several British companies have opened offices in Caracas. On the project side, there have been successes in the water sector. Companies are well placed to win contracts in other areas, including in the important oil and gas sector.Proyecto Venezuela has always been considered a long-term project and the promotional programme, including inward and outward missions, continues. Proyecto Venezuela is also taking on an educational and cultural dimension with notable successes in the industrial training field. The British Council co-operated with the DTI in the production of a comprehensive training brochure and over 200 students from PDVSA and its affiliates have undertaken courses run by British training and higher education establishments.

Poland

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what proposals he has to change Government policy on providing credits to assist the expansion of the Polish economy and trade with the United Kingdom.

A review of the possibility of reintroducing ECGD cover is being undertaken. I expect the review to be completed within a few weeks but I cannot prejudge its outcome.

Gas-Powered Electricity Generation

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what percentage of Britain's electricity was derived from gas in each year since 1987; and what is the expected percentage contribution in each year to 1996.

The percentages of United Kingdom electricity generated from gas in each year since 1987 are as follows:

	Per cent·
1987	0·9
1988	1·0
1989	1·0
1990	1·2
1991	1·5
1992	2·7

Caminus Energy Ltd., in its report "Markets for Coal (HMSO ISBN 0 11 514987 2) produced for the Government's coal review, analysed the future fuel mix in electricity generation under two sets of assumptions. The conclusions of its analysis, including the forecast contribution of gas-fired power stations, is set out in tables 14 and 15 of the report.

Amateur Radio Stations

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many amateur radio station inspections his officers have carried out in the last 12 months; and what the results were.

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

Letter from B. A. Maxwell to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 12 March 1993:

You recently tabled a question concerning amateur radio station inspections. As you know, the Chief Executive of the Agency has been asked to write to you with the information requested as this is an operational matter for which this Agency is responsible. I am replying in the absence of the Chief Executive. The question and the information are as follows.

Question 109 tabled on 10 March 1993: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, how many amateur radio station inspections his officers have carried out in the last 12 months; and what the results were.

In the present financial year to the end of February, 126 inspections of amateur radio stations were carried out. 26 oral and 4 written warnings were given. 2 amateurs were prosecuted and 1 licence revoked.

I hope this is helpful.

Astra Holdings

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the report into Astra Holdings is to be completed; and if he will place a copy of it in the Library when it is ready.

I cannot say, but the inspection is well advanced. When the report is received, consideration can be given to publication. It is the general policy to publish reports on public companies, and on publication copies of reports are placed in the Library.

One-Stop Shops

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many bids have been received from chambers of commerce, training and enterprise councils and local authorities to set up one-stop shops for small and medium-sized business.

Fifty-seven bids were received.

Manufactured Imports

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what percentage of the British market for manufactures is filled by imports.

The latest published information on the topic can be found in "Business Monitor" MQ12, which is available in the Library of the House.

Cosmetics (Safety)

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make representations to the European Community to secure the establishment of an independent committee of experts to review what is required to ensure the safety of cosmetics.

I see no need to duplicate the work of the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Cosmetology set up by Commission decision 77/45/EEC on 19 December 1977 and comprising independent experts who are responsible for considering questions concerning the safety evaluation of cosmetic ingredients.

Public Bodies

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many appointments to the public bodies listed in "Public Bodies" for his Department were made from names supplied by the public appointment unit; and if he will list them.

My right hon. Friend is responsible for a total of over 800 public appointments. The public appointments unit (PAU) provides names of suitably qualified candidates for a wide range of DTI public appointments. Since 1 April 1992 15 appointments to nine separate public bodies have been made from names supplied by the PAU. In addition, the PAU has provided information on potential candidates for public appointments identified within the Department.

Ec Research And Development

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what contribution his Department plans to make to the conference on EC research and development organised by the European Commission to be held in Coventry on 2 April.

My Department has not been asked to contribute to the one-day conference on EC research and development organised by Coventry university on 2 April. However, an official will be attending the conference.The Office of Science and Technology, which is responsible for co-ordinating all United Kingdom policy on EC R and D, will be providing a speaker.

"North America Now"

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if his recently launched "North America Now" trade and export campaign involves business in the nuclear sector.

The nuclear industry, which principally takes in the energy sector, is not a priority sector for the first year of the "North America Now" campaign. DTI's role in the promotion of nuclear power generation technology with regard to the north American market is responsive rather than proactive. However, there are two "supply side" enabling technologies that are relevant to the nuclear industry—process control instrumentation and environmental monitoring and remediation technology—which are priority sectors for the first year of the campaign and will be promoted to appropriate north American "end-users". Where such opportunities are identified in the US nuclear power generation sector, DTI will assist United Kingdom industry in tackling those opportunities.Other applications of nuclear technology where they correspond to priority sectors, such as the health care sector, will be actively promoted to the north American markets during the course of the campaign.

Hong Kong

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many trade delegations visited Hong Kong supported by the British Government in each of the last three years; and how many inward investment missions from Hong Kong have been supported over a similar period.

Support under my Department's outward mission scheme was provided for 10 trade missions to Hong Kong during 1990–91. Nine missions were supported during 1991–92 and 13 during 1992–93.The Invest in Britain Bureau hosted its first inward investment mission to the United Kingdom from Hong Kong in June 1992. A second mission will visit the United Kingdom this month.

Export Credits

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what were the average premium rates charged by national credit agencies in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the United States of America and Japan for capital exports in non-OECD markets and the standard national, bank interest rates.

The Export Credits Guarantee Department has only limited details of the rates that other export credit agencies charge for capital exports in non-OECD markets. Such information that it does have has been provided by the various agencies in strict confidence.Rates vary widely from market to market and for different types and durations of risk. Comparison of averages is therefore rather difficult but in general ECGD rates are higher than average for the higher risk markets, lower than average for lower risk and, in aggregate, are rather higher than the overall average.Interest rates charged by banks vary between customers and over time. In the specific case of fixed rate export fiannce minimum rates are determined by the OECD consensus. The current rates for the countries concerned are:

	Contract rate Per cent.	Pre-contract rate Per cent.
United Kingdom	8·10	8·30
France	9·20	9·40
Germany	7·87	8·07
Italy	12·75	12·95
United States of America
2–5 years credit	5·93	6·13
over 5–8·5 years credit	6·83	7·03
over 8·5 years credit	7·26	7·46
Japan	5·00	5·20

European Coal And Steel Community

To ask the President of the Board of Trade at which (a) geographical areas and (b) sectors of job creation the reserves of the European Coal and Steel Community will be targeted when the ECSC is wound up.

The ECSC treaty expires in 2002. Discussions are already underway with our EC partners and the Commission on the future of the ECSC financing activities. The Council has called on the Commission to bring forward proposals for using the reserves in the way most suitable for the industries concerned.

Aerospace Industry

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to ensure that long-term finance is available to the British aerospace industry to ensure high-level research and development.

My Department is committed to continuing the successful partnership between Government and the British aerospace industry. It recognises the importance of supporting long-term research in the industry while working towards a progressive reduction in state aids.Since 1979, the Department of Trade and Industry has made over £1·5 billion available in repayable launch aid, regional development grants and in support for the civil aircraft research and demonstration programme.

Konver Programme

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what assessment has been made by Her Majesty's Government of the benefits to the United Kingdom of the European Commission's KONVER programme;(2) if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the KONVER initiative proposed by the European Commission.

The Government are awaiting the European Commission's proposal for implementing the KONVER Community initiative.

Hazardous Chemicals (Transport)

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what quantities of hazardous chemicals were transported by (a) road, (b) rail and (c) into or out of United Kingdom ports in each of the last five years.

I have been ask to reply.Only limited information is available.The quantity of chemicals, including those classed as dangerous, moved by road in vehicles over 3·5 tonnes in each of the last five years for which figures are available was:

	Million tonnes
1987	49
1988	52
1989	55
1990	53
1991	45

There were 1·4 million tonnes of dangerous chemicals moved by rail in wagons in 1989–90, 1·5 million tonnes in 1990–91, and 1·2 million tonnes in 1991–92. In addition, British Rail has moved annually some 14,000 tank containers of differing sizes.Special surveys of movements of hazardous substances through United Kingdom ports recorded 3·1 and 3·5 million tonnes of packaged dangerous goods—which would include some dangerous chemicals in 1988 and 1989 respectively, and 7·8 and 8·1 million tonnes of bulk dangerous chemicals in 1989 and 1990 respectively.

Post Office

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what financial and efficiency targets he has set for the Post Office in 1993.

The President of the Board of Trade, in agreement with the Treasury and in consultation with the Post Office, has set Royal Mail and Post Office Counters Ltd. targets to achieve respectively an annual average return of 16 per cent. and 9·3 per cent. on capital employed over the three years 1992–93 to 1994–95. The profit used when calculating the return will be struck after interest—excluding interest on past surpluses—but before tax. The capital employed on which returns will be calculated will be the greater of either opening fixed assets or the previous year's closing capital employed.The President of the Board of Trade, in agreement with the Treasury and in consultation with the Post Office, has set the following real unit cost targets for Royal Mail and Post Office Counters Ltd.:

Cumulative reduction by 1994–95 over 1991–92
Royal Mail—4 per cent.
Post Office Counters Ltd.—3 per cent.

As Parcelforce operates in a competitive market, the President of the Board of Trade has agreed with the Post Office that an efficiency target need not be set. The President of the Board of Trade announced on 15 July 1992 that Parcelforce is to be sold. Parcelforce has been set the financial target of achieving at least break even in each of the years 1992–93 and 1993–94, but has not been set a financial target in respect of 1994–95.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will make it his policy, in the event of privatisation of Parcelforce, to impose an obligation on those who assume responsibility for the employment of Parcelforce staff to ensure that the pension rights and expectations of these staff are equal to those they enjoy as members of the Post Office superannuation scheme the Post Office pension scheme;

(2) what will be the basis in which he proposes to aportion the surpluses in the Post Office superannuation scheme and the Post Office pension scheme in the event of the privatisation of Parcelforce;

(3) what external advice his Department has sought on the legal implications of unilaterally changing the pension rights and entitlements on Parcelforce staff in the event of privatisation;

(4)what action he proposes to take to ensure that the long-term pension expectations of Post Office staff in Parcelforce are in no way diminished as a result of any privatisation.

[holding answer 15 March 1993]: We are considering the form and timing of the sale of Parcelforce, including such issues as pensions. Our decisions will be announced in due course.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment his Department has made of the impact that adoption of any of the three new forms for new pensioners that the Department of Social Security currently has under trial, would have on the viability of the current network of post offices and sub-post offices.

[holding answer 12 March 1993]: The purpose of the trial is to enable an assessment to be made of the impact of different types of form. Any impact on post offices will be considered once the trial has been completed.

Free Flight Offers

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 17 February to the hon. Members for Cunninghame, South (Mr. Donohoe) and for Coventry South-East (Mr. Cunningham) Official Report, column 261, what evidence he now has on whether certain free flight offers accompanying the sale of goods or services are other than bona fide sales promotions.

I have received no evidence which would cause me to change my answer of 17 February.

Regional Aid

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will set out by travel-to-work area the total amount of money received since 1984 in (a) United Kingdom regional assistance and (b) European regional development funds.

Since little data on UK regional assistance, and none of the European regional development fund, are recorded by travel-to-work areas, the information requested could not be provided other than at disproportionate cost.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much of the European Community's regional development fund earmarked in the present accounting period for use within the United Kingdom has yet to be disbursed; and how much of the undisbursed allocation he expects to be drawn down during the remainder of the present accounting period.

[holding answer 15 March 1993]: Of the United Kingdom's share of the fund for the period of the present regulations, 1989–1993, £1,521 million has been allocated and the remainder will have been allocated by the end of the year.

Deregulation Task Forces

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the chairmen of the task forces appointed to look into aspects of possible deregulation; which areas each chairman will cover; what will be the method of operation of each task force; who will serve on each task force, additional to the chairman; by what date he has ordered each task force to report their findings; and if he will make a statement.

We have set up seven task forces to undertake a comprehensive review of regulations affecting business and to advise Ministers on priorities for repeal and simplification. The task forces will work for the next six months, making regular reports to Ministers. The names of the task force chairmen and the areas they will cover are as follows:

Michael Heron—Food, drink and agriculture
Duncan Bluck CBE—Communications and transport
Christopher Spackman—Construction
Malcolm Bates—Engineering industries
John Robb—Chemicals and pharmaceuticals
Sir Sydney Lipworth—Financial services
Nigel Whittaker—Retail and Tourism

The Chairmen will meet Lord Sainsbury, the DTI's special adviser on deregulation, later this week to agree the method of operation of the task forces. The names of the other members of the task forces will be announced shortly.

Debt Payments

To ask the President of the Board of Trade further to his answer to the hon. Member for Leeds, Central (Mr. Fatchett) of 18 November, Official Report, column 225, if he has concluded his consultations on proposals to require large companies to state in their reports and accounts how quickly they pay; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 9 February 1993]: My Department issued on 25 January a consultative document on the options for taking forward our commitment that in future large companies will be required to state in their report and accounts how quickly they pay. We are asking for comments by 26 March. A copy of the document has been placed in the Library.

Agriculture, Fisheries And Food

Milk Marketing Board

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the size of the site and the offices of the headquarters of the Milk Marketing Board at Thames Ditton; and what estimate has been made of their value.

The Milk Marketing Board has informed us that the size of its Thames Ditton headquarters site is about 22 acres. The gross area of buildings on site is about 254,000 sq ft. The value of the site would depend on a number of factors, such as the state of the market and the intended use for it.Under the Agriculture Bill, the Milk Marketing Board would be able to apply to Ministers for approval of formal proposals for the transfer and distribution of its assets including its Thames Ditton headquarters. In deciding whether to grant approval, Ministers would have to have regard to all the circumstances and in particular to whether the proposals made reasonable provision for the distribution of assets to registered producers.

Veal

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what plans he has to impose restrictions on the import of white veal into the United Kingdom;(2) if he will make it his policy to set a target date for banning the export from the United Kingdom of calves destined for veal crates.

I have no such plans as my legal advice is that these actions would be illegal under the treaty of Rome.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many calves have been exported from the United Kingdom for rearing in veal calf crates in each year since 1985.

Totals of the number of calves exported from Great Britain to other EC countries for further fattening are given. It is not possible to determine what proportion of the totals were for rearing in veal calf crates.

Year	£ thousands
1985	142·4
1986	190·7
1987	365·2
1988	234·7
1989	302·2
1990	338·8
1991	399·6
1992	420·6

Source: Statistics prepared for the reports of the Chief Veterinary Officer—Animal Health, 1985 to 1992.

Laying Hens

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has (a) to increase the mandatory space allowance for battery cages containing laying hens and (b) to establish a target date for phasing out the use of battery cages in the United Kingdom.

It is already the Government's policy to seek revised Community rules to phase out the current design of battery cages and to increase the minimum space allowances set by the existing Community legislation. We look to the Commission to publish proposals for new welfare rules for laying hens as soon as possible.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to implement the recommendations of the Farm Animal Welfare Council concerning the welfare of laying hens in colony systems.

The Government intend to publish a response to the Farm Animal Welfare Council's report in the near future.

Wildlife Diseases

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to develop a United Kingdom-wide database of wildlife diseases.

The Ministry has no plans to establish such a database.

Pigs

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what plans he has to establish a target date for banning the use of stall and tether systems by United Kingdom pig breeders;(2) what plans he has to introduce legislation establishing minimum space allocations and minimum standards for bedding and foraging material for reared pigs in the United Kingdom.

The Welfare of Pigs Regulations 1991 already ban the installation of new stall and tether systems in this country and require all such systems to be phased out by the end of 1998. The Community directive adopted in 1991 which sets minimum standards for the welfare of pigs addresses the need for bedding and foraging material. This directive must be implemented in the United Kingdom by the beginning of 1994. However, the Welfare of Livestock Regulations 1990 already require pigs and certain other livestock to have a lying area which is well drained or well maintained with dry bedding.

Departmental Spending

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what share of total departmental spending was accounted for by non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1979.

Information relating to expenditure on non-departmental public bodies is contained in the annual publication "Public Bodies", which has been published each year since 1982. I regret that information prior to that date is not readily available.Figures for departmental expenditure for the years to 1990 are contained in the public expenditure White Paper for each year and are summarised in the cash plan table given at the beginning of chapter 3 of each White Paper. Figures for 1991 onwards are contained in the Ministry's departmental reports and may be found in the cash plan at annex 1 to each report.

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the number of confirmed cases of BSE, by county, for the month of February.

The information requested is available in the Library of the House.

Deregulation Initiative

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the organisations which have been or will be consulted about his deregulation initiative; and if he will make a statement.

The organisations consulted by my Department about the deregulation initiative number many hundreds. On food measures alone, 240 organisations have been consulted.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which licences of regulations from the list which he placed in the Library as referred to in his answer to the hon. Member for South Shields (Dr. Clark) on 17 February 1992, Official Report, column 26, he is still considering as part of his deregulation initiative; what new licences and regulations he is considering as part of this initiative; and if he will make a statement.

The list of regulatory measures placed in the Library of the House on 17 February 1992 is shortly to be superseded by a more detailed list of regulations which affect industry. This is referred to as the baseline list. Under the Prime Minister's initiative on deregulation, all Whitehall Departments will include their baseline lists in a composite document to be laid in the House Library. Deregulation plans are being drawn up within my Department on the basis of the baseline list and informed by comments being received on the original list of measures placed in the Library of the House. A plan for deregulating food law was sent to interested organisations for comment earlier this month and has been in the Library of the House. All measures on the baseline list are open to review under the deregulation initiative. I have introduced five deregulatory principles:

regulation last: the regulatory approach will be followed only where fully justified and where some less burdensome route—e.g., through codes of conduct—is seen to be inadequate;

need criteria: all national and EC regulations will be examined against strict need criteria and, in the case of legislation arising out of EC obligations, the principle of subsidiarity, as agreed at the Edinburgh European summit;

cost: the EC Commission will be asked to produce compliance cost assessments with all new proposals for EC legislation; and Government Departments will produce such assessments for all proposed national legislation which does not arise directly out of Community law;

competition: in implementing Community law, the Government will seek to ensure that United Kingdom industry is not placed at a disadvantage compared with its competitors in other member states;

consultation: business representatives will be fully consulted at the earliest possible stage on the effect of proposed new regulations on their own sectors.

Proposals for new licences and regulations will be scrutinised against these principles and will be subject to widespread consultation with the business and other interests concerned.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 5 February, Official Report, column 375, if he has now finished compiling and has checked for accuracy and consistency of definition the comprehensive provisional list of regulations for which his Department is responsible; and when he intends to place the list in the Library.

Farmers (Regulations And Licences)

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which licences or regulations relating to farmers have subsequently been (a) withdrawn or (b) amended after he placed in the Library the list mentioned in his answer of 17 February 1992 to the hon. Member for South Shields (Dr. Clark), Official Report, column 26; and if he will make a statement.

Comments from industry on the list of regulatory measures placed in the Library of the House on 17 February 1992 are still being received by my department. A particular effort is being made to obtain the views of small businesses. On the basis of this wide consultation, deregulation plans are being drawn up for the department's main policy areas with a view to reducing the level of regulatory burden placed on industry.

Fishermen

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list all major changes to the law affecting fishermen since 1963.

The following is a list of Acts of Parliament affecting fishermen since 1963:

Sea Fisheries Regulation Act 1966
Sea Fisheries (Shellfish) Act 1967
Sea Fish (Conservation) Act 1967
Conservation of Seals Act 1970
Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975
Fishery Limits Act 1976
Fisheries Act 1981
British Fishing Boats Act 1983
Diseases of Fish Act 1983
Salmon Act 1986
Sea Fish (Conservation) Act 1992

Potatoes

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the future of research and development in potatoes when the new potato regime is introduced.

The EC proposals for a regime in potatoes would have no direct effect on research and development. However, it is unlikely that the Potato Marketing Board would be able to continue in its present form. That is why the Agriculture Bill, presently before the House, allows for the transfer of the board's assets including the research station at Sutton Bridge to a successor body or bodies in order to continue the industry's involvement in R and D.

Animal Health And Veterinary Group

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has for the future organisation of his Ministry's animal health and veterinary group.

I have decided to proceed with a management review of the animal health and veterinary group, including the state veterinary service. The review will examine in detail the group's functions and organisation with a view to improving the use of the Ministry's resources in this area. It will be headed by a grade 5 official from my Ministry who has been asked to report by the end of this year.

Chinchilla

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what legal provisions apply to (a) the keeping of and (b) the commercial breeding and farming of chinchilla; and what steps his Department takes to ensure inspection and enforcement;

(2) what guidelines or standards are laid down on the keeping of chinchilla with particular reference to minimum cage size.

There is no legislation relating specifically to the keeping of chinchilla. Any chinchilla kept on agricultural land for farming purposes, including fur production, would be subject to the general animal welfare provisions of the Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1968 and inspection by the state veterinary service. I am not, however, aware that any chinchilla are currently kept in the United Kingdom for such purposes.The keeping of chinchilla for other purposes, like that of all domestic and captive animals, is covered by the Protection of Animals Act 1911 which is the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department. The Act makes it an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to any captive or domestic animal. In addition, pet shops are licensed by local authorities, which have the right of inspection under the Pet Animals Act 1951.

Salmon

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many salmon were caught in England, Scotland and Wales during the season 1991 and the season 1992, by (a) rod and line, (b) commercial nets and (c) north-east coast drift net fishery.

[pursuant to the reply, 27 January 1993, column 719]: I regret that the catch statistics were prepared on different bases: those for England and Wales included grilse, but those for Scotland excluded grilse. The table provides reported catches of salmon and grilse for each country.

Reported catches of salmon and grilse in England, Scotland and Wales in 1991 by method of capture
	England	Scotland	Wales
Rod and line	9,452	62,450	4,522
Commercial nets¹	34,631	76,351	3,044
(of which NE coast drift nets)	(22,463)
Total	44,083	138,801	7,566
¹Includes reported catches of salmon by all methods other than by rod and line.

Social Security

Fraud

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security on how many occasions social security fraud was detected in (a) England, (b) Yorkshire and Humberside and (c) West Yorkshire in the last year for which figures are available; and how many prosecutions were undertaken in these areas.

The administration of fraud detection is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. David Hinchliffe, dated 15 March 1993:

As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking on how many occasions social security fraud was detected in (a) England, (b) Yorkshire and Humberside and (c) West Yorkshire in the last year for which figures are available; and how many prosecutions were undertaken in these areas.

The last full year for which figures are available is the year ending 31 March 1992. During the year ending 31 March 1992 a total of 196,061 social security investigations into fraud were undertaken in England by officers of the Benefits Agency. Included in this figure are 23,179 cases in the Yorkshire and Humberside area. I regret that I am unable to provide figures for the West Yorkshire area as we do not have a distinct operational area there.

In the same year there were a total of 3,644 prosecutions undertaken in England and Wales. I am unable to provide separate figures for England alone or the West Yorkshire and Humberside area. All prosecution statistics for the year in question were compiled by our solicitors branch who do not operate within these distinct geographical areas.

It may be useful for you to know that from the year starting April 1992 we have compiled prosecution statistics for each of our operational areas. This will enable us to provide information for smaller geographical areas.

I hope that you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.

Target Times

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is (a) the target time and (b) the proportion of cases in which the target time was achieved over the past three months, for (i) attendance allowance claims and (ii) disability living allowance claims for those over 60 years of age.

The administration of disability living allowance is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to my hon. Friend and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Letter from Michael Bichard to Lady Olga Maitland, dated 15 March 1993:

As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social security about (a) the target time and (b) the proportion of cases in which the target time was achieved over the past three months, for (i) Attendance Allowance (AA) claims and (ii) Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for those over 60 years of age.

You asked for the target time for clearing claims from DLA customers who are over 60 years of age. I should explain, however, that clearance times broken down to particular age bands of DLA customers is not routinely gathered.

The primary target set for the clearance of DLA claims is 60 per cent. of claims to be cleared in 30 days. The performance figures for the last three months are shown in the table below:

	Per Cent. in 30 days
December 1992	55
January 1993	49
February 1993	61

It will perhaps be helpful if I explain a little about the changes which took place with the onset of the new adjudication structure. With the introduction of DLA from 6 April 1992, all outstanding AA claims, reviews and appeals in

respect of people under 65 were transferred to DLA for processing under the new adjudication system introduced at the same time. This was because any award of AA spanning 6 April for people under 65 would automatically become the Care Component of DLA at that time.

The primary target set for the clearance of AA claims is 60 per cent. of claims to be cleared in 35 days. The performance figures for AA for the last three months are shown in the table below:

	Per Cent. in 35 days
December 1992	54
January 1993	44
February 1993	52

As you may know the success of the advertising campaign and the policy initiatives surrounding the launch of the benefits attracted a much larger number of applications in the early stages than was expected. Backlogs of work arose as a result and this has undoubtedly affected our ability to meet the clearance targets. However I am pleased to say that the firm actions which have been taken to reduce the backlogs are now resulting in significant improvements in clearance times. At the end of February the total amount of outstanding claims to DLA stood at around 50,000 and about 45,000 for AA compared with the over 124,000 DLA claims and 153,000 claims outstanding at the end of June 1992.

Finally, I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this letter will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.

Disability Payments

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his latest estimate of the number of disability living allowance claims being completed per adjudication officer per day.

The administration of 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.

Letter from Michael Bichard to Ms Jane Kennedy, dated 15 March 1993:

As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking for the latest number of Disability Living Allowance claims being completed per adjudication officer per day.

As at 26/2/93 adjudication officers dealing with new claims to Disability Living Allowance were clearing on average 15 cases per day.

It has to be borne in mind that because some cases are more complex than others this figure may vary week by week.

I hope you will find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.

Homelessness

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment his Department has made of the comparative living costs of homeless families placed in permanent accommodation with self-contained cooking facilities and homeless families who are placed in temporary accommodation and who are reliant on the purchase of take-away food.

None. Such an assessment would be difficult with neither a practicable definition of self-contained cooking facilities nor an accurate assessment of the number of people with access to other cooking facilities and the use they make of them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what research his Department has undertaken into the impact of introducing VAT on take-away food on the weekly household budgets of homeess families living in temporary accommodation who are without access to self-contained cooking facilities.

None. Such research would not take account of families with access to facilities that were not self-contained. It would also require a practicable definition of the term "self-contained cooking facilities".

Abandoned Children (Mothers)

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what action he is taking to ensure that fathers cite the name of mothers who abandon their child, so that they can be made to pay maintenance towards the upkeep of their child; and if he will make a statement.

The provisions of the Child Support Act 1991 apply equally whether it is the mother or the father who is the parent with care of the children. Therefore, where a father who is the parent with care of the child is in receipt of income support, family credit or disability working allowance, he will be required to co-operate with the Child Support Agency in obtaining maintenance from the mother, unless this would cause harm or undue distress to the parent with care or to any children living with him.

Pensioners (Consumer Goods)

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what information he has on the acquisition and ownership of consumer goods by pensioners for (a) 1979 and (b) the most recent year for which information is available, in respect of personal computers, typewriters, and word processors.

It is estimated that in 1991, the latest year for which information is available, 1·3 per cent. of retired households¹ had a home computer². This information is not available for 1979. No information on ownership of typewriters is available.

Notes:

¹retired households consist of single retired adults or households with one man and one woman where the head of household is retired.

²the term "home computer" covers personal computers and word processors.

Free School Meals

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will bring forward proposals to amend the Social Security Act 1986 to restore to local authorities the discretion to make available free school meals to children whose parents are not on income support.

There are no plans to extend the availability of free school meals. Families who cannot claim income support because a parent is working 16 hours or more a week can claim family credit. In setting the child rates used in calculating family credit entitlement, allowance is made for the non-availability of free school meals.

Independent Tribunal Service

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many cases the Independent Tribunal Service has cleared in 1990–91, 1991–92 and 1992–93.

I have been informed by the office of the president of the Independent Tribunal Service that the total number of cases cleared in the years in question was as follows:

Appeal Tribunal	1990–91	1991–92	1992–93¹
Social Security (SSAT)	118,902	131,835	117,660
Medical (MAT)	23,521	23,319	18,948
Disability (DAT)	—	—	2,811
Total	142,423	155,154	139,419

Note 8

¹ Year to 31 January 1993.

These figures cover a complex and fast-changing state of affairs. If the hon. Member is aware of any specific problems, he may wish to contact the president's office.

Departmental Spending

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage share of total departmental spending was accounted for by non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1979.

The percentage share of total departmental spending accounted for by non-departmental bodies attached to the Department of Social Security is as follows:

Year	Per Cent
1992–93	1·78
1993–94	2·31

However, the details for earlier years are not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Lone Parents

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of the population of the Warrington South constituency were (a) male lone parents or (b) female lone parents, at the latest available date.

Information is not available for the Warrington, South constituency. The 1990 Labour Force Survey shows that 8 per cent. of all women in the north-west region were lone parents.

Child Support Agency

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the estimated turnover rate of maintenance cases by the Child Support Agency in Warrington South.

In 1992–93 the child support unit in Warrington, South handled just under 1,300 maintenance cases. Estimates for 1993–94 are not available.

Appeals Tribunals

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what plans he has to reduce delays in cases being heard by social security appeals tribunals in (a) Inverclyde, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland as a whole; and if he will make a statement;(2) what plans he has to reduce delays in cases being heard by medical appeals tribunals in

(a) Strathclyde and (b) Scotland as a whole; and if he will make a statement.

Responsibility for the administration and organisation of social security and medical appeal tribunals lies with the president of the Independent Tribunal Service, His Honour Judge Thorpe, and the hon. Member may wish to write to his office direct.

Unemployment Benefit

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what changes he will make to end the rule whereby workers over the age of 55 years who receive an occupational pension of £35 or more per week suffer a reduction in unemployment benefit;(2) how many people over the age of 55 years suffer a reduction in unemployment benefit because they receive an occupational pension of more than £35 gross per week.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Halifax (Mrs. Mahon) on 10 March at col. 625–26.

Regulations

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 8 February, Official Report, columns 499–500, if he has now finished compiling and has checked for accuracy and consistency of definition the comprehensive provisional list of regulations which have an impact on business for which his Department is responsible; and when he intends to place the list in the Library.

A list of the Department's regulations affecting business has been checked and a consolidated list of such regulations for all Departments will be compiled by the central deregulation unit of the DTI and placed in the Library shortly.

Housing Benefit

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 11 February., Official Report, columns 710–17, how many housing benefit claimants, were (a) local authority tenants, (b) housing association tenants and (c) other private tenants. for England, Wales, Scotland and Great Britain as a whole for the latest year for which figures are available.

The available information is in the table:

Average number of Housing Benefit cases¹
Region	England	Wales	Scotland	Great Britain
Local Authority tenants	2,419,600	153,200	459,600	3,032,400
Housing Association tenants	314,600	16,200	21,000	351,800
Other private tenants	859,300	49,600	60,300	969,300
¹Numbers given are the averages of the May, August and November caseload counts for 1992 and include estimates for non responding authorities.

Cold Weather Payments

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in which areas cold weather payments are to be paid for any period in February and early March.

The information requested is in the Library.

Care Homes

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the number of claimants with preserved rights to income support who will be in receipt of benefit towards the cost of their care in residential or nursing homes on 1 April.

The number is estimated to be 295,000. There are also residents currently self-supporting who will have preserved rights to the income support higher limits.

Allowable Fees

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will extend the £10 increase in allowable fees, for people in nursing homes, due in April, to sufferers from Alzheimer's disease and those judged to be suffering from terminal illness.

No. The terminal illness limit is not necessarily paid only to those who are terminally ill within the accepted definition of that term. Resources are better directed to the other limits.From April 1993, under the community care scheme, all new residents of nursing homes who need public support will have their needs assessed by the local authority, which will contract with individual homes for their fees.

Scotland

Marriage Counselling

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy to make the same percentage increases in funding of Marriage Counselling Scotland as are proposed for Relate (England and Wales).

No. Decisions on grants are made according to local needs and priorities.

Tupe Regulations

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 8 March, column 411, if he will now publish in the Official Report the two letters giving a legal view on the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 issued to Tayside health board.

No. The letters are between a legal adviser and a client and it is a matter for them.

Caledonian Macbrayne

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the Caledonian MacBrayne passenger ferry fleet by way of (a) names, (b) gross registered tonnage and (c) age of construction.

:The information requested is set out in the table:

Vessel	Gross registered tonnage	Built
Bruernish	69	1973
Canna	69	1975
Claymore	1,631	1978
Coll	69	1974
Eigg	69	1975
Hebridean Isles	3,040	1985
Iona	1,324	1970
Isle of Arran	3,296	1984
Isle of Cumbrae	201	1977
Isle of Mull	4,719	1988
Loch Tarbert	211	1992
Juno	854	1974
Jupiter	849	1974
Keppel	213	1960
Loch Dunvegan	549	1991
Loch Fyne	549	1991
Loch Linnhe	206	1986
Lochmor	1,989	1979
Loch Ranza	206	1987
Loch Riddon	206	1986
Loch Striven	206	1986
Lord of the Isles	3,504	1989
Loch Buie	295	1992
Morvern	64	1973
Pioneer	1,071	1974
Raasay	69	1976
Rhum	69	1973
Saturn	851	1978
Suilven	1,908	1974

Nursery Education

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of children aged under five years in (a) Inverclyde, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland as a whole attend privately funded nursery schools.

The information requested is not held centrally.

Terrorism

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the average length of sentence imposed by the courts since 1970 on a terrorist convicted of a Northern Ireland-related homicide in Scotland.

The information requested is not available centrally.

Regulations

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 12 February, Official Report, column 863, if he has now finished compiling and has checked for accuracy and consistency of definition the comprehensive provisional list of regulations for which his Department is responsible; and when he intends to place the list in the Library.

Amendments have been made to my Department's list of regulations affecting business and submitted to the Department of Trade and Industry. A consolidated list of regulations for all Departments, including mine, will be compiled by the central deregulation unit of the Department of Trade and Industry and placed in the Library as soon as possible.

Consultants

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list the contracts awarded by his Department to (a) Cooper and Lybrand management consultants, (b)

Management consultancies awarded by the Scottish Office
Consultant 1991–92	Project
CEAS Consultants	Review of Livestock Improvement Schemes
Price Waterhouse	Unit Costing—Further Education Colleges
Price Waterhouse	Management Information Systems—Further Education Colleges (Phase 1)
PE International	Business Review of Directorate of Telecommunications
Castle Consultants	Customer Care and Communication.
Ernst & Young	Business Review of Financial Information Systems
Ernst & Young	Public Expenditure Survey Feasibility Study
Coopers & Lybrand	Market Testing in the Scottish Office
CCTA	Education Department Information Systems Strategy Study
CCTA	Social Work Services Group Information Systems Strategy Study
Peter Hyde	Strategy for Change Information Systems Policy
Office Futures	Office Information Systems
SRU Ltd	Strategic Framework for NHS in Scotland
Touche Ross	Procedure Manual on Contracts
PE International	Review of Scottish Office Office Superannuation Division
Peat-Marwick	Scottish Office Superannuation Division—Administration and Information Technology Support Systems
PA Consulting Services	Scottish Criminal Record Office Automatic Fingerprint Recognition System
Quality Consulting Services	Scottish Prison Service BS5750 Quality System
Marketing Initiatives	Scottish Prison Service—Strategic Planning
HEDRA	Scottish Prison Service—Management Planning System
Coopers & Lybrand	Scottish Prison Service—Organisation Review
HEDRA	Prison Board Workshop
HEDRA	Scottish Prison Services—Information Services Strategy Study

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;

(2) 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]: My Department does not hold centrally records of all work commissioned from external consultants. Details are, however, held centrally of my Department's use of management consultants; information for the year 1991–92 and for the current financial year to 31 January 1993 is set out in the table. Also set out are the total costs of all contracts with the named consultants. In two cases, only one project was undertaken and because of the need to maintain commercial confidentiality the contract cost has been withheld.

Consultant 1991–92	Project
Price Waterhouse	Commissioner and Provider Roles
PA Consulting Group	Local Authority Services
Peat Marwick McLintock	Scottish Natural Heritage Pay and Grading
Investment Property Databank	Financial Performance of New Towns Development Corporation Property Assets
PIEDA	Housing Initiatives Survey
Coopers & Lybrand	Local Development Companies Disposal of Industrial and Commercial Assets
G. Stobbs	Management and Maintenance Review
Price Waterhouse	Valuation of East Kilbride Direct Labour Organisation
Coopers & Lybrand	Debt Write Off
PIEDA	Interim Evaluation of Strathclyde Integrated Development Operation
PIEDA	Highlands and Islands Interim Evaluation of National Programme of Community Interest
Goddard Kay Rogers & Associates Limited and Recruitment & Assessment Services	Recruitment of Director of Human Resources for NHS—Management Executive
Hay Management Consultants Ltd	Development of new pay system for NHS Managers
KPMG Management Consultants	NHS Trust Application—Financial Evaluation
CSL Group Ltd	NHS Management Executive—Accountancy Support
CSL Group Ltd	Review of Contracts in NHS
Capita	Scottish Office Market Testing Programme
Coopers and Lybrand	Staffing Structure of Scottish Higher Education Funding Council
PIEDA	Interim Evaluation of Strathclyde Integrated Development Operation
PIEDA	Highlands & Islands: Interim Evaluation of National Programme of Community Interest
MVA	Oil Related Employment Survey
HFA/PACEC/St Andrew's Economic Consultants	Impact of Ferry Subsidies paid to CalMac on the Western Isles
Solid Solutions	Scottish Electricity Privatisation—Collection of Final Instalment
MacKay Consultants	Evaluation of Agricultural Development Programme for Scottish Islands
Dr. A. Rowley	Scottish Agricultural Science Agency—Quality Assurance
Coopers & Lybrand	Computer Migration—Historic Scotland
Touche Ross	Pay and Performance Review—Historic Scotland
Touche Ross	Structure of Local Government in Scotland—Advice on Financial and Qualitative Appraisal of Options for Change
KPMG Management Consultants	Specification of Scottish Office Superannuation Division. Future Administrative and Information Technology Support Systems
KPMG Management Consultants	Scottish Police College—Training and Information System Strategic
Touche Ross	Scottish Police College Training Needs Analysis for Sergeants and Inspector Ranks
Price Waterhouse	Police Service in Scotland—Activity Analysis Presentation
Faulds Advertising	Evaluation of Campaign on Car Crime
Criminology and Law Research Group	Identification of all non-police led crime prevention community initiatives in Scotland

Consultant 1991–92	Project
MVA Consultancy	Evaluation of Scottish Office Funded Drugs Helpline
The Arkle Organisation	Scottish Prison Service—Strategic Planning (2)
The Learning Centre	Scottish Prison Service Training College—Industrial Relations
Anderson Lyall	Scottish Prison Service Training College—Prison Officer Training
QTAC Business Services	Scottish Prison Service Training College—Pilot Accreditation Study
Centre for Action Learning	Scottish Prison Service Training College—Governor 5 Training
Marketing Initiative	Scottish Prison Service Training College—Total Quality Management
Savage Young and Associates	Scottish Prison Service Training College—Quality Programme
Open Learning Centre—Perth College	Scottish Prison Service Training College—Training for Trainers
PA Consultants Ltd	Scottish Prison Service Training College—Governor Development
Hoskyns Group Plc	Scottish Prison Service—Information Network—Full Study
MMM (Consultants)	Scottish Prison Service—Procurement Review
Marketing Initiative	Scottish Prison Service—Review of Regime Activities
W. Marshall	Scottish Prison Service—Review of Sex Offenders
Marketing Initiative	Scottish Prison Service—Strategic Planning
Marketing Initiative	Scottish Prison Service—Migration Workshop
Marketing Initiative	Scottish Prison Service—Management Development
HEDRA	Scottish Prison Service—Strategic Planning
Marketing Initiative	Scottish Prison Service—Strategic Planning Workshop
PA Consultants Ltd	Scottish Prison Service—Strategic Planning Workshop
Ernst Young	Public Expenditure Survey: Phototype Development
Dr. Shelia Clarke	Study and Review of Further Education Colleges Development Plans
Coopers & Lybrand	Further Education Colleges Development Plans
Price Waterhouse	Further Education College Implementation Planning Phases 2 and 3
Newell & Budge	Service Level Management—Information Technology Services
LOGICA	Data Communications and Cabling Strategy
SPEC Systems	Scottish Teachers Superannuation Scheme Softwear for the Calculation of Transfer Values
Dun and Bradstreet	Purchasing software Modifications (2)
Castle Consultants	Information Systems—Policy Workshops
Peter Hyde	Consultancy Skills—Training
LOGICA	Information Systems Full Study
CCTA	Information Systems Strategy Study
LOGICA	Technical Support for the The Scottish Office Technical Strategy
PA Consultants Ltd	Information Systems Full Study
Office Futures	Preparation of Briefing for The Scottish Office Technical Strategy
SEMA	Quality Assurance of The Scottish Technical Strategy
CCTA	Support for Technical Strategy
Peter Hyde	Policy Implementation Review

Value of contracts awarded by The Scottish Office to certain management consultants
Year and consultant	Total cost of all contracts £
1991–92
Price Waterhouse	119,000
Ernst and Young	49,800
Coopers and Lybrand	196,000
KPMG Management Consultants	92,500
1 April 1992–31 January 1993
Price Waterhouse	464,400
Coopers and Lybrand	107,500
KPMG Management Consultants	134,000
Touche Ross	80,700

Community Transport Association

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consider providing funding for the Community Transport Association's advice and information service to Scotland, to allow it to advertise its existence throughout Scotland.

[holding answer 4 March 1993]: The Community Transport Association applied for funding from the Scottish Office Industry Department in January 1992 to extend their advice and information service to Scotland. The application was carefully considered but was not approved. While consideration was given to the possible scope for paying a grant, there are no grant schemes at present which would have been suitable for the purpose. While I am sympathetic to the association's wish to expand in Scotland, it cannot be a priority at the present time to provide new funds for new schemes of grant.Any future application which the association may make to the Scottish Office under transport or social work legislation would be considered on its merits and would depend on the strength of the case and the level of funding sought. I hope that the Association will continue to monitor the level of inquiries for advice and information which it receives from Scotland against the possibility of any future application being made.

European Regional Development Fund

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consultations he has had with Scottish local authorities and other eligible infrastructure-providing bodies concerning the levels of (a) base and (b) supplementary credit approvals with a view to the provision of matching Government funding to maximise successful applications for European regional development fund assistance.

[holding answer 2 March 1993]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland has discussed on three occasions with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities the new arrangements for the treatment of grants from the European regional development fund. These come into effect on 1 April 1993 and fulfil the agreement reached with the European Commission for making it clear that ERDF grants confer additional spending power on Scottish local authorities. In common with all other bodies eligible to receive ERDF assistance. local authorities will continue to meet their contribution to approved expenditure from their own resources. In addition to the basic and supplementary allocations which the Secretary of State provides, authorities can enhance their spending by the use of capital receipts and by revenue and private sector contributions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the total amount of money received for (a) Strathclyde and (b) Scotland from the European regional development fund in each year since l986–87; and what are the expected amounts for each year until 1995–96.

[holding answer 15 March 1993]: The European Commission allocates moneys on a calendar year basis. The Commission has not yet announced what funds will be made available for Scotland beyond 1993. It is not therefore possible to provide estimates for 1994–95 and beyond. the table sets out the information available on awards to Scotland and, of those, on awards to Strathclyde since 1986.

Total amount of awards for Strathclyde
Year	£ million
1986	9·4
1987	13·1
1988	42·0
1989	48·1
1990	50·6
1991	54·2
1992	49·4
1993	72·3

Total amount of awards for Scotland
Year	£ million
1986	84.0
1987	93.0
1988	95.0
1989	68.0
1990	84.0
1991	124·5
1992	86.5
1993	111.5

Note:

The authentic figures for allocations are expressed in Ecu. The totals expressed here in sterling are for illustrative purposes only. The final sterling sums available to the programmes will depend on the exchange rates at the time payments are received.

Ambulance Crews

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to ensure that all offers of voluntary overtime by ambulance crews aimed at filling gaps that would otherwise occur in scheduled duties are not constrained by budget considerations.

[holding answer 15 March 1993]: The scheduling of duties and overtime arrangements are operational matters to be decided by the general manager of the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Hospital Shops

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what surveys have been commissioned by the Home and Health Department into the number and estimated percentage of hospital shops which sell cigarettes and similar products.

[holding answer 15 March 1993]: No surveys of hospital shops have been commissioned, but all health boards are committed to having policies in place to create a virtually smoke-free national health service as from 31 May 1993 and progress will be monitored by the NHS management executive in Scotland.

Renaval Programme

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 16 February, Official Report, columns 168–69, if he will indicate the amounts of money paid by (a) the Scottish Office, (b) Strathclyde regional

Project	Sponsor	Total eligible expenditure £	EC allocation £	Total eligible expenditure to date £	Total EC grant paid to date £
World Yachting Grand Prix	Inverclyde District Council	422,000	211,000	125,593	62,796
Property Improvement Grants	Inverclyde District Council	410,000	205,000	22,885	11,442
Industrial Units at Larkfield Industrial Estate	Inverclyde District Council	263,000	131,500	228,000	114,000
Small Business Assistance Scheme	Inverclyde District Council	188,000	94,000	81,743	40,871
Capping Blairmore Road Tip	Inverclyde District Council	69,000	34,500	67,000	33,500
Custom House Quay: Environmental Improvement Phase I	Renfrewshire Enterprise	425,000	212,500	425,000	—
East India Harbour: Improvement Phase I	Renfrewshire Enterprise	100,000	50,000	56,600	—
East India Harbour: Infrastructure Works Phase I	Renfrewshire Enterprise	940,000	470,000	853,000	—
Custom House Quay: Infrastructure Works Phase II	Renfrewshire Enterprise	648,000	324,000	370,700	—
Strathclyde Business Centre, Ladyburn	Strathclyde Regional Council	700,000	350,000	700,000	350,000

Tinnitus

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to fund medical research projects in Scotland specifically targeted at the relief of tinnitus; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 15 March 1993]: The leading centre for research into hearing disorders, including tinnitus, in the United Kingdom is the Medical Research Council Institute of Hearing Research which is based in Nottingham with clinical outstations in Glasgow and Southampton. The Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Office participates in the forward planning processes of the institute and keeps in close contact with its work. In addition, the Chief Scientist Office itself is always prepared to consider applications for the funding of soundly-based research projects in this as in other health-related subjects.

Housing

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has on the number of four and five-apartment houses currently owned in Scotland by local authorities and tenanted by single people.

council, (c) Inverclyde district council, (d) the European Community and (e) the Renfrewshire enterprise company to those projects in Inverclyde which received aid by way of the European Community's Renaval programme.

[holding answer 15 March 1993]: This information is not held centrally. My Department reimburses each project sponsor for that part of a project's defrayed expenditure eligible for European funds as awarded by the Renaval programme monitoring committee. The amount of EC funding paid out to date is given in the following table:

[holding answer 15 March 1993]: The available information on number of rooms by household size and tenure will be published in the 1991 census report for Scotland, part 1, in April 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many four and five-apartment houses were built by local authorities in Scotland for letting as general purpose houses for the last five years for which figures are available.

[holding answer 15 March 1993]: The information requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate the number of small houses for single parents or couples which were built by (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations in Scotland over the last five years for which figures are available.

[holding answer 15 March 1993]: The information requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what incentives he plans to stimulate additional building of houses in the social rented sector suitable for single people or couples; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 15 March 1993]: Local authorities and new town development corporations have substantial resources exceeding £400 million in 1993–94 which can be used to fund the additional building of rented housing if this is regarded as a local priority. In addition, Scottish Homes plan to give a record £260 million in grant to housing associations in Scotland next year, the bulk of which will be for social rented housing.

Year	Total Offshore Employment in the Northern North Sea (Estimated range)	Employment in companies wholly related to the North Sea Oil Industry (thousands)	Employment in the electronics industry (thousands)
1982	21,650–24,200	58·3	38·7
1983	26,350–28,650	63·3	41·5
1984	24,500–27,150	64·0	43·5
1985	23,000–25,250	63·8	42·8
1986	17,350–19,050	61·4	42·2
1987	22,500–24,800	50·8	43·6
1988	22,000–24,350	53·7	44·8
1989	24,050–26,250	59·6	46·6
1990	27,850–29,750	64·1	46·5
1991	26,400–27,950	¹—	²45·3
¹1991 Estimate not available
²Provisional

Employment Protection

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidelines and advice he has issued to regional, island and district councils concerning the implications of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 in relation to compulsory competitive tendering rules.

[holding answer 15 March 1993]: I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's statement of 11 March and the guidance on the implications for market testing of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations which my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has placed in the Library. The statement and guidance have been drawn to the attention of COSLA.

Botanic Gardens

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many persons are employed in a full-time capacity in the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh; and what is the range of occupations represented among them.

Distribution of women doctors in the NHS
	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	³1992
Obstetrics and gynaecology¹	5·5	5·3	5·0	4·9	5·5	²5·5	²5·6
Neuro-surgery	0·2	0·2	0·1	0·1	0·1	0·2	0·1
Other medical specialties	65·0	64·7	64·6	64·2	63·8	63·0	62·5
General medical practice	29·3	29·9	30·3	30·9	30·6	31·3	31·8
¹Information is available for the specialty of obstetrics and gynaecology, but not for each separately.
²1991 and 1992 data exclude community doctors in family planning services.
³The 1992 data are provisional.

Electronics And Offshore Oil And Gas

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) males and (b) females were employed full time in (i) the electronics industry and (ii) the offshore oil and gas industries and ancillary employment ashore in each of the past 10 years.

[holding answer 15 March 1993]: Total offshore employment in the northern North sea in each year since 1982 is detailed in terms of an estimated range in the table. Employment onshore and offshore in companies wholly involved in oil-related activities in Scotland is also shown, together with estimated employment in the electronics industry. There are no separate figures for males and females.

[holding answer 15 March 1993]: A total of 207 staff are employed in full-time posts at the royal botanic garden, Edinburgh. The range of occupations covered includes: gardeners, scientists, administrators, curators, laboratory attendants, librarians, maintenance staff, and park constabulary.

Female Doctors

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of female medical practitioners were employed as (a) obstetricians, (b) gynaecologists, (c) neuro-surgeons, (d) other specialists in medical occupations and (e) general practitioners in each of the past seven years.

[holding answer 15 March 1993]: The numbers in the specialties and in general practice, expressed as percentages of all women doctors working in the NHS in Scotland, are shown in the table:

Dental Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list (a) the number and amount of dental payments made and (b) the number of registered dental patients in each of the past five years.

[holding answer 15 March 1993]: The number of claims made by dentists and the remuneration received by dentists in Scotland for the provision of NHS services as reflected in the total gross fees authorised for payments to dentists, which include the value of charges paid by patients, is shown in table 1 for the last five financial years. From October 1990 child patients could be registered with a dentist under capitation arrangements which cover most care and treatment. The figures for claims for dentists therefore exclude all treatment to children under capitation from October 1990 onwards. The figures for gross payments, however, include the cost of capitation patients. Formal arrangements for patients to be registered with a specific dentist were introduced under the new contract for general dental services on 1 October 1990. No information about registration is therefore available prior to October 1990. The number of adult and child patients registered since October 1990 is contained in table 2.

TABLE 1
Claims by and payments to dentists in Scotland
Year	Number of Claims made by Dentists	Gross Payment to Dentists £ million
1987–88	3,005,659	74·659
1988–89	3,105,882	85·352
1989–90	3,080,703	94·393
1990–91	2,725,812	111·463
1991–92	2,484,539	132·822

TABLE 2
Number of Patients registered with a dentist in Scotland
	December 1990	December 1991	December 1992
Children	292,769	662,809	732,605
Adults	819,906	1,802,135	1,996,171
Total	1,112,675	2,464,944	2,728,776

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the average cost of dental treatment in (a) Strathclyde and (b) Scotland as a whole for the latest year for which figures are accessible.

[holding answer .15 March 1993]: The average cost of a course of dental treatment in each of the health board areas within Strathclyde region and the average cost in Scotland as a whole for 1991–92 is contained in the table. The average cost is based on the cost of all adult treatments and certain treatments provided for children outside capitation arrangements, and includes the value of charges paid by patients. The cost of the majority of treatment provided to children which is under capitation arrangements is not included in the table as under capitation children do not have individual courses of treatment but receive all care and treatment needed on a continuing basis, for which dentists are paid regular standard payments. Information for individual local government regions is not available.

Average cost per course of dental treatment in Scotland: 1991–92
Health Board	Average cost per course of dental treatment 1991–92 (£)
Argyll and Clyde	43
Ayrshire and Arran	40
Greater Glasgow	49
Lanarkshire	44
All Scotland	40

Volume 221: debated on Tuesday 16 March 1993

Written Answers To Questions

Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs

Chile

European Community Committee Of The Regions

Montenegro

Public Bodies

Departmental Spending

Thailand (Prisoner)

Immigration

Foreign Affairs Council

St Helena

Lord Chancellor's Department

Legal Aid

National Finance

Car Tax

Mortgage Relief Scheme

Personal Income Tax

Regulations

Council Tax

National Heritage

Tourism

Regulations

Public Bodies

Local Authority Services

Defence

Army Bands

Regulations

Raf Vulcan

Overseas Development Administration

Family Planning

House Of Commons

Sittings Costs

Birmingham Northern Relief Road (Exhibition)

Education

Unemployed Graduates

Labour Statistics

Grant-Maintained Schools Centre

Somerset University

Education Authorities (Political Control)

Teachers' Salaries

Transport

Air Pollution

Regulations

Railway Lines, North-West

Free Flight Offers

Railways (Crimes)

Road Tolls

Road Accidents (Children)

Exhaust Emissions

Cycle Routes

Selby Bypass

Road Accidents

Passenger Rolling Stock

Jubilee Line

Biofuels

Environment

Major Accident Hazards

Correspondence

Regulations

Housing

Local Government Finance

Urban Regeneration Agency

Tree Preservation Orders

Waste Management

Tenants' Choice

Uniform Business Rate

Solid Fuel

City Challenge, Bradford

Hedges

Countryside Stewardship Scheme

Leeds Development Corporation

Home Department

Northern Ireland-Related Offences

Security Situation

Home Department

Young Offenders

Thames House

Police (Discipline)