To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Brazilian Government about the killing of Juanito Silva in Rio de Janeiro; and if he will make a statement.

Our embassy in Brasilia raised the matter with the Brazilian authorities on 11 March. They undertook to keep the embassy informed about their investigation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many seats on the Committee of the Regions it is proposed to allocate to (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) Yorkshire and Humberside; and what is in each case the ratio of population to seats.

Notifiable offences recorded by the police in which firearms were reported to have caused death or injury, England and Wales 1985 to 1991
	1985		1986		1987		1988		1989		1990		1991
Force	Killed	Injured	Killed	Injured	Killed	Injured	Killed	Injured	Killed	Injured	Killed	Injured	Killed	Injured
Avon and Somerset	—	26	3	13	2	18	—	18	—	40	1	42	2	43
Bedfordshire	1	28	—	19	—	14	—	13	—	8	—	9	2	7
Cambridgeshire	1	32	—	10	2	16	1	20	—	12	—	20	1	28
Cheshire	—	31	2	14	—	23	1	36	—	33	2	43	1	25
Cleveland	—	6	—	21	—	17	—	18	—	27	—	37	1	42
Cumbria	—	25	—	19	2	17	—	25	—	13	—	24	—	24
Derbyshire	—	56	1	37	1	30	—	36	1	34	1	67	—	29
Devon and Cornwall	1	46	8	43	1	35	1	32	—	41	—	29	—	34
Dorset	—	16	—	2	—	5	—	—	2	2	1	2	—	3
Durham	1	44	1	28	1	32	—	9	—	25	1	17	1	26
Essex	7	41	—	45	1	58	—	45	—	52	1	50	1	39
Gloucestershire	—	12	1	2	1	10	—	14	1	7	1	5	—	21
Greater Manchester	3	198	—	176	2	169	2	121	6	158	1	148	5	148
Hampshire	3	63	—	42	—	47	—	38	2	34	1	41	2	41
Hertfordshire	—	28	—	17	1	15	1	18	1	13	—	9	—	19
Humberside	—	66	—	50	—	66	—	52	1	66	—	61	2	65
Kent	2	52	2	41	3	40	1	47	2	49	4	49	2	50
Lancashire	—	40	—	49	1	33	1	46	1	12	1	39	2	48
Leicestershire	1	23	—	22	1	34	1	26	—	48	2	23	—	11
Lincolnshire	—	21	—	17	1	21	—	18	—	16	—	14	—	4
London, City of	—	2	—	2	—	5	—	—	—	2	—	—	—	1
Merseyside	—	141	—	124	2	116	1	100	1	111	—	82	1	106
Metropolitan Police	8	644	13	520	23	448	12	487	11	492	23	471	14	475
Norfolk	4	18	1	14	—	12	—	16	—	36	—	22	—	18
Northamptonshire	—	24	2	31	—	20	1	21	—	15	—	21	1	14
Northumbria	2	120	—	75	2	90	—	77	1	110	2	82	1	82
North Yorkshire	1	22	—	10	1	13	—	17	1	19	1	9	—	20
Nottinghamshire	3	115	—	82	—	64	—	69	1	70	—	55	5	76
South Yorkshire	1	128	2	88	1	73	1	75	—	75	2	66	—	50
Staffordshire	1	56	—	42	—	47	—	48	1	34	1	51	—	51
Suffolk	2	15	1	9	3	7	1	13	—	14	2	12	—	21
Surrey	—	13	1	19	—	18	1	14	—	19	—	16	2	20
Sussex	—	21	3	14	2	25	1	23	2	18	—	31	2	23
Thames Valley	—	59	2	41	14	57	2	45	1	48	1	51	2	43
Warwickshire	—	18	—	25	1	16	1	9	—	12	—	18	—	18
West Mercia	—	44	1	29	1	41	1	22	1	44	1	16	1	14
West Midlands	—	192	4	153	2	116	3	122	—	111	2	139	—	134

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the consequences for British foreign policy of the recently announced decision by the North Korean Government on their attitude to possible inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency's inspectors.

The United Kingdom is determined to maintain and strengthen the non-proliferation treaty. We urge North Korea to reconsider its position.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were killed or injured in crimes involving firearms in each police authority for each year since 1979.

The number of notifiable offences recorded by the police in which firearms were reported to have caused death or injury is shown by policy force in the table. Information for the years prior to 1985 is available only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will abolish family passports and introduce the requirement that all children be issued with their own travel documents.

Family passports, which included details of the holder and spouse, were discontinued in 1988, though those issued previously remain valid until their normal date of expiry. Children under the age of 16 can still be included in the passport of a parent or other appropriate adult or can be issued with their own passport.If the facility to have children included in a parental passport were abolished, this could lead to inconvenience and additional expense.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will outline the statutory or licensing restrictions which apply to gambling in pubs or other licensed premises; and what consideration is being given to amending them.

Section 6 of the Gaming Act 1968 permits, in public houses and hotels licensed for the sale of liquor, the playing of dominoes, cribbage and any other form of equal chance game authorised by the appropriate liquor licensing authorities. To prevent abuse, the justices are empowered as a safeguard to impose conditions that forbid play for high stakes or stop the gaming from becoming a primary inducement to custom; and people under 18 are debarred from play.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to improve training for immigration officers in the area of child abduction.

There are no plans to alter the training that immigration officers already receive in this area.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set up a national register of qualified forensic scientists.

We will look at this area carefully in the light of the conclusions of the Royal Commission on criminal justice. We shall also take account of the report on forensic science of the Select Committee on Science and Technology in another place published on 4 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Czech and Slovak citizens have been refused entry to the United Kingdom at the channel ports in each of the last three years.

The information requested is given in the table.

Czechoslovak nationals refused leave to enter and removed from channel ports1
Year	Number of persons
1990	81
1991	414
1992	244
1Dover, Folkestone, Newhaven, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Ramsgate and Southampton.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide telefax facilities for notifying passport control of portstops with photographs.

My right hon. and learned Friend is aware of the recommendation for the provision of telefax facilities made in the recent report of the parliamentary working party on child abduction. The allocation of resources, though for the provision of such equipment is a matter for the chief officers of individual police forces to decide.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Members for Makerfield (Mr. McCartney), for Sheffield Brightside (Mr. Blunkett), and for Hammersmith (Mr. Soley), on 17 December 1992, Official Report, column 450, if the investigations referred to have been completed; and if he will make, a statement on the employment of Dr. Kypros Loucas at Wormwood scrubs prison.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has drawn to the attention of the General Medical Council allegations made about Dr. Loucas's conduct before he took up his appointment at Wormwood Scrubs. Any further investigation will be a matter for the council. The Wormwood Scrubs appointment is under review. In the meantime, the suspension of Dr. Loucas's visits to the prison continues.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria have been used for selecting those areas to benefit from the urban crime fund.

Areas were chosen that had a diverse range of urban crime problems in which innovative crime prevention measures involving local communities could be trialed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the hon. Member for Liverpool, West Derby's letter of 11 February respecting Mr. Paul Malone, currently held at Frankland prison, Durham.

I replied to the hon. Member on 16 March.

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 give the global sum (a) needed and (b) available in 1993–94 towards providing the secure training units for 11 to 15-year-olds announced on 2 March.

[holding answer 17 March 19931: I have nothing at present to add to the reply given to a similar question from the hon. Member on 16 March, at column 169.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a decision is to be taken on the application from Basharat Ali Khan, Ref: K218950, to join his father in the United Kingdom, referred by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to his Department on 6 December last; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 24 February 1993]: We hope to reach a decision shortly, and I will then write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he intends to take to prevent the flow of child pornography into Britain from Europe and the rest of the world.

I have been asked to reply.I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the member for Clwyd, North-West (Mr. Richards) on 17 February,

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 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.

Seven of the appointments listed in "Public Bodies" are currently filled by individuals whose names were supplied by the public appointments unit: six to the Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors and one to the Review Board for Government Contracts.

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

Information is not held in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Information on the expenditure of NDPBs is however published in "Public Bodies": for 1991–92 the total MOD grant in aid to NDPBs was £38 million—some 0·16 per cent. of total defence expenditure.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will offer military personnel and equipment to African Governments to protect rhinoceros stock.

No request for such assistance has been received.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many missiles will be deployed on each of Britain's Trident submarines.

It has been the practice of successive Governments not to comment on the number of missiles carried by our ballistic missile submarines. The United Kingdom's Trident submarines are being built with 16 missile tubes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what dates United Kingdom Polaris missiles have been test fired since May 1987.

There have been no United Kingdom Polaris missile test firings since May 1987.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's assessment of the ability of Russian intelligence-gathering satellites to identify the number of missiles that are carried on the United Kingdom's Polaris submarines.

Russia operates a number of satellites with an intelligence-gathering capability. We are confident however, that these cannot identify the number of missiles carried by Polaris submarines.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to increase the number of warheads deployed on the Polaris fleet during the remainder of its operational life.

It has been the practice of successive Governments not to specify publicly the number of nuclear warheads deployed on our ballistic missile submarines.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the United Kingdom's Polaris Missiles have been test fired since the missiles were purchased from the United States of America.

There have been 42 such test firings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent changes there have been to the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear targeting policy that have required changes in the numbers of warheads deployed.

Successive United Kingdom Governments have always declined to make public their nuclear targeting policy and plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the disposal of Vulcan aircraft XH 558.

Following evaluation of the returned tenders for the sale of the Vulcan XH 558, the aircraft will be sold to C Walton Ltd. (Aircraft Division) at Bruntingthorpe aerodrome in Leicestershire. The new owners will preserve the aircraft as a museum exhibit.

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

The information for the Chancellor of the Exchequer's departments is set out in the table. This information is not readily available for 1979–80 and 1980–81.

EC rates as at 1 February 1993
	Standard rate	Higher rate(s)	Reduced rate(s)	Coverage of zero-rating
United Kingdom	17·5	—	—	wide range
Belgium	19·5	—	1, 6, 12	minimal
Denmark	25·0	—	—	minimal
France	18·6	—	2·1, 5·5	minimal
Germany	15·0	—	7	minimal
Greece	18·0	—	4, 8	minimal
Ireland	21·0	—	2·5, 12·5	wide range
Italy1	19·0	—	4, 9, 12	minimal
Luxembourg1	15·0	—	3, 6, 12	minimal
Netherlands	17·5	—	6	nil
Portugal2	16·0	30	5	minimal
Spain3	15·0	—	3, 6	minimal
1The 12 per cent. rate is a "parking" rate which is a transitional measure provided for in EC law (VAT Directive 92/77/EEC) and applies to supplies previously taxed at the reduced rates.
2Lower rates of 12, 21 and 4 per cent. are applied in autonomous region of the Azores archipelago.
3New rate of 3 per cent. introduced with effect from 1 January 1993.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who has the responsibility for ensuring the enforcement of section 47 of the Financial Services Act 1986; what action each enforcement agency has taken in the last two years; and in what form the efficacy of enforcement is reported to Parliament.

The Treasury is responsible for the overall framework of the Financial Services Act. Responsibility for instituting proceedings under section 47—misleading

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what contracts his Departments have granted to Saztec Philippines Ltd. since July 1992; and where the company carries out the contracted work.

None.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out the rates of VAT applicable in EC countries.

The information is as follows.statements and practices—lies primarily with the President of the Board of Trade, the Director of Public Prosecutions and procurators fiscal in Scotland.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the import, export and balance of payments in respect of postal and telecommunications services each year from 1982, expressing those payments both in cash and current price terms.

The current price, or cash, value of postal and telecommunications services imports and exports for 1982 to 1991 can be found in table 3.6 of the 1992 edition of the Central Statistical Office's United Kingdom balance of payments publication—the Pink Book. Copies of the Pink Book are available in the Library of the House; alternatively the data can be found on the CSO database which can be accessed through the Library. For 1992, it is estimated that exports of postal and telecommunication services were £905 million and imports were £950 million. These series are not available at constant prices.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether funds brought into the United Kingdom and used for day-to-day expenditure of political parties are subject to tax.

Remittances of income from overseas by a resident of the United Kingdom are subject to tax. In general, remittances of capital are not subject to tax.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the preliminary estimates made by the Board of Inland Revenue of the capital gains tax lost due to overseas ownership of United Kingdom assets in each of the years from 1983 to 1989.

In common with most other countries, the United Kingdom does not in general tax capital gains made by non-residents. Information on which to estimate the effect of a change in the law in this respect is not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals bought premium bonds each month for the last year; and how much was invested.

National Savings can give information only about the number of purchases of premium bonds, not the number of individuals making them. Following is the information.

	Number (thousands)	Value (£ millions)
1992
January	88·7	25·3
February	66·8	26·8
March	97·9	29·6
April	739·	25·5
May	60·7	253·
June	873·	27·9
July	790·	26·5
August	75·5	265·
September	87·7	378·
October	99·0	40·1
November	99·4	39·1
December	78·4	27·2
1993
January	97·8	31·4
February	185·7	138·1
1Provisional figures.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes have been made to the minimum payments, and on what dates, into (a) national savings accounts or (b) premium bonds, over the last three years.

There have been three changes in minimum deposits and purchases for national savings bank accounts and premium bonds since 1990. From 1 February 1993, the minimum deposit required for a national savings ordinary account rose from £5 to £10 and that for the investment account from £5 to £20. On the same day, the minimum purchase of premium bonds for children rose from £10 to £100.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals invested in national savings accounts in each of the last three years.

National Savings retains information about accounts, not individuals. The following is the number of ordinary and investment accounts with at least one deposit in a year.

	Ordinary accounts (thousands)	Investment accounts (thousands)
1990	1,781	2,110
1991	1,657	1,964
1992	1,601	1,836

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the outcome of consultation on the document "Trusts: The Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax Treatment of UK Resident Trusts".

The Government have decided not to implement the central proposals in the consultative document on trusts published in March 1991.The main option discussed in the consultative document was a proposal to integrate the income tax and capital gains tax treatment of trusts. As for individuals, trustees' income and chargeable gains would have been added together, with gains being treated as the top slice of income, and taxed at the basic rate up to a certain threshold and then at the higher rate.The response to the document was varied, but a common concern was that treating capital gains as the top slice of income would adversely affect beneficiaries entitled to trust capital, because gains more than income would tend to be charged at the higher rate. In the light of tine representations received, the Government have concluded that the proposal to integrate the income tax and capital gains tax treatment of trusts should not be pursued.The Government are continuing to consider the responses on some of the more detailed issues discussed in the consultative document.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the outcome of the latest meeting of the European Community's Economic and Finance Council.

The Economic and Finance Council of the European Community—ECOFIN—met in Brussels on 15 March. I represented the United Kingdom.The Council approved the Commission's annual economic report for 1993. The report includes the Commission's forecast that the United Kingdom economy will grow faster in 1993 and 1994 than any other major EC country; and set the background for a discussion of national measures to promote economic recovery arising from the initiative launched by my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Chancellor at the Edinburgh European Council. The Council decided to reconsider national action to promote recovery and the related measures at Community level at its meeting in April, when it will also be possible to reflect the measures to reduce unemployment and promote sustainable growth announced in my right hon. Friend the Chancellor's Budget statement on 16 March. There was also some discussion of the wider international context to the Community's initiative to promote growth and I gave a report of relevant discussions at the meeting of G7 Finance Ministers in London on 27 February.The Council examined and endorsed the programme for economic convergence submitted by Greece covering the period 1993–99. The Council welcomed achievements in structural reform and fiscal consolidation made by the Greek Government during 1992 and emphasised the importance of taking the action necessary to meet the ambitious targets it had set itself for the future.Following a presentation by the president of the European Court of Auditors on the 1991 Community Budget, the Council agreed a recommendation to the European Parliament on granting the Commission a discharge on its implementation of the 1991 budget. I stressed the importance that the United Kingdom Government and Parliament attach to the work of the Court of Auditors and the need to ensure high standards of financial management in the Community's activities.The Council had a brief discussion of a report from the presidency on progress in discussions between officials on the Commission's proposal for a carbon/energy tax. The German delegation also tabled a paper on its ideas for a harmonised system of withholding tax on interest from bank deposits. It was agreed that this paper would be discussed further at official level before being considered by the Council.

Figures for the percentage growth in bank lending to (a) manufacturing companies and (b) property companies for each year since 1979 and cumulatively over that period
Date	Stock of lending to manufacturing £ million	Annual percentage growth rate	Cumulative percentage growth rate	Stock of lending to property £ million	Annual percentage growth rate	Cumulative percentage growth rate
1979 mid-November	14,875	—	—	2,167	—	—
1980 mid-November	17,583	18·2	18·2	2,242	3·5	3·5
1981 mid-November	18,901	7·5	27·1	2,710	20·9	25·1
1982 mid-November	23,418	23·9	57·4	3,523	30·0	62·6
1983 mid-November	22,209	-5·1	49·3	4,448	26·3	105·3
1984 mid-November	26,397	18·9	77·5	5,420	21·9	150·1
1985 mid-November	27,438	3·9	84·4	7,109	31·2	228·1
1986 end-November	29,599	7·9	99·0	9,341	31·4	331·1
1987 end-November	29,858	0·8	99·4	13,333	42·7	515·3
1988 end-November	40,688	37·2	173·5	21,348	60·1	885·1
1989 end-November	51,175	25·8	244·0	31,963	49·7	1,375·0
1990 end-November	54,291	6·1	265·0	38,996	22·0	1,699·5
1991 end-November	51,586	-5·0	246·8	39,670	1·7	1,730·6
1992 end-November	50,193	-2·7	237·4	27,966	-4·3	1,652·0

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many properties in England, Wales and Scotland have been listed as composite properties on the council tax valuation list in accordance with the valuation regulations in the categories of (a) shops and commercial premises, (b) public houses and other licensed premises, (c) dwellings used in agriculture and (d) others.

[holding answer 8 March 1993]: The information for England and Wales is not currently held centrally, and in order to compile it disproportionate costs would be incurred. Different regulations exist in Scotland to reflect legal differences. The oversight of these is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many domestic properties located on registered agricultural holdings in each of the valuation districts in England, Wales and Scotland have been listed as composite properties on the council tax valuation list in accordance with the valuation regulations;(2) how many domestic properties located on registered agricultural holdings in England, Wales and Scotland have been listed as composite properties on the council tax valuation list in accordance with the valuation regulations; and what proportion this number represents of the total number of such holdings.

[holding answer 8 March 1993]: Neither the Valuation Office agency nor the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food keeps a register of agricultural holdings. In order to collect the information requested disproportionate costs would be incurred.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give figures for the percentage growth in bank lending to (a) manufacturing companies and (b) property companies for each year since 1979 and cumulatively over that period.

[holding answer 12 March 1993]: The information requested is set out in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list (a) the outreach youth work programmes, (b) the youth activity units, (c) summer holiday schemes, (d) Alto projects and (e) training schemes within Wales which have stated the reduction of crime as one of their aims; and how much financial assistance has been granted by his Department for each project in the current financial year.

Welsh Office support for youth work and training is concerned primarily with the social development of young people and the provision of skills which employers require. While these activities can be expected to bring positive social benefits they are not specifically aimed at reducing crime. The Department has, however, supported a number of crime prevention initiatives which are targeted at young people.Urban programme support for crime prevention projects amounts to some £500,000 a year. For example, in 1992–93 capital expenditure of £100,000 was approved for the establishment of a youth centre in Aberdare which is intended to divert young people away from crime. In addition, nearly £74,000 in approved costs has been made available for schemes which, by providing young people with guidance and training in the maintenance and proper use of motor vehicles, helps divert them from car crime.In recent years the Department has funded the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders to undertake crime prevention projects in south-east Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what efforts are currently being undertaken by his Department to encourage international film production companies to shoot on location in Wales.

The Department has taken no initiatives in this area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to place Novo pen dispensing kits on the approved list of items for supply on prescription under the national health service; what representations he has had from the British Diabetics Association and the British Medical Association in relation to the right to prescribe the Novo pen kit on the national health service; and if he will make a statement.

Health departments are considering the financial case for authorising GPs to prescribe insulin injection pens and needles for diabetics. Their inclusion in the GP prescribable list must, like other new additions to the list, be subject to the availability of resources. The Department has received representations from secretaries of local branches of the British Diabetic Association and from a dozen individuals; no representations have been received from the British Medical Association.

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

The figures are set out in the table. Figures for the years 1979–80 and 1980–81 are not available.

Year	Per cent. share
1978–79	4·05
1979–80	n/a
1980–81	n/a
1981–82	4·71
1982–83	3·60
1983–84	2·78
1984–85	2·91
1985–86	2·64
1986–87	2·27
1987–88	2·97
1988–89	3·61
1989–90	6·63
1990–91	7·13
1991–92	6·91

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many teachers from Wales have gained placements with the teacher placement scheme in each year since 1989.

The total number of teachers in Wales who received a placement through the teacher placement service for the years requested is shown in the table:

Year	Number of teachers
1989	305
1990	1,150
1991	2,602
1992	2,252

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place a copy in the Library of the Bettinson report evaluating the aims, objectives and performance of the Health Promotion Authority for Wales.

I expect to be able to reach a decision on the publication of this report shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Welsh Development Agency in relation to the reasons for the cancellation of the inward investment mission to Japan from 7 to 14 March.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his current estimate of the cost of arranging and aborting the chairman of the Welsh Development Agency's inward investment mission to Japan from 7 to 14 March; and how many individual meetings with companies had been arranged.

I understand that the inward investment mission has been postponed and not aborted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give details of each of the meetings arranged between the chairman of the Welsh Development Agency and the Japanese business leaders which were to take place during the chairman's inward investment mission to Japan from 7 to 14 March; if he will make it his policy to write personally to each of those business leaders to give an explanation for their cancellation; and what proposals he has to rearrange such meetings for a later date.

No. Such meetings are commercially confidential. I understand that the visits are to be rearranged.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the Welsh Development Agency concerning the resignation of Linda Gilbody-Wood, the director of the skills development unit; what proposals there are to replace her; and if he will make a statement.

None. Staffing matters are for the agency's management.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 4 February, Official Report, columns 340–41, if he will make it his policy in appointing a new chairman for the Welsh Development Agency to give due priority to the willingness of the appointed candidate to adhere to arranged itineraries and timetables in the course of inward investment missions abroad.

My policy is to appoint the best candidate for the job.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give the full details and the financial settlements for the early retirement of each of the four directors of education who have retired in the last six months in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 1 March 1993]: Eligible employees over 50 with two or more years' reckonable service who are made redundant or who leave in the interests of the efficiency of the service are entitled to immediate payment of the local government superannuation scheme retirement pension and retirement lump sum. Additionally, councils have discretion to enhance the pension and lump sum for those over 50 with five or more years' service by the award of up to 10 extra added years, according to various criteria. These are, however, matters for the local authorities concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the answer from the Secretary of State for National Heritage to the hon. Member for Falmouth and Camborne (Mr. Coe) of 9 March, Official Report, columns 512–13, what changes he proposes in the funding of the Welsh National Opera company.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many jobs are covered currently by the wages councils in Wales.

I have been asked to reply.It is estimated that in 1992 there were about 120,000 workers in Wales in Wages Council industries.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what percentage of inward direct investment into the United Kingdom from Japan was in manufacturing industry in each year since 1987.

According to Japanese Ministry of Finance figures, the percentage by value of inward direct investment into the United Kingdom from Japan in manufacturing industry in each financial year since 1987 was as follows:

	Per cent.
April 1987 to March 1988	11·7
April 1988 to March 1989	8·5
April 1989 to March 1990	22·4
April 1990 to March 1991	29·4
April 1991 to March 1992	25·2

The cumulative percentage for the period since records began to date—1951 to financial year 1991–92—is 19·8.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a table showing the retail cost of condoms since 1988 in as an index of (a) cash prices and (b) in 1993 prices; and what steps he has taken to monitor and enforce the price formula set by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.

The retail cost of condoms is published in the monthly "Chemist & Druggist Price List". Responsibility for monitoring the price control undertaking given by the London Rubber Company rests with the Director General of Fair Trading.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a table showing the value of (a) home production, (b) home sales, (c) imports, (d) exports, in cash and constant prices and (e) the share of home sales of imports of condoms in each year since 1988.

The only publicly available information covers the import and export of hygienic and pharmaceutical articles, including contraceptive sheaths, teats, droppers and hot water bottles, and is as follows:

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the names of members of the standing committee on intellectual property, the enterprises, agencies and institutions with which the members are connected and their date of appointment.

The following organisations are members of the departmental standing advisory committee on industrial property—SACIP:

the Institute of Patentees and Inventors, the Trade Marks, Patents and Designs Federation, the Confederation of British Industry, the British Retail Consortium, the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers, the Chartered Society of Designers, the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents, the Institute of Trade Mark Agents, the Association of British Chambers of Commerce, the Consumers' Association, the National Consumer Council, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Licensing Executives Society, the Law Society, the Bar Council, the Law Society of Scotland and a representative of the academic world, currently Queen Mary and Westfield college intellectual property law unit.

Each organisation selects a suitable individual to deal with business and represent it at meetings; these representatives can vary for each meeting and may be selected according to the subject matter of the agenda.The chairman of the committee is Mr. David Lewis OBE, who was appointed chairman for three years when SACIP was set up in October 1988, and reappointed in 1991. Mr. Lewis does not represent a particular organisation.The member organisations joined by invitation from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Industry and Consumer Affairs when SACIP was set up, with the exception of the Law Society of Scotland and the Licensing Executives Society—which were invited to join in November 1991—and the Federation of Small Businesses—which replaced the previous small firms representative in October 1992.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how often the Standing Committee on Intellectual Property has met since April 1992; when it next proposes to meet; and what is its current work programme.

The departmental standing advisory committee on industrial property has met three times since April 1992. Two meetings are planned for the near future, one to consider the Patent Office's corporate plan for 1993 and various other matters of interest to users of the Patent Office's services—date not yet fixed—and another on 28 April to consider proposals from the World Intellectual Property Organisation for a treaty on the harmonisation of patent law.SACIP does not have a detailed work programme. Its function is to advise on policy and practice and it therefore responds to issues when they arise—for example, in the European Council work on industrial property. However, during the last year, issues that SACIP has considered include revision of United Kingdom trade mark law, the draft EC regulation on the Community trade mark system, proposals for an international treaty on the harmonisation of trade mark law, the European Commission green paper on designs, the EC directive for the protection of biotechnological inventions, patenting of lifeforms, industrial property aspects of the human genome project and the biodiversity convention, and supplementary protection certificates for pharmaceuticals.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he last met officers of the Union of Democratic Mineworkers; and what plans he has for a future meeting.

My right hon. Friend and I met representatives of the Union of Democratic Mineworkers on 20 January. I subsequently met representatives of the union on 4 March. Future meetings will be arranged as necessary.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received from members of the Confederation of United Kingdom Coal Producers about the future of their members' contracts with the electricity generators after 31 March.

Future coal supply arrangements are a matter for the companies concerned.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what industry lead research projects into the development of vehicle engine technologies his Department is supporting; and how much money has been spent in the last five years.

My Department is currently funding vehicle engine technologies into improved engine efficiency and emission control with grants amounting to over £2·5 million.Because the information on engine research is recorded as part of the Department's overall vehicle technology support, it has not been possible separately to identify an accurate figure for engine research or for any other specific area without incurring a disproportionate cost. However, over the last five years—1987–88 to 1991–92—the Department's overall support for vehicle engine technologies exceeded £5 million of a total of £10·389 million grants for vehicle research.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his estimate of the volume of gas consumption which will be met from United Kingdom resources in 2000.

United Kingdom gas reserves are estimated to be sufficient to meet all our likely needs to and beyond the year 2000, but their precise contribution to consumption in that year will depend on a number of factors, including the rate of offshore exploration, appraisal and production, the development of gas trade, and the level of demand, all of which will depend in turn, on the price of gas and alternative energy sources.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made about the competitiveness of British manufacturing industry.

The competitiveness of manufacturing industry, and its individual sectors, can be assessed against many criteria and over different timescales. DTI Ministers receive a number of such assessments, including from the private sector.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a summary of the legal advice he has received on trade in electricity across the interconnector with France.

I have today placed copies of that summary advice in the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will set up an inquiry into the Taurus stock exchange computer system; what is his estimate of losses incurred as a result of the delays in implementing the system; and if he will indicate on whom the losses will fall.

I have been asked to reply.Taurus was a private sector project managed by the stock exchange to modernise the equities settlement, registration and transfer systems in the United Kingdom. The priority now is to identify the best way forward to ensure the continued efficiency and competitiveness of our equity markets. I welcome the immediate establishment, by the governor of the Bank of England, of a task force on securities settlement, on which the Treasury is represented, to review the possibilities and to recommend a way foward.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what provisions govern the reporting by building societies of their use, and the results of use, of section 23 of the Building Societies Act to their members or shareholders; which agency is responsible for monitoring the use of building societies' powers under section 23; how this agency has exercised these powers in the last two financial years; and in what form the efficacy of this monitoring is reported to Parliament.

I have been asked to reply.A building society wishing to adopt the power to hedge under section 23 of the Building Societies Act 1986 must first obtain the approval of its members, by special resolution, to include that power in its memorandum. There is no statutory requirement for subsequent reporting to the members on the exercise of the power, but directors could choose to do so.The Building Societies Commission is responsible for the regulation and prudential supervision of building societies. It has issued a prudential note—PN 1989/3—on balance sheet mismatch and hedging, which gives guidance to societies on the risks arising from balance sheet structure, and sets out requirements for management, systems and the prudent use of hedging instruments.The Commission reports annually to Parliament, in accordance with section 4 of the Building Societies Act 1986.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the inward manufacturing investment, including that from other European Community countries, in each of the last five years in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) France and (c) Germany.

I have been asked to reply.The latest information on the amount of inward manufacturing direct investment in the United Kingdom is contained in Business Monitor MA4 1990 "Overseas Transactions". Comparable information for France and Germany is not available.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement outlining how the objective in the citizens charter relating to accessibility of the courts to all who have to use them has been met and will be met in relation to Gosport magistrates court.

The Lord Chancellor has not yet reached a decision on the appeal by Hampshire county council against the Hampshire magistrates courts committee's proposal to close the Gosport courthouse. A number of factors, including the case of access to the building, the amenities and facilities available, and the distance that court users would have to travel to the next courthouse if Gosport were to be closed, will be taken into account before a final decision is reached.In general terms, accessibility of the courts in the context of the citizen's charter relates as much to the access to the court process as to the location of individual courthouses. Accessibility therefore includes information being sent to court users in advance of their appearance to explain what can be expected; adequate help and advice on their arrival on the day; and good standards of facilities and amenities within each building, including provision for the disabled and separate waiting facilities for victims and witnesses when required.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department in what circumstances legal aid is given in cases of medical negligence; and how many cases of medical negligence were supported by legal aid in each of the last three years.

All applicants for legal aid must have reasonable grounds for taking or defending a court action and must qualify financially. The upper financial limit for all personal injury cases, including medical negligence, is higher than that for other categories of case. Applicants for legal aid for personal injury cases qualify with assessed disposable income up to 7,500—£6,800 for other cases—and with disposable capital up to £8,560—£6,750 for other cases. The number of certificates issued to plaintiffs in medical negligence actions are as follows:

	Number
1989–90	6,439
1990–91	8,870
1991–92	18,658

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the number of stipendiary magistrates as a percentage of all magistrates; and what measures are being taken to increase this figure.

The number of authorised stipendiary posts as a percentage of active lay magistrates as at 1 January 1993 was 0·3 per cent. Stipendiary magistrates are appointed by the Lord Chancellor to support lay magistrates where there is a clear need and normally after a request has been made locally. Consideration is being given to seeking parliamentary approval to an increase in the statutory maximum of 40 stipendiary appointments outside the inner London area imposed by section 13(4) of the Justice of the Peace Act 1979 so that further stipendiary appointments can be made to support the lay magistracy as appropriate.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what was the number of serving magistrates in each year since 1979.

Country	Food Aid (tonnes)		Non-Food (£ million)
Eritrea	5,000	(Approximately £8·85 million)1	2·0
Ethiopia	13,000		3·5
Kenya	15,000		1·5
Sudan	—		3·5
1includes £0·5 million to transport and distribute food in Sudan.

This pledge is additional to the £221 million, including 310,000 tonnes of food aid and our share of EC emergency aid, which we have committed for humanitarian relief in the Horn of Africa since the present crisis began in September 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made with the know-how fund for central and eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union; and if he will give details of specific projects so far approved this year for each eligible country.

Since my last answer of 27 October 1992, at column 552, the know-how fund has continued to do extremely well. The amount spent or committed is now at over £100 million for more than 700 projects. An updated list of activities has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

The number of serving magistrates for the areas covered by the Lord Chancellor and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in each year is:

	Number
1979	24,021
1980	24,684
1981	25,435
1982	25,665
1983	25,934
1984	25,778
1985	27,244
1986	27,687
1987	27,650
1988	27,926
1989	28,211
1990	28,667
1991	29,062
1992	29,441
1993	29,686

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contributions Her Majesty's Government will make to the special emergency programme for the Horn of Africa 1993 appeals for Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan.

My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development has this week approved a total British contribution of £19·35 million to these appeals. The contribution is made up as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the result of the Transport Council held in Brussels on 15 March.

The Transport Council met in Brussels on 15 March. The Council agreed conclusions on external aviation relations, reached political agreement on air traffic control equipment and confirmed its agreement to the two-year infrastructure programme at the October 1992 Council, with a slightly increased budget. My right hon. Friend Lord Caithness and I attended on behalf of the United Kingdom.The Council had a first discussion of the Commission's whtie paper on a common transport policy. Themes were the need to ensure effective liberalisation in the transport sector, infrastructure, cost recovery, transport safety, and the environment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to open public consultation on the Greater Manchester western and northern relief road section M62 to M66.

Later in the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what procedures were followed for authorising the employment of detective agencies in surveillance of those opposed to the construction of the M4 motorway extension across Twyford Down; what was the total cost involved; and what criteria were used to select the detective agencies used.

Brays Detective Agency (Southampton) Ltd was appointed by the Department's south-east construction programme division on the recommendation of the engineer for the M3 Bar End to Compton scheme. The agency has been employed to serve papers on people trespassing on the Department's land at Twyford Down and to photograph trespassers. To date they have been paid approximately £7,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken, and is proposing to take, to enable an accurate assessment of the total costs of all environmental impacts associated with road haulage; and what is his policy towards harmonising the relationship between vehicle weights and duty levels with other EC member states.

As I explained in my answer to the hon. Lady on 12 March, official Report, columns 769–70, a substantial research programme is required to develop reliable monetary values for environmental impacts. As a first step, we have let a research contract to attempt to derive monetary values for traffic nuisance experienced in the home. We expect a report in autumn 1994. As results emerge from this work, we shall decide on the possibility of valuing other environmental effects on traffic. Separate research is in hand to improve our general understanding of emissions from heavy goods vehicles.Under the United Kingdom presidency last year, the EC Transport Council came close to agreeing proposals for a common structure and minimum rates of vehicle taxation for heavy goods vehicles, as part of wider package on taxing and charging such vehicles. Consideration of this package continued at the Council's meeting on 15 March. As with other taxation, the United Kingdom does not favour complete harmonisation, and it is evident from the discussions in the Council that in any case it could not be achieved in the foreseeable future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to ensure that the northern regions of the United Kingdom have a modern link to the channel tunnel through an expanded King's Cross terminal.

I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer's statement to the House on 16 March, at column 194. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will make a full statement very soon.