To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many applications have been received from primary school teachers under taking standard assessment tasks to be exempt from jury service; and how many have been granted in each of the last two years.

No statistics are collected on the number of applications for excusal from jury service made, the number of applications granted or the reasons for such applications. However, applications for deferral of jury service or excusal from jury service received from teachers summoned to serve during term time, and particularly during examination periods, are treated sympathetically.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether people with disabilities will continue to have priority on her Department's main employment and training programmes.

The inclusion of people with disabilities in the Department's aim group has meant, in effect, that they have had priority for a place on a suitable programme. At the same time as we introduce training for work, we are strengthening the priority that people with disabilities will have on these programmes. The effect will be that people with disabilities will have priority for a place not just on one suitable programme but on each one for which they are suitable. This represents a significant enhancement of the priority given at the moment to people with disabilities.The programmes for which people with disabilities will have priority for a place from 1 April are: training for work, jobclub, job interview guarantee, work trial and business start-up.In addition, as my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer made clear in his Budget statement, people with disabilities will be given priority on learning for work and community action.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons have taken part in the restart scheme since its inception; of those how many went on to full time employment; and what has been the total cost of operating the scheme since it began.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information she has on the number of persons with university degrees who have been unemployed for (a) six months, (b) one year and (c) more than one year.

The latest estimates (not seasonally adjusted) from the Labour Force Survey for Great Britain relate to autumn 1992, and show that of those people with a degree or equivalent qualification who were unemployed on the ILO definition, 91,000 had been unemployed less than six months, 28,000 from six to 12 months and 48,000 unemployed for over one year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether she will take steps to ensure that employees can receive written statements of reasons for dismissal after six months of employment.

No. The two-year qualifying period, in line with that for making a complaint of unfair dismissal, strikes the right balance between the interests of employers and employees.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans she has to ensure that the written statement of terms and conditions received by employees working over eight hours a week includes details about redundancy selection procedures.

I have no such plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what evidence her Department has that employers are unilaterally changing their employees' terms and conditions.

We have received a number of letters to this effect, but employers cannot with impunity breach their contracts of employment with their employees.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans she has to publicise the new right to a written statement of terms and conditions.

When the relevant provisions of the Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Bill come into force, the Department will issue a revised booklet, free of charge, explaining the right to receive a written statement of main terms and conditions of employment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans she has to amend the qualifying period for employees claiming unfair dismissal for (a) full-time workers and (b) part-time workers.

The Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Bill, currently before Parliament, will enable all employees to complain of unfair dismissal, regardless of their length of service or hours of work, if they are dismissed on maternity-related grounds, or for taking certain types of action on health and safety grounds, or for seeking to enforce a statutory employment protection right.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans she has to amend the law to ensure that employees are protected from unfair dismissal when seeking to enforce a statutory right.

A Government amendment to the Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Bill, introducing a new clause which will make it automatically unfair for an employer to dismiss an employee, regardless of length of service or hours of work, if the reason or the principal reason for the dismissal was that the employee had sought in good faith to enforce a statutory employment protection right, was approved in Committee in another place on 25 March 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations she has received from Chief Superintendent David Jarvis of Kilburn and Harlesden police, North London, on the level of funding to Kilburn Skills, a training centre in the London borough of Brent; and if she will make a statement.

We have received no representations from Chief Superintendent David Jarvis of Kilburn and Harlesden police, on the funding of Kilburn Skills training centre which receives funding from both Brent council and North West London training and enterprise council. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is therefore not in a position to make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will place in the Library a copy of the final version of the 1993–94 TEC operating agreement; and if she will make a statement.

I have arranged for a copy of the 1993–94 TEC operating agreement to be placed in the Library. Negotiations between the Department and the large majority of TECs on the 1993–94 contracting arrangements have been completed. We expect the remaining contracts to be signed shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many current applications to industrial tribunals are experiencing a period of delay due to employer's insolvency (a) in the northern region and (b) in the United Kingdom as a whole.

This information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average period of delay experienced by applicants to industrial tribunals in gaining a judgment where the employer concerned is declared insolvent.

Information on the time taken between lodging a complaint and the promulgation of the tribunal decision is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The promulgation of a decision after the hearing would not normally be delayed because of an employer's financial position, and the majority of decisions are promulgated within three to four weeks of the hearing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress is being made in the EC draft directive on information and consultation in multinational enterprises; and if she will make a statement.

An explanatory memorandum dated 24 March, which describes progress on the proposal to date, has been submitted by this Department to the House of Commons Select Committee on European Legislation. The proposal is likely to be discussed a number of times under the Danish presidency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans she has to increase the employment rights of part-time workers.

The Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Bill, currently before Parliament, will further increase the already substantial range of statutory employment protection rights, including for part-timers.The Bill will give all employees, regardless of their hours of work or length of service, the following new rights:

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 5 March, Official Report, column 314, what post inspection by his Department took place of the Agricultural Training Board area office secretary based in Builth Wells whose grade changed in November 1988.

No formal inspection of Agricultural Training Board secretarial posts at Builth Wells was undertaken by MAFF in 1988. Furthermore, we have no record of any grading change affecting a secretarial post at Builth Wells in November 1988.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which professional services within his Department have been subjected to market testing within the last 12 months and with what result; and which will be subjected to market testing within the next 12 months.

In the past 12 months, within the definition of professional and specialist services given on page 13 of the "Competing for Quality" White Paper, the following professional services have been subjected to market testing: the purchase of books and journals for MAFF libraries; pesticide evaluations; staff training contracts; general recruitment contracts. In all cases, the result has been the award of contracts to the private sector.Over the next 12 months, the following professional services will be, or are currently being, market tested: IT systems, services and development; investigation services; staff training services; research and development; work carried out on MAFF's behalf by the laboratory of the Government chemist, the food science laboratory, Norwich and the central science laboratory; central services supplied to MAFF's agencies by MAFF.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will ask the European Commission to delay the implementation of the integrated administration and control system beyond 15 May.

The 15 May deadline for the lodging of area aid application forms is laid down in Community legislation. The European Commission insists that there can be no later date in order that detailed checks, including on-farm inspections, can be carried out while crops are still in the ground and before the end of the set-aside period, or in the case of forage areas during the period when the land is normally grazed. There is therefore no prospect of amending legislation to extend the deadline this year.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the number of badger setts, by country, closed or otherwise, seriously interfered with by or under licence from his Department's officials between 18 January and 15 March.

I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested. A copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will issue to farmers the documentation needed for them to submit area claims under the CAP reform arrangements.

As indicated in my hon. Friend the Minister of State's reply of 29 March to the hon. Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Clifton-Brown), at column 47, the documents for the integrated administrative control system will be sent to farmers in England and Wales on 2 April 1993. We held a press conference this morning and met representatives of the industry this afternoon to explain in full the IACS requirements. We shall continue to do what we can to ensure that farmers and their representatives are clear what they have to do to complete their application forms accurately and on time.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to amend the current jury regulations to automatically exempt primary school teachers undertaking standard assessment tasks from jury service.

I have no such plans. It is, however, open to anyone summoned for jury service to apply for excusal or deferral if they have good reason for doing so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action his Department has taken to ensure that specific instruction concerning racial incidents is included in police training courses.

The issue of racial attacks is specifically addressed at the specialist support unit for community and race relations training, which has been funded by the Home Office since 1989 and which provides training for force trainers and training managers.Trainers who have studied at the unit are used to provide training in community and race relations matters, within forces, as part of probationer training at district training centres, and as part of more advanced training at the central planning and training unit and the police staff college.The second report of the interdepartmental racial attacks group noted that several forces used outside help, particularly racial equality councils, to contribute to such training, and that the majority of forces have reviewed or initiated race relations policies in relation to racial incidents.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the implications of the recent court ruling that the acquired rights directive does apply to prison education staff from 1 April; and if he will make a statement.

The implications of the judgment of Mr. Justice Ogden of 24 March in the case of Kenny and Woodroffe v. South Manchester college are being considered. South Manchester college, which was the defendant to the proceedings, has been granted leave to appeal.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if it is intended for all existing staff employed by the United Kingdom immigrants advisory service to be retained by the successor body; and what is the position over the existing UKIAS offices.

As I announced on 16 March, in columns 170–171, my right hon. and learned Friend has accepted the proposals for a successor body to UKIAS set out in the Malins report, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House. As indicated in the report, the plans for transferring staff to the successor body will be in line with the provisions of Council directive 77/187 (the acquired rights directive). The planning group envisages that a nationwide service will continue, with offices in the exsisting areas covered by UKIAS.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are in hand for the successor body to the United Kingdom immigrants advisory service to advertise and appoint a director and other senior staff.

Members of the planning group established by my right hon. and learned Friend are now taking steps to establish the successor body to the UKIAS, as announced on 16 March at cols. 170–171. The recruitment of a director will be the first priority of the new immigration appeals advisory service.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will issue his consultation document reviewing police discipline procedures.

I am today issuing a paper which examines police discipline procedures in the light of the considerable changes which have been, and are being, made to personnel management in the police service. I believe that the existing procedures, which date from world war 1, fail to meet the requirement of the public for a swift response to minor failures in what is expected of police officers. The present procedures are also, in many respects, unfair to individual officers and yet, where there have been serious breaches of conduct, can prevent proper action from being taken quickly and sensibly.I have invited comments on the paper by 14 May and shall welcome views from everyone with an interest in these issues. I hope that interested parties, particularly the police staff associations and the Police Complaints Authority, will respond quickly so that there may be early and constructive discussion on the way forward.Copies of the paper are available to hon. Members in the Library and, as usual, in the Vote Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list changes to the rules for visitors to the United Kingdom from India since 1989;(2) what further changes he is considering to the rules for visitors to the United Kingdom from India.

No changes in the immigration rules relating specifically to visitors from India have been made since 1989, and my right hon. and learned Friend has no plans to make any.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) pursuant to his answer of 22 March, Official Report, column 448, how many of the 36 nationals of former Yugoslavia whose applications to extend their visits to the United Kingdom during 1992 were refused have been removed from the United Kingdom; to which countries they were sent; and how many have lodged appeals against refusal to extend their visits;(2) pursuant to his answer of 22 March,

[holding answer 26 March 1993]: Information in respect of the refusals referred to is given in the table.

Refusals1 of applications for extension of stay by nationals of the former Yugoslavia, by certain categories: 1992
	Number
Student	34
Au pair	13
Spouse2	20
1 Excluding dependants.
2 For probationary year.

Information about appeals against refusals of applications for extensions, and about removals after refusal is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.However, no national of the former Yugoslavia removed from the United Kingdom is being removed to a war zone.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to amend the obscenity laws so as to include a definition of pornography.

No. The term "pornography" has no legal significance, but the Obscene Publications Act 1959 already allows the courts to determine matters related to obscenity and pornography. Like our predecessors, the Government believe that any change in the definition of obscenity would be a matter of conscience for individual Members of Parliament and not a subject for Government legislation. However, as our record shows, the Government are prepared to offer their assistance and support to individual Members who have proposals for reform, provided that these appear to us to be workable, an improvement on the existing law and likely to command sufficient support in the House.As I said in my reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Castle Point (Dr. Spink) on 5 February at column 350, we are currently considering what improvements can be made in the enforcement of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 and 1964, and other legislation relating to obscenity.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total cost per week of keeping a man in (a) HM prison Wolds and (b) HM prison Lindholme.

The average weekly cost of keeping a person in Wolds remand prison from April 1992, when the prison opened, until December 1992 was £626. Available figures for Lindholme prison, a category C training prison with dormitory accommodation, for the year ending March 1992, show that the average net operating cost per inmate per week was £336. This comparison is misleading, since unit costs are higher in the period during which a prison opens and is 'filling with prisoners, as Wolds was doing in 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what initiatives he proposes to reduce the carrying and use of knives and guns in the Greater Manchester area.

My right hon. and learned Friend has no power to intervene in operational matters. I understand from the chief constable of the Greater Manchester police that he has set up a new unit specifically to deal with major armed crime. The force held an amnesty for offensive weapons last year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what security risks necessitate the use of strip searching in the United Kingdom.

A person detained in police custody may be required to undergo a strip search only if the custody officer considers it to be necessary to remove an article which, under the terms of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, he would not be allowed to keep. This includes any item which the person might use to cause physical injury to himself or anyone else, to damage property, to interfere with evidence or to assist him to escape.Prison officers in England and Wales may strip-search prisoners as a routine security measure for the purpose of detecting concealed weapons, drugs, explosives and other unauthorised items.Officers of HM Customs and Excise have powers to strip-search a person in a prescribed area if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that he is carrying an article with respect to the importation or exportation of which any prohibition or restriction is in force. Suspected possession of weapons or explosives is covered by this category.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the rights of citizens to refuse to submit to official strip searching in the United Kingdom.

A person in police detention has no right to refuse to submit to a strip search if one is authorised by the custody officer. Where consent is withheld, such searches may be conducted by the use of reasonable force.Strip searching in prisons is considered to be an important feature of routine security checks, and is not subject to the consent of prisoners.A person who is required to submit to a search by an officer of HM Customs and Excise under section 164 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 may appeal to a magistrate, or to the superior of the officer concerned.A person who is not exempt from control under the Immigration Act 1971 and who is seeking admission to the United Kingdom has no right to refuse to submit to a search of their baggage or person for documents by an immigration officer exercising powers under the Act. The power to search the person for documents is used sparingly and only where the circumstances justify it.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward legislation preventing privatised public utilities from making financial donations to political parties.

I have no plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list, for each of the last five years, the duration, value and nature of contracts awarded by his Department to Arthur Andersen, Andersen Consulting, KPMG Peat Marwick McLintock, Touche Ross, Ernst and Young and Price Waterhouse.

Details of the contracts awarded by the Home Office during the last five years to the specified companies, are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on his policy concerning recognition of the Prison Service Union; and what progress has been made in granting recognition.

The director general of the prison service met representatives of the Prison Service Union on 2 March for a wide-ranging discussion on prison matters. He said at that meeting that their request for recognition was being considered, but that the issues were such that an early decision was unlikely.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what proportion of recorded crime in Cornwall and Devon has led to successful convictions in each of the last five years for which there are figures; what were the average figures for England and for the United Kingdom for the same years; and if he will make a statement;(2) what proportion of crimes led to successful convictions in each of the last five years for which figures are available for each county; what was the average figure

[holding answers 1 and 2 March 1993]: The information is not available. Information on recorded offences and court proceedings is compiled on different bases and a measure that combines the two therefore cannot be prepared. Figures for crimes cleared up by means of charge or summons were given in reply to a question from the hon. Member for Vale of Glamorgan (Mr. Sweeney) on 4 February at columns 291–92.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from the Government of Zimbabwe concerning the proposed treaty on drought and desertification.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how he proposes to respond to the UN Secretary General's appeal for humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan.

The Government will make an immediate pledge of £7·5 million. This sum will be allocated as follows:

£3 million for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to support its programme of assistance to returning refugees from Pakistan and Iran;

£1 million for the International Committee of the Red Cross;

£1 million for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan, for mine clearance;

£1·6 million to respond to requests from nongovernmental organisations involved in relief, rehabilitation and development work;

£0·9 million food aid contribution through the World Food Programme.

This pledge is in addition to over £80 million of humanitarian aid provided by Britain for Afghanistan since 1980, of which £7·55 million has been disbursed in 1992–93 in response to an earlier UN appeal.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many and what percentage of officers in each grade from 1 to 7 and overall in his Department are (a) women, (b) from ethnic minorities and (c) disabled people.

The numbers and percentages of women in the Department of National Heritage and the Historic Royal Palaces Agency in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are as follows:

Grade	Number of Staff	Number of Women	Percentage of Women
1A	1	0	0
2	—	—	—
3	4	1	25
4	1	0	0
5	19	7	37
6	8	3	38
7	52	9	17

We are able to identify the number of women amongst our staff from our basic staff records. As a new Department, we will not, until 1 April 1993, have complete personnel records or a personnel database covering all our staff. It is our intention to carry out an ethnic origin survey and disability survey as soon as possible after that date.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what steps are currently taken by his Department to monitor the effectiveness of the equal opportunities provision within the Broadcasting Act 1990.

Channel 3 and Channel 4 licences include conditions on equal opportunities for employment. The Independent Television Commission is responsible for monitoring licence conditions.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what steps he has taken to recruit women, members of ethnic minorities and disabled people respectively, in top grades of employment at his Department.

Recruits to the senior grades of the Department of National Heritage, as to any grade in the civil service, are selected on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition, unless one of the exceptions permitted under the Civil Service Order in Council 1991 applies. Various steps have been taken by the civil service commissioners to aid recruitment from all sectors of the community including: extending links with institutions of higher education; equal opportunities training for those involved in selection; using validated selection procedures.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when his Department last conducted surveys of (a) the ethnic origins and (b) women among its employees; when it next plans to do so; and whether he will make a statement.

For women, there is no need for particular surveys, as the sex of employees is identified in our basic staff records. As a new Department, we will not, until 1 April 1993, have personnel records or a personnel database covering all our staff, and it is our intention to carry out an ethnic origin survey as soon as possible after that date.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to attract private sector funding for the proposed move of the royal armouries museum to Leeds; and if he will make a statement.

The Department is contributing £20 million to the project, and further contributions are being made by Leeds development corporation and Leeds city council. Merchant bankers acting for the armouries have now circulated a briefing memorandum to potential investors, who will be invited to contribute the rest of the estimated cost of £42 million. The Government fully support this important project, which will bring significant benefits to Leeds.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement on the condition of the fabric of the Albert memorial; and what plans he has to restore and conserve it.

[holding answer 29 March 1993]: A condition survey carried out in 1991 identified the need for considerable repairs to the ironwork, leadwork, stone-work, decorative tiling, statues and mosaics. A restoration scheme has therefore been prepared which addresses all these matters. The estimated cost of restoration is over £10 million. In view of the many demands on public resources at a time of very tight public expenditure control, I have had to postpone a start on this project. However, the Government remain committed to a worthy restoration of the Albert memorial. In the meantime, the protection and safety of the memorial is being assured.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what percentage of officers in each grade from 1 to 7 and overall in his Department are (a) women, (b) from ethnic minorities and (c) disabled people.

Figures for the Diplomatic wing are: (a) Women:

Grade	Total staff		Number of women in grade		Women as a percentage of total in grade
1	7	149	—	5	—	3·4
2	33		1		3·0
3	109		4		3·7
4	1		—		—
5	303		13		4·3
6	91		6		6·6
7	492		74		15·0
Overall	6,400		2,265		35·4

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to recruit women, members of ethnic minorities and disabled people respectively, in top grades of employment at his Department.

Recruits to the senior grades, as to any grade in the civil service, are selected on merit on the basis of fair and open competition, unless one of the exceptions permitted under the Civil Service and Diplomatic Service Order in Council 1991 applies. Various steps have been taken by the civil service commissioners to aid recruitment from all sectors of the community, including: extending links with institutions of higher education; equal opportunities training for those involved in selection; using validated selection procedures.All recruitment advertising and literature makes clear that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is an equal opportunities employer. This message is underlined at the numerous careers events across the country at which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is represented. The diplomatic wing has set up a cadre of volunteers from amongst its staff of ethnic minority origin to represent the Department at such events. Its recruitment brochure for the fast stream of the diplomatic service includes a positive action message for women.In the aid wing, job advertisements for all vacancies for senior positions carry a statement confirming that the Overseas Development Administration is an equal opportunities employer. By the application of published criteria, the aid wing ensures that all suitably qualified candidates are considered objectively for appointment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department last conducted surveys of (a) the ethnic origins and (b) women among its employees; when it next plans to do so; and whether he will make a statement.

The diplomatic and aid wings of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office conducted their original surveys of ethnic origins in 1986. They have been continuously updated since then. The aid wing's agency, the Natural Resources Institute, is undertaking a major exercise to update its database. The gender of employees is identified in staff records. Statistics are updated at regular intervals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy on the implications for the availability of vitamin, mineral and other dietary supplements of the agreements on subsidiarity reached at the Edinburgh summit.

The Commission has not tabled proposals specifically aimed at controlling dietary supplements. Any such proposals would need to be judged against the subsidiarity criteria in the normal manner.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the European Commission has yet completed the review of its work programme commenced as a result of the agreements on subsidiarity reached at the Edinburgh summit; and what information he has about the possible inclusion within that programme of the production of a directive on dietary supplements.

No; work continues. Dietary supplements was not an area specified in the Commission's initial subsidiarity review. It is not clear whether or not the Commission intends to pursue an initiative on dietary supplements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he possesses regarding the status of the Yongbyong nuclear facility in North Korea.

International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors have conducted six inspections at the Yongbyon nuclear facility. They have since asked to inspect two further undeclared sites in Yongbyon, which the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have refused, in breach of their safeguards agreement with the agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on United Kingdom relations with Indonesia.

The United Kingdom maintains friendly and constructive relations with Indonesia. We are contributing substantially to Indonesia's development in key industrial sectors, and the opportunities for British business are enormous. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs is looking forward to his visit there later this week.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from the Government of India concerning the sale of Chieftain tanks to Pakistan.

There have been no representations to us by the Government of India about the possibility of the sale of Chieftain tanks to Pakistan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if pensions earned by retired members of the Hong Kong Government now living outside Hong Kong are paid in Hong Kong dollars or in the local currency.

Hong Kong Government pensions are payable in Hong Kong dollars, irrespective of where the recipients reside. In the case of United Kingdom officers who have retired in the United Kingdom, they may be paid in pounds sterling by the Crown Agents at the prevailing rate of exchange.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what agreement has been reached with the Chinese Government regarding the payment of pensions to retired civil servants of the Hong Kong Government; and if he will make a statement.

We reached the following agreement with the Chinese Government in the Sino-British Joint declaration of 1984:

"The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government shall pay to such persons (public servants) who retire or complete their contracts, as well as to those who have retired before 1 July 1997, or to their dependants, all pensions, gratuities, allowances and benefits due to them on terms no less favourable than before, and irrespective of their nationality or place of residence."

This provision is repeated in the Basic Law, the Chinese constitution for Hong Kong after 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the adequacy of pension arrangements of Hong Kong retired civil servants who now live outside the colony.

Hong Kong Government pensioners, wherever they reside, have the option of having their pensions paid directly by the Hong Kong Government or the Crown Agents in the United Kingdom. As far as we are aware, both methods of payments have proved to be satisfactory.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many commercial attaches are currently serving in British embassies and high commissions overseas; in what countries; and how many had worked in industry before their appointment to the diplomatic service.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for the Isle of Wight (Mr. Porter) on 10 March at column 602. Commercial work is part of the responsibility of all our bilateral ambassadors and high commissioners and all our senior diplomats overseas have an understanding of the importance of commercial diplomacy and trade promotion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from which articles, their paragraphs or their parts, Denmark is excluded from the obligations contained in title V of the treaty on European union, quoting in each instance the relevant parts of the Edinburgh decision and related treaty article.

The decision on Denmark agreed at Edinburgh clarified, although it does not alter, either the text of the treaty on European union, or the obligations taken on by those who ratify the treaty. That applies to title V of the treaty as it does to other provisions. At Edinburgh, Heads of Government noted that Denmark does not participate in the elaboration and implementation of decisions and actions of the union which have defence implications.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the members of the United Kingdom delegation to the European Community Economic and Social Committee.

• Mr. Neville Beale
• Mr. Michael Bell
• Mr. John Little
• Mr. Kenneth Gardner.
• Dr. Felix Kafka
• Mr. Michael Mobbs
• Dr. Ann Robinson
• Mr. John Whitworth
• Mr. Campbell Christie
• Mr. Peter Dawson
• Mr. Tom Jenkins
• Mr. John Lyons
• Miss Ada Maddocks
• Mr. William Morris
• Mr. Roy Sanderson
• Mr. Alexander Smith
• Mr. Wilfred Aspinall
• Mrs. Jocelyn Barrow
• Professor William Black
• Mrs. Angela Guillaume
• Mr. Robert Moreland
• Mr. Michael Strauss

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy regarding the acquisition of information on possible breaches of international conventions or treaties relating to the conduct of hostilities in the former Yugoslavia; and if he will make a statement.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is collecting substantiated information about violations of international humanitarian law which will be submitted to the UN commission of experts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts relating to the acquisition of information on possible breaches of international conventions or treaties relating to the conduct of hostilities in the former Yugoslavia; and if he will make a statement.

None. However, the issue has been discussed with EC partners at regular intervals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what grants or donations the Foreign Office has given to the South African Rugby Football Union in the last five years.

To mark the unification of the bodies that had previously controlled rugby union in South Africa, the British embassy in Cape Town donated 125,000 rand to the South African Rugby Football Union's township development programme in April 1992. A similar amount had previously been donated to mark the unification of the bodies controlling cricket in South Africa.

Number of the Case	Name of the Case	White Paper reference! Law Report (if available)
A. Magistrates Courts 9 references.
C 118/88	Suffolk Coastal District Council v. Nottcutts Garden Centres Ltd.	Cm. 467
C 134/88	Solicitor for Mansfield District Council v. Payless DIY Ltd.	Cm. 467
C 145/88	Torfaen Borough Council v. B & Q plc	Cm. 1023/ (1989) ECR 3851
C 166/88	The City of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council v. B & Q plc	Cm. 467
C 195/88	Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council v. B & Q plc	Cm. 641
C 232/88	Derry City Council v. Hampden Homecare plc	Cm. 641
C 291/88	Torfaen Borough Council v. Texas Homecare Ltd.	Cm. 801
C 304/90	Reading Borough Council v. Payless DIY Ltd. and Others	White Paper not yet published
C 116/91	Licensing Authority South Eastern Traffic Area v. British Gas plc	Cm. 2065/ (1992) 3 CMLR 65
B. Crown Court 4 references.
C 23/89	Quietlynn Limited v. Southend Borough Council	Cm. 801/ (1990) ECR 3059
C38/90	R. v. Thomas Edward Lomas	Cm. 1234/ (1992) 2 CMLR 653
C 151/90	R. v. Fletcher Prichard and North Riding Lamb Limited	Cm. 2065
C 116/92	Huyton Wilson and Charlton v. Crown Prosecution Service	White Paper not yet published
C. High Court 22 references.
C 126/88	The Boots Company plc v. Her Majesty's Commissioners of Customs and Excise	Cm. 1234
C 174/88	R. v. Dairy Produce Quota Tribunal ex parte Hall and Sons (Dairy Farmers) Ltd.	Cm. 1234
C 306/88	Rochdale Borough Council v. Anders	Cm. 2065
C 331/88	R. v. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and Secretary of State for Health ex parte FEDESA	Cm. 1457/ (1990) ECR 4023
C 372/88	MMB v. Cricket St. Thomas Estate	Cm. 1234/ (1990) 2 CMLR 800
C 71/89 and C 72/89	R. v. IBAP ex parte BEOCO and Others	Cm. 1457
C 221/89	R. v. Secretary of State for Transport ex parte Factortame Ltd. and Others	Cm. 1857/ (1991) 3 CMLR 589
C 292/89	R. v. IAT ex parte Antonissen	Cm. 1657/ (1991) 2 CMLR 373
C 350/89	Sheptonhurst Ltd. v. Newham London Borough Council	Cm. 1657/ (1991) 3 CMLR 463
C 84/90	R. v. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food ex parte J. J. Dent and another	Cm. 2065/ (1992) 2 CMLR 597
C 243/90	R. v. Secretary of State for Social Security ex parte Smithson	Cm. 2065/ (1992) 1 CMLR 1061
C 370/90	R. v. IAT (1) and Surinder Singh (2) ex parte Secretary of State for the Home Department	White Paper not yet published

To ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to his answer of 11 March, Official Report, column 650, if he will list the rulings sought by courts as provided in article 177 of the treaty of Rome and the decision given by the court in each case.

Details of the cases referred to the European Court of Justice under article 177 by each of the named courts in the last five years are set out in the table.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 15 March, Official Report, column 34, what information he has received about the outcome of court proceedings in Pakistan concerning Mr. Ghazanfer Ali.

The two murder charges facing Mr. Ghanzanfer Ali were heard on 13 and 14 March. Both cases were adjourned until 8 and 12 April. We shall continue to watch developments.

To ask the Prime Minister what representation he has had from Professor Ingvar Carlsson, former Prime Minister of Sweden, on the establishment of a world forestry organisation; and if he will make a statement.

None. Ambassador Ola Ullsten announced at the recent global forestry conference in Indonesia an initiative to establish a world commission on forestry and sustainable development. The Ministers concerned know of the initiative and expect to receive more information about it shortly.

To ask the Prime Minister what steps he has taken to recruit women, members of ethnic minorities and disabled people respectively in top grades of employment at the Cabinet Office.

Recruits to the senior grades, as to any grade in the civil service, are selected on merit on the basis of fair and open competition, unless one of the exceptions permitted under the Civil Service Order in Council 1991 applies. Various steps have been taken by the civil service commissioners to aid recruitment from all sectors of the community, including: extending links with institutions of higher education; equal opportunities training for all those involved in selection; using validated section procedures.The Cabinet office, which has signed up domestically to Opportunity 2000, is working towards achieving the civil service-wide benchmark of increasing the proportion of women in the top three grades to 15 per cent. or more by the year 2000. The Department continually seeks to encourage the employment of people from the enthnic minorities and those with disabilities.

To ask the Prime Minister when the Cabinet Office last conducted surveys of (a) ethnic origins and (b) the number women among its employees; when it next plans to do so; and whether he will make a statement.

A survey of the ethnic origins of all non-industrial civil servants was completed in 1988. The Cabinet Office introduced a computerised personnel database in 1991. All staff were given the opportunity to update their own entries, which include sections on ethnic origins. All new staff are given the opportunity to complete an ethnic monitoring questionnaire. There are no firm plans to conduct further surveys. The sex of employees is identified in staff records.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements; for Tuesday 30 March.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 30 March.

This morning, I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in to the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many houses and flats have been built by housing associations in the London borough of Ealing, what were the associations concerned, the locations and the cost at 1993 prices in each of the past 10 years; how many future such developments are planned and at what locations and cost; and if he will make a statement.

My Department does not keep the detailed records which would allow me to answer this question. I have referred it to the Housing Corporation and asked it to reply direct to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those local authorities in England which are debt free.

Returns to the Department indicate that the following local authorities are debt-free for the purposes of the capital control system. The list shows authorities which had no money outstanding by way of longer-term borrowing at 31 December 1992, and a nil or negative credit ceiling at 31 March 1992.

• Bedford
• Bracknell Forest
• Broadland
• Chiltern
• Christchurch
• City of London
• Dorset
• Mid Sussex
• Ryedale
• St. Edmundsbury
• Sevenoaks
• South Bucks
• Swale
• Tunbridge Wells
• West Sussex
• Avon and Somerset Police Authority
• Devon and Cornwall Policy Authority
• Peak Park Planning Board

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment for which local authorities in London and the south-east of England unitary development plans (a) have been completed, (b) have not been completed, (c) are currently out to consultation and (d) are currently subject to public inquiry; and in respect of which plans he has issued his report.

The London borough of Barnet adopted its unitary development plan in November 1991, and the London borough of Havering is due to adopt its UDP on 31 March 1993. All other London boroughs are currently preparing UDPs. Outside London, district authorities in the south-east of England do not prepare UDPs, but are required to prepare district-wide local plans.UDPs for the London boroughs of Hillingdon, Newham, Camden and Croydon are at consultation stage; those for the London boroughs of Barking, Merton, Brent, Bexley, Tower Hamlets, Lambeth, Haringey and Lewisham are on deposit for public inspection.The London boroughs of Hounslow, Kensington and Chelsea, Wandsworth, Richmond and Kingston are currently holding public inquiries into objections to their UDPs; the following London boroughs have completed their public inquiries: Islington, Redbridge, Sutton, Enfield, Southwark, Bromley, Greenwich, the City of London, Waltham Forest, the City of Westminster, Harrow, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hackney and Ealing.Following a public inquiry, the inspector makes his recommendations direct to the local authority. The Secretary of State does not issue reports in respect of development plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the amounts of council tax transitional relief granted to each (a) London borough, (b) other metropolitan boroughs and (c) other local authorities in England; and what is the amount of transitional relief as a percentage of the total transitional relief granted.

Authorities have been invited to submit claims for council tax transitional reduction scheme grant for 1993–94. We have no estimates of the amount of each authority's grant entitlement.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects the Joint Nature Conservancy Council inventory of marine sites of importance to birds to be produced.

At present the Joint Nature Conservation Committee has no plans to produce such an inventory. The former Nature Conservancy Council published survey results of the most important areas for seabirds in the North sea and west of Britain, in 1987 and 1990 respectively. The JNCC's remaining survey work in the English channel and south-west approaches is about to be completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how he intends to safeguard the wider coastal and marine environment under the EC habitats and species directive.

The Government's proposals for implementing the EC habitats and species directive will be issued in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action is being taken by his officials to pursue the proposed EC directive on coastal zone planning and management.

At present, the Commission has not published a proposed directive on coastal zone planning. The Government will take an active part in seeking to ensure that any proposals that come forward are workable and effective.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to introduce legislation that requires landlords to ensure regular servicing of appliances fitted within their properties; and if he will make a statement.

The Housing (Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation) Regulations 1990 require managers of houses in multiple occupation to observe proper standards of management and to keep existing facilities in good repair. These facilities include gas and electric appliances, and sanitary and cooking facilities. Failure to comply with the regulations is a criminal offence.Private landlords also have certain statutory obliga-tions to carry out repairs and maintenance under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. These include ensuring that the installations for the supply of gas and electricity and for space and water heating are kept in proper working order.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what statutory responsibility local authorities have to offer homeless families a choice in the type of temporary accommodation they are offered.

Local authorities have no statutory responsibility to offer a choice of temporary accommodation; this is a matter for their discretion in the light of local circumstances.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what provision he is making for the homeless people about to be evicted from the cold weather shelters; and how many beds are currently provided by those shelters.

Under the Government's £96 million rough sleepers initiative, we have provided funding of £1·5 million for this year's winter shelter programme, which at its height provided 400 extra bedspaces in nine winter shelters in central London. The purpose of the winter shelter programme was only to provide shelter for people in central London who would otherwise sleep rough over the winter months. The shelters will close at the end of March.Currently, around 170 of the 400 places are still in use; over 50 of these people have accepted offers of other accommodation, and the voluntary organisations running the shelters are continuing to help find alternative accommodation for those that remain. In doing so, they will be assisted by two new hostels funded under the RSI which opened this month, and which will provide a further 100 bed spaces; by vacancies in other London hostels; and by an estimated 100 units of permanent accommodation provided under the RSI becoming available in the last two weeks of March.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total public funding being committed to his plans to encourage development on the east Thames corridor.

The Government's preferred approach to the east Thames corridor is to put in place a planning framework which will seek to maximise the development benefits of public investment in infrastructure and urban regeneration over the next 20 years. It is not possible to estimate the total of public expenditure in the area over that period.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what effect the census validation survey has on the distribution of the standard spending assessments of population estimates for local authorities; and if he will make a statement;(2) what assessment he has made of the effect on the level of grant through the standard spending assessment formula population estimates to metropolitan district authorities of the under-enumeration formulas; and if he will make a statement.

The effect of the census validation survey has been to ensure that the mid-1991 population figures produced by the registrar general for use in the calculation of standard spending assessments are as accurate as possible.We have looked most carefully at the mid-1991 population figures based on the 1991 census results, given their implications for standard spending assessments and revenue support grant entitlements. We are satisfied that the methods the registrar general has employed to produce these estimates, particularly in relation to the allocation of census under-enumeration, are the most appropriate in the circumstances and do not disadvantage metropolitan or any other class of authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he intends to take to adjust the standard spending assessments population estimates for Leeds and Wakefield because of the under-enumeration following the OPCS survey; and if he will make a statement.