To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the deputy chairman of the Parliametary Boundary Commission for Wales is to be appointed.

The appointment of the deputy chairman of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Wales will be made as soon as possible, following consultation with Opposition parties.

To ask the Attorney-General if the Serious Fraud Office is still pursuing inquiries into possible criminal conduct of individuals connected with the Bank of Credit and Commerce International; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. Three persons have already been indicted at the Central Criminal Court on charges connected with the Bank of Credit and Commerce International. It is expected that a fourth person will be extradited from France in the near future. Other lines of inquiry are being pursued and the investigation will continue while there is still a realistic prospect of bringing criminal charges against persons in England.

To ask the Attorney-General what steps have been taken by the Serious Fraud Office to interview (a) the British citizens in Abu Dhabi and (b) the persons in Pakistan who have indicated that they will co-operate with the Serious Fraud Office in furnishing information about BCCI.

Requests have been made to interview detainees and view documents in Abu Dhabi. So far, it has not been possible to arrange for such access.I have taken the persons mentioned at

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what percentage of Northern Ireland students obtain employment outside college or university term time annually.

The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate Cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons are employed by the Labour Relations Agency; and how many employees are (a) Roman Catholic and (b) Protestant.

As at 15 April 1993, 54 persons were employed by the Labour Relations Agency, of whom 25 were Roman Catholic and 29 were Protestant.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made towards establishing the electricity interconnector between Northern Ireland and the British mainland.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply gave to the hon. Member for Wigan (Mr. Stott) on 15 March, Official Report, column 47.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the amount of money spent on (a) new build, (b) improvement schemes and (c) maintenance schemes by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in each of the estates under its control in the seven housing districts of Belfast in each of the last five years.

This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, but I have been advised by the chief executive that the information is not readily available in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many squatters have had court proceedings taken against them by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive for illegal occupancy in each year since 1988.

The chief executive of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive has advised that details of the number of squatters who have had court proceedings taken against them are available for only the last three years. The numbers are as follows:

	Number
1990–91	133
1991–92	227
1992–93	172

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many punishment shootings occurred in Northern Ireland in each year since 1990.

There were 106 casualties as a result of terrorist shooting attacks within own communities in 1990, 76 in 1991 and 133 in 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many explosions occurred in Northern Ireland in each year since 1990; and how many deaths and injuries were sustained by the security forces in these years.

The number of explosions which have occurred and the number of members of the security forces who have been killed or injured in each year since 1990 in Northern Ireland as a result of the security situation is as follows:

Year	Explosions1	Security force deaths	Security force injuries
1990	167	27	428
1991	230	19	302
1992	222	9	468
1 Excludes incendiary devices

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total number of local government personnel in Northern Ireland in each year since 1990; and what was the total cost in salaries and wages in each case.

The information, which is available only for financial years, is as follows:

Year	Number of personnel	Salary/Wages cost £million
31 March 1990	9,324	95·2
31 March 1991	9,082	97·6
31 March 1992	8,935	101·0

Information for the year ended 31 March 1993 is not yet available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements he has made to monitor the extent to which the private sector is participating in the Government's programme of capital projects.

Departments are being asked to notify the Treasury on a regular basis of cases being considered, or in hand, where the total expenditure involved by the public and/or private sector exceeds £5 million. In addition, the Treasury expects to obtain information about other projects through its normal contacts with Departments.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement as to the reasons for the increase in value added tax write-offs between 1990 and 1991.

The increase in value added tax write-offs between 1990 and 1991 was attributable primarily to an increase in the number of VAT registered traders being declared insolvent. The figures for 1991 also include some £80 million written off following a special review of long standing debts on the VAT ledger.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in what circumstances the 20 per cent. penalty on value added tax debt is incurred.

The maximum rate of surcharge affects only those who persistently fail to submit returns and pay tax on time. As a result of proposals announced in the recent Budget statement and subject to the passage of the Finance Bill, no surcharges of 20 per cent. will be issued for tax periods ending on or after 1 April 1993. Prior to 1 April 1993, a taxpayer would incur a 20 per cent. surcharge only if at least six returns or payments were submitted late.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the current rate of currency exchange to the pound sterling for (a) Bermuda, (b) Gibraltar, (c) Hong Kong, (d) the Cayman Islands, (e) Montserrat, (f) St. Helena and (g) Turks and Caicos.

At the close of the London Market on Friday 16 April the sterling exchange rates were:

Area	Currency
(a) Bermuda	Bermudian $ 1·52
(b) Gibraltar	Gib £ 1·00
(c) Hong Kong	HK $ 11·7898
(d) the Cayman Islands	CI $ 1·2551
(e) Montserrat	E Carr $ 4·1099
(f)St. Helena	£ 1·00
(g) Turks and Caicos	US $ 1·5250

The Gibraltar pound is fixed at parity with sterling. The currency in St. Helena is sterling, and that in Turks and Caicos is the US dollar.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what maximum levels of concentrations of dioxins and furans within samples of soil and herbage are allowable before these trigger further surveys within an area into the concentrations of dioxins and furans in food and beverages; and if he will make a statement.

No specific maximum concentrations of dioxins and furans in soil and herbage have been set as a trigger for a corresponding survey of locally produced foods. The Ministry's general approach is to consider the need for a survey of local foodstuffs only when the concentrations or patterns of dioxins and furans in soil or herbage in a specific area differ significantly from normal background levels.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the maximum tolerable concentrations of dioxins and furans which are allowable in differing types of milk, milk products, meat, meat products, fish, fats, oils, eggs, fruit, vegetables, cereals, cereal products, water and other beverages; and if he will make a statement.

The Ministry has established a maximum tolerable concentration—MTC—of dioxins and furans in whole milk of 0·7 ng TEQ/kg. Action is necessary to prevent direct consumption of milk if it contains dioxins and furans at concentrations above the MTC. No MTCs have been set for dioxins and furans in other foods listed.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the number of confirmed cases of BSE during the first three months of 1993 that were (a) under two years of age, (b) aged two to three years, (c) aged three to four years, (d) aged five to six years and (e) aged seven or more years.

The number of cases of BSE confirmed in Great Britain in cattle in which the age has so far been determined in the first three months of 1993 by age at onset of clinical signs of disease, is as follows:

Age Band (Years)	Number of cases
Under 2	0
2 and less than 3	5
3 and less than 4	189
4 and less than 5	1,803
5 and less than 6	3,266
6 and less than 7	1,206
7 and over	437

The majority of these cases will have been clinically affected and reported in 1992, and consequently the data cannot be used as an expression of incidence in the first quarter of 1993.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give his Ministry's estimated annual figures for BSE in beef cattle for the next five years.

The number of cases of BSE occurring in beef cattle has always been a small part of the total. However, because it is still not possible to calculate accurately the extent to which the national herd was exposed to BSE agent through feed, accurate predictions of future incidence cannot be made.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is able to report on the outcome of the independent review of slaughterhouses, and of the recent consultations on the Government's proposals to limit meat inspection charges; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 31 March 1993, c. 251–52]: I have now considered recommendations from my officials to refuse to grant licences to slaughterhouses in England. I am delighted that, following very thorough scrutiny of all the applications and an intensive programme of advice from my veterinary officers specialising in meat hygiene, we have been able to license 438 slaughterhouses, almost all the premises for which applications were made. I have refused only seven applications, all of them from premises which had failed on successive inspections to comply with the basic hygiene requirements of the regulations.A small number of slaughterhouses which have not yet agreed a work plan to upgrade their premises have been given a time-limited licence to 31 May to enable outstanding problems to be resolved. No further licence will be issued unless by the end of that period the operator has agreed to a satisfactory work plan. The state veterinary service will continue to be flexible in finding practical solutions in individual premises. But we will not allow businesses which have invested in meeting the new structural standards to be disadvantaged by unfair competition from plants where structure-related hygiene problems persist.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made in fulfilment of paragraphs B4.1 and B4.2 on radioactive substances in annex 3 of the action plan of the ministerial meeting of the Oslo and Paris Commissions on the Prevention of Marine Pollution, 21 and 22 September 1992.

I have been asked to reply. The question of criteria for assessing and/or reporting on best available techniques for the prevention and elimination of pollution by radioactive substances in the north-east Atlantic—paragraph B.4.1—is one which has been the subject of extended debate among the contracting parties of the Paris convention. Further discussion of the possibility of developing such criteria will no doubt continue. The adoption of further measures—paragraph B.4.2—will be considered as and when necessary. The United Kingdom is applying the best available techniques and sees no need for any measures to be adopted by the Paris commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the disposal of his Department's property in Scotland.

It is the Government's policy that the defence estate should be no larger than necessary for defence purposes. In order to ensure the best return is achieved for the taxpayer it is our normal policy to offer surplus property for sale on the open market although special provisions apply to the sale of surplus housing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the relocation of the Army personnel centre; and if he will make a statement.

Work is still in hand to determine the location of the Army personnel centre, but I hope to be in a position to make an announcement soon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give details of the Royal Air Force assets which are deployed in the air defence of the United Kingdom; and what they were in (a) 1983 and (b) 1973.

Currently we have seven Tornado air defence variant squadrons, three Rapier squadrons and one Sentry airborne early warning squadron deployed in the air defence of the United Kingdom. In addition, 50 dual-role Hawk trainer aircraft are available as interceptor day fighters. This compares to a United Kingdom air defence force in 1983 of five Phantom and two Lightning squadrons, one Bloodhound and three Rapier squadrons and one Shackleton airborne early warning squadron. Seventy two dual-role Hawk trainer aircraft were then available as interceptor day fighters. In 1973 we had one Phantom and five Lightning squadrons, one Bloodhound squadron and one Shackleton AEW squadron.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he intends to take to improve the United Kingdom amphibious warfare capability.

We are committed to improving Britain's amphibious warfare capability. We recently announced that we are going ahead with a new helicopter carrier and we expect to place an order later this year. We are proceeding with our plans to upgrade our three older landing ships logistic, Sir Bedivere, Sir Percival and Sir Geraint. We are also continuing with project definition studies for replacements for our two assault ships.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the discussion his Department's ministers and officials have had with the United States Government about nuclear tests.

We are in close contact with the United States Government on nuclear testing, at both ministerial and official level.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his United States counterpart regarding nuclear testing.

I shall be discussing a wide range of issues with Mr. Aspin later this week.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to improve its communications with industry.

We have taken a number of initiatives to improve communications between my Department and industry. They include special conferences, meetings, briefings and industrial visits all with a new emphasis on providing the maximum information to industry, subject to the constraints of security and commercial confidentiality.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what will be the total infantry strength in 1994; and what the figure was in 1984.

The total trained strength of the infantry on 1 April 1994 is expected to be about 29,000. The total trained strength of the infantry on 1 April 1984 was 38,373.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many tons of food and other humanitarian aid have been escorted by United Kingdom forces on behalf of the United Nations in Bosnia.

As at 18 April, 474 convoys escorted by British troops have carried 33,224 tonnes of humanitarian aid. A further 6,751 tonnes of aid have been flown into Sarajevo by 449 sorties of RAF Hercules.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many pages of evidence he has submitted to Lord Justice Scott's inquiry.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for South Shields (Dr. Clark) on 26 March 1993, Official Report, column 759.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he next expects to meet the Spanish Defence Minister to discuss the EFA.

My right hon. and learned Friend has no plans at present to discuss Eurofighter 2000 with Senor Garcia Vargas. I met my Spanish opposite number, Senor Flos Bassols, along with the German and Italian State Secretaries on 5 April. We reviewed the progress that has been made in the task of reorientating the Eurofighter 2000 project in line with the agreement reached between my right hon. and learned Friend and the other three Ministers of Defence on 10 December 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those countries which possess a nuclear missile capable of striking Britain.

Within the Commonwealth of Independent States, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus have such missiles on their territories—these are centrally controlled. The only other country outside NATO with such a capacity is China.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make an assessment of the peace dividend.

Under the plans set out in the 1992 Autumn Statement, Cm 2096, the underlying defence budget will decline by around 12 per cent. in real terms between 1990–91 and 1995–96.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will report on progress with market testing in the armed forces.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 9 March 1993, Official Report, columns 547–48.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what inquiries were made about the health and safety record of companies bidding to take over the running of the Aldermaston nuclear weapons plant; and if he will make a statement.

Comprehensive and detailed inquiries were made about all aspects of the companies which bid for the contract to operate the atomic weapons establishment. These included health and safety factors, which were particularly important in judging the competition.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many troops are currently serving in Germany; at what cost to the Exchequer; and if he will make a statement.

The military manpower strength of the British Army of the Rhine is currently about 40,000 and the defence budget provision for BAOR is some £1,275 million for 1993–94.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions to date British troops have come under fire in former Yugoslavia.

To date, there have been about 70 incidents in which British troops or the convoys they were escorting have come under fire or sustained injury or damage as a result of military type activities by indigenous forces. Except in a small number of cases it is not possible to distinguish between incidents in which UNPROFOR vehicles and/or personnel have been deliberately aimed at and those where they have sustained collateral damage as a result of an attack on a nearby target.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if it is his intention to procure for British forces the Outrider laser weapon system.

The Outrider combat protection system is a United States research programme involving laser technology. The United Kingdom is also involved in research in this field, including in collaboration with the United States. No decisions have been taken on the procurement by the United Kingdom of systems which might result from such research.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the present and proposed tasks for (a) the Royal Naval Reserve, (b) the Royal Marines Reserve, (c) the Territorial Army and (d) the RAF Reserve; and if he will make a statement.

The Royal Naval Reserve exists to augment the Royal Navy with trained personnel in times of tension and general war. Its present major tasks are the defence of ports and anchorages; naval control of shipping; the provision of naval parties for ships taken up from trade; and the manning of ships of the 10th mine counter-measures squadron. The main purpose of the Royal Marines Reserve is to provide trained reinforcements to bring units of commando forces up to full war establishment on mobilisation. The Territorial Army provides formed units and sub-units, and some individuals, to complete the mobilised army order of battle. Some units would form part of the Allied Command Europe rapid reaction corps, and others contribute to the direct defence of the United Kingdom. The mobilisation tasks of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve are to support the Royal Air Force with units, squadrons and flights in the maritime headquarters, ground defence, am movements, aeromedical evacuation, intelligence support, photographic interpretation, foreign language interrogation, and public relations roles, and with a small number of air electronics operators for Nimrod maritime patrol duties. Work is continuing on the future role of the Reserves and proposals will be announced to the House later in the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on the future development of large transport aircraft and the replacement of the Hercules C130; and if he will make a statement.

We have received a number of representations on this subject from hon. Members and industry. I can confirm that we intend to replace or modernise the Royal Air Force's C-130 fleet. We have no plans to participate in a new development programme, as we believe that the technology already exists to meet our requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what date the Llanelli Sand Dredging Company commenced dredging on the Helwick bank; and if he will indicate the tonnage of sand dredged on a weekly basis to date.

The dredging licence issued by the Crown Estate commenced on 1 February 1993. Monitoring of the licence is the responsibility of the Crown Estate, but I understand that so far only limited extraction has taken place.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what guidelines he has issued and will issue to Welsh health authorities and trusts in relation to the work and rest period within the 83-hour maximum for junior hospital doctors;(2) what provisions he will make regarding the work content and rest period content within the 83-hour maximum working time for junior hospital doctors.

The new limit on junior hospital doctors' hours came into effect and has been operated by all hospitals involved since 1 April 1993. Guidance agreed by all parties represented on the ministerial group on junior doctors hours on the new limits on total and continuous duty periods for junior doctors together with details of minimum periods of off duty had previously been distributed to all health authorities, NHS trusts and individual doctors. A copy is in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what additional medical staff have been appointed by Welsh health authorities and trusts to facilitate adherence to the 83-hour maximum hours for junior hospital doctors.

Funds for a total of 78 posts have been provided to health authorities and trusts to facilitate the 83-hour target for junior hospital doctors. This is in addition to any staff that authorities and trusts may have appointed from their own resources.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will incorporate the recommendations of the Morgan report relating to the local delivery of crime prevention in the functions of the new unitary local authorities in Wales.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to the hon. Member for Hampstead and Highgate (Ms Jackson) by the Minister of State, Home Department, on 16 December 1992, Official Report, column 220.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what response he has made to Friends of the Earth, Cymru, in regard to their report, "The Threats to the Welsh Coasts", published in March, a copy of which was sent to him.

I have not as yet received a copy of the report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many representations he has had concerning people in Wales and the orders relating to council tax and timeshare dwellings—S.I., 1993, Nos. 526 and 542; and if he will make a statement.

I have received 16 letters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will meet representatives of those people in Wales who are concerned about the impact of orders relating to council tax and timeshare dwellings—S.I., 1993, Nos. 526 and 542.

Before the order for England and Wales was made full consultation was undertaken with representatives of the timeshare industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the South Glamorgan health authority concerning the cost to the authority's 1993–94 budget of further proposed moves towards trust status; and if he will make a statement.

In the event of a formal invitation to prepare an application for NHS trust status, health authorities are aware that the Welsh Office is prepared to consider bids for a financial contribution towards the cost of the application process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the total cost in Wales of (a) hip replacement and (b) knee replacement operations during the last 10 years for which records are available.

The information requested is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has agreed with the directors of finance of the Welsh health authorities for the rise in health prices for 1993–94.

The allocations to health authorities for 1993–94 includes provision for pay increases of up to 1·5 per cent. and forecast price inflation of 2·75 per cent. It is for directors of finance to calculate the effects of inflation locally taking into account the composition of pay and non-pay costs within their respective authorities' expenditure on services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received in relation to the level of cost adjustments required to compensate health authorities for the Towards 2000 proposals.

The introduction of the Towards 2000 arrangements for the central planning and funding of pre-registration education and training have been preceded by extensive research and detailed discussion with all health authorities.This research and subsequent discussions have addressed changes in the methodology of funding education and training together with other matters of detail. All adjustments of funds have been undertaken based on data provided by health authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what were the total costs of the 10 most expensive reports published by his Department during the financial years (a) 1991–92 and (b) 1992–93.

Comprehensive information about reports and similar documents produced by my Department could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his calculation of the amount of electricity produced in Wales from wind power during each of the past five years and his projection of the output during the next five years.

Since 1990, figures on the amount of electricity produced in Wales from wind power have been collected by the Welsh Office, but cannot be released for reasons of commercial confidentiality. Prior to 1990, there was no centrally recorded generation of electricity from wind power in Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what performance targets he has set for the Planning Inspectorate agency's work in Wales for the financial year 1993–94.

The key objectives for the agency in Wales in 1993–94 will be to continue to preserve the impartiality and quality of the inspectorate's work while seeking further to improve efficiency. The agency's key performance targets in Wales will be:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the numbers of undergraduate university students taking up employment during term time; and if he will increase student grants and end student loans.

The student income and expenditure survey currently under way on behalf of the education Departments seeks information about the income of full-time and sandwich students, including term-time earnings. My right hon. Friend has no plans to change the current student support arrangements which work well and which have provided substantially increased resources to students.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects to have available details of the unit cost per pupil in each local education authority for 1991–92 for (a) nursery, (b) primary and (c) secondary pupils.

Figures for expenditure on nursery and primary pupils are not collected separately. The table gives the unit cost for nursery and primary combined, and secondary pupils by local education authority for 1991–92 for those English LEAs that have returned details of their expenditure to the Department of the Environment. The figures are subject to final checking by the Department of the Environment and the Department for Education.

Unit cost per pupil in each LEA in England 1991–92 (£)
Local Education Authority	Nursery/ Primary	Secondary
City	2,595	0
Camden	1,943	2,432
Greenwich	1,830	2,296
Hackney	n/a	n/a
Hammersmith	2,047	2,739
Islington	n/a	n/a
Kensington and Chelsea	2,287	3,200
Lambeth	2,083	2,978
Lewisham	1,717	2,376
Southwark	1,828	2,460
Tower Hamlets	2,253	2,946
Wandsworth	2,174	3,215
Westminster	3,544	2,579
Barking	1,528	2,247
Barnet	1,654	2,295
Bexley	1,372	2,097
Brent	1,573	2,477
Bromley	1,399	2,437
Croydon	1,554	2,356
Ealing	1,754	2,621
Enfield	1,607	2,287
Haringey	n/a	n/a
Harrow	1,646	2,376
Havering	1,375	2,234
Hillingdon	1,597	2,628
Hounslow	1,579	2,168
Kingston upon Thames	1,496	2,447
Merton	1,562	2,676
Newham	1,603	2,433
Redbridge	1,481	2,281
Richmond upon Thames	1,655	2,111
Sutton	1,448	2,221
Waltham Forest	1,603	2,609
Birmingham	1,370	2,151
Coventry	1,380	2,192

Local Education Authority	Nursery/Primary	Secondary
Dudley	1,416	2,137
Sandwell	1,488	2,284
Solihull	1,346	2,109
Walsall	n/a	n/a
Wolverhampton	1,515	2,342
Knowsley	1,435	2,271
Liverpool	1,410	2,387
St. Helens	1,302	2,073
Sefton	1,286	2,021
Wirral	1,312	2,140
Bolton	1,358	2,119
Bury	1,269	1,868
Manchester	1,399	2,293
Oldham	1,535	2,193
Rochdale	1,300	2,137
Salford	1,293	2,183
Stockport	1,334	2,122
Tameside	1,409	2,119
Trafford	1,271	2,113
Wigan	1,242	2,271
Barnsley	1,350	2,047
Doncaster	1,286	1,962
Rotherham	1,473	2,161
Sheffield	1,484	2,228
Bradford	1,628	1,804
Calderdale	1,551	2,001
Kirkless	1,384	2,036
Leeds	1,631	1,979
Wakefield	1,457	2,076
Gateshead	1,573	2,140
Newcastle upon Tyne	1,615	2,028
North Tyneside	n/a	n/a
South Tyneside	1,389	2,088
Sunderland	1,412	2,065
Isles of Scilly	n/a	n/a
Avon	1,410	2,063
Bedfordshire	1,475	2,020
Berkshire	1,480	2,165
Buckinghamshire	1,399	2,160
Cambridgeshire	1,401	2,007
Cheshire	1,329	2,094
Cleveland	1,353	2,221
Cornwall	1,380	1,944
Cumbria	1,443	2,173
Derbyshire	1,411	2,165
Devon	1,376	1,999
Dorset	1,371	1,945
Durham	1,384	2,051
East Sussex	1,388	2,067
Essex	1,324	2,111
Gloucestershire	1,379	1,811
Hampshire	1,395	2,108
Hereford and Worcester	1,446	1,955
Hertfordshire	1,472	2,175
Humberside	1,417	2,082
Isle of Wight	1,447	1,926
Kent	n/a	n/a
Lancashire	1,477	2,168
Leicestershire	1,444	2,210
Lincolnshire	1,330	2,096
Norfolk	1,427	2,104
North Yorkshire	1,381	2,153
Northamptonshire	1,332	1,965
Northumberland	1,455	1,942
Nottinghamshire	1,591	2,482
Oxfordshire	1,574	2,092
Shropshire	1,469	2,332
Somerset	1,322	1,927
Staffordshire	1,384	2,043
Suffolk	1,561	2,016
Surrey	1,486	2,254
Warwickshire	1,277	2,111
West Sussex	1,292	2,156
Wiltshire	1,402	2,017

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will bring forward proposals to alter the criteria used in the universities research assessment exercise to ensure that those universities whose work is geared towards the needs of the industry and the economy are favoured; and if he will take steps to alter the membership of assessment panels to increase representation from industry.

Arrangements for research assessment are a matter for the higher education funding councils. They will be consulting institutions and others on arrangements for future assessment exercises. Universities and colleges were free to submit evidence of the full range of their research in the research assessment exercise undertaken last year by the Universities Funding Council, including that related to the needs of industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will uprate students' mandatory grants from April 1994 to take account of the imposition of value-added tax on fuel; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Deptford (Ms Ruddock) on 24 March, Official Report, column 603.

To ask the Prime Minister what were the details of the last formal vote that was taken in a meeting of a Council of Ministers in the European Community; and if he will list the date of each subsequent meeting at which no formal votes were taken.

The last formal vote in the Council of Ministers was that taken on the proposed arrangements for bananas in the single market during the Agriculture Council on 13 February. Details were given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, on 3 March at column 192. No formal votes were taken at the following Councils: ECOFIN on 15 February, Consumer Affairs on 2 March, Foreign Affairs on 8 and 9 March, ECOFIN on 15 March, Transport on 15 March, Agriculture on 16 and 17 March, Fisheries on 18 March, Environment on 22 and 23 March, Foreign Affairs on 5 April, Employment and Social Affairs on 6 April, and ECOFIN on 19 April.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list those Government Departments having offices at No. 49 Whitehall, London SW1.

There is no Government occupation of 49 Whitehall. I assume that the hon. Member refers to 49/53 Parliament street, SW1 which is occupied by the Office of Public Service and Science—major occupier—the Inland Revenue and the Department of Social Security.

To ask the Prime Minister if he plans to pay an official visit to Derbyshire.

I am making plans for a series of visits to all parts of the country and hope to include Derbyshire among them.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to his answer of 8 March, Official Report, column 390, when the hon. Member for Don Valley can expect a letter from the chief executives of the English Tourist Board and the British Tourist Board in respect of their future.

I will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many visits of four nights' duration or longer were undertaken by British tourists in (a) Britain and (b) abroad on each year since 1985.

The available information is contained in the table.(a) Domestic tourists in the Great Britain

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Thailand about the sex trade in women and children in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Her Majesty's ambassador in Bangkok has raised on several occasions with the Thai authorities our concern about the problem of the sex trade in Thailand, particularly the forced prostitution of children. We have been assured that the Thai Government are looking seriously at ways of tackling the problem. We will continue to encourage them to take effective measures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he has taken since 1 March to secure the release of the British citizens detained in Abu Dhabi.

We have made two further representations to the Abu Dhabi authorities about the British citizens detained in Abut Dhabi pending conclusions of the investigation into the affairs of BCCI. On 21 March, Her Majesty's ambassador in Abu Dhabi called on the United Arab Emirates' Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. On 6 April the Minister of State, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Grantham (Mr. Hogg) called the UAE ambassador in London to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. We were told by the UAE ambassador on 16 April that the prosecution case should be ready by mid-July. We will continue to press the UAE authorities either to charge or release the men.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next plans to visit Abu Dhabi.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has at present no plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had on the issue of East Timor at his recent meeting with the Foreign Minister of Indonesia; and if he will make a statement.

In my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs' discussions with the Indonesian Foreign Minister in Jakarta earlier this month, he reiterated our concern about human rights in East Timor. He encouraged the Indonesians—as we similarly encourage the Portuguese—to continue to seek an acceptable solution to the East Timor issue through their dialogue under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary-General.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans exist for the British Government to ratify the United Nations inhumane weapons convention 1981.

The situation remains as set out in my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's reply to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) on 9 March, Official Report, column 517.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many meetings he has had with hon. Members about the situation in Bosnia; and how many requests have been made for such meetings.

Since the London conference in August 1992, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, has held 11 meetings involving hon. Members specifically to discuss the situation in the former Yugoslavia. The conflict in Bosnia was discussed at all of these meetings and many others. Records are not kept of the number of requests for meetings.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many mobile and non-mobile staff at Manchester prison have thus far opted not to be redeployed within the Prison Service in the event of contracting out.

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the director general of the Prison Service who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice on the application of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 has been given to companies tendering for Manchester prison; and what additional costs will be involved.

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the director general of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which staff and union agreements will now be taken into account by companies tendering for Manchester prison.

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the director general of the Prison Service who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance was offered by the prison department to staff preparing the in-house bid at Manchester prison.

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the director general of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the companies that have been invited to submit tenders for the running of Manchester prison.

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the director general of the Prison Service who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of reported or recorded racial attacks in the latest year available; what are the rates of prosecution and conviction; in what number of cases racial motivation has been raised by the Crown prosecution service during court proceedings; out of the total number of cases of assault involving racial motivation, how many defendants were juveniles; and how many defendants in cases recorded as involving racial motivation were granted bail, and of these, how many were defendants in cases of murder.

The only information held centrally relates to the number of reported racial incidents and I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford (Ms Ruddock) on 23 March at column 529.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether existing trade union negotiating rights and agreements will be recognised in the event of Manchester prison or any other Home Office function or division being contracted out.

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the director general of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many accidents involving Metropolitan police vehicles there were during the last three years; and how many fatalities and injuries there were as a result.

The information requested is as follows:

Year	1990	1991	1992
Total incidents	5,621	5,958	6,263
(i)	1,638	1,954	1,962
(ii)	2,409	2,399	2,268
(iii)	1,178	1,331	1,097
(iv)	393	274	936
Number of fatalities	7	3	8
Number of injuries	1,171	1,222	1,307

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will meet Group 4 Security concerning the prison escort services it is providing.

No. The director general of the Prison Service met Group 4 Court Services Ltd. on 15 April and a further meeting is scheduled for a month's time.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had about the prison escort service in the east midlands; and if he will make a statement.

I have been kept fully informed of the position by the director general of the Prison Service.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he received the report of the major review into radio communications in the police and fire services; and if he will make a statement.

Copies of this report have been placed in the Library, and will be made available to those with an interest, both in the emergency services and industry. I welcome this report. It sets out a strategy for the development of radio communications for the police and fire services which would enable these services to make the most efficient use of the radio spectrum and take advantage of the latest advances in technology and thus to ensure that their radio systems operate as effectively and efficiently as possible, and give good value for money.There are, however, a number of issues which require further work before decisions can be taken on which new systems are best suited to emergency service use and how they might best be implemented. This work will constitute a development programme which would be undertaken by my Department under the direction of a steering group including representatives from the police and fire services.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish (a) the Coopers and Lybrand Study of 1992 and (b) the privatisation return of the same year which identified Home Office businesses thought suitable for market testing.

No. Both documents were produced for internal management purposes and the former was classified "commercial-in-confidence".

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of Home Office jobs will be the subject of market testing exercises with a view to contracting out between September 1993 and March 1995.

A provisional Home Office market testing programme for 1993–94 has been drawn up, but I have not yet settled the final programme which I will announce in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to merge and create larger fire services; and if he will make a statement.

Apart from any combinations of fire authorities which appear necessary as a consequence of the reviews of local government in England and Wales, my right hon. and learned Friend has no present plans to combine fire authorities. Our proposals to replace the present eight fire authorities in Wales with three combined fire authorities are set out in the White Paper on the future of local government in Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Merseyside police on their investigations into the explosion in Liverpool 8; and if he will make a statement.

I am not aware of any such explosion.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average time taken by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board to reach a decision and advise a client's solicitor; and if he will make a statement.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Board does not maintain detailed statistics on the time taken for a first decision to be made on cases. However, it has been established that some 80 per cent. of cases reach that stage within one year of the application having been received. The number of cases in which a first offer is made and accepted stands at about 50 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many attempted escapes there have been at Long Lartin prison over the last five years; and what category of prisoners were involved.

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the director-general of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out by political party how many deposits were lost in the 1992 general election.

[holding answer 19 April 1993]: The table gives details of lost deposits by party. A deposit is forfeited if a candidate fails to secure 5 per cent. of the total valid votes polled in the parliamentary constituency.

Political party	Number of lost deposits
Conservative	8
Labour	5
Liberal Democrat	11
Liberal	70
Plaid Cymru	25
Green	251
Natural Law	307
National Front	14
Sinn Fein	5
Others1	207
1Political parties with less than five lost deposits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the total spending by the Government in providing aid, assistance and investment in the Falkland Islands in each of the past 10 years for which figures are available.

Gross public expenditure on aid to the Falkland Islands since 1983–84 is as follows. Information on expenditure in 1992–93 is not yet available.

	£ thousand
1983–84	7,469
1984–85	8,394
1985–86	10,198
1986–87	11,021
1987–88	6,735
1988–89	3,389
1989–90	2,487
1990–91	1,430
1991–92	1,286
Total	52,409

Additional assistance was provided by the diplomatic wing as follows:

Assistance Under-Secretary's Programme Budget
	£ thousand
1989–90	2
1990–91	10
1991–92	11

Foreign and Commonwealth Office scholarship awards scheme
	£'000
1990–91	10
1991–92	3
1992–93	12

Further investment in the Falkland Islands has come from the presence of the British forces garrison since the end of the war in 1982. The construction of living accommodation and the new airfield at Mount Pleasant have resulted in some capital expenditure in the local economy. Similarly, the presence of the garrison has resulted in personal expenditure by service men in the local economy, and the new airfield has allowed the expansion of tourism. These benefits are difficult to quantify. Detailed information on Ministry of Defence expenditure on defence of the Falkland Islands can be found in the statements on the defence estimates for the years in question. Much of this expenditure would have been incurred in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will make it her policy to collect data on the number of women working unpaid within family enterprises in the United Kingdom.

Such data are already collected by the labour force survey, quarterly for Great Britain and annually for Northern Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the environmental appraisal appendix to Union Railways' report on the channel tunnel rail link to be published.