To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has of the number of (a) civilian and (b) UN personnel killed by the Khmer Rouge in March.

One member of the United Nations transition authority in Cambodia's—UNTAC—military component was killed by the Khmer Rouge in March. UNTAC has no figures for civilian casualties throughout Cambodia. In view of the difficulties involved in identifying the culprits, it is not possible to specify which murders were perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge, although there is a strong likelihood that they were involved in the recent attacks on ethnic Vietnamese.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reconsideration the Government have undertaken of their views on the inclusion of the Khmer Rouge in the Cambodia peace process.

Our views on the inclusion of the Khmer Rouge in the peace process remain unchanged. The civil war in Cambodia could not have been brought to an end if the comprehensive political settlement had excluded any of the main parties to the dispute. To have done so would only have prolonged the conflict and condemned the Cambodian people to indefinite misery. We deplore the failure of the Khmer Rouge to live up to its commitments under the Paris agreements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has of the percentage of Cambodian territory controlled by the Khmer Rouge (a) at the commencement of the UN mandate and (b) at present.

Because of the dispositions of the factions in Cambodia, it is difficult to determine precisely how much territory is held by each. We do not believe, however, that the Khmer Rouge since October 1991 has been able to extend to any marked degree the villages and territory under its control.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what current estimate he has made of the military threat posed by the Khmer Rouge to the peace process in Cambodia; and what will be the British contribution to resisting it.

UNTAC estimates that the current strength of the Khmer Rouge armed forces is somewhere in the region of 12,000 front-line troops. They have shown their ability to carry out guerrilla operations, but their strength lies in the western and north western provinces. The United Kingdom has contributed 122 personnel to UNTAC's military component to enable it to implement its mandate under the terms of the Paris agreements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration he has given to making further discussions with Norway on EC membership conditional on that country reversing its decision to resume the killing of great whales.

Norway would be expected to respect the terms and conditions of existing Community legislation on whales should she accede to the Community. This policy has been made clear to the Norwegians.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the EC, Japan and the United States of America regarding international help to Cambodia after the proposed elections in May.

The main forum for international assistance to Cambodia will be the International Conference on the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Cambodia—ICORC. The framework for ICORC was agreed at the ministerial conference in Tokyo in June 1992 at which member states of the European Community, Japan and the United States of America were present. A follow-up meeting was held at official level in Phnom Penh on 25 February 1993. The Japanese Government will be arranging further meetings after the May elections.Many United Nations agencies and programmes, including the United Nations Development Programme, will retain personnel in Cambodia after the end of the UNTAC mandate in August.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about the number of mine-clearing units operating under the UN mandate in Cambodia; and how many mines have been lifted as a result of those operations.

On the basis of the most recent UNTAC figures, 12 mine clearance training teams and 16 supervisory teams were operating in Cambodia. UNTAC's mandate does not include the actual lifting of mines. This is to be done by Cambodians trained by UNTAC. The clearing of mines is being co-ordinated by the Cambodian mine action centre which is, in part, funded by UNTAC.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many prosecutions Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution has made this year under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960; and if he will give details of the outcome of each prosecution.

Information on prosecutions taken by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960 from 1 April 1992 to 16 April 1993 is set out in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what planning applications he has received in respect of the future use of Cotgrave colliery and the use of the pit shafts themselves; and if he will make a statement on the environmental considerations which will be made about future site use.

Planning applications are made to the relevant local planning authorities in the first instance, not to the Secretary of State. However, I understand that neither of the local planning authorities has received any planning applications in respect of this site. If any applications are received the local planning authorities will be expected to take into account all material environmental considerations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the number of homes owned by each local authority in Northamptonshire on 31 March for each year since 1978.

Local authorities report the numbers of dwellings they own in their annual housing investment programme returns—HIP1. The figures for 1 April 1978 and 1979 are listed in column B11 of the "HIP1 All Items Print" for those years. For 1 April 1980 and all subsequent years up to 1 April 1992, the latest available, the information is shown in column A11 of each year's "HIP1 All Items Print". Copies of the "HIP1 All Items Print" for each year are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what laws govern the use by zoo operators engaging in street photography using squirrel monkeys as props.

Under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981, zoo operators must have a valid zoo licence and any animal removed from zoo must be in their personal possession or that of competent persons acting on their behalf. All zoo licences require the operator to notify the local licensing authority before removing a squirrel monkey, or any other animal listed in the schedule to the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976. The operator must provide details of the destination and method of transportation of the animal and the arrangements for its well-being and public safety.A zoo keeper would also be bound by the provisions of the Protection of Animals Act 1911 which makes it an offence to cause or, in the case of an owner, permit any unnecessary suffering to a captive animal.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will announce the measures Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution will take to ensure the control of emissions from power stations burning orimulsion.

The burning of orimulsion or any other fuel in power stations is subject to control by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution under integrated pollution control—IPC—legislation. All IPC authorisations require the operator to use the best available techniques not entailing excessive cost—BATNEEC—to prevent or minimise and render harmless the release of prescribed substances to any environmental medium.The chief inspector of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution is currently considering two applications from PowerGen to burn orimulsion at Ince power station in Cheshire and Richborough power station in Kent. Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution has agreed with PowerGen an extension to the determination period for both applications until the end of July allowing further time for consideration of the economic and environmental impact of this new fuel.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each district authority in Northamptonshire the total discounted value of houses and flats sold in each year since 1988–89.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the estimated increase in business rates for firms in the west midlands as a result of the 1995 rating revaluation.

It is too early to speculate about the outcome of the 1995 revaluation, the results of which will not be available until next year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to issue the updated version of the minerals planning guidance note on the reclamation of mineral workings.

Revision of the minerals planning guidance note on the reclamation of mineral workings is in hand. A consultation draft will be available at the end of this year, with publication of a revised version in 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce changes in planning guidance relating to opencast coal mining in the light of the recent White Paper on coal.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. and learned Friend gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Erewash (Mrs. Knight) on 25 March, Official Report, columns 714–15.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received regarding upward-only rent reviews; and what action his Department is proposing to take.

Representations have been received from a number of individuals and interested bodies. My hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning announced on 31 March, in answer to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Mr. Thomason)—Official

The total discounted values of dwellings sold by local authorities in Northamptonshire in the years 1988–89 to 1991–92 are given in the table. Actual cash receipts in any year will depend on the extent to which sales were financed by loans from the authorities. Figures for 1992–93 are not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many hours officials at his Department are expected to spend in reviewing the method of calculation of standard spending assessments; and what staff levels will be involved.

The Department is at present planning to devote about 10 man years to work on the SSA review in this financial year. Officials in other Government Departments will also be involved. The amount of work will depend, in part, on the representations made to us by local authorities and others.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what time limits exist for local authorities to take enforcement action against non-conforming uses within the green belt, from the time that the alleged non-conforming use commenced.

Section 171B of the Town and Country Planning Act—inserted by section 4(1) of the Planning and Compensation Act 1991—effectively provides that, where a breach of planning control involves a "material" change of use of land, no enforcement action may be taken after the end of the 10-year period from the date of the breach. Where the breach of control involves the change of use of any building to use as a single dwellinghouse, section 171B(2) of the 1990 Act provides that no enforcement action may be taken after the end of the four-year period from the date of the breach. These provisions apply regardless of whether the land is in a green belt.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the number of houses built for (a) local authorities, (b) housing associations and (c) private enterprise in the west midlands in each of the last three years.

Permanent dwellings completed in the last three years are:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide a table showing by region (a) the number of house building starts and completions and (b) the number per head of population for each year since 1980.

[holding answer 9 March 1993]: Estimates of housebuilding starts and completions by region and by number per head of population are shown in the publication "Housing and Construction Statistics". Figures for 1980 for starts and completions by region are in table 6.4, and figures per thousand population are in table 6.6 of the 1980 to 1990 edition and revised figures for 1981 to 1991 are in the same tables in the 1981 to 1991 edition. Copies of these publications are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is to meet ramblers or their representatives to discuss the proposed footpath along the length of Hadrian's wall; and if he will make a statement.

No. The Countryside Commission submitted the report which details the results of its consultation, on 31 March, and I shall be considering this as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much notice the Open Spaces Society received of the reduction in its grant for 1993–94; what were the reasons for the reduction; and which of its activities will be reduced or abandoned.

The Open Spaces Society was advised in January 1992 that future funding for its urban project should be found from outside Government sources and that 1992–93 was the last year of agreed funding for their rural work.Given the large number of worthy voluntary groups eligible for support from the fund, it would not be right for any one group to expect full support for an unlimited period. However, the society's work in protecting common land and town and village greens is highly regarded by the Department and I have therefore decided that the society should receive some further support for another three years towards its work in this area. This will amount to £15,000 in 1993–94 reducing to around £10,000 in 1995–96, giving time for the society to seek alternative sources of funding after that.The society received formal notice of this on 19 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action has been taken by the task force on vacant Government-owned dwellings.

The task force on Government Departments' empty houses has held two meetings, and is due to meet again on 28 April. It has commissioned detailed information from Departments on actual numbers of surplus and empty residential property. It is currently negotiating with Departments firm targets for disposal or occupation, to deliver its remit of helping to bring this property back into housing use.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to issue for public consultation a draft of the implementing regulations for the EC urban waste water treatment directive.

We have today issued for consultation a draft of the Urban Waste Water Treatment (England and Wales) Regulations 1993. My right hon. and learned Friend and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales consider that it will be useful, particularly for the National Rivers Authority and for the water service companies and other dischargers, to have available to them some guidance on the implementation and interpretation of these regulations. A draft of a proposed guidance note to accompany them has therefore also been published for consultation today.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what role his Department exercises in the setting of college fees in respect of undergraduates at collegiate universities; and if he will set out the total payments for college fees made by his Department to each college in the latest year for which figures are available.

The level of fees set for the constituent colleges of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge is determined through discussions between the Department and representatives of the colleges. The negotiations take account of the change in the unit of public funding of student places in higher education. The Department does not currently exercise any role in the setting of college fees for other collegiate universities.The total payment of college fees was £38 million in 1990–91 in respect of Oxford and Cambridge colleges, and £8 million in respect of colleges in other collegiate universities. Information on the total payment of fees in respect of each college is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his answer of 19 January, Official Report, column 154, if he will publish the current level of college fees agreed with his Department in respect of undergraduates in each college at the universities listed in his answer.

The current level of fees set for each college is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is his policy towards institutions of higher education wishing to reorganise on a collegiate basis in respect of payment of college fees from public funds.

The internal organisation of universities and colleges is a matter for the institutions alone to decide. My right hon. Friend does not intend to extend the list of institutions in the mandatory awards regulations for which local education authorities are obliged to meet college fees.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if it is his Department's policy not to allow in-house bids when a service which has already been contracted out is retendered.

It is the Department's general policy not to allow in-house bids when contracted out services are retendered. The Department would consider such a bid only when it could be made as part of a larger in-house bid, in a market test also covering services currently done in-house.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement on participation rates in further and higher education in the Greater Manchester area.

Data on participation in higher education by those domiciled in Greater Manchester are not readily available. A statistical bulletin will be published in May, covering participation in education at ages 16 and 17.For Greater Manchester the figures are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has any plans to update the guidance on sex education in schools contained in circular 11/87.

I am today issuing for consultation a draft revised circular on sex education and have placed copies in the Library of the House.We are clear that all sex education should take place within a framework which encourages pupils to consider the moral dimension of their actions. They should recognise the value of family life and understand the importance of loving relationships and mutual respect.This draft advice seeks to guide and support headteachers and other classroom teachers in a sensitive, but important, aspect of children's education. It rightly recognises that parents are the key figures in helping their children to cope with the physical and emotional aspects of growing up and in preparing them for the challenges and responsibilities which sexual maturity brings. The teaching offered by schools should be complementary and supportive to the role of parents.The circular also explains how the provisions for sex education in the Education (No. 2) Act 1986 work together with those in the Education Reform Act 1988. This requires all pupils to study aspects of sex education within national curriculum science.Our new draft guidance will offer appropriate advice to teachers, governors and others who are responsible for providing such education.

To ask the Secretary of state for Education what statutory provisions govern the use of public funds by universities to support child care facilities for university students and staff.

Public funds for universities in England are administered by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. Section 65(2) of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 defines the activities eligible for funding. This definition does not exclude the funding of child care facilities.Universities are autonomous bodies and it is for them to decide their own priorities, including any provision or support of child care facilities for staff and students, from within the resources available to them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will undertake a survey of all local education authorities in Wales to determine which of them, on being responded to provide an assessment under section 5 of the Education Act 1981, responded by providing an informal assessment, rather than a statutory assessment for those children who hitherto have not been statemented.

No. The provision for parents to request an assessment of their child's needs, where the child does not already have a statement, does not differentiate between a formal or an informal assessment. The Education Bill makes it clear that parents may ask a local education authority to arrange a statutory assessment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he has taken to ensure that local education authorities do not refuse a statement for a child of statutory secondary school age, whose statutory assessment has indicated special educational needs, on the grounds that the funding of such statementing is the responsibility of individual schools under the system of local management of schools.

Local education authorities have a statutory duty to prepare a statement, if following a formal assessment of needs, they conclude that they should determine the special educational provision that should be made for a child. LEAs have a further duty to maintain a statement and to ensure that the provision it specifies is delivered. Local management of schools' arrangements do not affect LEAs' statutory duty in that respect.Parents have a right of appeal to my right hon. Friend if, following a formal assessment, LEAs decide not to issue a statement. They may also make a complaint to him if they consider that an LEA is defaulting on a statutory duty.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many out-county places are provided by each local education authority in Wales for (a) children with special educational needs, and (b) for children suffering from dyslexia.

Information is available only in respect of children with statements of special educational needs. Information on statemented pupils by the authority where they are registered and place of education at January 1992 is given in table 12.01 of the Welsh Office publication "Statistics of Education and Training in Wales: Schools, No. 1 1993".

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what review he has undertaken of the additional educational facilities in each local education authority in Wales required to meet the special educational needs of children who are being educated bilingually;(2) if he will carry out a survey of the number of children in all local education authority in Wales who have been identified by the local education authority as having a specific learning difficulty in numeracy; and if he will arrange for these figures to be published.

My right hon. Friend has not undertaken a review and does not propose any survey. It is the responsibility of the local education authority to identify children with special educational needs, including those with specific learning difficulties, and to make appropriate provision for them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the tourism-related (a) reclamation and (b) environmental schemes (i) completed and (ii) in programme but not completed by the Welsh Development Agency in each year since 1987 indicating the cost of each project.

The information for tourism-related reclamation schemes is set out in the table. Information on environmental schemes is not readily available and I have asked the chief executive of the agency to write to the hon. Member. A copy of his reply will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list (a) planned improvements to the A465 heads of the valleys road between Abergavenny and the M4 at Llandarcy, (b) the next key stage in the preparation of each improvement and (c) the date he expects that stage to be completed.

Improvements to the A465 trunk road are planned between Abergavenny and Hirwaun and Glynneath and Aberdulais. The respective key stages in preparation involve public consultation on improvement proposals and invitations to tender. These stages are programmed to enable construction to start in accordance with the 1993 supplement to "Roads in Wales".

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to achieve his objective, announced in May 1991, of completing the dualling of the A465 heads of the valleys road between Abergavenny and the M4 at Llandarcy.

Plans for the sections to be improved are set out in the "1993 Supplement to Roads in Wales".

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what accident statistics he has for the A465 heads of the valleys road between Abergavenny and the M4 at Llandarcy for the latest convenient period; and what are the corresponding accident rates for other trunk roads within Wales.

The numbers and rates of accidents involving personal injury on the stretch of the A465 between Abergavenny, junction with A4042, and Llandarcy, junction with A48, and also rates on all trunk roads in Wales, including the above stretch, in 1991 are given in the tables:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures will be taken to provide support and direction for those Welsh councils that have difficulty in implementing their responsibilities outlined in the community care reforms.

The Welsh Office has given considerable guidance and support to local councils in Wales to help them prepare for the implementation of community care. An additional £37·5 million for community care has been made available through revenue support grant in 1993–94, much more than would have been spent by the Department of Social Security on new admissions of individual's to residential or nursing home care. The onus is now on local councils to manage the implementation, but we will monitor progress closely and will continue to offer guidance and direction as is considered necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has had from hearing-impaired support groups; and if he will make a statement.

Such groups may approach any policy division in the Welsh Office according to the point they wish to raise. No central record is held of such approaches.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the Welsh Development Agency concerning the High Court writ served against the agency by NALGO on 22 March, and the agency's response.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the Welsh Development Agency concerning the tendering procedure to be adopted for the sale of industrial estates by the agency during the present financial year.

None. The agency follows the procedures for the disposal of land and buildings set out in "Government Accounting".

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the five Welsh constituencies that have recorded the largest increases in unemployment figures in the year 1992–93; and if he will list the percentage changes involved.

The constituencies that have recorded the largest percentage increases in unemployment are listed in the table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he will publish the report by the University of East Anglia on contamination by polychlorinated biphenyls in the Panteg area.

I have today published the report into PCB contamination in the Panteg area which I commissioned from the environmental risk assessment unit of the university of East Anglia. I have arranged for a copy of the report to be placed in the Library of the House.I commissioned the study in January 1991 at a contracted cost of £432,000 and, in the two years during which it has been in progess, three interim reports have been produced and published.The main conclusion of the study is that with the exception of a localised area close to the eastern boundary of the ReChem site, the measured concentrations of PCBs and dioxins in the Panteg area are not unusual or significantly different from those encountered in similar areas elsewhere in the United Kingdom. According to currently accepted criteria and guidance on health effects for these compounds, such levels should not generally give rise to concern.The report also concludes that the distribution and gradation or PCBs and dioxins in the Panteg area suggests a common localised source or sources, possibly at or close to ground level within the ReChem plant. However, the report has not identified any specific source within the plant.The study has found no evidence of significantly elevated levels of PCBs and dioxins in foodstuffs, including locally produced milk, in the Panteg area. The only exception is in relation to duck eggs at Pontyfelin House, which is immediately adjacent to the ReChem plant, where guidelines limits for human intake of dioxins could be exceeded if the eggs were consumed. The Government advised the occupants of this property in 1989 that their duck eggs should not be consumed and this advice still stands.The report has been considered by the Government's expert advisers and I have also consulted the regulators of the plant—the Health and Safety Executive and Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution. I have received an assessment of the report from my independent adviser, Professor Lewis Roberts, which I have also published today.In the light of the advice I have received, I am satisfied that the report is comprehensive and thorough and shows no evidence of widespread contamination by PCBs and dioxins in the area. Although elevated concentrations were found close to the ReChem plant, with the exception of the duck eggs I have already referred to, these are not considered to pose any significant risk to public health or the food chain.The report makes a number of recommendations for further work to clarify some remaining uncertaintes in relation to the small area of el0evated PCB/dioxin concentrations near the ReChem plant, and to provide public reassurance. These recommendations have been endorsed by Professor Roberts and I accept them.Work on four of the recommendations, for further testing of soil and air samples in the vicinity of the ReChem plant and more testing of grass and local egg samples, is already under way. Work is also in progress on the fifth recommendation for analysis of vegetables and meat from fowl in the small area of higher contamination.All this supplementary work will be undertaken by the university of East Anglia and I will publish its results when they are available.The report also recommends that there should be further investigation of the ReChem site to identify and quantify all current sources of emissions which may be contributing to off-site contamination. Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution and the Health and Safety Executive will be pursuing this matter with ReChem International Ltd. as quickly as possible. Their inquiries will also include the extent to which the PCB/dioxin levels found are due to past rather than current operational factors on the ReChem site.The final recommendation is that there should be continued monitoring of the environment in the vicinity of the site and that this might usefully be developed from the joint survey carried out at present by Torfaen borough council and ReChem International Ltd. This is primarily a matter for Torfaen district council as the local environmental health authority. I commend the recommendation to it.The work of the study has been overseen by a technical steering group on which Torfaen borough council, ReChem Ltd. and the European Commission have been represented. I have asked the group to study the final report and my statement in more detail and, once the results of the supplementary work are available, to give me their further views.I hope that the publication of this report will help to relieve public anxiety and uncertainty about PCB and dioxin contamination in the Panteg area of Pontypool. It provides an opportunity for a fresh start in the relationships between the local authority, the local community and the company; one I hope that all will be willing to take. I am aware that past proposals for the establishment of a liaison committee have not progressed. I hope that the community and the company will give renewed thought to this as a forum for local debate and consultation.Finally, I should like to express my thanks to the university of East Anglia for the meticulous and exhaustive manner in which it has undertaken this formidable and complex task; to Professor Lewis Roberts for the help and guidance he has given to my Department and the university team during the conduct of the study; and to the technical steering group which has overseen this work.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will now make it his practice to list all nuclear trade, including technology and nuclear materials, conducted with the Republic of South Africa since 1973.

Detailed information of this kind is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his policy in relation to the issue of end-user certificates for arms exports; and if he will place in the Library the instructions given to his civil servants.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answers I gave to the House on 8 July 1992, Official Report, columns 333–34, and to the hon. Members for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) and for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on various occasions since then. Desk instructions to staff processing export licence applications indicate the circumstances in which an end-user certificate is required from the applicant in support of the application, and require the precise wording to be checked.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will give the reasons for his Department's refusal of a loan to ABB for the development of a clean coal project in Britain.

The project being promoted by ABB was one of several potential clear coal projects discussed informally with my Department during the coal review. The Government conclusion that support from public funds for a clean coal demonstration plant could not be justified at the present time was announced in the coal White Paper—Cm 2235, paragraph 15.18.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what recent representations he has received on controls on the import of tropical timber; and from whom.

I have received representations on this subject from hon. Members, organisations such as Friends of the Earth and members of the public.

To as the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has for the future privatisation of the nuclear power industry.

The Government currently have no plans to privatise either Nuclear Electric or British Nuclear Fuels. As regards the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, I announced in my reply of 1 April 1993, Official Report, column 407, to my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Mr. Hayes) that, as a first step, I was commissioning independent consultants to consider the practicability of privatising the authority and to advise on the main options. Scottish Nuclear Ltd. is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 15 April, Official Report, column 718, when he expects the further studies to establish the viability of the Wales-Ireland electricity grid link-up to begin.

Studies to establish the feasibility and commercial viability of the proposed Wales-Ireland electricity link are a commercial matter for the National Grid Company. I understand that studies are going ahead on a continuing basis.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action is being taken to implement the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on structural warranty services for new homes.

The report on structural warranty services for new homes was published in March 1991 and the Monopolies and Mergers Commission—MMC—found that rule 12 of the rules of the National House Building Council—NHBC—operated against the public interest and was hindering the growth of competition in the market. The rule requires builders who are members of the NHBC to register all their new homes for cover under the NHBC structural warranty scheme. The MMC recommended that rule 12 should be amended to permit NHBC builders to use a comparable alternative warranty scheme. Therefore, I have today written to Sir Bryan Carsberg, requesting him, under section 88(1) of the Fair Trading Act 1973 to consult NHBC with a view to obtaining an undertaking to amend rule 12 in line with the MMC's recommendation.The MMC also recommended changes to the rules on leaving and rejoining the NHBC scheme to make it easier for builders to transfer between schemes.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what reports he has commissioned on the waste-to-energy process involving the incineration of used tyres; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 21 April 1993]: In March 1990, my Department published a study it had commissioned from KPMG Peat Marwick McLintock entitled "The Recycling and Disposal of Tyres" which discussed, among other things, the prospects for scrap tyre incineration. A copy was placed in the Library of the House. The energy technology support unit earlier this year published an emissions audit of a chain grate stoker burning shredded tyres—report reference ETSU B1313-P6. Tyres-to-energy plants, using suitable incineration technology, can be an environmentally acceptable way of recovering value from this difficult waste.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultations he has had with the European investment bank in relation to the terms for providing the loan towards the cost of constructing the Jubilee line extension to Canary Wharf; and if he will place a copy of such terms in the Library.

Discussions with the European investment bank, like those with the other banks concerned with private sector contributions to the Jubilee line extension, are commercially confidential.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received concerning the future of the London Transport pension fund; and if he will make a statement.

We have received a small number of representations including an approach from the Transport and General Workers Union.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the current value of the London Transport pension fund; and what proportion of its value is attributed to London Buses.

The value of the LRT pension fund as at 31 March 1993 was £2,022 million. Assets of the fund are not attributed to particular groups of employees.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the consultants' report on the proposed M12 to (a) be completed, (b) be published and made public and (c) a public inquiry to be held.

We expect our consultants to report later this year and their findings will be available when we consult the public on options early next year. Any public inquiry would be into objections to draft schemes and orders under the Highways Act. These would be published only when the need for a motorway has been established and a preferred route selected. An inquiry is therefore unlikely to take place before 1996.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what evaluation he has made of the effects on vehicle emissions of in-line fuel-conditioning devices based on tin alloys or magnetic cores; and what advice he is issuing to the public about the effectiveness of such products in reducing fuel consumption and emissions of regulated pollutants.

The Department has not carried out any evaluations of in-line fuel-conditioning devices and does not endorse, approve or otherwise accept any product that claims to offer improvements in fuel economy and/or reductions in pollution. It is for the manufacturers to satisfy themselves that the product meets legal requirements.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proposals he has for persuading Britain's partners to agree to the siting of the proposed European neutron source in the United Kingdom.

Planning for a European pulsed neutron source is at a very early stage. Results of a feasibility study to examine requirements will be presented to an assessment panel of the European Commission on 24 April. Only if planning proceeds to the outline design stage will the question of a site for the source arise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average total cost per patient per week of providing in-patient care to residents of long-stay mental handicap hospitals in England.

Information in the precise form requested is not available centrally. Specialty cost returns submitted to the Department by health authorities and national health service trusts for 1991–92 indicate the average cost per patient week for the mental handicap specialty was £665. This figure, which is provisional, is inclusive of treatment, accommodation and overhead costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what her Department is doing to draw attention to the NHS low-income health benefits scheme;(2) whether a survey has been conducted to determine how many general practitioners know about the NHS low-income health benefits scheme;(3) what measures she is taking to ensure that all general practitioners are informed of the NHS low-income health benefits scheme.

Explanatory leaflets about the national health service low-income scheme are freely available to the public from post offices, doctors and dentists' surgeries, hospital out-patient departments, opticians and offices of the social security Benefits Agency. Information about the low-income scheme can also be found in leaflets about social security benefits published by the Benefits Agency. All general practitioners are informed of the scheme by means of circulars issued to them through family health services authorities. These circulars also draw general practitioners' attention to the availability of leaflets and posters about the scheme and ask them to display these prominently. In view of the wide availability of information, no survey has been deemed necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has of the number of people who died in 1992–93 from emphysema or bronchitis caused by pneumoconiosis or silicosis.

The information for 1992 will not be available until July 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on her Department's policy regarding the grouping of general practitioner fund holders.

Guidance on general practitioners forming fund-holding consortia was issued in December 1992. A copy of this guidance—EL(92)92—is available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list by year for the last 10 years and by (a) regional health authority and (b) district health authority the number of patients treated for peripheral nerve damage; and if she will make a statement.

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statistics are kept for the numbers of patients struck off general practitioners' lists, both on an individual basis and by area; and if she will make a statement.

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 25 February, Official Report, column 679, what steps are taken to ensure that the Medical Advisory Committee is in possession of all relevant information when advising on a penalty to be imposed on a doctor.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State passes to the Medical Advisory Committee the evidence that was available to the committee which heard the complaint, the recommendations of that committee and the reasoned decision of the family health services authority, any further information presented on appeal and where appropriate the report of the findings of the persons appointed to hold an oral hearing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to publish the Family Health Service Authority guidelines for health promotion.

Guidance for national health service regions and family health service authorities on implementation of the new general practitioner contract health promotion arrangements, which take effect from 1 July 1993, was issued on 12 January 1993 under cover of FHSL(93)3, copies of which are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the terms of reference of the extended advisory committee on drugs.

The terms of reference for the Advisory Committee on National Health Service Drugs announced by the Secretary of State for Health on 21 December 1992 are:

"To advise the UK Health Ministers about the composition of Schedules 10 and 11 of the NHS (General Medical Services) Regulations 1992, and the corresponding Schedules in the Regulations in Scotland and Northern Ireland (except those items which are in such Schedules because the Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances has advised that they should not be treated as drugs for the purpose of the GMS Regulations) in order that drugs to meet all real clinical needs can be provided as economically as possible under the NHS for the following categories and purposes:

• mild to moderate pain-killers
• indigestion remedies
• laxatives
• cough and cold remedies
• vitamins
• tonics
• benzodiazepine sedatives and tranquillisers
• anti-diarrhoeal drugs
• drugs for allergic disorders
• hypnotics and anxiolytics
• appetite suppressants
• drugs for vaginal and vulval conditions
• contraceptives
• drugs used in anaemia
• topical anti-rheumatics
• drugs acting on the ear and nose
• drugs acting on the skin

For these purposes a drug will be treated as falling within one of those categories according to the purpose for which it is, or will be, prescribed even if the drug is not licensed for those purposes."

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are her plans for the work of her Department in 1993–94 and beyond.

I have agreed a statement of the aims, goals and priorities for my Department for 1993–94 and the following three years. It covers the whole range of the Department's work relating to health and social services, European Community and other international issues, and internal management. It includes our specific priorities for the national health service management executive, which are taken forward in more detail in the management executive's statement, "The Goal and Strategies of the Chief Executive and the Management Executive of the NHS and their Objectives for 1993–94", approved by the NHS policy board. Copies of both statements have been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 16 February, Official Report, column 159, if she will place in the Library the list of the 1,776 drugs that are currently available on the national health service for the treatment of skin complaints.

A list of the drugs dispensed for the treatment of skin complaints, by community pharmacists, dispensing doctors and prescribing doctors for personal administration, in England in 1991, has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received about the proposed selected list for prescribable medications used in the treatment of skin disease; and what consultations are taking place with clinicians.

A number of representations have been received from patients and organisations representing those who suffer with skin diseases. This information will be available to the independent advisory committee that provides advice on which drugs should not be prescribable by general practitioners under the National Health Service. The committee, whose members include experienced clincians, is free to seek whatever advice it wishes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has commissioned into the effectiveness of three-yearly breast scans for women aged over 50 years; and if she will make a statement.

In 1985 the Government commissioned a working group chaired by Professor Sir Patrick Forrest to consider evidence of the effectiveness of breast screening by mammography. The group's report concluded that three yearly screening for women aged 50 to 64 would have a substantial impact on mortality; the national screening programme was established on the basis of the Forrest recommendations.In the financial year 1990–91, the Department spent approximately £370,000 on research into breast cancer screening including the funding of the cancer screening evaluation unit which is currently measuring the extent to which population based programmes of screening and education can reduce mortality from breast cancer.The Department is also funding with the Medical Research Council, the health Departments and the major charities, the United Kingdom Co-ordinating Committee for Cancer Research five-year programme of breast screening trials. This programme includes a multi-randomised trial of yearly versus three-yearly breast screening for women aged 50 to 64.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to change the interval between breast scans for women aged over 50 years; and if she will make a statement.

We have no such current plans. The Department is contributing to a randomised five-year trial, begun in 1990, of some 100,000 women aged between 50 to 64, to look at the potential benefits of yearly versus three-yearly breast screening mammography. When the study is concluded, the results will be considered against the current screening policy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on guidance presently given to general practitioners on treatment of drug addicts.

In December 1991 the Health Departments issued "Guidelines on Clinical Management of Drug Misuse and Dependence" to all doctors, including general practitioners. The guidelines highlight the importance of the role of the non-specialist doctor in the treatment and care of drug misusers. A copy is available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 11 January, Official Report, column 615, if she will list the full address of each site with 20 or more dwellings which are vacant.

Analysis of the December 1992 survey that covered some 75 per cent. of the national health service showed only one site with 20 or more vacant dwellings. All but four of those dwellings have since been put to use, and there is a waiting list for the four, which are being redecorated.From the survey we estimate that across the national health service 1,800 dwellings are vacant. This figure, which excludes places in hostels for nurses and other staff, indicates an average of our four vacant dwellings for each health authority and trust.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what conditions were attached to the recently announced aid to Indonesia for a power project in relation to improvements in human rights or agreement to abide by United Nations resolutions on East Timor.

The most effective approach to influencing Indonesia on human rights at the present time is through constructive dialogue, rather than through attaching particular conditions to our aid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his assessment of the changes in the last 12 months of food production in the Baltic states, the Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Khazakhstan, Georgia, Mongolia and Romania; and what effect these changes will have on the operation of British aid programmes, including the know-how fund.

[holding answer 20 April 1993]: Food production has declined throughout the region due to drought, changes in land ownership, loss of guaranteed markets and subsidies, currency depreciation, inflation and the worldwide farming recession. The severity of the situation varies from country to country. In the long term, they all have considerable agricultural potential.The know-how fund will continue to assist the region where practicable in reorganising its food industries along modern, market-oriented lines.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update his answer of 15 December 1992, Official Report, column 120, to provide similar estimates of the burden of direct and indirect taxes for 1993–94.

The information requested in given in the table.