To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish the report into speeding up pre-construction procedures for road schemes; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend is concerned to speed up the delivery of schemes in the national road programme. He will make a statement about his plans as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will ban the use of sodium hexacyanoferrate in road salt.

The rock salt used on the Department's motorways and trunk roads complies with British standard 3247, which stipulates the use of an anti-caking agent. The anti-caking agent currently in use is sodium hexacyanoferrate and I have no plans to discontinue its use.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that any decision on the Leeds A6120 Seacroft/Crossgates bypass should be postponed until a decision has been taken on the transpennine strategy study.

The transpennine study addresses wide strategic problems on the road network across the Pennines, whereas any proposals to improve the A6I20 running through the communities of Seacroft and Crossgates would be designed to overcome existing traffic congestion and the bad accident record on the present road. It would be wrong therefore to tie the urgently needed improvements on the A6120 to the different and longer-term prospects for the transpennine routes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what licences have been granted or issued for the transportation of radioactive materials to the THORP site since 1 January; and what applications are now under consideration by his Department.

One package design approval has been issued: four others are under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make public his secret emergency plans dealing with nuclear weapon transport accidents.

I have no such plans. This is a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Defence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will commission a review of traffic through Meriden village since the closure of the Oak Lane junction with the A45; and if he will make a statement.

We are undertaking a review of all the options for permanent improvement of the Oak Lane junction with the A45. This will take account of the present interim scheme and of local views. I will write to my hon. Friend when the review is complete.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce compulsory seat belts for school buses and minibuses; and if he will make a statement.

There is presently no requirement to fit seat belts in the rear seats of minibuses and coaches except in the exposed forward facing seats in coaches first used after 1 October 1988. We are pressing the European Commission to put forward amendments to the relevant directives to require seat belts to be fitted to all seats in these vehicles. The present law on compulsory wearing of seat belts requires them to be used in rear, as well as front, seats of smaller minibuses with an unladen weight not exceeding 2540kg, where they are fitted voluntarily.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he received the Eurotunnel-sponsored report entitled "The Loading Gauge Issue" published in January; what reply he has made; and if he will make a statement.

I received Eurotunnel's report directly it was published. Eurotunnel is involved in continuing discussions being held between my Department, Her Majesty's railways inspectorate, independent consultants and British Rail on the feasibility and costs of upgrading some of BR's existing lines to a gauge suitable for piggyback transport.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will request the safety and reliability directorate of AEA Technology to update the 1984 report SRD-R-244, on the radiological consequences of the release into the sea of the contents of a plutonium nitrate package.

I understand that the Atomic Energy Authority is reviewing the report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicle types have been licensed by his Department under the International Atomic Energy Agency safety series No. 6 regulations 1985, as amended in 1990, for use by the Ministry of Defence for each of the last 10 years.

No such licences are required.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will publish a list of those airlines, airport owner/operators, local authorities, pressure groups and other similar organisations and bodies that have submitted observations on his proposals for new night flight controls at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports;(2) how many representations he has received from members of the public on his proposals for new night flight controls at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports.

The numbers of responses received in the relevant division to date is as follows:—

• 17 Members of Parliament and MEPs (other than letters covering constituents' views);
• 3 Airport consultative committees
• 66 Local authorities, Parish and Town councils, and local authority organisations;
• 41 Environmental and other local groups;
• 2 Aviation and acoustical consultants
• 61 Airlines;
• 5 Airport and aviation bodies;
• 17 Airline and airport users;
• 1,823+ Responses from people living around Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted;
• 83 Responses from people living elsewhere;
• 2,762^* Petitions and signatures lodged in bulk.
• + Relates to number of letters, not number of signatures.
• ^* Numbers subject to verification.

Figures exclude correspondence related to proposed aircraft noise classifications. A list of the main respondents will be made available in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will publish a list of those Governments with whom discussions have been held on the new aircraft type classification proposed in his consultation paper on new night flight controls at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports; and how many of such Governments have indicated their support;(2) if he will make a statement on the outcome of the discussions with the United States Federal Aviation Authority on their willingness to accept the new aircraft type classification system proposed in his consultation paper on new night flight controls at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports.

The classification system is based on the noise certification data which all modern aircraft are required to possess to operate between states that are signatories of the Chicago convention. As stated in the consultation paper, the use of such data is being discussed with several European countries with the hope of evolving a common approach. These discussions are being conducted through regular contacts at normal aviation fora. The outcome of our present consultation in relation to Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted is not dependent on the outcome of these discussions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what response he has made to the European Commission on its proposal for setting up a committee on safe seas contained in the communication from Commissioners on "A Common Policy on Safe Seas"; and if he will make a statement.

The United Kingdom has warmly welcomed the Commission's communication "A Common Policy for Safe Seas", which closely mirrors the Government's views on the need for action to improve the level of maritime safety in Community waters. Along with other member states, we approve in principle the Commission's proposal for a committee on safe seas, and are currently considering what its terms of reference should be.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the total number of revocation orders issued by his Department following inappropriate planning decisions by local authorities in each of the last 10 years.

This power has been used only once in the last 10 years. The last occasion was in 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will arrange for the Director General of Ordnance Survey to ensure (a) that all areas of United Kingdom farmland are mapped and (b) the establishment of an emergency Ordnance Survey telephone helpline to assist farmers experiencing mapping difficulties in completing their IACS forms.

Ordnance Survey has surveyed and mapped all mountain and moorland areas of Great Britain at a scale of 1:10,000 and all other rural areas at a scale of 1:2,500. This mapping, which is based on the national grid and is available in a variety of forms, is maintained by Ordnance Survey, but is not commercially viable to revive the map of rural and remote areas as intensively as those of urban areas.Some 400 outlets have been set up by Ordnance Survey to help farmers obtain the necessary maps and information to complete their IACS forms; these include Ordnance Surveys superplan agents, Iand agents who have been granted extended copyright licences for the purpose, Ordnance Survey's own field offices, the Welsh Office and ADAS in Wales and the Scottish agricultural college in Scotland. In addition, staff at Ordnance Survey headquarters in Southampton are answering over 200 telephone inquiries from farmers each day using sophisticated helpline facilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how United Kingdom timeshare dwellings are to be treated for the purposes of council tax and business rates regulations; and if he will make a statement.

Timeshare accommodation is liable for non-domestic rates.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to amend the status of timeshare dwellings to make them eligible for council tax and to remove them from business rates.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his oral answer to the hon. Member for Faversham (Sir R. Moate) of 28 April, Official Report, column 947, whether he will consider moving his Department to the Ark in Hammersmith.

I have asked Property Holdings, who are property managers for the Government estate, for advice on suitable accommodation. They are already fully aware of the availability of the Ark development and will take it into account.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 26 April, to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East (Mr. Brown), Official Report, column 319, how many of the jobs created by the Tyne and Wear urban development corporation were relocations from other sites; how many of the jobs are being carried out by people living (a) within the urban development corporation area and (b) within two miles of the urban development corporation area; and what has been the total amount spent by the Tyne and Wear urban development corporation since its inception.

Information as requested relating to jobs created by the Tyne and Wear urban development corporation is not available. The corporation does, however, in conjunction with the local training and enterprise councils, encourage employers to recruit people from the local community.The total amount spent by the corporation to 31 March 1993, including receipts, was £212·17 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the process definitions set out in the Environmental Protection (Prescribed Processes and Substances) Regulations 1991 as they apply to the chemical industry.

I met representatives of the Chemical Industries Association on 24 February to discuss the industry's concern that the process definitions set out in the Environmental Protection (Prescribed Processes and Substances) Regulations 1991 do not adequately reflect the complexity of the chemical industry. The industry believes that problems of process definition will result in unreasonable uncertainty and excessive cost for the industry in applying for authorisations under integrated pollution control and will delay the authorisation process.At the meeting, I promised the industry that we would consider sympathetically the details of their concerns and take measures to overcome them. Since then, a small working party comprising representatives of the industry and of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution has been looking into this problem.Companies within this sector are due to be brought within integrated pollution control this year; the window for applications for authorisation of such process runs from I May to 31 July. In order to avoid the need for applications to be submitted before the detailed outcome of these considerations is known, I propose to extend the application window until 31 October. Amending regulations to that effect will be laid in the very near future.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the percentage of the total housing investment programme and resources allocated to estate action in each year since 1986–87.

[holding answer 5 May 1993]:: Under the local authority capital finance system established in 1990–91, housing investment programme allocations represent an assessment of the relative need for housing capital expenditure, rather than a direct borrowing approval. Borrowing approval is conveyed by the single, all-service basic credit approval, augmented by allocations of supplementary credit approvals, where appropriate. In turn, local authorities finance their housing investment programmes from credit approvals and grant, from usable capital receipts, and from contributions from revenue budgets.The table shows the resources allocated to the estate action programme each year since 1986–87, in total and as a percentage of total local authority housing capital allocations.

	Estate action resources	Estate action resources as a percentage of local authority housing capital allocations
	(£ million)
1986–87	45	3
1987–88	75	5
1988–89	140	9
1989–90	190	13
1990–91	190	10
1991–92	268	13
1992–93	347	118
1993–94	356	220
1 estimated outturn
2 plans

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the choice provided by local authorities to homeless families when they are moved on from one unit of temporary accommodation to another type of temporary accommodation.

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 26, April to the hon. and Learned Member for Montgomery (Mr. Carlile), Official Report, column 322, if he will list the bodies and people who will receive copies of the consultation document on extending the scope of the Seveso directive.

I have been asked to reply.The proposed amending regulations to extend the scope of the Seveso directive will apply to only approximately 10 waste disposal installations in the United Kingdom. Consultation with the National Association of Waste Disposal Contractors has already begun. Further consultation will take place through the Health and Safety Commission's advisory committee on dangerous substances, which includes representatives from the CBI, TUC and local authority associations such as the Association of District Councils and Association of County Councils. Other interested bodies will be alerted through a press release which will advise how copies of the consultation document can be obtained.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans he has to make provisions for overseas domestic workers to be granted leave to remain while they pursue legal action, civil or criminal, against former employers;(2) what plans he has of giving overseas domestic workers an immigration status

We introduced in May 1991 tighter criteria for the exceptional arrangements outside the immigration rules under which a domestic servant who has worked abroad for an employer who comes to the United Kingdom may be admitted to continue working for that employer. Although domestic workers are admitted to keep their jobs as part of the household of their employer, they have their own immigration status as employees and may apply for indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom after four years in approved employment under the exceptional arrangements. There are no provisions under those arrangements for domestic workers to change employers outside the immigration rules before being granted indefinite leave to remain. Nor is there provision for any non-EC national to remain in the United Kingdom after his or her leave has expired in order to pursue legal action. However, each case involving a domestic worker who wishes to remain in the United Kingdom after having left the employer for whom he or she was admitted to work is carefully considered before any enforcement action is taken, and account is taken of any compassionate circumstances. We have no plans to carry out a further review of the arrangements for domestic workers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has on how many overseas domestic workers have initiated legal challenges against their former employers since 24 July 1990 on grounds of (a) sexual offences, (b) offences of violence, (c) false imprisonment, (d) assault and battery, (e) intimidation, (f) breach of contract and (g) slavery; and how many such employers were found guilty.

The information requested is not recorded centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received with regard to reforming the immigration status of overseas domestic workers in the United Kingdom.

Since the beginning of this year, my right hon. and learned Friend and I have received four lettters from right hon. and hon. Members and noble Lords about the exceptional arrangements outside the immigration rules for domestic workers from overseas. My right hon. and learned Friend and I have also received a number of letters from members of the public and organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many domestic workers have entered the United Kingdom since 1977; and if he will specify those entering under (a) code 4, (b) code 5N and (c) code 3 of the immigration regulations.

The information is not available in the form requested. However, in the period January to August 1992, some 8,600 entry clearances were issued to domestic workers by the main posts which issue entry clearances to such workers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will detail the number of domestic workers deported since 1980; and how many were (a) overstayers or (b) unauthorised workers.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the reconviction rate for people released from prison on licence who were serving life sentences.

Two per cent. of life licensees released between 1972 and 1988 were convicted of a "grave" offence—violent crime—within two years of discharge and 4 per cent. of those persons released between 1972 and 1985 were reconvicted within five years. The figures for a "standard list" offence—indictable plus certain summary offences—were 10 and 21 per cent respectively. This information was published in statistical bulletin 3/93, a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the Government's policy for financing and supporting crime prevention.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for High Peak (Mr. Hendry) on 4 March, at columns 274–75, which details Home Office support for crime prevention. In addition, other Departments' programmes, such as the Department of the Environment's city challenge and estates action, and the Department for Education's grants for education support and training scheme, include strong crime prevention elements. Overall Government spending on crime prevention was an estimated £167 million in 1991–92.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the working so far of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

We remain committed to the Act's objective of improving public protection against attacks from fighting and other dogs. We continue to keep the Act's operation under review, and to consider suggestions for further improvement to its practical operations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to amend the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 to ensure that the distinction between pit bull terriers and Staffordshire bull terriers is clear.

We have no plans to amend the Act. Periodic advice has been issued to the enforcement authorities and the courts on the identification of dogs, and we are considering suggestions for providing further help on this point.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received about a national identity card scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Some 27 individual letters have been received from Members of Parliament and others so far this year. None has persuaded me that the advantages of such a scheme outweigh the disadvantages.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support his Department gives to assist neighbourhood watch schemes.

The Government are committed to encouraging the development of neighbourhood watch schemes. The number of schemes has grown rapidly in recent years and there are now nearly 115,000 schemes in operation in England and Wales covering more than 5 million households.We set up Crime Concern in 1988 to stimulate growth of schemes and develop a national structure for the neighbourhood watch movement. We have provided considerable financial backing to enable Crime Concern to carry forward this work.We have recently given funding towards the cost of producing a neighbourhood watch co-ordinator's handbook which is shortly to be published. A number of national conferences for scheme co-ordinators have been arranged by Crime Concern. Last year's conference took place at the national exhibition centre in Birmingham and was addressed by the Home Secretary.With financial support from the Home Office, Crime Concern is also undertaking a two year pilot project. the "neighbourhood safety project", to introduce a neighbourhood watch-type scheme into two high crime residential areas in West Yorkshire.We are including a special neighbourhood watch insert in the Home Office magazine "Crime Prevention News" which is sent to all police crime prevention officers for distribution to neighbourhood watch co-ordinators.We encourage the police to support neighbourhood watch schemes, although it is ultimately a matter for each chief constable to decide how much of his resources he can allocate to these activities. I addressed the Derby neighbourhood watch co-ordinators' conference on 30 April and I was delighted to learn about the considerable support which Derbyshire police are providing to schemes throughout the force area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 22 April, Official Report, column 148, and his pursuant answer of 29 April column 506, what information he has on the number of mines lifted by the Cambodians trained or operating under UNTAC in Cambodia.

According to the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia—UNTAC—figures at mid-April, Cambodians trained by UNTAC have destroyed or recovered 14,343 mines and munitions in Cambodia—9,474 anti-personnel mines, 20 anti-tank mines and 4,869 pieces of unexploded ordinance. By comparison, non-governmental organisations have cleared 2,171 mines and munitions.

To ask the Secretry of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the current armed conflicts in the world, the estimated number of deaths in each and the actions taken by the United Kingdom Government to encourage peace in each conflict.

Earlier this year the Secretary General of the United Nations, Dr. Boutros-Ghali, told my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs that the United Nations was currently seized of 25 conflicts around the world. Detailed information on all these conflicts is not centrally recorded and could be produced only at disproportionate cost. However, 12 of these conflicts are the object of a United Nations peacekeeping operation to which Britain as a permanent member of the Security Council makes its due contribution. They are: India/Pakistan, Lebanon, Israel/ Syria and Jerusalem, Cyprus, Cambodia, former Yugoslavia, Iran/Kuwait, El Salvador, Western Sahara, Angola, Somalia and Mozambique.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his oral answer of 14 April, to the hon. Member for Wallasey (Ms Eagle), Official Report, column 830, if he will set out the reasons why Her Majesty's Government regard it as a disastrous mistake by the Ukranian Parliament to hold the view that the Ukraine should not relinquish the nuclear weapons held by Ukraine.

Under the Lisbon protocol to START I, Ukraine is committed to ratification of START I and early accession to the non-proliferation treaty as a non-nuclear weapons state. Fulfilment of these commitments will influence the extent to which co-operation and partnership between Ukraine and the west can be developed. A decision to retain nuclear weapons would jeopardise the implementation of START I, and thus START II, and would risk weakening the NPT. We believe it is in the interests of global security, and that of Ukraine, that the START reductions should be carried out and the NPT strengthened.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what procedure he plans to adopt to review European Community legislation passed before December 1991 in relation into its compliance with the principles of subsidiarity laid down by the Maastricht treaty.

We attach great importance to the rigorous implementation of subsidiarity, both in relation to existing and proposed Community legislation. The Edinburgh European Council asked the Commission to present the outcome of its review of existing EC legislation to the Brussels European Council in December. We are discussing with EC partners and with the Commission which items of legislation should be repealed or amended on subsidiarity grounds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of (a) overseas domestic workers and (b) their employers he estimates received his Department's "Information for Domestic Servants Travelling to the United Kingdom"; and whether the leaflets are written in the mother tongues of the intended recipients.

All domestic workers are handed a copy of an information leaflet when interviewed at post for entry clearance, and all employers are given a leaflet together with an explanatory note. Records are not kept of the numbers of leaflets issued.Leaflets are available in English and Arabic. Arrangements are in hand for a translation to be made available in Tagalog—Filipino. Where an applicant does not understand English the contents of the leaflet are explained in their local language. The Home Office is currently producing copies in Spanish, Bengali, Urdu, Hindi and Tamil.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the extension of maritime jurisdiction around South Georgia and the South Sandwich islands.

In recent years, we have become increasingly concerned about the conservation of marine resources around South Georgia and the South Sandwich islands in the south Atlantic which is a British dependent territory. At present, the Crown's sovereignty and jurisdiction around South Georgia and the South Sandwich islands extend to the 12-mile limit of the territorial sea. For waters beyond this, we have hitherto relied solely on the work of the commission created by the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources—CCAMLR—a component of the Antarctic treaty system. This depends on flag state regulation and policing to apply conservation measures decided by consensus amongst the 22 members. We fully support CCAMLR and co-operate in the body's work. We have worked most energetically to strengthen the role of CCAMLR in its regulation of southern ocean fisheries. Although CCAMLR has provided timely and much-needed protection for commercially fished species, we are concerned that nevertheless fish stocks have been depleted.Moreover, infringements of CCAMLR regulations have grown. The need to reinforce conservation arrangements in the area for which Her Majesty's Government are responsible is clear. Accordingly, Ministers have decided to strengthen conservation and management of marine resources around South Georgia and the South Sandwich islands by the introduction of national measures. These measures are intended to supplement not replace the role of CCAMLR and are of course fully compatible with it.For this reason, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has instructed the commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich islands to issue a proclamation tomorrow to provide for the exercise of the Crown's sovereign rights to jurisdiction over a maritime zone and its natural resources, living and non-living, extending to a distance of 200 nautical miles around the territories.In addition, an ordinance will be made, in due course, by the commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich islands designed to monitor and protect the state of the fish stocks within the maritime zone. This action will reinforce existing measures under CCAMLR.Since their re-establishment in 1990, our relations with Argentina have progressed to their present excellent state and are now marked by a new openness and growing mutual confidence. This is a source of great satisfaction to Her Majesty's Government, who will continue to work to develop the relationship further. Against this background, it was natural for us to discuss our concerns over conservation fully with the Argentine Government with whom we have extensive exchanges on south Atlantic matters, particularly in relation to fisheries. We look forward to pursuing this dialogue.

To ask the Prime Minister how many peers have been appointed to offices of profit under the Crown since 1979.

This information is not available.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 6 May.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 6 May.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the cost of the advertisements his Department placed in the national press on 27 April promoting the national testing scheme; and what plans he has to publish further advertisements on testing in schools.

Information about the cost of the advertisements is commercial in confidence. Further advertising is planned in the national press until the end of the campaign in May which concludes with magazine advertisements.

To ask the Chancellor or the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the cost to the Exchequer of each unemployed person per year.

The Department of Social Security's annual report provides an estimate that, in the current year, a change in unemployment of 100,000 would result in a variation of £350 million in benefit expenditure—or an average of £3,500 per unemployed person.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the cost to the Treasury in benefits paid and tax and national insurance payments forgone of the current level of unemployment.

The Department of Social Security estimates that in 1993–94 the total cost of benefits paid to unemployed people will be £9·29 billion based on an unemployment assumption for Great Britain of 2¾ million. An estimate of tax and national insurance payments forgone is not produced, as it depends on the particular tax liabilities and earnings when in employment of each individual who is currently unemployed.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the steps he is taking to end the recession in Britain.

Across the economy there are clear signs of a resumption of growth, reflecting our success in bringing down inflation. The Government's economic policies are designed to ensure that inflation is kept low and thereby support the recovery.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his assessment of the latest trend in the level of industrial production.

The recent trend in industrial production has been upwards: in the three months to February the index of production was1¼ per cent. up on a year earlier. And business surveys point to continuation of an upward trend.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he has taken to influence the policy of the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development.

In his statement to the EBRD's annual meeting in London, on 27 April, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer emphasised the EBRD's duty to use taxpayers' resources as cost-effectively as possible. He stressed the need that the institution, which was established to promote efficiency and enterprise, should itself provide an example of sound financial management. Welcoming the changes agreed by the bank's board of directors to improve the control of its costs, my right hon. Friend argued for rapid and vigorous implementation of these. He also called for the bank to develop its key role in promoting effective mechanisms for assisting small and medium-sized enterprises in the countries of the former Communist bloc.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the total sum to be distributed from the EC's proposed cohesion fund between now and 1999; and what part of this sum is estimated to come to the United Kingdom.

The Edinburgh European Council agreed a figure of 15·15 billion ecu for the period; and that only Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Greece would be eligible.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the petroleum revenue tax changes announced in the Budget; and if he will make a statement.

Representations, including important support for the reform, have been received from a number of companies and individuals on the petroleum revenue tax changes.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what impact his 1992 Budget changes to business taxation have had on employment levels.

The changes in business taxes in the 1992 Budget, together with those in the autumn statement and this year's March Budget have strengthened the prospects for sustainable growth of output and employment.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the relationship between the Budget measures for investment and unemployment levels.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Ipswich on 1 April, at columns 371–72.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when mortgage rates were last at their current level.

Following the most recent cut in base rates, most mortgage lenders have announced mortgage rates below 8 per cent. They are now at their lowest level since April 1969.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when retail sales were last at their latest reported level.

Retail sales in the first quarter of this year were at their highest level ever recorded.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to monitor the United Kingdom's balance of trade in the absence of official statistics.

Statistics for the United Kingdom's trade with countries outside the EC have continued without interruption. Figures for our trade with all countries in the first quarter of 1993 will be published in the usual balance of payments released in June.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what further plans he has to alleviate the effect on those on low incomes of charging VAT on domestic fuel.

As my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer made clear in his Budget speech, extra help will be given from April 1994 to poorer pensioners and others receiving income-related benefits. The precise amount and the way in which this will be targeted will be announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security in the autumn.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on relations between Sudan and (a) the International Monetary Fund and (b) the World bank.

The IMF is not providing any financial assistance to the Sudan which is in arrears to that institution. The World bank has provided one loan, for an emergency drought recovery project, since 1990; the bank has no current plans to make further loans.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what differences there are in taxation of the various functions, services and purchases between those of a general practioner fund-holding practice and those of a non-fund-holding practice.

As far as VAT is concerned, there is no difference. For their NHS activities, both are considered to be part of the VAT registration of the regional health authority, and are treated equally. The position for trading income is that the same general rules on the taxation of trading profits apply whether or not the income of a general practitioner practice includes amounts allocated under the funding initiative.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 26 April, Official Report, 292–94, if he will list the numbers and staff costs to the Exchequer of each central Government Department by civil service grade for 1979–80 and 1991–92; and what comparable information he has for local authorities.

Information is not available centrally about the staff costs to the Exchequer of each central Government Department by civil service grade or about the staff grading or staff costs of local authorities.Information on numbers of non-industrial staff in post in the major departments, broken down by selected occupational groups and grades, is given in the annual publication "Civil Service Statistics" which is available from the Library. The 1991 and 1992 editions provide staffing information for 1 April 1991 and 1 April 1992 respectively. A breakdown by grade only is published in the 1979 and 1980 editions.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what additional payments were made from the Consolidated Fund to the EC as part of the United Kingdom's total payments to the EC due to the increased VAT incurred as a result of contracting out in each year since 1982.

The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what matters in regard to investment in global environmental protection were discussed at the most recent meeting of G7 Finance Ministers in Washington DC.

None. The meeting focused primarily on the economic situation in the G7 countries.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the level of the qualifying turnover for VAT since his Budget statement.

The few representations that have been received are divided between those who would like to see the threshold raised significantly in order to exclude many more businesses from the tax and those who seek a much lower or nil threshold in order to minimise what they see as unfair competition for registered traders from those who are not registered.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the impact on the average family's tax bill of the Budget changes in fuel costs, national insurance contributions, married couples' allowances and excise duties.

I refer the hon. Member to the replies given to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Garscadden (Mr. Dewar) on 22 April at columns 172–78

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the level of personal debt in the United Kingdom.

Total financial liabilities of the personal sector were £486 billion in the third quarter 1992.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (I) what quantity of illegally imported alcoholic beverages have been impounded or confiscated by Customs and Excise officials in the first quarter of 1993;(2) what estimate he has made, on a weekly basis, of the level of illegal importation of alcohol during the first quarter of 1993; and what his projection of the level was on 30 June 1992;(3) how many cases Customs and Excise detected in the first quarter of 1993 of people illegally selling alcohol bought elsewhere in the EC at lower excise duty rates and imported into the United Kingdom ostensibly for personal use;(4) what is his estimate of the percentage of abuse of the indicative level of alcohol and tobacco imports being detected by Customs and Excise officers; and what estimate he has made of the annual loss of revenue resulting from such abuse.

Details of detections of imported alcoholic drink illegally offered or intended for sale in the United Kingdom during the quarter ending 31 March are shown in the table.

Beverage	seizures	Quantity litres
Beer	51	47,064
Wine	15	7,385
Spirits	18	860

Any estimates as to the extent of undetected illegal importations would be largely a matter of speculation, but the revenue involved in the detected cases amounts in total to £57,834.There is no longer any requirement for travellers to declare routinely details of tobacco and alcohol being brought into the United Kingdom from other EC member states for their personal use. Provided the goods are duty paid in the EC country of departure and are intended for personal use, the indicative levels, which function only as a guide, may be legitimately exceeded.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration is being given to ways of delaying the advent of stage 2 of EMU beyond 1 January 1994.

I am not aware of any such consideration. Article 109e of the Maastricht treaty states that the second stage for achieving economic and monetary union shall begin on 1 January 1994.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Government have to extend the Trinidad terms on world debt to countries not currently covered by them.

The Paris Club of creditor countries has so far given debt relief on Trinidad terms to 15 of the world's poorest and most indebted countries, 12 of them in sub-Saharan Africa. They include Benin, Bolivia, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Republic, Honduras, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia. Trinidad terms are not intended for better-off but for heavily indebted countries, although I recognise that for some heavily indebted, lower-middle income countries, concessional debt relief may be necessary. Therefore, I welcome the call made by the G7 at the Munich summit to consider the special situation of some heavily indebted lower-middle income countries on a case-by-case basis.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the changes in the rates, rules and modus operandi of the ERM since the United Kingdom left the mechanism; and what studies European central bankers have made of its operation and its effects on the level of currency speculation between European currencies.

On 16 September 1992, sterling and the lira were suspended from participation in the ERM and the peseta was devalued by 5 per cent. The peseta was devalued by 6 per cent. along with the escudo, on 23 November 1992, and the Irish punt was devalued by 10 per cent. on 1 February 1993.There have been no changes in ERM rules over this period.The European Council, meeting in Birmingham, endorsed the view of Economic and Finance Ministers that the recent financial turbulence calls for reflection and analysis in the light of developments in capital markets and in the European and world monetary systems. It invited Economic and Finance Ministers, assisted by the monetary committee, with the involvement of the Commission, to carry this work forward, with the central bank governors. This work is continuing.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the value to the United Kingdom of debt interest payments from developing countries in 1990–91, 1991–92 and 1992–93 from (a) payments to the Export Credits Guarantee Department, (b) payments to the Overseas Development Administration, (c) payments to the Commonwealth Development Corporation and (d) in total.

[holding answer 4 May 1993]:: The following data related to receipts received by each of the agencies from developing countries in the last three financial years. The figures include debt interest paid by Poland, Turkey and Yugoslavia.

£ million	1990–91	1991–92	1992–93
ECGD	228·0	338·0	332·0
ODA	5·9	7·9	4·2
CDC	67·0	65·9	86·2
Total	300·9	411·8	422·4

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what was the value to the United Kingdom of debt interest payments from Zambia in 1990–91, 1991–92 and 1992–93 from (a) payments to the Export Credits Guarantee Department, (b) payments to the Overseas Development Administration, (c) payments to the Commonwealth Development Corporation and (d) in total; (2) what is the current total of outstanding debt owed to the United Kingdom by Zambia.

[holding answer 4 May 1993]: The details of individual debtors' positions are confidential to the country concerned. We cannot publish these figures without the consent of the authorities in the debtor countries. However, I can say that at the beginning of April the ODA wrote off £56 million of old aid debts with Zambia. This followed the International Monetary Fund's approval of Zambia's rights accumulation programme.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether negotiations have started for the second stage of Nicaragua's Trinidad terms debt agreement of 17 December 1991; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 4 May 1993]: Negotiations have not yet started for the second stage of Nicaragua's Trinidad terms debt agreement. Under that agreement, creditors agreed to consider a stock of debt reduction for Nicaragua after three or four years following a period of proven financial and economic responsibility. The Government are continuing to press the Paris Club to agree to earlier action on the stock of debt of the poorest and most heavily indebted countries.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current total of outstanding debt owed to the United Kingdom by developing countries.

[holding answer 4 May 1993]: The latest figure available for the current total official outstanding debt owed to the United Kingdom by developing countries is £9·67 billion.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 28 April, Official Report, column 405, if he will give details of the 12 changes made to the premium bond prize fund rate.

[holding answer 5 May 1993]: The details are as follows:

Prize fund rate changes
	Per cent.
1 August I960	4·500
1 September 1968	4·625
1 August 1971	4·750
1 July 1973	4·875
1 July 1974	5·500
1 November 1976	5·625
1 January 1979	5·750
1 July 1980	7·000
1 November 1984	7·750
1 August 1987	7·000
1 July 1988	6·500
1 March 1993	5·000

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what inquiries he has made into reports of the unauthorised use of a tape recorder by Ministry of Defence police in Pateley Bridge magistrates court on 2 April; what action he has taken; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that an allegation of unauthorised use of a tape recorder at the court was made to the clerk to the justices and that he has asked the Crown Prosecution Service to investigate. It is not a matter in which it would be proper for me to intervene.

To ask the Secretry of State for Wales on what dates structure plans have been submitted by each of the eight Welsh counties since they came into existence, indicating which of these have been (a) accepted by the Welsh Office without amendment, (b) accepted subject to specific amendments and (c) rejected.

The information requested is set out in the table. All structure plans and alterations approved by the Secretary of State have been the subject of modifications prior to approval. No submitted structure plan has been rejected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales in what circumstances he holds any form of public inquiry prior to making changes to a draft structure plan submitted to him by a county in Wales.

As a result of the Planning and Compensation Act 1991, county councils are required, unless the Secretary of State decides otherwise, to hold examinations in public on selected matters arising from structure plans, to provide additional information to help them come to a decision. Previously, when necessary, examinations in public were held on structure plans submitted to the Secretary of State to provide him with additional information necessary for the consideration and approval of the plan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether county councils in Wales, submitting structure plans for ratification by the Welsh Office, must draw these up in line with uniform national criteria.

Structure plans prepared under the Planning and Compensation Act 1991 are approved normally by the county council concerned. However, there are requirements to consult the Secretary of State who has powers to direct that a plan be referred to him for approval.The form and content of structure plans is set out in regulations. In formulating the general policies in structure plans county councils are required to have regard to any regional or strategic planning guidance given by the Secretary of State to assist them in preparation of the plan, and current national policies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consideration his Department gives to the varying social and cultural patterns in Wales when reviewing structure plans for the counties of Wales.

Regulations require planning authorities to have regard to social considerations in preparing their general policies and proposals in structure plans. Where appropriate the needs and interests of the Welsh language will be among those considerations. In considering structure plans before him for comment or approval, the Secretary of State takes account of these social considerations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to fund a hospice for terminally ill children in Wales.

The distribution of Government funding and the provision of hospice facilities and other care for the terminally ill is a matter for health authorities, following local discussion and agreement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he has taken and proposes to take to improve the access, safety and environmental conditions of Welsh inland waterways.

This is a matter for the British Waterways Board.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will meet the National Council for Hospice and Specialist Palliative Care Services.

No such meeting has yet been sought by the council, but I shall be happy to consider the request if it does so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will extend the drug tariff to assist cancer sufferers.

The Secretary of State for Health considers applications from companies to add products to part IX of the drug tariff so that they can be prescribed to patients under the NHS. Products are added to the tariff if they are considered to be safe, cost-effective and of acceptable quality and subject to the availability of resources within the family health services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish figures showing the number of void properties in each local authority area of Wales expressed as a percentage of total council stock for each year since 1990.

The information requested is given in the table.

Local authority vacant dwellings expressed as a percentage of local authority stock 1
	1990	1991	1992
Aberconwy	0·9	0·6	1·0
Alyn and Deeside	1·1	0·6	0·9
Arfon	0·6	1·2	1·1
Blaenau Gwent	1·2	0·6	1·0
Brecknock	0·0	0·0	0·0
Cardiff	1·6	1·0	0·7
Carmarthen	0·1	0·4	0·3
Ceredigion	0·9	1·3	0·8
Colwyn	1·0	1·4	0·9
Cynon Valley	3·6	2·5	0·7
Delyn	1·0	0·4	0·6
Dinefwr	1·2	0·6	0·9
Dwyfor	0·4	0·8	1·2
Glyndwr	2·1	1·7	0·9
Islwyn	2·9	2·6	1·7
Llanelli	1·6	1·6	1·4
Lliw Valley	0·9	0·9	1·1
Meirionnydd	0·4	0·8	0·8
Merthyr Tydfil	1·6	1·1	0·7
Monmouth	1·6	1·9	1·3
Montgomeryshire	1·2	1·5	1·4
Neath	1·3	1·4	0·9
Newport	0·7	0·6	0·8
Ogwr	1·5	0·8	0·8
Port Talbot	5·2	3·1	3·0
Preseli Pembrokeshire	0·5	2·Jan	0·9
Radnorshire	0·8	0·8	1·1
Rhondda	1·8	0·6	1·0
Rhuddlan	1·1	0·7	0·7
Rhymney Valley	0·7	0·9	0·7
South Pembrokeshire	0·2	0·6	0·3
Swansea	0·8	0·6	0·6
Taff-Ely	1·8	1·5	0·9
Torfaen	1·3	1·2	0·8
Vale of Glamorgan	0·7	0·6	0·7
Wrexham Maelor	1·5	1·4	1·4
Ynys Mon	1·1	1·1	1·2

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to give his ruling in the case of the appeal against Clwyd county council on behalf of Ms Rhiannon Anderton of Mold, Clwyd.

The appeal against the provision specified in Rhiannon Anderton's statement of special educational needs raises a number of complex issues on which my right hon. Friend needs full information from the parties involved before he can reach his decision. The appeal is being dealt with urgently and a decision will be issued as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what organisations for grants to support the Welsh language under the Development of Rural Wales Act 1976, in the current financial year, were (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful and which, in each category, were concerned with providing information on environmental protection and green issues.

The list of successful and unsuccessful applicants for grant to support the Welsh Language under section 26 of the Development of Rural Wales Act 1976 in the current financial year is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the number of people suffering serious (a) eczema, (b) psoriasis and (c) acne.

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many local authorities in Wales have met the 4 per cent. quota of disabled workers set out in the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 in each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

The information is given in the table.

Local authorities employing at least 3 per cent. registered disabled people 1
Year	Number
1979	15
1980	15
1981	14
1982	12
1983	11
1984	13
1985	9
1986	7
1987	8
1988	6
1989	3
1990	3
1991	4
1992	4

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many sheltered workshops are currently being run in Wales by local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

There are 10 sheltered workshops currently being run in Wales by local authorities. A further workshop is run by a voluntary body acting as an agent for a local authority.Provision of sheltered employment is primarily a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his policy on the application to make the A5 between Chirk and Llandegai into a heritage route; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend's policy for the A5 is set out in "Roads in Wales: Progress and Plans for the 1990s". Present plans are contained in the 1993 supplement to that document.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what schemes have been proposed to improve the A5 from Chirk to Llandegai; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend's plans for major improvements are set out in the 1993 supplement to "Roads in Wales: Progress and Plans for the 1990s".

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will provide a table listing all housing association and other applicants for housing grants or for housing-related grants in the fields of special needs in each of the last five years and in the current year, distinguishing each category of special need referred to, together with the amount applied for and the amount granted in each case in each year in each category.

This information is not readily available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many decisions by planning authorities in Wales have been revoked by him over the last two years.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the estimated cost to public funds for students from the Republic of Ireland now receiving their higher education in Northern Ireland in consequence of European Community agreements.

Information in the form requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the estimated cost to public funds of tuition fees for students from EC countries, including the Republic of Ireland, holding mandatory or postgraduate awards in the 1992–93 academic year will be about £4·5 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the 1993–94 budget for each of the training centres in Northern Ireland.

Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Training and Employment Agency under its chief executive, Mr. J. S. Crozier. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.