To ask the Attorney-General when he expects to lay before Parliament and publish the annual report of the Serious Fraud Office for the year 1992–93.

The annual report for the SFO for 1992–93 was laid before Parliament at 11 am today and then published. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has to guarantee the reduced fares scheme for children following bus privatisation and deregulation in Greater London.

Bus privatisation will have no effect on the availability of child fares in London because bus operators will continue to provide services for London Transport, at the fares set by London Transport.After deregulation, fares—including those for children —will be a matter for individual operators. However, we intend to extend to London local authorities the power already available to authorities outside London to offer travel concessions for children under 16 years, and school children under 18 years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce the way forward for the improvements to the A21 between Flimwell and Robertsbridge; and if he will make a statement.

I am pleased to announce that the three programmed schemes in preparation along this stretch of A21 in East Sussex are being replaced by one comprehensive improvement between Flimwell and Robertsbridge. The improvement will include the Salehurst roundabout at Robertsbridge and the section of road between Flimwell and Hurst Green.This announcement will be welcomed by the many local people and local authorities which made representations to me for a more strategic approach to the improvement of this length of the A21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many applications he has received from rail operators to provide international services over British Rail tracks under the Railway Regulations 1992.

None. The channel tunnel is not yet open.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out the procedures for ascertaining that the weight of freight per rail wagon does not exceed British Rail restrictions, and conforms with the requirements of the Health and Safety Executive.

Primary responsibility rests with British Rail. The Health and Safety Executive does not set or check weight limits for wagons. The design, construction and designated use of wagons prevent them from being loaded beyond their maximum capacity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the maximum weight of a wagon for the carriage of freight on the railways.

The maximum axle weight is 25·5 tonnes. The largest freight wagons in normal use are mineral wagons and large oil tankers mounted on two bogies with two axles, which weigh 102 tonnes fully laden.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what funds he has given to the Energy Saving Trust.

I have nothing to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Smith), on 19 February 1993, Official Report, column 382.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the objects of the Energy Saving Trust.

The directors of the Energy Saving Trust have set out the objects of the trust in a mission statement. This declares that the trust will encourage the efficient use of all forms of energy in the United Kingdom, leading to an overall reduction in total energy consumption and its consequent environmental impact. The trust will seek to sponsor initiatives that also provide long term economic benefits to the nation.The trust aims to promote a broad awareness and understanding of the benefits of energy efficiency and conservation and will also promote training in energy-saving practices and technology.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what notional additional environmental costs his Department assigns to (a) gas, (b) coal and (c) nuclear generation.

The Department does not assign costs in the way that the hon. Gentleman suggests.A report recently produced by the Economic and Social Research Council-sponsored centre for social and economic research on the global environment for the Department of Trade and Industry on the social costs of fuel cycles has produced some estimates of "externality adders". The numbers produced in this report should be seen as indicative rather than authoritative.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has had from Professor David Pearce on the problems of assigning money values to environmental damage; and if he will make a statement.

I have sought no specific proposals. Professor Pearce is leading a team of researchers who have been commissioned by my Department to estimate the external, including environmental costs and benefits, of landfilling and of incinerating waste. I have referred to Professor Pearce's report of fuel cycle costs in reply to the previous question.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what study his Department has made of the reasons why people apply for grants to install insulation in their loft.

We have made no study of the reasons why people apply for grants to install energy efficiency improvements. It is assumed that people do so in order to benefit from the increased energy efficiency which such improvements bring.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further information he has made available to local authorities about the standard Spending assessments for 1993–94.

A publication "Standard Spending Assessment Handbook 1993–94" has been produced to provide details of the standard spending assessments (SSA) of each local authority. Copies have today been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Copies are being sent to every local authority in England and to the local authority associations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all the occasions, in the last five months, when European directives on smoke, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and lead have been exceeded; where this has taken place; and if the information was released to the public.

[holding answer 10 May 1993]: The air quality standards in these directives are set on the basis of compliance with limit values over 12-month periods. The standards for nitrogen dioxide and lead were not breached in 1992. Data for smoke and sulphur dioxide for the period April 1992 to March 1993 are not yet available, but provisional figures indicate that these standards have also not been breached. The public can obtain information about air quality, based on measured concentrations of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone, from daily bulletins on the Government's freephone 0800 556677, on CEEFAX page 404, on Teletext page 187 or from certain newspapers.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what progress has been made on discussing Sports Council funding for the national children's play and recreation unit; and what measures will be implemented to fund children's play after March 1993 pending the completion of these tasks.

[pursuant to his reply 28 January 1993, Official Report, column 853]: The Sports Council has now taken over the national play information centre and the play unit's work on playwork education and training along with seven of the unit's staff. An eighth officer will be employed on a consultancy basis. The Council's budget for play for 1993–94 is £300,000, which includes financial support for the four national centres for playwork education. In addition, the Sports Council's trust company has agreed to give a grant of £25,000 to the National Voluntary Council for Children's Play. I am delighted with these decisions which show the serious way in which the Sports Council is tackling its new responsibilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what lessons his Department has drawn from the 1990–91 Gulf war for emergency planning of local authority involvement; and if he will make a statement.

Local authorities were involved in the planning for the reception of possible casualties arising from the 1990–91 Gulf conflict. The principal lesson learnt was the importance of involving local authorities in the making of such arrangements from as early a time as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what criteria were used in deciding future allocations of Home Office emergency planning grant aid to local authorities; and what consultations were undertaken with local authorities over the allocation;(2) what plans he has to issue new guidelines to local authorities on the use of civil defence and emergency planning grant aid following the changes in international relations since 1989; and if he will make a statement.

The Home Office wrote to the local authority associations and to individual local authorities in December 1992 to seek their views on a new method of distributing the total available civil defence grant to individual authorities.We have proposed a system based on a formula reflecting the needs of the emergency planning process and, where appropriate, the number of districts in the county or metropolitan are concerned.Comments have been received on these proposals and the proposed allocations for 1994–95 onward will be announced shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what consultations have been held since November 1989 regarding the length of the period of warning the civil defence system assumes for planning purposes before the outbreak of a major conflict in Europe; and if he will make a statement;(2) what assessment his Department has made since November 1989 of the threat to the United Kingdom from the use of chemical or biological weapons, in respect of civil defence issues.

The threat to the United Kingdom is kept under constant review. The process of integrated emergency management which is promoted by the Home Office calls for the development of plans based on the mitigation of effects and the continued delivery of service in an emergency, whatever the cause. Officials are considering the question of warning times within this context.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for the period from November 1989 (a) the dates of, (b) the subjects discussed at and (c) attendances at any meetings Ministers have had with the relevant Ministers responsible for civil defence and emergency planning in other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation countries.

No such meetings have taken place. Regular contact with other NATO countries on these subjects is maintained at official level.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to recruit qualified or experienced emergency planners to his Department (a) to replace the local authorities' adviser and (b) to oversee the use of civil defence and emergency planning grant aid.

There are no plans to replace the local authorities' adviser. Emphasis will be placed upon visits by Home Office officials to local authorities and regular meetings with the local authority associations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what effect reorganisation of local government in (a) England and (b) Wales will have on arrangements for grant-aided local authority emergency planning.

The precise effect of local government reorganisation on local authority grant-aided emergency planning arrangements will have to be determined area by area.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations he has had since April 1992 over improving the responses of the emergency services to peace-time emergencies; and if he will make a statement.

Part of the work of the civil emergencies adviser, Mr. David Brook, is to assist the emergency services in preparing their response to peace-time disasters. He is in regular contact with and has meetings with the emergency services, local authorities and others who have a role to play in preparing for and responding to disasters. In August 1992 the Home Office publication "Dealing with Disaster" was issued which contained guidance compiled by Mr. Brook aimed at assisting the provision of an effective response.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements have been made for the disposal of obsolescent message switch equipment installed at (a) regional Government headquarters, (b) United Kingdom warning and monitoring organisation control centres and (c) local authority emergency centres; and if he will make a statement regarding the overall cost of installing, maintaining and disposing of the message switch equipment at these locations.

The message switch equipment at the regional government headquarters and at the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation control centres was the subject of a combined rental and maintenance agreement with British Telecom. This agreement covered the repayment of capital cost, installation, maintenance and subsequent removal.The total cost of the agreement over the 10-year period, during which the equipment was installed, amounted to just under £3·5 million in respect of equipment at regional government headquarters and £3·75 million in respect of equipment at the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation.The message switch equipment, which was installed at local authority emergency centres, was purchased by the Home Office at a cost of £2·1 million including installation. Annual maintenance costs, in the final year, amounted to £1·5 million.The total cost of the disposal of equipment installed at local authorities is estimated at £20,000. Where a local authority has indicated an interest in retaining a message switch network within its area, the Home Office has transferred ownership of the equipment to that authority with a proviso that it should not be resold.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding his Department is making available to (a) the BBC and (b) independent broadcasters in respect of his Department's proposals to rely on the broadcast media to issue national warnings of possible air attacks.

Precise costs will depend on the outcome of discussions which are now taking place with the BBC.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether local proposals to retain parts of the air-raid warning siren network for use in peacetime emergencies will be eligible for grant aid from his Department.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals his Department has made for the future securing of a reserve fire-fighting capacity for use in time of war and national emergency; and if he will make a statement.

The Government continue to maintain a stockpile of emergency fire service appliances and equipment. Maintenance of the stockpile was contracted out to the private sector in 1991. The contract is for 10 years with a breakpoint after five.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a table based on the 1992 reported crime figures showing the total number of crimes reported in each police authority area in 1992, and also showing these figures as a rate per 1,000 population in those areas and as a rate per uniformed officer in those areas.

The information requested is given in the table:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what performance targets he has set for the United Kingdom Passport Agency in 1993–94.

During 1993–94, I shall expect the Passport Agency to continue to provide a high standard of service to the public while seeking further efficiency savings in its operations.I have set the agency the following key targets:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women of an ethnic minority background are serving as police officers in the Metropolitan police force as of 1 May.

There were 476 men and 147 women officers of an ethnic minority background.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to confer new duties or powers upon those fire and civil defence authorities other than the London FCDA.

Draft civil defence regulations were published last December and comments received are being considered. There are no plans to confer new duties or powers upon any of the fire and civil defence authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the decision regarding the recommended minimum length of sentence to be served in the case of Hosni E. Farhat was made by the then Home Secretary; and if he will make a statement.

It is assumed that by "recommended minimum length of sentence", the hon. Member refers to the punitive element of a discretionary life sentence which must be served to satisfy the requirements of retribution and deterrence. This period was previously known as the "tariff".Following advice from the trial judge and the then Lord Chief Justice, the Secretary of State decided in 1985 that the first review of Mr. Farhat's case by the parole board should take place after 17 years in custody. From that, Mr. Farhat will have concluded that the punitive element of his sentence was at least 20 years.Under the transitional provisions in schedule 12 to the Criminal Justice Act 1991, the Secretary of State issued a certificate to Mr. Farhat in August 1992 notifying him that the relevant part of his sentence—as the punitive element is now known—is 20 years.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received regarding the case of Hosni E. Farhat.

My right hon. and learned Friend and his predecessors have previously received a number of representations alleging that Mr. Farhat was wrongfully convicted. These were fully considered but they brought to light no grounds for intervening in the case. Further representations have recently been received from Mr. Farhat and these are now being considered.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what review has been undertaken of the intelligence information relating to the case of Hosni E. Farhat.

I do not know what specific information the hon. Member has in mind, but in considering the latest representations about the safety of Mr. Farhat's conviction, my right hon. and learned Friend will take account of any relevant information which is available to him.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons convicted of attempted murder left prison in each of the last five years; and what was the average length of detention in each year.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the average recommended minimum length of sentence to be served in cases of attempted murder in each year since 1979.

On the assumption that the question relates to the punitive element—now known as the relevant part—of a discretionary life sentence imposed for attempted murder, the information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals are currently serving sentences for attempted murder in United Kingdom prisons; and what is their average length of sentence.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Libyan citizens are (a) currently serving sentences and (b) awaiting sentencing in United Kingdom prisons.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ensure that people coming from overseas to do domestic service work in Britain are given the right to change employers and other rights enjoyed by similar workers recruited in the United Kingdom.

Each case involving a domestic worker who wishes to remain in the United Kingdom after having left his or her employer is carefully considered before any enforcement action is taken, and account is taken of any compassionate circumstances. Domestic workers are entitled to the protection of our criminal and employment law.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of the relationship between the level and nature of his Department's support for youth work and the change in the level of juvenile crime; and if he will make a statement.

No such assessment has been made. Except for certain projects which are supported under the safer cities initiative, the Home Office does not directly fund youth work; but the Home Office research and planning unit is currently involved in an evaluation of a number of local projects which have deliberately targeted young people at risk of offending.

To ask the Prime Minister what arrangements have been made to ensure co-ordination between Government Departments on non-fossil fuel obligation 3.

The responsibility for making orders imposing a non-fossil fuel obligation on public electricity suppliers in England and Wales lies with my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade. He consults other Ministers as appropriate.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has to encourage the banks to increase their loans to the small businesses sector for capital investment; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced proposals to improve the small firms loan guarantee scheme in his Budget on 16 March. The changes will take effect on 1 July.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list by district council in Nottinghamshire the number of appeals presently notified to valuation officers by property owners against council tax bandings; and how long he expects it to take for these appeals to be dealt with.

[holding answer 10 May 1993]: As at 6 May, some 5,398 appeals have been made by taxpayers in Nottinghamshire, against their council tax bandings. Of these 277 are in Ashfield, 453 in Bassetlaw, 327 in Mansfield and 685 in Newark and Sherwood. The remaining 3,656 are in Broxtowe, Gedling, Nottingham and Rushcliffe for which individual statistics are not yet available.As the total number of appeals which will be made in Nottinghamshire cannot yet be predicted, it is not possible to determine the length of time it will take to deal with these appeals.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to his answer of 27 April, Official Report, column 379, if he will list the circumstances when home-to-work travel in a car made available by an employer is not regarded as private use.

[holding answer 11 May 1993]: Home-to-work travel in a car made available by an employer is not regarded as private use:

• where the employee has a travelling appointment;
• where the employee travels from home to a temporary place of work and the distance travelled is less than the distance between the normal place of work and the temporary place of work;
• where, exceptionally, the home qualifies under tax law as a place of work and the employee travels from home to another place of work in the performance of his duties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) general receptionists and (b) telephone receptionists are employed within each of his Department's offices; and how many are Welsh speaking.

The numbers of reception staff employed by the Department are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to place all public advertisements produced by his Department either (a) bilingually in the Welsh language and English language or (b) in the Welsh language only.

The Department is fully committed to providing for the needs of Welsh speakers and English speakers alike. As a matter of policy, all official notices appear bilingually, and it is the Department's objective that public advertisements should be bilingual.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what competitive tendering procedures were used for the selection of Acorn Nursery as provider of holiday play schemes for children of Welsh Office staff; what financial evaluation was made of competing bids; what consultation with different grades of staff was carried out; and if he will make a statement.

The Welsh Office holiday play scheme contract was advertised in the local press. Tenders were evaluated on the basis of the cost benefit to the Department and the value for money to parents—who meet the major part of the cost. Two tenderers came within the Department's cost limit and satisfied its quality criterion. They were interviewed.As the cost benefit to the Welsh Office was the same with either provider, consultations took place with a representative sample of users in a range of grades including junior clerical grades. Staff were unanimous in preferring the Acorn hid and the selection was made on that basis.Child care forms an important part of my Department's policy to promote equality of opportunity, help staff combine a career and family responsibilities, and maximise the contribution of skilled and experienced staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures he intends to take to encourage people with disabilities to become teachers, nursery nurses or teachers' aides.

The teaching as a career unit, funded by the Welsh Office and the Department for Education (DFE), promotes and publicises teaching. It has not undertaken any special targeting of the disabled.The DFE is in consultation with disabled teachers' interest groups prior to the revision of its circular 1/88 "Physical and Mental Fitness to Teach of Teachers and of Entrants to Teacher Training". This will continue to stress that disability in itself does not mean that a person is medically unfit to teach, but that the paramount consideration should be the health and welfare of pupils.

To ask the Secretary of State for 'Wales, pursuant to his answer of 28 April, Offical Report, column 412, if he will specify what the projects in the Betws and Taff Merthyr areas are; and what was the commencement date of those projects.

The information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures are being taken to protect and enhance the number of spring salmon that are entering Welsh rivers.

The National Rivers Authority is proposing new byelaws designed to improve spring salmon runs on the Dee, Wye and the Usk.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many children and young people under the age of 17 years have left care in Wales in each of the last five years; and how many of them (a) left school with no qualifications, (b) remain unemployed, (c) are currently estimated to be sleeping rough and (d) are in goal or other corrective institutions.

The information requested is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the representations he has received in regard to the inclusion of the communities of Nercwys, Nannerch, Gwernymynydd, Gwernaffield, Cilcain, Mostyn, Halkyn, Whitford, Brynford, Trelawnydd and Gwaerysgor, Llanasa, Ysaefivy and Cherwys in the proposed Denbighshire authority following the publication of his local government White Paper.

Since publishing my White Paper on 1 March 1993, I have received 42 written representations regarding the inclusion of these communities within the proposed unitary authority for Denbighshire.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will place in the Library copies of the results of research commissioned since 1978 (a) by his Department and (b) by British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. on the possible health effects of the discharge of krypton gas into the environment.

Neither the Department of Trade and Industry nor its predecessor, the Department of Energy, has commissioned research into the possible health effects of krypton gas. Questions about any research commissioned by British Nuclear Fuels plc are matters for the company.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the names of the members of the board of BNFL and state which of them have a management role or a business interest in Touche Ross.

This is a matter for British Nuclear Fuels plc. Appropriate information on the directors of the company is given in BNFL's report and accounts, copies of which are placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade in which publications in other European countries advertisements have been placed by Government Departments in the current financial year promoting inward investment into the United Kingdom; what was the cost of the advertisements; and if he will place copies in the Library.

During the 1992–93 financial year the Department of Trade and Industry spent £190,000 on advertisements in Europe promoting inward investment into the United Kingdom. In Germany advertisements were placed in Hadelsblatt, Top Business and Wirtschaftswoche, together with chamber of commerce magazines in Freiburg, Stuttgart, Mannheim, Karlsruhe and Reutlingen, while in Switzerland advertisements appeared in Bilanz, Basler Zeitung and Neue Zuercher Zeitung. The 1993–94 campaign has yet to be commissioned.Copies of the advertisements have been placed in the Library.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what plans he has to allow overseas counterparts of the British Geological Survey to bid for responsibility for United Kingdom oil and gas archives or to undertake surveys;(2) pursuant to his answer of 27 April,

In considering which organisations may be invited to submit competitive bids for work under the hydrocarbons programme, the Department is taking account of the requirements of the relevant legislation and commercial sensitivity.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the work of the Renewable Energy Advisory Research Group.

In December 1992 the report of the renewable energy advisory group to my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade was published. The report's findings will be taken into account in the Government's renewable energy strategy document due to be published later this year.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action he has taken to ensure that British exports of manufactured goods to the United States of America do not face tariffs.

My Department takes every opportunity to press the United States and other countries to reduce existing tariff barriers and to oppose the introduction of new ones, both in general terms in the context of the general agreement of tariffs and trade and in instances of specific concern. For example, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has made clear our strong opposition to the US auto industry's request that the US Treasury reclassifies sports utility vehicles as trucks to secure massive added tariff protection to the detriment of our Land Rover exports. We also support the EC in its efforts to seek an all-round tariff reduction in the Uruguay round negotiations.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the specific products and by-products of thermal oxide reprocessing at Sellafield, with their respective levels and life of radioactivity, and volume produce; and if he will indicate the proposed purpose or use of each of these products and by-products.

[holding answer 5 May 1993]: The thermal oxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield will recover uranium and plutonium from spent nuclear fuel. These materials can be recycled in civil power stations. British Nuclear Fuels plc expects that over 6,000 tonnes of uranium and some 40 to 50 tonnes of plutonium will be separated during the first 10 years of THORP's operation.Following recovery of the uranium and plutonium, the residue, amounting to around 3 per cent. by weight, consists of waste. The long-term radiological content of the waste is lower than that of the spent fuel because the uranium and plutonium have been removed. For the estimated volumes of wastes involved and details of their contents, I refer the hon. Member to the 1991 United Kingdom radioactive waste inventory, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many work permits for overseas workers have been granted in each year since 1987.

The number of work permits issued by the Department since 1987 is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will list the top 10 countries whose citizens received work permits to pursue employment in Britain in 1992; and if she will give the number of applications accepted from each of these countries.

The top 10 countries whose citizens received work permits in 1992 and the number of applications approved are given in the table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information her Department has on how many women in the Durham area have initiated legal challenges against their employers since 1990 on the grounds on sexual offences, and on the results of such cases.

The information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information is held on how many people living in the Durham area have been denied unemployment benefit since 1990 because they are not available for work because they have an adult or child to care for during working hours.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current number of job vacancies in the Durham area.

In March 1993, the latest date for which figures are available, the number, not seasonally adjusted, of unfilled vacancies at the jobcentre which covers the city of Durham was 229. Jobcentre vacancies do not represent the total number of vacancies available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what legislation would be necessary and what legislation would need to be amended to privatise (a) the Electrical Equipment Certification Service and (b) any other part of the Health and Safety Executive.

Primary legislation would be needed in either case.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the most recent (a) national and (b) international circulation of the Central Office of Information publication "Current Affairs—A Monthly Survey"; what benefits accrued to the United Kingdom from its publication; and for what reasons its publication is being stopped.

The most recent circulation figure for "Current Affairs—A Monthly Survey" was 714 copies. About three-quarters went to United Kingdom addresses. The publication was designed to enable readers of the annual "Britain Handbook" to be kept up to date with developments in British affairs.Efforts to increase circulation have not been successful and production costs outweigh income from subscriptions.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much money has been given by Her Majesty's Government to the Medical Research Council since 1988 for AIDS and HIV research.

Between the years 1988–89 and 1992–93, Her Majesty's Government have allocated £68 million to the Medical Research Council for AIDS and HIV research.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place in the Library details of all Medical Research Council grants for HIV and AIDS research, together with the published and completed papers presented to the Medical Research Council as a consequence of this grant-aided work.

A list of research grants supported by the MRC through its strategic and directed programmes have been placed in the Library. A list of published and completed papers could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will introduce legislation to bar medical research scientists from holding shares in drugs companies whose products they are researching.

No. I can see no need to introduce legislation aimed specifically at medical research scientists. The Company Securities (Insider Dealing) Act 1985 already restricts improper share dealing by a company's employees or by public servants. The Criminal Justice Bill, which is progressing through the House and will replace the existing legislation, contains provisions with a similar effect. Holdings of shares may also be subject to further restrictions under a scientist's terms of employment or contract.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the present clinical criteria for having AIDS; what were the clinical criteria for having AIDS in 1987; how those criteria have changed; and what effect the criteria have on eligibility of patients to be prescribed AZT.

In the United Kingdom, the current clinical criteria for AIDS are those set out by the US Centers for Disease Control in 1987. Copies will be placed in the Library. The 1987 AIDS case definition revised the 1985 definition by addition of non-infectious, non-cancerous HIV-associated conditions and by widening the diagnostic critieria for certain AIDS indicator diseases.Zidovudine, or, AZT, is currently licensed in the United Kingdom for the following indications:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) civil servants within her Department, (b) consultants sitting upon any of the advisory committees since 1977 or (c) other individuals involved organisationally in the Concorde trials have received money in royalties or grants, or had career positions, or directorships or consultancies, with the Wellcome Foundation, the Wellcome Trust or any of the Wellcome Foundation's subsidiary companies.

No civil servants within the Department have received money in any form from the Wellcome Foundation or the Wellcome Trust. Membership of the Committee on Safety of Medicines is published in the Medicines Commission annual report, which includes a comprehensive list of members' interests in the pharmaceutical industry. Information is not available for outside experts who sit on other Departmental advisory committees. The Concorde trial was organised by the Medical Research Council, which receives its grant-in-aid from the office of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library the full results of the Concorde trials; and if she will make a statement on the results.

I have been asked to reply.The full report of the trial is still in preparation and is due to be published within the next few months. A copy of the letter to The

To ask the Secretary of State for Health is she will place in the Library all the relevant research data prior to the start of the Concorde trials in 1988, which showed that AZT was of benefit to HIV antibody positive asymptomatic individuals.

I have been asked to reply.Prior to the start of the Concorde trial one paper had been published which indicated a potential benefit of AZT treatment in asymptomatic HIV-infected individuals, and this reported data on a very small number of subjects. A copy is available in the Library. (Lancet (i) 1988: pages 373–376).

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are being made for those Concorde trial subjects who were given the drug AZT: how many are still being prescribed the drug; and who is bearing the cost.

I have been asked to reply.All patients in the Concorde trial will have the opportunity to discuss their future treatment with their doctors in the light of the results of the trial and their own clinical status and will be told whether they received AZT or placebo during the blinded phase of the trial, if they wish to know. For those deciding to continue treatment with AZT and who fall within the currently licensed indications, the cost of the drug will be met by the national health service. There is no information available on the number of patients still being prescribed the drug.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Concorde trials relating to AZT were completed; when the results were announced; and if she will make a statement about the way in which the preliminary results were announced.

I have been asked to reply.Analysis of the data from the Concorde trial collected up to 31 December 1992 was completed in March 1993; limited follow-up information will continue to be collected on the patients, in an unblinded fashion, so the trial is not completely finished. Preliminary results were published in a letter to

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the current state of plans for the Pegasus drug abuse project proposed by the North East Thames regional health authority.

An application for funding for the Pegasus project proposal was considered recently by North East Thames regional health authority and the hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman, Sir William Staveley, for details. An application was also made to the Department of Health by the Association for the Prevention of Addiction under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968. This was unsuccessful.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to ensure that children who might abscond while in care are properly escorted while outside the home.

Advice on physical intervention to prevent a detained child from running away from an open children's home, or while being escorted outside a secure accommodation care unit, is included in the guidance on permissible forms of control in children's residential care published by the Department on 28 April 1993. It is the responsibility of management to interpret this guidance and develop policies and procedures within which to operate. A copy of the guidance is available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 22 April, Official Report, column 169, what action she takes to ensure that evidence presented to her by the Medical Advisory Committee is complete; and by what process a complainant may raise objections to the material before the committee.

The Medical Advisory Committee gives advice to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on any penalty which should be imposed on a general practitioner who has been found in breach of his terms of service. There is no provision under the regulations for the involvement of the complainant in this consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to receive the report from her Department's clinical standards advisory committee inquiry into back pain; and if she will make a statement.

The group expects to report in the summer of 1994 to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales and Scotland and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Clinical standards advisory group reports are normally published along with a Government response within three months of receipt.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the cost to the NHS of male circumcision operations in the last 15 years for which figures are available; and what was the cost of comparable operations in the private sector.

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list for each district health authority within the Mersey region the total number of (a) general practitioners and medical practices and (b) general practitioners and medical practices that are fund holders.

The information available is shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 22 April, Official Report, column 169, how many of the preparations listed as drugs acting on the skin (a) do not require a product licence under the Medicines Act 1968, (b) are available for purchase without a doctor's prescription at pharmacies and other retail outlets and (c) attracted fewer than 20 prescriptions a year met by the NHS in each of the years 1990, 1991 and 1992.

The number of products within this list which attracted fewer than 20 prescriptions was 788 in 1991 and 822 in 1992; figures for 1990 are not available. The remaining information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to announce the results of the working group on the financing of health centres.

We intend to announce the results, and our proposals, shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether dementia is included within the ambit of the specific grant for mental illness.

Yes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to bring forward legislation to enforce the registration and inspection of private individual home care services.

We have no plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give average figures for (a) hours contracted, (b) duty hours and (c) hours on feet of junior hospital doctors in each year since 1971.

Information on the average contracted hours of junior hospital doctors and dentists, at 30 September for each year, is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will announce the terms of reference and membership of the NHS management functions and manpower review; and if she will make a statement.

The continuing development of the national health service reforms requires the structure of the NHS above the level of local purchasers and providers to be examined. I have set up a review to consider what management processes and organisational structures will best deliver measurable improvements in health and effective and efficient services, through the operation of the NHS internal market, while minimising management costs and ensuring proper public accountability. I have asked the review team to complete its work in July.The review team's terms of reference are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her Department's policy on the use, by health authorities or trusts, when all other clinical indicators are equal, of age as a criterion for access to clinical services.

It is the responsibility of clinicians to establish the need for and priority of medical treatment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 18 March, Official Report, column 383, if he will now make a statement on the evidence that he has received from East Lothian district council on 18 February, and also on 26 April, about abuses of the right to buy council houses with discounts; and if he will introduce amendments to the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 to prevent such abuses.

My right hon. Friend has considered the information provided by East Lothian district council about certain right-to-buy sales in East Lothian. Our conclusion on the basis of this information is that it does not appear that anything has happened which is contrary to the right-to-buy provisions in the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987.Tenants who are buying their homes should be free to make whatever financial arrangements they think desirable to suit their particular circumstances. A tenant who has bought a house is also free to dispose of it as he or she wishes, subject to the provisions for the repayment of discount if the disposal takes place within three years. We do not propose to amend the legislation to constrain these freedoms.It is important that tenants should understand the financial implications of any agreement they might enter into. It is advisable for tenants to take independent legal advice before entering into any agreement, and we will emphasise this in revising the leaflet "Buy Your Home" later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 20 April, Official Report, columns 89–90, if he will give biographical details of the members of the forestry review group.

All the members of the forestry review group are serving civil servants and have responsibilities, knowledge and experience, relevant to its remit and work. I see no benefit in publishing further biographical details.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 29 April, Official Report, columns 538–39, if he will give a full breakdown of the cost of adapting the piers at Kennacraig, Port Ellen and Port Askaig per agency involved in the project.

The breakdown of the estimated cost of adapting the piers at Kennacraig, Port Ellen and Port Askaig by source of funding is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to ensure that the work of the forestry review group does not jeopardise the Forestry Commission's existing policy and practice of allowing free public access to its land.

The remit of the forestry review group expressly includes the request that it should make proposals for changes which would improve the effectiveness of the delivery of the Government's forestry policy objectives, having regard to the Government's other economic and environmental policies.Such objectives and policies clearly include the Forestry Commission's practice of encouraging public access to woodlands as stated in its "Forestry Policy for Great Britain", copies of which are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many individual Forestry Commission land holdings there are.

It is estimated that there are about 5,000 individual Forestry Commission land holdings, excluding individual housing plots and other small areas.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate the total amount of public expenditure generated since 1981 by former Forestry Commission land passing into the private sector and becoming eligible for agricultural grants and subsidies.

The amount of public expenditure generated in these circumstances has been negligible.Woodlands sold by the commission are rarely converted to agricultural use as, under the felling licensing procedures, there is a general presumption against this. Existing agricultural land sold by the commission will normally have been attracting agricultural grants and subsidies before sale.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list (a) the total area of land disposed of, (b) the number of individual sales, (c) the income generated by the sales, (d) the total area of land disposed of over which public access has been formally protected and (e) the number of individual access agreements made on land disposed of, regarding land disposed of by the Forestry Commission since 1981.

[holding answer 11 May 1993]: Between 27 July 1981 and 31 March 1993, the Forestry Commission sold 173,000 hectares of land, including woodlands and other land such as agricultural land and residential properties.The sales included over 2,000 individual areas of forest land which are identified in lists held in the Library of the House; no central record is kept of the number of sales of agricultural land and residential properties.The total income from all sales was £174 million.The arrangements for securing continued public access to commission woodlands after sale, by way of prior agreements entered into between the Commission and local authorities, were introduced in October 1991. Most of the sales concluded since then were too far advanced in October 1991 to be considered for an access agreement, while most of the areas brought forward for disposal since that date have still to be sold. Access agreements have now been made with local authorities for five areas of commission land, one of which, covering 21 hectares, has been sold.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 20 April, Official Report, columns 89–90, what steps he has taken, or proposes to take, to publicise the name and address of the secretary to the forestry review group; and if he intends to encourage or invite the submission of expert evidence to the group from outside.

[holding answer 11 May 1993]: Many individuals and organisations have already submitted useful comments and thoughts to the secretary to the forestry review group, whose name and address have been given coverage in the Official Report and the media.Further submissions will continue to be welcomed and, as the work of the group progresses, there may be issues on which specific comment is invited; publicity will be arranged for these, as appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 17 March, Official Report, columns 276–78, to the hon. Member for Glanford and Scunthorpe (Mr. Morley), if he will place in the Library a list by county and region of Forestry Commission land holdings greater than 1,000 hectares, giving the name, location and area.

[holding answer 21 April 1993]: The Forestry Commission is preparing a list of its landholdings greater than 1,000 hectares and I shall arrange for the hon. Member to receive a copy as soon as possible and for further copies to be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to receive the Strathclyde university study monitoring the wind levels over the newly

[holding answer 10 May 1993]: The report of the Strathclyde university study of wind speeds on the new Cockburnspath bypass is expected to be submitted by the end of this year. The results will be made public.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has for diversion of vehicles from the route of the newly constructed Cockburnspath bypass during abnormally high wind conditions; and what alternative roads would be used in any such diversion.

[holding answer 10 May 1993]: In common with other exposed section of trunk road, the embankment section of the new Cockburnspath bypass now has signs warning drivers of high-sided vehicles of the danger of crosswinds. A comparative study of the pattern of wind speeds and directions at this location and the nearby section of A1 at Thorntonloch is being undertaken by Strathclyde university and the results will determine a strategy for the use of automatically triggered diversion signs. In the event of their use, the diversion route will be along the former trunk road through Cockburnspath.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the currently identified parts of the A1 between Newcastle and Edinburgh which are identified as being subjected to abnormally high winds; and what the wind velocities are in such cases.

[holding answer 10 May 1993]: Sections of the Al between Newcastle and Edinburgh which have been identified and signed as being subject to abnormal winds which can cause difficulties for drivers of high sided vehicles are: