To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assistance the United Kingdom has offered the Russian Scientific Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology in Moscow.

British scientists have long had contacts with scientists at the Institute of Organic Chemistry in Moscow, which comes under the Russian Academy of Sciences department of general and technical chemistry. These contacts have developed through assistance for Russian science funded by the Office of Science and Technology and administered through the Royal Society. As an example, Dr. Rakitin of the Moscow institute was awarded a three-month Kapitza fellowship beginning in November 1992 at the department of chemistry, Imperial college, London, in order to initiate United Kingdom/Russia collaboration in the synthesis and chemistry of heterocyclic systems of great importance to the fine chemicals industry.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary. Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the percentage of cases in which mediation leads to an outcome which is more satisfactory to those involved than that of a confrontation in court.

The Lord Chancellor has welcomed the growth of private mediation services and he is considering ways in which such services can contribute to his aims of reducing cost, complexity and delay in civil litigation. It is important that alternative methods of dispute resolution, whether inside or outside the court, provide scope to tailor procedures more closely to the needs of disputants. Work at this stage is concentrating on defining these differing needs, rather than attempting to assess accurately disputants' "satisfaction".

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the effect of local community mediation services on reducing (a) the cost of legal aid and (b) time spent in court.

Any alternative methods of resolving disputes which are more economical for the taxpayer, while being speedier and simpler to use by parties to a dispute, would be welcomed. The effect of the introduction of a new system of dispute resolution on the cost of legal aid is something that would have to be considered when developing and implementing a new scheme. As many of the disputes referred to community medication would not, otherwise, have reached the courts, it is not possible to assess reliably the effect on court time of such services.

To ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to the answer of the Secretary of State for Defence of 29 March, Official Report, columns 15–16, if he will make a statement on the current state of his consideration of the conduct of British troops in the Falklands in 1992.

The investigation referred to by my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 29 March 1993 is continuing. The Director of Public Prosecutions will consider what action, if any, is appropriate once the investigation is completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to what investigations his Department has been subject by the Data Protection Registrar in relation to a suspected breach of a data protection principle; if he will summarise the nature of each complaint and state when the complaint was made; and what remedial action was taken by his Department to ensure future compliance with the principle subject to the investigation.

In response to this question, my Department (including its agencies) has obtained information from the Office of the Data Protection Registrar as follows:

• a total of 40 complaints have been received.
• these complaints are categorised in the Annex according to the Principles set out in the Registrar's Guideline No. 4 booklet.

None has led to a request from the Registrar for any remedial action.In the time available, the additional information requested could be provided only at disproportionate expense.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking and what instructions he has given to prepare a draft paper as a basis for his Department's contribution to the sustainable development report.

Preparation of the sustainable development report is being co-ordinated by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment. My officials are currently discussing with the Department of the Environment the format of a consultation paper, which we hope will focus public debate about the preparation of a United Kingdom sustainable development plan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his proposals for the privatisation of the British Railways Board's freight businesses.

I have today published a document, "Rail Freight Privatisation—The Government's Proposals", which sets out the Government's plans to restructure British Rail's existing freight businesses for privatisation. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and in the Vote Office.The key proposals are: to split British Rail's existing trainload businesses into three geographical companies for transfer to private sector ownership; to establish the channel tunnel freight business on a sound commercial footing with the aim of privatisation as soon as possible; to invite proposals from the private sector on the future of the Freightliner domestic and deep-sea container business; and to privatise Rail Express Systems, which carries Royal Mail letter traffic, as soon as practicable.The combination of privatisation and open access to the railway network will promote the development of a rail freight industry which is efficient, competitive and responsive to customers' needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has reached final conclusions on the future arrangements for railway pensions after privatisation; and if he will make a statement.

I have now completed my consultations about the future of railway pensions. I have had very helpful discussions with representatives of pensioners and of contributing members to the railway pension scheme, with the trustees, with the trade unions and with the Railways Board.My objective remains to preserve the security of rights enjoyed by pensioners and members while adopting arrangements to suit the new structure of the privatised industry. The proposals I am announcing today meet this objective.I have decided that there should be set up, under the powers granted in the Railways Bill, a joint industry pension scheme for the railways. This will be broadly on the basis set out in the consultation paper "Railway Pensions after Privatisation" issued in January. The governance and administration of the joint industry scheme will continue to involve both the employers and employees in the industry. We shall be discussing the detailed arrangements with interested parties. The eventual arrangements will need to reflect the recommendations of the pensions law review committee chaired by Professor Goode.Existing employees' rights will be protected by statutory orders made under the Railways Bill. The benefits offered to employees must be no less favourable than those in the existing scheme. There will be no penalties for involuntary breaks in employment. The present schemes under which the employer matches additional voluntary contributions made by employees (BRASS schemes) will continue subject to the existing right of the employer to withdraw matching for new or increased contributions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes he plans to the coastguard service in north Devon; and if he will make a statement.

No changes to the coastguard service in north Devon are planned other than those already implemented over the last 12 months under the coastal review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the estimated cost, on completion, of the Selby bypass project now in train; and how much approximately has so far been spent on the project on design work, soil surveys and public inquiries, etcetera.

The current estimated cost of the Selby bypass is £19 million.The readily available information shows that £0·8 million has been spent since 1988 in respect of design work, soil surveys and public inquiries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what applications he has received in respect of section 6 of the Transport and Works Act 1992, stating for each the date received, the applicant and the nature of the scheme or works and where the public may obtain copies; and what arrangements exist for notifying hon. Members.

None. One application has been made to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in respect of cooling works for a proposed generating station at South Humber Bank. This was received on 19 April from Humber Power Limited. The draft order disapplies section 6 of the Humber Conservancy Act 1905 in regard to works which are subject to separate consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. Copies of the application are available for inspection free of charge at the county hall, Humberside county council, and the civic offices, Cleethorpes borough council. The guide to the new procedures places the responsibility on applicants to notify hon. Members with a constituency interest of applications. In this case I understand that my hon. Friend the Member for Brigg and Cleethorpes (Mr. Brown) has been notified of the application.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Boundary Commission will begin its review of parliamentary seats in Wales.

I understand that a decision will be made on this matter once an appointment has been made to fill the post of deputy chairman of the Boundary Commission for Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is considering taking against the misuse of replica guns; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend has accepted the advice offered to him by the firearms consultative committee that the range of offences which apply to the misuse of imitation firearms should be extended. This will be implemented at a suitable legislative opportunity.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions during the last five years following the death of a child charges have been brought under (a) section 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 and (b) sections 18 and/or 20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861; and what sentences, on conviction, were imposed in each case.

Information in the form requested is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what proportion of the prosecutions brought under the Litter Act 1983 during the most recent period for which statistics are available was successful;(2) what was the average fine imposed under the Litter Act 1983 during the most recent period for which statistics are available.

In England and Wales in 1991 there were 1,450 prosecutions under the Litter Act 1983. Eighty-three per cent. (1,199) of those proceeded against were convicted. The average fine imposed was £55.Data for 1992 will not be available until the autumn.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all occasions where he has given interviews this year to the media on allegations of the bugging of the royal family by security or intelligence services; and if he will place in the Library copies of the available transcripts of his comments on this matter.

I gave interviews to the BBC on Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 May. If the hon. Member wishes to obtain transcripts he should contact the BBC. I was also questioned about this subject, among others, at a press conference in Edinburgh on 12 May but I cannot provide a transcript of my answers there.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many burglaries have been committed within each police authority area of Wales in each year from 1987; how many have been convicted of burglary in each year; and, of those convicted, how many were registered or unregistered drug addicts at the time of the burglaries.

The information available relates to the recorded offences of burglary in Wales and persons convicted of such offences. A table showing these data is given below. Information on how many convicted burglars are registered or unregistered drug addicts is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many male staff members in each of the female prisons has been subject to official complaint for sexual misconduct in each of the past five years; and in how many cases formal disciplinary action was taken.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money was returned to the Treasury under the confiscation powers of (a) the Drug Trafficking Act 1986 and (b) the Criminal Justice Act 1988 in each financial year since their commencement.

The information is given in the table:

Amount (£) recovered1 by the Secretary of Stale in confiscation orders under the Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986 and the Criminal Justice Act 1988 by financial year
England and Wales
Year	Amount recovered £
Drug Trafficking Offences Act 19862
1987–88	600,000
1988–89
1989–903	1,375,200
1990–913	1,448,000
1991–92	5,384,500
Criminal Justice Act 19884
1989–903	353,700
1990–913	437,100
1991–92	59,400
1 The information collected centrally is known to be incomplete as returns were not received from all petty sessional divisions.
2 Came into force January 1987.
3 There was some confusion with the recording of information regarding the two Acts during these years. In consequence it is considered that data has been under recorded for the Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986 and over recorded from the Criminal Justice Act 1988.
4 Came into force April 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration his Department has given to the introduction by banks of photo-identity bank cards with a tamper-proof, laser-etched signature as a possible model for the introduction of a universal photo-identity card scheme in the United Kingdom.

The introduction of photographs on cheque and credit cards was recommended in the Home Office crime prevention unit paper 26, "Preventing Cheque and Credit Card Fraud", which was published in 1991. I understand, however, that although some banks and building societies have now introduced such cards, including laser-engraved signatures, there is not general agreement among the financial institutions that these provide the most effective way of combatting the problem of fraud.The particular technical solutions adopted to tackle cheque and credit card fraud must be a commercial decision which lies with the banks and the retail sector. The Home Office will, however, continue to do what it can to encourage full co-operation and communication between all those bodies which have an interest in tackling this problem.The introduction of an identity card scheme is a separate issue, and one which is kept under review. However, the Government are not at present persuaded that the benefits of issuing identity cards outweigh the disadvantages and costs. The question of possible models does not therefore arise.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the applicability of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 to any future Home Office market testing exercise will be included in relevant documentation as a condition of contract.

No. The regulations form part of a statutory instrument and, if applicable, take effect and are enforceable without the need for them to be included in a condition of contract.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is his estimate of the proportion of cases in which an inappropriate fine given under the unit fine system was (a) too high and (b) too low;(2) what is his estimate of the total number of cases in which an inappropriate fine was given under the unit fines system.

I have no basis on which to make any such estimate.Actual fine levels imposed are the responsibility of sentencers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he had with the Justices Clerks Society on proposals for reforming the unit fine system; and if he will make a statement.

Following the implementation of the unit fine system on 1 October 1992, officials in my Department had a number of discussions with representatives of the Justices Clerks Society about the way in which the scheme was operating and, latterly, about ways in which it might be modified. But, as my right hon. and learned Friend indicated in his statement on 13 May, his conclusion was that the better course was to abolish the scheme altogether. He has since then (17 May) met representatives of the society.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many notifiable criminal offences took place in Devon and Cornwall in 1992; and if he will publish separate figures for (a) violence against the person, (b) sexual offences, (c) robbery, (d) burglary, (e) theft and handling of stolen goods, (f) fraud and forgery, (g) criminal damage and (h) other offences.

The information requested is given in the following table:

Notifiable offences recorded by the policy by offence group Devon and Cornwall
Offence group	1992
Violence against the person	3,926
Sexual offences	665
Robbery	310

Offence group	1992
Burglary	28,728
Theft and handling stolen goods	60,658
Fraud and forgery	3,601
Criminal damage	15,936
Other offences	851
Total	114,675

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many front-line customs staff have been employed on anti-drug smuggling duties in the United Kingdom and its waters during each of the last five years.

I have been asked to reply.Front-line resources devoted specifically to passenger and transport control by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise over the past five years are set out in table 1. This is not restricted to drugs enforcement because Customs' frontier controls encompass a number of prohibitions and restrictions. Other staff also contribute to the anti-smuggling effort, including specialist investigators, staff employed on freight and documentary processing and essential support services such as training and prosecutions. Table 2 shows a broad estimate of the total resource devoted to the anti-drugs effort, including such staff.

Table 1
Her Majesty's Customs and Excise Front-line resources devoted to passenger and transport control
	Staff years
1988–89	3,600
1989–90	3,637
1990–91	3,630
1991–92	3,558
1992–93	3,420

Table 2
Her Majesty's Customs and Excise Resources devoted to anti-drugs effort
	Staff years
1988–89	4,700
1989–90	4,950
1990–91	4,850
1991–92	4,800
1992–93	5,000

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will bring forward legislation to ensure that eggs from battery hens are labelled to make that clear.

The EC Egg Marketing Standards Regulations lay down the terms which may be used to describe egg production systems. The terms include "free range" and "perchery (barn)" eggs. Further descriptions are not required by those EC regulations and are not considered necessary.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received from farmers on the effect of ploughing up land with the aim of discouraging illegal encampments on elibigility for set-aside payments in respect of that land.

None. Set-aside fields can be ploughed to create a bare fallow from 1 May. Requests for an exemption from the management rules to plough the margin of a set-aside field earlier than this to help prevent illegal access have been treated sympathetically.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the timetable of processing IACS forms at each of his Department's regional centres and when he expects all forms at each centre to be accepted for grant eligibility.

Each regional service centre will now undertake a detailed check of the IACS forms to determine eligibility for aid. These checks have already begun. We shall aim to have the checks completed as quickly as possible, having regard to the time payments are due under the individual schemes involved.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what total cost he estimates for the administration of the integrated administration and control system by his Department in 1993–94 and 1994–95.

Our best estimate is that administration of IACS in England will cost in the region of £7 million in 1993–94 and £5 million in 1994–95.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will raise with his French counterpart the question of compensation for Mr. Russell Temple for the destruction of a quantity of Spanish strawberries near Bordeaux while en route to England.

I have been asked to reply.Her Majesty's embassy in Paris has already protested to the French authorities about the destruction of a consignment of strawberries which one of Mr. Temple's lorries was carrying near Bordeaux; they agree that he has a strong case for compensation. We shall be in touch with Mr. Temple.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many applications for subsidy or grant made before 11 February remained unpaid on 11 May in the region of the United Kingdom covering the north of England.

The processing of claims under many MAFF schemes follows an annual cycle. On 11 May, the position at the northern regional service centre at Carlisle was as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what has been the increase in real output of the United Kingdom tourist industry in each year since 1986; what effect the decline in the nominal exchange rate since September 1992 has had on bookings for this year; and if he will publish his forecast for the industry's real output this year and next.

The information on output is not available in the form requested. The Department does not collect data on bookings and so cannot quantify the effect of the depreciation of sterling since September 1992; however, it will have made the United Kingdom a more competitive tourism destination.The British Tourist Authority forecasts that the number of overseas visits will rise by 5 per cent. in 1993 and by a further 6 per cent. in 1994. Spending by overseas visitors is expected to rise by 4 per cent. (in cash terms) in 1993, and by a further 4 per cent. in 1994. The English tourist board forecasts that the number of domestic tourism trips of one night or more will rise by 1½ per cent. in both 1993 and 1994. Spending on domestic tourism trips is expected to rise by 7 per cent. (in cash terms) in 1993 and by a further 5½ per cent. in 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement on the Government's activities in the field of the arts since 1987.

The Government aim to create the conditions which enable the arts to flourish. This is now the responsibility of my Department, the creation of which indicates the priority that the Government place both on the arts and on the other areas for which it carries responsibility. Most of the Department's funding for the arts is channelled through the Arts Council of Great Britain (ACGB); decisions on funding arts organisations are taken by ACGB at arm's length from Government. Grant-in-aid for the ACGB has risen from £139·3 million in 1987–88 to £225·6 million in 1993–94, an increase of 16 per cent. in real terms.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what arrangements he is considering for the funding of humanities research.

The Government have considered carefully the appropriate framework for supporting humanities research, in the light of the Follett report and of the debate in another place on 17 February.The Government support humanities research primarily through the higher education funding councils (HEFCs), which have allocated some £90 million research funding for the humanities for the 1993–94 academic year. It also funds the British Academy to provide postgraduate and senior research awards and support research activities and facilities in the humanities: the Department for Education's grant to the academy for the 1993–94 financial year is some £22 million (an increase of 11 per cent. over the previous year).For research in the humanities the most important resources are the time of individual scholars, and library and other collections. For the humanities these are supported almost entirely through the HEFCs' institutional grant, as are permanent academic salaries in the sciences. The Higher Education Funding Council for England is undertaking a review of library provision. The Government do not believe that humanities research would be strengthened by reducing reliance on the HEFCs' institutional grant as the means of supporting academic salaries and research collections.Since the major channel for Government funding for humanities research will continue to be the HEFCs, the Government has concluded that the responsibility for promoting and funding it should remain with the Education Departments. This will allow the Office of Science and Technology to focus on its core responsibilities.The Government have also concluded that a research council established to manage the appropriate proportion of the resources available to humanities research would not be viable. The Government consider, moreover, that the direction and consolidation of research that the existing research councils provide would not be appropriate in the humanities.The Government believe that the existing structures for supporting humanities research, operating through the HEFCs and the British Academy, are best suited to meeting the particular needs of research in the humanities, and will continue to support high quality research in these disciplines in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools which have voted in favour of becoming grant-maintained are waiting for their applications to be accepted by his Department.

There are 166 schools whose proposals for self-governing (grant-maintained) status are currently under consideration in the Department. A further 87 have voted in favour of applying for self-governing status but have yet to publish proposals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list all those organisations which have been approved by his Department as registered grant-maintained school auditors under the CIPFA scheme of audit regulation approved by his Department on 18 January.

Self-governing state schools (grant-maintained) are required to have an external audit of their accounts undertaken annually by one of the following: the Audit Commission; members of one of the professional accountancy bodies which are recognised supervisory bodies and who are also registered to audit limited companies in accordance with the companies legislation; or people or members of any other body approved by the Department of Trade and Industry to audit limited companies or approved by the Department of Education to audit grant-maintained schools.This Department has approved the CIPFA scheme of audit registration for this purpose but, as with the other professional bodies who can audit grant-maintained schools, is not responsible for approving the individuals or organisations applying for registration. That is a matter for the professional bodies concerned, who both register and monitor the auditors.I understand that the CIPFA has registered the following bodies under its scheme for the audit of grant-maintained schools:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement about the publication, or otherwise, of the results of key stage 1 and 3 tests in schools this year; and what percentage of schools he expects to carry out these tests.

My right hon. Friend intends to publish national curriculum test results in school performance tables this year. The primary tables will show the proportion of seven-year-old pupils in each primary school reaching or exceeding the level expected of a typical seven-year-old—level 2—in the core subjects of English, mathematics, science and in reading. The secondary performance tables will show the proportion of 14-year-olds in each secondary school reaching or exceeding the level expected of a typical 14-year-old—level 6—in mathematics and science. School results in English will not be published until 1994. My right hon. Friend has said that he will decide whether tests for 14-year-olds in technology should take place in 1994 in the light of this year's tests.My right hon. Friend also intends to publish both national and local analyses of the results of key stage one and three tests in England this autumn, although he has made clear that the local analyses will not include the results of the tests of 14-year-olds in English and technology.My right hon. Friend has repeatedly said that this summer's tests should be administered in the interest of pupils and in order to learn lessons for the future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the total full-time equivalent number of students in higher education, postgraduate and undergraduate, from the United Kingdom and EC, in each year from 1980 to the most recent year available.

Total full-time equivalent (FTE) student numbers of United Kingdom and EC domiciled' higher education students in Great Britain institutions are shown in the table:

Year	FTE2 (thousands)
1980	542·7
1981	570·5
1982	587·8
1983	603·6
1984	612·4
1985	624·1
1986	642·1
1987	655·4
1988	678·6
1989	724·8
1990	785·3
1991	880·6
1 Includes a small number of non-EC overseas domiciled part-time students.
2 An illustrative weight of 0·35 has been applied to part-time students to derive full-time equivalent student numbers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consideration he has given, in connection with considering the potential membership of the

Employment Select Committee reports
Report number	Title and date published	Government response
1992–93 Session
First report	Employment in the Horseracing Industry and the new VAT regime after 1 January 1993 (16 December 1992)	Second Special report HC 521
Second report	Employment Consequences of British Coal's Proposed Pit Closures (21 January 1993)	Third Special report HC 597
1991–92 Session
First report	Employment in Prisons for Ex-offenders (28 November 1991)	CM 1837" March 1992
Second report	Industrial Change: Retraining and Redeployment (7 May 1992)	First Special report HC 219

My right hon. Friend regrets the resignations of Lord Skidelsky and Dr. Marenbon from SEAC, and is aware of the reasons they gave. When considering the appointment of members to the proposed SCAA he will take account of relevant comments made to him from all sources.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress he has made in issuing charters for further and higher education.

I have today issued the charters for further and higher education as consultative documents. I am seeking the views of a number of organisations including the representative bodies of universities and colleges before publishing the final documents in the autumn. Copies of the charters have been placed in the Library. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales is consulting on' charters for Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans she has to encourage the allocation of defence work and related employment to the north of England and Scotland.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Procurement on Friday 14 May 1993, Official Report, column 603.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many Select Committee recommendations have been made about her Department since April 1989; and how many have been accepted.

The Employment Select Committee has published 14 reports since April 1989. The Government's responses are contained in the following table. Copies of the documents are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will make it her policy to amend the qualifying conditions for unfair dismissal set out in the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 to enable a claim for unfair dismissal to be pursued by a woman dismissed because of her pregnancy at any stage between conception and the end of maternity leave.

Yes. The Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Bill, currently before Parliament, contains provisions which will make it automatically unfair for an employer to dismiss an employee on maternity-related grounds during the period of her pregnancy or statutory maternity leave. This protection will apply regardless of the employee's length of service or hours of work.

To ask the Prime Minister what priorities have been set for Her Majesty's Government between now and the beginning of the summer adjournment.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 14 January 1993 at columns 786–87.

To ask the Prime Minister what are Her Majesty's Government's short-term, medium-term and long-term policy objectives for London.

Our policy objectives are to maintain and enhance London's position as a thriving national capital and a leading world city.

To ask the Prime Minister what advice has been given to all Departments concerning the recording of answers to be published in the Official Report to parliamentary questions of all votes in meetings of the EC's Council of Ministers; and if he will make a statement.

All Departments are being advised that statements to the House following meetings of the Council of Ministers should include details of the vote, whenever a formal vote is taken in Council, or should record that no formal votes were taken.

To ask the Prime Minister what guidelines he has issued governing official correspondence between civil servants and journalists; and if he will make a statement.

None. Guidance on various points concerning relations between civil servants and journalists is given in "A Working Guide for Government Information Officers" produced by the information officer management unit in the Office of Public Service and Science, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 20 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 this House I shall be having further meetings later today.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the total amount of UNHCR humanitarian aid reaching Bosnia-Herzegovina during the last two months originating from (a) the Republic of Croatia and (b) the Republic of Serbia; how much of that aid arrived by road to each destination; and how much by air.

The most recent figures available from UNHCR show that in February a total of 17,653 tonnes were delivered to Bosnia-Herzegovina, 24,330 tonnes were delivered in March and 6,131 tonnes in the first half of April. Most of this aid was delivered by road from UNHCR's distribution centres in Metkovic, Zagreb and Rijeka in Croatia and from Belgrade in Serbia. Exact figures showing the distribution from each centre are unavailable.No aid was delivered by air to Bosnia-Herzegovina from Croatia or Serbia during this period—the airlift to Sarajevo operates from Ancona in Italy and has delivered a total of 38,356 tonnes to date. The air drops to eastern Bosnia operate from Rheinmain in Germany and have delivered 2,849 tonnes to date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the number of Serbian refugees displaced by the conflict in the former Yugoslavia; and if he will make a statement.

The United Nations does not keep records of displaced people in the former Yugoslavia by ethnic origin. However, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that there are now a total of 457,000 displaced people in Serbia, of whom 291,000 have come from Bosnia-Herzegovina and 166,000 from Croatia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on incidents involving the stopping of United Nations and humanitarian aid convoys by Croat forces in Bosnia on (a) 11 May and (b) 12 May; and if he will make a statement.

We understand that on Monday 10 May a UNHCR convoy manned by Bosnian Muslim drivers en route from Metkovic to Zenica was stopped at a Bosnian Croat militia (HVO) checkpoint. Reports indicate that the vehicles were damaged, some of the goods were stolen and several of the drivers were beaten. The convoy then proceeded to Gorni Vakuf, where the drivers received medical attention from British UNPROFOR troops, and finally returned to Metkovic on 11 May.We have no reports of any incidents involving UNHCR convoys on Tuesday 11 May. But on Wednesday 12 May the HVO stopped a UNHCR convoy manned by Danish drivers which carried Italian goods and visiting Italian officials. The convoy, en route from Split to Zenica was held up for nine hours, but eventually allowed to proceed without harm to goods or personnel.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give details of the terms on which £65 million aid was granted to the Government of Indonesia to develop a power project in east Kalimantan; if he will name the project; and if he will list the British companies involved.

The £65 million loan arrangement signed with the Indonesian Government in April 1993 provided finance at 3·5 per cent. interest, repayable over 25 years with a seven-year grace period.The Samarinda electric power project in east Kalimantan is likely to utilise most of the £65 million. The Indonesian electricity authority will award a contract for equipment supply after a competition between a number of British suppliers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how ODA-funded population and family planning projects are evaluated; what criteria. are used; which organisations have been evaluated; and with what results.

[holding answer 19 May 1993]: ODA's evaluation department is responsible for formal impact evaluations of, mostly, bilateral aid spending. Their current work programme includes population and family planning projects. The criteria used for their evaluation are the same as for other ODA programmes, and include assessing how far the objectives of the spending have been achieved and its impact on intended beneficiaries in comparison with cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what policies were put forward by Foreign Ministers of other member states in relation to the commitment of ground forces and combat aircraft in the former Yugoslavia at the most recent EC Foreign Affairs Council.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to the hon. Member for Keighley on 19 May at column 168.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to raise in the European Council the issue of human rights in Croatia and the role of extreme right-wing groups in that country.

The behaviour of the Croatian Government and its human rights record are regularly discussed with our EC partners. These factors, together with the Croatian Government's attitude towards fighting between Croats and Muslims in Bosnia, and towards the Serbs in Krajina, are taken into account in determining EC policy towards Croatia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visa applications from holders of Yugoslav passports have been refused since the introduction of visa requirements; and how many have been issued during the same period.

The method of collecting statistics at posts world wide does not normally allow us to establish the number of applications by nationality. For an initial period, however, we are monitoring the effect of the visa regime on former Yugoslav nationals at the visa sections in Belgrade, Zagreb, Vienna, Budapest, Sofia, Rome, Milan, Florence, Naples, Dusseldorf and Paris. At these Posts, up to the end of April, 494 applications from former Yugoslav nationals had been refused; 3,918 applications were granted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans Her Majesty's Government have to contribute monitors, including military personnel, along the border of Yugoslavia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

We support the deployment of international observers on Bosnia's borders with Serbia and Montenegro to monitor implementation of the prohibition of supplies (except humanitarian goods) to areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina controlled by the Bosnian Serbs. The United Nations Security Council is now actively considering detailed proposals. As yet no decisions have been taken on how the United Kingdom would contribute to international efforts to implement measures agreed by the United Nations Security Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to provide monitors to police the border between Yugoslavia and Bosnia-Herzegovina; and when he expects the first monitors to be in place.

The United Nations Security Council is actively considering proposals to deploy international observers on Bosnia's borders with Serbia and Montenegro. We hope that these personnel will take up their duties as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he first became aware of a proposal by the Federal Government of Yugoslavia to put the border between Yugoslavia and Bosnia-Herzegovina under the supervision of United Nation monitors; and how this was responded to by Her Majesty's Government and EC partners.

The Serbia and Montenegro authorities announced on 6 May their intention to prohibit the supply of all goods (except humanitarian supplies) to the Bosnian Serbs. We hope that the United Nations Security Council will soon agree to deploy international observers to monitor implementation of these measures. At its meeting on 10 May the EC Foreign Affairs Council indicated that the European Community and its Member States would be willing to contribute to international efforts to support implementation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has in respect of human rights abuses and restrictions on the press and media in Croatia; and what representations have been made to the Government of Croatia.

There are continuing concerns about Croatia's human rights record and treatment of the media. Several representations have been made, most recently a strong message from the EC presidency to President Tudjman on 12 May, warning that the Community would not be able to continue its support for Croatia if the violence and ethnic cleansing committed by Croats in Bosnia continue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the number of detention camps operated by (a) Bosnian Serbs, (b) Bosnian Croats and (c) Bosnian Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina; and if he will make a statement.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) regularly visits 1,023 prisoners held by Bosnian Serbs in eight places of detention, 2,200 held by Bosnian Croats in six places of detention and 1,023 held by Bosnian Muslims in 15 places of detention. The ICRC is also visiting those detained during the recent fighting between Bosnian Croat and Muslim forces in central and southern Bosnia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his most recent estimate of the number of people living outside the United Kingdom who listen to BBC World Service broadcasts.

Latest estimates by the BBC World Service, based on audience research, indicate that the global audience for World Service broadcasts in all languages is in the region of 124 million. This figure does not include any information on audiences in certain countries, such as China, Burma and Vietnam, where reliable data are not readily available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how the Wilton Park executive agency performed against the targets which were agreed for 1992–93; and what targets have been agreed for the current year.

Wilton Park exceeded three of the four targets set for the 1992–93 financial year and only narrowly failed, by 1 per cent., to achieve the target for cost recovery. Commercial income was lower than expected as a result of the economic recession.The Wilton Park departmental board met on 23 April. I have agreed to the recommendation of the board that the following key targets be adopted for this financial year:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the progress being made in implementing the patients charter.

The national health service has made considerable progress in implementing the patients charter since it came into effect on 1 April 1992. The patients charter has stimulated many innovative ideas and good practice at a local level and the efforts of the NHS should be recognised. From April 1993 the patients charter has been extended to primary health care with all family health service authorities producing their own local charters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make available the letter sent to Mr. John Firth in her Department from the Audit Commission in relation to their findings on fund-holding.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave her on 31 March at col 239.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women in Pendle have been waiting more than two years for a mammogram.

No women requiring mammography due to clinical need have waited more than two years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she intends to meet representatives from the United Kingdom Hormonal Contraceptive Manufacturers Group following the Government's decision to seek to extend the selected list scheme to 10 new categories.

No formal invitation to meet this group has been received.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many whole-time equivalent midwives were employed in the NHS in each of the last five years.

The information is shown in the table.

Midwifery staff. England 1987–91
	Whole-time equivalent
1987	19,130
1988	19,090
1989	19,110
1990	19,860
1991	19,640

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what response she is making to the recommendations in the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children report on joint enterprise and parents.

I have seen a copy of the report submitted to the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice, which itself is expected to report in the summer. This is principally a matter for the Home Office and I refer my hon. Friend to the reply my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Home Department, gave to the hon. Member for Wentworth (Mr. Hardy) on 5 May at column 83.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) men aged 65 years and over, (b) women aged 60 years and over and (c) people with family health services authority exemption certificates for prescriptions there were in each year since 1988.

The available information is shown in the table.

Numbers of men aged 65 years and over, women aged 60 years and over and prescription charge exemption certificates issued by family health services authorities1 in England in each year 1988 to 1991
Year	Men aged 65 and over	Women aged 60 and over	Exemption2 certificates
1988	2,981,002	5,752,924	635,779
1989	3,013,527	5,760,838	621,229
1990	3,036,790	5,758,402	594,894
1991	3,071,645	5,788,790	608,792
1 Family health services authorities issue exemption certificates to pregnant women, women in the first year after the birth of a child and men and women with one or more of the medical conditions which confer entitlement to free prescriptions.
2 Data derived from six-monthly statistical returns provided by family health services authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the names of the centres licensed for artificial insemination by donor from 1 August 1991, but not now licensed.

The following donor insemination centres, operating at 1 August 1991, no longer hold licences:

• Hartlepool general hospital
• Mount Stuart hospital, Torquay
• Royal Oldham hospital
• The Heath clinic, London

The following centres were performing donor insemination on 1 August 1991, but currently hold only a storage licence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the names of provider units known by the Department of Health and NHS management executive to be restricting services to non-fundholding GPs' patients in April 1993 and May 1993.

It is for national health service purchasers—health authorities and general practitioner fundholders—to place contracts with provider units to secure high quality, cost-effective services. The Government agreed with, the medical profession in 1991 that providers should not offer a contract to one purchaser that would disadvantage the patients of another. We have no evidence that hospitals are not following this guidance when offering services to potential purchasers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will publish the report prepared by Crime Prevention Consulting on absenteeism in the NHS.

I have arranged for copies of the report to be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from pharmacists regarding the proposed new level of payments to pharmacists; and what will be the effect on small pharmacies.

We have received a number of representations about our proposals for restructuring pharmacists' remuneration. These proposals are under discussion with the profession.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in reducing the hours of junior hospital doctors and dentists; and if she will make a statement.

Regional task forces have reported that at 31 March there were 370 junior hospital doctors and dentists in England contracted for more than a maximum average of 83 hours a week. This is a fall of over 12,900, or 97 per cent., since September 1990. We also have reports that a further 125 posts have had their contracted hours reduced in April, bringing the total remaining posts to 245.This represents significant progress in reducing junior doctors' and dentists' hours. I have written to health authority and trust chairmen to thank them and to emphasise that the small number of posts where contracted hours remain over 83 hours are tackled as a high priority. I will monitor progress closely.We are determined to see further progress in reducing hours for the benefit of junior doctors and dentists.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the small area health statistics unit, LSE, will be reporting on its examination of anophthalmia; and if she will publish their findings.

A research proposal for a study into the incidence of anophthalmia in Great Britain has been received by the Department from Dr. Paul Elliott, the head of the environmental epidemiology unit at the London school of hygiene and tropical medicine. This proposal is being considered by external referees. The proposed length of the study is 18 months and the team would be expected to report shortly after that.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the report by Professor Nicholas Day on the spread of AIDS; and if she will make a statement.

Updated projections of HIV and AIDS for England and Wales prepared by a working group chaired by Professor Day and convened by the director of the Public Health Laboratory Service will be published shortly. It would be inappropriate to comment on the report before it is published.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish a table showing the financial support given by her Department to groups campaigning on the issue of AIDS for the financial years 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94 and the planned amount for 1994–95 expressed both in cash and real terms; and if she will make a statement.

The table shows the funds made available by the Department under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 to voluntary organisations in support of their prevention and care services for people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS and the years 1990–91 to 1993–94. Funding decisions for 1994–95 have not yet been made.

£ million
Year	Cash	Real terms
1990–91	1·726	1·726
1991–92	1·842	1·727
1992–93	1·987	1·800
1993–94	1·927	1·699

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will outline her Department's proposed strategy to target funding provided for HIV/AIDS prevention work more specifically than hitherto at (a) intravenous drug users and (b) homosexual men; and if she will make a statement;(2) what policies she is proposing to ensure that narrower targeting of funding for HIV/AIDS prevention work on particularly high-risk groups has no detrimental effect on the impact of the safer sex message directed at the general population.

The Department will ensure that funding for HIV and AIDS prevention work strikes the right balance between maintaining awareness among the wider population, and increasing the emphasis on those whose behaviour might place them at particular risk including men who have sex with men, drug users and their sexual partners.The work will build upon the success we have had in achieving high public awareness and include education for young people in both formal and informal settings. Health authorities have been encouraged to undertake HIV prevention initiatives for those at greatest risk and provide increased facilities for HIV testing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the operation of the corporate affairs intelligence unit within the NHS Management Executive with reference to its reporting mechanism and structure, its staffing structure, the number of staff employed by the unit and its budget for 1991–92, 1992–93 and 1993–94.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Bradford, West (Mr. Madden) on 22 February at columns 482–83.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statistics she has on the number of reported cases of food poisoning in the United Kingdom in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

The table shows the number of reported cases for England and Wales only. Information relating to Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Food poisoning cases England and Wales 1988–92
Year	Total
1988	39,713
1989	52,557
1990	52,145
1991	52,543
11992	64,882
1 Provisional.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the Health and Safety Executive's most recent inspection of Hillingdon hospital incinerator; what was the date of the inspection and the outcome of consideration of corrosion in the water tubes; and if she is satisfied that inspections are being carried out sufficiently regularly for the safety of employees and local residents.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the current level of administration costs for (a) regional health authorities, (b) district health authorities and (c) trusts in England.

[holding answer 5 May 1993]: The latest available (1991–92) annual accounts of regional and district health authorities in England record expenditure on headquarters administration totalling £312 million and £327 million respectively.These figures cover the total revenue expenditure on the pay and accommodation costs of staff of all disciplines and their support staff employed at headquarters levels together with the costs of the purchaser function. They exclude administrative support in hospital departments and at other local levels which is regarded as operational expenditure.The annual accounts and financial returns of national health service trusts do not separately identify administration costs of a non-operational nature.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much income, by region, has been generated by private patient facilities in NHS hospitals in each year since 1987–88.

[holding answer 10 May 1993]: Figures of total income from private in-patients and out-patients, derived from annual accounts submitted to the Department, are shown in the table.

I have been asked to reply.Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) last inspected the incinerator at Hillingdon hospital on 4 August 1992 in connection with an associated liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage installation.HSE learned on 15 April that a steam boiler tube associated with the incinerator had failed on 16 March 1993. HSE has obtained confirmation from the operator of the incinerator that all the necessary thorough examinations had been made before the incident and that no repairs affecting safety had been required. HSE has also been informed that the water treatment system to prevent corrosion has since been modified and that a new boiler will be installed in June 1993. Failure of a boiler tube is detected by an automatic monitoring system which shuts down the boiler and presents no danger to employees or local residents.It is the duty of the operator of the incinerator to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees and the health and safety of others, including local residents, in connection with its operation. We are satisfied with H SE's arrangements to monitor the operator's compliance with health and safety legislation and that the statutory requirements in respect of the incinerator have been complied with.Responsibility for inspecting environmental pollution matters under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 rests with Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total number of pharmacies in the west midlands; and how many dispense fewer than 2,000 prescriptions a month.

[pursuant to his reply, 14 May 1993, c. 590]: I regret that my previous reply was incorrect. It should have read:

The total number of pharmacies in the west midlands in 1991–2, the latest year for which figures are available, was 1,073. Of these, 227 pharmacies were dispensing fewer than 2,000 prescriptions a month.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has about the numbers of regular Croatian army forces currently in Bosnia-Herzegovina; what assessment has been made of the potential additional risk their presence poses to British forces under United Nations command; and if he will make a statement.

We have no accurate figures available of the number of regular Croatian army forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina. We judge that the involvement of these forces does not significantly increase the threat to British forces at present.