To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the police services in the United Kingdom.

The information requested is published annually in the "Police and Constabulary Almanac, Official Register". A copy of the 1993 edition has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take the necessary steps to arrange for the prefix royal to added to each of the police services in England.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all civil servants and their past responsibilities where they have subsequently joined any of the companies involved in tenders for British gaols or court escort services.

It is not possible to list former civil servants who may subsequently have taken up employment with private sector companies in this field, since staff below grade 3 who wish to take up outside employment are only required to seek approval to do so for a period of two years after leaving Crown employment, and in certain specified circumstances. Six former members of the Home Office have sought and obtained approval under these procedures to take up employment with companies involved in the provision of prison-related services. All were governor grades, three were governing establishments; one was head of custody in an establishment; one was in the inspectorate of prisons; and one in the remands contracts unit. In addition, a former police superintendent on secondment to the unit was given approval to take up employment with such a company.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if civil servants attempting to recruit staff for companies involved in tendering for Home Office business will in future face disciplinary action.

If, in relation to the tendering process for Home Office business, there is evidence of any impropriety on the part of Home Office staff, disciplinary action will be taken where this is considered appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will place in the Library a full copy of the research report from Sheffield university, prepared for his Department, on the prevalence of drug use among young people.

A full report will be published later this year and a copy will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of places for (a) men and (b) women at probation or bail hostels covering the Greater London area on 10 May.

As at 10 May 1993, there was a total of 360 places at approved bail and probation hostels in the Greater London area: 308 are designated for men; 33 for women; and the remaining 19 are available to either men or women, as required.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 19 May if he will outline the alternative arrangements to the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation, based on radio and television broadcasts.

Arrangements for the use of radio and television to broadcast warnings to the public have existed alongside the siren system for a number of years and they involve the broadcasting of pre-recorded messages over existing broadcasting networks.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) male and (b) female police inspectors in England and Wales were members of ethnic minorities at the most recent available date.

At the end of January 1993, 28 police inspectors in England and Wales were members of ethnic minorities. All were male.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners died in custody in the 12 months to March; and how many have died since 5 April.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current time lag in the processing of naturalisation applications.

For certificates of naturalisation granted in April 1993 the average waiting time was 21 months. For those applying now waiting times should average less than 12 months.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the establishment in each police authority in England was employed on management supervision duties at the latest available date.

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Wellingborough (Mr. Fry) on 1 April, Official Report, column 385, if he will make a statement on progress in formulating proposals for the boundaries of European parliamentary constituencies.

We hope to make an announcement on this matter shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library the full evidence which led him to decide to scrap the unit fines system, including details of those cases in which too high a fine was given and those in which too low a fine was given.

[holding answer 25 May 1993]: In reply to a question from the hon. Member on 19 May, columns 211–12, I have explained the reasons why my right hon. and learned Friend decided that it would be right to end the unit fine system. Although he was influenced, in taking that decision, by representations, both orally and in writing, from magistrates, members of the public and Members of Parliament, it would not be practicable to collate these representations as "evidence" and place them in the Library as requested. Nor would it be appropriate for the Secretary of State to comment on sentencing in individual cases.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those police authorities that have been considered for amalgamation (a) during his period of office as Home Secretary and (b) during the past 10 years; and which proposals did not proceed because of the current procedure for amalgamation (i) as the only or primary reason and (ii) as a contributory reason.

[holding answer 19 May 1993]: No police authorities have been considered for amalgamation during the term of office of my right hon. and learned Friend. At the time of the abolition of the metropolitan county council's consideration was given to possible changes in the relevant police force areas. No changes were made because it was felt unlikely that reorganisation would improve effectiveness. The amalgamation procedure was not a factor in this decision.Complete records for the last 10 years are not available. However, the records that are available indicate that detailed consideration has not been given to the amalgamation of any other force areas during that time.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many Select Committee recommendations have been made about, and how many accepted by, his Department since April 1992.

The House of Commons Select Committee on Science and Technology has published one report since April 1992. The Government's response is contained in the White Paper "Realising our Potential: A Strategy for Science, Engineering and Technology", copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.The position in respect of the Treasury and Civil Service Select Committee, whose remit relates to the work of both Her Majesty's Treasury and the OPSS, is covered in the reply by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, 24 May 1993, column

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has conducted into safety factors in respect of new roads.

The Department carries out safety audits of new trunk roads before they are opened to traffic and specifically reviews their safety performance one and three years after opening as well as continuing with routine monitoring of safety. It also carries out a programme of research into factors which affect road safety, including, for example, pedestrian and cycle facilities, traffic calming measures, junction design, surfacing and safety fences. This is used in reviewing standards for new roads and in improving existing roads.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies have been undertaken on the additional injuries in accidents to pedestrians and cyclists caused by bull and roo bars on motor vehicles.

Pedestrian injury accidents are currently being investigated by the Transport Research Laboratory. As yet this research has been unable to reach firm conclusion concerning injuries from bull or roo bars; but I expect the investigations to show increased accident injury from such equipment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish his inspector's decision on the inquiry into the proposal to close Berkley avenue, Greenford, between Greenford road and Oldfield lane north; and if he will make a statement.

The Secretary of State for Transport expects shortly to announce his decision in the light of the inspector's report on the inquiry into the proposal to close a length of Berkley avenue. Arrangements will be made for the hon. Member to receive a copy of the decision letter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library copies of papers presented to the meeting of the high level forum on the channel tunnel rail link held on 19 May.

Copies of the four papers presented have been sent to right hon. and hon. Members affected by the route of the rail link and placed in the Library. The papers are "Department of Transport—Property purchase and compensation policy", "DoT—Terms of reference for the further study of the London terminus", "DoT—Arrangements for the study and assessment of options for stations on the Union Railway" and a paper by Union Railways entitled "Route and stations development programme", all titles are prefaced by "Paper for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link High Level Forum".

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement concerning the official journey taken through south London on 18 May by the Minister for Roads and Traffic whilst in a 1907 taxi cab; and what proposals he now has to improve the road network and traffic flow in south-east London.

The hon. and learned Gentleman will be aware that the Minister for Transport in London was being driven in the splended taxi which the hon. and learned Gentleman so obviously admired, to Chester house in Kennington officially to open the excellent Royal British Legion taxi drivers; training school.The Department has three schemes in its programme for improving trunk roads in south-east London. It also pays transport supplementary grant at 50 per cent. of accepted expenditure and capital support to local authorities to improve their local roads. A further current initiative is improving the efficiency of the existing road network by the development of red routes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what conclusions were reached by Schroeders and Warburgs in its advice to his Department on the prospects of a private sector contribution towards crossrail; what form this contribution is expected to take; and if he will make available details of the financing of the project before 8 June.

Our consultants, Warburgs and Bechtel, both concluded that crossrail is a project that the private sector will find attractive. The basis on which the private sector would contribute to the cost of the project will not be settled by 8 June.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the value of the surplus in the British Rail pension fund for the last five years for which records are available.

This is a matter for the trustees of the pension fund.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration he has given to recent new proposals for a route for the M3 bypass around Winchester which aims at minimising damage to Twyford Down.

Alternative proposals for the M3 route currently being constructed through Twyford Down were submitted to my Department earlier this year by a media film company. The proposals were considered carefully, but they related to options which had already been considered and rejected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the severity of disintegration of the newly laid surface to the A19 in County Durham.

Major maintenance work to the southbound carriageway of the A19 between Peterlee and Sheraton was completed in January 1993.Minor chipping loss which has occurred over approximately 5 per cent. of the total area of surfacing will require remedial works under the maintenance period of the contract by the contractor at his own cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many patches of disintegration have been identified on the newly laid surface of the A19 in County Durham; which contractor has been asked to carry out repairs; and how long this is going to take.

Major maintenance work to the southbound carriageway of the A 19 between Peterlee and Sheraton was completed in January 1993.Inspections have identified 28 areas of minor chipping loss. Amey Construction Ltd., the main contractor, will carry out the remedial works at its own cost during the 12-month maintenance period. The works are programmed to take 10 days and will be carried out under contra-flow.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the usual length of time between the announcement of a public inquiry into a major road improvement scheme and its first hearing.

The length of time between formal announcement and the opening of an inquiry varies according to the circumstances of the individual scheme. It is never less than six weeks in order to allow sufficient time for all parties to prepare their case.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a map showing the proposed route of the A36 West Wellow bypass as announced in his Department's press release dated 19 May.

A public consultation brochure showing the route options now being considered for the A36 West Wellow bypass is being published on Friday 28 May. A copy will be placed in the Library on that date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the current estimated cost of building the east London river crossing; and how he has calculated any changes since his answer of 16 July 1992, Official Report, column 862.

[holding answer 21 May 1993]: The total estimated cost of the east London river crossing remains at £300 million at 1989 prices.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he is taking to protect the London travelcard; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 24 May 1993]: The Government are promoting discussions with public transport operators in London on how best to develop the present travelcard to meet the future needs of passengers and operators. We intend, when we seek powers for bus deregulation in London, to give operators the right to participate on fair terms in multi-operator ticketing schemes.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review the tax treatment of official visits by hon. Members to European Community institutions in Brussels and Strasbourg.

The Government have tabled a new clause to the Finance Bill which will exempt from tax payments of expenses for Members' visits to Community institutions in Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg, under the terms of the Resolution of the House of 6 December 1991, Official Report, column 582.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultations his Department has had on the proposed reform of tax relief on relocation expenses.

A series of consultative meetings has been arranged by the Inland Revenue since the proposed reform of the tax treatment of relocation expenses was announced on Budget day. The meetings have been attended by representatives of employers, professional bodies and representative organisations.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has as to how many taxpayers are affected by the freezing of the tax thresholds and allowances proposed in the March 1993 Budget, giving the numbers who have gross incomes of (a) less than £30,000, (b) £25,000, (c) £20,000, (d) earnings below the higher rate threshold and (e) earnings below the national insurance upper earnings limit.

Latest estimates for 1993–94 are as follows:

Number of individuals affected
Millions
(a) Total income under £30,000	22·9
(b) Total income under £25,000	21·8
(c) Total income under £20,000	19·6
(d) Total earned income1 under £27,1452	22·7
(e) Total earned income1 under £21,8403	22·1
1 Includes income from employment, self-employment and occupational pensions.
2 The sum of the basic rate limit and the level of the basic personal allowance for those under 65.
3 National Insurance upper earnings limit.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer to how many foreign individuals currently living in the United Kingdom the Inland Revenue has granted non domicile status for tax purposes; and how much this concession cost the Exchequer in the last year for which figures are available.

I regret that this information is not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers receive income from overseas dividends; and what was the gross sum received before tax.

I regret that the information requested is not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the total number of taxpayers after the Budget changes in 1993–94, giving figures separately for (a) those who pay national insurance contributions only on incomes below the income tax threshold, (b) basic rate taxpayers with earned income below the NIC upper earnings limit, (c) basic rate taxpayers with earned income above the NIC upper earnings limit, (d) all basic rate taxpayers, (e) higher rate taxpayers with earned income above the NIC earnings limit, (f) all higher rate taxpayers and (g) all taxpayers.

Taxpaying individuals, aged under 65, 1993–94
millions
Marginal rate	No income subject to NIC	Earnings1 between LEL and UEL	Earnings above UEL	Total
Lower rate	0·7	2·7	—	3·5
Basic rate	0·7	14·0	1·7	16·5
Higher rate	—	0·1	1·4	1·5
	—	—	—	—
Total	1·5	16·8	3·2	21·5
1 Includes earnings from employment or self-employment.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the amount of withholding tax deducted from overseas entertainers in the film industry and in total in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

The total withholding tax deducted in each of the last five years from foreign entertainers and sportsmen has been:

£
1988–89	12,537,141
1989–90	13,387,341
1990–91	18,612,822
1991–92	16,690,738
1992–93	20,294,617

No breakdown of these figures is available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many seizures of (a) heroin, (b) cocaine and (c) synthetic drugs have occurred in (i) the United Kingdom and its waters and (ii) Wales in each year from 1987.

[holding answer 21 May 1993]: I have been asked to reply.The information requested is contained in tables 2.3, 2.4 and 2.5 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin "Statistics of drugs seizures and offenders dealt with, United Kingdom 1991", and table A1.3 of "Statistics of drugs seizures and offenders dealt with, United Kingdom, 1987–91" (area tables), copies of which are in the Library.

The latest available estimates are as follows:

Taxpaying individuals, 1993–94
millions
Marginal rate	Aged under 65	Aged 65 and over	Total
Lower rate	3·5	1·4	4·9
Basic rate	16·5	1·5	18·0
Higher rate	1·5	0·1	1·6
Total	21·5	3·0	24·5

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the United States Secretary of State since 17 May on the continued credibility of the Vance-Owen plan; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Westbury (Mr. Faber) on 24 May, c. 375. by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, the Member for Grantham, (Mr. Hogg).

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received about the existence of a detention camp at Gospic in Croatia; what action he has taken about the matter; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has received no representations. We remain in close touch with the International Committee of the Red Cross about its work in identifying, securing access to and progressively closing detention camps in former Yugoslaia. If any new evidence is brought forward of detention centres, we would immediately pass it on to the relevant organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy on the establishment of a United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights; and if he will make a statement.

We recognise the need to strengthen the role of the United Nations centre for human rights. With our EC partners we have proposed that the post of director of the centre be upgraded to that of Under Secretary-General for Human Rights/High Commissioner for Human Rights.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish the names of the United Kingdom delegation to the United Nations world conference on human rights in Vienna.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Clydebank and Milngavie (Mr. Worthington) on 13 May, c. 559. The precise composition of the delegation is being finalised, and will be transmitted to the conference organisers in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's aims for the United Nations world conference on human rights in Vienna.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth, East (Mr. Atkinson) on 27 April, column 371.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been treated by the Royal Free Trust since it became an NHS trust hospital; and what were the numbers treated in the two previous years.

The figures for the first two years of the Royal Free Trust relate to finished consultant episodes in the general and acute specialties, and are as follows:

	Number
1991–92	33,822
1992–93	42,539

The total for 1992–93 includes patients undergoing renal dialysis.No information is available centrally on the number of patients treated in the years before the Royal Free achieved trust status. However, a special exercise conducted for the House Select Committee established that there were 32,040 FCEs in 1990–91.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her policy regarding the free provision of nebulisers for use by patients in need.

Health authorities must provide free of charge any equipment which, taking account of resources, needs and clinical priorities locally, they decide to provide as part of a national health service treatment programme. This applies whether the equipment is supplied permanently or on loan, and includes subsequent maintenance costs as well as initial supply. Hand-operated nebulisers may be prescribed by general practitioners and are free of charge to patients exempt from prescription charges.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the cost to date of the preparation, production and distribution of consultation documents by all NHS trust applicants.

A total of £5·93 million has been made available to regional health authorities for the cost of consultation on the four waves of national health service trusts during the years 1990–91 to 1993–94.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to ensure a free choice of family planning services on the NHS.

National health service family planning is a self-referral service and people who wish to use it are free to choose their source of advice—their own general practitioner, another general practitioner if he or she is willing, or a family planning clinic. The Government's aim, as stated in the White Paper "The Health of the Nation" is that by 1994–95 the full range of NHS family planning services, however provided, should be appropriate, accessible and comprehensive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what research has been undertaken by her Department upon the effect of the inclusion of contraceptives on the selected list scheme upon levels of unplanned pregnancies in the United Kingdom;(2) what assessment she has made of the effects of the extension of the selected list scheme in respect of contraceptives on her Department's target in respect of teenage pregnancies.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Lancashire, West (Mr. Pickthall) on 18 January at col. 97.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations she has received in opposition to the extension of the selected list scheme to contraceptives.

Approximately 420.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is the legal status of the sub-committees of the Advisory Committee on NHS Drugs;(2) what procedures were followed in making the appointments to the sub-committees of the Advisory Committee on NHS Drugs; and what were the criteria used to judge the suitability for membership of these committees.

The sub-committees do not have a legal status which is separate from the main committee. The Advisory Committee on National Health Service Drugs decided which of its members would serve on sub-committees taking into account their professional expertise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list, for each year from 1987 to date, the number of cases of salmonella poisoning which have not been caused by eating infected food.

The annual statistics published about confirmed salmonella infections are based on reports, by the public health laboratory service and hospital laboratories in England and Wales to the PHLS. The majority of these reports relate to individual cases and information as to the cause of infection is rarely available. In outbreaks involving two or more people, a cause other than food is reported infrequently. Occasionally outbreaks resulting from spread from person to person are reported, usually in an institutional setting.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement about the use of the drug Halcion in treating cases of severe depression.

Halcion, or triazolam, is a treatment for insomnia and not for depression. It was withdrawn from the United Kingdom market in 1991 on grounds of safety because of psychiatric adverse reactions, including depression. Under the Medicines Act the manufacturer has rights of appeal against the permanent withdrawal of the drug and at the present time the matter remains under appeal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what attention is paid in deciding on locations of hospitals to the relative age and level of car ownership of the surrounding population.

The catchment area of a hospital will be determined by the contracts taken out by district health authorities or fund-holding general practitioner practices, on behalf of their residents and patients. Decisions on new hospital sites will be influenced by a variety of local factors, including accessibility.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 9 March, Official Report, column 487, when the final guidelines on freedom of speech for national health service employees will be published; and if publication will be delayed to take into account the findings of the Clothier inquiry.

We do not consider it appropriate to delay the issue of the guidelines and expect them to be issued in the near future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures she has taken or intends to take to improve security in NHS hospitals following the recent report of Crime Prevention Consulting Ltd.

My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary has given a detailed reply in another place.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average waiting period for IVF treatment; and if she will make a statement.

Waiting time information by specialty is published in "Hospital Waiting List Statistics: England", a copy of which is available in the Library. Information on the time that waiting list patients have waited for treatment of specific conditions is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to amend the waiting list system for IVF and fertility treatment for childless couples to take into account the age of that couple; and if she will make a statement.

Decisions about the appropriate treatment for a couple seeking help over infertility are a matter of clinical judgment. Age is one of the factors clinicians will consider in assessing a patients' suitability for any form of infertility treatment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the hospital waiting times for patients in the Northern regional health authority for 12 months and 18 months; what were the comparable figures for each of the last two years; and if she will make a statement.

Waiting times information by regional health authority is given in "Hospital Waiting List Statistics: England", published twice a year, copies of which are available in the Library. Latest provisional figures for 31 March 1993 were published on 10 May 1993—press release H93/740. These show the number of patients waiting for more than a year in the Northern regional health authority has fallen by 72 per cent. or nearly 4,500 patients in the two years since March 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has available about the effect of condensation in the home upon people's health.

The Department is aware of research carried out by the Building Research Establishment, an executive agency of the Department of the Environment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she will place in the Library a full copy of the research report from Durham university, prepared for her Department, on the prevalence of drug use among young people.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 25 May.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 19 May, Official Report, columns 197–98, if the word technician in her answer means laboratory technicians.

Yes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library a copy of the informed consent information and forms which were given to subjects who were asked to take part in the Concorde trials.

I have been asked to reply.I have today arranged for copies to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what types of information he is obliged to make public regarding British Nuclear Fuels plc; and which areas of its operation are treated as confidential.

For the considerations affecting the Government's policy in this area, I refer the hon. Member to my replies to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent, Official Report, 7 July 1992, column 140 and 24 March 1993, column 612.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to be able to announce a decision on the proposal for a refuse-to-energy plant in Belvedere.

The timing of his report is a matter for the inquiry inspector. When my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade receives the report he will give timely but careful consideration to it.My right hon. Friend will announce his decision on the application at the earliest possible opportunity after receiving the report.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will ask the Director-General of Fair Trading to investigate evidence of anti-competitive activities by British Airways against Air Europe, and its parent company ILG, since 1987;(2) what inquiries he has commissioned into the allegations of anti-competitive practices by British Airways against rival airlines; and if he will make a statement.

Allegations of anti-competitive practices in European air services fall to be considered by the EC Commission under articles 85 and 86 of the treaty of Rome. The Civil Aviation Authority has powers to investigate complaints of anti-competitive practices on specific routes to and from destinations outside the EC and to consider appropriate remedies.Under paragraph 4(1) of the schedule to the Anti-competitive Practices (Exclusions) Order 1980 (SI 1980 No. 979), any course of conduct pursued by an air transport undertaking solely in respect of carriage by air, otherwise than on a charter flight, is excluded from investigation under the Competition Act.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he was aware of the evidence of access by British Airways to computer information concerning rival airlines, when he gave his approval to British Airways' takeover of Dan Air in November 1992.

The President of the Board of Trade's decisions in merger cases whether to refer proposed acquisitions to the MMC take account of comprehensive advice from the Director General of Fair Trading on the public interest issues raised by the merger concerned.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what information he has available on how the additionality principle is applied within each member state of the European Community; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the European Commission's third annual report on the implementation of the reform of the structural funds, pages 17 to 18, and the European Court of Auditors' annual report concerning the financial year 1991—Official Journal of the European Communities, C330 of 15 December 1992, pages 130–131, 146, 153, 346, 355, 359 —copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the implications for the United Kingdom of the European Commission decision of 9 March requiring the Government to secure repayment of £44·4 million of state aid plus interest from British Aerospace and the Rover Group.

British Aerospace plc yesterday paid to the Government the sum of £57·6 million made up as follows:

	£ million
Repayment of state aid received by BAe and Rover in 1988 in connection with privatisation costs and buying out minority shareholders	11·0
Repayment of state aid representing the interest that would have been paid between 1988 and 1990 by BAe had it not been allowed to defer (interest free) the payment of the purchase price of Rover	33·4
Interest on the above sums through to yesterday	13·2
Total	57·6

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how the science and technology policy of his Department will be affected by the White Paper on science, engineering and technology published today; and if he will make a statement.

The Government want to see a new partnership with industry, bringing together public sector resources, to increase the nation's competitiveness. Today's White Paper on Science, Engineering and Technology commits the Government to partnership in science and technology to ensure they contribute more fully to the nation's wealth and well-being. The DTI is committed to making this partnership work. DTI's budget for industrial innovation is rising by some 15 per cent. this year to around £125 million, despite pressure on public spending. While the main responsibility for innovation must remain with industry, DTI has an important role.Support for R and D projects from DTI's innovation budget is less than 2 per cent. of industry's own R and D spend. Thirteen United Kingdom companies individually spend more on R and D each year than DTI does through its innovation budget. Moreover, much of DTI's support goes to the large firms who account for so much of industry's total. In view of this, DTI will change the balance of its financial support so as to concentrate in future on helping smaller firms gain access to technology; building up partnerships between firms, with academia, and overseas; and ensuring firms have the services they need to innovate and to do business better. Smaller firms need effective local delivery of technology that may require sourcing on a local, United Kingdom or global basis. Both the access to that technology and the infrastructure which can provide it will therefore need to be strengthened, taking account of the Faraday principles, as will the promotion of innovation and the spread of best practice.The Department will significantly improve companies' access to science and technology by making innovation services available locally, for example through one-stop shops. These services will place the national and international expertise on industry's doorstep. One-stop shops will help form sustained partnerships, bringing together public and private sector business services, including DTI technology and innovation services, for the benefit of the local company customer. The DTI will build on the local innovation networks which are already used by firms. These networks draw on expertise in higher education institutions, technical colleges, industrial research organisations and others.DTI will put more effort into helping firms of all sizes come together to undertake R and D projects, including projects under the LINK and EUREKA initiatives. The Department will also work with other Departments, the research councils and in Europe to help this process to succeed. DTI will therefore:

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much intervention funding Kvaerner Govan has received over the last five years.

Offers of grant and details of the amounts paid are matters of commercial confidence between the Department and the company concerned.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade on how many ships Kvaerner Govan has received shipbuilding intervention funding in the last five years; and what is the total value of the assistance given.

[holding answer 25 May 1993]: Offers of grant and details of the amounts paid are matters of commercial confidence between the Department and the company concerned.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans his Department has to ensure that the level of lead batteries currently recycled is maintained and increased.

I am aware that a combination of factors, including the current low price of lead, is reported by lead acid battery recyclers to be making their recovery operations increasingly uneconomic. On 5 May my Department issued a consultation paper seeking views on the options open to the United Kingdom for implementing the Directive on Batteries and Accumulators Containing Certain Dangerous Substances (91/157/EEC). This explores the possibilities for maintaining and increasing the traditionally high United Kingdom recycling rate for lead acid batteries. Officials recently met the battery recyclers and their representative organisation, the Lead Development Association, and encouraged them to make proposals as part of their response to this consultation paper.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make an application to the European Commission to allow payments to be made from the shipbuilding intervention fund to Swan Hunter.

I have written today to European Commissioner van Miert to ask him to reconsider the eligibility of British warship yards for the shipbuilding intervention fund.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the level in each year from 1983 of the social cost grant provided to British Coal to help it meet the cost of additional contributions to its staff superannuation scheme in respect of early pensions and pensions for redundant miners; if he will provide full details of the terms and conditions associated with these grants; and what provision is made for alteration of social cost grant levels if British Coal meets its contributions by using part of the surplus in its pension fund.

[holding answer 19 April 1993]: Grant provided to British Coal with respect to the staff superannuation scheme has been as follows:

Year	£ million
1983–84	3·9
1984–85	9·1
1985–86	12·5
1986–87	27·4
1987–88	47·6
1988–89	55·3

Year	£ million
1989–90	59·3
1990–91	68·7
1991–92	72·1
1992–93	80·4
Total	436·3

Grant payments have been made under the relevant provisions of the Coal Industry Acts 1965, 1967 and 1987 and Coal Industry (Restructuring Grant) Orders 1987 to 1992. Grant will continue to be paid in respect of eligible expenditure by British Coal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take the necessary steps to arrange for the prefix royal to be added to each of the police services in Scotland.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, South (Mr. Griffiths) on 2 February, Official Report, column 177, whether any access agreements have been made or proposed since October 1991 in respect of any woodlands sold by the Forestry Commission before that date.

The arrangements for securing public access to woodlands sold by the Forestry Commission were introduced in October 1991 and could not apply to land sold before that date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will set out his current targets for the sale of Forestry Commission land in the United Kingdom in the current year and for each of the next three years.

As announced in Cm 2214, "The Government's Expenditure Plans 1993–94 to 1995–96 for the Departments of the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Forestry Commission" (table 13.10), the Commission plans to sell 15,000 hectares of forest land in the current financial year and in each of the next two years. The sales programme for 1996–97 is under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list those bodies with executive agency status which are responsible to him; what plans he has to give executive agency status to any other Department or public body responsible to him; and if he will make a statement.

I have responsibility for the following executive agencies:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he plans to take following the recent study by Scottish Enterprise on energy conservation in the domestic sector.

Scottish Enterprise was co-sponsor of a study of the use of energy in Scotland. This study has not yet been published.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to introduce legislation to alter the range of sentences open to the courts in cases of rape and sexual assault.

In Scotland rape, and most other sexual assaults, are common law offences where the maximum sentences available to the court are not laid down in statute but determined only by the maximum sentencing power of the court in which a case is heard. Where a case is heard on indictment, a sheriff sitting with a jury may impose a sentence of up to three years' imprisonment or remit the case to the High Court for a higher sentence if he believes this to be appropriate. A judge in the High Court may impose a sentence of up to life imprisonment. We believe, therefore, that there are already appropriate penalties available to deal with even the most serious cases.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the common and botanical names of wild plants which are currently categorised in Scotland as (a) protected and (b) endangered species; what measures he has in place to protect such species; and if he will make a statement.

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 provides protection for all wild plants. The subset of endangered or rare species is identified in schedule 8 to the Act, as varied by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (Variation of Schedules) Order 1988 (S.I. 1988 No. 288) and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (Variation of Schedules 5 and 8) Order 1992 (S.I. 1992 No. 2350).It is an offence under section 13 of the Act for any unauthorised person to uproot intentionally any wild plant. In the case of the plants listed in schedule 8, it is an offence for any person intentionally to pick, uproot or destroy any example.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the number of abattoirs in Scotland and their combined average throughput in (a) 1970, (b) 1980, (c) 1990, (d) 1991 and (e) 1992; and what are the most recent figures available.

The information requested is as follows:

Year	Number of abattoirs1	Average throughput per abattoir (LUs)2
1970	n/a	n/a
1980	66	17,693
1990	51	24,600
1991	50	26,477
1992	48	27,195
In 1993, 44 abattoirs in Scotland were licensed under the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1992.
1 This excludes the small remote island abattoirs which generally operate for a short season each year and have a very low throughput when open.
1 One LU (livestock unit)—one adult cattle/calf or seven sheep or three pigs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to increase subsidies for shipping services to Orkney and Shetland; and if he will make a statement.

I announced on 17 December 1992, at column 466, subsidy provision for shipping services totalling £15,129 million in 1993–94, of which provision for services to and from Orkney and Shetland amounted to £6·679 million. I now intend to make available a further £1·934 million in the current year to increase the amount of subsidy available for services to Orkney and Shetland in 1993–94 to £8·613 million. The additional assistance will be provided to P and O Scottish Ferries Ltd. to enable it to maintain the present level of roll-on/roll-off services in respect of passengers and cars. The assistance will enable P and O to increase their commercial tariffs for passengers and cars, while keeping net tariffs, after tariff rebate subsidy, to users of the service unchanged. The increases in commercial tariffs are necessary to enable continued provision of the present level of services. No change is being made in subsidies to freight services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he intends to make regarding shipping services to the Scottish islands; and if he will make a statement.

I have decided to review the present arrangements under which I provide financial assistance to maintain lifeline shipping services to Orkney, Shetland, the Inner and Outer Hebrides and in the Clyde estuary. I also propose to review options for the future organisation and structure of Caledonian MacBrayne including the possible scope for introducing private sector participation in the provision of Caledonian MacBrayne's services.Options to be studied will include continued public sector ownership of Caledonian MacBrayne as well as privatisation options; in the latter I will wish to explore the scope for greater employee involvement. I believe that the time is ripe for a further study of Caledonian MacBrayne following the transfer of the company's ownership to me in 1990.The Government remain committed to providing continued financial support for lifeline shipping services to ensure that services can be provided at a cost to users which is consistent with the need to maintain and improve economic and social conditions in the islands.The primary objective of these reviews is to explore the scope for improving the cost-effectiveness of the present arrangements in ways which are consistent with safeguarding the interests of the users of the services. I see greater efficiency and effectiveness in subsidy and service provision as leading to better services for the consumer, and wish to make it clear that our overall aim is to ensure that services are maintained and improved, and not in any way downgraded.The Scottish Office Industry Department will shortly be inviting tenders for the necessary studies which will inform these reviews from suitable firms of economic and financial consultants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) when he expects to receive the study to be conducted by Strathclyde university on the monitoring of wind levels at the newly constructed Cockburnspath bypass; and if he will publish the results of the study in full;(2) what detailed proposals he has to divert vehicles prone to high wind levels off the newly constructed Cockburnspath bypass during abnormal wind conditions, indicating what vehicles would be affected and what the alternative route would be.

[holding answer 17 May 1993]:I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 13 May 1993, col

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what evidence he has on the relative hazards of wind levels at the newly constructed Cockburnspath bypass compared with other parts of the A1.

[holding answer 17 May 1993]:The Scottish Office received a record of all accidents on the trunk road network which have been reported to the police. Abnormal wind strength was a contributory factor in the three recorded accidents which occurred on the Cockburnspath bypass on 21 January this year. Over the previous three years there has been only one other recorded accident on the A1 between Edinburgh and Newcastle where wind strength was a contributory factor. This occurred at Skateraw, just north of Torness power station, in February 1990. None of these accidents involved personal injury.

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

[holding answer 24 May 1993]:The Select Committee on Scottish Affairs has published one report since April 1989 on which the Government have yet to respond. Other Select Committees have made 21 recommendations specifically affecting my Department. Of these 20 have been accepted, in whole or part, by the Government or have been noted where no further action was sought.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has held with COSLA concerning the consequences for regional, island and district councils of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 and the acquired rights directive; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 24 May 1993]: None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has for public consultation concerning those parts of the forthcoming report of the Sheehy inquiry into policing in the United Kingdom which relate specifically to Scotland's police forces; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 24 May 1993]: The report of the inquiry into police responsibilities and rewards will be circulated to all interested bodies, including those covering Scottish interests, as soon as it is published. My right hon. Friend will welcome comment from those in Scotland on any aspect of the report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the budgeted annual cost per prisoner place at (a) HM prison Greenock and (b) other prisons.

[holding answer 24 May 1993]: The budgeted annual cost per prisoner place, including capital expenditure, at HM prison, Greenock, for 1993–94, is £30,665. This compares with a budgeted Scottish prison service average figure of £28,314 for the same year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representation his Department will have at the global environmental facility's participants' meeting in Beijing from 26 to 28 May; what discussions he has had with the World hank in regard to the global environmental facility meeting; and if he will make a statement on the way in which the global environmental facility is accountable to supporter states.

The United Kingdom delegation will be led by the deputy secretary of the Overseas Development Administration, supported by officials from the Department of the Environment and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The chairman of the Global Environment Facility has consulted United Kingdom officials on issues which will he discussed in Beijing. The GEF is accountable to participating states at the meetings of GEF's governing body, the participants assembly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he received a copy of the "1993 Human Development" reports of the United Nations Development Programme; and what action he intends to take in regard to its recommendations.

The 1993 human development report is being published by the United Nations development programme this week. We welcome the report as a useful contribution to the development debate. We are studying the report and its proposals with great interest, and shall take appropriate account of them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much aid has been given to St. Helena in each year since 1979.

The figures for St. Helena are:

	Number
1979	3,935
1980	3,795
1981	4,062
1982	5,834
1983	6,533
1984	7,471
1985	9,354
1986	9,202
1987	12,241

	Number
1987–88	11,057
1988–89	20,524
1989–90	24,239
1990–91	11,759
1991–92	9,147

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how Her Majesty's Government evaluates the Government of Indonesia in relation to his policy relating aid to good Government.

We review regularly the performance of all aid recipients, including Indonesia, against the criteria of our good government policy.In the case of Indonesia, although there are human rights concerns which we regularly discuss with the Indonesian authorities, British aid, which concentrates on tropical forestry, education, energy efficiency, economic infrastructure and public administration is, in our view, used to good effect. Indonesia has a good track record of sound economic management and has done much to reduce absolute poverty over the last two decades.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Government's position on the World bank's policy in relation to the development of a nuclear power industry in Indonesia.

The World bank is not involved in the development of a nuclear power industry in Indonesia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries are designated as priority areas for family planning and population assistance; what criteria are used to choose these countries; and what plans there are to involve more countries.

Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda are designated as priority countries for United Kingdom family planning and population assistance. The selection criteria used to choose these countries were: the unmet demand for reproductive health and family planning services; their gross national product per capita; and the potential effectiveness of United Kingdom aid for population programmes.The list of priority countries is kept under regular review. We also currently provide population assistance to Ghana, Namibia, South Africa, (via an NGO), Zambia, Zimbabwe and Nepal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and which non-governmental organisations received support for family planning and related projects through the joint funding scheme in 1991 and 1992; what were the projects; and in which countries they took place.

In the financial years 1990–91 and 1991–92 a total of seven non-governmental organisations received support through the joint funding scheme for projects which were primarily for family planning and related activities. The details are set out in the tables.

Agency	Country	Project name	£
1990–91
Africa Now	Kenya	Chogoria Family Planning Programme	9,350
AID	India	Family Planning Project	46,468
Marie Stopes International	Bangladesh	Family Planning, Preventative Health Care	43,808
Marie Slopes International	Ethiopia	Maternal and Reproductive Health Clinic	57,237
Marie Stopes International	India	Contraceptive Social Marketing	69,992
Marie Stopes International	India	Workplace Family Planning and Preventative Health Care—Employees and Dependents	43,258
Marie Stopes International	India	Soap Drama—Family Life/Responsible Sexual Behaviour	13,250
Marie Stopes International	India	Brass Tacks Family Planning Programme	31,434
Marie Stopes International	Kenya	National Youth Service	47,278
Marie Stopes International	Lesotho	Creating a Corps of Village-Based Family Planning Education/Motivators	33,498
Marie Stopes International	Malawi	Health Programme for Poor Women and Families	49,507
Marie Stopes International	Nicaragua	Workplace Preventative Maternal Health and Family Planning	40,699
Marie Stopes International	Pakistan	Lahore Based Reproductive Health Extension Services	24,777
Marie Stopes International	Sierra Leone	Work Based Maternal and Child Health and Family Planning	34,744
Marie Stopes International	Swaziland	Male Oriented Family Planning	21,647
Marie Stopes International	Zimbabwe	Training Programme Zimbabwe Association Women's Clubs	41,180
OXFAM	Senegal	Family Planning and Literacy	764
Population Concern	Bangladesh	Family Planning Services for the Rakhainc Tribes	11,340
Population Concern	Bangladesh	Integrated Family Planning Health and Education	45,214
Population Concern	Caribbean	Three Workshops Family Planning Fieldworkers	25,512
Population Concern	Caribbean	Towards Accreditation Sex Education in Caribbean Schools	72,370
Population Concern	Ethiopia	Family Planning Training for Rural Women Development Agents	41,675
Population Concern	Ethiopia	Training of Health Assistants	43,140
Population Concern	Ethiopia	Development of a Manual-Rural Women Development Workers	14,120
Population Concern	Nepal	Nawalparasi Women's Development	18,425
Population Concern	Pakistan	Family Planning Through Community Institutions	32,195
Population Concern	Pakistan	Training for Women Development Workers	31,715
UKFSP	Fiji	Family Planning	12,318
Total			956,915
1991–92
Africa Now	Gambia	Tanji Community Family Planning	11,645
Marie Stopes International	Ethiopia	Condom Social Marketing Family Planning/AIDS Programme Urban Couples	37,249
Marie Stopes International	India	Family Life Education (Brass Tacks) Extension for Delhi and Lucknow	40,679
Marie Stopes International	India	Contraceptive Social Marketing	70,627
Marie Stopes International	India	Workplace Family Planning and Preventative Health Care—Employees and Dependents	62,371
Marie Stopes International	Malawi	Man to Man—Male Orientated Child Spacing/Education	70,487
Marie Stopes International	Malawi	Community Mother and Child and Family Planning—Blantyre, Lilongwe and Zomba	136,874
Marie Stopes International	Mexico	Factory Based Health Care and Family Planning Programme	49,501
Marie Stopes International	Nicaragua	Workplace Preventative Maternal Health and Family Planning	72,403
Population Concern	Ethiopia	Training of Health Assistants	22,965
Population Concern	Ethiopia	Jimma—Contraceptive Distribution by Community Health Agents and TBAs	19,760
Population Concern	Ethiopia	Yirgalem—Family Planning Education and Outreach Services	25,970
Population Concern	Gambia	Youth to Youth IEC on Adolescent Reproductive Health Management	19,865
Population Concern	India	Women's Development (Kulasekaram and Dindigul)	30,690
Population Concern	Nepal	Nawalparasi Women's Development	14,895
Population Concern	Pakistan	Family Planning Through Community Institutions	23,835
Urban Aid	Ghana	Family Planning Project	20,193
OXFAM	Pakistan	Family Planning Project	11,491
Total			741,500

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assurances he has received from the Indian Government on public access to environmental and hydrological studies regarding the proposed Narmada dam.

We are consulting the Indian authorities and the World bank about their plans to make environmental and hydrological studies relating to the Sardar Sarovar dam project publicly available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any of the local cost aid provided by the Government to India for the Narmada dam scheme has been used to buy any British military equipment.