To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of consultant community paediatricians, clinical medical officers and senior clinical medical officers in each of the last five years.

The available information is shown in the table.

Community health service medical staff—England 30 September each year
	Consultant community paediatrician	Senior clinical medical officer (all specialties)	Clinical medical officer (all specialties)
1987	n/a	1,133	1,713
1988	n/a	1,188	1,669
1989	n/a	1,181	1,653
1990	n/a	1,151	1,620
1991	n/a	1,158	1,509

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of drugs used by children are available in a sugar-free form.

This information is not available in the form requested.In respect of oral liquid medicines, records held by the United Kingdom Licensing Authority show that 1,797 products are currently licensed for human use but not all of these would be indicated for use in children. Within these 1,797 licensed products, 218 are sugar free.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many trusts or directly managed units had neonatal units in 1991–92.

In 1991–92, 27 trusts and 172 directly managed units provided cots intended for neonatal intensive care.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many neonatal intensive care beds there are; what is the average time a baby spends in such cots; and how many babies used such cots in 1991–92.

I refer the. Member to the reply I gave her on 21 June at columns 27–28. Information about the number of babies using these cots and their length of stay is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health by how much funding for national health service dentists has increased in real terms in the past three years.

The latest information is shown in the table:

NHS Dental Services: Gross Expenditure1 England
Year	Gross expenditure (cash £ million)	Gross expenditure (real terms £ million2)	Percentage increase (real terms) Year on year2	Percentage increase (real terms) 1988–89 to 1991–922
1989–90	1,118·4	1,288·4	3-5·4	—
1990–91	1,229·6	1,311·5	1·8	—
1991–92	1,521·0	1,521·0	16·0	311·7

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what period of notice dental practitioners are required to give patients before they are removed from their national health service register; and in what form the notice is required to be.

Dentists are required by their terms of service to give a patient three months notice in writing of their intention to terminate a continuing care or capitation arrangement. Exceptionally, a dentist may make a written application to the family health service authority for permission to terminate an arrangement sooner.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the insulin pen and the needles it uses are available on prescription.

Insulin pen injection systems and the needles they use are not available on prescription. Their inclusion in the general practitioner prescribable list must, like all new additions to the list, be subject to the availability of resources.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans she has to require community pharmacists to provide additional services without receiving additional payment;(2) to what extent she intends to fund the new professional allowance for community pharmacists from the new existing global sum.

The 1993–94 pay settlement will be as a first step towards specifically recognising the professional services many pharmacists provide. The detailed elements of the pharmacists' remuneration structure, of which the proposed professional allowance would be one, are all funded from within the global sum.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what basis her proposed threshold of 2,000 NHS prescriptions per month for payment of the professional allowance to community pharmacists was calculated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether it is her policy that community pharmacies make a demonstrable contribution to the national health service only if they dispense more than 2,000 prescriptions per month.

A threshold of 2,000 national health service prescriptions per month was one part of one element of the original pay offer for the transitional year of 1993–94 which was designed as an interim step towards a longer-term structure. We are reviewing the terms of that offer in the light of discussions with the pharmaceutical services negotiating committee.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether her proposal of a 2000 NHS prescription per month threshold for payment of the new professional allowance to community pharmacists has been formally withdrawn;(2) what assessment she has made of the rate of progress of the negotiations with the pharmaceutical services negotiating committee on remuneration for community pharmacists; and what steps she is taking to put further proposals to the committee.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) why the proposed meeting between her officials and the pharmaceutical services negotiating committee on 13 July did not take place;(2) when she expects her Department to put a new set of proposals concerning the remuneration of community pharmacists to the pharmaceutical services negotiating committee.

The rate of progress of the negotiations with the pharmaceutical services negotiating committee on pharmacists' remuneration for 1993–94 has been much slower than we would have wished. The pay offer made on 12 March remains on the table, but the Government are considering the points made in discussions with the committee since then and hope to be in a position to table a revised offer shortly. We were not ready to do so by 13 July and so that meeting provisionally rescheduled for that day was postponed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the proposed increase of 1·5 per cent. for 1993–94 in the global sum for payment of community pharmacists is intended to cover the increased drug costs and other expenses incurred by community pharmacists on behalf of the NHS as well as provide for an increase in their reumuneration; and if he will make a statement.

The proposed increase is intended to cover both the labour and overheads elements of pharmacists' remuneration. The reimbursement of the cost of the drugs they dispense is dealt with separately.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 23 June, Official Report, column 182, if she will provide comparable information on the average annual cost of employing (a) a district general manager group 1, (b) a district general manager group 2, (c) a district general manager group 3, (d) a unit general manager group 1, (e) a unit general manager group 2, (f) a unit general manager group 3 and (g) a unit general manager group 4.

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioner partnerships employ a psychologist and counsellor.

As at 1 October 1992, general practitioners in England employed 169 counsellors—whole-time equivalent. Details are not available centrally on the number of psychologists, as a separate category, who may be similarly employed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations she has received on the proposal to split the Great Yarmouth and Waveney health district; and if she will make a statement;(2) if she will make it her policy to consider putting the Waveney part of the Great Yarmouth and Waveney health district into a new authority comprising Great Yarmouth and Norwich rather than the plans proposed by the East Anglian regional health authority; and if she will make a statement.

East Anglian regional health authority has commenced public consultation on its proposals to merge parts of Great Yarmouth and Waveney health authority with neighbouring health authorities and we have received two representations on these proposals. They were from my hon. Friend the Member for Waveney himself and from the chairman of the Great Yarmouth and Waveney General Practitioners Forum. When this period of formal consultation is completed it will be for East Anglian regional health authority to consider the response, including any alternatives that may have been put forward. The goal of purchasing health authorities is to improve health and health services, and to improve and extend standards of clinical care, and to prevent illness. To achieve this local health authorities need to work for and with local people. This is what we expect the East Anglian regional health authority to bear in mind before making recommendations to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what incentives her Department employs to encourage general practitioners to prescribe generic drugs; and how much has been spent in each of the last three years on such incentives.

We have a range of initiatives to encourage general medical practitioners to prescribe more effectively including, where appropriate, generic prescribing. These include, from 1991–92, incentive schemes which cost £100,000 in their first year of operation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of drugs prescribed per annum are generic.

In 1992, the latest year for which figures are available, 43 per cent. of drugs were prescribed generically.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 14 July, Official Report, column 533, what records are retained relating to the child migrant scheme.

The Department holds some 105 files relating to policy on the child migrant schemes, dating from 1910 to 1959. Fifty of these have been opened to the public under the normal provisions of the public records legislation. The remainder are closed. So far as we are currently aware, the Department does not hold case files on individuals who emigrated under the child migrant schemes, but we are making further inquiries about this.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 23 November, Official Report, columns 496–98, if she will update the table provided on the cost of implementing the NHS reforms.

The reforms are firmly in place, and much of the spending referred to is now absorbed in purchasers' baselines and providers' prices. It is for them to decide how they allocate these resources.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations he has received from hon. Members during (a) the first quarter of 1992 and (b) the first quarter of 1993 to delay the removal of passengers refused entry at British ports of entry and, for both periods, how many representations resulted in (i) the delay of the passenger's removal for up to a week, (ii) the delay of the passenger's removal for more than a week and (iii) reversal of the immigration officer's decision.

The information requested is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for British citizenship under section 4(5) of the British Nationality Act 1981 have been (a) made, (b) granted and (c) refused in each quarter since January 1992; and how many of those granted have been on the grounds of service in the armed forces.

One application was received in June 1992, one in November 1992 and one in January 1993. Of these, one has been granted, one has been refused and one has not yet been decided. The application which was granted was made on the grounds of service in the armed forces.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average time taken by his Department to investigate cases referred from overseas posts in order to assess whether the maintenance and accommodation requirements of the immigration rules have been met.

The information requested is not available. Staff are instructed to give priority to cases referred by overseas posts for decision or for inquiries to be made.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what have been the sums paid to the London borough of Tower Hamlets under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 in each year since 1990; and what is the estimated payment for the years 1993–94, 1994–95 and 1995–96.

The amount of section 11 grant provision payable direct to Tower Hamlets in respect of each financial year from 1990 is set out in the table:

Financial year	£
1989–90	297,795
1990–91	4,732,150
1991–92	6,486,671
1992–93	8,202,381

The figures for the year 1989–90 relate to grant in service areas other than education. It is not possible to isolate precise figures for the grant payable to the inner London education authority during this period in respect of education provision within Tower Hamlets. The grant figure for 1990–91 includes education provision transferred from ILEA.The figure for the year 1993–94 is a prediction based on best estimates as supplied by Tower Hamlets. It is not possible to give details of figures for the years 1994–95 and 1995–96 at this stage.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of Home Office inspectors have an expert knowledge in the genetic engineering of animals; and what account has been taken of the extent of unpredictability of this technology in deciding how to evaluate the likely suffering endured by animals during scientific procedures involving genetic engineering.

Three inspectors—14 per cent. of the inspectorate—have genetic engineering as a specialist area, but all inspectors are well briefed on the techniques used and the likely consequences of transgenic technology.Inspectors are aware of the potential for unpredictable problems associated with the manipulation of genetic material and all applications for such work are carefully considered and monitored to ensure that the earliest appropriate end points are set and observed for any work authorised. The independent Animal Procedures Committee considered the issues raised by work in transgenics in detail during 1990 and considered the existing controls of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 adequate.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in stimulating private sector interest in crime prevention initiatives; and if he will make a statement.

The cornerstone of the Government's approach to crime prevention is partnership and we will continue to encourage participation by the private sector. Current indications of the private sector's interest include the following.The private sector provided support, estimated at the equivalent of more than £13 million, to Car Crime Prevention Year and continues to contribute to the campaign in a number of ways; Crime Concern, the independent crime prevention organisation, has been successful in encouraging the involvement of the private

Spouses and fiance(e)s in the Indian sub-continent initially refused entry clearance and those subsequently granted on appeal1 on partly and wholly primary purpose grounds, 1990–92.
	Initial refusals on primary purpose grounds						Of whom: Granted on appeal
	solely			partly			solely			partly
	1990	1991	1992	1990	1991	1992	1990	1991	1992	1990	1991	1992
Bangladesh
Husbands and fiances	210	90	120	60	40	80	10	20	70	+	—	20
Wives and fiancees	10	+	10	10	+	10	10	—	—	+	—	+
Pakistan
Husbands and fiances	770	860	800	1,160	730	610	270	260	180	250	320	220
Wives and fiancees	30	50	40	30	40	40	+	+	10	+	+	10
India
Husbands and fiances	460	480	450	40	40	40	120	100	130	—	—	—
Wives and fiancees	170	200	250	20	30	60	10	40	60	—	—	+
Total Indian sub-continent
Husbands and fiances	1,440	1,430	1,360	1,250	810	720	400	380	390	260	320	240
Wives and fiancees	200	250	310	60	70	100	30	40	70	10	+	10
1 Initial refusals and numbers granted on appeal do not necessarily refer to the same individuals as an appeal may not be decided in the same year.

All figures rounded to nearest ten.+ equals less than 5.These figures include some revisions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are being taken in Wales to discourage action by vigilantes; and if he will make a statement.

The Government do not condone the formation of vigilante groups. Vigilante action may lead to an offence and has to be treated by the police in the same way as any other offending behaviour. In Wales, and in other areas, the police have used the media and public meetings to advise members of the public about the danger of taking the law into their own hands.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases entry clearance was refused to applicants from (a) Pakistan, (b) India, (c) Bangladesh and (d) the Indian subcontinent as a whole on grounds of the primary purpose rule in the last three years; and how many of these applicants were (i) men and (ii) women.

The available information is given in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to amend the present legislation relating to lotteries so as to increase the maximum prize money before the first draw in the new national lottery takes place.

We intend to bring those provisions of the National Lottery Etc. Bill which amend the law relating to existing societies' and local authority lotteries —including the provisions of clause 51 which increase the prize limit for such lotteries—into force as soon as practicable. A period of time will, however, be needed to make consequential changes to the Lotteries Regulations and to enable societies to register with the Gaming Board under the new schedule 1A to the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976. We aim to keep the delay in bringing these provisions into operation to a minimum.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason tracker dogs are not being used by the investigative team as an aid to their recent inquiry in the Falklands into alleged infringements of the Geneva convention.

This is a matter for the commissioner.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the cost of the contract with Group 4 covering court escort duties in Humberside and east midlands over five years; and if he will set out the cost of this service for the previous five years.

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 when he expects to announce the successful tenderer for Strangeways prison; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from my right hon. Friend the Member for Mitcham and Morden (Dame A. Rumbold) on 15 July, at columns 583–84.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment he has made of the temporary drop in police manpower caused by the elimination of middle management posts and the creation of additional constable posts proposed by the Sheehy report;

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy in implementing any of the recommendations made by the Sheehy report to ensure that there is no reduction in the total police manpower.

In considering the implications of all the recommendations made in the report of the inquiry into police responsibilities and rewards, my right hon. and learned Friend will take into account the comments received during the consultation period.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect on morale in police forces in the United Kingdom of the publication of the Sheehy report.

My right hon. and learned Friend is aware that many police officers hold views on the recommendations of the inquiry into police responsibilities and rewards. There will be full consultation with the police and other interests before my right hon. and learned Friend, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland reach conclusions on the inquiry's report.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) wives and (b) children refused entry in the Indian subcontinent in 1991 and 1992 appealed against the refusal; how many of these appeals were (i) allowed, (ii) dismissed, (iii) withdrawn and (iv) are pending; and if he will give this information for each post.

I have been asked to reply.The immigration appellate authorities record appeals by wives and children against refusal of entry clearance together in a category that also includes appeals by other dependent relatives and returning residents. The information requested is as follows for appeals in that category:

Appeals from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh1
	1991	1992
Received	1,843	891
Allowed	355	390
Dismissed	1,059	1,554

	1991	1992
Withdrawn	529	577
Pending2	n/a	n/a
1 It is not possible to show the information according to individual posts.
2 Pending figures cannot be provided without disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is now his policy on replacing part-time members of the Parole Board with full-time paid officials; when this policy was announced; and what consultations he undertook in respect of changes in his policy.

I am currently considering proposals to appoint a small number of full-time members of the Parole Board, in addition to existing part-time members. Any such appointments will be made as members of the Parole Board and will not be officials of the civil service. We announced the possibility of such appointments to members of the Parole Board at their annual general meeting on 9 March. The chairman of the board was consulted on the subject both prior to the announcement and since that date, and I hope to meet him shortly in order to discuss the matter further.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what passports were provided for children sent to Australia, Canada or Rhodesia under the orphans migration scheme from 1963; and what provisions now exist for people sent out under that scheme to establish their claim to British passports and British citizenship.

I have been asked to reply.It will take some time to establish what documentation was provided under the orphans migration scheme and I will write to the hon. Member about that in due course.However, anyone who can establish a claim to British citizenship will be issued with a passport in the normal way under the provisions of the British Nationality Act 1981.

To ask the Prime Minister when he expects to be able to provide a substantive reply to the letter from the hon. Member for North Cornwall dated 18 January about the cases of the three Gulf war widows, Mrs. Lyn Hicks, Mrs. Liz Weeks and Mrs. Anne Lennox.

A reply will be sent shortly.

To ask the Prime Minister what specific human rights issues he raised with the Prime Minister of Vietnam during his recent visit.

At my request, the Minister for Overseas Development expressed our concern about Vietnam's human rights record with the Vietnamese Prime Minister during his visit to the United Kingdom of 3 to 6 July. We also handed over a short list of specific human rights cases.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 14 July, Official Report, columns 506–7, if he will make available to the Child Migrant Trust personal record files relating to British child migrants for use in confidence in counselling migrants and tracing relatives in the United Kingdom.

I have asked my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Prime Minister how many countries which qualify for relief under the Trinidad terms owe money to the United Kingdom; what is their total debt to the United Kingdom; what proportion of that debt could be (a) wiped-out or (b) rescheduled; and what is the total value of debt which could be (i) wiped out and (ii) rescheduled.

[holding answer 12 July 1993]: Fourteen of the 17 countries that have qualified for Trinidad terms from the Paris club have debt outstanding to the Export Credits Guarantee Department, totalling £774 million.Countries receiving Trinidad agreements get debt reduction or debt service reduction equivalent to half the value of eligible debt due over the periods of the agreements. Some £174 million of these countries' debt to ECGD has been rescheduled under these arrangements, and the equivalent value of the reduction in those countries' debt to ECGD is therefore around half that figure.Of the 17 countries given Trinidad terms, only Nicaragua has debt outstanding to the ODA, amounting to some £0·6 million. Seven of these countries—Tanzania, Bolivia, Uganda, Honduras, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia and Mozambique—have already received retrospective terms adjustment—RTA—writing off their ODA debt. RTA has also recently been announced for Zambia and Guyana. These agreements, which are awaiting signature, will write off debt of £55·9 million and £53·4 million respectively.There are further severely-indebted low-income countries which may qualify for Trinidad terms in future, for example once they have agreed reform programmes with the IMF. The Paris club will also consider giving countries which have Trinidad agreements the equivalent of up to 50 per cent. reduction of the remaining stock of debt, provided they establish track records of debt servicing and economic reform over the periods of the agreements. Under present rules this could produce further debt reduction up to 50 per cent. of the total debt to ECGD then outstanding. But the United Kingdon is pressing the Paris club to go futher, in line with my original Trinidad proposals, and give immediate stock of debt reduction of up to 80 per cent. for the neediest eligible countries on a case by case basis. In response to United Kingdom pressure, the recent Tokyo summit asked the Paris club to continue reviewing the question of debt relief for these countries, and especially to consider earlier reductions in their stock of debt.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the recent trend in the amount of electricity imported and exported via the channel interconnector, and on the prospects for the remainder of 1993.

Net imports across the interconnector in the three months from February to April 1993 were 4·29 TWh. The future pattern of trade will depend on the operation of commercial contracts, including a contract for the export from the United Kingdom of increasing quantities of electricity at periods of peak demand in France during the winter.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what certificates are required for spent nuclear fuels before they may be reprocessed at Sellafield; and if he will make a statement.

Certificates are not required for spent nuclear fuels before they may be reprocessed in the United Kingdom.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment has been made of Japanese technical capacity to process spent nuclear fuel and nuclear waste.

This is a matter for the Government of Japan and the appropriate commercial undertakings in that country, subject to compliance with Japan's relevant international agreements and regulatory requirements respectively.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress has been made by Euratom since July 1985 in establishing a common interpretation of safeguards on nuclear material transferred for non-nuclear uses.

Pursuant to article 22 of regulation 3227/76, on receipt of a request from the user, the Commission may grant derogations and exemptions from reporting. This would include nuclear material which was used exclusively for non-nuclear purposes.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 25 June, Official Report, column 291, on reviewing the operation of the recognised supervisory bodies, what plans he has to invite the public to comment on the operations of the bodies and to public hearings on such matters.

The arrangements for the review have not yet been finalised.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will propose legislation under which he will have powers to examine the fees paid to company receivers.

I have no plans to do so.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he will announce the new non-fossil fuel obligation orders for renewable energy sources.

I hope to make an announcement soon about a further renewables order under the non-fossil fuel obligation.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions his Department has had with Nuclear Electric about plans for Sizewell C power station in Suffolk; and if he will make a statement.

I regularly meet the chairman and chief executive of Nuclear Electric to discuss a range of issues affecting the company, including the company's wish to build a twin pressurised water reactor station at Sizewell C.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment his Department has made of the economic and energy contributions to the national and local economies of building Sizewell C power station in Suffolk.

No decisions about the construction of new nuclear stations beyond Sizewell B will be made before the Government review the future prospects for nuclear power. A further announcement about the review will be made in due course.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received about (a) the nuclear energy review in general and (b) Sizewell C power station in Suffolk, in particular.

I have received representations from the nuclear industry, local authorities, MPs, members of the public and other interested parties about the nuclear review, and about Nuclear Electric's proposals at Sizewell C.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the future of the nuclear industry; and when he expects to make further announcements on planning of individual power stations.

An announcement about the review of the future prospects for nuclear power will be made in due course. No decisions about the construction of new nuclear stations beyond Sizewell B will be taken before the review has concluded.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade which statutes govern the responsibilities of administrative receivers called in to British companies, with particular reference to the realisation of the value of assets; and if he will make a statement.

The statutes which govern the responsibilities of administrative receivers are the Insolvency Act 1986, the Company Directors Disqualification Act and secondary legislation made thereunder. Certain duties including those in relation to the realisation of assets are governed by common law.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what funding followed the transfer of responsibility for technology transfer from the DTI to the Office of Science and Technology.

There has been no movement of responsibility for technology transfer from DTI to the Office of Science and Technology—OST—and therefore no transfer of funding.The recent White Paper on science, engineering and technology—Cm 2250—sets out mission statements for both the OST and DTI. Part of OST's role is to stimulate transfer of technology between the science and engineering base and industry, for example through the LINK programme. DTI continues to have a wider responsibility for technology transfer between industry and all other providers of science and technology whether based in the United Kingdom or overseas.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to change the monitoring arrangements for firms that receive regional financial selective assistance.

None.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the membership, and where appropriate the relevant companies, of each of the working parties established under his deregulation initiative.

A complete list of deregulation task force members is available in the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the principles guiding the work of his Department's deregulation unit with specific reference to (a) the interests of consumers and (b) of employees.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Harrogate (Mr. Banks) on 7 July, Official Report, column 151.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the Industry Minister's meeting held on 8 July with the European Commissioner, Karel van Miert, on the subject of the draft United Kingdom assisted areas map.

I met Vice-President van Miert on 8 July to discuss the Government's proposals for a new assisted areas map. The discussions were helpful and I hope that the Commission's clearance will be given in time for me to announce the results in the House before the summer recess.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he will bring forward proposals to amend the Price Marking Order 1991.

My D epartment is going out to public consultation today on a draft amendment order, guidance note and compliance cost assessment on possible amendments to the Price Marking Order 1991.We wish to deal with the concerns which traders have raised. The aims of the amendment order would be to simplify existing provisions while reflecting more closely the EC directives which the order implements. Our proposals would allow complete flexibility on how prices may be shown subject only to meeting the basic obligation of the directives. They would also deal with some more detailed points such as indicating postage and packing charges and the time allowed to adjust individual price indications to take account of changes in the rate of VAT.Some detailed provisions now considered to be outside the scope of the directives would be removed from the order. The treatment of goods in shop windows would be clarified, as would the position on price indications for perfumes and cosmetics.These proposals are in line with our present policy of reviewing regulations and reducing the burden on business wherever practicable. But they also aim to have due regard to our obligations under the relevant EC directives and to the interests of the consumer, and by clarifying the position to assist enforcement.We shall welcome views from all those who have an interest in them, but we would expect to proceed further only if in the light of consultation it is clear that amending legislation would produce worthwhile gain.Comments are sought by 29 October 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the British contribution to the regional development banks is used for projects that (a) directly benefit the poorest people in developing countries and (b) helps meet the goals established at the world summit for children.

United Kingdom contributions are used to support the overall operations of regional development banks. It is not possible to estimate what proportion can be attributed to projects of this kind.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what classes of information concerning the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie have not yet been released (a) to the relatives of the victims and (b) into the public domain.

Information of the following nature has not been released to the relatives of victims or otherwise into the public domain:

(1) information the protection of which is necessary to ensure effective security at present and in the future in the United Kingdom;

(2) information the disclosure of which would impair the effective investigation, detection and prosecution of crime in general;

(3) information which is relevant to questions of criminal responsibility which may arise in criminal proceedings and the disclosure of which might prejudice criminal proceedings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the strength of evidence that heroin was planted on Karen Smith and Patricia Cahill; and if he has had an exchange of correspondence with the Prime Minister of Thailand on the cases.

We have seen no convincing evidence that the heroin was planted on the girls. Unsupported allegations of planted evidence, corruption and miscarriage of justice are irresponsible in themselves and damaging to the prospects for the girls' release.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister wrote in February 1993 to his Thai counterpart to support the girls' royal pardon petitions. In his reply, the Thai Prime Minister acknowledged our support for the petition and gave assurances that the Thai Government are doing their best for the girls' well-being.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action Her Majesty's Government are taking on the European Parliament's resolution of October 1991 calling for a re-examination of the case of Karen Smith.

We do not support the resolution. We have no reason to believe that either Karen Smith or Patricia Cahill had an unfair trial or were unjustly convicted. Both girls have been well treated in prison. Their sentences are long but by no means harsh compared with those given to others convicted of similar offences in Thailand. We want to help Karen Smith and Patricia Cahill take advantage of every opportunity that Thai law allows them to try to bring about their early release, and to this end we shall continue to do all we can for them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contact he has had with the United Nations Secretary-General regarding the failure of the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr. Rauf Denktash, to agree a limited package of confidence-building measures; and if he will make a statement on the Cyprus problem.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Tooting (Mr. Cox) on 16 July, at column 727.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many reports he has received from United Nations personnel of alleged rapes of Muslim women by Croatian forces since the beginning of the conflict in the former Yugoslavia.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from Lord Owen regarding the selective lifting of sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; what is the Government policy on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

We are in regular contact with Lord Owen about a variety of issues on the former Yugoslavia. including the question of sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro. As Heads of Government made clear at the Tokyo economic summit on 7 to 9 July, sanctions will continue to be upheld against Serbia and Montenegro until conditions in the relevant Security Council resolutions are met.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of Muslim forces using noxious gas against Croat forces in the villages of Prosje and Busovaca in central Bosnia; if he will raise this activity at the next meeting of the United Nations Security Council; and what representations he plans to make to the Government of President Izetbegovic.

We have seen media reports alleging that Muslim forces used improvised grenades containing non-lethal riot control gas against Croats in central Bosnia. We deplore the use of such weapons which we believe are held by all three parties. Regular reports about fighting on the ground are submitted by UNPROFOR to the United Nations. We are not proposing to raise specific incidents of this kind in the Security Council, but we shall consider raising them in future discussions with Bosnian Government officials.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of the monitors agreed by the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe are now in place in Kosovo; which nations have contributed; and when the remainder are expected to be in place.

By 30 June 1993, the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe's long-term missions in Kosovo, Sandjak and Vojvodina consisted of 20 monitors from Norway, Canada, Finland, Sweden, France, Greece, United States of America, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Turkey, Japan and the United Kingdom. At that time, there were 10 monitors in Kosovo, one of whom was British. Belgrade having refused to renew the memorandum of understanding covering the missions, their future is in doubt and, as monitors have departed on leave or completion of assignment, they have not been replaced. There are now only 11 monitors in all three areas.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reservations were expressed by the Japanese Government in regard to indefinite extension of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty during discussions held with Foreign Minister Kabun held at the G7 summit in Tokyo.

Like other members of the G7, the Japanese Government agreed to the political declaration of the summit which stated:

"We reiterate the objectives of universal adherence to the NPT as well as the Treaty's indefinite extension in 1995 and nuclear arms reduction."

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether the common foreign and security implication of all bilateral treaty obligations entered into by EC member states with non-EC countries are fully consistent with Britain's national interests; and if he will conduct a systematic review of the bilateral treaty obligations of each EC member state with non-EC countries in order to ascertain whether Britain's interests are liable to be affected by the common foreign and security policy in the light of the effect of the declaration on voting in the field of the common foreign and security policy.

Under the common foreign and security policy, member states will reach agreed common positions by unanimity. The declaration on voting in the field of common foreign and security policy attached to the treaty on European union does not undermine this requirement for unanimity. Declarations are not part of the treaty, but evidence of a political commitment undertaken by the parties to the treaty. There is no need to conduct a review of the bilateral treaty obligations of individual member states with non-EC countries. Each member state will be responsible for ensuring that it can live up to commitments it makes under the common foreign and security policy, and where there is no agreement on common positions, member states will continue to be free to pursue national policies. The unanimity requirement means that the United Kingdom can ensure that all decisions taken under the common foreign and security policy are consistent with our national interests.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action is proposed to be taken by the Council of Ministers on the resolution on Tibet which was passed recently by the European Parliament, with particular reference to regulations allowing journalists and international human rights agencies access to Tibet.

We are deeply concerned about the situation in Tibet, including the human rights issues mentioned in the European Parliament resolution, and are in close contact with our European Community partners about further measures to follow up the EC statement of 1 June. We support the principle of free access by journalists and humanitarian agencies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the average time for the results of DNA tests taken for the purpose of establishing relationships in cases of entry clearance applications to become available to entry clearance officers in Islamabad.

The average time for the results of DNA tests to become available to entry clearance officers in Islamabad is three months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 8 July, Official Report, column 240, how many women who are United Kingdom citizens are employed in any capacity in the British diplomatic service in Iran; and what representations he has made to the Government of Iran on the subject of their obligations towards the Islamic dress code.

Three female diplomatic service staff and four female locally employed staff who are United Kingdom citizens are currently employed in the British embassy in Tehran.We have made no representation to the Iranian Government about the obligation on female British diplomats to conform to Islamic dress code. All women in Iran have to observe the Islamic dress code when in public, including the female diplomats at all embassies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his letter of 24 June to the hon. Member for Bradford, West concerning the case of Mr. Ghazanfer Ali, what information he has obtained about the outcome of the latest court proceedings in Pakistan held on 27 and 29 June; and if he will make a statement.

The cases have been further adjourned to 31 July and 19 August respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy towards United Nations, Commonwealth and European Community military sanctions and non-co-operation with South Africa; and what restrictions are imposed under the sanctions on the landing of South African air force aircraft on British soil.

The Government adhere to the UN arms embargo against South Africa and other related EC and Commonwealth restrictions. Any request for a South African air force aircraft to land on British soil would be considered in the light of the circumstances of the request and the sanctions then in force.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government have taken to encourage and support the transition to non-racial democracy in South Africa.

The British Government have been following the multi-party negotiations in South Africa closely, and are glad that agreement has been reached to hold fully democratic elections on 27 April 1994.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and I had useful talks with both Nelson Mandela and Chief Buthelezi during their recent visits to London. We made clear that the British Government strongly support the need for a successful outcome to the constitutional negotiations and will help where we can. We are in regular touch with President de Klerk.The British Government are already helping in practical ways. We helped to arrange the sending of international observers to South Africa—from the UN, EC and Commonwealth—and led the troika visit of EC Foreign Ministers last autumn, which set the seal on the EC observer mission. We have contributed the services of five senior policemen; two with the EC mission, one with the Commonwealth mission, one to help the Goldstone Commission task force, and another to help with the investigation into the assassination of Mr. Chris Hani. The mandates of the UN, EC and Commonwealth missions to South Africa have all been extended. Their work is greatly appreciated in South Africa and theya are making a significant contribution towards containing the violence. We have also made clear, through the EC, that we would be willing to join in any international effort to provide observers for the elections if this is the wish of all the parties.We are also heavily involved through our aid programme. Last financial year we spent over £11 million in bilateral aid, plus a similar amount as our share of the EC positive measures programme. We expect our aid to increase during the transition. Our aid provides for the training of more than 1,100 black South Africans in the United Kingdom and South Africa, including tailor-made courses in public administration for future senior black civil servants. It also supports many projects in education, health, and the promotion of small businesses in the townships, and in rural development. Last month we opened a new regional aid office in Pretoria to run our aid projects in South Africa.Only South Africans themselves can build a new, united non-racial, democratic South Africa, but we are doing what we can to help.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representation Her Majesty's Government have in in the Slovak Republic; what is that state's present representation in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Her Majesty's Government are represented in the Slovak Republic through an embassy, headed by a chargé d'affaires, Mr. Michael Bates. Her Majesty's ambassador to the Slovak Republic is Mr. David Brighty, who is concurrently ambassador to the Czech Republic and resides in Prague. He visits the Slovak Republic regularly. It is our intention to appoint a resident ambassador to Bratislava once the embassy is properly established.Following the dissolution of the Czechoslovak Federation, on 31 December 1992, separate Czech and Slovak embassies were established in London. On 1 January 1993, the former Czechoslovak ambassador was accredited to the Court of St. James as Slovak ambassador. Mr. Vilikovsky is supported by six diplomatic and three administrative and technical staff.

To ask the Attorney-General (1) what procedures exist for an individual to present a petition or application for permission to prosecute under sections 134 and 135 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 to him for his consideration;(2) what procedures exist for obtaining his consent to prosecutions under sections 134 and 135 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 concerning the prosecution of those accused of torture present in the United Kingdom;(3) how many times he has consented to prosecutions being brought under sections 134 and 135 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 since its enactment;(4) on what criteria he bases his decision to grant or withhold consent to prosecutions under sections 134 and 135 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988.

The criteria applicable to applications for my consent to proposed prosecutions under sections 134 and 135 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 are the same as for any other criminal offence. First, there must be sufficient admissible and reliable evidence to afford a realistic prospect of conviction; secondly, the circumstances must be such that it would be in the public interest for there to be a prosecution.The prospective prosecutor must submit to my office evidence in proper form to satisfy the evidential test described above together with sufficient background information to satisfy me that a prosecution would be in the public interest. This procedure applies to prosecuting authorities—likely to be the Crown Prosecution Service —as well as to individuals.No proceedings have been authorised under section 134 and 135 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 since its enactment.

To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission if he will make arrangements for hon. Members to be notified in advance of publication dates of National Audit Office reports.

National Audit Office reports are listed in the Votes and Proceedings of the House of Commons when they are laid before Parliament prior to publication. They are also recorded on the daily papers list produced by the Vote Office which lists all parliamentary papers published on a particular day. This list is displayed in the Members' Lobby.

To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an application for an exhibition relating to "The Best of Northern Ireland" to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from 6 to 10 December.

To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee what consideration he has given to an application for an exhibition relating to daylight saving to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from 19 to 23 July.

To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an application for an exhibition relating to "Schizophrenia—The Facts" to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from 29 November to 3 December.

To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, representing the House of Commons Commission, what is the total number of staff employed by the Commission throughout the Palace of Westminster and its associated buildings; how many of these are registered disabled; and how many are registered disabled due to hearing difficulties.

The Commission employs 1,232 staff, of whom 16 are registered disabled. Of these, four have hearing difficulties.

To ask the Lord President of the Council how many hon. Members have their secretarial allowance paid into private limited companies.

Approximately two thirds of all Members have, this year, authorised payments from their office costs allowances direct to companies or other organisations, including constituency associations. It is not always possible to identify the precise status of these companies or organisations.

To ask the Lord President of the Council what plans the Government have to give greater prominence to costs to business in the information provided to Parliament on Community legislation.

The Government prepare compliance cost assessments—CCAs—in order to assess the impact of legislative proposals on business costs. From 19 July, CCAs will accompany all explanatory memoranda—EMs —relating to EC proposals with significant cost implications for business. This will aid parliamentary scrutiny by affording an early opportunity to take account of such implications in considering particular proposals. It will also put CCAs in the public domain on a consistent basis and will thus help other interested parties make their own assessment. It is not intended, however, that the new arrangements should hold up the submission of EMs; if a full CCA cannot be prepared to the time scale for EMs, the EM will carry the best possible initial assessment and the CCA will follow as quickly as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what discussions he is undertaking with other European Community member states about mergers and takeovers of television companies, including issues of competition and regulation; what proposals have been made concerning these issues; and what position is taken on these proposals by Her Majesty's Government.

Officials of my Department are playing an active part in the work of a Council of Europe committee of experts on media concentrations and pluralism, on which a number of other EC member states, as well as the European Commission, are represented. The committee has yet to produce firm proposals.We have also drawn the Commission's attention to what appear to be. discriminatory provisions in the legislation of a number of EC member states concerning ownership of broadcasters. The European Court has recently found against Belgium on this issue; and the Commission has opened proceedings against Portugal.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the names, addresses, occupations, current employers and addresses of any chairmen and any appointees which are within his power to make for any boards, trusts or other form of arts or heritage body on Merseyside and to grant with any payment, expenses or other form or remuneration which they receive.

While I do not appoint the chairman of North West Arts, which is the regional arts board covering the Merseyside area, my consent is required before such an appointment can be made. This post is unpaid and is currently vacant. There is no equivalent regional body responsible for heritage matters.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is now the proposed starting date of the national lottery.

We hope that the National Lottery Etc. Bill will receive Royal Assent later in the year; and the licence will be awarded after that. It is not possible to predict the date of the first draw, but we hope that the lottery will be up and running by around the turn of the year 1994–95.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what representations he has received about the possible impact of the national lottery on small stake recreational wagering industry gaming machines; and if he will make it his policy to consult industry organisations of any sectors of the gaming industry adversely affected by the national lottery in order to find ways of alleviating adverse effects on their enterprises.

[holding answer 16 July 1993]: My right hon. Friend and I have received a number of representations from the gaming machine industry about the impact of the national lottery on their businesses and officials from my Department have met representatives from the industry.We do not believe that this or other sectors of the gaming industry will be adversely affected by the introduction of the lottery. My right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary is always ready to consider, on their merits, proposals for changes to the regulatory regime under which the industry operates.

Description of Item	Valuation £	Outcome
A painting 'St. Peter Penitent' by Jusepe de Ribera	850,000	Export licence granted
A drawing 'St. John the Baptist pointing to the Saviour', by Annibale Carracci/ Gianangelo Canini.	150,000	Export licence granted
A painting, 'David with the head of Goliath', by Guido Reni	2,000,000	Export licence granted
The ledgers and account books of Messrs	4,080	Purchased by Westminster
Fribourg and Treyer 1764–1816.		City Archives
A George III library table 1778 designed by Thomas Chippendale.	315,000	Decision deferred until after 26 July 1993
A pair of candelabra by Matthew Boulton.	80,820	Decision deferred until after 4 August 1993
A painting, 'Van Tromp, going about to please his masters, ships at sea, getting a good wetting', by J.M.W. Turner.	11,000,000	Decision deferred until after 26 July 1993
A painting, 'the Fortress of Königstein' by Bernardo Bellotto.	6,290,781	Export licence granted

Details of the items on which decisions were deferred were given in press releases issued at the time of the reviewing committee's recommendations were accepted.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage on how many occasions grants have been made by the Welsh Arts Council under its (a) bursaries to writers scheme and (b) writers in residence

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement on the progress towards obtaining private sector funding for the royal armouries project at Leeds.

I am pleased to say that the royal armouries has identified a potential lead investor, who is in active discussion with the armouries and other interested investors. This lead investor has nominated a chairman and chief executive designate for the proposed operating company. They are currently verifying the business plan and developing a package on which commitments can be made. This is good news for the project and for Leeds.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the items for which the issuing of export licences was withheld on the recommendation of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art during the half year ended 5 July, specifying in each case the valuation and whether an item was exported or retained, with particulars in the latter event of the acquiring institution; if he will list any items for which licences have been withheld but the final disposal of which is not yet decided, specifying in each case (a) the valuation and (b) the relevant time limit; and if a press notice will be issued by his Department covering the information given in his reply, including that relating to the outcome in individual cases.

The information is as follows:scheme during the last five years to applicants who were neither resident in Wales nor had any previous connection with Wales.

[holding answer 14 July 1993]: The information requested is as follows: (a) none, (b) three, of a total of 36 grants.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the financial size of the media sector of the British economy.

There is no generally accepted definition of the coverage of the media sector. However, information on the newspaper printing and publishing industry is given in "Business Monitor PA475—Printing and Publishing". Information on film and recording studios, cinemas, radio and television is included in the "Business Monitor SDA29 —Service Trades", but is not separately identifiable. These annual publications are available from the House Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the establishment of full employment.

The Government's aim is to achieve high levels of employment consistent with low inflation, through broadly based growth and labour markets which are competitive and flexible.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have been detained for drug-related offences in Harwich by HM Customs and Excise in the past three years.

Over the period June 1990 to date, 688 people have been detained by Customs at Harwich for drug-related offences.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much extra revenue would be raised in a full year if tax relief were confined to the 20 per cent. rate for (a) occupational pension schemes and (b) contributions to personal pensions.

The estimated full year yields at 1993–94 income levels are as follows:

	Restriction to 20 per cent. £ million
Relief for:
Employee's contributions to occupational pension schemes	700
Personal pensions contributions1	300
1 Includes retirement annuity premia and free standing additional voluntary contributions.

No account has been taken of possible behavioural changes resulting from such restrictions.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money was raised by income tax levied at 40 per cent.; and how many income tax payers were chargeable at 40 per cent. in the last financial year for which figures are available.

At 1993–94 levels of income, it is estimated that individuals' tax liability at the 40 per cent. rate will be £12·8 billion and that 1·6 million taxpayers will be liable at this rate.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has of the total tax take from pharmaceutical companies.

I regret that the information is not available. Classification of companies by industry for corporation tax is by the summary trade classification within which pharmaceutical companies are included with all other chemical companies.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many copies of Inland Revenue forms (a) 11K (1993) and (b) 12FR (1993) he has had printed.

The Inland Revenue printed 99,000 copies of form 12FR (1993) and 98,685 copies of form 11K (1993).

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the yield in 1993–94 and 1994–95 from capping all qualifying incomes for pensions at £75,000, including those employees who joined schemes prior to 1989.

This information is not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of whether the conditions attached to the decision to extend the reduction of pool betting duty announced in March 1992 by the right hon. and learned Member for Putney (Mr. Mellor) have been met; and if he will make a statement.

In the 1990 Budget, pool betting duty was reduced from 42·5 to 40 per cent. for five years to help finance the implementation of the Taylor report, and in particular the achievement of all-seating at football grounds. The former Chancellor, my right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Thames (Mr. Lamont) has since made it clear that the Government will be prepared to extend the reduction to the year 2000 provided that the football leagues and football clubs produce satisfactory financial plans for their own contribution to further necessary ground improvements. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for National Heritage will shortly be presenting a costed case to the Treasury, based on information supplied by the Football Trust and the clubs themselves, in support of an extension of the reduction.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy towards additionality of EC funds with respect to the Government's own regional and structural funding.

At the Foreign Affairs Council on 2 July, member states agreed new additionality regulations to ensure that Community funds were genuinely additional to domestic public spending. The United Kingdom will be implementing them fully.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will prepare a table for the last financial year showing the debit and credit accounts of United Kingdom membership of the EC.