To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, representing the Church Commissioners, how the proceeds of selling the commissioners' holding in the Birkenhead precinct have been reinvested.

Proceeds from sales of commissioners' property are, generally speaking, applied towards the consolidation of the investment portfolio. Recent sale proceeds, including those from Grange precinct, have been used mainly to fund the remainder of the commissioners' development programme and to reduce borrowings.

To ask the Lord President of the Council if he has any plans to change the House's voting procedures; and if he will make a statement.

I have no such plans.

To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will make a statement on securing direct television feeds to hon. Members' offices from the Chamber.

Until recently the only Members authorised by the Broadcasting Committee to receive a clean television feed from the Chamber in their offices within the House were the Speaker and the Chairman of Ways and Means. However, at its meeting on 19 July, the Committee agreed that for the purposes of facilitating the management of the business of the House, the following additional Members' offices should be supplied with a clean television feed: the Prime Minister; the Leader of the Opposition; the Leader of the House; the Shadow Leader of the House; the Leader of the Liberal Democrats; and the Whips Offices of the Government, the Official Opposition and the Liberal Democrats. The installation of the necessary cabling and television sets was carried out during the summer recess.So far as individual hon. and right hon. Members are concerned, the hon. Gentleman will be aware from previous answers on this subject that the Committee has approved in principle the supply of a feed to all Members' offices, provided that the service is available to all parts of the Parliamentary estate simultaneously. The Committee has also accepted, however, that because of the complexity and cost of the cabling work involved in such an undertaking, further progress must await decisions on the broader question of the provision of a parliamentary data and video network to Members' offices. Proposals on this subject, which are currently under consideration by the Information Committee, are not expected to come before the House until the beginning of 1994 at the earliest.

To ask the Lord President of the Council how many employees of hon. Members are paid out of the office costs allowance; and how many hon. Members have given their employees a contract of employment.

At 30 September 1993, 1,656 employees of hon. Members were directly paid salaries which were charged to the employing Members' office costs allowance. A total of 617 hon. Members have given one or more of their employees a contract of employment.

To ask the Lord President of the Council how many individuals currently in receipt of employee payments from the office costs allowance are married or otherwise related to current hon. Members.

This information is not available.

To ask the Lord President of the Council how many hon. Members have not yet given any of their staff a contract of employment; how many individual staff do not have contracts; what action he is taking to ensure contracts are provided; what sanction he has against hon. Members who refuse to issue contracts; and if he will make a statement.

Twenty-four Members have not lodged a copy of the contract of employment in respect of any of their staff who are classified as employees.Copies of contracts have not been sent to the Fees Office in respect of 264 employees of Members. The Fees Office continually monitors the position and periodically reminds hon. Members of their obligation to provide contracts.I am not aware of any Members who have refused to issue contracts and I have no plans to make a statement.

To ask the Lord President of the Council how many parliamentary questions have been answered in the last 12 months with the statement that the required figures are not available.

This information is not in a readily available form and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many states have made representations to his Department with regard to the holding of a conference to review the inhumane weaspons convention.

We are in touch with EC and NATO partners about the proposal to convene a review conference on the United Nations weaponry convention, but no states have so far made representations to us on this issue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those states that have (a) signed and (b) ratified the 1977 additional protocols to the Geneva convention.

The following states have ratified, accepted or acceded to additional protocol I to the Geneva conventions:

• Albaia
• Algeria
• Angola
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Argentina
• Armenia
• Australia
• Austria
• Bahamas
• Bahrain
• Bangladesh
• Barbados
• Belgium
• Belize
• Benin
• Bolivia
• Botswana
• Brazil
• Brunei Darussalam
• Bulgaria
• Burkina
• Burundi
• Byelorussia
• Cameroon
• Canada
• Central African Republc
• Chile
• China
• Colombia
• Comoros Islands
• Congo
• Costa Rica
• Croatia
• Cuba
• Cyprus
• Czechoslovakia
• Denmark
• Djibouti
• Ecuador
• E1 Salvador
• Equatorial Guinea
• Finland
• Gabon
• The Gambia
• Germany
• Georgia
• Ghana
• Greece
• Guatemala
• Guinea
• Guinea Bissau
• Guyana
• Holy See
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Italy
• Ivory Coast
• Jamaica
• Jordan
• People's Democratic Republic of Korea
• Kuwait
• Kyrgyzstan
• Laos
• Latvia
• Liberia
• Libya
• Liechtenstein
• Luxembourg
• Macedonia
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Maldives
• Mali
• Malta
• MauritaniaMauritius
• Mexico
• MoldovaMozambique
• Namibia
• The Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Norway
• Oman
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Poland
• Portugal
• Qatar
• Romania
• Russia
• Rwanda
• Samoa
• Saudi Arabia
• Senegal
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Solomon Islands
• Spain
• St. Kitts and Nevis
• St. Lucia
• St. Vincent and the Grenadine
• Suriname
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Syria
• Tanzania
• Togo
• Tunisia
• Turkmenistan
• Uganda
• Ukraine
• United Arab Emirates
• Uruguay
• Uzbekistan
• Vanuatu
• Vietnam
• Western Samoa
• Yemen Arab Republic
• Yugoslavia
• Zaire

The following states have signed but not ratified additional protocol I:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those states that have (a) signed and (b) ratified the inhumane weapons convention.

The following states have ratified, accepted or acceded to the convention:

Australia, Austria, Benin, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Bulgaria, Byelorussia, China, Cuba, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Japan, Latvia, Laos, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Mongolia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Ukraine and Yugoslavia.

The following states have signed but not ratified the convention:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on how many states have made representations to the United Nations Secretary-General with regard to the holding of a conference to review the inhumane weapons convention.

Our information is that only France has made representations to the United Nations Secretary General to request the convening of a review conference on the United Nations weaponry convention.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects that the United Kingdom will ratify the 1981 inhumane weapons convention.

As I told the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) in my reply to his question on 22 October at column 371, we hope to reach a decision soon on ratification of the 1981 UN weaponry convention.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the cost of the construction of the new British High Commission office in Nairobi, Kenya; and when this work is expected to be completed.

The estimated outturn construction cost is £5.3 million and the High Commission is programmed to move into the new premises in summer 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to what extent the European Movement continues to receive funds from his Department.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office gave the European Movement a grant of £30,000 in 1992 to fund a series of regional conferences on the Maastricht treaty. The European Movement will receive a grant of £10,000 this year. No commitment has been given for future years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received on the case of Gul Masih, a Christian sentenced to death under the blasphemy laws in Pakistan; and what action he has taken.

There has been considerable parliamentary and public interest in this case. While an appeal is pending and the case is sub judice, we have not taken any formal action. We have however on several occasions made clear informally to the Pakistani authorities the strength of feeling this case has aroused in the United Kingdom. We will consider what action we should take when the appeal has been heard.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support he has given to Amnesty International's Human Rights Week; and if he will make a statement.

We take every opportunity to promote respect for human rights. We recognise Amnesty International's important role in identifying human rights abuses and bringing pressure to bear on governments which commit them. We welcome Amnesty International's efforts to highlight the obnoxious practices of political killings and disappearances.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes have taken place in the procedures of the European Court of Human Rights and the European Commission of Human Rights since the Vienna declaration; and if he will make a statement.

There have been no changes because discussions on reform of the procedures of the European Commission and Court of Human Rights are still in progress. The Vienna declaration called for the work on reform to be completed, and a draft protocol amending the European Convention on Human Rights to be finalised, in time for the Council of Europe ministerial meeting in May 1994. The United Kingdom will contribute fully to this process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the texts of regional law in China are available to his Department.

The texts of most Chinese regional laws are now published in Chinese and are freely available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the United Kingdom will support the United States resolution at the United Nations General Assembly calling for a moratorium on the export of anti-personnel mines; and if he will make a statement.

We are in touch with the United States about their draft resolution but we will not be able to take a final position on it until we see the final text.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on discussions with the Arab States on moves to rescind the secondary and tertiary aspects of the Arab trade boycott of Israel.

We welcome the progress towards the relaxation of the secondary and tertiary boycotts. We hope that further progress can be made soon in light of recent developments in the peace process. We continue to urge Arab states to lift the boycott.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in what circumstances and when the style European Community will be replaced by the style European Union.

The European Communities, that is to say the European Community, the European Coal and Steel Community and Euratom, will remain in being after the Maastricht treaty enters into force. They are not replaced by the European Union. No decisions have yet been taken on where it may be appropriate to replace "European Communities" by "European Union" as a descriptive title.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials in his Department have (a) children in fee-paying schools for whom Her Majesty's Government meet the bill because the officials are posted abroad and (b) children in fee-paying schools for whom Her Majesty's Government meet the bill after the officials have returned because their children remain in the school; and if he will detail the cost for the last 15 years for each of these two categories.

In the time available it has not been possible to retrieve all of the information requested. I shall write to the hon. Member in due course with the balance of the information.In academic year 1992–93:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the agreement reached between Mr. Ekeus as special representative for the United Nations Security Council and the Iraqi Government on 22 July in regard to implementation of United Nations Security Council resolutions in Iraq.

Security Council members, including the United Kingdom, have expressed support for Mr. Ekeus's actions. The Security Council, and UNSCOM, will continue to press for sustained Iraqi implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he expects the citizens of Hong Kong to be forced to comply with Chinese legislation implementing or specifying (a) the need to obtain permission to marry, (b) the one-child policy, (c) the legal obligation to have an intra-uterine device inserted in the woman after one child, (d) the obligation for one of the partners in a marriage to be sterilised after the birth of a second child and (e) the obligation to abort any subsequent pregnancy; and if he will make a statement.

No. The Sino-British joint declaration, a legally binding agreement registered at the United Nations, provides that Hong Kong's present rights and freedoms, including the freedom to marry and the right to raise a family freely, will be maintained. In general Chinese laws will not be applied to Hong Kong.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if China is a signatory to any United Nations statement guaranteeing freedom to marry and the right to raise a family freely; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. China has signed the convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, which is a legally binding document. We have consistently urged the Chinese authorities to sign other relevant conventions and covenants, including the international convention on civil and political rights (ICCPR) and the international covenant on economic and social rights (ICESR), and to improve their human rights performance generally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many import permits have been allowed over the last three years for products derived from (a) Asiatic black bears, (b) any other bear listed under appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and (c) any bear listed under appendix 2 of CITES.

No import permits have been issued in the last three years for products derived from the Asiatic black bear —Selenarctos thibetanus—or any other species of bear listed in appendix I of CITES. Seventy-four import permits have been issued for products derived from species of bears listed in appendix II of CITES.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average domestic living space available for each individual in the United Kingdom; what are the comparable figures for other EC countries, for the latest year for which figures are available; and what were the comparable figures 10 years earlier.

Our most recent estimate, based on the 1991 census, the 1991 English, Scottish and Northern Ireland house condition surveys and the 1986 Welsh house condition survey, is that the average domestic living space available to each individual in the United Kingdom is 32 sq. m. Comparable figures for other EC countries and for 10 years earlier are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many private sector landlords are approved landlords.

None: my Department has no power to approve landlords.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will call for a report from the National Rivers Authority as to how many staff are employed at its Northumbria office; what their functions are; what plans there are for reductions; and if he will make a statement.

No. The questions raised by the hon. Member concern the internal management of the NRA, and are a matter for the board.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many civil servants, previously employed by the Property Services Agency, have now taken redundancy following the sale of PSA Noreast; and what was the cost of the redundancies.

There have been eight redundancies to date as a result of the sale of PSA BM Noreast. The estimated cost of these redundancies is £212,000.A further seven members of staff employed by PSA BM Noreast, who had earlier agreed to leave on voluntary redundancy terms, have left since 1 October 1993 at an estimated cost of £378,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to the environmental impact of wind-farms on beautiful landscapes; and if he will withdraw the subsidy for the generation of electricity by wind turbines situated on high ground.

The Government's policy is to encourage the development of renewable energy wherever it has the prospect of being economically attractive and environmentally acceptable. Planning policy guidance note 22 sets out the Government's planning policies on renewable energy in more detail and advises that local planning authorities must always weigh the desirability of exploiting a clean, renewable energy resource against the visual impact which wind turbines may have on the landscape. We believe it is better to leave it to the local planning authority to determine the suitability of different sites for wind turbines rather than to build site-related provision into the non-fossil fuel obligation arrangement.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice or guidance has been given to the Local Government Commission concerning the possible creation of new local authorities which straddle the commission's review areas.

In drafting its final report to my right hon. Friend, in respect of a particular review, the Commission should make recommendations only in respect of the area specified by him in his direction to it.The procedure guidance issued to the Commission in July 1992 provides that:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice he is giving to local planning authorities on how to deal with the closure of large military bases in their areas; what plans he has to introduce a planning policy guidance not on this subject; and if he will make a statement.

Local planning authorities should take account of such bases in preparing their development plans, and consider producing site development briefs where appropriate. Circular 18/84 advises on the disposal of surplus Crown land.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made by his Department to date in developing a national plan for waste.

The Government have indicated the need for some form of national waste policy summary when the Environment Agency has been established, to replace the waste disposal plans currently drawn up by waste regulation authorities. We are considering the timing and content of such a policy summary.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what financial profit or loss to the Ordnance Survey will arise from its three-year contract with Her Majesty's Land Registry; and if he will make a statement.

The information is commercial-in-confidence. However, the pricing of the bid complied with Her Majesty's Treasury and Cabinet Office guidance and was compiled on a fully commercial basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what permission has been given to interested foreign organisations and individuals to submit their response to the second consultation on the thermal oxide reprocessing plant authorisations in their native language, and on what dates; in what foreign languages submissions have been received; what arrangements have been made to translate these submissions; how long this has taken; at what cost; and if he will summarise the foreign submissions in regard to whether they expressed support or opposition to Thorp.

Foreign organisations or individuals have not sought permission to submit responses in their native language. Responses to the consultation are being counted and assessed. Information about the responses will be made available once they have all been considered.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing for each local authority in south-east Northumberland the number of persons accepted as homeless in each year since 1979.

For the information for the years 1979 to 1991 inclusive, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Angus, East (Mr. Welsh) on 17 June 1992 at columns 569–70The information for 1992 for local authorities in south-east Northumberland is as follows:

Households accepted as homeless in 19921
	Number
Blyth Valley	330
Castle Morpeth	224
Wansbeck	317
1 Excluding intentionally homeless households.
2 Castle Morpeth only reported figures for two quarters.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many current city challenge authorities have developed exit strategies.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 22 July 1993 at column 347.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many appeals are currently outstanding regarding the council tax.

As at 30 September 1993, 580,721 proposals for the alteration of the valuation list were outstanding in England.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what provisions have been made to assist authorities with clearance procedures for new housebuilding; and if he will list what help has been given to each local authority in Lancashire.

[holding answer 22 October 1993]: I shall write to the hon. Member following my meeting with him and other members of the Bishop of Burnley's delegation on Monday 25 October to discuss the Lancashire housing inquiry panel's recent report on housing in Lancashire.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the power stations in England and Wales which have been authorised to use sour gas; and if he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.Section 14(2) of the Energy Act 1976 requires that notice be given to me of any proposals to enter into contractual or other arrangements to obtain a supply of gas as fuel for a power station. I am empowered under section 14(3) to direct that any proposal of which I am notified should not be carried out, or should be carried out in accordance with specified conditions.There is no requirement for the notice to distinguish between sour and other gas. However, the following proposals have been notified under section 14(2) which may involve sour gas. I have not given any directions under section 14(3) preventing or modifying them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the latest position regarding humanitarian aid to the former Yugoslavia; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 18 October 1993, c. 103 ]: The total of Britain's financial commitments for humanitarian aid to the former Yugoslavia is £141 million, not £152 million as stated.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what are the judicial responsibilities currently performed by the holders of the office of justices' clerk.

Justices' clerks, or upon delegation, any court clerks, have certain quasi-judicial functions in relation to family cases. In criminal cases, some essentially administrative functions formerly exercised by a single justice have been delegated to justices' clerks or on their delegation to court clerks.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) what assessment he has made of the effects of the White Paper "A New Framework for Local Justice" on the independence of justices' clerks when advising magistrates in relation to their judicial duties otherwise than in individual cases;(2) what assessment he has made of the effects of the White Paper "A New Framework for Local Justice" on the independence of justices' clerks in the performance by them of their judicial responsibilities.

The Lord Chancellor and I have considered carefully the implications of the White Paper, studied the views put forward by various bodies, and taken note of the effects of the reforms in those areas where the changes have already been introduced. We are satisfied that the changes will not interfere with judicial independence and we shall emphasis this by including in legislation a provision which makes clear that justices' clerks and other court staff are not liable to direction in respect of the legal advice given to magistrates in court.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to review the legal position of Alzheimer's disease sufferers who are unable to grant power of attorney to relatives or who have no close relatives; and if he will make a statement.

The Law Commission is reviewing the law and procedures relating to decision-making on behalf of mentally incapacitated adults.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on the future of the Probate Registry, Cardiff-road, Llandaff, Cardiff, subsequent to the removal of the registry to the new county court complex.

There are no plans to change in any way the status or operation of Llandaff district probate registry following its relocation at the new county court complex currently being built.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he intends to bring into force section 13 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990.

It is intended to bring section 13 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 into effect at the end of 1994.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people and/or jobs are involved directly or indirectly in (a) the whisky and (b) the whiskey industry in the United Kingdom.

I regret the information is not available. The standard industrial classification does not separately identify the whisky or whiskey industries from other industries involved in spirit distilling and compounding.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what percentage per capita consumption of (a) all alcoholic drinks and (b) whisky or whiskey has changed in the United Kingdom since 1979.

The following figures relate to expenditure by domestic consumers and exclude business expenditure. Consumption per capita of all alcoholic drinks declined in real terms by 6 per cent. between 1979 and 1992. Figures relating to whisky and whiskey are unavailable for years prior to 1984. Consumption per capita for whisky and whiskey combined fell in real terms by 21 per cent. between 1984 and 1992. Separate figures for whisky and whiskey are unavailable.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the sale of whisky and whiskey in the United Kingdom at the last date for which figures are available expressed as a percentage of the figure for 1979.

Figures for sales of whisky and whiskey for years prior to 1984 are unavailble. Between 1984 and 1992 sales of whisky and whiskey combined rose from £1,561 million to £2,053 million at current market prices. This represents an increase of 32 per cent. Expressed in terms of constant 1990 prices, expenditure on whisky and whiskey combined fell by 19 per cent. from £2,105 million in 1984 to £1,704 million in 1992. These figures relate to expenditure by domestic consumers and exclude business expenditure.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average retail cost of a 70 cl bottle of Scotch whisky in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) each of the other EC states and (c) the United States of America.

In September 1993 the retail prices index sample gave an average price £10.94 for a 70 cl bottle of whisky in the United Kingdom. Scotch whisky is not specified in the RPI sample which is mainly made up of blended brands. The information for (b) and (c) can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the total earnings from export of (a) whisky and (b) whiskey, distilled in Northern Ireland for each year since 1979.

I regret that trade figures are not available for production from different parts of the United Kingdom, and whiskey distilled in Northern Ireland is therefore not separately distinguished. The value of exports of whisky from the United Kingdom as a whole in each year is as follows.

	£ million
1979	710
1980	748
1981	787
1982	875
1983	864
1984	937
1985	1,001
1986	1,075
1987	1,142
1988	1,298
1989	1,480
1990	1,727
1991	1,853
1992	1,981

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the actual and percentage change in the duty imposed on a 70 cl bottle of whisky since 1979.

The following is the information:

Date of change	Alcohol duty on 70 cl spirits (40 per cent. above)£	Per cent. change from previous rate
27 March 1980	3·32	13·7
11 March 1981	3·81	14·6
4·05	6·4	10 March 1982

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the volume of wines imported from (a) countries within the EC and (b) countries outside the EC at the last year for which figures are available, expressed as a percentage of the figure for 1979.

The available information on the physical volume of trade in wines, separately distinguishing countries which are now members of the European Community, is as follows:

	Volume in 1992 as percentage of volume in 1979
EC members	148
Other countries	225

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to basing the excise duty on wine, beers and spirits on alcohol content and not category of beverage; and if he will make a statement.

No Government have ever accepted that relative alcoholic strength should be the sole determining factor for setting duty rates. Unitary taxation would greatly limit my right hon. and learned Friend's room for manoeuvre on fiscal policy, by removing the flexibility to take account of other factors.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the alcohol contents of (a) a single measure of whisky or whiskey and (b) a glass of wine as sold in public houses in England and Wales; and what is the excise duty imposed in each case.

Following is the information:

	Alcohol content (millilitres)	Excise duty (pence)
Spirits measure (1/6 gill at 40 per cent· abv)	9·5	18·8
Glass of wine (12·5 cl at 11·5 per cent· abv)	14·4	16·5

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of contributions made to the Exchequer by companies involved in wheel clamping.

I regret that information is not available. The classification of companies for direct and indirect taxation does not permit wheel clamping companies to be identified separately.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how his Department has calculated the effect on carbon dioxide emissions of the imposition of VAT on fuel; and what proportion of the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions will fall on (a) domestic fuel supplies and (b) industrial and other supplies.

I refer the hon. Member to the memorandum submitted by Her Majesty's Treasury to the House of Commons Treasury and Civil Service Committee's inquiry into the March 1993 Budget—TCSC 4th Report, 1992–93 session, March 1993 Budget, Cmnd 5788.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer under what provisions the United Kingdom is required to increase its gross national product percentage contribution to the EC; and by what date any necessary legislation is required to be passed.

The Edinburgh European Council agreed, as part of its conclusions on the Community's finances over the period to 1999, that the current ceiling of 1.2 per cent. of EC GNP on the Community's own resources should remain in force until 1994; and that the ceiling should then rise to 1.21 per cent. of EC GNP in 1995 and by gradual steps thereafter to 1.27 per cent. in 1999. In order to give effect to this agreement from 1 January 1995, it will be necessary to amend the Community's own resources decision—88/376/EEC, Euratom—and for the amended decision to be adopted by the member states. In the case of the United Kingdom, adoption would mean amending section 1(2) of the European Communities Act, 1972. The member states' actual contributions to the EC budget are determined in the annual budgetary procedure, within the ceiling in force.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the revenue raised by (a) an increase of 1p on income tax across all bands of income tax and (b) the sums resulting from such an increase on each individual band of income tax.

At 1994–95 levels of income and assuming statutory indexation of allowances and the basic rate limit with the lower rate band set at £3,000 as announced in the March 1993 Budget the full-year yields are as follows:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the sums of money actually collected by the Inland Revenue for the fiscal years 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91 and 1991–92, in (a) capital gains tax, (b) inheritance tax, (c) corporation tax and (d) dividend withholding tax.

Information on tax receipts by head of tax can be found in table 1·2 of "Inland Revenue Statistics 1993". There is no dividend withholding tax.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the sums of money reclaimed and paid to foreign trusts, persons and companies, from dividend withholding tax for the fiscal years (a) 1988–89, (b) 1989–90, (c) 1990–91 and (d) 1991–92.

The United Kingdom does not have a dividend withholding tax.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total sum of money owed to the Treasury as a result of personal and corporate bankruptcies and liquidations for each of the fiscal years 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91 and 1991–92.

The total sum of money owed to the Treasury as a result of personal and corporation bankruptcies and liquidations covering the fiscal years 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91 and 1991–92 is as follows:

(£ thousand)
Year	Inland Revenue	Customs and Excise
1988	469,500	173,800
1989	375,540	151,800
1990	393,946	190,300
1991	631,698	514,200
1992	1,308,826	751,700

The figures for the Inland Revenue are for the accounts year which ends on 31 October each year and the figures for Customs and Excise are for the calendar year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department has taken to examine the tax position of unincorporated bodies receiving funds from bank accounts in offshore tax havens; and if he will make a statement.

An unincorporated body which is resident in this country is liable to United Kingdom tax on its worldwide income, on which it makes returns. The Inland Revenue subjects a proportion of total returns to detailed inquiry, which may involve the examination of foreign source income.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates he has made of the number of United Kingdom persons, individual and corporate, who have set up trusts and companies offshore since 1980; and if he will place all such estimates in the Library.

I regret that information on which to base such an estimate is not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases which have been investigated by the Inland Revenue and are currently being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office and by the Metropolitan police and regional fraud squads, involve the use of offshore tax havens in the perpetration of the suspected fraud.

Figures are not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to impose taxation upon jet engine fuel.

Decisions on changes in taxation are a matter for the Budget statement.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will list, by date, each study into tax avoidance via offshore ownership made by the Inland Revenue or the Treasury, or on behalf of his Department, since 1984; and if he will place all such studies and reports in the Library;(2) what reports have been compiled by the Treasury and the Board of the Inland Revenue into tax avoidance and evasion via offshore trusts and companies since 1985; and if he will place those reports in the Library.

Whilst developments in this area are kept under constant review, no reports or studies have been produced for publication.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his Department's estimate of the acreage of land in England and Wales owned by foreign companies and trusts.

No figures are held on which such an estimate could be based.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to offer tax incentives to encourage investment in commercial composting and anaerobic digestion plants.

The hon. Member would not expect me to make a statement on taxation matters at this time of year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has to change the severance payments for Prime Ministers under the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991; and if he will make a statement.

Section 4 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 excludes Prime Ministers from receiving a severance payment under the Act.There are no proposals to change this arrangement.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the number of persons, trusts or corporations resident in the United Kingdom, who are the beneficiaries of trusts set up abroad; and if he will place in the Library all reports by his Department into the above matter since 1983.

I regret that information on which to base the estimate requested in the first part of the question could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. No reports have been published on matters concerning the second part of the question.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average level of sterling deposits, governmental and cash, held in (a) Switzerland, (b) Luxembourg, (c) Liechtenstein, (d) Monaco, (e) Jersey, (f) Guernsey, (g) the Isle of Man, (h) Bermuda, (i) Bahamas, (j) the British Virgin Islands and (k) the Cayman Islands; and if he will make a statement.

The most recent published figures for sterling deposits in Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands are as follows:

	£ billion
Jersey	21·9
Guernsey	9·2
Isle of Man	8·0
British Virgin Islands	nil
Cayman Islands	3·1

Figures for Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Bermuda and the Bahamas are not available in the form requested.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate for the volume of cash transferred to tax havens abroad from the United Kingdom which appears to be associated with fraud, for each year since 1988.

Reliable estimates cannot be made.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates he has for capital remittances made for profits and gains in the United Kingdom, to companies and trusts in Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Bermuda, Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco and Switzerland, for each of the fiscal years since 1985.

I regret that information on which to base such an estimate is not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Government have to impose taxation upon jet engine fuel.

Decisions on changes in taxation are a matter for the Budget statement.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the future of national savings.

I meet the Director of Savings regularly. National Savings continues to play an important role in the Government's funding programme, and in providing opportunities for the public to invest in savings products.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, for each privatised utility, he will publish information, for the latest year available, in respect of (a) total Government holding, expressed as a percentage of the utilities' share, and (b) the current value of the Government holding.

[holding answer 22 October 1993]: The table shows the ordinary shares held by the Government in the privatised utility companies as a percentage of issued share capital and by market valuation.

Government shareholdings in privatised utility companies
Company	Shareholding as a proportion Per cent	Value of shareholding (£ million)
British Gas	0·0	0·2
BT	1·1	304·9
Anglian Water	0·9	14·4
Northumbrian Water	0·4	1·8
North West Water	0·8	15·3
Severn Trent	1·0	20·3
Southern Water	0·7	7·4
South West Water	0·1	0·7
Thames Water	0·9	20·0
Welsh Water	0·7	6·6
Wessex Water	0·5	4·1
Yorkshire Water	0·8	8·7
Eastern Electricity	1·7	26·9
East Midlands Electricity	1·1	14·6
London Electricity	1·1	14·9
Manweb	1·8	14·1
Midlands Electricity	1·4	18·5
Northern Electric	1·7	13·1
Norweb	1·6	17·7
Seeboard	2·0	17·0
Southern Electric	1·2	20·4
South Wales Electricity	1·4	9·2
South Western Electricity	1·9	14·2
Yorkshire Electricity	1·3	16·4
National Power	39·3	2,063·9
PowerGen	40·7	1,430·6
Scottish Hydro-Electric	3·4	53·4
Scottish Power	3·6	118·3
Northern Ireland Electricity	3·8	20·0

Note: Values of shareholdings calculated at close, 19 October.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 18 October, Official Report, column 14, how many of the 23·2 million persons who have incomes of less than£100 per week are (a) students, (b) persons between 18 and 65 years of age, (c) pensioners and (d) males between 18 years and 65 years; and what is his estimate of the loss in revenue if none of these persons paid income tax.

[holding answer 22 October 1993]: of the estimated 23·2 million people who have incomes below £100 per week in 1993–94 about 1·2 million are aged 16 or 17, 15·7 million are aged between 18 and 65, of whom 5·2 million are males, and 6·3 million are aged 65 or over.The loss in revenue if none of these people paid income tax would be about £400 million.

To ask the Prime Minister who is responsible for deciding the maximum permissible cost of answering a written parliamentary question; if that cost is different for different Departments; and how often that amount is reviewed.

I have been asked to reply.If an answer to any written question is likely to cost more than £450—the current cost threshold, calculated by the Treasury—the answering Minister will decide whether to refuse to answer on the ground of disproportionate cost, or whether to answer it whole or in part regardless of cost. This threshold, which applies to all Departments, is reviewed annually.

To ask the Prime Minister when he next proposes to issue the list of ministerial committees of the Cabinet.

I have been asked to reply.An updated list of the ministerial committees of the Cabinet, with their terms of reference and membership, will be published shortly.

To ask the Prime Minister what meetings the Minister for Social Security and Disabled People has had with the sponsors of the Civil Rights (Disabled Persons) Bill and representatives of the all-party disablement group in the House about the Government's response to the Bill and their alternative proposals since the Prime Minister's meeting with the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe (Mr. Morris) and supporters of his Bill on 23 February; what was the date and duration of each meeting; and if he will publish the papers tabled for discussion at the meetings.

I have been asked to reply.There have been two meetings, on 25 March and 17 May, each lasting about an hour. No papers were tabled at either meeting.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will consider moving total responsibility for funding the Child Migrant Trust from the Department of Health in such a way as to ensure that the various Departments with present or previous responsibility for the child migrant scheme contribute towards to the cost of the trust's work.

I have been asked to reply.Responsibility for child welfare transferred in 1971 from the Home Office to the Department of Health and the territorial Departments. We can see no advantage in changing the Government's responsibilities for funding this kind of activity in the way suggested.

To ask the Prime Minister how much was spent on official hospitality in his Department in the financial year 1992–93.

[holding answer 20 October 1993]: I have been asked to reply.The expenditure by the Office of my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, on official hospitality in the financial year 1992–93 was £30,023. This is a reduction of £10,953 or 27 per cent. compared with 1991–92.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 19 January, Official Report, column 175, when he now expects the village speed control working group to publish its final report and recommendations; and if he will make a statement.

Monitoring results from the individual trial sites are all expected to be received before the end of the year, and analysis is under way. A final report will now be made in spring 1994. In advance of the report, valuable lessons are already being learnt as the trials progress. The messages in the report will be disseminated widely to local highway authorities and other groups who have an interest in this area. To follow on from the village speed working group—VISP—I am planning a further series of trials of traffic calming measures for villages on trunk roads next year, starting with Thorney in Cambridgeshire.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria were used in the decision to allocate £150 million of leasing funds to British Rail; and what were the reasons that the money was allocated to Network SouthEast.

The purpose of the £150 million leasing concession was to encourage the development of a leasing market for passenger trains. The decision to lease trains for Network SouthEast was made by British Rail on the ground that the business case for doing so was superior to that for trains for the west coast main line.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what plans he has for any further financing or leasing deals for British Rail similar to that recently awarded to Network Southeast;

I will support further leasing proposals for the west coast main line, or any other route, provided they meet the Treasury's criteria for classification as an operating lease and they are good value for money.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what steps he will be taking, in conjunction with British Rail, to improve services on the west coast main line; and what plans he has for the modernisation of track and signalling on that route;(2) if he will guarantee the future of the west coast main line as a high-speed route between London, Warrington and Glasgow.

The Government fully appreciate the importance of modernising the west coast main line. British Rail has set aside funds for design work to renew the infrastructure. From April next year, following our reform of the railways, responsibility for infrastructure will pass to Railtrack. In the meantime, the Government have taken the initiative in appointing Hambros bank to devise proposals for a joint venture to renew the infrastructure on the west coast main line. This is a new departure in the private finance initiative for railways. Instead of waiting for the private sector to come forward with proposals which may or may not be acceptable to the Government, Hambros has been tasked to find a solution which meets the Government's guidelines and will be attractive to the private sector. Hambros will be reporting later in the autumn.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will issue guidelines for the development of toll road proposals.

Privately financed toll roads can be provided only in accordance with the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991, or by individual legislation. Guidelines on the Act were contained in a circular that was issued to local authorities by the Department of Transport and the Welsh Office in March 1992. Evaluation of a prospective concessionaire's proposals will be a matter for the highway authority, but under the 1991 Act, a statement must be published with a draft toll order, setting out the key points of a concession agreement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will ensure that toll road proposals are subject to adequate consultations on and evaluation at all key stages.

Under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 the procedures for authorisation of a toll road are similar to those of the Highways Act 1980 that apply to publicly financed roads; there will therefore be a similar approach to public consultation and public inquiry. Any scheme which is taken forward by means of individual legislation would be subject to detailed scrutiny by Parliament.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to publish the results of the public consultation undertaken by Midland Expressway Ltd. in respect of the Birmingham north relief road.

The results of the official public consultation exercise held in autumn 1991 are contained in the preferred route statement which was published on 3 March 1992, at the same time as the announcement of the signing of the concession agreement between the Secretary of State for Transport and Midland Expressway Ltd. The results of subsequent consultations with local authorities and other interested groups were included in the environmental statement which was published in June 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultation he proposes with Staffordshire local authorities in respect of those parts of the concession relating to the Birmingham north relief road agreement which deal with non-tolling matters.

As with all major highway schemes there has been and will continue to be regular consultation with all affected local authorities throughout the development of the scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has to ensure that the Birmingham north relief road would be available free of charge for traffic diverted to it.

I have no such proposals. I see no possibility of road users being compelled to use the Birmingham northern relief road rather than the various alternative routes with which it will compete.