To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the cost of advertising by his Department has been for each year since 1979 and for each of the last 12 months.

Expenditure on advertising prior to 1987–88 could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Expenditure on advertising for each year from 1987–88 is as follows:

	£
1987–88	4,978
1988–89	3,888
1989–90	5,483
1990–91	5,174
1991–92	22,698
1992–93	15,962

Expenditure for each of the past 12 months is as follows:

	£
1992
November	328
December	375
1993
January	—
Febryary	—
March	14,901
April	352
May	—
June	1,439
July	2,617
August	302
September	1,056
October	989

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to ensure independence of justices' clerks when advising magistrates, other than in individual cases.

The Lord Chancellor and I are entirely committed to protecting the independence of justices' clerks when advising magistrates. The legislation which with Parliament's approval will implement the White Paper, "A New Framework for Local Justice", will establish a framework within which the respective roles and responsibilities of justices' clerks and their magistrates courts committees can be clarified. The legislation will also make clear that justices' clerks 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 if he will now publish the text of the proposed statutory provisions regarding the judicial independence of magistrates and the independence of legal advice given to magistrates by their clerks in individual cases.

The Bill which will implement the White Paper, "A New Framework for Local Justice", is expected to be introduced to the House before the Christmas recess, after which the full text will be published in accordance with the usual procedure.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the implications of the recommendations of the Efficiency Commission on the cost of legal aid.

The Efficiency Commission has, since it was set up in 1986, made a number of recommendations designed to improve the operation of the criminal legal aid system. It is not possible to produce a precise figure for the implications which those recommendations which have been accepted have had on the cost of legal aid. It is, however, likely that the resulting savings have been small relative to total expenditure on criminal legal aid.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the current time scale for the work of the Efficiency Commission; and if he will make a statement.

There is currently no timetable assigned to the work of the Standing Commission on Efficiency.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department which proposals of the Efficiency Commission have been implemented since its establishment.

The Standing Commission on Efficiency is made up of senior representatives from the Bar, the Law Society, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Lord Chancellor's Department. It has provided a forum for the formulation and discussion of ways of enhancing communication between the legal profession and the courts and thereby improving the disposal of criminal business. The commission has considered a large number of papers on a wide range of topics with the common aim of speeding up or streamlining both pre-trial processes and in-court procedures. In 1990 each of the members of the Efficiency Commission published a "Guide to Good Practice", which drew together the discussions of the group and provided reference documents in which each agency set out how it would discharge its responsibility to provide an efficient and effective service. The best practices set out there inform the practical operation of a wide range of services carried out by practitioners and courts. The commission has also been instrumental in devising a form for the provision of information by defence solicitors to assist courts when making listing decisions. A research project into the causes of delay in criminal proceedings was commissioned earlier this year. The findings of that research were submitted to the Royal Commission on criminal justice, and consideration and implementation of any of its recommendations will take place in the context of the discussion of the wide-reaching proposals of the Royal Commission.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what complaints he has received about delays in the taxing and payment of (a) expedited costs and (b) other costs; and if he will make a statement.

In relation to costs in civil proceedings in the High Court and the county courts, I have received no more than 20 written complaints about delays in taxation over the last 12 months. Payment of costs in civil proceedings is a matter for the parties. The courts provide a range of procedures which can be used to enforce an order for costs, but it is for the parties to decide whether they want to use them.With regard to the delays in the taxing and payment of costs in criminal proceedings, the information is not recorded under this particular definition. The best available information shows that I have received nine complaints from Members of Parliament and 12 complaints from members of the public this year.No central record is kept of the number of complaints which may be received by the courts direct.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to improve the efficiency of the administration of justice in respect of the prompt taxing and payment of costs awarded by (a) the High Court and (b) other courts.

Delays in respect of civil taxations have been reduced generally over the last eighteen months. The situation is being kept under review and remedial steps will be taken, if necessary. On the question of payment of costs in civil proceedings, I refer the hon. Member to my answer to an earlier, related question.In respect of improving efficiency in the payment of costs in criminal proceedings, targets are in place for the payment of those costs which are being met nationally. Some problems have been experienced by the south-eastern circuit taxing teams and additional resources have been provided to assist them in meeting the targets set. Additionally, my officials are currently looking at how the standard fee system in the Crown court may be extended.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to award Rainbow the management of the national lottery.

None. The licence to run the national lottery will be awarded by the director general after a competitive process.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many redundancies have been effected in all grades in BBC Northern Ireland in each year from 1 April 1983 to 31 March 1993.

I understand from the BBC that the information is not readily available before 1991. The total number of redundancies in BBC Northern Ireland in each of the last three years is as follows:

	Number
1991	105
1992	4
1993	37

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many people were employed in BBC Northern Ireland in all grades in each year from 1 April 1983 to 31 March 1993.

I understand from the BBC that the information is not readily available before 1987. The total number of people employed in BBC Northern Ireland in each of the last seven years, in December, is as follows:

	Numbers
1987	701
1988	675
1989	697
1990	671
1991	566
1992	570
1993	533

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list radio stations which are wholly or mainly aimed at serving ethnic minority listeners.

The following radio stations are wholly or mainly aimed at serving ethnic minority listeners:

• Choice FM (South London)
• Harmony Radio (Coventry)
• London Greek Radio{North London)
• Spectrum Radio(Londonwide)
• Sunrise East Midlands (Leicester)
• Sunrise FM (Bradford)
• Sunrise Radio (West London¹)
• WNK Radio (North London)
• ¹ Londonwide from 1 January 1994).

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many radio stations serve each of the cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield.

The table lists the number of services which are specifically designed to serve the whole of each named city.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage which major British cities have a radio station licensed to serve the entire metropolitan area.

Every major British city has at least one licensed local radio service.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is his policy on the provision of small community radio stations.

Under the Broadcasting Act 1990, the Radio Authority licenses independent radio stations, including stations to serve small communities. It is for the authority to decide how to carry out its responsibilities.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the distribution of funds between countries and projects in the fourth framework programme for research and development of the European Union.

The fourth framework programme has not yet been adopted. Statistical information on the distribution of funds will not be available until individual programmes within the overall framework have been implemented and operational for some time.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster for how long published copies of individaul Acts of Parliament are available; and whether he will consider more extensive publication as an initiative under the citizens charter.

HMSO aims as a minimum to keep all Acts of Parliament in print for at least three years. Thereafter individual acts are normally reprinted, provided there is sufficient demand. Where an Act goes out of print, HMSO can supply photocopies. In addition, HMSO can supply copies of any unrepealed Act in the version appearing in "Statutes in Force."

To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick upon Tweed (Mr. Beith), representing the House of Commons Commission, what changes have been made to the membership of the Advisory Committee on Works of Art.

I understand that Madam Speaker has appointed to the Advisory Committee on Works of Art the right hon. Member for Horsham (Sir Peter Hordern) in place of the right hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Channon).

To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Mr. Beith), representing the House of Commons Commission, what is his policy on the provision of overnight sleeping accommodation for staff; what is the annual cost of providing overnight sleeping accommodation for staff; and what alternatives have been considered for (a) uses of the allocated sleeping accommodation and (b) arranging overnight staff accommodation in local hotels.

Overnight sleeping accommodation is provided for essential staff of the House who are required to be on duty at late hours. The only costs arising directly from this provision are those for laundry, which at present cannot readily be separately identified. There is no plan to alter existing arrangements.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will outline the procedures governing the use of public interest immunity certificates.

Public interest immunity is a rule of evidence developed by the courts which is designed to prevent documents being disclosed in criminal or civil litigation if harm would result to the operation of the public service. It applies equally to all parties to litigation, irrespective of whether production would help or hinder their case. A claim for public interest immunity cannot be waived and in the case of the Crown is usually made by way of ministerial certificate. Such a certificate is not conclusive. Each claim is considered by the court which may, and in a criminal case must, inspect the documents. The court considers first whether the claim is in principle a valid one and, if so, must then go on to consider whether the interests of justice in the particular case require that the public interest in maintaining confidentiality be overridden. The decision whether or not to override the public interest in maintaining confidentiality is for the court to make; it is not for the party claiming immunity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the budget of the world food programme in 1993.

The overall turnover of the world food programme in 1993 will be some US$2 billion. This includes both the programme support and administration budget, project spending, contributions in cash to trust funds and contributions in kind, which will provide some 4·5 million tonnes of food commodities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what policy initiatives he is urging upon the Secretary-General of the United Nations to promote the long-term recovery of Somalia.

All donors had a full opportunity to express their views on the rehabilitation of Somalia at the humanitarian conference organised by the United Nations in Addis Ababa from 29 November to 1 December. We now await the report from the Secretary-General called for in Security Council resolution 886 of 18 November.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what is the value of the ODA and EC aid and development programme in Somalia, excluding the area of the former British Somalia, in the current financial year;(2) what is the ODA and EC aid and development programme in the former British Somalia—Somaliland—in the current financial year.

Britain's bilateral development programme to Somalia was terminated in 1991, since when there has been residual expenditure only. In November 1993, the EC approved a rehabilitation programme for the whole of Somalia worth about £29 million. The UK share will be £4·7 million.Both Britain and the EC have provided substantial amounts of humanitarian assistance to Somalia this year. Since January 1993, Britain has committed more than £9·5 million in bilateral humanitarian assistance to Somalia, of which more than £1 million has so far been allocated to activities in the north-west. The EC has provided £9·2 million in emergency assistance to Somalia, of which the UK share is £1·5 million. EC expenditure by region is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) of 6 December, Official Report, column 76, what were the voting figures recorded in the meeting of the European Community's Development Council held on 2 December.

The resolutions of the Development Council on 2 December were adopted by consensus, as is the normal practice.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list by ministerial department how many former hon. Members have been appointed to salaried positions in Government bodies since 1979, giving details in each case.

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the outcome of the European Council of 10 and 11 December indicating the voting record of each member of state on each item and where no formal votes were taken.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the statement I made following the European Council on 13 December. The task of the European Council, as set out in the treaty on European union, is to provide the union with the necessary impetus for its development and to define general political guidelines. It does not vote; its decisions are taken by consensus. Legislative decisions under the treaties are taken by the Council of Ministers.

To ask the Prime Minister what the cost of advertising by his office has been for each year since 1979 and for each of the last 12 months.

None.

To ask the Prime Minister what is the outcome of the review of honours numbers which he announced in his statement on honours of 4 March, Official Report, columns 453–63.

The review has been completed, and the outcome has been graciously approved by the Queen. The review considered the number of honours required for my list, the diplomatic service and overseas list and the defence services list, at each half-year for six years, 1994 to 1999 inclusive. As a result of the review, the number of awards available for the recognition of all forms of voluntary service will be increased by about 100 in my list, and by 20 in the diplomatic service and overseas list. The increase will be broadly matched by a reduction in the number of awards to state servants, largely reflecting the reductions in the size of the civil service and of the armed forces.

To ask the Prime Minister, if he will list those who have resigned, retired or been dismissed from ministerial office in the past 10 years and the severance pay in (i) cash and (ii) current prices paid to each one.

[pursuant to his answer of 7 December 1993, columns 142-43]: Severance payment shown as having been authorised with effect from 5 May 1992 for the Chairman of Committees, House of Lords and the Principal Deputy Chairman of Committees, House of Lords were not made since both the individuals concerned were disqualified, on grounds of age, under the terms of the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will establish a hotline for hon. Members to contact the Child SupportAgency on behalf ofconstituents on similar lines to the hotline for the disability living allowance.

The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many 16 and 17-year-olds received severe hardship payments in (a) Dundee and (b) Scotland in each of the past five years for which figures are available.

The administration of income support is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many 16 and 17-year-olds had an automatic right to income support in (a) Dundee and (b) Scotland in each of the past five years for which figures are available.

The administration of income support is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claims for industrial injuries disablement benefit his Department dealt with last year; and what proportion of those claims were successful.

The number of claims to industrial injuries disablement benefit received during the 1992 calendar year was about 70,000. The result of these claims is not readily available, but we would normally expect about one quarter to be successful.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what consideration he is giving to employees being offered the option of better benefits in return for higher contributions; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will consider combining an improved contributory system for those in employment with a participation income for

I have no plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people on low incomes and below pension age he estimates will be worse off as a result of his announcement in the Budget to retain the imposition of VAT on domestic fuel and power; and what plans he has to compensate them beyond the automatic increases of benefits in line with inflation.

The effect of the introduction of VAT on domestic fuel is uncertain since it is difficult to estimate trends in fuel prices and the effect of VAT on consumers expenditure. We have announced details of extra help for people receiving social security benefits. The help above normal uprating will be worth £l·5 billion over three years and more than 15 million people will gain from these measures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he has recently considered the operation of the social fund review process.

I am pleased to announce that I will be making improvements to the social fund review process from April 1994. These changes will improve the speed and efficiency with which social fund review requests are handled within Benefits Agency district offices.Improvements will be achieved through the appointment of specially trained social fund review officers. These expert officers will be responsible for ensuring that social fund review requests are considered as speedily and effectively as possible in district offices. In addition there will be some changes designed to streamline procedures.Applicants will, of course, retain the right of an independent review by a social fund inspector.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing in 1992–93 prices, the gross public spending for each year since 1990–91 and the projected expenditure for each year to 1995–96 for each executive non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department, as listed in "Public Bodies 1992".

The executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department of Social Security, as listed in "Public Bodies 1992," is the Occupational Pensions Board. The gross public spending figures at 1992–93 prices are in the table.

Gross public spending1
millions
	£
1990–91	2·451
1991–92	2·337
1992–93	2·695
1993–94	2·664
1994–95	2·538
1995–96	2·542
1 Figures in millions, using GDP deflator.

Note: All figures exclude the costs of the Occupational Pensions Advisory Service (OPAS) which were included in the entry for the OPB in Public Bodies in 1992. OPAS is not an executive non-departmental public body.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list those responsible for making appointments of (a) chairs and (b) members of the boards to each of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department.

The appointment of the president, regional chairman and other full-time chairmen of the independent tribunal service is a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor. Otherwise, appointments of chairs and members of the boards of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by this Department are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of morale within the Inland Revenue; what redundancies have been made and for what reasons; what is the current backlog in dealing with tax cases and the corresponding figure for the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

There has been no general survey of morale recently. Two surveys by the industrial society carried out in 1992 found evidence of low morale in a number of parts of the Inland Revenue.In 1992–93 there were 355 voluntary early retirements. In 1993–94 to the end of October there have been 191 voluntary early retirements, and four compulsory redundancies.Key indicators of work state in the Inland Revenue are as follows:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the latest estimates of (a) original, (b) gross, (c) disposable and (d) post-tax income, by decile, in the United Kingdom.

The latest figures on the basis requested are for 1991 and were published in the May 1993 edition of Economic Trends. Estimates for 1993 will be published in due course when the 1993 Family Expenditure Survey is completed and processed.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated (a) mean and (b) median, (i) original, (ii) gross, (iii) disposable and (iv) post-tax income in 1993–94 in the United Kingdom.

The latest estimates of original, gross, disposable, and post-tax income, by decile group, are for 1991 and were published in the May 1993 edition of Economic Trends. Estimates for 1992 will be published in the January 1994 edition of Economic Trends.The estimates are derived from the Family Expenditure Survey.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people he estimates will be made unemployed in the construction industry following his decision to reduce the annual allocation to the Housing Corporation by more than £300 million; how many planned building projects he estimates will be cancelled; and what plans he has to compensate the construction industry.

The construction industry's main requirements are for continuing low interest rates and increasing economic confidence. My right hon. and learned Friend's Budget offers decisive action to reduce public sector borrowing. My right hon. and learned Friend has also announced several important new potential projects under the private finance initiative which can provide a boost for construction employment.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much he estimates the revenue from the uniform business rate will fall in real terms, following the announcement in November's Budget to maintain the 33 per cent. main rate and 25 per cent. lower rate of corporation tax.

There is no connection between the revenue from the uniform businesss rate and the rates set for corporation tax. Forecasts of cash revenues from the uniform business rate in 1993–94 and 1994–95 are set out in table 6.5 of the 1994–95 Financial Statement and Budget Report.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on behalf of investors in C. J. How; and if he will make a statement on their prospects for compensation.

A number of representations have been received on behalf of investors. C. J. How was never authorised to conduct investment business under the Financial Services Act and investors are not therefore eligible for compensation under the investors compensation scheme. I understand that in certain cases where holdings in unit trusts beneficially owned by investors were improperly redeemed by C. J. How, the unit trust firms have made ex gratia payments to individual clients of C. J. How.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much he estimates public sector pay will fall in real terms over the next three years; and how many public sector jobs he estimates will be lost.

In the climate of low inflation, it is necessary to change the expectation of pay increases which come automatically every year, regardless of performance. Pay rises have to be earned. This principle has increasingly been adopted in the private sector, and the public sector has to follow suit. We are confident that all areas of the public sector can make the efficiency savings necessary to fund pay settlements.The Government do not directly control manpower numbers in substantial parts of the public sector and so cannot give projections. But as in the private sector, in controlling pay costs, the Government cannot rule out job losses. The way to safeguard jobs is to keep wages at affordable levels.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much he estimates the public sector borrowing requirement will fall in 1996–97 as a direct result of his decision to limit the availability of means-tested income support benefit for the unemployed to only six months; and how many people he estimates will be affected.

No such decision has been taken.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many visits abroad the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has made during 1993; and what was (a) the cost to public funds and (b) the purpose of each visit.

[pursuant to his answer, 7 December 1993, c. 133]: I also visited Madrid from 24 to 27 September, where I delivered a speech to the British Hispanic Foundation about growth, competitiveness, unemployment, and United Kingdom attitudes to the EC. The cost to the taxpayer of this visit was £480.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of EC structural funds have been used in 1993–94 for capital investment programmes to upgrade roads in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

The proportion of EC structural funds to be used in 1993–94 to upgrade roads in Northern Ireland is 1·4 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patients have been admitted to each residential home in the area administered by the Armagh and Dungannon unit of management since 1 April.

The information requested is set out in the following tables for the period 1 April to 30 September 1993, the latest date for which figures are available. The figures do not include those people who have made their own arrangements to enter homes and pay for their care.

Persons admitted to residential/nursing home care: by home April—September 1993
Private nursing home	Permanent resident	Temporary resident
Sandown, Dungannon		2
Castledillon	1	1
Castle Manor	1
Chestnut Lodge	1	1
Copperfields		2
Greenpark	10	1
Hockley Lodge	1	2
Hockley Mews	1
Manor Court	3	6
The Meadows	1
Nightingale	2	5
Sanville		1
Bawn Cottage	4	6
Gillbrook		2
The Haven	8	8
Harold McAuley		1
ToTal	33	38

Private Residential Care Home	Permanent Resident	Temporarry Resident
Corkhill Lodge	1	3
Drumorgan Lodge	—	—
Fairlaws	—	1

Private residential care Home	Permanent Resident	Temporary Residet
Glenview	—	4
Hebron House	—	—
Monique	—	1
Roughan House	—	1
St. McCartan's	2	1
Sunnymeade	2	1
Seaforte	—	2
Christian Disabled Fellowship	—	1
Total	5	15

statutory Residential Home	Permanent Resident	Temporary Resident
Lisanally	—	(emergency)1
Roxborough House	2	10
Total	2	11

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many apprentices entered training in colleges of further education in Northern Ireland in (a) 1990, (b) 1991, (c) 1992 and (d) 1993; and if he will make a statement.

Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Training and Employment Agency under its chief executive, Mr. J. S. Crozier. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will place in the Library the responses to the consultation on the future of the agricultural wages board in Northern Ireland.

[holding answer 3 December]: I have no plans to do so but copies will be available in the Library of the Department of Agriculture in Belfast.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many press and publicity officers are currently employed in his Department; and how many were employed in (a) 1985 and (b) 1979.

Data on staff employed as press and publicity officers in 1985 and 1979 is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.The number of people currently employed in the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Civil Service as press and publicity officers is 37.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what regulations he envisages will govern the activities of neighbourhood watch patrols; and if he will make it his policy that no pressure should be put on neighbourhood watch groups to institute patrols.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans he has to compensate members of the public for injury and wrongful arrest by members of his proposed extended neighbourhood watch scheme;(2) what plans he has to ensure that convicted criminals are screened out of his proposed extended neighbourhood watch scheme;(3) what plans he has to require members of his proposed extended neighbourhood watch scheme to wear numbered armbands or other means of personal identification.

In England and Wales there are over 115,000 neighbourhood watch schemes covering more than 5 million households. These are voluntary organisations run by local residents with the support of the police, and whose activities are geared to dealing with local crime prevention issues. Arrangements for membership is entirely a matter for individual schemes and internal arrangements including dress code and any screening of members is a local decision in consultation with the local police.With the sanction of the local police, a number of schemes have chosen to undertake patrolling in their neighbourhood. In recognition of local initiatives and support of this growing trend, my right hon. and learned Friend announced at the neighbourhood watch conference on 4 December that a code of practice would be drawn up in consultation with the Association of Chief Police Officers. There will be no requirement for neighbourhood watch schemes to patrol. The matters which could be covered in the code of practice will include the need for the agreement of the local police before schemes undertake patrols, information on what scheme members should do on seeing something suspicious, and the need to stay completely within the law.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the percentage of electors voting in local government elections for each county council, metropolitan borough council and London borough council since 1974.

The information requested is contained in a number of different publications which are available in the Library. The main ones are:

1974–79	Office of Population Censuses and Surveys "Electoral Statistics" series
1980–87	Publications by Parliamentary Research Services, Chichester, Sussex
1988 onwards	Publications by the Local Government Chronicle Elections Centre, University of Plymouth (formerly Plymouth Polytechnic) in the Local Elections Handbook series
1990	London Borough elections data published by the London Research Centre, 81 Black Prince Road, London SE1 7SZ ("London Borough Council Elections, 3 May 1990").

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost of policing the demonstration protesting against the felling of a 250-year-old chestnut tree at George Green, Wanstead, on 7 December.

I refer the hon. Member to reply given to the hon. Member for Ilford, South (Mr. Gapes) on 14 December at column 531.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when, and in what manner, the warnings to leave were issued to protesters dwelling in the 250-year-old chestnut tree at George Green, Wanstead, before it was felled.

I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the warnings were not given by his officers but by the under-sheriff of Greater London.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fatalities arose from gunshot wounds recorded in the years 1990, 1991 and 1992 in the United Kingdom; and what analysis has been made in his Department of how many such incidents involved assailants suffering from the ingestion of drugs.

The available information, for England and Wales, which relates to offences currently recorded as homicide where the method of killing was recorded as shooting were as follows:

	Numbers
1990	58
1991	50
1992	52

No information is available centrally as to whether the assailants were suffering from the ingestion of drugs.Figures for Scotland are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and figures for Northern Ireland are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a table showing, in 1992–93 prices, the gross public spending for each year since

Home Office funding to Executive, etc. bodies for 1990–91 to 1995–96 expressed in 1992–93 prices
(£'000)
Name of body	1990–91 Outturn	1991–92 Outturn	1992–93 Outturn	1993–94 Forecast Outturn	1994–95 plans	1995–96 Plans
Alcohol Education and Research Council	Not funded by Home Office
Commission for Racial Equality	14,919	14,615	14,996	14,577	14,444	14,537
community Development Foundation	1,010	995	1,014	1,000	Not decided yet
Fire Service Examinations Board	Not funded by Home Office
Fire Service Research and Training Trust	Not funded by Home Office
Gaming Board for Great Britain	2,686	2,839	2,957	2,830	2,829	2,883
Horserace Betting Levy Board	Not funded by Home Office
Horserace Totalisator Board	Not funded by Home Office
Office of the Data Protection Registrar	3,481	3,554	3,744	3,321	3,588	3,560
Police Complaints Authority	3,603	3,569	3,653	3,665	3,533	3,563
Police Promotion Examinations Board	728	1,267	1,792	1,292	1,071	1,056
Criminal Injuries Compensation Board1	131,724	164,190	174,271	171,776	200,806	205,437
1 Tribunal with executive functions. Figures are gross and include contributions from the Scottish Office Home and Health Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those responsible for making appointments of (a) chairs and (b) members of the boards to each of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department.

For the following executive non-departmental bodies the Home Secretary is responsible for appointing both the chairman and the board members. These are:

• Alcohol Education and Research Council
• Commission for Racial Equality
• Community Development Foundation
• Gaming Board
• Horserace Totalisator Board
• Fire Services Research and Training Trust

For the remaining executive non-departmental bodies, the position is as follows:

Payments made, or planned to be made, from the Home Office Vote to the executive etc. bodies listed in "Public Bodies 1992"—adjusted to 1992–93 prices—are set out in the table:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of advertising by his Department has been for each year since 1979 and for each of the last 12 months.

Figures for advertising expenditure since 1979 are as follows:

	£
1979–80	2,904,671
1980–81	1,649,605
1981–82	1,834,476
1982–83	1,957,304
1983–84	2,760,681
1984–85	3,262,700
1985–86	3,306,391
1986–87	5,000,000
1987–88	4,700,000
1988–89	5,400,000
1989–90	5,500,000
1990–91	5,728,000
1991–92	7,275,940
1992–93	7,344,635

It is not possible to provide an accurate month by month breakdown of advertising expenditure for each of the last 12 months because campaigns are not booked monthly. Total expenditure for the financial year to date is £4,321,048.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Nottingham, North of 7 December, Official Report, columns 167-68, what was the voting record of each member state on all items agreed and adopted at the meeting of the European Community's Home Affairs Council held on 29 to 30 November; and if he will make it his practice automatically to record in future answers all such votes, including where no formal votes have been taken.

All the items agreed by the Interior and Justice Council fell under title VI of the Maastricht treaty and were adopted by unanimity. In future the Government will inform Parliament of all votes published by the Council; for title VI matters, publication of votes requires unanimous agreement. This was not sought by the Presidency on this occasion. If the Interior and Justice Council were to adopt Community legislation under the treaty of Rome, its votes would be published automatically unless a majority of the Council was opposed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to alter the embarkation checks on passengers leaving the United Kingdom.

From 1 February passports will not normally be checked on departure from ferry ports and small airports for EC destinations. At the main airport terminals and on departure elsewhere for destinations outside the EC, the passports of non-EC nationals will continue to be examined; EC nationals will, as now, be expected to present their documents, but the closer examination of a 10 per cent. sample will cease.These changes should freqe staff resources for work which contributes more directly to the effectiveness of the immigration control. The immigration officer's power to examine the passport of any departing passenger will however remain, and it will still be possible to mount

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress is being made towards establishing the proposed criminal cases review authority recommended by the Royal Commission on Crimi0nal Justice.

The Government have decided to establish a Criminal Cases Review Authority to review alleged miscarriages of justice. We have put in hand the etailed preparatory work which will be necessary before any new arrangements can be put in place. We shall be issuing a consultation paper early next year which will set out the issues, put forward our proposals for dealing with them and identify any practical problems which still need to be settled. I am sure that the paper will be of interest to many people and I look forward to receiving their views on what it has to say.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to publish the White Paper setting out more detailed proposals for changing the criminal injuries compensation scheme; and if he will make a statement.

I have today published the White Paper. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.The Secretary of State for Scotland and I are jointly responsible for the criminal injuries compensation scheme and for the new arrangements.The main features of those arrangements are that compensation will no longer be assessed on a basis comparable to common law damages. Instead, payment will be made from a tariff (or scale) of awards for injuries of comparable severity. All eligible applicants with a similar injury will be treated in the same way. This will make the new scheme more straightforward and simpler to administer. It should also be easier for claimants to understand, and they should now have a much better idea when they apply what award they might expect to receive.The tariff levels have been set by reference to awards made in the recent past by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board. The lower limit will remain unchanged at £1,000, and there will be 25 tariff levels ranging from that threshold to £¼ million for the most serious category of injury. The basic rules of eligibility will remain broadly the same as under the present scheme.The tariff scheme will be run by a non-departmental public body, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). There will also be a new independent appeals panel to which those dissatisfied with the authority's decision will be able to appeal.Our compensation scheme is one of the most generous schemes in the world, and will remain so when the tariff scheme is introduced. We believe the new tariff scheme should enable us to provide a better service to the blameless victims of violent crime.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will review the workings of the immigration section of his Department to ensure that no racial prejudice is demonstrated against Thai citizens seeking to enter the United Kingdom as legal spouses of a British citizens;(2) if he will review the workings of his entry visa system to ensure that United Kingdom citizens who have married a spouse in Thailand are allowed to bring that spouse back to reside in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

A Thai citizen who wishes to enter the United Kingdom as the spouse of a British citizen must meet the requirements of the immigration rules in the same way as any other foreign national seeking entry on this basis. I see no need for reviews of the kind that the hon. Member has in mind, but if he has a particular case in mind which has caused concern I shall be glad to enquire into it. Under the immigration rules, officials are required to carry out their duties without regard to race, colour or religion.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what figures he has on the use of stolen motor vehicles in the course of other criminal offences in the latest available year.

The information is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Metropolitan Commissioner on the cost of policing so far incurred in relation to demonstrations against the M11 link road in Wanstead.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Ilford, South (Mr. Gapes) on 14 December at col. 531 concerning the cost of policing the demonstration on 7 December. Information on the total cost of police operations in connection with the M11 link road is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Metropolitan Commissioner as to the reasons for the procedures adopted by police officers in relation to demonstrations against the M11 link road in Wanstead; and if he will make a statement.

I understand from the Commissioner of the Police of the Metropolis that his officers were assisting the under sheriff of Greater London to execute an order of the High Court for possession of the land.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the recommendations of the firearms consultative committee that have been implemented nationally, from each of its annual reports.

Implementation of a considerable number of the Firearms Consultative Committee's (FCC) recommendations will require primary legislation to amend the Firearms Acts. I am unable to say when parliamentary time might be available for legislation on firearms matters. Other recommendations which have already been implemented by means of subordinate legislation or through administrative action are listed. Work is in hand towards the implementation of a number of other recommendations of the committee.FIRST ANNUAL REPORT

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will advise police forces to stop the practice of stamping envelopes containing correspondence to firearms and shotgun holders information to the effect that if the envelope is found it should be returned to the firearms unit of the force concerned.

The administration of the firearms licensing system is the responsibility of individual chief officers of police. We have no plans to issue guidance to the police on this subject but the matter has been brought to the attention of the Association of Chief Police Officers for any action which it considers necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) which police forces have equipment that enables them to recover stolen vehicles that are fitted with Tracker security devices;(2) what his Department is doing to encourage the fitting of Tracker devices to help locate stolen vehicles;(3) what assessment he has made of the use of Tracker devices in the recovery of stolen cars

All mainland United Kingdom police forces are equipped to pick up signals from Tracker devices.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the (a) authorised establishment, (b) actual strength and (c) number of vacancies for the police services establishment of the Metropolitan police in each month of 1993;(2) what was the authorised establishment of police service officers in England and Wales, in each constabulary including the Metropolitan police, on 1 January;(3) if he will list the constabularies in England and Wales which are under strength; and if he will set out in each case the numbers under strength and the percentage under strength in each establishment

I will write to the hon. Gentleman.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total budget for the police authorities in England and Wales for (a) 1992–93 and (b) 1993–94; and what is the planned budget for 1994–95.

The latest estimates by police authorities indicate total expenditure as £5,797 million in 1992–93 and £6,114 million in 1993–94. No figure for 1994–95 is yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 1 December, Official Report, column 627, if he will examine the feasibility of bringing forward amendments to the Representation of the People Acts to outlaw the production of fraudulent election leaflets purporting to come from a rival political party.

We have no immediate plans to do so. The issue may arise in discussions with the political parties next year and I shall consider any representations which might then be made on this issue.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received calling for a review of the Homicide Act 1957 and the criminal justice system with regard to reforming the definition of provocation to include prolonged domestic violence; and if he will make a statement.

We have received many letters on this subject from parliamentary colleagues and from members of the public.The Government's position is set out in our response to the recent Report of the Home Affairs Select Committee on Domestic Violence (Cm 2269), a copy of which is in the Library of the House. The Government do not accept that the case has been made for a change in the law. In our view, the present law on provocation reflects a proper balance between a reluctance on the one hand to exonerate pre-meditated revenge killing and a desire on the other to leave a judgment on the facts of the individual case to the jury. Nevertheless, the law in this area is kept under careful review.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women who were initially granted entry permits in order to join their husbands have been deported from Britain in each of the last five years.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to her on 1 December at column 627.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current salary paid to Mr. Derek Lewis, the director general of the prison service.

Mr. Lewis's salary is £125,000 a year. He is also eligible for a performance bonus of up to 35 per cent. of basic salary.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the circumstances which allowed the escape of a high-security prisoner, from his escort in or in the vicinity of the Bell public house, Pokesdown, Bournemouth on Friday 3 December.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the annual cost to the Department of the car service for Ministers in 1990–91; and how many vehicles were involved.

In 1990–91, the Home Secretary's three cars cost £75,700, including £2,700 for maintenance. The current costs given in my reply to the hon. Member's earlier question on 3 December at column 783 included a provision of £25,000 for maintenance which is unlikey to be fully taken up.Other Home Office Ministers used four cars supplied by the Government car service. In addition, cars were supplied for the transportation of ministerial despatch boxes. The total cost of these cars in 1990–91 was £191,000. The increased cost since then is attributed to price increases (18 per cent.), an increase in VAT (2·5 per cent.) and an increase in usage of the service (8·5 per cent.).

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of talks on future of democracy in Hong Kong.

We have sought agreement with China on the electoral arrangements for 1994 and 1995 in Hong Kong. But after seventeen Rounds of talks, the pressures of the legislative timetable have obliged the Governor to introduce draft legislation today into the Legislative Council covering the more urgent issues. Our aim was to gain a little more time to continue talks with China on the remaining electoral issues. We remain ready for further talks. Co-operation between Britain and China is the best way of securing a smooth transition for Hong Kong in 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the Governor of Hong Kong's proposals to advance democracy in the Crown Colony.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made in the talks between the United Kingdom and China with regard to the future of Hong Kong; and if he will make a statement.

We have sought agreement with China on the electoral arrangements for 1994 and 1995 in Hong Kong. But after seventeen Rounds of talks, the pressures of the legislative timetable have obliged the Governor to introduce draft legislation today into the Legislative Council covering the more urgent issues. Our aim was to gain a little more time to continue talks with China on the remaining electoral issues. We remain ready for further talks. Co-operaton between Britain and China is the best way of securing a smooth transition for Hong Kong in 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what sanctions he will now propose in the UN Security Council against UNITA of Angola.

It would not be sensible to propose additional sanctions against UNITA at a time when the organisation is holding direct talks with the Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the latest situation in Angola; and if he will make a statement.

Fighting in Angola has diminished since UNITA announced a unilateral ceasefire on 20 September, but sporadic fighting continues in some parts of the country. The United Nations Secretary General's special representative, Mr. Beye, has been chairing talks in Lusaka between the Government of Angola and UNITA. The Secretary General is due to report on the outcome to the Security Council on 15 December. We understand that progress has been made in the negotiations, but there are still many issues to be resolved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on current Government policy towards Angola.

We have been active in the Security Council, bilaterally with the Angolan Government and UNITA.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in negotations with Libya over the trial of the two Libyan nationals suspected of involvement in the Lockerbie bombing.

The Libyan Government are aware of the demands of the United Nations Security Council, and in particular that it must ensure the appearance of those charged with the Lockerbie bombing for trial in the appropriate United Kingdom or United States court and satisfy the French judicial authorities over the bombing of flight UTA 772.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made towards the enlargement of the European Community.