To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department who are the members currently appointed to the Legal Aid Advisory Committee and legal services conference.

[holding answer 3 February 1994]: The members of the Legal Aid Advisory Committee are Elizabeth Filkin (chairman), Dr. Bill Bishop, Rosemary Day, district judge Greenslade, Jan Luba, Mavis Maclean, Graham McGrath, June O'Dell OBE, Christine Thornton, Anna Turnbull-Walker and Nick Warren. From time to time the committee holds conferences, for which there is no formal membership.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department who are the members currently appointed to each of the advisory committees on the Juvenile Court Lay Panel for Northern Ireland.

[holding answer 3 February 1994]: There is only one advisory committee on the Juvenile Court Lay Panel for Northern Ireland and it is not the Lord Chancellor's policy to disclose its membership due to the possible security implications for the individuals concerned.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department who are the members currently appointed to each of the advisory committees on justices of the peace for Northern Ireland.

[holding answer 3 February 1994]: It is not the Lord Chancellor's policy to disclose membership of advisory committees on justices of the peace in Northern Ireland due to the possible security implications for the individuals concerned.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department who are the members currently appointed to the Legal Aid Advisory Committee for Northern Ireland.

[holding answer 3 February 1994]: The current members of the Legal Aid Advisory Committee for Northern Ireland are:

• His Honour Judge Petrie QC (Chairman)
• V. Chambers
• Mrs. L. A. Gilbert
• Miss L. Lundy
• J. I. Meehan
• J. C. Morton
• L. McBrinn
• J. P. McGrath
• Master J. C. Napier
• Mrs. A. P. O'Donoghue
• R. Wilson

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department who are the members currently appointed to the Council on Tribunals.

[holding answer 3 February 1994]: The members currently appointed to the Council) on Tribunals are as follows:

• The Lord Archer of Sandwell, PC, QC. Chairman
• T. Norman Biggart, Esq, CBE, WS, Chairman of Scottish Committee
• Mrs. Annie Anderson
• G. A. Anderson, Esq, CA, FCMA
• M. B. Dempsey, Esq
• Professor D. L. Foulkes, JP
• Mrs. S. Friend, JP
• T. R. H. Godden, Esq, CB
• Christopher Heaps, Esq
• B. Hill, Esq, CBE, DL
• Professor M. J. Hill
• W. N. Hyde, Esq
• R. H. Jones, Esq, CVO
• Dr. Carole Kaplan
• L. F. Read, Esq, QC
• W. K. Reid, Esq, CB

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to initiate investigations into allegations that United Kingdom-registered companies have (a) built armanent manufacturing factories in the former Yugoslavia and (b) provided arms and military equipment to Serbia contrary to internationally agreed embargoes.

We have no information concerning allegations that United Kingdom companies have been involved in the construction of armaments factories in the former Yugoslavia.Investigation of alleged breaches of internationally agreed embargoes on the supply of arms and military equipment to Serbia and Montenegro is a matter for the commissioners of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise. They will decide what, if any, action would be appropriate in the light of available information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action the British Government are taking to prevent British arms being sold to the Indonesian Government for use against the population of East Timor; and if he will make a statement.

All applications for export licences in respect of Indonesia, as elsewhere, are subject to strict controls and scrutinised on a case-by-case basis. Any application for equipment likely to be used for repressive purposes against a civilian population would be rejected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action Her Majesty's Government will take to urge the Government of the People's Republic of China to repeal recent religious laws increasing state controls on Chinese and foreign religious adherents; and if he will make a statement.

We are aware of the recent publication of two new regulations on religious activity. Any action which further restricts freedom of choice, or which results in further harassment or ill treatment of religious believers is of serious concern. We regularly raise questions of human rights, including the persecution of religious believers, with the Chinese authorities, urging them to conform to internationally approved standards. We will continue to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action Her Majesty's Government will take to urge the Government of the People's Republic of China to release from imprisonment Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo, Bishop Johannes Han Dingxiang, Auxillary Bishop Shi Hong-Zhen, and other Christians recently imprisoned for their faith.

We and our European Union partners have often urged the Chinese authorities to conform to internationally approved standards of behaviour in the human rights arena, including cases of detention without trial. We have also raised with them lists of specific cases, including some cases of individuals detained in connection with their religious beliefs. We will continue to to so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 28 January, Official Report, column 468, what conclusions his officials have come to about the allegations published in The Independent on 24 January regarding British mercenary involvement in Nagorno-Karabakh; and what action he is taking.

We take seriously the allegation that British citizens and companies are attempting to procure arms and mercenaries for Azerbaijan, and investigations continue. Investigations to date suggest that there may be truth in the allegation that these attemps have been made, but as yet we have no evidence that they have succeeded. If evidence of illegality is found the matter will be put in the hands of the custom or police, as appropriate. We remain committed to supporting the CSCE's voluntary arms embargo.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures the Government are taking to bring about a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 31 January 1994 at column 481.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all television advertising, newspaper advertising, radio advertising and other promotional campaigns with a budgeted cost in excess of £10,000 conducted by his Office (a) in the current financial year and (b) planned for 1994–95, showing for each the objectives and mechanisms for assessing the effectiveness of the advertising.

Both the diplomatic and ODA wings of the FCO use newspaper advertising for recruitment. During the financial year 1993–94 recruitment campaigns with a budget in excess of £10,000 will have been held for grades DS9, executive assistant, administrative assistant and research analysts. Similar recruitment advertising will be undertaken in the financial year 1994–95. The ODA recruit specialists via advertisements throughout the year: cumulatively this costs more than £10,000. Effectiveness is measured in levels of response.Other promotional campaigns costing more than £10,000 are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what account he has taken of the representations by the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators in preparing his proposals for putting forward in Japan at the Antarctic conference on tourism.

We have received no representations from the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators. We look forward to a full discussion on tourism at the Antarctic treaty consultative meeting in Japan. We believe that Antarctic tourism can be regulated through the environmental protocol to the Antarctic treaty. Tourism is explicitly referred to in the protocol.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the United Kingdom paid for United Nations peacekeeping operations in 1993 (a) in Namibia, (b) in the Western Sahara, (c) in Iraq-Kuwait, (d) in Cambodia and (e) in Cyprus.

There were no United Nations assessed contributions for UNTAG—Namibia—and MINURSO—Western Sahara—in 1993. UNTAG closed down in March 1990. 1993 costs for MINURSO were met from existing United Nations resources. 1993 United Kingdom assessed contributions to UNIKOM—Iraq-Kuwait—totalled $3,003,584, UNTAC—Cambodia—$39,817,868, and UNFICYP—Cyprus—$538,081. UNFICYP was only brought onto United Nations assessed contribution funding in June 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the United Kingdom paid for United Nations peacekeeping operations in 1993.

The United Kingdom paid a total of $165,225,559 in United Nations assessed contributions to peacekeeping operations in 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he has to regulate banking deposits by United Kingdom citizens in bank accounts registered in the Cook islands; and if he will make a statement.

None. The regulation of banking services in the Cook islands is a matter for the Cook islands authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consultations he has had with his opposite number in the European Union in relation to the regulation of the trade in financial services between the United Kingdom and the Cook islands.

None. The marketing of financial services in the United Kingdom is regulated under United Kingdom and European Community law.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the United nations and the Government of Morocco concerning the proposed referendum on the future of the Western Sahara.

We maintain regular contact with the United Nations through our permanent representative in New York and with the Government of Morocco through the British embassy in Rabat.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Morocco concerning the continued imprisonment of Abdelhaq Rouissi; and if he will make a statement.

The British embassy in Rabat has raised the case of Abdelhaq Rouissi with the Moroccan authorities and recently drew it to the attention of the newly appointed Moroccan Minister for Human Rights.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Comonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Government of Morocco concerning their record on human rights.

We regularly take up human rights issues bilaterally and with our European Union partners. We welcome the Moroccan Government's agreement to recent visits by Amnesty International and the decision to establish a Ministry for Human Rights.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy that new boundaries for Euro-constituencies shall be drawn only after a decision that any new building for the European Parliament shall not be in Brussels.

No. A Council decision of 1 February 1993 calls for member states to complete the necessary procedures to bring into effect the agreement reached at the Edinburgh European Council increasing the number of MEPs in time for the elections in June this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had during his recent visit to Turkey with representatives of the Kurdish community.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs had wide ranging discussions in Ankara with senior politicians, business men and journalists but he did not meet representatives from Kurdish political parties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) Commission personnel and (b) direct European Council staff are involved with the European Community foreign and security policy; if he will set out their relative responsibilities and duties; and if he will make a statement.

The section in the Commission which deals with the common foreign and security policy of the European Union is staffed by 125 Commission officials of all grades. The new CFSP unit in the Council secretariat is being developed from the former EPC secretariat. It is headed by a seconded ambassador and staffed by 11 seconded diplomats from member states—a 12th is expected to join the unit at a later date. It is envisaged that 12 permanent Council secretariat staff will join the unit in the future. The Commission personnel are responsible for advising Mr. van den Broek, the Commissioner for External Political Relations. The CFSP Unit in the Council secretariat works to the presidency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 8 February, Official Report, column 124, if he will give details of that section of the protocol between the Secretary of State for Defence and the Government of Malaysia relating the value of aid to amounts of arms purchased.

No. It is established practice that details of Government-to-Government exchanges are confidential.We will co-operate fully in the inquiry announced by the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the daily average number of remand prisoners and convicted prisoners held in police cells in each year since 1980 and in the current year to the latest available date.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current average cost by police force of keeping a prisoner in police cells, per night.

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 total cost incurred by his Department for keeping prisoners, both sentenced and remand, in police cells for the financial year 1992–93.

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 consultations he has had with his opposite numbers in the European Union concerning the security implications of access by United Kingdom citizens to bank accounts registered in the Cook Islands; and what provisions exist under the protocols of the Trevi Group to restrict access to such bank accounts for the proceeds of crime.

None. The regulations of banking services in the Cook Islands is a matter for the Cook Islands' authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether anything exists in police codes of conduct to forbid officers passing on confidential information to third parties, including the media, whether for payment or not, during investigations into suspicious deaths; how often these codes have been breached in this respect in the last five years; how many officers have been disciplined or suspended; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the codes in this regard.

The police discipline code is contained in schedule 1 of the Police (Discipline) Regulations 1985—S.1.1985/518. Paragraph 6 of the code creates a disciplinary offence of improper disclosure of information which occurs, inter alia, when a member of a police force without proper authority communicates to any person, any information which he has in his possession as a member of a police force. Punishments for breaching the code include dismissal from the force. I have no reason to think that the provisions of the code are inadequate in this regard. Where money or other consideration has been accepted, the possibility would also arise that the common law offence of bribery had been committed.Figures are not collected centrally about the categories of offences leading to disciplinary proceedings.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make special separate funds available to inner city police forces for adequate provision of covert body armour for police constables working in hazardous duties on foot patrol, and for officers engaged on mobile duties, especially when operating road blocks.

No. Police protective equipment is purchased out of normal polce funds. It is for chief officers of police to decide how to equip their officers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has in relation to the powers of civilian staff in prisons to search prisoners.

Civilian staff in prisons conducting activities involving prisoners—for example, workshop instructors or catering staff—should be able to conduct non-intimate "rub-down" searches for unauthorised items such as concealed knives or sharp tools. This would make it unnecessary to bring in uniformed staff solely for that purpose and gives prison governors greater flexibility in their use of staff. In order to put the legal position beyond doubt, a clause is being tabled today for inclusion in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill which will enable civilian staff authorised by the governor to conduct these searches. Only suitably trained or experienced staff regularly involved in the custody or supervision of prisoners would be authorised to use the power. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland will bring forward similar measures for Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received regarding the Attorney General's right to appeal against lenient sentences; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the oral reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Dartford (Mr. Dunn) on 10 February at columns 441–42.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish for the latest convenient year the number of (a) male, (b) female and (c) all prisoners sentenced to imprisonment by courts within Wales; and how many of these spent part or all of their sentences in prisons outside Wales.

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 if he will list the county fire authorities in order of number of hoax calls received in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will also show in each authority the number of hoax calls as a percentage of the population.

Information on malicious false alarm incidents attended by local authority fire brigades in order of the number in 1992 is shown in the following table, which also shows the number expressed per 100 population.

Table showing, for 1992, the number of malicious false alarms for each fire authority and the number of malicious false alarms per 100 population
Fire authority	Malicious false alarms1	Malicious false alarms per 100 population2
Greater London	22,384	0·33
Strathclyde	16,349	0·71
Greater Manchester	11,972	0·47
West Midlands	10,747	0·41
West Yorkshire	7,999	0·39
Tyne and Wear	6,949	0·62
Merseyside	6,451	0·45
Lancashire	4,745	0·34
South Yorkshire	4,630	0·36
Cleveland	4,346	0·78
Northern Ireland	3,397	0·21
Humberside	3,104	0·35
Essex	2,957	0·19
Kent	2,678	0·17
Durham	2,574	0·43
Staffordshire	2,164	0·21
Mid Glamorgan	2,160	0·40
Gwent	2,109	0·47
Lothian and Borders	2,107	0·25
Derbyshire	1,920	0·20
Avon	1,837	0·19
Devon	1,724	0·17
South Glamorgan	1,638	0·40
Leicestershire	1,615	0·18
West Glamorgan	1,543	0·42
Cheshire	1,457	0·15
Nottinghamshire	1,446	0·14
Berkshire	1,350	0·18
Surrey	1,320	0·13
Cambridgeshire	1,232	0·18
Tayside	1,136	0·29
Fife	1,108	0·32
Hereford and Worcestershire	1,067	0·16
Buckinghamshire	1,036	0·16
Clwyd	1,024	0·25
Cumbria	1,013	0·21
Hertfordshire	989	0·10
Oxfordshire	986	0·17
Norfolk	984	0·13
Gloucestershire	867	0·16
Lincolnshire	862	0·15
Dyfed	806	0·23
East Sussex	793	0·11
Hampshire	779	0·05
Wiltshire	737	0·13
Bedfordshire	724	0·14
Shropshire	701	0·17
Dorset	693	0·10

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who are the members currently appointed to the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Wales.

The Chairman of the Commission is the Speaker of the House of Commons. The deputy chairman is the hon. Sir John Knox. The members are Miss Sheila Cameron QC and Mr. David Macklin CBE.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who are the members currently appointed to the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council.

My right hon. and learned Friend has appointed me as the chairman of the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council. He has appointed the following as members for the period until 31 July 1994:

• Mr. S. G. Bennett (Association of Metropolitan Authorities)
• Mr. A. E. Best (Chief and Assistant Chief Fire Officers' Association)
• Mrs. E. S. Brett (Association of County Councils)
• Mr. K Cameron (Fire Brigades Union)
• Mr. B. T. A. Collins (Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Fire Services)
• Mr. M. I. Davies (National Association of Fire Officers)
• Mr. D. T. Davis (Institution of Fire Engineers)
• Mr. M. R. Fordham (Fire Brigades Union)
• Mr. T. L. Glossop (Chief and Assistant Chief Fire Officers' Association)
• Mr. C. Grenyer (Association of County Councils)
• Mr. W. J. A. Innes (Home Office)
• Mr. D. Matthews (Fire Brigades Union)
• Mr. G. Newton (National Association of Fire Officers)
• Mr. D. Punshon (Association of County Councils)
• Mr. A Ritchie (Association of Metropolitan Authorities)
• Mr. B. G. Robinson (Chief Fire Officer, London Fire Brigade)
• Mr. R. Scott (Fire Brigades Union)
• Mr. G. Setterfield (National Association of Fire Officers)
• Mr. J. Tiplady (Association of Metropolitan Authorities)
• Mr. F. Walker (Association of Metropolitan Authorities)
• Mr. M. Warner (Association of County Councils)
• Mr. R. G. Williams (National Association of Fire Officers)
• Dr. W. D. Woolley (Director, Fire Research Station)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who are the members currently appointed to the Police Complaints Authority.

The current membership is as follows:

• Sir Leonard Peach (Chairman)
• Mr. Peter Moorhouse (Deputy Chairman)
• Mr. John Cartwright (Deputy Chairman)
• Mr. Karamjit Singh
• Mr. Gordon Marsh
• Mr. Edward Wignall
• Brigadier Anthony Vivian CBE
• Miss Beryl Wallis
• Mrs. Linda Cawsey
• Mr. Mark Chapman CVO
• Mr. William McCall
• Miss Linda Haye
• Lt. Col. Anthony Williams
• Mr. Linbert Spencer

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a table showing the (a) approved establishment and (b) actual numbers of uniformed police constables for each of the Metropolitan police divisions for each month from January to December 1993 and the projected numbers for each month from January to April 1994.

I understand from the Commissioner that information relating to divisions is not held centrally. A table of figures showing uniform police constable strength and establishment at area level for each month of 1993 is shown. Projected figures for 1994 are not available.

Divisional uniform police constable establishment and strength
	Establishment	Strength
1 January 1993 to 1 February 1993
1 Area	1,884·00	1,827·90
2 Area	1,824·00	1,779·50
3 Area	1,919·00	1,931·24
4 Area	1,520·00	1,569·40
5 Area	1,411·00	1,356·40
6 Area	1,918·00	1,876·21
7 Area	1,689·00	1,643·41
8 Area	1,288·00	1,309 ·31
TOTAL	13,453·00	13,293·37
PC variation	—	-159·63
Sergeant variation	—	+155·40
2 February 1993 to 1 March 1993
1 Area	1,875·00	1,804·90
2 Area	1,819·00	1,802·50
3 Area	1,914·00	1,918·80
4 Area	1,532·00	1,553·90
5 Area	1,407·00	1,349·70
6 Area	1,913·00	1,862·61
7 Area	1,682·00	1,633·41
8 Area	1,375·00	1,297·31
TOTAL	13,517·00	13,223·13
PC variation	—	-293·87
Sergeant variation	—	+178·03
2 March 1993 to 31 March 1993
1 Area	1,890·00	1,811·90
2 Area	1,836·00	1,809·10
3 Area	1,960·00	1,915·80
4 Area	1,655·00	1,545·90
5 Area	1,331·00	1,362·70

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish information giving details of the capital provided in the Budget for (a) Teesside and (b) Tyne and Wear for the provision of housing for each year since 1987.

Capital for the provision and maintenance of housing is provided to English local authorities through housing investment programme—HIP—allocations, which are issued annually by the Department.Information on HIP allocations made to each local authority in England for each year from 1979–80 to 1993–94 is available in the Library.Information on HIP allocations for 1994–95 will be placed in the Library shortly. Information on 1994–95 allocations for those local authorities within the county of Cleveland, and within the former county of Tyne and Wear, are given in the table:

1994–95 HIP allocations
Local authority	(£ thousand)
Hartlepool	3,522
Langbaurgh-on-Tees	4,305
Middlesbrough	3,542
Stockton-on-Tees	3,926
Gateshead	5,921
Newcastle	8,779
North Tyneside	8,811
South Tyneside	3,896
Sunderland	8,746

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those that were consulted on the formation of the single regeneration budget.

To date about 8,500 copies of the draft bidding guidance on the single regeneration budget have been distributed to a wide range of organisations and individuals, including local authorities, business organisations, training and enterprise councils and voluntary and community groups.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all those who will be responsible for making the decisions in the regional offices of the single regeneration budget on how the budget is spent.

The integrated regional offices and the single regeneration budget do not come into operation until April 1994. The bidding arrangements for the single regeneration budget for 1995–96 are currently the subject of consultation. Decisions on the bids will be made towards the end of this year. It is therefore too early to determine what detailed arrangements will be made within integrated regional offices for dealing with decisions on the single regeneration budget.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the total budgets for which each regional director of the single regeneration budget is responsible and the amount of funding each is able to provide for regeneration in their respective areas.

In its first year, the single regeneration budget will largely operate through the arrangements in place for the 20 contributing programmes and will honour existing commitments. Planned provision in 1994–95 is £1·442 billion and the expected regional distribution is:

	£ million
South East	15
Eastern	15
South West	42
East Midlands	68
West Midlands	175
Merseyside	103
North West	159
Yorkshire and Humberside	156
North East	159
London	369
	1,261
English Partnerships	181
Total	1,442

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what changes he proposes to make in relation to council tax for the mentally impaired living alone; and if he will make a statement.

Where all the residents of a dwelling are severely mentally impaired a 50 per cent. council tax discount applies. In many cases the residents will be able to have all or part of the remaining liability met by council tax benefit.We have received a number of representations to the effect that such dwellings should be exempt from the council tax. We are presently considering those representations: I shall let the hon. Member know when we have reached a conclusion.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the European funding schemes for which local authorities can apply, the total budget of each scheme, the percentage that each local authority can apply, the total amount of each budget that is designated to England, and the total amount claimed by local authorities in each year from 1980.

This information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent discussions he has had with other parties to the convention on international trade in endangered species on how to clamp down on the illegal trade in rhinoceros.

At the most recent meeting of the Standing Committee of the convention, held in Brussels in September, it was decided to put further pressure on consumer countries, especially China and Taiwan, to end all internal trade in rhino products and to bring stocks under Government control. The United Kingdom has observer status on the committee and played an active part in the discussions leading to the decisions. In addition the United Kingdom, together with our European partners, fully supported the discussion of the CITES Standing Committee to send technical and high-level delegations to rhino-horn consuming countries to assess the effectiveness of their efforts to combat illegal trade in rhino horn and to offer advice and assistance. We have contributed £5,000 towards the costs of the high-level delegation which has recently visited China and Taiwan. The Government will be represented at the Standing Committee meeting next month which will consider what further action should be taken in the light of the delegations reports.The United Kingdom Government have taken a leading role in encouraging greater efforts to conserve rhinos. On 3 February my Department announced a grant of £60,000 towards a project co-funded by the European Commission and the Worldwide Fund for Nature to appoint a scientific officer to co-ordinate rhino conservation activities throughout Africa.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to relax spending restrictions to permit Waveney district council to match, pound for pound, the money recently awarded to parts of Waveney under structural funds, objective 5b; and if he will make a statement.

No. For an explanation of the Government's policy on matching funding for European regional development fund grants, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms Walley) on 11 January 1994, Official Report, columns 3–4.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his decision on the Nidderdale area of outstanding natural beauty designation order submitted to him by the Countryside Commission.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has today confirmed the order which will designate Nidderdale as an area of outstanding natural beauty. The designation covers an area of 603 sq km in north Yorkshire. Nidderdale is important for its natural beauty and unspoilt rural character which the designation will help to secure.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further progress has been made with the proposal for a housing action trust in Brent.

I am pleased to announce, after further consultation with the tenants, that a postal ballot will be held from 14 to 27 March 1994. This will enable the tenants of the Stonebridge estate to vote on whether they are in favour of the establishment of a housing action trust for their estate.The housing action trust proposal represents a major opportunity to improve the estate and the quality of life within it, but the final decision must rest with the tenants. I very much hope that they will use their vote to decide the future of the estate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the Overseas Development Administration's water and sewerage sector budget has supported contracts won by the Biwater Group in each year since 1985.

The Overseas Development Administration does not have a separate water and sewerage sector budget. Since 1985 Biwater Group has been awarded contracts under our bilateral aid programme spending as follows. Two contracts supported under the aid and trade provision, that is, a rural water supply scheme in Malaysia which commenced in 1986 with ATP support of £59·46 million and a hill country water project in Sri Lanka which commenced in 1988 with ATP support of £2·129 million.Under our regular country programme—excluding ATP which is centrally managed—we maintain central records on contracts undertaken direct by ODA with United Kingdom firms as part of technical co-operation. These show that a contract, valued at £1·5 million as part of the Cairo waste water project, was placed with the Biwater Group and began in 1992.For aid other than technical cooperation, contracts are placed with United Kingdom firms by overseas Governments or their institutions and not by ODA; our financial aid is made to the recipient country Government as a contribution to the cost of these contracts. Information on which United Kingdom firms received these contracts is not maintained centrally in ODA. Such information could be assembled only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list by value each British aid project in Brazil; and if he will make a statement.

The Overseas Development Administration—ODA—is currently funding 15 projects in Brazil. These are:

1. Anglo-Brazilian Climate Observation Study (£2·9 million)

2. Rainforest Silviculture Research Project (£2·4 million)

3. Caxivana Research Station (£1·9 million)

4. Forest Biomass and Nutrient Research Project (£1·7 million)

5. Lake Mamiraua Ecological Research Station (£1·6 million)

6. Rain Forest Pilot Programme Trust Fund (£1·5 million)

7. Tocantins Forestry and Rural Development Project (£1·1 million)

8. Tapajos National Forest Management Project (£0·8 million)

9. Aromatic Plants Developments Project (£0·7 million)

10. Central Amazonia Flora and Vegetation Project (£0·6 million)

11. Recife Environmental Control Project (£0·4 million)

12. Floodplain Forest Ecology and Management Project (£0·3 million)

13. Sao Paulo State Water and Sewerage Project (£0·2 million)

14. Assistance to the Brazilian Indian Agency, FUNAI (£0·2 million)

15. Yanomami Health Project (£0·2 million)

The United Kingdom signed a memorandum of understanding on environmental co-operation with the Government of Brazil in July 1989. This provides the main focus for the programme which is the United Kingdom's largest in Latin America.In addition to these bilateral projects, we provide some £1·8 million per annum to finance post graduate and technical training awards for Brazilian students in the United Kingdom. Also, ODA's joint funding scheme is presently supporting 53 small projects in Brazil, managed by British non-government organisations, at a cost of more than £0·7 million. Other small projects are supported by the British ambassador's discretionary scheme, including a £55,000 grant to the Sao Martinho shelter for street children in Rio de Janeiro.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are to make grants from the know-how fund available for Vietnam; and if he will make a statement.

The know-how fund provides specialist skills and training for the former Soviet Union and eastern and central Europe. We are providing £10 million worth of similar technical co-operation for Vietnam under our aid programme to that country.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with other Commonwealth Governments about the increasing their funding of the Commonwealth Institute; and what discussions he has had with the Commonwealth Secretariat about improving links between the Secretariat and the Commonwealth Institute, and expanding financial support from the Commonwealth to the Commonwealth Institute.

All Commonwealth high commissioners in London and the Commonwealth Secretary-General are, ex-officio, governors of the institute's board. Through them, the assessors on the board, appointed by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to represent Government Departments in the United Kingdom, maintain a continuing dialogue on the level of funding and support provided by Commonwealth Governments and the Commonwealth secretariat, in addition to the direct contacts between the institute's staff and high commissions and the secretariat.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to what purpose the Commonwealth Institute building would be put if the Commonwealth Institute closes or virtually closes in 1996; and what representations have been made to him by the appropriate local authority about the planning implications of the closure of the Commonwealth Institute, or about acceptable alternative uses for the building.

The board, the director-general and staff of the institute are developing a re-launch strategy to ensure that the institute does not close in 1996. Any alternative use to which the institute's building could be put would have to take account of the building's grade II^* listed status and the terms of the 999 year lease governing the use of the site and building.On 13 October 1993, the Council of the royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea adopted the following resolution:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received urging his Department to continue grant in aid to the Commonwealth Institute beyond 1996; what were the main conclusions of the inquiry, carried out by Lord Armstrong, into the Commonwealth Institute; if he will place a copy of Lord Armstrong's report in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

We have received many representations from MPs and members of the public.In his review of the Commonwealth Institute, Lord Armstrong identified four options for the institute:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place with the Departments for Education and for National Heritage and other Government Departments from his Department about spreading or switching funding of the Commonwealth Institute; and what discussions he has had with private sector interests about private sponsorship of the work of the Commonwealth Institute.

My Department consulted other Government Departments, including the Departments for Education and National Heritage, before the decision to cease funding in 1996 was announced on 21 September 1993. No other Government Department was able to assist financially.The outlines for a relaunch plan were presented by the board of governors to the institute's annual general meeting on 16 November 1993. The detailed implementation including the financing of this plan is under preparation by the director-general.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade who are the members currently appointed to the Post Office users councils for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The members of the Post Office users councils for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as at 21 January 1994 are as follows:

To ask the President of the Board of Trade who are the members currently appointed to the Advisory Committee on Telecommunications for England.

The members of the English Advisory Committee on Telecommunications as at 21 January 1994 are:

• Miss Moira E. Black (Chairman)
• Ms Anne Ballard
• Mrs. Diana C. Banks OBE
• Mr. Harry Branchdale
• Mr. Iain R. Bryce
• Mr. Samuel J. Cooper
• Mr. John D. Green
• Mr. Robert F. Little
• Mr. Brian M. Love
• Ms Claire B. Milne
• Mr. Douglas R. Oram
• Dr. Joyce M. Wood

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on his Department's assistance to the British aerospace industry.

Since 1979 the Department has provided over £1·5 billion of support for major civil aerospace projects in the form of launch aid and support for research and technology. The DTI also helps the industry to sell its products and services abroad, in co-operation with other Departments, and ECGD has provided over £735 million of export credit cover to support these sales over the last three years.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what is his assessment of the impact of increased demand and price for ferrous scrap internationally on the United Kingdom industry; and what steps he intends to take to help the United Kingdom industry;(2) what assessment his Department has made of

The Government have been closely monitoring recent developments. Ferrous scrap is an internationally traded commodity and as such will vary in price according to the level of supply and demand.I have agreed to meet a delegation from the steel and foundry industries. We have also discussed these matters with the European Commission, which is currently undertaking an in-depth study of the international scrap market. We will be studying the results carefully.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the level of export of ferrous scrap (a) in terms of tonnage and (b) in terms of value in each of the past 10 years; and what is his projection for 1994.

The information requested is published in the "Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom, Central Statistical Office", a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list all television advertising, newspaper advertising, radio advertising and other promotional campaigns with a budgeted cost in excess of £10,000 conducted by (a) his Department and (b) his agencies (i) in the current financial year and (ii) planned for 1994–95, showing for each the objectives and mechanisms for assessing the effectiveness of the advertising.

The Department's publicity advertising in the current year has included the following:

To ask the President of the Board of Trade for what reasons the reprocessing of a final load of pressure for the reactor fuel was authorised following the termination of the fast reactor programme.

Reprocessing the spent fuel represents the best value for money, based on both technical and economic grounds.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the implications for the frequency of plutonium nitrate shipments from Dounreay to Sellafield of plans to increase the rate of prototype fast reactor spent fuel reprocessing over the next three or more years.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for the Western Isles (Mr. Macdonald) on 22 June 1993, Official Report, column 134.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what information he has on United Kingdom industrial research and development spending, by sector, in each of the past five years; what these figures are as a percentage of (a) sales, (b) profits and (c) dividends; and what comparison his Department has undertaken with the top 200 companies world wide.

Data on United Kingdom business enterprise research and development expenditure by detailed product group for 1988–1992 were published in table 2 of the Central Statistical Office "First Release" (CSO(93)188) a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. Research and development expenditure as a percentage of sales is given in table 3 of the same publication.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to receive the Office of Fair Trading report of the inquiry into the net book agreement.

This is a matter for the Director General of Fair Trading who announced on 23 November 1993 that he would consider again the case for applying to the restrictive practices court for leave to have its decision in respect of the net book agreement reviewed.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he has consulted the Secretary of State for the Environment on the environmental effect of his proposals to change the legislation regarding charter markets; and what assessment he has made of the compatibility of those proposals with recent planning guidance on out-of-town shopping developments.

Consultations have, of course, taken place between myself and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Environment, on all these matters and the Government's proposals in the Deregulation Bill take due account of all the relevant issues.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a list of all initiatives that are currently planned or operating which will exploit tidal power.

The Department's tidal energy programme is now being completed. Remaining work consists mainly of generic studies of the impact of tidal barrages on the environment.Specific studies are being completed on steel-concrete sandwich composite for use in tidal barrages, mud transport in shallow water, fish deterrence, estuary sediment prediction, bird populations and mesocosm studies.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of the non-fossil fuel obligation fund is allocated to (a) nuclear power, (b) wind power, (c) geothermal power, (d) tidal power and (e) other renewable energy sources.

The level of payments to the individual technologies contracted under the non-fossil fuel obligation, and financed by the fossil fuel levy, depends on the contracts which the regional electricity companies sign in fulfilment of the NFFO orders, on the amounts of electricity generated under these contracts, and the market price of electricity. The Director General of Electricity Supply has estimated that in 1993–94 around 6 per cent. of the amount raised by the fossil fuel levy will go to renewables generators.