To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) what is the minimum period before which fees are settled for legal aid in (a) England and Wales and (b) Northern Ireland.(2) what is the average length of time for settlement of fees in legally aided cases in

There is no minimum or maximum period for settling legal aid claims in England and Wales or in Northern Ireland. For England and Wales, both the Legal Aid Board and the Lord Chancellor's Department have set performance targets for processing claims. Present targets and performance against those targets is as follows:

Type of proceedings	Time taken	Target (per cent.)	Performance (per cent.)
Magistrates' Courts' Bills1	6 weeks	90	295
Civil Bills (taxed and assessed)1	6 weeks	75	384
Other Bills1	6 weeks	92	295
Criminal Higher Bills (standard fees)1
(i) claim lodged day case concluded	5 days	100	87
(ii) claim received thereafter Criminal Higher Bills1	10 days	100	87
(courts' non standard fees)	4 weeks	70	73
Criminal Higher Bills4	3 months	75	74
(taxing teams' non standard fees)	6 months	100	100
1 From receipt of claim. The process involves the assessment of claims, and in civil proceedings investigation of the statutory charge, as well as the actual payment process.
2 99 per cent, within 13 weeks.
3 98 per cent, within 13 weeks.
4 This target relates to final payments and to the period from the bills being ready to tax. "Ready to tax" means all claims in the case have been submitted. In certain circumstances interim payments may be made in respect of these cases.

For the first time the Law Society of Northern Ireland set targets for processing claims during 1993–94. These were based on actual performance during 1992–93, which was as follows:

Type of proceedings	Time taken">4	Performance Per cent.
Criminal legal aid
Magistrates' Courts Bills	7 weeks	50
	12 weeks	93
Appeals from Magistrates' Courts	7 weeks	50
	12 weeks	90
Crown Court bills	12 weeks	35
	26 weeks	95
Bails	7 weeks	54
	12 weeks	94
Civil legal aid
County Court	7 weeks	73
	12 weeks	88

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what percentage of public appointments made by his Department in 1993 were of women; and if he will make a statement.

The figure for public appointments made by the Lord Chancellor's Department and the Northern Ireland court service in 1993 is 42 per cent. This answer does not include judicial appointments.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will invoke the services of the Official Solicitor in the case of Mr. Bryan G. Davies, currently in Brixton prison.

As a Minister I have no power to assign the Official Solicitor to a particular case.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what proposals he has to implement the Law Commission's proposals to allow for a time limit over the period after mortgage repossession during which interest may be charged by the lender.

The Law Commission's report on "Transfer of Land—Land Mortgages", Law Com. No. 204, which contains these proposals remains under consideration by the Government.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if his Department will collect and publish statistics on possession proceedings taken by secured lenders.

At present, information is published on possession actions taken in the county courts, broken down between local authority and private lenders, including banks, building societies and other lenders. My Department has no plans to amend the categories used in the collection of these statistics.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans his Department has to amend the courts charter to ensure that courts provide access and facilities for disabled people and minority language provision.

The courts charter applies equally to all court users. It will be reissued in April 1995 and revised to ensure that it meets the needs of court users. Facilities for disabled people are provided in all new court buildings and when old buildings are refurbished. However, there are constraints with some of the very old buildings. A register of facilities for disabled people in the Crown and county courts is produced by the Department.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what recent discussions he has had with the citizens advice bureaux service and other consumer and advice agencies on providing advice and representations schemes in the county courts.

The citizens advice bureaux are consulted on all proposed county court rule amendments. The majority of county courts hold regular user committee meetings usually at quarterly intervals. The citizens advice bureaux and other advice agencies are represented on approximately 50 per cent. of the committees.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he last met the Home Secretary to discuss the method for petitioning the European Court of Human Rights.

The Lord Chancellor and I regularly discuss matters of common interest with the Home Secretary.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he last met the President of the European Court of Human Rights.

I have never met the President of the European Court of Human Rights. The Lord Chancellor last met him on 8 October 1993 at the Council of Europe summit meeting in Vienna.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what representations he has

Name		When appointed	Term (years)
1st Commissioner:	Lord Mansfield	September 1993	2
2nd Commissioner:	C. K. Howes	September 1991	5
Commissioners:	R. B. Caws	January 1994	3
	J. N. James	January 1993	3
	P. Sober	January 1992	3
	A. Macdonald	January 1993	3
	J. H. Norris	April 1991	3
	Lord De Ramsey	January 1994	3

All appointments were made by Her Majesty the Queen.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table giving (a) the average mortgage interest rate for the leading building societies averaged throughout each year since 1979, including the average to date for 1994, (b) the average interest rate paid to investors by the leading building societies averaged for each of these years and (c) the differential between them.

The table gives annual average mortgage and share rates for all building societies during the period received on the ability of United Kingdom citizens to petition the European Court of Human Rights; and from whom.

The Lord Chancellor and I have received representations on this subject from five persons or bodies. I will not say who they are since I have not obtained their consent to do so.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of public appointments made by his Department in 1993 were of women; and if he will make a statement.

The latest statistics, for the year ending 1 September 1993, show that women were appointed to 31 per cent. of the public appointments made by the Treasury.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what average net weekly increase to revenue his Department estimates will be generated by the imposition of VAT on domestic fuel once all bills become subject to the 8½ per cent. rate of VAT.

There are no plans to charge 8½ per cent. VAT on domestic fuel and power. Estimates of the yield of forthcoming changes are given in the Financial Statement and Budget Report.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the current Crown Estate Commissioners; how were they appointed; when were they appointed; and how long their appointment will last.

The information requested is set out in the table:1979–83; from 1984 onwards, it gives the rates for the largest 20 societies. The interest rate paid to investors has been enhanced to take account of withheld tax paid by societies direct to the Inland Revenue, on investors' behalf. The latest available figures are for 1 January 1994. These rates are taken from "Financial Statistics" published by the CSO.

Date	Average Mortgage Rate	Gross Average Share Rate	Differential
1979	11·94	12·07	-0·13
1980	14·92	14·77	0·15
1981	14·01	13·13	0·88

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table giving the pre-tax profits in total for each of the members of the Building Societies Association for each financial year from 1978–79 (a) in cash terms and (b) in real terms in 1994 figures.

These figures are not collated by the Treasury and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 21 February, Official Report, column 2, what are the widely used conventions for defining recession and recovery.

A common convention is to define a recession as two or more consecutive quarters of falling output, with the recovery dated from when output clearly starts to rise again.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of member states' net contributions to the EC budget, after the United Kingdom rebate, in 1993; and what estimate he has made, in respect of the calendar year 1994, of member states' net contributions to the European Union budget for that year (a) on the basis of the latest draft proposal European Union budget, and (b) after taking account of the latest estimate of the United Kingdom's rebate for 1994.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply my hon. Friend the Economic Secretary to the Treasury gave on 13 January at column 246.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the occasions since 1979 when Ministers have issued written instructions to override his Department's accounting officer's objections.

[holding answer 24 February 1994]: I know of no such cases.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the schemes his Department operates to assist staff facing financial hardship following a transfer, showing (a) the particular criteria and rules applying to each one, including the circumstances under which any loans can be written off, (b) the total amount loaned or granted under the schemes in 1992–93 and so far in 1993–94 and (c) the number of staff assisted in 1992–93 and so far in 1993–94.

When staff in the Employment Department Group are transferred to other sites in order to maintain operational efficiency, allowances are payable to cover the costs of house moves. In addition, if any staff are experiencing severe financial hardship, the Department has discretion to help with the repayment of bridging finance. Staff are required to borrow the maximum available from commercial sources. Help may then be available in one or more of the following ways:

An interest-free loan of up to 12 months' salary; and/or

An interest bearing loan; and/or

In very exceptional cases, write-off of part of the capital. If the total to be written off is in excess of £5,000, in accordance with required procedures, prior Treasury approval is sought

Each case is dealt with according to the particular circumstances and its merits.Staff transferring who find that the value of their old home is no longer sufficient to repay the mortgage may be allowed an interest-free loan of the difference between the sale price and outstanding mortgage to allow a relocation to go ahead.In 1992–93 40 staff received help in this way. The cost was £457,000, of which just under £130,000 will be recovered over the next 10 years. In 1993–94 so far, four staff have received help, at a cost of £41,000, of which just under £10,000 will be recovered.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how he currently defines unemployment; how he currently compiles the unemployment figures; and if he will make a statement.

The Employment Department compiles and publishes two alternative and complementary measures of unemployment.The monthly claimant unemployment count is based on people claiming unemployment related benefits, that is, unemployment benefit, income support or national insurance credits at Employment Service local offices, who on the day of the count were signed on as unemployed, available for and actively seeking work. Students claiming benefit during a vacation and who intend to return to full-time education and temporarily stopped workers are excluded. The claimant count is a by-product of the administrative system for paying unemployment-related benefits. It is compiled from records of unemployment claimants provided by the Employment Service local offices. Almost all the data used to compile the count are derived from the Department of Social Security's national unemployment benefit system computers.In addition to the "unadjusted" claimant count the Department publishes a consistent seasonally adjusted series. This series which is maintained to be consistent with the current coverage of the count, takes into account all relevant changes which, unless adjusted for, would distort comparisons over time. It thus allows meaningful comparisons with the past. The consistent seasonally adjusted series is available from 1971 onwards nationally, and from 1974 onwards for each standard region. It is this series which is the prime focus of economic analysis.A measure of unemployment according to the internationally standard International Labour Organisation definition is obtained from the Department's quarterly Labour Force Survey. The ILO measure includes as unemployed those people who at the time of interview were without work—that is, working less than one hour per week—were available to start work within the next two weeks and had either looked for work in the four weeks prior to interview or were waiting to start a job they had already obtained. The figures are consistently extremely close to those provided by the unemployment benefit claimant count.The Labour Force Survey has been conducted since 1973 and had provided a measure of unemployment consistent with the ILO measure since 1984. Quarterly results have been available from the survey since 1992. About 150,000 people in 60,000 households are interviewed each quarter. The survey covers a wide range of labour market topics on the basis of internationally standard concepts and definitions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest figure for the ratio between the number of unemployed persons and the number of vacant jobs in (a) south-east England, (b) the whole of England, (c) Wales and (d) the United Kingdom.

When making comparisons between claimant unemployment figures for an area and the corresponding jobcentre vacancy figures it should be borne in mind that, nationally, jobcentre vacancies represent only approximately a third of all vacancies, and this proportion is likely to vary between regions and between different skills and occupations. It is therefore not meaningful to express such figures as ratios. The extent of the available information is given in the table:

Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment and Vacancies January 1994 (£000's)
	Claimant Unemployment	Unfilled Jobcentre vacancies
South East Region	884·7	36·6
England	2,320·9	106·2
Wales	127·5	10·4
United Kingdom	2,787·6	141·8

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment which occupations are not covered by national vocational qualifications; and if he will make a statement.

The Government have set the National Council for Vocational Qualifications the following target:

"To secure the accreditation of NVQs of high quality and widespread acceptability, covering 90 per cent. of the employed population, by the end of 1995."

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of young people who took national vocational qualifications level 2 passed in 1993; and if he will make a statement.

The information requested is not available in the form requested. However, according to the National Council for Vocational Qualifications, just under 200,000 national vocational qualifications in total were awarded from October 1992 to September 1993. The total has not been broken down by age and level. Information on awards by age and level should be available shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of public appointments made by his Department in 1993 were of women; and if he will make a statement.

Figures are collected each year for the year ending 31 August. In 1992–93 901 appointments were made. Of these, 182 or 20 per cent. were women.Figures for the calendar year 1993 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what decisions he has reached on the detailed arrangements for access to work as a replacement for the existing special schemes for disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

On 22 June 1993, Official Report. col. 102, I announced in outline the introduction of access to work, a major new programme for people with disabilities, in the next financial year. I am now able to announce further details.In reaching decisions about details, I have taken full account of the many comments and representations made to myself and to my noble Friend Lord Henley by hon. Members, noble Lords, disability and employer organisations and others, and advice by the National Advisory Council on Employment of People with Disabilities.Access to Work will assist people to overcome barriers to work resulting from their disabilities. It replaces the special aids to employment, adaptations to premises and equipment, fares to work, and personal reader service schemes, which will be wound up. Help available under access to work will not be confined to specified forms of assistance; the scheme will be able to respond flexibly to need—for example, the needs of deaf people for communication support.It will be open to unemployed, employed or self-employed people registerable as disabled, with priority for unemployed people.As already announced, there will be an upper limit to the amount of financial help an individual can receive over a five-year period, with entitlement beginning again after five years. I have decided to set this limit at £21,000. I have also decided to empower senior officials of the Employment Service, exceptionally, to authorise payments in excess of this limit where it is necessary and reasonable to do so and is compatible with helping the planned numbers of people from the resources made available to the Employment Service region concerned.I am very grateful to all those who participated in consultation and the various meetings I and my colleagues have held. In view of the evidence that many business people feel that a mandatory contribution could act as a deterrent to employers, contrary to the original survey data produced, I have decided to introduce access to work without seeking an employer contribution. I am particularly persuaded by the arguments of members of the all-party disablement group that we should try the new scheme for a year without an employer contribution and then review the position. However, we will continue to expect an employer to contribute when the help will be of general benefit to the firm and not solely for the disabled employee.I have therefore decided to introduce access to work without seeking an employer contribution and without assuming that employers will meet one-off costs of £100 or less for established employees. This will allow us to consider further the case for an employer contribution in the light of experience of operating the scheme. To fund wider access in 1994–95 I am increasing by £3·5 million the expenditure in 1993–94 on the schemes that Access to Work replaces. This includes £2 million that had not been in any previous plans. The total budget for further activities in 1994–95 will be £14·6 million.I will review access to work, including the issue of employer contributions, after the first full year of operation.The changes to the operation of access to work outlined earlier mean that it will no longer be possible to launch the new arrangements from 1 April 1994. Access to Work will now be introduced on 6 June 1994 and accordingly fares to work, adaptations to premises and equipment, special aids to employment, personal reader services for the blind., and separate help towards the cost of communication at interview for deaf people will continue until 5 June 1994.People receiving help under the current four schemes will be supported on their existing terms until 31 March 1995, from which time they will join access to work. They may join access to work earlier if they wish—for example, if they would benefit from the new forms of help.As previously announced, the business on own account scheme will be wound up from 31 March 1994. The job introduction scheme will continue unchanged.I believe that the introduction of access to work will be widely supported by disabled people and employers and will be a major step forward in releasing the skills and potential of disabled people at work.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions of employers illegally employing child labour there have been (a) since 1973 and (b) in the last year for which figures are available.

Information for the years 1979 to 1992 on the number of prosecutions in England and Wales for offences in connection with the employment of children and young persons is given in the table. Data prior to 1979 are not available centrally.

Number of defendants prosecuted for offences in connection with employment of children and young persons under the Children and Young Persons Act 1993, sections 18 to 21—section 18 as amended by the Children Act 1972–1979–1992. England and Wales
Year	Prosecutions
1979	23
1980	26
1981	24
1982	17
1983	12
1984	12
1985	11
1986	2
1987	8
1988	28
1989	23
1990	25
1991	15
1992	12

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many grade 1 and 2 listed buildings have been (a) demolished, (b) lost by fire or (c) otherwise lost since 1979.

The number of demolitions for which listed building consent was given between 1 January 1979 and 31 March 1993 are as follows:

Number
Grade I	0
Grade II*	37
Grade II	2,227
Total	2,264

The annual rate has decreased substantialy in recent years.Records are not kept centrally on the extent to which losses took place without the need to apply for consent, the causes which led to applications being made, or the extent to which consents given were implemented.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage in what circumstances sports facilities are revenue funded.

The great majority of public sports facilities are funded by local authorities. It is for them to decide what suitable revenue funding arrangements to make. My Department does not directly provide assistance for the revenue funding of any sports facilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) what representations he has received from people in Coventry about the future and finances of building-based sports facilities;

My Department has received representations from a number of local authority associations and individual local authorities, including Coventry city council, about these matters.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what estimate he has made of the funds available to Coventry sports organisations from the West Midlands sports council in 1994–95.

The West Midlands region sports council is negotiating its proposed grant-aid to Coventry city council for two capital and two revenue sports projects within Coventry in 1994–95.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make it his policy to allow all sports facilities to be revenue funded.

This is largely a matter for local authorities rather than central government.The hon. Member may have in mind national lottery assistance for revenue funding. The draft directions I issued on 18 February set out the circumstances under which maintenance costs of capital projects might be assisted by revenue grants paid for out of lottery proceeds.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make it his policy to allocate funds to regional sports councils from the national lottery.

Under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993, the Sports Council is responsible for distributing that share of the net proceeds from the national lottery that will go to expenditure on or connected with sport. The Sports Council may not delegate this function to its regional offices, but may, of course, seek their advice on applications relating to their parts of the country.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of the Export Credits Guarantee Department credit for Oman has been allocated to defence contracts in each of the last five years.

Of the guarantees issued by the Export Credit Guarantees Department in support of United Kingdom capital goods and projects exports to Oman over the last five years, the proportion in respect of exports of defence equipment was as follows:

Per cent.
1988–89	0·0
1989–90	100·0
1990–91	100·0
1991–92	0·0
1992–93	98·4

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many export credit guarantees have been provided to Oman in each of the last five years.

The Export Credits Guarantee Department has issued eight guarantees in the past five years in support of United Kingdom exports of capital goods and projects to Oman as follows:

Number
1988–89	1
1989–90	1
1990–91	1
1991–92	2
1992–93	3

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the total Export Credits Guarantee Department exposure outstanding with Oman.

At the close of its last financial year on 31 March 1993, the Export Credits Guarantee Department's exposure on Oman stood at £427·6 million.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 9 February, Official Report, column 320, if he will provide the information concerning foreign investment in some other form.

Information on stocks of foreign direct investment within the United Kingdom is regularly published in "Business Monitor MA4 Overseas Transactions", a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Information on direct investment within OECD countries is published in "International Direct Investment Statistics Yearbook 1993", OECD, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the trade figures between the United Kingdom and Libya over the last five years for which figures are available.

The trade figures between the United Kingdom and Libya for the past five years are shown in the table.

United Kingdom trade with Libya—1989 to 1993
£ thousands
	imports	Exports
1989	104,545	239,191
1990	151,605	244,849
1991	121,219	255,718
1992	162,899	228,273
1993	156,542	274,051

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress he has made on securing increased market access for the United Kingdom textile industry under the general agreement on tariffs and trade.

Valuable gains in market access have been achieved with the United States, the Philippines, Thailand and the Latin American countries. The improved access for wool cloth to the United States is particularly significant. The European Commission is continuing to negotiate with those countries which have made disappointing offers. I can confirm that my hon. Friend the Minister for Trade met the Indonesian ambassador to the United Kingdom on 14 February to express concern about Indonesia's offer. In addition, he wrote to the high commissioners for India and Pakistan on 18 February.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade on what dates his Department withdrew commercial export licences from United Kingdom companies wishing to sell (a) bacillus anthracis, (b) clostridium botulinum, (c) brucella melitensis and (d) clostridium perfringens to Iraq.

Export licences for Iraq were revoked by DTI on 9 August 1990 when SI 1990 No. 1651 came into force. This implemented United Nations Security Council Resolution 661 of 6 August 1990. There is no record of any licence being issued for these agents in the period 1986–1994.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the first fuel core was delivered to the Sizewell B reactor.

I understand from Nuclear Electric plc that the first fuel elements were delivered to Sizewell B on 14 February 1994.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what contracts have been taken out with Lloyd's Register for the independent safety assessment of the commissioning of the Sizewell B nuclear plant.

This is a matter for Nuclear Electric plc.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions he has had with his German counterpart as to the compatibility of the policy on the international co-operation on export controls, announced in December, with the European Union policy on co-operation and harmonisation of trade regulations.

I can confirm that my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has had discussions with Herr Rexrodt, the German Federal Economics Minister, on the subject of the proposed EC dual-use regulation. There have also been regular bilateral contacts between British and German officials on the same subject.

To ask the Attorney-General what guidelines the Crown Prosecution Service operates in considering public interest in the prosecution of women for violent offences.

The Crown Prosecution Service considers the personal circumstances of all potential defendants when deciding whether or not prosecutions are in the public interest.

To ask the Attorney-General what representations he has received about the Serious Fraud Office.

Recent representations from Members of Parliament and members of the public have emphasised the importance of continuing to tackle serious fraud both firmly and effectively.

To ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to his answer of 20 January, Official Report, column 726, when the inquiry by the Metropolitan police concerning the alleged fraud within the social services department of Bromley council began; and on what date the last police report was passed to the Crown Prosecution Service.

The investigation began in January 1991. The Crown Prosecution Service received the most recent police report on 25 January 1994. It decided that the evidence was not sufficient to justify the institution of proceedings for corruption. The Metropolitan police are continuing inquiries into a separate allegation of dishonesty.

To ask the Attorney-General how many representations have been made to him about the opening statement made by the Cabinet Secretary to Lord Justice Scott's inquiry.

None.

To ask the Attorney-General what percentage of public appointments made by his Department in 1993 were of women; and if he will make a statement.

I make no appointments to public bodies.

To ask the Attorney-General what instructions he has given to the Director of Public Prosecutions concerning the prosecution of persons alleged to have assaulted police officers; if he will instruct the Director to prosecute illegal immigrants charged with assault rather than relying on deportation; and if he will make a statement.

Where there is sufficient evidence the public interest normaly demands prosecution when the victim of an assault is a police officer.

To ask the Attorney-General how many cases were considered by the Crown Prosecution Service for prosecution in the last 12-month period for which figures are available; what number and percentage of cases were actually prosecuted; what number and percentage of convictions were obtained for England and Wales; and what are the corresponding figures for the Devon and Cornwall area.

Table A: Magistrates' court
	Column 1 Completed Cases	Column 2 Prosecutions Dropped	Column 3 Bind Overs	Column 4 Prosecutions could not proceed	Column 5 Committal Hearings	Column 6 Hearings	Column 7 Convictions	Column 8 Dismissals
CPS	1,362,277	175,025	23,920	175,025	103,299	950,676	935,044	21,953
Total (per cent.)	—	(12·8)	(1·7)	(12·8)	(7·7)	(69·8)	(97·7)	(2·3)
CPS	69,968	8,535	610	4,034	5,099	51,690	51,087	839
South West (per cent.)	—	(12·2)	(0·9)	(5·8)	7·3)	(73·9)	(98·4)	(1·6)
The number of completed cases at column 1 does not include cases referred to the CPS by the police for pre-charge advice, or non-criminal proceedings.

Convictions at column 7 are inclusive of guilty pleas as well as convictions after trial. Both convictions and dismissals are inclusive of cases proceeding to a hearing after the defendant offered mixed pleas of guilty to some counts and not guilty to others: these defendants are counted twice.

Table B: Crown Court
	Column 1 Completed cases	Column 2 Hearings	Per cent.	Column 3 Convictions	Per cent.	Column 4 Acquittals	Per cent.
CPS total	95,600	84,608	(88·5)	78,156	(90·1)	8,620	(9·9)
CPS South West	5,647	5,028	(89·0)	4,762	(92·1)	409	(7·9)

Completed cases at column 1 do not include appeals or committals for sentence.Hearings at column 2 do not include proceedings in which the defendant was bound over to keep the peace; prosecutions dropped by the CPS before the jury was sworn; or cases in which the prosecution could not proceed because the defendant had died, could not be traced, or was found unfit to plead.Convictions are inclusive of guilty pleas. The figures for convictions and acquittals include cases proceeding to a hearing after the defendant offered a mix of guilty pleas to some counts on the indictment, and not guilty to others: these defendants are counted twice.The national totals given comprise the 13 CPS areas, but do not include the specialised casework undertaken by the headquarters of the service.

To ask the Attorney-General what guidance is given to the Crown Prosecution Service as to whether it should proceed with a prosecution; and if he will make a statement.

Figures for prosecutions in Devon and Cornwall are included in the total for CPS South West, and cannot be given separately. The latest period for which figures are available is the year ending December 1993.Table A shows at column 1 the number of defendants whose case was completed by the CPS in magistrates' courts during 1993; at column 2 the number and proportion of prosecutions dropped; at column 3 the number and proportion of bind overs; at column 4 the number and proportion of prosecutions which could not proceed; at column 5 the number and proportion of committal hearings; at column 6 the number and proportion proceeding to a hearing; at column 7 the number and proportion of hearings resulting in conviction; and at column 8 the number and proportion of hearings resulting in dismissal:Table B shows at column 1 defendants whose case was completed by the CPS in the Crown court during 1993; at column 2 those proceeding to a hearing; at column 3 those resulting in conviction, and at column 4 those resulting in acquittal:

The criteria set out in the code for Crown prosecutors are that there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction, and a prosecution is required in the public interest.The charges should reflect the gravity of the defendant's conduct and will normally be the most serious revealed by the evidence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what ecological considerations have been adduced by the Pitcairn islanders in expressing their preference for transferring from Britain's dependent territories to those of France.

The Pitcairn islanders have not expressed to us any wish to become a dependent territory of France or to change the nature of their existing relationship with the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the likely annual cost of the new EC Committee of the Regions.

The Committee of the Regions has been allocated 12 mecu—£8·94 million—in the EC budget for this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the likely annual cost of each of the new Community bodies that were formally established at the European Council meeting on 29 October.

We have the following information on estimated annual costs for those European Community bodies whose locations were determined at the European Council in Brussels on 29 October 1993:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of British nationals employed in Libya in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

There are no figures available of British nationals employed in Libya. However, between the years 1990–92 we estimate that there were 5,000 British nationals there.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British nationals were employed in Libya at the most recent date; and if he will make a statement.

There are no figures available for the number of British nationals employed in Libya. We estimate that there are 4,000 British nationals there.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Jamaican nationals have applied for visas since 1 January; what was the comparable figure for the same period of 1993; what is the current waiting time between application and interview; if he will appoint additional staff to process applications; and if he will make a statement.

A total of 327 Jamaican nationals have applied in Kingston for entry clearance since 1 January. The corresponding figure for last year was 322. Applications to visit Britain are normally processed the same day. The one entry clearance officer in the British high commission in Kingston is assisted by a second such officer between 1 April and 30 September each year. The option to appoint additional staff, if required, to process applications is always under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions and in what capacities Mr. Stephan Kock acted on behalf of Her Majesty's Government in relation to contracts arising out of overseas development since 1988.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why Mr. Stephan Kock was appointed to act on behalf of the Joint Intelligence Committee in relation to the Pergau dam contract in Malaysia.

I have been asked to reply.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 11 January, Official Report, column 43, concerning an application made by Israr Ahmed (Ref: IMM/CO 442) to the British High Commission in Islamabad to enter the United Kingdom, when the hon. Member for Bradford, West will receive the substantive reply.

I regret that the hon. Member has not yet received a substantive answer. I will ask my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to let the hon. Member have one as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to ensure his Department instructs British overseas embassies and high commissions promptly to issue visas to those wishing to enter the United Kingdom in cases where appellate bodies uphold appeals or refuse to grant his Department leave to appeal to the immigration appeals tribunal; and if he will make a statement.

Entry clearance officers at posts overseas are under standing instructions to issue entry clearances as soon as possible when determinations favourable to the applicant are received via the Home Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will instruct the British high commission in Islamabad to issue a visa to enter the United Kingdom to Mr. Ahmed Zahir (TH/1322/93) following the refusal of the immigration appeals tribunal to grant his Department leave to appeal on 3 December last; and if he will make a statement.

In the absence of any information about this case, I have asked the correspondence unit of the migration and visa department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to let the hon. Member have a substantive reply in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking, at international level, to ensure that resources are available to provide programmes of work and support for disarming militias in Somaliland.

As a permanent member of the Security Council the United Kingdom has ensured that all relevant UNSC resolutions have underlined the importance of disarming militias throughout Somalia. We have also ensured that UNSC resolutions urge member states to provide resources in support of UNOSOM's efforts throughout Somalia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in what way the United Nations supports the Egal Government in Somaliland.

There are four senior UNOSOM staff in Hargeisa, comprising officer-in-charge, senior humanitarian officer, political officer and security co-ordinator. There are also local and international support staff.UNOSOM is working to promote stability and rehabilitation within existing civic structures throughout Somalia including the north-west.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much of the 1993 budget of the United Nations operation in Somalia—UNOSOM—was spent in Somaliland; and what proportion this was of UNOSOM's total expenditure in Somalia as a whole.

Total UNOSOM expenditure in 1993 was approximately $650 million, of which some 84 per cent. relates directly or indirectly to troop costs. The remainder covers the administrative support costs of the operation. Details regarding the proportion of this figure spent in north-west Somalia are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Admiral Jonathan Howe, head of UNOSOM, has visited Somaliland; what promises of assistance were given; and what has actually been delivered by UNOSOM.

Admiral Howe visited Berbera in north-west Somalia on 6 November 1993, and committed UNOSOM to provide more than $3 million for strengthening the police, prison and judicial services, and for the provision of administrative kits to help local administrative structures improve their operations in north-west Somalia.This money has been allocated, but UNOSOM is not yet able to provide a summary of how much has been disbursed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will press the United Nations to increase the resources of the Office for Project Services division of the United Nations Development Plan in Somaliland to assist the reintegration of former militia into a peaceful society.

The United Nations attaches importance to the early reintegration of former militia into a peaceful society. OPS is, however, an implementing agency which performs services for the United Nations system and governments on a cost-reimburseable basis. Any expansion of projects under way would depend on the availability of additional donor finance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made since the NATO summits of the diligence and application being shown by those responsible for setting up the combined joint task force and the infrastructure for "Partnership for Peace"; and if he will make a statement.

Work was set in hand to develop the combined joint task force concept and the "Partnership for Peace" initiative immediately after the NATO summit in January. Considerable progress has already been made. I have no reason to doubt the diligence and application of those responsible for this work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the British Medical Association and Department of Health will be consulted on the health effects of nuclear weapons.

As I said in my answer on 1 February, c. 605, our submission to the International Court of Justice will set out the position of the Government on this question. We shall therefore be consulting relevant Government Departments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 1 February, Official Report, column 605, when he will be making his submission to the International Court of Justice on the legality of nuclear weapons.

We shall make our submission before 10 June.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of I February, Official Report, column 605, whether Her Majesty's Government's submission to the International Court of Justice on the legality of nuclear weapons will be published in advance.

No. Under rule 106 of the rules of the International Court of Justice it is for the court to decide, following the opening of an oral hearing, whether to publish submissions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 1 February, Official Report, column 605, what consultations he will hold before submission of Her Majesty's Government's report on the legality of nuclear weapons to the International Court of Justice.

We will be consulting relevant Government Departments. We have discussed this question with allies in the past and may do so again if necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 1 February, Official Report, column 605, if his submission to the International Court of Justice on the legality of nuclear weapons will support the legality of (a) the use and (b) the possession of nuclear weapons.

It will.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 1 February, Official Report, column 605, whether Her Majesty's Government's submission to the International Court of Justice on the legality of nuclear weapons will be laid before the House of Commons.

A copy of our submission to the International Court of Justice will be placed in the Library of the House if and when the court has ordered publication of submissions to it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the objectives and current status of CSCE missions in (a) Madedonia, (b) Georgia, (c) Estonia, (d) Latvia, (e) Moldova, (f) Tajikistan, (g) Nagorno-Karabakh and (h) Kosovo, Sandjak and Vojvodina.

CSCE missions can make an effective contribution to promoting stability and containing the spread of conflict. They complement the work of the CSCE's high commissioner on national minorities and office for democratic institutions and human rights. I welcome the appointment of Richard Samuel, a recently retired member of the diplomatic service, as head of mission to Moldova.A note prepared by the CSCE unit of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, giving details of the objectives and current status of CSCE missions, has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the current United Kingdom relations with Poland; when a senior Minister of the Crown last visited that country; and what significant visits by Ministers are planned during the next 12 months.

We attach importance to our relations with Poland which are warm and friendly. We are optimistic that the one problem, that of air services, will be resolved soon.The last visit to Poland by a senior Minister was that of my right honourable and noble Friend the Lord Chancellor in October 1992. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister visited in May 1992. His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales paid a visit in May 1993 and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh in September 1993.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs hopes to visit Poland this spring. Other high-level visits are under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress towards the ratification of the 1981 inhumane weapons convention.

The subject is under active consideration. We hope to make a decision soon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why the Anguilla Parliament has no Parliament building; and what plans there are to build one.

Agreement for the construction of separate accommodation for Anguilla's House of Assembly features in the country policy plan—CPP—signed between the Government of Anguilla and ourselves in August 1993. The relevant section of the CPP calls for the drawing up of detailed plans for the building in the financial year 1994–95, with construction scheduled to commence the following year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what requests he has received from the United Nations special inquiry commission on Iraq to provide a list of British companies thought to have provided Iraq with military equipment or dual-use technology; and what examination he has made of the German submission to UNSCOM on the German companies' contribution for arming Iraq since its publication by UNSCOM.

[holding answer 25 February 1994]: We have received no such requests from the special commission. However, we co-operate closely with UNSCOM and the International Atomic Energy Authority on questions of supplier information and investigate where the evidence warrants it.I am not aware of any publication by UNSCOMT/IAEA on the German contribution to Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the cost of the commission for Local Administration in England in each of the last three financial years and in the first six months of the present financial year.

The cost of the commission since 1 April 1990 has been as follows:

	£
1990–91	3,969,804
1991–92	4,905,021
1992–93	6,105,854
11993–94	3,219,800
1 1 April to 30 September.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how long it has taken, on average, for the Commission for Local Administration to deal with individual cases in each of the last three years and in the most recent six months.

The average time taken to deal with individual complaints has been as follows (number of weeks):

	Stage 12	Stage 23
1990–91	18·0	69·5
1991–92	17·0	74·5
1992–93	15·4	70·5
11993–94	14·4	65·0
1 1 August 1993 to 31 January 1994.
2 A stage 1 investigation is one where the complaint is examined but investigation is not pursued beyond the stage of considering the council's detailed comments on it.
3 A stage 2 investigation is one which proceeds with a view to the issue of a formal investigation report.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many homeless households were temporarily accommodated in bed-and-breakfast hotels by each of the London boroughs, in rank order, at the latest available date.

The numbers of households reported by the London boroughs in bed-and-breakfast accommodation at the end of September 1993, the latest date for which data are available, ranked by size are as follows:

London borough	Households in bed-and-breakfast accommodation
Wandsworth	435
Tower Hamlets	322
Hammersmith and Fulham	240
Kensington and Chelsea	215
Westminster	210
Haringey	202
Barnet	188
Hackney	159
Lambeth	100
Enfield	82
Brent	78
Harrow	74
Hillingdon	67
Newham	45
Croydon	44
Hounslow	36
Bromley	34
Redbridge	21
Kingston upon Thames	20
Southwark	18
Sutton	16
Ealing	9
Merton	9
Bexley	6
City of London	4
Havering	0
Lewisham	0
Greenwich	0
Richmond upon Thames	0
Waltham Forest	0
Camden	0
Barking and Dagenham	0

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what agreement he reached with the Association of District Authorities on using nature of tenure as an indicator in the personal social services and the all-other services standard spending assessment;(2) what agreement he has reached with the Association of Metropolitan Authorities on using nature of housing tenure as an indicator in the personal social services and the all-other services standard spending assessment;(3) what discussions he has had with the Association of County Councils on using nature of tenure as an indicator in the personal social services and the all-other services standard spending assessment; and what measure of agreement was reached.

As part of the review of standard spending assessments for 1994–95 we discussed the inclusion of indicators of housing tenure in SSAs with representatives of each of the local authority associations. The main forum for these discussions was the SSA sub-group.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from local authority associations prior to his announcing the provisional revenue support grant settlement as to the use of nature of tenure as a proxy for disadvantage for the purpose of standard spending assessment distribution.

Prior to the announcement of the provisional revenue support grant settlement for 1994–95, as part of the review of standard spending assessments, we discussed a wide range of possible changes in SSA methodology with representatives of each of the local authority associations. The use of indicators of the nature of housing tenure was considered as part of these discussions, which took place in the official level SSA sub-group.The report of the SSA sub-group for 1994–95 summarises the papers presented to the sub-group and the points made by representatives of the local authority associations in the discussion which took place. I have placed a copy of this report in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the reporting mechanisms for homelessness as used to calculate standard spending assessments.

The information on homelessness used in the calculation of standard spending assessments is taken from the annual housing investment programme returns completed by local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list by region the bed-and-breakfast hostels for the homeless that have (i) been opened and (ii) been closed in each yeare since 1990.

The information requested by the hon. Member is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each of the last four years, and for the current year to date (a) the location and (b) the Richter scale measurement of earth tremors that have occurred in England; and what structural damage was reported.

The British Geological Survey has located 1,478 earthquakes in the United Kingdom and its offshore area in the period January 1990 to mid-February 1994. Reports have been received of minor damage caused to properties from seven of these earthquakes; most widely from the so-called Bishop's Castle earthquake in western Shropshire on 2 April 1990 which had a magnitude of 5·1 on the Richter scale. Details are contained in annual bulletins and annual reports of the national seismic monitoring and information service operated by the BGS. Published copies for the first three years and draft material for 1993–94 have been lodged in the Library of the House of Commons.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the impact of Canada geese on the environment and on other forms of wildlife.

There is growing concern about the impact of Canada geese on the environment and last year my Department set up a working group to assess the need for and develop a strategy to manage the population. To assist the group's work the Government have commissioned research into whether the geese pose health problems and whether they interact adversely with the nesting and breeding success of native wildfowl. It is also proposed to commission research into population distribution dynamics and movement of the species, and to quantify damage caused by geese to amenity land in London.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to change the current mood of funding passenger transport authorities through the levy system.

We have no plans to change the current arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the percentage of waste sent to landfills which is recyclable.

We have made no such estimate. However, research by the Government's Warren Spring Laboratory suggests that over 50 per cent. of household waste by weight sent to landfill is recyclable.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total income received by each district council from the sales of council houses in each of the past five years; what percentage of these have been reclaimed by his Department; what is the projected figure, from each council, for the building of new council housing in the next financial year; and if he will make a statement.

Information on the total income received by each district council from the sales of council houses in the past five years will be placed in the Library of the House. None of these receipts is reclaimed by my Department. Under the capital receipts rules, local authorities are normally required to set aside 75 per cent. of their housing receipts to meet their debts. Figures for the building of new council housing in the next financial year are not held centrally. Housing associations are now the main providers of new social housing, with local authorities concentrating on their enabling role and on managing their large stocks of existing council housing.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which of his Department's officials have attended the half-yearly dinners of the British Scrap Federation in each year since 1993; and what positions they held at the time.

Although the British Scrap Federation hold half-yearly annual dinners in the spring and the autumn, it is only the autumn dinner that is normally attended by outside guests. Mrs. L. A. C. Simcock, head of waste management division in the Department, attended the dinner last November.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what changes have been made to the allocation of money for management agreements for English Nature; what limits there are on the levels of payments for new agreements; and if he will make a statement.