To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will publish the total number of lay magistrates, as at 1 January, with statistics showing (a) the occupational and age breakdowns of this total, (b) the proportion of women and (c) the proportion of magistrates of black, Asian and non-white origins; and if he will give the same set of information for the year 1989.

At 1 January 1994 the total number of lay magistrates in England and Wales, including the Duchy of Lancaster, was 30,054, of whom 13,903—46·3 per cent.—were women. At 1 January 1989 the figure was 28,211, of whom 12,214—43·3 per cent.—were women. No information is available centrally on the number of magisrates of black, Asian of non-white origin but in 1993 5·5 per cent. of those appointed were from ethnic minorities; in 1989 the figure was 4·7 per cent. Statistics on occupation and age could be provided only at disproportionate cost, but should the hon. Member require this information for a particular bench it could be supplied to him.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what changes took place between 12 February 1993 and 1 January 1994, in the total number of (a) Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, (b) Lords Justices of Appeal, (c) heads of division, (d) High Court judges, (e) circuit judges, (f) recorders, (g) assistant recorders, (g) stipendiary magistrates and (i) full-time chairmen who are (i) men, (ii) women, (iii) barristers, (iv) solicitores, (v) black or Asian and (vi) ex-Oxford or Cambridge; and if he will give revised figures for the average ages in each category.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen) on 7 February 1994, Official Report, column 11, which updated the information I gave on 12 February 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when planning policy guidance note 15 was issued for public consultation; and when he expects to issue it in its final form.

A draft was issued for public consultation on 8 July 1993 together with an associated paper on the protection of conservation areas. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and I expect to publish the final version, embodying decisions on the latter, in the late spring or early summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for the Environment and (b) the chairman of English Heritage in respect of the effect on historic buildings of enabling development.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage which paintings by Turner are currently on loan to Government Departments and agencies.

There are two paintings by Turner, both from the Tate gallery, currently on loan through the agency of the Government art collection to Government Departments and agencies. These are "TG0487 The Quiet Ruin; a sketch, evening" and "TG2990 Ariccia (Italianate Landscape)". Both are on display at 10 Downing street.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he intends to publish the results of his Department's consultations into future United Kingdom resourcing of the preparation of standards; and if he will make a statement.

On 10 June last year, Official Report, column 302, I announced that I was reviewing the need for Government financial assistance to the British Standards, Institution, BSI, and ways in which the BSI and standards contribute to improving competitiveness. A consultation document was issued to which over 400 replies were received. I am now able to announce my conclusions and the action which my Department and the BSI plan to take.Our consultation has shown that the business community believes that standardisation makes an important contribution to competitiveness. Both through voluntary use in the marketplace and in the legislative field, especially in the single market harmonisation programme, standards contribute increasingly to a level playing field in Europe and world wide. The cost of the BSI's role in the standards-writing process, around £30 million per year, is borne largely by industry through subscriptions and purchases of standards. Industry accepts this as appropriate but also values the financial support of Government as a way of maintaining the neutrality and impartiality of the process; as a reflection of Government's own use of standards ill procurement and legislation, and on behalf of the wider public interest in standards.I have listened carefully to the views of business and have concluded that my Department should continue to provide financial support but in the future such assistance should be more precisely targeted. For 1994–95 my Department will contribute £7·3 million to BSI and industry in respect of standards-writing. This will consist of £1·5 million grant in aid to the BSI; £2·5 million of targeted assistance to the BSI to be spent in areas of work to which industry attaches priority—including training of delegates and other support from BSI for overseas standards work—£2·45 million direct to industry through the assisted international travel scheme—an increase of £500,000 to reflect the higher proportion of standards committee work now taking place overseas—and a further £750,000 to industry under schemes to expedite the drafting of standards and £100,000 to consumers to cover the costs of their representation.In the course of the Government review, concerns have also been expressed about BSI's relationship with its members and about other aspects of corporate governance. I am pleased that the BSI has responded to the concerns of its members and has already taken steps to sharpen up its internal efficiency. Now it will respond further by giving business a bigger say in determining programmes and resource allocation; by being more proactive in overseas standards meetings; and by providing more training for business delegates to overseas meetings. The BSI is also reviewing its relationship with, and its accountability to, its stakeholders in the course of changes to its royal charter and byelaws.One particular standard which has generated much comment is BS5750, the standard for quality management systems. My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Technology has already made an announcement to the House on 7 February,

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will consider the principles of trade and sustainable development before signing the Uruguay round global trade accounts in Marrakesh in April.

My right hon. Friend the Minister for Industry will attend the Marrakech ministerial meeting of the Uruguay round trade negotiations committee in mid-April, and he will sign the final act of the Uruguay round on behalf of the United Kingdom. The Government are in no doubt that the Uruguay round results, when implemented, will advance the interests of sustainable development throughout the world.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the current position with regard to the survey being done to assess the potential to generate electricity from the tidal flows in the Duddon estuary in Cumbria.

A preliminary feasibility study on the Duddon estuary has recently been completed and the final report should be published in approximately one month.The feasibility study included an assessment of the design, alignment, energy capture, cost and likely cost of electricity from a barrage scheme across the Duddon estuary, together with an assessment of the environmental impact of such a scheme.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what safety hazards arise from changing the plug on 16 amp electrical appliances from CENELEC to British standard if it is plugged into circuits of the new European standard lower voltage;(2) what safety hazards arise from fitting a CENELEC two-pin plug into a BS three-pin socket; and if he will make a statement.

Safety considerations will be an important part of the wider consultations to which I referred in my answer to the hon. Member on 23 February, Official Report, column 229.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade who conducted the consultation in relation to the construction deregulation task force report in relation to fire protection; if he will place a copy of that report in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

Consultation on the recommendations of the construction industry deregulation task force on fire safety regulations and their enforcement and other related issues is currently under way as part of the review announced by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade on 17 January 1994, Official Report, column 381. The working papers of the task force will be placed in the Library of the House shortly.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he is now in a position to publish the total imports in 1993 of (a) house coal and (b) industrial coal; and if he will make a statement.

The amount of coal imported during 1993 was as follows:

	Thousand tonnes
Industrial coal	2,028
Domestic coal	628

Following the introduction of the "Intrastat" system for collecting data on trade with our EC partners, the figures involve some estimation of unrecorded imports. They are, therefore, likely to be subject to greater subsequent revision than figures collected on the previous basis.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action his Department has taken to prevent the importation of coal from countries who use child labour slavery or labour exploitation to mine such coal.

As a general rule, there are severe practical difficulties in identifying goods, allegedly produced using child labour or exploited labour, given the complexities of international trade. Also, it is highly doubtful whether the social conditions that give rise to such practices can be improved by restricting trade.In the specific case of coal from Colombia, which the hon. Member may have in mind, I recently met Dr. Pretelt, the president of Carbocol, who assured me that Colombian labour law, and mining law, prohibits women and under-18s from going underground, and that no Colombian coal for export is mined by children. The Government call on all states which have ratified international instruments covering slavery, servitude, forced labour or child labour to meet their obligations.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish for 1993 details of the 10 major importers of coal and the quantities and cost of the coal imported.

Details of individual companies' coal imports are commercially confidential.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action he proposes to take to end the restrictions on supply of newspapers and magainzes by wholesalers to small retail outlets.

Following the publication of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission's report on the supply of national newspapers in England and Wales on 9 December 1993, a statutory notice of the Secretary of State's intention to make an order under the Fair Trading Act 1973 in relation to the wholesale supply of national newspapers to retailers in England and Wales was published on 21 December. The MMC's report related only to the supply of national newspapers in England and Wales and the order would not therefore extend to the supply of magazines. A copy of the notice has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are his Department's proposals with regard to newspaper distribution.

Following the publication of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission's report on the supply of national newspapers in England and Wales on 9 December 1993, a statutory notice of the Secretary of State's intention to make an order under the Fair Trading Act 1973 in relation to the wholesale supply of national newspapers to retailers in England and Wales was published on 21 December. A copy of the notice has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his estimate of the number of coal mining jobs lost since 1979 (a) in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency and (b) in south Wales.

Since January 1979, the number of coal mining jobs lost in South Wales is 27,218. Information on job losses in the Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency is not available.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has had from motoring or other organisations regarding the no liability clause of major car parking providers.

This issue has been raised with the Government on a number of occasions, most recently at a meeting on car park security at the Home Office on 2 February which was attended by car park operators and other interested bodies, including motoring organisations. Any specific complaints about anti-competitive actions in respect of car parking should be referred to the Director General of Fair Trading, Sir Bryan Carsberg.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what were the totals of applications and registrations made for trade marks in each year since 1988; and what is the mean average processing time required by the Patent Office.

The answer is:

	Applications	Registrations
1988	38,000	14,381
1989	40,052	22,374
1990	39,632	28,389
1991	34,983	30,421
1992	35,968	35,137
1993	34,871	33,071

For 1993–94 the Trade Marks Registry has a target to register 80 per cent. of unopposed trade mark applications within 24 months of receipt.The rights in the eventual registration start from the date of application.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to be able to announce the budget for the Insolvency Service commencing in April 1994; what plans he has to increase the level of resources available to the Insolvency Service in 1994–95 to enable the agency to increase the number of directors prosecuted for fraud and the number of directors disqualified for misconduct; and if he will give reasons for his decision.

I hope to be able to publish the results of "MINIS '94" early in the 1994–95 financial year.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much money was paid to consultants employed by the Insolvency Service in 1993.

In 1993 a total of £888,550 was paid to consultants employed by or engaged in work for the Insolvency Service.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement as to why an unabridged copy of the Stoy Hayward report into the Insolvency Service has not been placed in the Library.

The summary which has been placed in the Library has been agreed by Stoy Hayward as a fair reflection of its report.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to use the private sector to assist the official receiver in his duty to investigate compulsory insolvencies.

The focus of the recently announced feasibility study is to assess the costs, benefits and value for money of options to increase private sector involvement in the mechanical processing work of the official receiver thus ensuring that official receivers are able to concentrate more on their investigating role.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement as to whether cost will be the major consideration in deciding if work currently carried out by the Insolvency Service will be transferred to the private sector.

Value for money will be the major consideration in determining the scope for involving the private sector more in the mechanical processing work in insolvencies.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement as to the effectiveness to the Insolvency Service of the staff currently on loan from other Government Departments.

Staff on loan to the Insolvency Service from other Government Departments have proved generally very effective in assisting on a range of tasks and in the service's efforts to increase the focus on its investigative role.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the projected figures for compulsory insolvencies, differentiating between bankruptcies and companies, for the next five years.

My Department does not publish forecasts for insolvencies. The working assumption being used in the current "MINIS" resource allocation exercise is that there will be some 28,000 bankruptcies and 7,000 compulsory liquidations in the financial year 1994–95.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the conclusion in the Stoy Hayward report into the Insolvency Service relating to the costs of the private sector undertaking the work of the Insolvency Service.

The recently announced feasibility study will involve further, more detailed work to assess the costs and benefits of the various options identified in the first stage of the review. Any further comment must await the results of the feasibility study.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what resources the inspector general and agency chief executive of the Insolvency Service requested for each of the past six years; and what were the resources granted.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Energy on 9 February, Official Report, column 321.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many staff in the Insolvency Service are currently on loan from other Government Departments; which are the Departments concerned; and how many are on loan from each.

As at 1 March 1994, the Insolvency Service has 93 staff on loan from other Government Departments. These are HM Customs and Excise, 34 staff, Employment, 23, Inland Revenue 20, Social Security, 15, and Health, one.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether payment for the second stage review of privatising part, or all, of the Insolvency Service will come from the Insolvency Service budget.

The purpose of the review of the future of the Insolvency Service is to examine the ways in which official receivers may concentrate more on their investigatory role by involving the private sector more in the mechanical processing work in insolvencies. The costs of the second stage of the review will be met from Insolvency Service resources.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action his Department has taken to encourage other Government Departments to use independent gas suppliers.

It is for each Department to choose the gas supplier that offers the most appropriate combination of price and service standard.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 23 February, Official Report, column 233, on United Kingdom exports, when relevant figures for the full 1993 calendar year will be available; and if he will publish relevant figures for each (a) month and (b) quarter of 1993 for as many months or quarters as are currently available.

Information on United Kingdom exports of goods to the EC is published monthly by the Central Statistical Office. Information on invisible exports to other EC countries is available only annually and the Central Statistical Office plans to make figures for the whole of 1993 available in August 1994.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if any cuttings discharged from exploration or appraisal wells since 31 December 1993 have contained oil exceeding the 1 per cent. limit laid down by the Paris Commission; and if he will name each operator who has breached the limit.

[holding answer 28 February 1994]: Since December 1993 there have been no requests by operators for exemptions from section 3 of the Prevention of Pollution Act 1971 to discharge oil contaminated cuttings from exploration and appraisal wells.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the most recent forecasts of the contribution bio-fuels are expected to make to energy production from renewable energy sources.

[holding answer 28 February 1994]: The Department of Trade and Industry does not make forecasts of the contribution any renewables are expected to make to energy production. The Government are working towards a figure of 1500 MW of new electricity generating capacity from renewable energy sources. The renewable energy advisory group report, published in November 1992 as Energy Paper 60—HMSO, ISBN 0 11 414287 4, £15·95—copies of which are in the Libraries of both Houses, gave estimates of the potential for each renewable source of energy and the assumptions on which these estimates were based. Ultimately, the contribution from renewables depends on how competitive they are and whether constraints on their exploitation can be overcome. For example, the waste contracting policy of the waste disposal authorities will largely determine whether municipal wastes are available for beneficial use by energy recovery.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will give details of the public appointments he is responsible for making in addition to those identified in "Public Bodies 1993", including non-executive agency and other departmental management boards.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is responsible for the appointment of trustees to the Maxwell Pensioners Trust, the Maxwell Pensioners Charitable Trust, the Motability 10th Anniversary Trust, the Far East (Prisoners of War and Internees) Fund and Queen Mary's Roehampton Trust. He also appoints the pensions ombudsman, the social fund commissioner and the chief executives of the Department's agencies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what were the results of the elections of the Economic and Social Council in New York on 25 January; how the United Kingdom voted; and if he will make a statement.

The United Nations Economic and Social Council held an organisational session at the United Nations headquarters in New York on 25 January. During the meeting the president of ECOSOC and three vice-presidents were elected by acclamation. There were no other ECOSOC elections held on 25 January.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what communications he has had with his counterparts in (a) the United States of America and (b) Australia in regard to (i) spying by a Central Intelligence Agency officer and (ii) bugging of offices in Hong Kong.

I have had no communications with my counterparts in the United States of America or Australia about the allegations referred to in the hon. Member's question. Officials have been in contact but I am not prepared to comment on their exchanges.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the role of the diplomatic wing of the Foreign Office in the Pergau dam project.

The diplomatic wing plays a full role alongside other Government Departments in considering and advising on aid and trade provision projects, including the Pergau dam.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 14 February, Official Report, columns 553–54, how many copies of the booklet "The European Community: Facts and Fairytales" were published; what was the budgeted and the actual cost; and how many copies were requested by members of the public.

Some 35,000 copies of the booklet "The European Community: Facts and Fairytales" have been printed. The budgeted cost was £11,500. The total cost was £12,498. The initial distribution was 10,000 copies. Since then, a further 23,500 copies have been requested, mainly by Members of Parliament, United Kingdom Members of the European Parliament, trade associations, chambers of commerce, consumer organisations and individual members of the public.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what grounds funding has been withdrawn from the British Youth Council.

The decision to phase out funding for the international work of the British Youth Council was taken because BYC's activities are essentially an extension of its domestic identity, and we can no longer justify giving this activity priority for scarce FCO funds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many meetings of the round table forum with non-governmental organisations on arms control, security and non-proliferation his Department has hosted since 1979; when the last forum was held; when the next one will be held; and what criteria are used in deciding which groups are to be invited.

It is not possible, without incurring a disproportionate cost, to determine accurately how many meetings were held after 1979. They were, however, usually held on a twice-yearly basis. Invitations to take part were issued to groups known to be actively interested in arms control and disarmament issues. There are no plans at present to hold another meeting in the near future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to establish official programmes of support for central and eastern European undergraduate students who wish to pursue courses at universities in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Under the EC's Tempus programme a number of undergraduates from central and eastern Europe spend short periods of study at United Kingdom higher education institutions.Her Majesty's Government's scholarships and training programmes are targeted at postgraduates and young professionals. For example in 1993–94 the FCO is providing some 500 scholarships worth over £2·5 million for central and eastern Europe under the British Chevening scholarships programme, formerly FCOSAS.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received regarding the siting in Beijing of the United Nations conference on women in 1995; what views have been expressed by his Department to the United Nations and other interested bodies regarding the matter; and if he will make a statement.

The choice of Peking as venue for the World Conference was made by United Nations member states on the recommendation of countries in the Asia region of the United Nations and in accordance with the United Nations principle of geographical rotation. We want to play a strong role internationally on women's rights and we believe that more can be achieved for women throughout the world by attending the 1995 conference than by not doing so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Ministers and officials will expect to be attending the United Nations conference on women in 1995.

No decision has yet been taken on the exact composition of the United Kingdom delegation to the conference, but we expect the Minister who leads the delegation to be a woman. It is likely to include representatives from the Women's National Commission and the Equal Opportunities Commission, as well as Government officials.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a decision will be taken on the application made by Mrs. Liberty Nicos Cloke and her son—Ref: 15508—at the United Kingdom in the Philippines to join her husband in the United Kingdom; 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 if he will produce a table to show the average number of people employed by the Commission of European Communities now and in each of the last 10 years.

There were 14,325 Commission employees in February 1993. We are seeking the figures for previous years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans the independent monitor of refusals in entry clearance cases has to visit Jamaica; and if he will make a statement.

The independent monitor, Lady Anson, will visit our posts in Dhaka, Bombay, Istanbul and Accra between 1 and 15 March. She has no plans to visit Jamaica.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all projects under consideration for support under the aid and trade provision in countries with a per capita income of over $700 per year; and what progress is being made in his policy of concentrating on developing countries with per capital income below the level announced in June 1993.

I refer the hon. Member for Monklands, West to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Meacher) on 28 June 1993, Official Report, column 356.Of the transitional projects mentioned, the small technical co-operation projects referred to are no longer under consideration having been won or withdrawn; and the other two projects listed are still under consideration. As announced on 17 June 1993, the aid and trade provision is now focused on credit-worthy low-income countries with a GNP per capital under $700, and all new ATP cases from that date are subject to this policy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the priorities in the allocation of the aid and trade provision.

[holding reply 28 February 1994]: The priorities in the allocation of the aid and trade provision are the support of sound development projects of particular commercial and industrial importance to Britain in credit-worthy, low-income developing countries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list (a) the professional discipline, (b) the duties and responsibilities and (c) the annual cost to the Overseas Development Administration, including the cost of offices and support staff, of each of the technical co-operation officers working in the field of banking, finance insurance and/or taxation in (i) Anguilla, (ii) the Cayman Islands, (iii) Montserrat and (iv) the Turks and Caicos Islands; and if he will place a copy of the job description of each of those posts in the Library.

There are four such posts filled by technical co-operation officers in the Turks and Caicos Islands, all in the general finance field; two in Montserrat, one in finance and the other in taxation; and none in Anguilla or the Cayman Islands.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what strategic plan has been proposed by the United Nations Development Programme to improve conditions in Somaliland.

Principal responsibility for strategic planning in all regions of Somalia lies with UNOSOM' s development office. Providing the environment is secure, UNDO aims to undertake planning missions to the north-west region soon. In the north-west, UNDP is supporting small-scale community-based rehabilitation projects and reviewing plans for demobilisation, revenue generation and reintegration of the population.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place a copy of the World bank report entitled "Thailand: the Pak Mun Hydropower Project—Mid-Term Review" in the Library.

As I explained in my reply of 13 December to the hon. Member, Official Report, columns 475–76, this report remains confidential under the bank's disclosure of information policy; so I regret that I cannot place a copy in the Library. The bank, however, has recently published an information note on the Pak Mun project, copies of which are being placed in both Libraries of Parliament.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) whether the United Kingdom position on the Arun III project proposal has been determined; and if he will make a statement;(2) when he expects the Arun III project proposal to be presented to the board of the World bank;(3)whether the ODA has completed an independent assessment of the Arun III project; and if he will make a statement.

Subject to completion of the necessary formalities, the World bank expects to present the Nepal power generation project to the board of directors at the end of April. We will form a view once the project documents are circulated. We have not commissioned an independent assessment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will institute a public inquiry into the circumstances of the grant of aid to the Pergau dam project in Malaysia.

[holding reply 28 February 1994]: No. The Government will co-operate fully with the inquiry of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee into this matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy on the proposals put forward in the draft communication of the Commission of the Council and the European Parliament on immigration and asylum policies on how to counter the dangers of polarising opinions on immigration.

The European Commission has not yet published its proposed communication on immigration and asylum policies. When it is made available to member states, copies will be deposited in both Houses and the Government will submit an explanatory memorandum in accordance with the scrutiny procedures for title VI matters.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what level of grant his Department has given to (a) Relate and (b) the London Marriage Guidance Council for each year since 1987.

Administration of the Government's marriage guidance grant in aid programme is the responsibility of the Home Office. The grant to Relate for each year from 1987–88 to 1993–94 is set out in the table:

	£
1987–88	912,870
1988–89	935,910
1989–90	958,890
1990–91	1,006,840
1991–92	1,107,500
1992–93	1,511,400
1993–94	1,530,500

In addition, over the period in question, Relate has received Home Office funding for specific projects totalling £648,000.The London Marriage Guidance Council does not receive funds from central Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) by what authority a general practitioner can prescribe cannabis;(2) what is his policy in respect of the issuing of a cannabis licence to

Cannabis is a controlled drug designated under section 7 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and it is therefore unlawful for a medical practitioner to prescribe it to a patient. Our policy of not issuing licences under the 1971 Act to allow it to be prescribed is based on long-standing advice that cannabis has no recognised medical use.In the absence of convincing evidence, which would need to include the necessary evaluation and approval by the Medicines Control Agency, that there was a legitimate use for cannabis in specific medical conditions, I see no reason to reconsider this policy.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all court cases since 1990 that resulted in cannabis being made available to multiple sclerosis sufferers.

I am not aware of any such cases.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for Coventry, North-East will receive a reply to his letter dated 12 January to the Midland inquiry unit with follow-up to the Minister of State on 17 January.

I wrote to the hon. Member on 22 February.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to curb the theft of mobile phones, especially from motor vehicles.

The Home Office is supporting the Department of Trade and Industry in its discussions with the mobile phone industry on what further measures can be taken to reduce the theft of mobile phones, such as the promotion of equipment marking and improved controls of electronic serial numbers.The Home Office is also continuing its car crime prevention campaign. One of the key aims of this is to encourage motorists not to leave valuables in their cars.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will respond formally to the Police Complaints Authority report on deportation policy arising from the investigation into the death of Joy Gardner; and if he will place a copy of the report's recommendation in the Library.

The Police Complaints Authority has not made any such report.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many car parking providers have joined the Association of Chief Police Officers-Automobile Association secure car parking scheme;(2) how many of the major car parking providers have joined the Association of Chief Police Officers-Automobile Association secure car parking scheme; and what is his policy on the scheme.

The information is not available in the form requested. However, a range of car parking providers, including local authorities, British Rail and private operators, have so far received "Secured Car Parks" awards. As of 23 February 1994, 167 awards—129 gold and 38 silver—had been made to car parks under the scheme.The Home Office fully supports this initiative and has recently provided £30,000 to assist in its promotion. I urged major car park operators to participate in it when I met with them on 2 February to discuss car park security.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the study undertaken by Dr. Jonathon Brostoff and Superintendent Peter Bennett to compare the dietary histories of persistent young offenders with matched control groups of non-offenders and clinically diagnosed hyperactive children was started; and when it is likely to be completed.

The study began on 1 July 1993 and is due to be completed by 31 December 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (6) women are presently serving sentences in prison for the non-payment of fines.

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 call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis on the implications for central London arising from the City of London's traffic restriction; and if he will make a statement.

I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the traffic scheme introduced by the City of London police was the subject of prior consultation, and that there is continuing liaison between the two forces to ensure that any disruption is kept to a minimum. I understand that, as a result, no significant problems have been experienced.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff are employed by the European Commission to work under the direction of the Commissioner responsible for internal and judicial affairs, and immigration; and what is the equivalent number employed by or seconded to the European Council working on the common policy on justice and home affairs.

I understand that approximately 30 staff in the European Commission and 11 staff in the Council of the European Union are engaged in work arising from title VI of the treaty on European Union.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will instruct the high commission in Islamabad to issue a visa to Quayyam Abdul ref: TH/63011/93, following the decision of the immigration appeal tribunal on 30 December to refuse the Home Office leave to appeal; and if he will make a statement.

In accordance with normal procedures a copy of the determination refusing leave to appeal was sent to Islamabad on 20 January. It is for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office post in Islamabad to decide whether to issue entry clearance. The hon. Member will be informed of the outcome in this case.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will instruct the British commission in Islamabad to issue a visa to Wahid Akhtar, ref: TH/2480/93, following the decision of the immigration appeal tribunal on 17 December to refuse the Home Office leave to appeal; and if he will make a statement.

In accordance with normal procedures a copy of the determination refusing leave to appeal was sent to Islamabad on 28 January. It is for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office post in Islamabad to decide whether to issue entry clearance. The hon. Member will be informed of the outcome of this case.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what complaints the immigration and nationality department complaints audit committee has received concerning Jamaican nationals refused entry as visitors to the United Kingdom at Gatwick last December; to whom complaints may be made; and to what address they should be sent.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply of 14 January, Official Report, columns 338–39, to the hon. Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen). The complaints audit committee has received no such complaints, but since it is not responsible for the investigation of individual complaints it would pass any such correspondence direct to the complaints unit, immigration and nationality department for action.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in each region, how many prisoners were occupying police cells at the latest date for which figures are available because of lack of prison accommodation; how many police officers were diverted from their duties as a result; and what is the cost in financial terms for police pay or otherwise.

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 table the interim costs of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission's reorganisation by each constituency in England and Wales.

The costs incurred by the Boundary Commissions for England and Wales in carrying out their general reviews of parliamentary constituencies were, at 31 December 1993, £5·5 million. The information is not available on a constituency basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will produce a table showing the deaths by fire of (a) infants, (b) adolescents, (c) adults and (d) the elderly for the latest 20 years.

The latest published statistics of the number of fire-related deaths by age from fires attended by local authority fire brigades in the United Kingdom are shown in table 23 of the annual Home Office report, "Fire Statistics United Kingdom 1991", a copy of which is in the Library. I will reply as soon as possible with information for earlier years.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will raise the issue of the global proliferation consequences of plutonium reprocessing at the thermal oxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield at his forthcoming meeting with President Clinton in Washington.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has no plans to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had over the last three months with the Indian Prime Minister on matters concerning Kashmir; and if he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has had no direct discussions with the Indian Prime Minister since their meeting in January 1993. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs discussed Kashmir with Narasimha Rao during his visit to India last November.We have continued to take every opportunity to discuss our concerns about Kashmir with the Indians. Senior officials had extensive talks in Delhi in early February.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 1 March.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is in the United States for a series of meetings including with President Clinton and the United Nations Secretary-General.

To ask the Prime Minister how much his office has spent on official gifts for visiting dignitaries since November 1990; and what are the criteria for determining the cost and appropriateness of such gifts.

[holding answer 28 February 1994]: I have been asked to reply.It is not the normal practice of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to provide official gifts for visiting dignitaries.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to reply to the letter sent to him by the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed on 10 November on the subject of Castle Morpeth borough council's objections to the Government's proposals on market franchise rights.

I replied to the right hon. Member's letter on Monday 28 February.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will identify for each of the proposals put forward to Government by the business deregulation task forces, and represented by numbers 193, 196, 198, 199, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 206, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 229, 264, 273, 283, 287, 292, 309 and 314 in the publication deregulation task forces proposals for reform (a)which the Government have already taken action on,(b)which are under further consideration and (c) which are not being considered further.

The substantial deregulation action that my Department is taking in relation to all the task force recommendations, including those cited, to reduce unnecessary controls on business while safeguarding environmental and public safety is fully set out in each of the three categories at pages 36 to 44 of the DTI publication "Deregulation—Cutting Red Tape" that was issued on 19 January. A copy of this publication was placed in the Library of the House on that date.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give details of the public appointments he is responsible for making in addition to those identified in "Public Bodies 1993", including non-executive agency and other departmental management boards.

In addition to the bodies identified in "Public Bodies 1993", and excluding departmental committees, of which no central record is maintained, the Secretary of State makes appointments to the following bodies:

New bodies established since Public Bodies 1993 (1 April 1993)
Appointment	Annual salary £
Birmingham Castle Vale Housing Action Trust Chairman	25,315
Deputy Chairman	8,590
10 Members	5,030
English Partnerships Chairman	unpaid
Deputy Chairman	24,605
4 Members	6,310
Local Government Staff Commission Chairman	25,200
2 Members	13,890
Tower Hamlets Housing Action Trust Chairman	25,315
Deputy Chairman	8,590
8 Members	5,030
Executive Agencies
Ordnance Survey Director General	1—
3 management board non-executives	5,262
Planning Inspectorate Chief Planning Inspector	1—
4 Members of Advisory Board	unpaid
Building Research Establishment Chief Executive	1—
QE II Conference Centre Chief Executive	2—
The Buying Agency Chief Executive	2—
Security Facilities Executive Chief Executive	2—
Other Bodies
Office of Water Resources (OFWAT) Director General	3—
7 National Park Authorities (England) One-third of Members	unpaid
Broads Authority 9 of the 35 Members	unpaid
Sutton Housing Trust 4 of the 7 Trustees	2,120
Commission for Local Administration Chairman	4—
2 Commissioners	3—
1 Civil Service Grade 3.
2 Civil Service Grade 5.
3 Civil Service Grade 2.
4 Civil Service Grade 1.

Appointments to the Commission for Local Administration are made by Her Majesty the Queen on the advice of the Secretary of State. One commissioner receives an addition of £1,000 per annum as deputy chairman.The Secretary of State also appoints the local government independent adjudicator—£5,750—and nominates 14 members for the European Community's Committee of the Regions. The appointments are formally made by the EC Council of Ministers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 21 February, Official Report, column 5, if he will list the powers available to highway authorities to regulate or restrict vehicular use on byways open to all traffic and the circumstances in which these powers can be used.

Local authorities' powers to regulate and restrict traffic are contained principally in the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, as amended. They apply to all roads over which the public has access—which includes byways open to all traffic. The powers are the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Transport.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to include, as members of the working group into peat and related matters, independent producers of peat alternatives who are not involved in the peat industry.

The Government have no plans to include independent producers of peat alternatives as members of the working group into peat. However, the scope of the greater use of alternative materials is an important feature of the group's work. I propose to consult the producers before finalising any future policies for peatlands.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library the minutes of the meetings of the working group into peat and related matters.

I have no plans to place the minutes of the meetings of the working group on peat in the Library. However, I will be publishing later this year, for wide consultation, a report summarising the information that has been made available to the group, together with a draft policy paper and a draft guidance note. Copies of these will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when outstanding transitional special needs management allowance will be paid to Liverpool Mencap; and if he will make a statement.

The Housing Corporation is responsible for the payment of revenue support in respect of special needs projects operated by housing associations. To protect the position of these Mencap schemes, the corporation offered to make funding available to the housing association involved, Liverpool Housing Trust. Having assessed the information provided by the trust, the corporation will be paying transitional special needs management allowance in April.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimate of the annual cost of providing public housing or other publicly funded residential care for people who are homeless in England; and if he will make a statement.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those contracts let by his Department in the last five years in which there was a requirement for specialised knowledge of local government accountancy showing for each contract the contractor, the price, the subject, the estimated number of person-days and whether the final report has been published or otherwise made available to the House.

Many of the consultancy and research contracts let by the Department require some knowledge of local government accountancy, even if local government finance is not the main subject. It is not practicable to identify all the contracts that might be involved or the detailed information requested by the hon. Member except at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the allocation within Lewisham's standard spending assessment, on a per capita basis, for children at risk, during the next financial year; what is the allocation for each of the other London boroughs; on what basis this formula operates; and if he will make a statement.

The children's personal social services element for 1994–95 for Lewisham is £107 per head of resident population. Information for other London boroughs is in the table. The formula uses a "client group approach"; the client group is the estimated number of children at risk. Cost adjustments are made to reflect the increased costs associated with social conditions and differences in the costs of provision between areas. The formula for the children's PSS element, along with the formulae for other SSA elements, has been revised in the light of the SSA review.

Table showing the children's personal social service (PSS) element for 1994–95 per head of resident population for Lewisham and the other London boroughs
Borough	PSS for Children (£/head)
Lewisham	107
City of London	26
Camden	114
Greenwich	83
Hackney	175
Hammersmith and Fulham	108
Islington	150
Kensington and Chelsea	81
Lambeth	164
Southwark	129
Tower Hamlets	138
Wandsworth	79

Borough	PSS for Children (£/head)
Westminster	85
Barking and Dagenham	42
Barnet	42
Bexley	25
Brent	108
Bromley	26
Croydon	51
Ealing	68
Enfield	42
Haringey	125
Harrow	35
Havering	25
Hillingdon	35
Hounslow	59
Kingston-upon-Thames	28
Merton	39
Newham	118
Redbridge	41
Richmond-upon-Thames	25
Sutton	30
Waltham Forest	74

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Tooting (Mr. Cox) of 22 February, Official Report, column 109, what is the breakdown by occupation of the members of the 13 rent assessment panels in England.

A total of 143 hold a legal qualification, 172 are surveyors or valuers, and 127 are appointed as lay members. The occupations of the lay members are varied: where details are known centrally, they are recorded in the list of members which was placed in the Library on 18 January.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the last meeting of the public information panel of his Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee was held; and what information he has as to the next planned RAWPIP meeting.

The last meeting of the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee's public interest panel was held on 23 February 1990. Future meetings of the panel are a matter for the committee.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many appeals against banding for council tax are outstanding in Lambeth; how many have been determined (a) on the grounds of manifest error, (b) by agreement and (c) following a hearing; and how long it will be before all outstanding appeals are likely to be settled or determined.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Redmond) on 17 February, column 967.Details of the number of the settlements which were resolved by agreement, the number which were withdrawn by the proposer and the number determined by tribunal for each local authority area are not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the numbers of sea birds washed up on British coasts over the last three months; what were the causes of death; in what areas these birds were washed up; and what types of birds they were.

The Department's statutory conservation advisers do not keep records of the numbers of sea birds washed up dead on British coasts because this information has been found to be of limited value in interpreting wildlife mortality incidents.During the past three months there have been two major incidents involving the deaths of seabirds. One concerned pollution off the Lancashire coast at the beginning of the year and I refer the hon. Member to the answer he was given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Transport in London on 26 January,

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the average local authority rent in each London borough for each year since 1980 with the percentage increase for each year in real terms.

I have today placed in the Library a table showing the average local weekly unrebated rent for each London borough in financial years since 1988–89, including provisional figures for 1993–94. The percentage increases of rents expressed at 1988–89 prices for each year from 1989–90 are also given.The information for London boroughs could be provided for the years before 1988–89 only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if rent officers, in their determination of fair rents for unfurnished private accommodation in inner London, are currently obliged to disregard scarcity; and if he will make a statement on recent changes in fair rents in inner London.

When determining the fair rent for any property, the rent officer is required to follow section 70 of the Rent Act 1977. This requires the rent officer to assume that the number of people seeking accommodation is not substantially greater than the number of homes available for letting: colloquially this amounts to disregarding any element of market rents which is due to scarcity.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on what date he received representations from the environment directorate of the European Commission in relation to the compatibility of the proposed Cardiff bay barrage with the European Commission habitats directive and wild birds directive; if he will place a copy of such communication or letter in the library; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend received a letter from the Environment Commissioner about the Cardiff bay barrage on 27 January. Such communications are confidential between the Government and the Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what decisions he has reached on the Local Government Commission's report on Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement.

I have today written to Sir John Banham, chairman of the Local Government Commission for England, about the Commission's report, "Final Recommendations on the Future Local Government of Avon, Gloucestershire and Somerset".I am still considering the recommendations for both Avon and Somerset. Having carefully considered the commission's recommendations for Gloucestershire, together with representations made to me, I am not at present convinced that effective and convenient local government will be best achieved by making no change to the current structure of local government in the county.I therefore intend to direct the commission to conduct a further review of Gloucestershire; but before issuing a formal direction I have invited the commission's views on timing.As with the further reviews of Derbyshire and County Durham, which I announced on 29 November 1993, I shall be directing the commission to have regard to the revised procedure and policy guidance issued in November 1993.I announced on 3 February that the final sentence of paragraph 3 of the policy guidance had been deleted by the High Court ruling on 28 January.The review of Avon, Gloucestershire and Somerset was conducted in accordance with the original policy guidance which I issued to the commission in July 1992. The revised policy guidance which I issued on 2 November 1993 clarified the Government's views on a number of issues, including the importance of local consensus. Representations have been made to me by local authorities in Gloucestershire that they should be given the opportunity to make fresh proposals on the basis of the new guidance. I consider that the local authorities and people of the area ought to be given that chance.A copy of my letter to Sir John Banham has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, what progress local authorities are making in reducing the numbers of vacant dwellings they own; and if he will make a statement.

The Government have been encouraging local authorities to keep the number of empty council dwellings to a minimum so that the most effective use is made of the council housing stock. I am pleased to say that the local authorities have responded well to this encouragement and have been making good progress in recent years in reducing the number of their vacant dwellings.As at 1 April 1993 "management vacants"—those ready for occupation immediately or after minor works—were 40,000 compared to 54,000 in 1987—a drop of 26 per cent. The total number of vacant council dwellings were 71,000 compared to 112,000 in 1987.Management vacants provide an indication of the empty dwellings available to meet housing need. The 20 authorities with the highest number of management vacant at 1 April 1993 are:

Ranking of authorities by numbers of Management Vacants at 1 April 1993.
	Stock	Management Vacants	Percentage
1) Hackney	40,802	1,911	4·68
2) Manchester	83,710	1,306	1·50
3) Sheffield	73,935	1,104	1·49
4) Liverpool	56,906	969	1·70
5) Leeds	79,638	907	1·14
6) Birmingham	107,288	896	0·84
7) Lambeth	44,523	825	1·85
8) Tower Hamlets	40,099	679	1·69
9) Southwark	55,377	617	1·11
10) Salford	34,750	608	1·75
11) Greenwich	33,202	557	1·68
12) Newcastle upon Tyne	40,368	550	1·36
13) Islington	37,608	547	1·45
14) Bristol	35,986	519	1·44
15) Wolverhampton	33,839	503	1·49
16) Nottingham	37,895	502	1·32
17) Coventry	21,441	483	2·25
18) Bradford	30,917	458	1·48
19) North Tyneside	24,058	435	1·81
20) Walsall	32,459	427	1·32

I am today placing in the Library a complete list of local authorities ranked on this basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment 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 am not aware that any such instruction has been issued to the accounting officer of my Department during the period in question.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps the Government are taking to safeguard the incomes of beekeepers, following the cut in customs duties for honey imported from outside the EC agreed in the recent general agreement on tariffs and trade negotiations.

The problems faced by European beekeepers were discussed by the Agriculture Council on 24 January this year. At the request of the presidency the Commission will now make an analysis of the market situation and produce a reflections document for further consideration by the Council.

Numbers of persons employed in agriculture in England as at June 1992
	Farm size group measured in ESU1
	Less than 8 very small	8- < 40 small	40 < 100 medium	100 < 200 large	200 and over very large
Family workers
full time	1,208	3,783	6,605	4,173	1,767
part time	2,704	3,637	2,674	999	420
Hired workers
full time	4,034	7,427	14,767	16,781	31,195
part time	3,411	6,553	7,386	5,046	8,906
Salaried managers	619	879	1,145	1,336	3,018
Farmers, partners and directors (including spouses)	61,460	63,848	54,559	22,928	10,542
1 1 ESU is equivalent to 1,000 ecu of standard gross margin at average 1979 to 1981 values.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations her Department has received about the opening date of the north-east coast drift net fishery; and if she will make a statement.

We have been asked by representatives of certain salmon angling and conservation organisations to postpone the opening date of the north-east coast salmon drift net fishery until 1 July. We are giving that request careful consideration and I hope to further address this matter in the near future.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what intention her Department has to phase out hill livestock compensatory allowance payments; what representations she has received regarding any intention to phase out hill livestock compensatory allowance payments; and if she will make a statement regarding the maintenance of hill livestock compensatory allowance payments for the duration of this Parliament.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information she has relating agricultural employment to farm size, as measured by standard gross margin; what information she has on the employment generation record of different sizes and types of farm; and if she will make a statement.

Information collected in the annual census of agricultural holdings includes the number of persons engaged in agriculture according to whether they are farmers, partners, spouses of farmers family or hired workers, full or part time, male or female. It also includes details of the level of cropping and stocking of holdings which enables the economic size and type of the farm to be determined. These data are available on a consistent basis for each year from 1988. Data for 1992 are contained in the table.

I have received a number of representations about the future of hill livestock compensatory allowances. I have no intention of phasing out these payments, which are vital to the continuation of extensive livestock farming in the hills and uplands, and I fully recognise the contribution which this sector of agriculture makes in economic social and environmental terms.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will publish a table showing, in 1992–93 prices, the gross public spending for each year since 1990–91 and the projected expenditure for each year to 1995–96 for each executive non-departmental public body sponsored by her Department, as listed in "Public Bodies 1993".

[holding answer 15 February 1994]: I attach a table showing total gross expenditure by executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by my Department for the years 1990–91 to 1991–92, adjusted to 1992–93 prices. The figures for 1992–93 are shown in the publication "Public Bodies 1993", which is available in the Library of the House. Expenditure figures for 1993–94 are not yet available. Projected expenditure figures for future years will appear when the estimates are laid before the House.