Written Answers

Written Answers To Questions

Thursday 17 March 1994

Lord Chancellor's Department

Judicial Studies Board

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many advisory committees, in addition to the Ethnic Minorities Advisory Committee, operate under the auspices of the Judicial Studies Board; what are their terms of reference; and if he will list the members and chairpersons of each of these advisory committees, including the Ethnic Minorities Advisory Committee.

The Ethnic Minorities Advisory Committee is the only advisory committee of the Judicial Studies Board.The current membership of EMAC is:

Mr. Justice Brooke (Chairman)
Mr. Trevor Hall (Vice-Chairman)
Ms Kamlesh Bahl
Professor Michael Banton JP
Mrs. Jasu Chatwani
Judge Gerald Coles QC
Ms Shirley Daniel
Mrs. Sylvia Denman CBE
Mr. Navnit Dholakia OBE, JP
Mr. Peter Herbert
Dr. Zaka Ullah Khan OBE, JP
Judge Nicholas Medawar QC
Mr. Goolam Meeran
Ms Patricia Scotland QC
Professor Avrom Sherr
Mr. Ranjit Sondhi
District Judge Peter Wartnaby
Ms Anesta Weekes
Ms Cecilia Wells

Judges

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many judges were educated at independent schools; and what proportion this is of the total in England.

Aggregated information relating to the schools attended by judges is not readily available.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what statistics he has of the political allegiance of judges in England.

Statistics are not kept on political affiliation. Judges are appointed without regard to political affiliation and members of the full-time judiciary may not engage in political activity.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the average number of hours per week a judge works in court.

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

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what steps he has taken to implement (a) the progressive introduction of open advertisements for some judicial vacancies and (b) other reform measures he advocated in his Department's press notice 158.93 of 7 July 1993 on improvements in the judicial appointments system; and if he will make a statement.

In his speech to Her Majesty's Judges at the Guildhall on 7 July 1993 the Lord Chancellor said that because of the wide range of issues involved and the extensive preparatory work which his programme would entail, it would be some time before all the measures could be introduced over the whole field of judicial appointments. That work is currently in progress, and an announcement will be made as soon as practicable.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many magistrates in England have declared political allegiances; and if he will provide an analysis.

This information can be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what proposals he has to allow those whose applications to become magistrates are rejected to know the reasons for their rejection.

No proposals are required. Candidates are informed of the result of their applications and it is open to anyone not satisfied to seek further reasons from the local advisory committee. The desirability of balancing benches in terms of age, gender, ethnic origin, political affiliation and occupation means that many otherwise suitable applicants are not appointed.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what considerations underlie the requirement on prospective magistrates to state their political allegiances.

The Lord Chancellor does not wish that any bench should become, or remain, unduly overweighted with the supporters of any one political party. It is for this reason that political allegiances are sought, but they are not a qualification or disqualification for appointment and candidates are not required to disclose this information. The key consideration for appointment is that a candidate should be suitable.

Civil Servants

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list for each civil service grade in his Department (a) the total number of persons employed and (b) the percentage of this figure that are women.

Details of the numbers of staff employed in each civil service grade are set out in the table. In column 2 of the table the total number of staff employed in each grade appears; column 3 shows the percentage of women in each grade.

Civil Service grades in post as at 14 March 1994
Sustantive grade	Staff in post	Per cent. of women in grade
Grade 1	1	0.0
Grade 2	2	0.0
Grade 3	9	11.1
Grade 4	5	0.0
Grade 5	19	15.8
Grade 5 solicitor	14	21.4
Grade 6 senior principal	36	22.2
Grade 6 legal	35	31.4
Senior legal assistant	8	25.0
Grade 7 principal	154	29.9
Grade 7 legal	52	61.5
Legal assistant	2	0.0
Legal officer	1	100.0
SEO	326	34.4
Senior assistant statistician	2	0.0
Senior information officer	1	0.0
HEO	1,062	52.1
Information officer	2	50.0
Assistant statistician	1	0.0
Chief typing manager	3	100.0
Librarian	8	50.0
HEO D	8	62.5
Administration trainee	5	20.0
EO	2,046	65.5
Assistant information officer	1	100.0
Senior personal secretary	15	100.0
Typing manager	33	100.0
Assistant librarian	8	100.0
Support manager 2	5	0.0
Support manager 3	31	71.0
AO	4,432	76.4
Personal secretary	69	100.0
Interpreter	2	100.0
AA	635	71.0
Support grade band 1	146	61.0
Support grade band 2	1,426	59.5
Typist	737	99.9
Specialist typist	1	100.0
Trainee typist	4	100.0
Total	11,347	68.6

Public Interest Immunity Certificates

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will provide whatever information is available of those occasions on which he, or other Ministers in his Department, now or in the past, have signed public interest immunity certificates since 1979; and for what reasons.

No public interest immunity certificates have been signed either by me or by the Lord Chancellor since our appointments. Otherwise, the information requested is not held centrally.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department in how many cases since 1990 judges have been asked to consider a public interest immunity certificate.

The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Legal Aid

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what steps have been or may be taken against solicitors and counsel who do not ensure that an unsuccessful legally aided litigant is ordered to pay costs.

An unsuccessful legally aided litigant's liability to pay costs is provided for by section 17 of the Legal Aid Act 1988. Any solicitor or counsel acting for a litigant who is successful against a legally aided litigant would have to consider the question of costs against that background.

Legal Aid

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what proportion of time and resources, on average, were spent on activities not directed to processing or furthering any individual cases (a) before and (b) after franchising and BS5750.

(a) All but a small number of the Legal Aid Board's central staff have been involved in the processing or furthering of individual cases. On average the staff not involved, excluding Legal Aid Board members, have numbered 60: approximately 4 per cent. of the work force.

(b) The board's management systems accredited under BS5750 are the mechanism by which it processes work and therefore are an integral part of the resources directed to processing and furthering individual cases. A small central team of three staff is responsible for maintaining the documentation of the management system and ensuring the necessary control systems are in place to monitor compliance. The number of full-time equivalent staff employed on franchising will be between 70 and 80; approximately 5 per cent. of the board's employees.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what percentage of (a) civil and (b) criminal legal aid applications were processed by the Leeds legal aid board within (i) two weeks, (ii) six weeks and (iii) over six weeks for 1992–93.

(a) In 1992–93 the Leeds area office of the Legal Aid Board processed 74.9 per cent. of civil legal aid applications within two weeks and 94.1 per cent. within six weeks; 5.9 per cent. took more than six weeks.

(b) The grant of criminal legal aid is for the most part the responsibility of the magistrates courts and the Crown court. However, in certain circumstances, area committees of the Legal Aid Board consider applications for review of refusal of grant by the courts. Information on the length of time taken to process applications for criminal legal aid or applications for review is not available.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department on what criteria the costs of successful legally aided litigants' costs are met out of the legal aid fund rather than by unsuccessful litigants; and what was the cost to the legal aid fund of the meeting of costs in this way in the last year for which figures are available.

The order as to costs is a matter within the discretion of the courts. The information requested about the cost to the fund of paying successful legally aided litigants' costs is not available.

Barristers

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what was the cost to public funds in 1992–93 of providing barristers (a) to prosecute cases and (b) to defend cases.

The cost of providing barristers to prosecute cases brought by the Crown Prosecution Service, the Serious Fraud Office, Inland Revenue and Her Majesty's Customs and Excise in 1992–93 was £81.7 million. Information on payments made by other prosecution agencies is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Payments to barristers in respect of criminal legal aid amounted to £136.5 million. Payments are also made from central funds in cases where a privately represented defendant is awarded a cost order on acquittal. However, it is not possible to identify payments made specifically to barristers from central funds since the information is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Legal Aid

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how the practice of paying counsel directly who have been instructed by solicitors acting for the Legal Aid Board accords with the professional rules and practice which should apply to counsel receiving fees directly from clients.

There is no professional rule which requires payments to counsel to be made by the instructing solicitors rather than by the solicitor's client. It is customary for payment to be made by the solicitor but this is not a requirement, professional or otherwise. Direct payment to counsel by the Legal Aid Board, or by any client, avoids unnecessary work and delay.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is his latest estimate for 1993–94 of the percentage of (a) civil and (b) criminal legal aid applications processed by the Leeds legal aid board within (i) two weeks, (ii) six weeks and (iii) over six weeks.

(a) In the 11 months to the end of February 1994 the Leeds area office of the Legal Aid Board processed 81.2 per cent. of applications for civil legal aid within two weeks and 94.9 per cent. within six weeks; 5.1 per cent. took more than six weeks.

(b) The grant of criminal legal aid is for the most part the responsibility of the magistrates' courts and the Crown court. However, in certain circumstances, area committees of the Legal Aid Board consider applications for review of refusal of grant by the courts. Information on the length of time taken to process applications for criminal legal aid or applications for review is not available.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what proportion of time and resources are currently spent on franchising and BS5750.

The board's management systems accredited under BS5750 are the mechanism by which the Legal Aid Board processes work and therefore represent a central call on the resources directed to processing and furthering individual cases. Over 90 per cent. of the board's employees are involved in such work. A small central team of three staff has the responsibility of maintaining the documentation of the management system and ensuring necessary control systems are in place to monitor compliance. The number of full-time equivalent staff employed on franchising will be between 70 and 80; approximately 5 per cent. of the board's employees.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what percentage of (a) civil and (b) criminal legal aid applications processed by the Leeds Legal Aid Board for the years (i) 1992–93 and (ii) 1993–94 to date had to pay a contribution towards their legal aid costs.

(a) In respect of civil legal aid, the Legal Aid Board does not maintain separate figures for individual area offices on this point. Nationally the figures are as follows: (i) 14.1 per cent., and (ii) 14.2 per cent.

(b) The Legal Aid Board has only very limited involvement in the grant of criminal legal aid which, for the most part, is the responsibility of the magistrates courts and the Crown court. In 1992, the last year for which figures are available, about 5.8 per cent. of grants of criminal legal aid made by the courts were subject to a contribution.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department on how many occasions the Legal Aid Board has sought to argue that a successful legally aided litigant's costs can be paid out of the legal aid fund in any event and so it does not make any difference to the successful legally aided litigant or his solicitors and counsel whether the costs of the successful litigation against the Legal Aid Board are paid out of the legal aid fund or out of the Legal Aid Board's own budget for conducting litigation.

The information requested is not available. The decisions reached as to costs and costs orders made by the courts in proceedings involving the Legal Aid Board will, however, reflect all the circumstances of the litigation.

Pepper V Hart

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer to the right hon. and learned Member for Aberavon (Mr. Morris) of 7 March, Official Report, column 70, on Pepper v. Hart, what estimate has been made of the additional cost of litigation arising from the case; and what issues regarding such cost are being taken up with the governing bodies of legal practitioners.

No formal estimate has been made of the additional cost of litigation directly attributable to the decision in Pepper v. Hart. The primary issues to which my earlier answer referred concern the availability of Hansard, the costs to those outside Government of tracing proceedings which might be relevant, and the ways in which such costs might be kept to a minimum.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer to the right hon. and learned Member for Aberavon (Mr. Morris) of 7 March, Official Report, column 70, on Pepper v. Hart, if he will list the practical steps which are being put into practice to correct mistakes in ministerial statements during the passage of legislation; and in what manner such corrections will be published.

If it proves necessary to correct any inadvertent ambiguity or error in a ministerial statement made during the passage of a Bill, the aim is to do this as promptly as possible at an appropriate point during the further consideration of the Bill. The best means of doing so and reading such a correction into the official record will depend on a number of factors, including the stage which the Bill has reached and the nature of the proceedings at that point.

Home Department

Long Lartin Prison

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what response he has made to the representations made on behalf of Mr. George Long (B2514), HM prison Long Lartin on 21 April 1992.

My right hon. and learned Friend's recent decision to refer Mr. Long's case to the Court of Appeal was notified to Mr. Long and to his solicitors on 10 March.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations he has received and from whom, concerning the procedures by which he is seeking to reform the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.

Since announcing in November 1992 our intention to replace the present criminal injuries compensation scheme with a tariff scheme we have received representations and comments from 143 hon. Members, either writing on their own behalf or on behalf of constituents, six members of the public, and from the following bodies:

Association of Personal Injury Lawyers
General Council of the Bar
Faculty of Advocates, Scotland
Law Society of Scotland
London Common Law and Commercial Bar Association
Criminal Injuries Compensation Board
National Association of Victim Support Schemes
Trades Union Congress
Transport Salaried Staff Association
British Security Industry Association
Police Federation
Barking and Dagenham Community Police Consultative
Group
War Widows Association of Great Britain
Family Service Units
Changing Faces
Various barristers and solicitors
Various local victim support schemes

Ethnic Minority Funding

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what projects have been funded in the metropolitan borough council areas of (a) Barnsley, (b) Doncaster, (c) Rotherham and (d) Sheffield under section 11 funding for ethnic communities; and what funding those projects will receive from his Department in 1994–95.

The titles of projects approved for funding under section 11 in Doncaster, Rotherham, and Sheffield are shown in the table, together with budget allocation figures which have been notified as the basis for grant recipients' own expenditure in 1994–95:

Doncaster

English as a Second Language: Support 4 Schools Enhancement of Careers Education, Guidance and Placement for Young People in the Doncaster Minority Ethnic Communities 1994–95 allocation—£100,338. Doncaster College of Further Education: Meeting the Needs of the Ethnic Minority Population 1994–95 allocation—£18,684.

Rotherham

Language and Curriculum Development (Schools) Rotherham Asian Youth 1994–95 allocation—£327,313.Rotherham College of Arts and Technology—English Language Support 1994–95 allocation—£24,874.

Sheffield

Bilingual English as a Second Language—Primary and Secondary Schools.
African Caribbean Education—Primary and Secondary Schools.
Under 5s—African and Caribbean and Asian communities.
Special Educational Needs of Black Pupils.
Education Social Work Support.
Careers Opportunities Race and Education.
Field Support and Strategy.
Community Liaison—Asian communities.
Community Literacy.
Additional Work with African Caribbean Young People.
Additional Work with Asian Young People.
Ethnic Minority Mental Health.
Day Services for Ethnic Minority Elders.
Multi-lingual Communication and Community Access Team.
Children and Young People—Social Services Support.
Asian Womens Support.
Community Group Development.
Information and Welfare Rights.
Black Employment and Economic Development.
Information support and Development.
Ethnic Minorities Occupational Health Initiative.
1994/95 allocation—£1,697,662.

South Yorkshire Fire and Civil Defence Authority.

Community Fire Safety Education.
1994/95 allocation—£12,751.

There is currently no approved section 11 project in Barnsley.

Dna Genetic Fingerprinting

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate for the number of entries in the national DNA genetic fingerprint database; whether a DNA sample could be taken in relation to any individual convicted of a serious arrestable offence once the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill passes into law; and how many entries there are on the criminal names index of the police national computer that currently relate to serious arrestable offences.

At present DNA records relating to some 3,000 offences are held by forensic science organisations in England and Wales. Under the provisions of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill the theoretical maximum size of the DNA database would be about the same as that of the fingerprint record—about 5 million records—since the proposed power to take samples would be broadly the same as the present power to take fingerprints. Whether and how quickly the database reaches this size would depend upon the operational criteria which the police apply in taking samples for DNA analysis.Under the provisions of the Bill samples for DNA analysis may be taken from any person convicted of a recordable offence, which includes a serious arrestable offence. Amendments will be introduced to ensure that this power applies only to those convicted after the coming into force of the provisions. The number of entries on the criminal names index of the police national computer which relate to serious arrestable offences is not readily available, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to seek an order making powers to prohibit the use, by the police, of a DNA genetic fingerprint relating to those who have committed no crime.

None. There are circumstances in which the police need to take samples of DNA analysis, with consent, from people who are not suspected of any crime: an example is the husband of a rape victim, for eliminating purposes. We shall be introducing amendments in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill to regulate the use to which information from such analyses may be put.

Police

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of police officers per 100,000 population for each year since 1979 for (a) the Humberside, (b) North Yorkshire, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) the West Yorkshire police authority areas.

The information requested is contained in the following table.

Number of police officers per 100,000 population
Year	Humberside	North Yorkshire	South Yorkshire	West Yorkshire
1979	224	205	206	236
1980	233	207	221	247
1981	231	203	222	252

Number and percentage of offenders convicted for certain indictable offences at Doncaster Petty Sessional Division¹and South Yorkshire Police Force Area and England and Wales 1979, 80, 82, 84, 86, 88, 90 and 92
Year/Area	Burglary in a dwelling²		Theft from vehicles		Robbery		Total indictable
	Number	Percentage	Number	Percentage	Number	Percentage	[=100 per cent.]
1979
Doncaster	113	4	36	1	24	1	2,690
South Yorkshire	507	4	159	1	80	1	11,466
England and Wales	19,310	5	7,368	2	3,188	1	412,346
1980
Doncaster	128	5	32	1	25	1	2,801
South Yorkshire	524	4	171	1	61	1	11,704
England and Wales	22,808	5	8,559	2	3,470	1	455,425
1982
Doncaster	196	6	69	2	29	1	3,224
South Yorkshire	668	5	254	2	86	1	12,609
England and Wales	24,827	5	12,918	3	4,375	1	475,131
1984
Doncaster	165	5	79	2	29	1	3,439
South Yorkshire	717	5	276	2	107	1	13,399
England and Wales	25,842	6	10,970	2	4,282	1	449,449

Year	Humberside	North Yorkshire	South Yorkshire	West Yorkshire
1982	232	204	223	253
1983	233	203	221	251
1984	227	199	222	248
1985	231	199	222	249
1986	235	197	222	253
1987	235	201	230	257
1988	237	197	231	258
1989	238	197	232	258
1990	236	195	234	260
1991	238	194	234	252
1992	235	199	234	247
1993	230	184	231	238

Data Protection

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration the Data Protection Registrar has given to the definition of "record" in subsection 4 of clause 43 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill, in respect of each of the eight data protection principles.

The registrar has expressed his concern that the definition used in the Bill may throw doubt on the meaning of "record" in other statutory provisions, and for that reason the Government are considering tabling an amendment to delete the definition. The registrar has not expressed a view about the implications of the definition for the data protection principles.

Crime, South Yorkshire

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there were in (a) the Doncaster area and (b) South Yorkshire as a whole in each of the last 14 years for (i) house burglary, (ii) theft from vehicles and (iii) robbery; and if he will give the total number of convictions for these offences for each year during this period as a proportion of all offences committed.

Information for 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990 and 1992 is given in the table. Data for other years would involve disproportionate cost.

Year/Area	Burglary in a dwelling ²		Theft from vehicles		Robbery		Total indictable
	Number	Percentage	Number	Percentage	Number	Percentage	[=100 per cent.]
1986
Doncaster	171	5	73	2	18	1	3,280
South Yorkshire	577	5	203	2	132	1	11,760
England and Wales	20,527	5	9,145	2	4,196	1	384,209
1988
Doncaster	223	7	107	3	12	0	3,079
South Yorkshire	677	6	258	2	100	1	11,484
England and Wales	19,468	5	8,406	2	4,311	1	386,236
1990
Doncaster	196	8	98	4	22	1	2,540
South Yorkshire	597	6	334	3	144	2	9,580
England and Wales	18,386	5	7,622	2	4,806	1	342,759
1992
Doncaster	152	7	67	3	27	1	2,180
South Yorkshire	582	7	259	3	129	1	8,742
England and Wales	18,637	6	6,257	2	5,082	2	324,910
¹ Includes cases heard at the Crown Court where the committing court was Doncaster psd.
² Also includes 'aggravated' burglary in a dwelling.

Detainees (Self-Harm)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many acts of deliberate self-harm there have been among those held in detention for immigration or asylum reasons in each of the last four years.

The number of immigration detainees who have committed acts of deliberate self-harm in immigration detention accommodation, and in Haslar holding centre, in the last four years is as follows:

	Immigration Detention Accommodation	Haslar
1990	8	3
1991	15	0
1992	10	1
1993	16	2

Information about acts of self-harm in other Prison Service establishments did not identify immigration detainees separately until June 1993. Between June and December 1993 there were 13 such incidents.

Prison Numbers

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total number of people imprisoned in each year since 1979.

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.

Letter from Mr. Derek Lewis to Mr. Llew Smith, dated 17 March 1994:

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what was the total number of people imprisoned in each year since 1979.

Information on the number of receptions into Prison Service establishments for the years 1979 to 1991 is published in the 1989 and 1991 editions of "Prison Statistics, England and Wales" (Table 1.14, Cm 1221 and 2157) copies of which are available in the Library of the House. The latest available provisional information for 1992 and 1993 is given in the attached table.

Receptions into Prison Service establishments, England and Wales by type of custody, 1992–1993 ¹
Type of custody	Year
	1992	1993
Males
Untried²	47,593	51,047
Convicted Unsentenced²	19,099	30,038
Immediate custody²	48,968	49,530
Fine defaulters and non-criminal	21,917	25,646
Females
Untried²	2,376	2,663
Convicted Unsentenced²	1,178	1,566
Immediate custody²	2,198	2,382
Fine defaulters and non-criminal	1,189	1,590
¹ Provisional figures
² A person initially received as untried and subsequently received as convicted unsentenced is counted in both sets of figures. A person subsequently received as a sentenced prisoner is counted separately in those figures.

Life Sentences

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) male and (b) female prison inmates were serving life sentences in prisons in England and Wales on 1 March.

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.

Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 17 March 1994:

POPULATION OF LIFE SENTENCE PRISONERS

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the population of life sentence prisoners in Prison Service establishments.

The latest available information is for 31 January 1994 and shows that there were 3,148 prisoners in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales serving life sentences, of whom 3,040 were men and 108 were women.

Crime Prevention

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the total amount of public money spent annually on crime prevention in England and Wales; and what percentage this represents of the cost of policing.

The information available is as follows. Estimated expenditure on crime prevention in its widest sense across Government Departments in England and Wales in 1992–93 was £200 million. That figure is separate from and additional to public expenditure on the police which was £5.9 billion in 1992–93 and £6.2 billion in 1993–94, an increase of 87 per cent. in real terms since 1978–79. The prevention of crime is one of the key functions of the police. Local authorities also spend money on crime prevention, but information on this is not held centrally.

Rule 43 Prisoners

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women were being held on rule 43 in prisons in England and Wales on 1 March.

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.

Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 17 March 1994:

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of prisoners held on Rule 43 in prisons in England and Wales on 1 March.

The table shows the number of inmates held on Prison Rule 43 and Young Offender Institution Rule 46 on 1 March 1994.

	Rule 43 and rule 46 (own protection)	Rule 43 and rule 46 (good order and discipline)
Men	1,284	248
Women	11	3
Total	1,295	251

The table does not include inmates held in vulnerable prisoner units. On 1 March, 1,773 inmates were being held in these units who were not on either Rule 43 or Rule 46.

Prisoners (Christmas Leave)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list by (a) HM prison, (b) HM remand prison the number of prisoners who applied for Christmas leave and the number of those who were granted Christmas leave; and if he will make a statement;(2) what criteria he uses when deciding which prisoners may be granted Christmas leave; and if he will make a statement.

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.

Letter from A. J. Butler to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 17 March 1994:

The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the Office, to reply to your recent Questions about the criteria used to consider applications made by prisoners to be granted Christmas leave, and the number of prisoners who applied for and were granted Christmas leave last year. Figures for previous years are not available.

The criteria governing the grant of temporary release and home leave are set out in Circular Instructions 12/1988, 36/1989 and 43/1992, copies of which are in the House Library. Remand prisoners are ineligible to apply under either scheme.

In addition, specific advice was issued to governors in November last year setting out guidance on the arrangements for the grant of home leave and temporary release over the Christmas and New Year periods. A copy of this instruction (IG 29/1993) is also in the House Library.

The figures set out below show those establishments which received applications for home leave or temporary release, and the number of applications made and granted specifically to cover the Christmas period, including 25 and 26 December 1993. Some establishments have not retained records of the number of applications which were made, and these are indicated as not available (N/A) in the table.

Establishment	Release applications	Releases granted
Albany	3	1
Aldington	13	13
Ashwell	19	19
Askham Grange	64	58
Blakenhurst	0	0
Blantyre House	18	18
Brockhill	6	6
Camp Hill	20	18
Canterbury	9	9
Dorchester	1	1
Downview	n/a	21
Drake Hall	56	43
East Sutton Park	14	14
Elmley	25	13
Feltham	59	37
Finnamore Wood	1	1
Ford	104	104
Grendon	2	2
Haslar	4	4
Haverigg	16	15
Howell Grange	60	49
High Down	4	4
Hollesley Bay	22	22
Holloway	70	44
Kirkham	71	71
Kirklevington	62	62
Lancaster Castle	76	21
Lancaster Farms	9	1
Latchmere House	130	130
Leeds	10	0
Leicester	4	2
Littlehey	13	13
Liverpool	5	0
Low Newton	2	2
The Mount	73	36
New Hall	6	6
North Sea Camp	n/a	92
Norwich	21	18
Parkhurst	5	3
Pentonville	2	0
Risley	21	21
Rudgate	33	29
Send	21	6
Spring Hill	78	78
Standford Hill	64	59
Stocken	13	13
Styal	12	10
Sudbury	79	79
Swinfen Hall	28	13
Thorn Cross	34	34

Establishment	Release applications	Releases granted
Wakefield	8	8
Wandsworth	n/a	4
Wayland	17	17
Wellingborough	23	19
Werrington	60	30
Whitemoor	2	0
Winchester	n/a	6

Receptions of remand prisoners into Prison Service establishments in Humberside and Yorkshire—1993 ¹
	Male - Ethnic origin					Female - Ethnic origin
Age at remand	Total	White	Black ²	South Asian ³	Chinese and other ⁴	Total	White	Black ²	South Asian ³	Chinese and other ⁴
HUMBERSIDE
All remands
All ages	2,267	2,154	76	22	15	—	—	—	—	—
Under 17	1	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	295	281	7	7	—	—	—	—	—	—
22–64	1,968	1,869	69	15	15	—	—	—	—	—
65 and over	3	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
All untried
All ages	1,917	1,823	61	21	12	—	—	—	—	—
Under 17	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	245	232	6	7	—	—	—	—	—	—
22–64	1,669	1,588	55	14	12	—	—	—	—	—
65 and over	3	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
First received as untried not subsequently received as convicted unsentenced
All ages	1,285	1,219	40	17	9	—	—	—	—	—
Under 17	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	144	133	5	6	—	—	—	—	—	—
22–64	1,139	1,084	35	11	9	—	—	—	—	—
65 and over	2	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
First received as untried subsequently received as convicted unsentenced
All ages	632	604	21	4	3	—	—	—	—	—
Under 17	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	101	99	1	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
22–64	530	504	20	3	3	—	—	—	—	—
65 and over	1	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
First received as convicted unsentenced
All ages	350	331	15	1	3	—	—	—	—	—
Under 17	1	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	50	49	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
22–64	299	281	14	1	3	—	—	—	—	—
65 and over	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
All convicted unsentenced
All ages	982	935	36	5	6	—	—	—	—	—
Under 17	1	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	151	148	2	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
22–64	829	785	34	4	6	—	—	—	—	—
65 and over	1	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
NORTH YORKSHIRE
All remands
All ages	143	135	4	1	3	—	—	—	—	—
Under 17	23	23	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	120	112	4	1	3	—	—	—	—	—
65 and over	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
All untried
All ages	133	125	4	1	3	—	—	—	—	—

Custodial Prisoners

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were remanded in custody in (i) Humberside, (ii) North Yorkshire, (iii) South Wayland and (iv) West Yorkshire for the latest year he has figures available, broken down by (a) sex, (b) racial category, (c) aged under 17 years, (d) aged 17 to 21 years, (e) aged over 21 and under 65 years and (f) aged 65 years and over.

Provisional information for remand receptions into Prison Service establishments in the areas specified in 1993 is given in the table.

	Male - Ethnic origin					Female - Ethnic origin
Age at remand	Total	White	Black ²	South Asian ³	Chinese and other ⁴	Total	White	Black ²	South Asian ³	Chinese and other ⁴
Under 17	20	20	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	113	105	4	1	3	—	—	—	—	—
22–64	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
65 and over	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
First received as untried not subsequently received as convicted unsentenced
All ages	87	81	4	1	1	—	—	—	—	—
Under 17	12	12	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	75	69	4	1	1	—	—	—	—	—
22–64	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
65 and over	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
First received as untried subsequently received as convicted unsentenced
All ages	46	44	—	—	2	—	—	—	—	—
Under 17	8	8	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	38	36	—	—	2	—	—	—	—	—
22–64	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
65 and over	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
First received as convicted unsentenced
All ages	10	10	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Under 17	3	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	7	7	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
22–64	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
65 and over	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
All convicted unsentenced
All ages	56	54	—	—	2	—	—	—	—	—
Under 17	11	11	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	45	43	—	—	2	—	—	—	—	—
22–64	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
65 and over	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
WEST YORKSHIRE
All remands
All ages	2,089	1,794	123	145	27	336	311	13	2	10
Under 17	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	273	235	15	20	3	124	115	3	1	5
22–64	1,804	1,547	108	125	24	212	196	10	1	5
65 and over	12	12	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
All untried
All ages	1,706	1,464	107	115	20	290	269	12	2	7
Under 17	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	209	183	12	12	2	103	95	3	1	4
22–64	1,485	1,269	95	103	18	187	174	9	1	3
65 and over.	12	12	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
First received as untried not subsequently received as convicted unsentenced
All ages	1,268	1,069	86	98	15	227	211	11	1	4
Under 17	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	149	127	10	10	2	72	67	3	—	2
22–64	1,108	931	76	88	13	155	144	8	1	2
65 and over	11	11	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
First received as untried subsequently received as convicted unsentenced
All ages	438	395	21	17	5	63	58	1	1	3
Under 17	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	60	56	2	2	—	31	28	—	1	2
22–64	377	338	19	15	5	32	30	1	—	1
65 and over	1	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
First received as convicted unsentenced
All ages	383	330	16	30	7	46	42	1	—	3
Under 17	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

	Male - Ethnic origin					Female - Ethnic origin
Age at remand	Total	White	Black ²	South Asian ³	Chinese and other ⁴	Total	White	Black ²	South Asian ³	Chinese and other ⁴
17–21	64	52	3	8	1	21	20	—	—	1
22–64	319	278	13	22	6	25	22	1	—	2
65 and over	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
All convicted unsentenced
All ages	821	725	37	47	12	109	100	2	1	6
Under 17	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	124	108	5	10	1	52	48	—	1	3
22–64	696	616	32	37	11	57	52	2	—	3
65 and over	1	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
SOUTH YORKSHIRE
All remands
All ages	2,378	2,207	65	91	15	—	—	—	—	—
Under 17	239	224	9	2	4	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	2,137	1,981	56	89	11	—	—	—	—	—
22–64	2	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
65 and over	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
All untried
All ages	1,945	1,808	49	77	11	—	—	—	—	—
Under 17	205	193	7	1	4	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	1,738	1,613	42	76	7	—	—	—	—	—
22–64	2	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
65 and over	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
First received as untried not subsequently received as convicted unsentenced
All ages	1,136	1,046	32	52	6	—	—	—	—	—
Under 17	96	90	4	1	1	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	1,038	954	28	51	5	—	—	—	—	—
22–64	2	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
65 and over	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
First received as untried subsequently received as convicted unsentenced
All ages	809	762	17	25	5	—	—	—	—	—
Under 17	109	103	3	—	3	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	700	659	14	25	2	—	—	—	—	—
22–64	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
65 and over	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
First received as convicted unsentenced
All ages	433	399	16	14	4	—	—	—	—	—
Under 17	34	31	2	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	399	368	14	13	4	—	—	—	—	—
65 and over	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
22–64	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
All convicted unsentenced
All ages	1,242	1,161	33	39	9	—	—	—	—	—
Under 17	143	134	5	1	3	—	—	—	—	—
17–21	1,099	1,027	28	38	6	—	—	—	—	—
22–64	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
65 and over	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
¹ Provisional figures.
² Black: African, Caribbean, Other.
³ South Asian: Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani.
⁴ Chinese and other: Asian (other), Chinese, Other.

Moorlands Prison

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the cell of the month bonus scheme began at HM prison Moorlands; how much has been paid out to date; which other HM prisons have a similar scheme; and if he will make a statement.

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.

Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 17 March 1994:

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about Moorland Prison and Young Offender Institution.

The cell of the month scheme began on 19 December 1993. Since the scheme commenced, a total of £114 has been paid out. The scheme at Moorland is a local initiative. No central records of such initiatives are maintained and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Correspondence

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Caernarfon, dated 18 October 1993, concerning the case of the late Dewi Jones of Llanaelhaern in Gwynedd; and if he will make a statement.

I hope to respond to the hon. Member very shortly.

Remand Prisoners

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give a breakdown, by race, for the latest date he has figures available, of the inmates held in each of the remand centres in Yorkshire and Humberside.

Population in remand centres on 31 December 1993 in Yorkshire and Humberside by ethnic origin¹
Establishment	White	Black, African, Caribbean	Ethnic origin Southern Asian, Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani	Other Asian, other Chinese, not recorded (including refusal)	All persons in establishment
Moorland	415	23	14	2	454
Northallerton	128	3	1	2	134
Total	543	26	15	4	588
¹ Provisional figures.

Mandatory Life Sentences

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are currently serving mandatory life sentences for murder; and how many of those have at all times denied their guilt.

The latest available provisional information is for 31 December 1993 when there were 2,564 prisoners in Prison Service establishments serving mandatory life sentences for murder. Information on inmates who deny their guilt is not collected centrally.

Civil Servants

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each civil service grade in his Department (a) the total number of persons employed and (b) the percentage of this figure that are women.

The figures requested are given in the table, which sets out, by grade, the total number of non-industrial Home Office staff, including those in agencies, on outward secondment or on maternity or special leave, and the number and percentage of women in each grade. The information was generated from the Home Office personnel system on 15 March 1994.

	Total	Women	Per cent.
Administrative Assistant	2,167	1,577	73
Administrative Officer	4,420	3,105	70
Administrative Trainee	9	3	33

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.

Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 17 March 1994:

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking if he will give a breakdown by race, for the latest date he has figures available, of the inmates held in each of the remand centres in Yorkshire and Humberside.

The latest available information is for 31 December 1993 and is given in the table. The ethnic breakdown of the population is based on the Census of Population ethnic coding classification which was introduced in prisons in October 1992.

	Total	Women	Per cent.
Assistant Chief Officer	2	—	—
Assistant Director	9	—	—
Assistant Divisional Officer	4	—	—
Assistant Immigration Officer	39	22	56
Assistant Information Officer	7	3	43
Assistant Insp. of Fire Services	29	—	—
Assistant Librarian	13	9	69
Assistant Scientific Officer	91	69	76
Assistant Statistician	1	1	100
Assistant Storeperson	102	8	8
C. of E./R.C. Chaplain (P/T)	128	26	20
C. of E. Chaplain	97	5	5
Chief Immigration Officer	361	52	14
Chief Inspector-Animals S.P. Inspec.	1	—	—
Chief Typing Manager	4	4	100
Commandant	1	—	—
Comms. Officer 2	1	—	—
Comms. Officer 3	15	2	13
Consultant Voluntary Services Unit	2	2	100
Divisional Officer 1	1	—	—
Divisional Officer 2	2	—	—
Executive Officer	2,122	1,179	56
Farm Manager	85	1	1
Fireground Supervisor	1	—	—
Foreman	1	—	—
Governor 1	39	—	—
Governor 2	86	7	8
Governor 3	117	14	12
Governor 4	313	38	12
Governor 5	440	30	7
Governor 5 (APS)¹	25	6	24
Grade 1 (PUSS)	1	—	—
Grade 2 (DUSS)	8	—	—
Grade 3	28	7	25
Grade 4	3	—	—
Grade 5	95	23	24
Grade 6	102	13	13
Grade 7	615	159	26

	Total	Women	Per cent.
Graphics Officer	14	3	21
Graphics Technical Grade	1	1	100
Head of Department 3	1	—	—
Head of Department 4	1	—	—
Head of Department 5	1	—	—
Head of Department 6	1	—	—
Head Pharmacist	1	—	—
Higher Executive Off. (Development)	28	10	36
Higher Executive Officer	1,194	491	41
Higher Graphics Officer	1	—	—
Higher Instructional Officer	28	2	7
Higher Prof. and Tech. Officer	132	5	4
Higher Psychologist	44	32	73
Higher Scientific Officer	178	82	46
Higher Telecoms Tech. Off.	18	—	—
HM Chief Insp. of Fire Services	1	—	—
HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary	1	—	—
HM Insp. of Fire Services 1	2	—	—
HM Insp. of Fire Services 2	7	—	—
HM Inspector of Constabulary	5	—	—
Immigration Officer	2,209	824	37
Information Officer	19	13	68
Inspector (Immigration Service)	70	1	1
Inspector—Animals S. P. Insp.	17	2	9
Instructional Officer I	1,031	145	14
Instructional Officer II	2	—	—
Interpreter	7	2	29
Lecturer 2	24	6	25
Legal Officer	4	3	75
Librarian	7	5	71
Matron Housekeeper	1	1	100
Medical Officer	86	8	9
Medical Officer (P/T)	108	4	4
Night Patrol	929	81	9
Nursing Grade A	4	3	75
Nursing Grade C	53	49	92
Nursing Grade D	117	95	81
Nursing Grade E	127	87	69
Nursing Grade F	109	89	82
Nursing Grade G	28	20	71
Nursing Grade H	6	5	83
Personal Secretary	495	492	99
Pharmacist	18	13	72
Pharmacy Technician	23	21	91
Principal Lecturer	3	—	—
Principal Medical Officer	5	—	—
Principal Officer	1,348	44	3
Principal Officer (APS)¹	33	9	27
Principal RC Chaplain	1	—	—
Prison Auxiliary	1,593	314	20
Prison Officer	18,847	1,800	10
Prison Officer (APS)¹	37	19	51
Professional & Technology Off.	98	11	11
Psychological Assistant	42	28	67
Psychologist	1	—	—
Psychologist-Graduate Trainee	28	20	71
R.C. Chaplain	16	1	6
Regional Catering Manager	5	—	—
Research Officer (Social Sci.)	16	9	56
Scientific Officer	115	64	56
Senior Assistant Statistician	8	2	25
Senior Divisional Officer	1	—	—
Senior Executive Officer	432	135	31
Senior Information Officer	9	4	44
Senior Inspector-Animals S.P. Insp.	3	—	—
Senior Instructional Officer	2	1	50
Senior Lecturer	3	—	—
Senior Legal Assistant	2	1	50
Senior Librarian	2	1	50
Senior Medical Officer	40	5	13
Senior Officer	3,509	116	5
Senior Personal Secretary	42	42	100
Senior Pharmacist	1	—	—
Senior Prof. and Tech. Officer	147	1	—
Senior Psychologist	48	29	60
Senior Research Off. (Social Sci.)	11	6	55
Senior Scientific Officer	197	31	16
Senior Telecoms Tech. Off.	2	—	—

	Total	Women	Per cent.
Shop Assistant	1	1	100
Shop Manager	1	—	—
Staff Principal Pharmacist	5	—	—
Storeperson	465	21	5
Stores Officer Grade A	1	—	—
Stores Officer Grade B	4	—	—
Stores Officer Grade C	1	—	—
Stores Officer Grade D	5	1	20
Support Grade Band 1	150	103	69
Support Grade Band 2	718	435	61
Support Manager 1	1	—	—
Support Manager 2	4	3	75
Support Manager 3	12	11	92
Technical Grade 1	14	3	21
Technical Grade 2	7	3	43
Telecom Engineering Technician	4	—	—
Telecom Technical Engineer II	4	—	—
Telecoms Technical Officer	1	—	—
Temporary Prison Officer	4	4	100
Territorial Inspector	4	—	—
Trainee Graphics Officer	1	1	100
Trainee Typist	1	1	100
Typing Manager	32	32	100
Typist	749	748	100
Total	47,584	13,071	27
¹ APS—Accelerated Promotion Scheme

Campsfield House

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals are currently detained at Campsfield; and of these how many are (a) on hunger strike and (b) being force fed.

To ask the Secretary of State being for the Home Department how many people are currently being held at Campsfield house; and how many have refused food; and if he will make a statement.

On Tuesday 15 March there were 191 people detained at Campsfield house; 118 were refusing food; none has been force-fed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who is responsible for the management of Campsfield house; who previously held such responsibility; how frequently Home Office officials visit Campsfield; and how reports on its management are made to Ministers.

Since its opening on 29 November 1993 the Campsfield house immigration detention centre has been managed on behalf of the Immigration Service by Group 4 Total Security Ltd. under a total management contract. Home Office officials are based permanently at Campsfield house to oversee the management of the contract and report, through senior headquarters staff, to Ministers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date a Minister in his Department most recently visited Campsfield house.

I visited Campsfield house today.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long on average it takes his Department to reach a decision on individual cases of those held at Campsfield house; and if he will make a statement.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to ensure that those held at Campsfield house are fully able to put their reasons to his officials for wishing to stay in the United Kingdom; what percentage of those held at Campsfield have been able to have qualified representatives to argue their case at the Home Office; and if he will make a statement.

All those detained under the powers contained in the Immigration Act 1971 have the reasons for that detention explained to them and they are informed of their right to legal advice and assistance, in a language which they understand. In addition, at Campsfield house there are posters advertising the free services available from the Immigration Advisory Service and the refugee legal centre and detainees are free to make and receive telephone calls. Legal representation may visit detainees between 9 am and 9 pm every day. Others may visit between 2 pm and 9 pm, every day. The permanent Immigration Service staff at the centre are also available to provide advice and assistance as necessary.

General Pinochet

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the total policing costs associated with the recent visit to London of General Augusto Pinochet.

It is a long-standing practice not to disclose the costs of security operations.

Mr Paul Bennett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on the circumstances surrounding the procedural impropriety referred to by presiding Lord Justice Mann in the case of Mr. Paul Bennett and the subsequent discontinuance of the committal proceedings;(2) if the services of Mr. Paul Bennett were used or employed by any of the United Kingdom's police or Government agencies prior to committal proceedings being undertaken against him.

[holding answer 16 March 1994]: Operational matters are entirely the responsibility of the chief officer of the police force concerned. Furthermore, it would not be appropriate to make any comment at this stage on the actions of the police since the case may be considered further by the courts. I understand that a formal complaint has been lodged with the Metropolitan police.

Social Security

Management Systems

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much his Department's computer-aided facilities management systems cost; from whom they were purchased; how many person hours were required to commission them; what the estimated and actual saving has been from their operation; and to what extent the use of such systems accounts for the apparent rise in theft noted in his answer to the hon. and learned Member for Fife, North (Mr. Campbell) of 16 February, Official Report, column 771.

Computers are used by those employed in facilities management as part of their day-to-day work. There is no reason to suppose any link between this and the number of thefts from the Department.

Disability, Working Allowance

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will review the reasons for the current level of take-up of the disability working allowance.

We have commissioned research from the Policy Studies Institute as part of the evaluation of disability working allowance. The evaluation will examine take-up issues. The final report from the Policy Studies Institute is due in 1995. The final evaluation is due for completion in October 1996.

Independent Living Fund

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the value of the independent living fund 1993; what proportion has been allocated to date; and what proportion has been allocated to claimants in Wales.

Financial provision of £4 million was made for the Independent Living (1993) Fund in 1993–94. I am informed by the director of the fund that, as at 1 March, 17 per cent. of this amount had been spent.I am further informed that the total weekly payments to all United Kingdom clients stood at the same date at around £31,000, representing an ongoing commitment equivalent to 40 per cent. of this year's financial provision.Around 10.5 per cent. of the amount so far in payment to disabled people is being paid to applicants in Wales.

Cold Weather Payments

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the assessment points for the cold weather payments trigger and the days on which the temperature fell below the trigger point in each case over the last calendar year.

A list of the Meterological Office weather stations used by the cold weather payment scheme, together with the temperature information used to determine triggers is held in the Library. Information is held only for the mean temperature over periods of seven days and is not available on a daily basis.

Invalidity Benefit

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many recipients currently in receipt of invalidity benefit are over the age of 58 years in the Doncaster area.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his current estimate of the average value of benefit to those in receipt of invalidity benefit in the Doncaster area.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the number of people in receipt of invalidity benefit in the Doncaster area for each of the last 10 years.

I understand from Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency, that the full range of information requested is not available. For that information which is available I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by Mr. Bichard on 3 December 1993 at columns 121–22.

Correspondence

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many letters were received from, and written to, hon. Members by him and his ministerial colleagues in February.

This Department received 2,522 letters from hon. Members during February. Of these, 259 were passed to chief executives of the Department's agencies for reply. A total of 1,656 replies, mostly to correspondence received in January, were sent by Ministers.

Civil Servants

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list for each civil service grade in his Department (a) the total number of persons employed and (b) the percentage of this figure that are women.

The information requested for permanent staff employed by the Department, including its agencies, on 28 February 1994 is as follows:

Grade (including equivalent professional and other grades)	Total staff¹	Percentage of women
Grade 1	1	0
Grade 2	4	0
Grade 3	17	18
Grade 4	9	33
Grade 5	122	24
Grade 6	315	23
Grade 7	698	22
Senior Executive Officer	1,476	26
Higher Executive Officer (D)	17	35
Higher Executive Officer	5,950	42
Executive Officer	25,439	62
Administrative Officer	46,412	75
Administrative Assistant	15,071	69
Others	160	73
Total	95,691	67
¹ Including part-time staff paid for more than 10 hours a week.

Notes:

1. Total of 95,691 equates to 88,976 full time equivalent staff.

The table excludes:—

i. staff on loan or secondment and not being paid by the Department

ii.staff on unpaid leave for more than three months or on unpaid maternity leave

iii. casual staff.

Duchy Of Lancaster

Interviews

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the interviews he gave to (a) the broadcast and (b) print media on 8 and 9 March, respectively; and if he will arrange for transcripts of his broadcast interviews to be put in the Library.

On 8 March I gave formal radio and TV interviews to: ITN 5.40 pm news, Channel 4 news, BBC TV 6.00 pm news, Sky TV, BBC Radio PM programme and GMTV.On 9 March I gave interviews to BBC Radio Today programme, LBC, BBC Jimmy Young programme, Channel 4 news, HTV and BBC Radio Bristol. I was interviewed by NHK TV Japan on the Science White Paper.In addition I spoke to print journalists and broadcasters as I arrived at various engagements during the day.My Department does not hold transcripts of these interviews and they can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Parliamentary Questions

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will set out the criteria and conditions he adopts in deciding whether to give full or abbreviated replies to parliamentary questions.

I answer parliamentary questions on the basis set out in paragraph 27 of "Questions of Procedure for Ministers".

Civil Servants

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list for each civil service grade in his Department (a) the total number of persons employed and (b) the percentage of this figure that are women.

The staff in post figures as at 15 March 1994 for the Cabinet Office, the Office of Public Service and Science, including CCTA, and the six executive agencies for which I am responsible—Chessington computer centre, Civil Service College, Occupational Health Service, the Recruitment and Assessment Services, COI and HMSO, are as follows:

Grade band	Total number of staff	Percentage women
Grade 1 (including 1A)	3	0.0
Grade 2	19	10.5
Grade 3	26	19.2
Grade 4	4	0.0
Grade 5	70	23.5
Grade 6	93	19.3
Grade 7	347	20.1
SEO	481	26.2
HEO(D) and AT	17	23.5
HEO	877.5	32.3
EO	951	40.9
AO	1,275	67.6
AA	515	67.2
TOTAL	4,678.5	45.4

Environment

Ministerial Offices

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the cost of new furniture for his private office during the year 1993–94.

Such purchases are included within my Department's overall administration expenditure which is published every year in the annual report.

Landfill Sites

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will conduct an urgent study into the extent of water pollution problems posed by landfill sites; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will conduct urgent studies into the connection between the landfill sites at

(a) Docking, (b) Edgefield, (c) Hempton, (d) Mayton Wood, (e) Beetley„ (f) Attlebridge, (g) Blackborough End, (h) Costessey, (i) Harford, (j) Barrack road, (k) Helpston, (l) Wereham, (m) Rocklands, (n) Pakefield, (o) Norwich lane, (p) Buckden, (q) Bear's Pit and (r) Foxhall I and II, and water pollution;

(3) what is the scientific basis for the criteria used by the Waste Regulation Authority to decide whether it is unlikely that pollution of the environment and water will occur from landfill sites; and if he will make a statement.

The Department of the Environment has carried out research for many years on the environmental aspects of landfilling. Since 1990 my Department has been funding specific research into the effects of landfilling on groundwater. This research is continuing.It has already enabled the Department to produce the monitoring protocols which will be included in statutory guidance to be published shortly with the Waste Management Licensing Regulations to be made under part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. This information will provide waste regulation authorities with a more precise means to decide whether a landfill site is unlikely to cause pollution of the environment or harm to human health.The sites listed by the hon. Member are mostly old and/or closed. The waste regulation authorities concerned and the NRA are aware of them and additional studies have been or are being conducted, where they have judged these are appropriate. I see no need for any additional study by my Department over and above the research I have mentioned.

Air Monitoring

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on what basis sites for air monitoring were selected; if he will list the selected sites and the equipment used in respect of each; and when monitoring came into effect.

The basis of site selection, the sites involved, the measurement methods and the dates of monitoring for urban monitoring sites funded by the Department of the Environment are given in the first report of the quality of urban air review group published in January 1993 which has been placed in the Library of the House. Similar information for rural monitoring of ozone is given in the first report of the photochemical oxidants.

Local Government Superannuation

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list the organisations and individuals who have responded to the report of the efficiency scrutiny of the local government superannuation scheme; and if he will place their responses in the Library;(2) which organisations and individuals who responded to the report of the efficiency scrutiny of the local government superannuation scheme supported the decentralisation of the local government scheme so as to allow local authorities to take responsibility for their own pension provision.

My Department's efficiency scrutiny report on the local government superannuation scheme was completed in July 1993. Over 1,000 copies were circulated widely in England and Wales, together with a discussion paper. Two hundred and forty responses were received from local authorities, other organisations and individual scheme members. A list of respondees has been placed in the Library, but no authority has been received to publish their actual comments. However, respondees may be willing to give an indication of their views if approached. The following organisations expressed varying degrees of support for the scrutineer's recommendation that local authorities should take responsibility for their own pension provision:

Cambridgeshire County Council
Somerset County Council
Bradford Metropolitan Council
Birmingham City Council
Babergh District Council
Cherwell District Council
Woking District Council
National Rivers Authority
The Pensions Trust
Association of British Insurers
Bacon and Woodrow
Clay and Partners
Godwins Ltd.

Radioactive Substances

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out the reason for his projected progressive reduction in the expenditure projected on radioactive substances policy from £2.4 million in 1993–94 to £1.3 million in 1996–97 in figure 22 of his Department's annual report and expenditure plans 1994–95 to 1996–97, Cm 2507.

The reduction in research expenditure on radioactive substances policy set out in figure 22 of Cm 2507 reflects the completion of the Department's current research and monitoring programme on radon. Research on other aspects of radioactive substances policy is being maintained on a stable basis, subject to normal year-to-year variations.

Basildon

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what remaining assets the Commission for New Towns has to dispose of in Basildon; and when it will be wound up.

In addition to the 2,444 rented and shared ownership dwellings and 10.7 acres of land due to be disposed of to the Basildon community housing association before the end of March, the Commission for the New Towns retains the following assets for disposal in Basildon:

390 acres of developable land;
186,633 sq. feet of freehold commercial premises;
6,700 sq. feet of freehold industrial premises;
560,067 sq. feet of lease/leaseback industrial premises;
13,190 sq. feet of other miscellaneous properties;
54 commercial ground leases;
3 residential hostels where negotiations are currently in progress with the managing agents;
6 miscellaneous properties used for social/voluntary purposes.

As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment announced on 27 July 1993, the Commission for the New Towns is to be wound up by no later than 31 March 1998. In the mean time, the Basildon office of the Commission will close to the public on 31 March 1994.

Environmental Protection

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the reason for the proposed reduction in expenditure between 1994–95 and 1995–96 on research and monitoring in the environment, as set out at figure 9 on environmental protection expenditure of his Department's annual report and expenditure plans 1994–95 to 1996–97, Cm 2507.

Details of expenditure within the environmental protection programme are given in figure 22 of Cm 2507. Funding of environmental protection research and monitoring increased by about 50 per cent. since the 1990 White Paper, "This Common Inheritance". Year-to-year variations in funding, should be expected as projects move from start-up to completion. For example, the period between 1994–95 and 1995–96 is dominated by the procurement spend profile of the advanced along track scanning radiometer satellite instrument, which is due for launch in 1998.

Liverpool Housing Department

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will call for a report into complaints of corruption in the Liverpool city housing department; and if he will make a statement.

No. Local authorities are accountable to their electorate and, where necessary, to their auditor and to the courts for the conduct of their business. If the law has been broken it is a matter for the police.

Pm10 Particulates

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to set a limit on acceptable levels of PM10 particulates in the air.

The expert panel on air quality standards, a group of independent medical and scientific experts which recommends air quality standards to the Secretary of State for the Environment, is currently considering a standard for particulates.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the link between levels of PM10 particulates in the air and traffic levels.

The recently published second report of the quality of urban air review group estimated that in 1991 road vehicles contributed 27 per cent. and 42 per cent. of United Kingdom emissions of PM₁₀ and black smoke respectively. In London, QUARG estimated the contribution of road vehicles to emissions of black smoke was 94 per cent.

Standard Spending Assessments

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 9 March, Official Report, columns 294–95, which local authorities made representations to his Department seeking the use of nature of housing tenure as an indicator for the purpose of standard spending assessment distribution prior to his announcement of a provisional settlement for 1994–95.

Prior to consultation on the provisional revenue support grant settlement for 1994–95, as part the review of standard spending assessments, the following local authorities made representations in support of the use of nature of housing tenure as an indicator in the calculation of SSAs.

Barrow Borough Council
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
London Borough of Greenwich
Leeds City Council
Sheffield City Council

Hazardous Chemicals

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he published his departmental discussion paper on reducing emissions of hazardous chemicals to the environment; how many copies have been prepared; at what cost; and to whom it has been circulated.

The discussion paper "Reducing Emissions of Hazardous Chemicals to the Environment" was published on 7 March 1994. A total of 1,200 copies have been prepared at a cost of £25,800, which includes the cost of drafting the paper, the graphical work, printing and its distribution. The paper has been circulated within my Department, other Government Departments, relevant agencies and non-governmental organisations, industry and trade associations, all of which have interests in either the manufacture, supply and use of hazardous chemicals as well as their potential impact on human health and the environment.

Air Pollution

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has received a copy of the Government Chief Medical Officer's report on asthma and air pollution; and if he will make a statement.

No.The Department of Health's independent Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution has not yet reported on the effects of air pollutants on asthma. Their report is expected to be published this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what changes he has made in charges payable by operators of industrial processes licensed by air pollution control authorities under part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Colne Valley (Mr. Riddick) on 9 March 1994, Official Report, column 300.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what reports he has received since May 1992 from his advisory committee on releases to the environment; and what actions he has taken in response to the reports.

Since 1 May 1992 the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment has given advice to the Secretary of State on 20 applications to release genetically modified organisms to the environment, made under the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations 1992.For each application made under the regulations, all ACRE's advice has been considered by the Secretary of State in deciding whether to issue a consent to release a genetically modified organism.Details of each application and ACRE's advice relating to them are kept on a public register.

Conservation

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent meetings he or officials of his Department have had with the Business and Technology Education Council on its national vocational qualifications scheme on environmental conservation.

None. However, the Department suppports the Council for Occupational Standards and Qualifications in Environmental Conservation, which is working with the Business and Technology Education Council to deliver environmental conservation national vocational qualifications.

Energy Efficiency

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what support his Department gives to the Institution of Environmental Health Officers programme to improve energy efficiency in private sector housing.

My Department has collaborated with the Institute of Environmental Health Officers on a series of workshops for IEHO members aimed at improving energy efficiency in private sector housing. We are currently considering other possible methods of collaboration.

Acidity

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of his departmental critical loads advisory group reports on critical loads of acidity in the United Kingdom; and what actions he plans to take arising from its recommendations.

The Government warmly welcome the reports of the critical loads advisory group and its various sub-groups. The reports contain a number of recommendations as to further research which the Department will be considering. The group's findings have been and will continue to be an essential element informing the Government's development of effects—based emission control policies and the Government's position in international negotiations designed to reduce transboundary air pollution.

Cadmium Plating

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent support his Department has given to assist research in the private sector or research establishments on clean production technologies to replace the use of cadmium plating in corrosion protection.

The Department has recently offered a grant of up to £390,000 towards the costs of a three-year project initiated by the National Centre for Tribology, within AEA Technology. The centre will undertake the project along with a consortium of 20 or more companies. The project will investigate new technologies to replace cadmium plating in corrosion protection and in bearing materials.

Careers Service

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what amount of funding the careers service has received in each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

The available information is as follows:

Government to local authorities in England in respect of Careers Service Administration
	£ million
1979–80	3.1
1980–81	5.2
1981–82	7.9
1982–83	11.4
1983–84	11.1
1984–85	12.0
1985–86	12.7
1986–87	13.9
1987–88	13.7
1988–89	16.8
1989–90	18.8
1990–91	23.2
1991–92	22.9
1992–93	24.5

Aggregates

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many licensing applications have been intimated to his Department for marine dredging of aggregates in each year since 1989 for the purpose of obtaining a Government view.

The numbers of licensing applications for marine dredging of aggregates intimated to my department in each year since 1989 for the purpose of obtaining a Government view are as follows:

1989	2
1990	none
1991	none
1992	4
1993	3
1994	1 to date

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many licence applications for the marine dredging of aggregates have received a favourable Government view in each year since 1989.

The numbers of licence applications for the marine dredging of aggregates within English waters which have received a favourable Government view in the years since 1989 are as follows:

1989	—	2
1990	—	2
1991	—	1
1992	—	1
1993	—	none
1994	—	none to date

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total area of sea bed covered by (a) licensing applications for a Government view of marine dredging of aggregates and (b)licensing applications for the marine dredging of aggregates which have received a favourable Government view, in each year since 1989.

The total area of seabed covered by current licensing applications for a government view of marine dredging of aggregates is 196.08 sq km. The total area of seabed covered by licensing applications for the marine dredging of aggregates which have received a favourable government view, in each year since 1989 is as follows:

1989	—	34.85km²
1990	—	35.73km²
1991	—	49.17km²
1992	—	¹1
1993	—	no favourite government views given.
1994	—	no final decisions on government views given to date.
¹ The licensing application covered by the one favourable government view issued in 1992 was for a change in tonnage for two previously licence area: there was no increase in area.

North Race Bank

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to give a decision on the Government's view of the production application by National Rivers Authority Anglia for the extraction of sand from the North Race bank.

My Department issued a letter on 15 March, stating that it was minded to issue a favourable Government view for limited extraction by NRA on Race bank, subject to the finalisation of strict conditions.

City Challenge

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what payments have been made to date in respect of the City Challenge programme for Bolton; and what further authorisations are currently due.

A total of £5.753 million grant has been paid to date in respect of Bolton's city challenge expenditure in 1993–94, the first year of the programme.Bolton city challenge partnership is forecasting a full spend of its £7.5 million funding allocation for 1993–94. A remaining £1.747 million grant is therefore due to be paid in respect of city challenge expenditure in this financial year.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will extend the home energy efficiency scheme to all people aged 60 years or over.

Proposals to amend the regulations governing the home energy efficiency scheme which would extend eligibility for the scheme to those receiving disability living allowance and those aged 60 and over were laid before Parliament on 9 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will estimate how much it would cost to extend the home energy efficiency scheme to all pensioners and people with disabilities;(2) if he will estimate how much it would cost to extend the home energy efficiency scheme to all people aged 60 years or over.

An extra £35 million per year is to be made available for the home energy efficiency scheme from 1 April 1994, when the scheme is to be extended to those receiving disability living allowance and those aged 60 and over.

Water Disposal Areas

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what plans he has to designate new areas as high natural water dispersal areas;(2) how many areas are designated as high natural water dispersal areas in other EU member states;(3) when those areas currently designated as high natural water dispersal areas were given that designation;(4) how many areas in the United Kingdom are designated as high natural water dispersal areas under the EC urban waste waters directive; and if he will list them;(5) what criteria are used for designating areas as high natural water dispersal areas;(6) what research is currently being conducted into high natural water dispersal areas.

High natural dispersion areas will be identified on the basis of criteria adopted following a public consultation exercise in the United Kingdom in March 1992.No areas have yet been formally identified in the United Kingdom. An announcement will be made in due course. We do not have any information on other member states' intentions.Once the high natural dispersion areas have been identified, the comprehensive studies required by the directive will be carried out to demonstrate that primary treatment will have no adverse environmental effect in these areas.

Council Tax

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those local authorities where persons in a lower council tax band may be paying a higher level of council tax than equivalent persons in a higher band due to the operation of the transitional relief scheme; and if he will make a statement.

On the basis of information received so far it appears that some cases of this kind may arise in 1994–95 in Blyth Valley, Derwentside, Greenwich, Wakefield and Wandsworth, as a result of the decisions of these authorities to reduce headline levels of council tax considerably compared with 1993–94.

Isle Of Dogs

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total amount of capital and any other allowances claimed by companies in the Isle of Dogs enterprise zone; and how much of that total had been claimed by the time the deadline was extended after Canary Wharf went into administration.

The total cost of capital allowances for all enterprise zones in Britain, estimated at 31 March 1993, was approximately £1 billion in 1993–94 prices. No information on the cost of capital allowances is available for individual enterprise zones or developments within them.The total cost of rate relief on the Isle of Dogs enterprise zone, up to its expiry on 25 April 1992, was £113 million in 1993–94 prices.

Civil Servants

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each civil service grade in his Department (a) the total number of persons employed and (b) the percentage of this figure that are women.

The following information covers non-industrial staff in my Department, excluding PSAS;

Grade	Total	Women (percentage)
Grade 1	1	0
Grade 2	7	43
Grade 3	34	12
Grade 4	7	0
Grade 5	140	14
Grade 6	322	9
Grade 7	788	17
SEO and equivalent	759	19
HEO and equivalent	979	32
EO and equivalent	1,244	44
AO and equivalent	1,569	63
AA and equivalent	732	67
Totals	6,582	41

"London: Making The Best Better"

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what (a) proportion and (b) number of the responses to the questionnaire accompanying the document "London: Making the Best Better", were from people with addresses outside London;(2) if he will publish a table giving the top 10 suggestions for how to improve London contained in the responses to the questionnaire accompanying the document "London: Making the Best Better";(3) what stage has been reached in assessing the responses to the questionnaire accompanying the document "London: Making the Best Better"; by what date the assessment will be complete; and when he will publish the full results;(4) what

(a) proportion and (b) number of responses to the questionnaire accompanying the document "London: Making the Best Better", referred to a need for greater investment in London's transport system, on the basis of his preliminary assessment.

[holding answer 11 March 1994]: The analysis of the replies to the consultation document "London: Making the Best Better" is complete, and we will publish a digest of the responses later this month.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a full list of all organisations, individuals and Government Departments sent details of his preliminary assessment of the responses to the questionnaire accompanying the document "London: Making the Best Better", together with the date on which details were sent.

[holding answer 11 March 1994]: In accordance with normal practice my right hon. Friend is consulting ministerial colleagues on a draft text of a digest of the responses to the London questionnaire which will be published shortly. No other organisations or outside individuals have been consulted.

Transport

Rail Privatisation

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funds he has made available to the franchise director to implement privatisation in 1993–94; and what is his current estimate for 1994–95.

Around £2 million has been provided in 1993–94 to cover the running costs of the office of passenger rail franchising. Estimated running costs in 1994–95 are £10 million.Government support for passenger services will continue to be provided. The estimated level of support in 1994–95 is £1,825 million, the greater proportion of which will be paid via the Franchising Director.

British Transport Police

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what legislative steps the Government intend to take in connection with the jurisdiction of the transport police.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what change will take place on Railtrack's vesting day to powers of pursuit or arrest by the British transport police constables;(2) what change to powers of pursuit or arrest will be experienced by British transport police constables on the vesting day of any rail franchise;(3) what plans he has to introduce legislation relating to the powers of the British transport police; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he now intends to take to protect the powers and scope of jurisdiction of the British transport police after 1 April.

The Government will introduce at the earliest possible opportunity a short Bill to clarify the jurisdiction of the British Transport police following discussions with British Rail and the chief constable.

Vehicle Inspectorate

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has come to a firm conclusion on the future of vehicle inspectorate testing functions.

I have decided, in the light of responses to the proposals outlined last May, and taking account of the work I subsequently commissioned from consultants Price Waterhouse, not to transfer the vehicle inspectorate's testing activities to the private sector.

The consultants concluded that while privatisation was feasible a number of my main objectives, including, in particular, the development of significant competition in the provision of testing services and the transfer of the freeholds of the testing sites to the purchasers, would not be possible if a successful sale was to be achieved. Moreover, their analysis drew attention to the possibility that privatisation might limit the scope for innovation in the future provision of testing services, a concern shared by the road transport industry. The consultants also confirmed the views previously expressed to me that most customers believe that they are well served by the vehicle inspectorate.

In deciding that the whole of the inspectorate should remain an executive agency of the Department of Transport I have instructed the chief executive to develop plans which will build substantially on the organisation's current levels of efficiency and quality of service. I have asked the chief executive to report quickly to me on the scope for substantial future savings. I will also be taking forward an initiative to facilitate a significant expansion of the arrangements for on site testing by the inspectorate's staff at operators' own, suitably equipped premises. This featured in the industry's own response to my original proposals.

Trade And Industry

British Aerospace

To ask the President of the Board of Trade during what periods since 1990 there has been a Government appointed director on British Aerospace's main board; who were the nominees; and if they receive payment for their services.

There has been a Government-appointed director throughout the period since 1990. The appointee is Mr. Keith Brown. He is a director of the company and has, therefore, received no payment from Government for his services.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what golden share provisions have continued to exist with British Aerospace since 1992; when the terms on which such shares were varied; and what golden shares provisions could apply to British Aerospace subsidiaries, after their disposal by that company.

The Government have held a special share in British Aerospace public limited company throughout the period since 1992. The rights attaching to the special share are set out in the company's articles of association. There has been no amendment to the articles to which these rights relate in this period. The Government do not hold a special share in any of British Aerospace's subsidiary companies, so no special share provisions apply to such companies.

Manufacturing Trade

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what was the import/export ratio for trade in manufactures with Brazil in 1993 to the latest available date and what was the corresponding surplus or deficit; what were the figures for 1970, 1979 and 1985 and the corresponding level of the real exchange rate compared to 1993; and if he will list the principal surpluses or deficits in 1993 together with the reasons therefore;(2) what was the import/export ratio for trade in manufactures with Switzerland in 1993 to the latest available date and what was the corresponding surplus or deficit; what were the figures for 1970, 1979 and 1985 and the corresponding level of the real exchange rate compared to 1993; and if he will list the principal surpluses or deficits in 1993 together with the reasons therefore;(3) what was the import/export ratio for trade in manufactures with Austria in 1993 to the latest available date and what was the corresponding surplus or deficit; what were the figures for 1970, 1979 and 1985 and the corresponding level of the real exchange rate compared to 1993; and if he will list the principal surpluses or deficits in 1993 together with the reasons therefore;(4) what was the import/export ratio for trade in manufactures with Finland in 1993 to the latest available date and what was the corresponding surplus or deficit; what were the figures for 1970, 1979 and 1985 and the corresponding level of the real exchange rate compared to 1993; and if he will list the principal surpluses or deficits in 1993 together with the reasons therefore;(5) what was the import/export ratio for trade in manufactures with Sweden in 1993 to the latest available date and what was the corresponding surplus or deficit; what were the figures for 1970, 1979 and 1985 and the corresponding level of the real exchange rate compared to 1993; and if he will list the principal surpluses or deficits in 1993 together with the reasons therefor.

Information on United Kingdom trade in manufactures, defined as sections 5 to 8 of the Standard International Trade Classification, is published regularly by the Central Statistical Office in the Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom.Since the beginning of 1993, the publication appears in two parts: overseas trade statistics of the United Kingdom with countries outside the European Community, extra-EC trade; and overseas trade statistics of the United Kingdom with countries within the European Community, extra-EC trade: Intrastat. These publications are available from the Library of the House.Information on real exchange rates is not available.

Civil Servants

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the number, grade and destination of civil servants in his Department who were seconded to manufacturing industry in 1993 and in 1994 to date.

The numbers of DTI staff who were on long-term secondment to business organisations, including manufacturing industry, in calendar year 1993 and in 1994 to date are as follows:

	Number
1993	54
¹1994	34
¹to date

Additional details on each of these secondments cannot be provided other than at disproportionate cost.

Wind Farms

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish the membership of the working group set up by his Department to consider what lessons might be learned from the operating experience now being accumulated on wind farms; and on what dates the group has met.

The working group is concerned only with wind turbine noise. Its membership is:

Mr. R. A. Meir
Chairman
Department of Trade and Industry.
Dr. D. I. Page
ETSU.
Dr. M. B. Anderson
Renewable Energy Systems.
Dr. A. Bullmore
Hoare Lea and Partners.
Mr. M. Jiggins
Carrick District Council.
Dr. J. Warren
National Wind Power.
Mr. H. A. Thomas
Isle of Anglesey Borough Council.
Dr. M. L. Legerton
Secretary ETSU.
Dr. H. G. Parkinson
ETSU.
Mr. B. F. Berry
National Physical Laboratory.
Mr. M. Hayes
The Hayes McKenzie Partnership.
Dr. P. Musgrove
National Wind Power.
Mr. D. J. Spode
North Cornwall District Council.
Ms Emily Tornalin
EcoGen Ltd.
Mr. M. Trinick
Bond Pearce Solicitors.

It has met on 27 May 1993, 9 August 1993, 11 October 1993 and 10 January 1994.

Nuclear Review

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he will publish the terms of reference of the nuclear review; and if it will include a review of the disposal of waste and the merits of dry storage versus reprocessing.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 December 1993 to the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mr. Merchant), Official Report, columns 759–60.

British Shipbuilders

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on British Shipbuilders' external financing limit for 1993–94.

British Shipbuilders' external financing limit for 1993–94 was set at minus £7.8 million as recorded in "The Government's Expenditure Plans 1993–94 to 1995–96" published in February 1993, Cm 2204. The planned EFL has increased slightly due to a decrease of £0.6 million in British Shipbuilders' income on interest. However, this effect has been offset by the transfer to BS of £0.32 million residual balance from its now-dormant subsidiary Sunderland Enterprise and Training Ltd. The net effect is a small increase in the EFL to minus £7.5 million.

Regional Development

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he has considered the business plans of the English regional development organisations; and what level of financial support he proposes to offer for 1994–95.

I have studied the current performance and future plans of the six English regional development organisations. I am pleased to say that they continue to make a significant contribution to the work of my Department's Invest in Britain Bureau, to the overall success of the United Kingdom in attracting inward investment, and in particular to the performance of their region. In recognition of this, I have today offered £5.605 million of grant in aid for their inward investment promotion activities for 1994–95. In total this is an increase of £50,000 on last year. Last year was an increase of £550,000 on 1992–93. I have allocated the grant aid as follows:

RDO	1994–95 grant £'000	Per cent, share of total grant
Northern Development Company (NDC)	1,461,5	26.0
INWARD Ltd (in the North West)	1,173	20.9
Yorkshire and Humberside Development Association (YHDA)	1,088	19.4
West Midlands Development Agency (WMDA)	818,25	14.6
East Midlands Development Company Ltd (EMD)	400	7.1
Devon and Cornwall Development Bureau (DCDB)	664,25	11.8

These individual grants are very slightly smaller than last year except for the East Midlands Development Company Ltd., and reflect in part the need to respond to changes in assisted area coverage within the total available funding provision for all the English regions.Grant is offered on an annual basis according to past performance, ability to absorb additional funding effectively, and for an agreed programme of future activities, with proper regard to value for money. It is Government policy to encourage direct inward investment to the United Kingdom because it contributes significantly to economic growth. Inward investment brings benefits both to the country as a whole and more specifically to the assisted areas.

New-Fossil Fuel Obligation

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many applications he has received for energy projects under each type for the third tranche of the non-fossil fuel obligation; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that the non-fossil purchasing agency has received around 230 applications in respect of the wind band; 100 in respect of the hydro band; 140 in respect of the landfill gas band; 100 in respect of the municipal and industrial waste band; and 100 in respect of the energy crops band.

Rules And Regulations

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many rules and regulations his Department has passed in each of the last three years.

[holding answer 16 March 1994]: The number of statutory instruments made by the Department in the past three years was as follows:

	Number
1991	151
1992	104
1993	86

Redundancy Arrangements

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will give details of the redundancy arrangements applicable to staff employed at the National Engineering Laboratory and Warren Spring Laboratory.

[holding answer 16 March 1994]: The handling of staff surpluses arising in the Department of Trade and Industry, including its agencies, is covered by the departmental redundancy agreement. Copies of the current agreement have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Compensation payments are set out in the principal civil service pension scheme section of the civil service pay and conditions code.

Units Of Measurement

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he proposes to table legislation which will implement the units of measurement directive; and what time has been allowed for the industries affected to make the necessary plans for compliance.

[holding answer 2 March 1994]: It is the Government's intention that before the summer recess a complete set of implementing measures will be laid in Parliament. Discussions are continuing with trade associations about plans for compliance.

Wales

Ministerial Visits

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he plans to visit Meirionnydd Nant Conwy.

I plan to visit Meirionnydd Nant Conwy again later this year.

Female Workers

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many female (a) chief executives and (b) chief officers there are in (i) local government service and (ii) the NHS in Wales.

According to the 1993 "Chief Executive/Chief Officers Salaries and Numbers Survey", conducted by the Local Government Management Board, among the 41 Welsh authorities, out of 45 which responded, there were no female chief executives and 20 female chief officers in post on 1 April 1993.

None of the general managers of health authorities and family health service authorities is female. One of the NHS trust chief executives currently in post is female and two of the NHS trust chief executive-designates, for NHS trusts which become operational on 1 April 1994, are female. Chief officers may be defined in different ways within the NHS and consistent information is not, therefore, available centrally.

Environment

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the environmental initiatives he has taken on green matters within his Department further to chapter eight of the annual report and departmental expenditure plans 1994–95 to 1996–97, Cm 2515, on environmental services provided by his Department.

Relevant information is given in chapter 10 on page 117 of the departmental report, Cm 2515. Further details will be provided in the third annual report on follow-up to the 1990 Environment White Paper "This Common Inheritance", which the Government will be publishing shortly.

Exhaust Fumes

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what evidence he has of a correlation between levels of PM10 particulates in the air and hospital admissions in Wales.

A study conducted in Birmingham of the period 1988 to 1990 and published earlier this year has shown that levels of particulates measured as British standard black smoke are a significant predictor of hospital admissions for asthma and all other acute respiratory disorders.The Department of Health is currently funding a study into the health effects of the London air pollution episode in December 1991. This research will provide useful background into the relationship between hospital admissions and levels of air pollutants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the Committee on Medical Effects report into the health threat posed by PM10 particulates in the air in Wales.

The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution has not yet reported on the adverse health effects of PM10 particulates in the air. The Government are seeking definitive advice on this issue and the Committee have set up a sub-group to assess the latest evidence on the health effects of all particulate matter.Levels of PM10s are monitored continuously at the Government's air monitoring network site in Cardiff. When the advice from the committee becomes available we shall be better able to assess the possible health effects of particulates in the air in Wales.

Ministerial Visits

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list by month for the last 12 months, the number of working hours he has spent in the Principality.

In the 10 months to the end of March, I will have spent 67 working days in Wales on government and political business. My duties for Wales require me to be in London on Tuesdays and Thursdays for Cabinet Committees and Cabinet. On most Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays I am required to be in London for parliamentary business in the evening.

Electricity

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the gross consumption of electricity in Wales in 1993.

Information for 1993 is not yet available. Estimated total sales of electricity in Wales were 16,363 GW/H in 1992.

Housing Expenditure

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the reason for the projected reduction between 1993–94 and 1994–95 in housing expenditure in Wales as set out at figure 7.01 in his annual report and expenditure plans for 1994–95 to 1996–97, Cm 2515.

As figure 7.01 of the Welsh Office departmental report indicates, total provision for housing programmes in 1994–95 has been set at £634.9 million, an increase of £27 million over 1993–94 plans and £32.9 million over 1993–94 forecast outturn. The table does not include private sector contributions to the Housing for Wales programme. These, together with transfers from local authorities, are expected to take total housing association capital spending to some £200 million in both 1993–94 and 1994–95.

Open Government

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what will be the implications for the operation of his Department of the code of practice on open government.

The code of practice on open government will reinforce and build on my Department's existing arrangements for the provision of information. Operational details will be made public in due course.

Rechem

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he received the latest consultants report on the environmental and health consequences of the Rechem incineration plant at Pontypool, commissioned by his Department; how many copies of the report have been printed; to whom they have been made available; and if he will make a statement on its conclusions.

The latest report on further monitoring of PCB levels around the Rechem plant in Pontypool was published on 10 March. Eighty copies were printed and distribution included the four local MPs; the chairman of the Select Committee on Welsh Affairs; the European Commission; Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution; the Health and Safety Executive; Rechem; Torfaen borough council and other local interests. Copies have also been placed in the Library of the House.As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State indicated in his recent letter to the hon. Member, the report generally confirms results obtained in the main study. The area of higher concentrations of PCBs and dioxins previously identified near the Rechem plant has also been narrowed down to a strip of land about 200 m wide to the east of the plant.

School Leavers

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of female school leavers left school with five or more GCSE's at grades A to C in Mid Glamorgan in the latest year for which figures are available.

The information is given in table 9.11 of "Statistics of Education and Training in Wales: Schools" No. 2, 1994, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Nursery Education

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of third and fourth year children in Mid Glamorgan are in maintained sector education.

The proportion of national curriculum year three and four pupils in maintained sector education in Mid Glamorgan at January 1993 was 99.2 per cent.

Attorney-General

Public Interest Immunity Certificates

To ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to this answer to the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Sir T. Arnold) of 3 March, Official Report, column 792, if he will publish in the Official Report the notes on order 24 in the Supreme Court Practice concerning public interest immunity.

No. It would not be appropriate to publish in the Official Report lengthy extracts from published works which are widely available. I have, however, placed a photocopy of the relevant pages of the Supreme Court Practice in the Library for ease of reference—deposited paper No. 10250.

To ask the Attorney-General in what circumstances the actual documents to which Ministers have stated that public interest immunity should apply are not themselves made available to the judge.

The court will decide, having regard to relevant case law, whether to inspect documents which are the subject of a claim for public interest immunity, and will always do so in a criminal case.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will list the recent public statements by law officers concerning Crown privilege and public interest immunity.

I have no such list, but I refer to my answers to the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Sir T. Arnold):

15 December 1993, Official Report, column 640
20 January 1994, Official Report, column 726
3 February 1994, Official Report, column 833
3 March 1994, Official Report, column 792
15 March 1994, Official Report, column 576

Disclosure Guidelines

To ask the Attorney-General when he proposes to revise his guidelines on disclosure.

The recommendations of the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice relating to prosecution disclosure are at present being considered. The Government stated in their interim response to the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice that they intend to produce a package of measures which would then be the subject of legislation at the earliest available opportunity.

Makanjuola V Commissioner Of Police Of The Metropolis

To ask the Attorney-General what assessment he has made of the implications for Government Ministers of Lord Justice Bingham's judgment in Makanjuola v. Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis; and if he will publish in the Official Report the relevant paragraphs of the judgment.

The judgment is relevant to my evidence to Lord Justice Scott on 24 March. It is published at page 617 vol. 3 of the "All England Law Reports" for 1992 which is in the Library.

Cps Charges

To ask the Attorney-General how many charges have been reduced by the Crown Prosecution Service following the defendant's electing for trial by jury for the latest period of 12 months for which figures are available.

This information is not available and cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost.

Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs

Indonesia

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy on the occupation by Indonesia of East Timor in 1975.

The invasion of East Timor in 1975 was condemned, with our support, in Security Council resolutions at the time. We have not recognised Indonesia's annexation of the territory. We are encouraging Indonesia and Portugal to continue to work together, under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General, to find a solution to East Timor.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to promote a motion critical of Indonesia's human rights record at the current session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

The British delegation to this year's session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights worked hard to secure agreements between Portugal and Indonesia on the consensus statement on East Timor.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received recently from the Indonesian Government.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has recently taken to encourage the Indonesian Government to comply with its human rights obligations.

The Indonesian Government are well aware of our views. Most recently, we supported efforts at this year's session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to secure a consensus statement on East Timor which encourages Indonesia to live up to its human rights obligations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his assessment of the total number of civilian casualties sustained in East Timor for each year since 1979 and in total; and if he will make a statement.

There is no reliable and independent source for information on this matter.

Cuba

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the present situation in Cuba.

Cuba is one of the few remaining communist countries. Some economic reforms have been introduced to counter recent sharp economic decline. But there have been no significant reforms leading to political pluralism. Human rights continue to give cause for concern.

Civil Servants

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list for each civil service grade in his Department (a) the total number of persons employed and (b) the percentage of this figure that are women.

Using the latest available figures, the number of persons and the percentage of women employed in each grade in this Department, including agencies, is:

	Total number of persons employed	Percentage of women employed
Open structure
Grade 2	1	—
Grade 3	4	25
Grade 4	1	—
Grade 5	67	16
Grade 6	102	8
Grade 7	353.5	16
Occupational groups
Senior executive officer	95	24
Higher executive officer (D)	3	—
Higher executive officer	247.5	34
Executive officer	444	45
Administrative officer	722.5	60
Administrative assistant	118.5	44
Senior economic assistant	2	—
Economic assistant	1	—
Senior information officer	11	55
Information officer	31	65
Assistant information officer	10	50
Senior librarian	3	100

	Total number of persons employed	Percentage of women employed
Librarian	6	100
Assistant librarian	18	72
Museum curatorial Grade D	2	100
Museum curatorial Grade E	1	100
Museum curatorial Grade F	2	—
Senior P and T officer	45	4
Higher P and T officer	49	2
P and T officer	19	—
Technical Grade 1	8	—
Higher mapping and charting officer	1	—
Mapping and charting officer	1	—
Mapping and charting tech Grade 1	1	100
Typing manager	10	100
Personal secretary	150	100
Typist	82	99
Senior scientific officer	81	21
Higher scientific officer	62	37
Scientific officer	35	37
Assistant scientific officer	22	59
Catering manager 1	1	—
Catering manager 2	1	—
Catering manager 3	3	33
Higher photographic officer	1	—
Photographic officer	1	—
Higher graphics officer	1	100
Graphics officer	1	100
Dep Reg Vet officer	2	—
Agricultural officer 1	18	—
Agricultural officer 2	5	—
P and GS Grade B	3	—
P and GS Grade C	5	—
P and GS Grade D	9	—
P and GS Grade E	11	—
Stores officer Grade B	1	—
Stores officer Grade C	2	50
Stores officer Grade D	5	—
Support manager 1	4	—
Support manager 2	9	67
Support manager 3	45	44
Support grade band 1	222	36
Support grade band 2	271	45
Senior TTO	18	—
Higher TTO	70	1
TTO	102	1
Assistant TTO	95	4
Communications Officer IV	1	100
Industrial grades	55	38
Departmental groups
Senior grade	135	4
Diplomatic service grade 4	268	4
Diplomatic service grade 5	428	13
Diplomatic service grade 6	260.5	12
Diplomatic service grade 7M	424	22
Diplomatic service grade 7D	112	33
Diplomatic service grade 8	57	16
Diplomatic service grade 9	784	51
Diplomatic service grade 10	446	41
Legal adviser	1	—
Second legal adviser	1	—
Deputy legal adviser	2	—
Legal counsellor	7	43
Senior assistant legal adviser	9	33
Assistant legal adviser	4	50
Research counsellor	3	—
Senior principal research officer	14	29
Principal research officer	28	46
Senior research officer	32	28
Research officer	1	—
Diplomatic service grade 8C	14	—
Diplomatic service grade 9C	7	—
Diplomatic service grade 5T	1	—
Diplomatic service grade 6T	1	—
Diplomatic service grade 7T	20	—
Diplomatic service grade 8T	45	2
Diplomatic service grade 9T	15	—

	Total number of persons employed	Percentage of women employed
Secretary 1	106	100
Secretary 2	441	100
Secretary 3	7.5	87
Chief overseas security officer	41	—
Overseas security officer	146	1
Nurse	4	100
Doctor	5	20
Senior lecturer	10	70
Senior field investigating officer	1	—
Field investigating officer 2	16	19
Translator 1	1	—
Translator 2	5.5	82
Translator 3	2	50
Chief cypher superintendent	3	—
Cypher superintendent	12	—
Cypher supervisor	31	—
Telecommunications and cypher officer	103	6
Operator technician	1	—
Queen's messenger	27	—
Queen's messenger escort	4	—

Employment

Manufacturing Employment

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the change in employment in United Kingdom manufacturing in absolute and percentage terms since the United Kingdom joined the EC; and what is the corresponding figure for other industrial countries.

Comparable information for all G7 countries is only available for the production and construction industries combined, of which manufacturing is the largest component. Changes since June 1973 are shown in the following table. The shift from manufacturing towards services is a trend shared by all western industrial nations. Nonetheless, the output of United Kingdom manufacturing industry increased by 1.5 per cent. between 1973 and 1993. This reflects a substantial improvement in productivity, up by 77.4 per cent. over the same period.

Changes in civilian employment in production and construction industries in the major 7 nations (G7) between June 1973 and September 1993¹
(Thousands)
	Absolute Change	Percentage Change
Canada	+204	+8
United States of America	+1,071	+4
Japan	+2,797	+14
France	-2,675	-32
West Germany	-2,005	-16
Italy	-715	-10
United Kingdom²	-4,121	-39

Source: OECD, except United Kingdom (Employment Department).

¹ Latest available data.

² Figures exclude participants in work related Government training programmes (for which separate industry estimates are not available).

Finance Sector Employees

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were employed in banking, insurance and finance in the Yorkshire and Humberside region in the last quarter for which figures are available; and if he will give the equivalent quarter figures for 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992.

The available information is given in the following table:

Numbers employed in Yorkshire and Humberside in banking, finance, insurance and their auxiliary activities (including employees and self-employed only)
Thousands
Quarter	Employees and self-employed
Spring 1989	57
Spring 1990	64
Spring 1991	70
Spring 1992	79
Summer 1992	78
Spring 1993	79
Summer 1993	77

Source: Labour Force Survey (not seasonally adjusted).

Barnsley and Doncaster Training and Enterprise Council Funding
	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94 to 30 January 1994
	£	£	£
Careership (youth training)	13,349,000	10,632,000	12,834,000
Adult training	7,448,000	7,778,000	7,026,500

Trainees finding employment	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94 to 30 January 1994
16 to 18 years	n/a	1,537	1,134
18 to 24 years	n/a	293	217
Long-term unemployed	1,136	1,185	1,099

The Barnsley and Doncaster Training and Enterprise Council (TEC) were financed by the Government to commission these programmes and sub-contract them to local providers in the Barnsley and Doncaster area; information on the Doncaster area alone is not available.

(b) The European Community, through the European Social Fund (ESF) provides support, on a national and regional basis, for unemployed young people aged under 25 years and for long-term unemployed adults aged 25 and over. Details of ESF support for unemployed people in the age ranges 16 to 18 and 18 to 24 and for the long-term unemployed in any specific locality, and information on organisations financed to commission and conduct programmes, are confidential to TECs and local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what follow-up survey has been conducted by his Department of people who have participated in training courses supported by the European social fund; what are the latest results regarding outcome available broken down by sector and region, and separately for male and female, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement.

Follow-up surveys cover all leavers from training for work and youth training programmes, which are supported by the European social fund. Results from these surveys are published monthly in the Employment Gazette. To complement these arrangements, in June 1993 the Department implemented a

Training

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how much money has been spent by (a) his Department and (b) the European Community on training (i) unemployed youths aged 16 to 18 years, (ii) 18 to 24-year-olds and (iii) the long-term unemployed in the Doncaster area; how many such trainees subsequently found employment; and which organisations were so financed to (1) commission and (2) conduct the programmes in each of the last four years.

The answer is as follows:

(a) Employment Department:

follow-up system for people participating in ESF courses run by the non-government sectors. Results will be produced annually and we expect the first analysis of 1993 data towards the end of this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the number of accidents on youth training broken down by fatal, major and minor for the latest available three-month period, shown by region; and how many youth training providers had contracts terminated (a) in that period and (b) in the three preceding months for reasons of inadequate health and safety.

Table A gives the latest available youth training accident figures for the quarter October—December 1993.

Region	Fatal	Major	Minor
South East	0	3	17
London	0	4	15
Eastern	0	7	18
South West	0	9	29
West Midlands	0	8	32
East Midlands	0	4	26
Yorkshire and Humberside	0	9	69
North West	0	6	69
Northern	0	2	9
Scottish Enterprise	0	4	35
Highlands and Islands Enterprise	1	0	1
Welsh Office	0	2	15
National total	1	58	335

Notes:

(a) Employment Department (ED) figures for YT trainees have been

compiled on a similar basis to those for employees by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). However, the ED's figures also include a number of accidents to trainees in educational establishments, and road traffic accidents, which would not have been reportable to HSE for employees.

(b) Major and minor injuries are classified according to the severity criteria laid down in the Reporting of Injuries Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985 (RIDDOR).

Information on YT provider contracts terminated by training and enterprise councils and local enterprise companies for reasons of inadequate health and safety is not held centrally.

Unemployment

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the male rate of unemployment in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) France, (c) Germany, (d) the USA and (e) Japan for each year since 1979; and if he will indicate the reasons for changes.

International comparable unemployment rates for males are available from 1987 and can be found in "Eurostatistics", which is published by the Statistical Office of the European Community and is available in the Library. Changes in unemployment rates are due to many factors which vary in their effect from country to country, one of which is the particular point reached in a country's economic cycle. The latest monthly figures from the SOEC indicate that the United Kingdom is the only country from the European Community, Japan and the USA where the rate of male unemployment is falling.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the rate of unemployment among men in December 1993 in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) Germany, (c) Italy and (d) France.

The information requested is given in the following table. No figures are available for the unified Germany.

Internationally comparable ILO unemployment rates for men (December 1993 seasonally adjusted)
	Per cent.
United Kingdom	11.9
Italy	7.9
France	9.5

Source: Statistical Office of the European Community (SOEC) monthly Unemployment Bulletin.

The United Kingdom is the only European Community country where the rate of male unemployment has fallen over the year to December 1993.

Jobcentres

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were placed in employment by jobcentres in the Doncaster area in each month since April 1992; and what percentage of the unemployed in the Doncaster area this represents.

Information on jobcentre placings can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the Library. Employment information below regional level is only available from the census of employment for 1991.

During 1993 jobcentres in the Doncaster area placed over 400 people into employment each month.

Earnings

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many employees earned between 0 and 10 per cent. below, and between 0 and 10 per cent. above the national insurance lower earnings limit.

It is estimated that in an average week approximately 220,000 employees earn between 0 and 10 per cent. below the national insurance lower earnings limit and approximately 190,000 employees earn between 0 and 10 per cent. above the LEL.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many (a) men and (b) women currently earn less than the national insurance lower earnings limit.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Preston (Mrs. Wise) on 9 February 1994, Official Report, column 292.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what hours are worked per week on average by employees earning less than the national insurance lower earnings limit.

It is estimated that in April 1993 employees earning below the national insurance lower earnings limit worked an average of 11.6 hours a week.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the average weekly earnings of employees earning less than the national insurance lower earnings limit.

It is estimated that the average gross weekly earnings of employees earning less than the national insurance lower earnings limit is approximately £24.

Open Government

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what will be the implications for the operation of his Department, and the Health and Safety Commission, of the code of practice on open government.

The Department and the Health and Safety Executive already answer many hundreds of thousands of inquiries each year, through, for example, their "public enquiry point" service. The code of practice will reinforce and build upon existing arrangements for the provision of information to the public.

Financial Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 9 March, Official Report, column 201, how many people were employed in banking, insurance and finance in Greater London, including those not resident in Greater London, in the latest quarter for which figures are available and the equivalent quarters of 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992.

The information is given in the following table:

Employees in employment in banking, finance, insurance and business services and leasing (SIC division 8): Greater London
	Number
December 1989	798,000
December 1990	773,000
December 1991	726,000
December 1992	699,000
December 1993	712,000

Employment Service

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the reasons for the introduction of the new regional, district and area management structure of the Employment Service; how will it differ from existing arrangements; what are the implications for awarding and monitoring contracts entered into with external organisations operating job clubs; how it relates to and affects PACT—placing assessment and counseling—teams and other services for unemployed people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement.

Responsibility for the subject of the questions has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Ms Clare Short, dated 17 March 1994:

The Secretary of State for Employment has asked me to reply to your question about the new introduction of the Employment Service management structure.

The Employment Service (ES) is setting up a structure of Districts in order to focus more effectively on the delivery of services to its clients, and provide better value for money. Districts will consist of a number of local offices serving discreet local labour markets, and they will be managed through the existing network of ES Regions.

The new arrangements become operational from April 1994, when the Area tier of management will cease. The new structure will ensure that more senior managers will be directly responsible for managing resources and performance within districts. The existing network of local offices will remain in place, and continue delivering services to clients.

District Managers will be responsible for awarding contracts to external organisations operating Jobclubs, and for ensuring that these contracts are monitored. In this they will be assisted by programme contracting specialists.

The specialist disability service delivered by Placing, Assessment and Counselling teams (PACTs) will be strengthened by the appointment of Regional managers. Their role is to maximise the potential of PACTs, establish effective working relationships with local offices in the new districts and ensure that the appropriate specialist programmes and services are available for clients.

They will also work with District Managers to provide appropriate help for clients with disabilities who do not need specialist help in funding or retaining work.

I hope this is helpful.

:To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many women are employed by the Employment Service; and what this figure is as a percentage of the total work force of the Employment Service.

Responsibility for the subject of the questions has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Mrs. Ann Clwyd, dated 17 March 1994:

The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the number of women employed by the Employment Service and what percentage of the total workforce this represents.

I have looked at the latest available staff-in-post figures taken at 1 January 1994. These show that we presently employ 49,061 staff. Of this figure 35,119 are women, which represents 71 per cent. of the total workforce.

I hope this is helpful.

Rules And Regulations

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many rules and regulations his Department has passed in each of the last three years.

[holding answer 16 March 1994]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made the following number of statutory instruments in the last three years:

	New instruments	Other instruments
1991	25	10
1992	29	12
1993	27	9

"Other instruments" cover those which amend, replace, or revoke existing instruments, or are commencement orders.Not all instruments impose requirements or regulations on business.

Self-Financing Regulatory Authorities

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many self-financing regulatory authorities his Department has set up since 1979; what was the annual running cost of each of the self-financing regulatory authorities in each of the last three years; what is the current staffing establishment; and what it was last year and two years ago.

[holding answer 16 March 1994]: None.

Civil Servants

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many women are employed at each civil service grade in his Department as a whole; and what percentage of each grade is constituted by women.

The numbers and percentages of women in each grade in the Employment Department Group at 1 January 1994 are set out in the following table:

Women in the Employment Department Group at 1 January 1994
Grade	Number	Percentage
Administrative assistant	2,234	74.7
Administrative officer	24,402	75.3
Typist	663	99.7
Executive officer	11,107	67.8
Administrative trainee	5	71.4
Management trainee	36	65.5
Higher executive officer(D)	9	45.0
Higher executive officer	1,771	43.1
Senior executive officer	338	27.5

Grade	Number	Percentage
Grade 7	182	24.2
Grade 6	14	10.3
Grade 5	21	18.8
Grade 4	0	0.0
Grade 3	1	4.2
Grade 2	1	20.0
Grade 1	0	0.0

Prime Minister

Cabinet Records

To ask the Prime Minister whether the 30-year rule applies to the handwritten records of each Cabinet meeting; and, after the lapse of this time, whether they will be open to public scrutiny.

The Cabinet Secretary's handwritten records of Cabinet meetings are regarded as subject to the Public Records Acts which make provision for the release of public records after 30 years. Section 3(4) of the 1958 Act permits the retention of such records for longer than 30 years, subject to the Lord Chancellor's approval.The question of the release of the notebooks was considered in the summer of 1993, in accordance with a recommendation in the Wilson committee's report on "Modern Public Records", Cmnd. 8204. The Lord Chancellor has approved the continued retention of the notebooks. It is proposed that a further review will take place in 10 years' time.

Engagements

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 17 March.

This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the

Agriculture, Fisheries And Food

Coastal Erosion

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many square miles of coast have been lost to the sea since 1979.

Recent studies suggest that the average annual rate of coastal erosion is probably in the range of 0.08 to 0.2 sq m per year. Much of the material lost as a result of this erosion contributes to coastal accretion or the formation of beaches or banks which provide protection to other coastal areas.

Farm Incomes

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the average net annual income of farm owners in the United Kingdom.

The farm business survey collects data from a sample of farms throughout the United Kingdom which are classified as full-time holdings. Results are not readily available for the United Kingdom as a whole, but the table provides information on the occupier's net income for wholly owner-occupied farms in each of the four home countries in 1992–93.

Occupier's net income on wholly owner occupied farms 1992–93¹
	Average for all types of farm £ thousand
England	19.1
Wales	14.6
Scotland²	16.7
Northern Ireland	9.1
¹ Occupier's net income represents the return to the principal farmer and spouse for their manual and managerial labour and investment in the farm business.
² Includes holdings which are wholly and mainly owner occupied.

French Fishing Industry

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations she has made to the European Commission about the French emergency aid package for the French fishing industry; how much of this aid is new money; for what purposes it is paid; and what assessment she has made of the resulting advantage of French industry over the United Kingdom industry.

According to the announcement by the French Government, the aid package takes a variety of forms, including the rescheduling of loans, social payments to fishermen's families, advancement of reimbursement of market withdrawal costs, government-funded promotion of fish, and reduced national insurance contributions. The European Commission has responsibility for assessing state aids and for overseeing their compliance with articles 92 and 93 of the treaty. We have written to the Commission asking them to consider urgently whether the aid package gives French fishermen an unfair economic advantage and whether all its elements are in accordance with EU legal provisions. I understand that the Commission is actively pursuing this.

Farmers

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the numerical difference between the number of United Kingdom citizens whose primary economic activity is farming and the number of public employees and private contractors employed by her Department.

No figures are available on the number of United Kingdom citizens whose primary economic activity is farming.

Eu Enlargement (Agricultural Protection)

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what will be the notional loss to United Kingdom agricultural producers as a result of the transitional agricultural protection allowed to Austria, Sweden and Finland on their accession to the European Community.

The United Kingdom agricultural industry should benefit from the immediate abolition of border controls as a result of the agreement by the applicant countries to introduce CAP support prices from the date of accession. While the European Union has authorised Austria, Finland and Norway to introduce transitional, degressive national aids where support levels for particular commodities are significantly reduced, such aids should not adversely effect United Kingdom producers. These arrangements will be approved and supervised by the European Commission to ensure that competition is not distorted.

Farm Animals (Poland)

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what checks are carried out to ensure that farm animals coming from Poland are free from radioactive contamination.

Council Regulation (EEC) No. 737/90 lays down conditions governing imports into the European Community of agricultural products, including live animals, originating in third countries following the Chernobyl accident. The regulation specifies maximum permitted levels of radioactivity in imported products and requires checks to be made at the point of entry to the Community. In the United Kingdom such checks are the responsibility of port health authorities, acting under the Imported Food Regulations 1984.

Food Imports

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the overall value of all food and food products imported from other EU countries; and what proportion, in cost terms of these imports from (a) France and (b) Germany were of (i) meat and (ii) dairy products in 1980, 1990 and the latest year for which figures are available.

The following is the information requested:

Imports of food and food products into the United Kingdom from other EU countries
Year	EU 11 £ million	France £ million	Germany £ million
1980	2,611	356	210
1990	6,659	1,043	621
1992	7,597	1,252	773

Food imports from France and Germany that were meat products and dairy products
	From France		From Germany
Year	Meat per cent.	Dairy per cent.	Meat per cent.	Dairy per cent.
1980	9.6	8.8	12.6	16.0
1990	15.3	11.3	11.2	22.0
1992	16.9	11.3	8.8	20.6

Aggregates

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and food in respect of how many licensing applications for marine dredging of aggregates her Department has commissioned research into the implication for fisheries of such applications in each year since 1989.

Applications for dredging licences are made to the Crown Estate, but the Department is consulted under the Government view procedure because of our concerns about the impact of dredging operations on the marine environment and fisheries. We look to licence applicants to produce a properly researched and comprehensive environmental statement in support of their applications and the Ministry's directorate of fisheries research has recently issued guidelines to indicate the range of issues which need to be considered. Copies of these guidelines have been placed in the Library of the House. In addition from time to time the Department's scientists carry out specific research of their own. Since 1989 they have initiated the following studies relating to marine aggregate extraction:

Migration of sole across Hastings Shingle Bank;
overwintering of crabs;
recolonisation of benthos in dredged areas;
the importance of Race Bank to the North Sea crab population;
physical effects on the seabed.

Some of the work is still in progress.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research her Department has commissioned into the implication for fisheries of the production application by the National Rivers Authority, Anglia, for a licence to extract aggregate from North Race bank—area 405; and when the results of the research are expected to be finalised.

To enable the Department to make its contribution under the Government view procedure on an application from the NRA to dredge sand from Race bank the Department has required a series of studies to be undertaken. These include a one-year programme of work being carried out by the Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Studies of Hull university under contract to NRA, in conjuction with MAFF scientists. Studies of the turbidity of the area to be dredged, the benthos and epibenthos and plankton surveys are all included. A series of potting surveys will be undertaken and two have already been carried out. Longer-term work will be undertaken on crab migration using tags and survey trawls will be undertaken of demersal and pelagic fish species.Additionally MAFF undertook its own study of crab larval distribution in the southern North sea in July 1993 with particular emphasis on the Race bank and north Norfolk areas. Further physical studies by MAFF are continuing. These include current measurements, sidescan sonar, and underwater TV surveys of the benthos and epibenthos. We shall also be undertaking work on the particle size of sediments in the area.Much of the work has already been completed and most of the outstanding results will be available later this year. In addition some of the longer-term work, such as the crab migration study, will continue to generate information over the next few years.

Mycoplasma Bovis

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farm holdings in the United Kingdom have been affected by mycoplasma bovis before and after the introduction of the single market in each year since 1990; how many cattle are currently infected; how and when the disease was introduced into the United Kingdom; and from where it came.

Mycoplasma bovis was first recorded in the United Kingdom in 1975. It is not a notifiable disease and comprehensive data is not maintained. There are no records of the total numbers of infected animals. The numbers of cases recorded by the veterinary investigation laboratories in the United Kingdom for the years concerned are:

Year	Farms
1990	61
1991	56
1992	36
1993	29

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in which EU member states mycoplasma bovis is a notifiable disease.

Mycoplasma bovis is not a notifiable disease under EC legislation. We have no information on whether member states require notification under their own national legislation.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action the Government are taking to combat mycoplasma bovis.

There are no statutory powers in respect of mycoplasma bovis.

Days At Sea

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current state of the dispute over the legality of the days at sea regime under the Sea Fisheries (Conservation) Act 1992.

Following a hearing between 1 November and 5 November 1993, and in accordance with its judgment of 2 December, the High Court has referred a number of questions on the days at sea regime to the European Court of Justice. The court's order includes a request for expedition, and the Government hope that the court in Luxembourg will recognise the need for a ruling within a reasonable timescale. Meanwhile, as I announced on 14 December, implementation of days at sea has been suspended.

Decommissioning

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many agreements have been made under the decommissioning scheme; on what date the agreement was finalised for the last fishing vessel to be decommissioned; and what is the schedule for the next sequence of decommissioning agreements.

Under the Fishing Vessels (Decommissioning) Scheme 1993 135 vessels have been decommissioned: all claims were submitted before 1 March, as required by the scheme.Decommissioning formed part of a package of conservation measures which is being reviewed following the decision to suspend implementation of days at sea controls, and I am not yet in a position to announce a further scheme.

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will make a statement on the position of the German Government regarding bovine spongiform encephalopathy and the importation of British cattle and beef into Germany.

Every necessary measure has been taken to protect both animal and public health in the United Kingdom and in our trade with the European Union. These measures have been endorsed not only by the European Commission and the Scientific Veterinary Committee in Brussels but by the World Health Organisation and its veterinary equivalent the OIE.I have warned the German authorities that I would regard any unilateral action as contrary to Community law and technically indefensible.The Commission has already told the German authorities that it shares my assessment of the adequacy of the current arrangements for both cattle and beef and that it would take appropriate action in the event of unilateral action.

Civil Servants

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list for each civil service grade in her Department (a) the total number of persons employed and (b) the percentage of this figure that are women.

The information set out as at 1 March 1994 relates to non-industrial staff in MAFF, excluding agencies.

	Total staff	Percentage women
Grade 1	1	0.0
Grade 2	5	0.0
Grade 3	22	4.5
Grade 4	8	0.0
Grade 5	91	11.0
Grade 6	101	11.9
Grade 7	697	19.7
SEO	457	20.1
HEO	943	34.7
EO	1,428	45.2
AO	1,886	64.5
AA	2,011	66.8
Total	7,650	49.5

The figures are given by grade equivalent and include all permanent staff, casuals and staff on temporary release. Part-time staff are counted as 1.0.

General Agreement On Tariffs And Trade

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the additional cost to EAGGF guarantee spending of the Breydel agreement.

The Breydel agreement concluded between the EU and the United States in the closing stages of negotiations on the Uruguay round agreement allows for greater flexibility in the phasing of cuts in subsidised agricultural exports over the period of the agreement's implementation. As a result, there will be an increased possibility of the export of wheat and wheat flour, cheese, beef, pigmeat, poultrymeat, wine, raw tobacco and incorporated foods between 1995 and 2000.It is not possible, however, to estimate the precise cost to EAGGF guarantee since the cost of increased expenditure on export subsidies would, in the absence of the Breydel agreement, have had to be offset by some increase in expenditure on intervention or subsidised internal disposal for some of the commodities and quantities involved. In that the Breydel agreement opened the way for the successful conclusion of the Uruguay round it also avoided the very heavy budgetary costs which would have followed from the failure of the round.

Treasury

Value Added Tax

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the average daily arrears of value added tax for each year since 1980 (a) in absolute terms in (i) cash and (ii) current values and (b) as a proportion of tax liability.

Information for the years 1986 to 1993 is shown in the table:

Table of average daily arrears at 31 March
Year	Amount (absolute) £ million	Current values £ million	Percentage of payment liability
1986	1,351.6	1,973.3	6.5
1987	1,218.6	1,706.0	5.4
1988	1,060.3	1,442.0	4.2
1989	1,085.2	1,367.4	3.8
1990	1,168.7	1,355.7	3.6
1991	1,623.5	1,753.4	4.3
1992	1,927.8	1,985.6	4.4
1993	1,993.9	2,013.8	4.4
31 December 1993	1,897.2	1,897.2	3.7

Current values represent absolute amounts inflated in line with the retail prices index to prices current at March 1994.This measure was introduced in the year 1985–86, and no reconstruction can be done for previous years.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the amount of value added tax outstanding for each year since 1980 (a) in absolute terms in (i) cash and (ii) current values and (b) as a proportion of tax liability.

Information for the years 1988 to 1993 is shown in the table.

Table of value added tax outstanding at 31 March
	(a) Amount (absolute)	Current values	(b) Percentage of payment liability
Year	£ million	£ million	Per cent.
1988	837.2	1,138.6	3.3
1989	884.2	1,114.1	3.1
1990	1,180.0	1,368.8	3.6
1991	1,466.6	1,583.9	3.8
1992	1,628.9	1,677.8	3.7
1993	1,572.6	1,588.3	3.5

Current values represent absolute amounts inflated in line with the retail prices index to prices current at March 1994.

Prior to the year ended 31 March 1988 information is not available in the form requested.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the outstanding balance for collection of the value added tax default surcharge for each year since 1986 (a) in absolute terms in (i) cash and (ii) current values and (b) as a proportion of surcharge liability.

The available information is shown in the table.

Table of default surcharge outstanding balances at 31 March
Year	(a) Amount (absolute)	Current values million	(b) Per cent. of default surcharge liability
	£ million	£ million
1988	50.7	69.0	—
1989	61.7	77.7	—
1990	74.9	86.9	—
1991	102.7	110.9	—
1992	132.3	136.3	57
1993	116.3	117.5	59

Current values represent absolute amounts inflated in line with the retail prices index to prices current at March 1994.No information is held on the surcharge outstanding for 1986 and 1987, or the surcharge liability for 1986–1991.The absolute amount outstanding is a year-on-year cumulative total.The percentage of default surcharge liability is based on the total surcharge assessment issued during that year.

Economic Statistics

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his assessment of the reasons for the scale of (a) the United Kingdom deficit and (b) the German surplus in table 6.4 of "Eurostat Basic Statistics of the Community in 1993"; and if he will make a statement.

A country's visible trade balance depends on the strength of its own domestic demand and that of its trading partners, and on the level of its competitiveness.

Capital (Rate Of Return)

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the rate of return on capital required by industry to justify investment in new manufacturing capacity solely for import saving and export and of the premium demanded to insure against an appreciation of the currency as a result of the Government's monetary and exchange rate policies.

The upward movement of equity prices over the past couple of years does not necessarily signal any increase in industry's required rates of return. The January CBI "Industrial Trends Survey" showed, for the first time since July 1989, that on balance manufacturers are planning to increase investment in plant and machinery over the next 12 months.

Alcohol

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what conclusions Her Majesty's Customs and Excise have drawn on whether United Kingdom citizens are permitted to purchase alcoholic liquor abroad, pay duty in that country and have the goods delivered by a third party to a United Kingdom addresss; and if he will make a statement.

Goods subject to United Kingdom excise duty which have been bought duty paid in another member state of the EU may be brought into the United Kingdom without further duty payment only if they have been purchased by a private individual for personal use and have been personally transported to the United Kingdom by the purchaser. Purchases made in a country outside the EU in excess of a traveller's allowance are subject to United Kingdom duty however they are transported.

Manufacturing Industry

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the change in the number of weekly hours worked in manufacturing industry since 1989; and what has been the impact on (a) shareholders, (b) the Exchequer and (c) the living standards of the British people.

Statistics on the weekly hours of manual workers in the manufacturing sector are published each month in the Employment Gazette, table 1.12. Manufacturing productivity performance has been exceptionally good in recent years, and this sector is well placed to continue contributing to sustained economic recovery.

European Community

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what evidence he has of the extent to which the economic losses from EEC membership foreseen in the economic assessment White Paper of 1970—Cmnd. 4289—have been offset by gains; what the gains have been; and what he now assesses as being the balance of advantages.

As paragraph 104 of the White Paper said, this is not a question to which any calculations could give a precise mathematical answer. Further, there have been major changes since 1970 in the economic, financial and trading relationship between the United Kingdom and the EC. A full update of all the contents of the White Paper could be undertaken only at a disproportionate cost.

Open Government

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what will be the implications for the operation of his Department of the code of practice on open government.

The Treasury will use the code of practice to build on its current arrangements for the provision of information. Details of the administrative arrangements will be available shortly.

Economic Growth

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the average rate of economic growth per annum in the United Kingdom in the period from 1964 (a) until the United Kingdom joined the EEC and (b) since the United Kingdom joined the EEC.

Average growth rates for gross domestic product can be found in table 16.10 of the 1993 edition of the CSO Blue Book: "United Kingdom National Accounts", which is available in the House of Commons Library.

Vat (Domestic Fuel)

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to ensure that VAT is imposed only on fuel consumed after 1 April, and not before this date.

Transitional rules already exist giving fuel suppliers the option not to charge VAT on supplies made before 1 April. Customs have had meetings with British Gas and the electricity companies and arrangements are in the place for these suppliers to apportion bills straddling 1 April to take account of estimates of zero-rated supplies made before 1 April.

The Oval

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer under what powers the Treasury may object to any proposal by the Duchy of Cornwall to sell the freehold of the Oval.

The Duchy requires Treasury approval under section 11 of the Duchy of Cornwall Management Act 1863 for any sale or disposal of Duchy land or property. Before approving any such transactions, the Treasury needs to be satisfied that the Duchy will receive the full commercial value of the land or property being disposed.Under section 7 of the Duchy of Cornwall Management Act 1982, upon application by the Duchy, the Treasury can approve a sale or disposal at less than full value where the latter would be conducive to the good management of the Duchy. In exercising its authority, the Treasury has to take into account any effect on persons living on, or in the vicinity of, the land and to have regard to the interests of future Dukes.If the Duchy does not satisfy the conditions for an approval under section 11 of the 1863 Act or under section 7 of the 1982 Act, the Treasury would object to the proposed transaction.The Duchy of Cornwall is responsible for the day-to-day management of its assets, and for seeking Treasury approval to a sale or disposal of any land or property.

Funding Policy

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for funding policy in 1994–95; and if he will make a statement.

The Chancellor has decided to set an annual remit for the Bank of England's operations in the gilt market to clarify responsibilities between the Treasury and the Bank, and to explain the Government's intentions to the markets. The remit will be published before the start of each new financial year.Every year, the Government aim to sell enough gilts and national savings products fully to fund the PSBR, maturing debt that needs to be refinanced, and any net increase in the United Kingdom's foreign exchange reserves. There is no change to the Government's funding policy as set out in the November 1993 medium-term financial strategy.The Treasury is responsible for all borrowing for the National Loans Fund, under the terms of the National Loans Act 1968. The Bank of England has long been the Government's adviser and agent in the gilt market, where the bulk of these funding operations are carried out.The Chancellor will also give the Bank guidelines for the detailed operation of its remit. In the past, individual decisions on funding were taken after discussion between Treasury Ministers, Treasury officials, and the Bank of England. In future, any operations the Bank proposes that fall within the remit and the guidelines will normally be approved by Treasury officials. The Bank will send a monthly report to Treasury Ministers on progress, and there will be regular review meetings between the Treasury, the Bank and the Department for National Savings.The remit for 1994–95 is as follows:

Funding requirement

As set out in the November 1993 Financial Statement and Budget Report, the Government will continue to operate a full fund policy.

The PSBR for 1994–95 was forecast in the Budget to be £38 billion. Some £9 billion of gilts are expected to mature in market hands and need to be refinanced. Maturing and withdrawn National Savings products will be netted off the National Savings contribution to funding, rather than included in the funding requirement. It is not possible at this stage accurately to forecast net changes over the year in the foreign currency reserves, so these will be assumed to remain unchanged on balance. Any overfunding in 1993–94 will reduce the funding requirement in 1994–95, and any underfunding increase it. The funding outturn for 1993–94 is not yet known.

The funding requirement for 1994–95 is currently forecast to be around £47 billion, adjusted for any over- or under-funding carried forward from 1993–94, and subject to any changes in the Reserves.

National Savings

The net contribution of National Savings to funding (including accrued interest) is assumed to be around £3½ billion. this is not a target, but an estimate based on experience in previous years and forecasts for 1994–95.

Other debt sales

Net sales of government debt instruments other than gilts and National Savings are expected to make a negligible contribution to funding.

Sales of gilts to banks and building societies

As announced at Budget time, the sales of gilts to banks and building societes in 1992–93 will be taken into account before the end of 1994–95. These amount to £6.8 billion, and the required level of gilt sales will be reduced by that amount.

Quantity of gilt sales

The Bank of England will aim to meet the remainder of the funding requirement by selling gilts to the private sector on the government's behalf. On the basis of the Budget forecast, this means selling approximately £37 billion of gilts, adjusted for any over or under-funding carried forward from 1993–94, and any change in the Reserves.

Pace of funding

The Bank should aim to sell at a broadly even pace through the year.

Methods of sale

Auctions will continue to form the backbone of gilt-edged funding. They will be held at broadly monthly intervals, each normally on the last Wednesday of a calendar month. Each auction should be between £2 and 4 billion of stock.

The remainder of gilt sales may be made by ad hoc taps and tenders.

Review

This remit may be reviewed and, if appropriate, revised by Her Majesty's Treasury from time to time. Revisions will be published.

G7 Jobs Conference

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will report on the G7 jobs conference in Detroit.

The Secretary of State for Employment and I attended the G7 jobs conference in Detroit on 14 to 15 March. Finance and Labour Ministers of the G7, together with some Economics Ministers and representatives of the European Union, attended this meeting, which was opened by President Clinton and presided over by Vice-President Gore. It was the first meeting of G7 Finance and Labour Ministers.In his keynote opening speech President Clinton said that, in a world of accelerating technological advance, the major countries had to face a choice between protectionism and following the path of change. He said that America had chosen the latter. The President emphasised that people needed to be prepared for a higher skill world; to be ready to change jobs many times in a career; and to change attitudes towards employment of both the young and the old. In conclusion, he believed that the industrialised countries should discuss these issues because it would become easier for them to adopt the right policies at home if they were a part of an international consensus.There was widespread support for these sentiments throughout the rest of the conference. None of the Ministers supported protectionism. The Secretary of State for Employment and I emphasised the need for sound macroeconomic policies to achieve sustainable growth, open and competitive economies with no protectionism to encourage innovation and enterprise, the importance of improved education and training and active labour market policies, together with flexible labour markets, the need to reduce the costs of employment, and the vital role of small and medium-sized enterprises.US Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen read out a chairman's statement on behalf of the G7 at the end of the conference. A copy of this has been placed in the Library of the House. The chairman's statement supports the principles and policies that the Secretary of State for Employment and I advocated. It ends with a request for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to examine the relationship between productivity, job creation and technology, especially information technology; and to expand its analysis of data on job creation and job loss. The Ministers present agreed to send employment experts to learn about the employment and training programmes of the others.I believe that this unique conference was very valuable. It will ensure that policies to reduce unemployment will be high on the agenda of G7 Governments, and will be discussed by Heads of Government at the forthcoming G7 economic summit in Naples. Examining and assessing the policies of other countries and achieving a wide measure of agreement on the way ahead will help our Governments to implement the policies necessary to reduce unemployment. The UK Government are absolutely committed to co-operating with this policy agenda in the G7 and the European Union, and to strengthening policies that will reduce unemployment.

Gross Domestic Product

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of gross domestic product and gross domestic product per head, for (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) the United Kingdom; and if he will indicate the appropriate percentages of the United Kingdom average in each case from (a) to (d).

The latest available estimates were published in the December 1993 issue of "Economic Trends", available in the House of Commons Library.

Tax Coding Notices

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number and proportion of incorrect notices of tax coding for 1994–95 which the Inland Revenue has sent out; what are the principal reasons for the errors; and what action is being taken to ensure more accurate notices of coding in future.

[holding answer 14 March 1994]: Code numbers based on the latest information available to the Indland Revenue are issued in January and February each year. They may subsequently need to be amended if updated information is received or if the Inland Revenue has made an error. It is therefore too soon to estimate the number and proportion of 1994–95 code numbers that for any reason will need amending. The Inland Revenue is constantly striving to improve the quality of service it gives to taxpayers. It is setting targets for getting tax affairs right first time and has systems in place to monitor its performance.

Scotland

Civil Servants

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list for each civil service grade in his Department (a) the total number of persons employed and (b) the percentage of this figure that are women.

The number of staff and the percentage of women in post in the Scottish Office and associated departments as at 1 January 1994, excluding the Scottish Prison Service, are shown by grade equivalent in the table.

Grade (and equivalents)	Women	Total staff	Percentage of Women
1	—	1	—
2	—	9	—
3	4	27	14.8
4	3	18	16.7
5	18	131	13.7
6	36	194	18.6
7	86	484	17.8
Senior Executive Officer	57	477	11.9
Higher Executive Officer	290	960	30.2
Executive Officer	504	1,154	43.7
Administrative Officer	931	1,363	68.3
Administrative Assistant	905	1,413	64.0
Industrial Staff	18	491	3.7
Total	2,852	6,722	42.4

Slopping Out

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list for each prison in Scotland his plans for ending slopping out.

[holding answer 14 March 1994]: Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Scottish Prison Service under the chief executive, Mr. E. W. Frizzell. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from E. W. Frizzell to Mr. John McFall, dated 17 March 1994:

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton has asked me to reply to your Question about slopping out in Scottish prisons.

With the recent completion of the installation of in-cell toilets at Inverness and Aberdeen Prisons, there are 6 prison establishments, out of the total of 20 in Scotland, which in varying degrees require further sanitation facilities. These are Barlinnie, Dumfries, Edinburgh, Perth, Perterhead and Polmont YOI. (Greenock Prison has 4 cells without sanitation but these are held for observation purposes only).

A high priority is being attributed to the ending of slopping out, as indicated in the Estates Strategy for the Service (contained at Chapter 9 of, and Annex B to, the Scottish Prison Service Corporate Plan, a copy of which was deposited in the Library in August of last year). Work is continuing to be undertaken through a rolling programme which, among other things, has to take account of the feasibility of cells being taken out of use for this purpose at a time of high prisoner numbers.

Work is currently underway in installing an electronic locking system, to provide access to night sanitation, throughout a large part of the cellular accommodation at Polmont YOI and it is planned that this will be followed up by projects to provide in-cell toilets in the remaining accommodation.

In the coming financial year, sanitation work is planned to commence in Perth (E Hall), Edinburgh (D Hall), Dumfries (C Wing) and, provisionally, in the latter part of the year, in Barlinnie (D Hall). If we can maintain subsequent progress I would expect the programme to be completed by the end of the 1990s at the latest. Prisoner numbers will however have an important influence on how quickly work can be undertaken.

Health

Life Expectancy And Infant Mortality

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the change in (a) life expectancy and (b) infant mortality in the last 10 years in (i) the United Kingdom and (ii) other OECD countries.

Death rates in almost every age and sex group in the United Kingdom have been steadily declining over the period 1982 to 1991. This has resulted in increases in life expectancy.From 1982 to 1991 the United Kingdom life expectancy at birth has increased: males from 71.1 years in 1982 to 73.3 years in 1991, an increase of 2.2 years; and females from 77.0 years in 1982 to 78.8 years in 1991, an increase of 1.8 years. For the same period the United Kingdom infant mortality rate has decreased from 1,098.1, per 100,000 livebirths, in 1982 to 735.0 in 1991, a decrease of 33 per cent. Further information is shown in the table.The information for other Organisation of Economic Co-operation Development countries will be placed in the Library.

Life expectancy and infant mortality rate for the United Kingdom 1982–1991
	¹Life expectancy		Infant mortality
Year	Males	Females	²Rate
1982	71.1	77.0	11.0
1983	71.4	77.2	10.2
1984	71.5	77.4	9.6
1985	71.7	77.5	9.4
1986	71.9	77.6	9.5
1987	72.2	77.9	9.1
1988	72.4	78.0	9.0
1989	72.7	78.3	8.4
1990	73.0	78.5	7.9
1991	73.3	78.8	7.4
¹ At birth.
² Per 1,000 livebirths.

Source:

Population Trends (Tables 8 and 12), for 1982–1990.

World Health Organisation Statistics Volume 1992, for 1991.

Nurse-Patient Ratio

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 25 February, Official Report, column 514, if she will provide figures for the ratio of qualified nursing and midwifery staff to patients (a) by region and (b) by district in each year since 1988–89.

This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Disability Symbol

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she is taking to encourage health authorities and trusts to qualify for the disability symbol.

National health service trusts and health authorities are free to work with their local employment service placing, assessment and counselling team to qualify for registration on the approved PACT list of disability symbol users.

Ovarian Cancer

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths of women for each of the last five years for which information is available were due to ovarian cancer; what is the latest estimate of the risk of death within five years of the onset of this disease; and what steps are being taken by her Department, and by hospital trusts, to improve detection in the earliest possible stages.

Deaths from ovarian cancer in England and Wales for the years 1988–92 are shown in the table. The average relative five-year survival rate after diagnosis of ovarian cancer is 28 per cent. based on cancers registered in 1981. Early diagnosis of ovarian cancer offers the best prognosis. Research to develop an effective means of ovarian screening in reducing mortality is being undertaken by the Medical Research Council which receives its grant-in-aid from the office of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who spent £318,000 on ovarian cancer research in 1992–93; as well as by national health service bodies and cancer charities.

Deaths from ovarian cancer in England and Wales in the years 1988–92
Year	Deaths
1988	3,798
1989	3,934
1990	3,995
1991	3,866
1992	3,880

Pm10 Particulates

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment she has made of the Committee on Medical Effects' report into the health threat posed by PM10 particulates in the air;(2) what is her estimate of the annual number of deaths caused by PM 10 particulates;(3) what assessment she has made of the link between

(a) cardiovascular and (b) respiratory disease and levels of PM10 particulates in the air;

(4) what assessment she has made of the link between respiratory disease and particulates of less than 2.5 micrometres across.

The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution has not yet reported on the adverse health effects of PM10 particulates in the air. In 1992, the Advisory Group on the Medical Aspects of Air Pollution Episodes concluded that particulate levels were low and not thought to pose a significant threat to health. They stated that this conclusion was tentative and noted gaps in the available information.COMEAP has since stated that there appears to be sufficient evidence from recent studies in a number of countries to give cause for concern about the possible effects of current levels of fine particles upon health. This is a complex area and it is not yet clear what role changes in low levels of particles play vis-a-vis changes in levels of other pollutants and temperature and humidity in causing the changes in indices of mortality recorded in a number of studies. Despite these difficulties, reductions in levels of fine particles should be welcomed.In response to a request from the Department for definitive advice on this issue COMEAP has set up a sub-group on particles to assess the latest evidence on the health effects of all particulate matter and advise on needs for further research.Deaths are not recorded as caused by exposure to particulate matter. The sub-group examining the assumptions underlying the published calculations of mortality and will advise the Department as to whether an estimate of deaths due to particulates can be determined.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the health benefits of a limit on acceptable levels of PM10 particulates in the air.

The Department is advised by the Committee on Medical Effects of Air Pollution, which have set up a particulates sub-group specifically to advise on the health effects of particulate matter. Additionally, the Expert Panel on Air Quality Standards makes recommendations on these to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment. EPAQS and the Department of the Environment are considering a standard for particles.Some members of COMEAP also serve on EPAQS and the professional staff from the Department are members of the secretariat.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the link between asthma and PM10 particulates in the air.

The Advisory Group on the Medical Aspects of Air Pollution Episodes reported in 1992 that suspended particulate matter contains acidic components which, in laboratory studies, have produced inconsistent changes in indices of lung function in asthmatic subjects. The Department has asked for further advice from the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution and they have set up a sub-group to assess the relationship between asthma and all air pollutants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence she has of a correlation between high levels of PM10 particulates in the air and hospital admissions.

The Department is funding a study into the health effects of the London air pollution episode in December 1991. This study will relate hospital admissions to levels of air pollutants. A study conducted in Birmingham of the period 1988 to 1990 and published earlier this year has shown that levels of particulates measured as British standard black smoke are a significant predictor of hospital admissions for asthma and all other acute respiratory disorders.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what expansion there has been in the facilities during the last three years at the Doncaster royal infirmary and Mexborough Montagu hospital trust for treating children with brain tumours and other cancers.

The hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman, Mr. C. Bryant, for details.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been undertaken by (a) her Department, (b) Trent regional health authority and (c) Doncaster health authority into the incidence of brain tumours or the incidence of cancers within the Trent regional health authority and Doncaster health authority areas.

Regional cancer registries are the major source of information on cancer incidence rates. The Department funds the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys to produce data on national incidence rates, but does not fund analysis of this data on a regional basis. The Department also funds the Childhood Cancer Research Group at the University of Oxford through which research is carried out into childhood cancers of all kinds. This research is largely carried out on a national basis and provides data on national incidence rates of childhood cancers.Analysis of cancer incidence rates at a regional or district health authority level can be carried out by the Regional Cancer Registry, if requested by regional or district health authorities. Last year, the director of public

Number of dentists who have deregistered patients and number of patients deregistered 3 July to 4 March 1994, by regional health authority area
Region	Number of dentists deregistering adult patients¹	Number of adult patients deregistered	Number of dentists deregistering child patients¹	Number of child patients deregistered
Northern	51	19,519	14	256
Yorkshire	218	31,476	27	276
Trent	153	38,658	19	48
East Anglia	113	41,235	9	114
North West Thames	101	17,057	6	65

health for the Doncaster health authority obtained data from the Trent Regional Cancer Registry about the occurrence of brain tumours, both in the Doncaster district and in the Trent region, for the period 1982–88. These data showed that the rate of ocurrence of brain turnouts in Doncaster is consistent with the rates in Trent and in England and Wales, since 1982.

Dentistry

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 8 March, Official Report, column 159, what information her Department has available centrally on (a) the number of dental surgeons (i) providing national health service treatment and (ii) not providing national health service treatment and (b) the division of costs between NHS and non-NHS treatment.

Available information is shown in the table. The table shows, for the Avon family health services authority area, national health service expenditure on gross fees paid to dentists providing general dental services and the number of dentists in contract with Avon FHSA to provide NHS dental treatment.

Gross fees and number of dentists—Avon Family Health Services Authority, 1983–84 and 1988–89 to 1993–94
Year	Gross fees (including patient charges)¹ (£ million)	Number of dentists²
1983–84	12.9	336
1988–89	19.4	364
1989–90	19.3	374
1990–91	21.3	372
1991–92	25.6	374
1992–93	25.7	374
1993–94	³—	382
¹ Fees paid to dentists for provision of NHS treatment, including patient charges.
² Includes principals, assistants and vocational trainees at 30 September.
³ Information not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been deregistered by their dentists in each regional health authority area in England and Wales during each of the last four years; and how many dentists in each of the regional health authority areas have been involved in the deregistration.

The information requested, which has been collected centrally for England since 3 July 1992, is shown in the table. Over the period July 1992 to December 1993 there was a net increase of over 600,000 patients registered with dentists and 264 dentists in contract with family health services authorities.Information relating to Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

Region	Number of dentists deregistering adult patients¹	Number of adult patients deregistered	Number of dentists deregistering child patients¹	Number of child patients deregistered
North East Thames	119	22,872	15	126
South East Thames	444	87,433	28	316
South West Thames	139	67,454	1	4
Wessex	120	62,226	1	2
Oxford	220	74,036	4	30
South Western	331	113,584	33	441
West Midlands	121	28,477	13	57
Mersey	106	8,071	6	19
North Western	254	30,962	78	214
¹ Some dentists may have deregistered both adult and child patients.

Patient Charges

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total amount of revenue raised annually from charges to patients within the NHS.

The total amount of revenue raised in England in 1992–93 from charges to patients within the national health service was £844,166,453. This figure covers the whole range of charges which may be made to patients by NHS bodies and includes; prescription charges; dental charges; the sale of dried baby milk under the welfare food scheme; and charges to patients in both NHS trust hospitals and directly managed units, including private patients in NHS hospitals.

Limb Defects

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions her Department has held with the Trent regional health authority and Doncaster health authority concerning the incidence of upper limb defects in children within the Trent regional health authority and Doncaster health authority areas.

None. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Mandelson) on 1 March at column 678.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what contacts have taken place during investigations of limb defects in the area of the Trent regional health authority and Doncaster health authority between the authorities and the British Medical Association and other organisations;(2) which agencies in the Trent regional health authority are charged with monitoring the incidence of limb defects in children born within the health authority's area.

These are matters for the Trent regional health authority. The hon. Member may wish to contact Sir Michael Carlisle, the chairman, for details.

Nhs Numbers

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how copyright can be used to protect the NHS number; and whether copyright would prevent the NHS number from being used by other Government Departments, the police or security services.

Copyright infringement, of the use of the national health service number system outside of the NHS, will be taken up by the Controller Her Majesty's Stationery Office, by way of injunction and damages.

Copyright does not cover the use of the NHS number by other Government Departments. However, there is no intention to use the NHS number for anything other than NHS purposes.

Doncaster Family Health Services Authority

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the amount, recipient and date of all grants made by Doncaster family health services authority by year since 1990–91.

The information in the annual accounts of Doncaster family health services authority is shown in the table.

Year	Grants to General Medical Service Trainers £	Practice Teams and Premises—Improvements REVENUE £	Practice Teams and Premises—Improvements CAPITAL £
1990–91	38,498	—¹	¹2,491
1991–92	42,399	13,886	76,444
1992–93	27,472	50,130	100,514

Notes to table:

1. ¹ In 1990–91 the expenditure was reported on a different basis to that in subsequent years i.e. as "Improvement Grants", not analysed between revenue and capital.

2. 1992–93 figures are subject to National Audit Office approval.

Source:

Doncaster Family Health Services Authority's annual accounts.

Complaints

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if all health authorities and NHS hospitals have yet published details of both the number of complaints received and how long it has taken to deal with them; and what progress has been made in centrally collecting and publishing this information.

All district health authorities have published annual reports on patients charter performance, including data on the right to complain. This means that information is available locally on the handling of complaints. We will be reviewing the information we collect on complaints and publish centrally, in the light of recommendations of Professor Wilson's independent review committee on national health service complaints procedures, and those made by the Select Committee on the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration.

International Year Of The Family

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government have to review their plans and policies for supporting family life in the international year of the family.

The Government recognise the importance of the family as providing the essential environment for bringing up children and we give every priority and encouragement to the family in the development of policies. It seeks to ensure that all policies take account of their impact on families.Government policy seeks to enable families to be self-supporting.The role of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health will be to explain how the Government's policy initiatives affect the family.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security will continue to handle the day-to-day co-ordination of the Government's contribution to the United Nations International Year of the Family.

Marriages

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) 16-year-old, (b) 17-year-old and (c) 18-year-old people got married in each of the last three years.

The available information is shown in the table.The numbers of men and women who married at ages 16, 17 and 18 during the last three years for which the information is available are:

England and Wales
Year of marriage
Age	1989	1990	1991
Men
16	46	50	35
17	357	259	203
18	1,974	1,598	1,258
Women
16	814	647	516
17	2,549	2,028	1,723
18	8,657	6,934	5,724

Source: Marriage and divorce statistics, England and Wales, Series, FM2, Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, HMSO.

Gps (Practice Administration)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hours weekly on average were spent by general practitioners on practice administration in (a) 1985–86, (b) 1989–90 and 1993–94.

In the 1985–86 and 1989–90 surveys of general practitioners' workload, the reported average weekly time spent on practice administration associated with the provision of general medical services was 1.78 hours and 2.48 hours respectively. A further such survey ran for a year from November 1992; interim results, based on the first seven months' data, give a reported average of 3.53 hours a week.

Health Promotion Clinics

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she will make a statement on the value of health promotion clinics in general practice.

New arrangements for health promotion in general practice, based on modern authorative medical opinion and in line with "The Health of the Nation" strategy, were introduced on 1 July 1993. Practice-based health promotion programmes play an important part in helping people to improve their health.

Nhs Drugs

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much profit in the last year was made from the prescription of drugs and other items which cost the NHS less than £4.75.

The concept of "profit" has no meaning when applied to prescription charges.

Gp Fundholders

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 10 February, Official Report, column 346, on general practitioner fundholders preparatory allowances, what information she has received from regional health authorities in relation to the number of general practitioners who have received the preparatory management allowance in two or more years running.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave her on 10 February at column 419.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her policy in respect of general practitioner fundholders both prescribing and dispensing drugs; what proposals she has to change this policy; and if she will make a statement.

In areas where patients do not have convenient access to a community pharmacy, dispensing by general practitioners—whether they are fundholders or non-fundholders—provides an important service. There are no plans to change this policy.

Psychiatric Beds

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give the total number of psychiatric beds in each year since 1979.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave her on 16 February at column. 860.

Open Government

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what will be the implications for the operation of her Department of the code of practice on open government.

The code of practice will reinforce and build on my Department's existing arrangements for the provision of information. Operational details are being finalised and will be available in due course.

Sex Education

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recommendations she has made to the Secretary of State for Education in relation to sex education in the school curriculum.

The content of the curriculum, including sex education provision in schools, is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education about sex education in schools.

Ministers in both Departments are in regular touch on a number of issues including sex education.

Orthodontic Treatment

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the current waiting lists for all types of orthodontic treatment for children in Huddersfield and Dewsbury.

Information on waiting times for in-patient and day case treatment by specialty for district health authorities and trusts is given in "Hospital Waiting List Statistics: England". The latest published figures are for September 1993 and copies are available in the Library. Although information is available on waiting times for various paediatric specialties, orthodontic treatment for children is not separately listed.

Electricity Pylons

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the policy which allows electricity pylons to be sited near homes; and if she will make a statement.

Advice to Government, including both this Department and the Department of Trade and Industry, about radiation matters is provided by the National Radiological Protection Board. New electric lines above ground, with the exception of connections to individual customers and certain very minor developments, require the consent of my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade who may also grant deemed planning permission.I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 21 February at columns

40–41 concerning the question of any health risk.

Private Medical Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place a copy of her Department's written evidence to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission on private medical services in the Library.

The Department's evidence is summarised in paragraphs 10.2 to 10.9 of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission's report on private medical services, a copy of which is available in the Library.

Nhs Patients (Private Treatment)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines she has issued regarding the offer by NHS staff employed by trusts of private treatment to NHS patients in hospital accident and emergency departments; and if she will make a statement.

None. We are not aware of any such offer. The national health service will remain available to all on the basis of clinical need, not the ability to pay.

Nhs Consultants

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS consultants, by specialty, undertaking work in the private sector have failed to meet fully their contractual obligations to the NHS for each of the last five years.

National health service employers are responsible for satisfying themselves that consultants are fulfilling their contractual obligations. The information requested is not available centrally.

Hospital Beds, London

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what number of hospital beds she now determines are required in the capital so that London has the appropriate number of beds.

It is for hospitals themselves to determine the number of beds required locally taking account of the requirements of local health authorities and general practitioner fundholders.

Private Hotels

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has issued to regional health authorities, district health authorities, family health services authorities and trusts on the use of private hotels.

None. National health service bodies are expected to apply value-for-money judgments on the use of such facilities.

Morning-After Pill

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions her Department had on making the morning-after pill available on request from a pharmacist.

Any change to the legal classification of such medicines to allow them to be supplied by pharmacists without prescription would be subject to statutory consultation with all interested organisations.

Dental Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental patients have been deregistered in each family health service authority since July 1992.

The information is shown in the table. Since July 1992 there has been a net increase of over 600,000 patients registered with 264 dentists in contract with family health services authorities.

Number of dental patients deregistered, from 3 July 1992 to 11 March 1994, by Family Health Service Authority England
FHSA	Number of patients deregistered
All FHSAs	647,593
Cleveland	2,636
Cumbria	13,403
Durham	347
Northumberland	2,665
Gateshead	725
Newcastle-upon-Tyne	—
North Tyneside	3
South Tyneside	16
Sunderland	—
Humberside	10,949
North Yorkshire	9,710
Bradford	—
Calderdale	876
Kirklees	691
Leeds	8,790
Wakefield	936
Derbyshire	19,235
Leicestershire	13,161
Lincolnshire	—
Nottinghamshire	4,853
Barnsley	—
Doncaster	23
Rotherham	394
Sheffield	1,492
Cambridgeshire	5,264
Norfolk	29,038
Suffolk	7,187
Bedfordshire	1,317
Hertfordshire	7,113
Barnet	4,871
Brent and Harrow	1,551
Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow	35
Hillingdon	—
Kensington, Westminster and Chelsea	2,288
Essex	14,947
Barking and Havering	3,858
Camden and Islington	313
City and East London	751
Enfield and Haringey	981
Redbridge and Waltham Forest	2,214
East Sussex	15,304
Kent	54,585
Greenwich and Bexley	4,392
Bromley	13,206
Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham	446
Surrey	27,404
West Sussex	35,481
Croydon	1,945
Kingston and Richmond	1,016
Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth	1,756
Dorset	22,886
Hampshire	24,365
Wiltshire	11,525
Isle of Wight	3,634
Berkshire	26,057
Buckinghamshire	18,818
Northamptonshire	3,124
Oxfordshire	26,240
Avon	15,478
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly	14,729
Devon	27,721
Gloucestershire	52,618
Somerset	4,042
Hereford and Worcester	4,181
Shropshire	684
Staffordshire	7,801
Warwickshire	9,676
Birmingham	2,268
Coventry	1,598
Dudley	—
Sandwell	—

FHSA	Number of patients deregistered
Solihull	2,507
Walsall	—
Wolverhampton	—
Cheshire	6,474
Liverpool	430
St. Helens and Knowsley	19
Sefton	590
Wirral	604
Lancashire	25,440
Bolton	632
Bury	675
Manchester	298
Oldham	—
Rochdale	1,904
Salford	151
Stockport	1,279
Tameside	742
Trafford	245
Wigan	—

Civil Servants

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list for each civil service grade in her Department (a) the total number of persons employed and (b) the percentage of this figure that are women.

The information shows the position on 14 March 1994:

Total number of staff employed in the Department of Health
Grade (including grade equivalents)	Total	Women (percentage)
UG1	3	0
UG2	8	0
UG3	25	18
UG4	28	39
UG5	204	38
UG6	136	32
UG7	575	26
SEO	402	29
HEO	724	45
EO	972	58
AO	1,333	74
AA	529	57
Others¹	166	42
Total	5,110	52
¹ There are a number of grades, mainly on Youth Treatment Service, which do not easily equate to Unified Grades.

Note: Casual staff have been excluded, as have staff on loan to other government departments, on maternity leave of more than three months, and on unpaid career breaks/study leave.

Private Medical Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings she has held over the past year with representatives of private medical service providers; and if she will give details of the identity of participants and the nature of the discussions.

One, with the Independent Healthcare Association, where I met the chairman, chief executive and two board members at their request, at which they expressed their views on a number of issues.

Nhs Trusts (Amenity Beds)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether charges levied by NHS trusts for amenity beds include a notional amount to cover, when appropriate, the additional cost of providing a better menu and exclusive use of television, telephone or bathroom.

The charge levied by national health service trusts for amenity beds should cover all appropriate additional costs of facilities provided.

Health Benefits Scheme

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the review of the health benefits scheme including the availability of free prescriptions is now completed.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Harborough (Mr. Garnier) on 15 February at column 669.

Northern Ireland

Fine Defaulters

8.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many male persons were committed to prison in Northern Ireland for defaulting on a fine in the last year for which figures are available; and what percentage of the total number of male persons committed to prison this represents.

In 1992, the latest year for which figures are available, 1,671 male persons were received into prison in Northern Ireland for fine default, comprising 34 per cent. of all males received into prison in that year. However, since fine defaulters spend, on average, a much shorter time in prison than other categories of prisoner, they accounted for only 2 per cent. of the average daily population. Approximately one third of those received pay the outstanding fine in whole or in part at the time of reception or shortly afterwards.

Medical Consultants

9.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to improve consultancy cover in the medical specialties to the level recommended by the Northern Ireland Department of Health and Social Services.

Additional consultant posts have been created and further posts will be established in the coming year through the Department's initiative on junior doctors hours. Consultant numbers will also increase as a result of the implementation of the Calman report, and rationalisation of acute hospital services should result in improved consultant cover in all specialties.

Draft Children Order

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to publish the revised draft Children Order.

I do not wish to prejudice the consideration which my noble Friend will be giving to the comments made during the consultation period and in the recent debate in the Northern Ireland Committee. However we hope to have the order laid before the House rises for the summer recess.

Cross-Border Security

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what further progress has been made with the Government of the Irish Republic about cross-border security co-operation.

17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on cross-border security.

The Irish security forces have continued to achieve very positive results against the terrorists, including for example the interception of a primed Mk 15 mortar in Donegal two weeks ago. As the Chief Constable of the RUC made clear yesterday, practical co-operation is at an all-time high and both the British and Irish Governments remain committed to working closely together to maintain and enhance that co-operation.

Political Talks

12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his most recent discussions with representatives of the political parties in Northern Ireland and the Government of the Republic of Ireland.

13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has for re-starting talks to determine new political structures for Northern Ireland.

16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress he is making in convening talks between the political parties in Northern Ireland.

27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the talks he has had with the parties in Northern Ireland and the Irish Government relating to Northern Ireland.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Glasgow, Rutherglen (Mr. McAvoy) earlier today.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the basis of the talks between the Northern Ireland political parties and with the Government of the Republic of Ireland.

[holding answer 16 March 1994]: The Government's bilateral discussions with three of the Northern Ireland constitutional political parties and their dialogue with the Irish Government, are taking place in accordance with the statement of 26 March 1991 and upon the platform represented by the joint declaration issued on 15 December 1993.

Prospects For Industry

15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received about future prospects for industry in Northern Ireland.

I have received a number of representations about future prospects for industry in Northern Ireland. The number of people employed now stands at 551,200. This is a new record for the Province. Together with recent good news about inward investment, it confirms the excellent prospects for industry in Northern Ireland.

Joint Declaration

15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the latest position relating to the joint declaration.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Colne Valley (Mr. Riddick) earlier today.

Security Situation

18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his assessment of the current security situation in the Province.

22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on security in Northern Ireland.

The level of threat from terrorists remains high, but the security forces have been conspicuously successful in preventing attacks and apprehending suspects. Over the last month there have been over 170 arrests of suspected terrorists, 42 people have been charged with scheduled offences, and 16 weapons and 1,075 lb of explosives have been recovered.

Community Care

19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on community care policy.

The community care reforms introduced in Northern Ireland on 1 April 1993 were first promulgated in the Department's 1990 policy document "People First", which is the equivalent of "Caring for People". These new arrangements for the provision of community care services by health and social services boards are intended to ensure that, as far as possible, people are cared for and supported in community-based settings rather than hospital.

Inward Investment

20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the current level of inward investment in Northern Ireland.

So far this year the Industrial Development Board has secured seven new inward investment projects involving a total investment of approximately £213 million and promising 1,476 new jobs. I am confident that there will be further announcements before the end of the financial year.

Further And Higher Education

21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of school leavers are now entering further and higher education in Northern Ireland; and what the figures were in 1979.

A total of 58.2 per cent. of school leavers in Northern Ireland entered further and higher education in 1991–92. The figure for 1979–80 was 33.2 per cent.

Building Workers

23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures he proposes to reduce unemployment among building workers in Northern Ireland.

Government policy is to create the conditions which produce economic growth leading to demand for construction workers and other employees. In Northern Ireland violence continues to be one of the greatest impediments to such growth. Nevertheless programmes are available from the Training and Employment Agency to help unemployed building workers re-train or find employment.

Interrogation Procedures

24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has for extending to Northern Ireland the tape recording of interrogations and access to legal advice for suspects.

Both these issues have been raised by Sir Louis Blom-Cooper in his first report as Independent Commissioner for the Holding Centres. His report will receive careful consideration.Interviews with suspects detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence (NI) Order 1989 are currently tape-recorded. The Government remain firmly of the view that recording of interviews with terrorist suspects in Northern Ireland would not be in the overall interests of justice.

Integrated Education

25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about the growth of integrated education in Northern Ireland.

Parental demand for integrated education continues at a high level. Twelve new integrated schools have been established since 1989, when legislation to encourage and facilitate its development was enacted. 4,000 pupils now attend 21 integrated schools, primary and secondary, throughout Northern Ireland. The Government will continue to respond positively to viable proposals.

Legislative Procedures

28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the reform of current legislative procedures for Northern Ireland.

The basic procedures for legislating for Northern Ireland are well understood but my right hon. and learned Friend is always prepared to consider reasonable proposals for improvement. The Select Committee on Northern Ireland Affairs will be able to provide additional scrutiny.

Police Authority

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress he has made in new appointments to the Northern Ireland Police Authority.

The term of office for the current Police Authority for Northern Ireland expires on 28 June. Nominations for potential members have been invited from a wide range of interested organisations. Thirty-two bodies, including 23 district councils, have so far put forward nominations.

Housing

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland under what terms and conditions two blocks of flats at Camross park, Rathcoole, Co. Antrim were leased to Newtownabbey community project by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and I am advised by its chief executive that two blocks of flats at Camross park, Rathcoole, have been let to Newtownabbey community project, subject to the following terms and conditions:

1. The tenant shall vacate the premises when required to do so by the Landlord.

2. The tenant shall be responsible for maintenance and repair of the dwelling.

3. The tenant is responsible for payment of rates.

4. The tenant shall be responsible for ensuring that the persons using the premises act in a reasonable manner, both in respect of the treatment of the building and adjoining property and that they avoid conduct likely to cause a nuisance to others, and for ensuring that the dwelling is in a reasonable condition at the termination of tenancy.

5. Written permission from the Housing Executive is required for the following matters:

(a) To carry out structural alterations and to erect any structure on the grounds of the dwelling.

(b) To assign or sublet the dwelling.

6. The Newtownabbey Community Project hereby agrees:

(a) Not to use or permit the premises to be used for any purpose which is in breach of or contravenes any law, order, or regulation for the time being in force.

(b) Not to use or permit the premises to be used for any purpose which will cause damage to the premises or injury to any person using the. premises.

(c) Not to sell or permit the sale or consumption of intoxicating liquor on the premises.

(d) To use the premises only for the lawful business of the community project.

7. The Executive reserves the right on notice being given (save in the case of emergency) for the Executive's duly authorised representatives to inspect the premises at any reasonable hour.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if approval was obtained from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to sub-let flats at Camross park, Rathcoole, Co. Antrim to a pigeon club by Newtownabbey community project.

This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and I am advised by its chief executive that no approval was obtained from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to sub-let flats at Camross park, Rathcoole to a pigeon club, by Newtownabbey community project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the future security of tenure of a pigeon club in Northern Ireland Housing Executive property at Camross park, Rathcoole, Co. Antrim, sub-let by Newtownabbey community project group.

This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and I am advised by its chief executive that Newtownabbey community project, in permitting the use of all or part of the premises to the East Way Housing Pigeon Society, is in breach of the tenancy agreement. The Housing Executive was notified of the breach of tenancy on 9 March 1994 and a formal letter instructing the project to take immediate action to terminate the sub-let to the Pigeon Society was issued on 11 March 1994.

Compensation

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to extend the proposed tariff regime for compensation in England to the victims of crime to Northern Ireland; and if he has plans to consult interested organisations in the Province.

I am currently considering what lessons might be learnt for Northern Ireland from the forthcoming changes to the criminal injuries compensation scheme in Great Britain, details of which were published recently by my right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary.If, as a consequence, I consider that changes should be made to the current compensation scheme in Northern Ireland, I am committed to public consultation with interested parties in the Province.

Hume-Adams Agreement

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will seek a copy of the agreement between the hon. Member for Foyle (Mr. Hume) and Mr. Gerry Adams.

No. I believe, and the hon. Member for Foyle has stated, that the Downing Street declaration sufficiently sets out the principles that must govern the future. They establish that in Northern Ireland there can be no place, and no justification, for politically motivated violence, whether of the kind still being perpetrated by the Provisional IRA with Mr. Adams' justification or at all.

School Sports Facilities

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many schools have (a) some playing fields and (b) artificial games areas, excluding playground areas; what were the figures (i) five, (ii) 10 and (iii) 15 years ago; and if he will make a statement.

Information in the form requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, information compiled in 1989 indicates that some 325 schools had grass pitches and 314 had hard surface games areas; some schools had both types of provision.

Blood

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was (a) the number of blood donors, (b) the quantity of blood donated and (c) the amount of blood required for each health board for each month since April 1993.

[holding answer 10 March 1994]: The Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service is a regional service and figures are not collected by board but on a province-wide basis.

The number of blood donors on the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service panel is 82,138, while the quantity of blood donated over 1992–93 totalled 63,848 units.

Information on the amount of blood issued for each month since April 1993 is currently not available.

House Of Commons

Legislation (Amendments)

To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will give examples of small and less controversial amendments to primary legislation, which would be unlikely to be made due to time constraint, which could not be made in the same manner as those contained in chapter II of the Deregulation and Contracting Out Bill, as indicated in his evidence before the Procedure Committee on 16 February.

Chapter 3 of the booklet "Deregulation—Cutting Red Tape" identifies 55 measures which the Government believe would be suitable for the order-making power in clauses 1 to 4 of the Bill. One example which I quoted in my evidence to the Procedure Committee was an amendment to the Patents Act 1977 and the Registered Designs Act 1949 to enable the Patent Office to accept documents in forms other than paper, such as electronic filing. The deregulation initiative is a rolling programme and more measures are expected to come forward in the future.

Exhibitions (Upper Waiting Hall)

To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an application for an exhibition relating to Lancashire Aerospace to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from Monday 9 May to Friday 13 May.

To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an application for an exhibition relating to the sesquicentenary of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from Monday 25 April to Friday 29 April.

Education

Adult And Further Education

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the number of enrolments of students aged under 19 years for adult education courses and further education colleges with the Inner London education authority in 1989 and for its successor bodies for each year since.

The number of enrolments by students aged under 19 years on further education courses in adult education centres and further and higher education colleges funded by ILEA in 1989 or by its successor bodies in subsequent years are shown in the following table:

The number of enrolments as of 1 November of the appropriate year by students aged under 19 on further education courses in adult education centres and in further and higher education colleges in Inner London
Academic Year	Number of Enrolments (thousands)
1989–90	31
1990–91	29
1991–92	27
1992–93	29

Staffordshire Schools

To ask the Secretary of State for Education on how many occasions he has visited schools in Staffordshire; if he will give details; and when he next expects to visit schools in Staffordshire.

I have not visited any schools in Staffordshire, and at present I have no plans to do so.

Science Education

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will give the percentages of young people aged 18 to 21 years in full-time education studying a science subject in each of the member countries of the OECD.

The readily available information is given in the table.

Students¹ enrolled on higher education science² courses as a proportion of the population aged 18–25 in 1991³
	Per cent.
Belgium³	3.6
Canada	8.4
Denmark	8.3
France	7.8
Germany, FRG	10.4
Greece³	7.0
Ireland	7.1
Italy	7.4
Japan³	4.8
Netherlands⁴	6.5
Portugal	3.9
Spain³	6.9
United Kingdom^{3 4}	7.7
United States of America	11.9
¹ Full and part-time students.
² Science includes Natural Science, Mathematics and Computer Science, Medical and Health related, Engineering, Architecture and Town Planning and Trade Craft and Industrial programmes.
³ 1990 data for Belgium, Greece, Spain and Japan and 1992 for the United Kingdom.
⁴ Excluding Open University enrolments in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
⁵ The sources used are:
UNESCO Statistical Yearbook, 1992 and 1993;
United States Digest of Education Statistics, 1993;
Data supplied by OECD for Education at a Glance, 1993;
Education Statistics for the United Kingdom 1992 and 1993.

Nursing

To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether mandatory awards will be offered to lecturers in nursing who are being required to upgrade their qualifications to degree level.

Lecturers in nursing who enrol on designated courses and who seek a mandatory award are subject to the same conditions in respect of personal eligibility and previous study as apply to other students.

Primary Schools (Surplus Places)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will initiate a survey by local education authorities of some, or all, of their primary schools which under his criteria possess surplus places of between 20 per cent. and 40 per cent. of those notional place numbers, to assess the impact on their activities prohibiting any use of that proportion of their space currently in use.

We have no plans to require local authorities to undertake such a survey. It is for local authorities in the first instance to make plans for the removal of surplus capacity, including the scale and method of rationalisation.

School Premises

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if his formula for a school place in secondary schools permits each pupil within its specified pupil total to possess inside an all-purpose class, or similar room, a personal desk or locker of minimum cubic capacity.

The formula for measuring the capacity of schools used in the implementation of the more open enrolment provisions of the Education Reform Act 1988 does not cover this level of detail. It is up to schools how they use and furnish their teaching accommodation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if, in his assessment of school occupancy, he includes classrooms, workshops or other buildings of a temporary character; and when his policy was last changed and reviewed;(2) what adjustments have been made in the minimum standards in relation to a school place in secondary schools in the last 15 years; for what reasons; and what assessment he has made of any change in pupil space requirements consequent on the introduction of the national curriculum;(3) if he will state the latest official criteria of what constitutes a school place in

(a) maintained primary and (b) maintained secondary schools; and what comparative studies have been made between the minimum standards laid down in (b) and any group of schools whose heads are members of the (i) headmasters or (ii) headmistresses conferences.

The more open enrolment provisions of the Education Reform Act 1988 mean that schools must, in most cases, admit pupils until they are full. Each school has a standard number, or an approved admission number in the case of a grant-maintained school, which reflects previous levels of intake or the school's physical capacity as measured against a prescribed formula. All suitable permanent and temporary accommodation is taken into account in the assessment of standard numbers or approved admissions numbers.

The provisions of the Education Reform Act 1988 and the advice contained in departmental circulars 11/88, Admissions to County and Voluntary Schools, and 6/91, Implementation of More Open Enrolment in Primary Schools, represent the latest steps in a process of continual refinement in the calculation of school capacity.

I am not aware of any comparative studies covering independent schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what advice, or requirement, he makes in approving capital consent for new secondary buildings in respect of (a) the need for split, or smaller, teaching groups for certain classes held in rooms deemed capable of accommodating 30 or more pupils and (b) the need for a significant proportion of space to remain empty in order to construct an educationally efficient timetable.

Capital support for new or extended secondary schools is made available through annual capital guidelines to LEAs, and by grant aid for voluntary aided and self-governing GM schools, according to the assessed need for new places in an area. The level of support is based on cost multipliers which reflect the average cost of providing new places. The cost multipliers are based on costs actually achieved in LEA building projects.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what cost limits applied to newly built primary and secondary schools, respectively, in respect of costs per place of the building, net of site costs, and the name, date and authorisation of any official publication advising on how minimum space requirements could be obtained within the limits without prejudice to other costs, including future maintenance.

There are no cost limits in respect of expenditure per place on individual LEA schools, although limits may, in the case of voluntary aided schools, be placed on the levels of our grant aid. Under the capital finance system LEAs are free to spend what they like on individual projects. In determining the basic need—that is, the requirement for new school places in areas of population growth—element of the 1994–95 annual capital guidelines, the Department used per place cost multipliers, valued as follows:

	£
Primary	3,747
Secondary	5,116
Secondary (16+)	6,128

These are based on actual LEA projects providing places in new schools and extensions. They include the cost of the buildings, external works, furniture and equipment and professional fees. They do not include the cost of site purchases or VAT. The cost in each case represents a level of achievement being met by about a third of LEAs. The teaching standards adopted in the project are about 15 per cent. above the regulation minimum for a 210-place primary school, and about 8 per cent. above the minimum for a typical secondary school.The Department's most recent guidance in respect of new primary, schools, published in 1989 and called

"St. John's School Sefton: the design of a new primary school," illustrated lower teaching area standards than those indicated above. No recent comparable publication has been produced related to secondary schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what study he has made, or is planning, of the amount of space available per secondary pupil in any group of independent schools, which are charitable foundations, which are making economical use of their premises.

None.

School Leavers

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of female school leavers left school with five or more GCSEs at grades A to C in Merseyside in the latest year for which figures are available.

The percentage of female school leavers estimated to be leaving maintained schools with five or more GCSEs at grades A to C in Merseyside in 1992 was 33.6 per cent. The latest year for which the information is available is 1991–92, when the school examinations survey was undertaken with a reduced sample of 3 per cent.

Civil Servants

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list for each civil service grade in his Department (a) the total number of persons employed and (b) the percentage of this figure that are women.

The figures are as follows:

	Total in grade	Women as a percentage of total
Grade 1	1	0
Grade 2	3	0
Grade 3	12	0
Grade 4	4	25.0
Grade 5	46	26.1
Grade 6	15	13.3
Grade 7	153	28.1
SEO and Equivalent	112	34.8
HEO and Equivalent	369	49.6
EO and Equivalent	501	60.5
AO and Equivalent	628	74.7
AA and Equivalent	382	66.2
Total	2,229	58.5

These figures include 367 staff in post in the Teachers Pensions Agency of which 71.7 per cent. are women.

Cash Limits

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to announce changes to cash limits on votes within his responsibility for 1993–94.

The cash limit for class X, vote 1, schools, research and miscellaneous services, will be reduced by £1,500,000 from £708,982,000 to £707,482,000. The reduction will be used to offset an increase in the non-voted cash limit DFE local authority capital to meet increased expenditure on supplementary credit approvals in respect of urgently needed school building projects. The local authority capital cash limit will therefore be increased by £1,500,000 from £48,922,000 to £50,422,000.

Defence

Public Bodies

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will provide substantive answers to the questions from the hon. Member for Liverpool, Walton of 21 January, and 27 January, concerning the membership of non-departmental public bodies.

The delay in answering has been caused by the need to establish whether members would be content for their names to be published, particularly where NDPBs deal with sensitive issues. I am now in a position to answer a number of the questions referred to and will answer the remainder once all individuals concerned have replied to my Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who are the members currently appointed to the Review Board for Government Contracts.

[holding answer 28 January 1994]: The information requested is as follows:

Sir Peter Webster (Chairman)
Sir Laurence Airey KCB
Sir Alan Bailey KCB
Derek Kingsbury CBE
Dr. Alan Watkins

To ask the the Secretary of State for Defence who are the members currently appointed to the board of the Royal Air Force museum.

[holding answer 28 January 1994]:The information requested is as follows:

Sir Michael Beetham GCB CBE DFC AFC FRAeS (Chairman)
Sir Thomas N. Risk
Mr. Barry Pinson QC
Group Captain Sir Gordon Pirie CVO CBE JP DL (Recd)
Dr. Basil Greenhill CB CMG FRHists FSA
Sir John Cuckney
Sir Ralph Robins FENG FRAeS
Sir Cohn Marshall
Sir Hector Monro AE JP DL MP
Sir Colin Chandler
Sir John Blelloch KCB

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who are the members currently appointed to the meteorological research sub-committee.

[holding answer 28 January 1994]: The information requested is as follows:

Professor H. Charnock
Professor B. Fender
Professor J. Harries
Professor A. Hollingsworth
Professor B. Hoskins
Dr. M. Vaughan
Dr. J. Woods

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who are the members currently appointed to the Services Sound and Vision Corporation.

[holding answer 28 January 1994]: The members are:

General Sir Geoffrey Howlett, KBE, MC
David E. Hatch, JP, MA, DipEd, FRSA, CIMgt (Vice Chair)

Brian Tesler, CBE
Frederick P. Turner
Dr. Bryce McCrirrick, CBE, DSc, FEng, FIEE, FRTS

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who are the members currently appointed to the oil and pipelines agency.

[holding answer 28 January 1994]: The information requested is as follows:

Geoffrey Richards (Chairman)
Christopher Finch

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who are the members currently appointed to the meteorological committees.

[holding answer 28 January]: The information requested is as follows:

Professor R. L. Bell
Mr. D. A. Davis
Mr. D. Filkin
Ms A. Gammidge
Professor B. J. Hoskins
Dr. H. Hughes
Baroness Jay
Professor M. H. Pesaran
Baroness Platt
Mr. C. M. Stuart
Sir Peter Swinnerton-Dyer

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who are the members currently appointed to the board of the Royal Navy submarine museum, Gosport.

[holding answer 28 January 1994]: The information requested is as follows:

Mr. D. Patch
Mr. R. D. Wilson
Dr. Robert Bud
Mrs. P. L. Lee BA
Captain R. Channon RN (Retd)
Rear Admiral A. J. Whetsone CB
Captain G. C. W. Hayhoe RN (Retd)
Commander G. Turner RN (Retd)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who are the members currently appointed to the board of of the Royal Marines museum, Southsea.

[holding answer 28 January 1994]:

Mr. Brian Ashby
Mr. Barrie C. Johnston OBE FPMI FRSA
Mr. Nick Sonas DL
Mr. Derek J. Martin
Mr. Nigel S. E. Martin
Mr. Michael N. E. Ware FRPS FMA

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who are the members currently appointed to the board of the Fleet Air Arm museum.

[holding answer 28 January 1994]: The board of trustees as established by the trust deed and subsequent amending scheme consists of:

Mr. Michael Cobham
Mr. Desmond Cracknell
Sir Donald Gosling
Sir Stanley Grinstead
Mr. Jeffrey Smith
Doctor Thomas Wright
Dame Margaret Weston

The trustees meet twice a year mainly to review and approve the strategic plan. The director exercises day-to-day management under the aegis of the management committee of the chairman, deputy chairman, director, deputy director and museum administrator.

Market Testing

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what additional non-operational staff have been taken on by his Department to execute the new objective of market testing as set out at paragraph 3 of his Department's annual report and expenditure plans 1994–95 to 1996–97, Cm 2501.

Up to 30 additional staff are being recruited on fixed-term appointments for a variety of contract duties. Eight have been appointed.Additionally, two industrial advisers have been seconded for a period of one year.

Appraisal Strategy

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what appraisal strategy he has set in place to monitor the effectiveness of his achieving availability, reliability and maintainability standards, as set out at paragraph 59 of his departmental annual report, Cm 2501.

A comprehensive data collection system is being implemented in each of the services, to monitor the effectiveness of achieving availability, reliability and maintainability standards.

Green Matters (Responsibility)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which departmental Minister is responsible for reporting to the House on green matters within his Department.

My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence is responsible for environmental matters within the Department. I answer to the House on his behalf.

Indonesia

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what investigations he has made into the assertion by Mr. B. J. Habibie, director of Indonesia's armaments procurement programme, to assure himself that the Hawk jets bought from British Aerospace last year by Indonesia will be used for ground attack purposes.

We have received assurances from the Indonesian Government that the Hawk aircraft will not be used for internal security.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what evaluation he has made of the use to which Hawk jets sold to Indonesia by British Aerospace last year have been put.

The Hawks purchased by Indonesia last year have not yet been delivered.

Chemical Weapons Testing

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what follow-up has been conducted in the last 10 years by his Department as to the long-term health effects arising from experiments conducted on service men from RAF Kinloss in the 1950s at the Porton Down chemical warfare establishment to establish antidotes to chemical warfare agents.

This is a matter for the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Graham Pearson to Mr. Llew Smith, 17 March 1994:

Parliamentary Question 29, Order Paper 9 March 1994

1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence, asking what follow up has been conducted in the last 10 years by his Department as to the long term health effects arising from studies conducted on servicemen from RAF Kinloss in the 1950s at the Porton Down to develop antidotes to chemical warfare agents has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.

2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to ensure that the United Kingdom Armed Forces have effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. In order to carry out this work, it is necessary to use service volunteers to:
(a) assess the ability of service personnel to function with new equipment and procedures,
(b) develop medical countermeasures to protect Service personnel and
(c) evaluate the effects of very low and medically safe concentrations of CW agents on the ability of unprotected personnel to operate normally.

No studies involving volunteers are carried out unless there is a clear military need and a detailed protocol has been reviewed and approved by an independent Ethics Committee in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Royal College of Physicians.

3. The procedure in respect of Service volunteers is that on arrival at CBDE each volunteer is given a medical examination to see if they are fit for the proposed study. The nature of the study is explained to them and they are told that they may withdraw from the study without any explanation at any stage. At the end of the study they are given a second medical examination and the fact that they have participated at CBDE in a volunteer study is recorded on their medical records.

4. From time to time, Service volunteers have been recalled so that checks on their medical health can be made. There is no particular frequency or pattern to such recalls. In addition some volunteers return voluntarily to CBDE to take part in subsequent unrelated studies. There is no evidence that Service volunteers have had any deterioration in their health as a result of their participation as a volunteer in a human study.

5. Our records are not collated in such a way as to allow us to readily identify volunteers from. RAF Kinloss in the 1950s. There has been no particular reason to carry out a follow up in respect of these volunteers and none has been carried out.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what studies and tests have been done by the chemical warfare establishment at Porton Down to assess a nerve agent which penetrates skin and clothes quicker than the G agents and VX; when these experiments were done; and what was the conclusion of the assessment.

[pursuant to his reply, 26 January 1994, c. 305]: I have asked the chief executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment to write a further letter to the hon. Member.

Letter from G. Pearson to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 17 March 1994:

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION 22, ORDER PAPER 18 JANUARY 1994

1. Further to my answer (Official Record, 26 January 1994, Column 305) to your question about agents which penetrate skin and clothing quicker than the G-agents and VX, my attention has been drawn to a report available in the Public Records Office about work carried out at this Establishment in the early 1960s. This work was to seek organophosphorus anticholinesterases which have the chemical and physical properties likely to make them more effective agents than GB and VX eg compounds which may penetrate human skin more rapidly. The information provided in the report does not provide the additional information that you sought on when these experiments were done and what was the conclusion of the assessment; it would require a disproportionate amount of effort and cost to see if this information is available elsewhere.

2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to ensure that the UK Armed Forces have effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used by an aggressor against them. This work necessitates the study of potential chemical and biological agents that might be used by an aggressor so that the effectiveness of the available protective measures can be evaluated against potential agents and, where appropriate, the protective measures improved.

3. Work is currently being carried out, and has been for many years, to examine the potential hazard from chemical compounds that might be used as a chemical warfare agent by an aggressor; such compounds may be identified through intelligence or as a result of advances in chemistry.

4. In my answer of 26 January 1994, I said that our records did not indicate that any tests or studies had been carried out to assess a nerve agent which penetrates skin and clothing quicker than the G-agents and VX. When a parliamentary question concerning work on a particular subject is asked, information is sought from all readily available sources which include the library at CBDE to see if there are any reports on the subject, and the Superintendents of the Divisions at CBDE in which such work is being or may have been carried out, who in turn make enquiries of their senior staff. If these searches reveal no information I then reply stating that our records do not indicate any work into this subject.

5. It would require a disproportionate amount of effort and cost, every time a Parliamentary Question is asked, to initiate a search into the past records at the Public Record Office or elsewhere to see if there was information on a particular subject. We need to concentrate on providing the UK Armed Forces with effective protective measures against the current hazards should chemical or biological weapons be used against them wherever they may serve worldwide.

6. The report from the Public Record Office also refers to other materials that have been the subject of parliamentary questions. I will write further letters as soon as the newly available information has been considered.

"Green Forces"

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many copies of his departmental video "Green Forces" have been produced; at what cost; to whom they have been distributed; and what arrangements exist to obtain a copy of the video for hon. Members.

Some 2,750 copies of the video "Green Forces" have been produced for free distribution, on request, to schools, colleges, libraries, other national and international organisations with an interest in environmental issues, and members of the public. To date, production, copying, marketing and distribution costs amount to some £94,000, excluding VAT. Two copies of "Green Forces" are being placed in the Library of the House. Hon. Members can also obtain a copy of the video by writing to the head of publicity, room 0384, Main building, Whitehall, London SW1A 2HB.

Crown Immunity

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those facilities where his Department has invoked Crown immunity or defence exception for (a) national security or (b) operational effectiveness to override routine compliance with United Kingdom environmental legislation, as mentioned in general terms at paragraph 79 of his departmental annual report and expenditure plans for 1994–95 to 1996–97.

Following the enactment of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, there have been no instances where MOD has formally invoked Crown immunity or defence exemptions to justify noncompliance with the requirements of the Act or other United Kingdom environmental legislation to regulatory authorities. A statement of MOD policy in respect of its exemptions from the health and statutory nuisance provisions of part III of the Act has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Raf Machrihanish

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list by year for the last four years, and this year to date (a) the number of times RAF Machrihanish was used by the United States navy maritime patrol aircraft assigned to Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic; and what were the type and make of aircraft.

The total number of times RAF Machrihanish was used by the United States maritime patrol aircraft since 1 July 1990 is as follows:

	Number
From 1 July to 31 December 1991¹	31
1991	80
1992	103
1993	103
1 January to 28 February 1994	0
¹ Detailed records before 1 July 1990 no longer available.

The type and make of aircraft involved were the Lockheed P3 Orion and the Lockheed S3 Viking.

Large Aircraft

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which is the largest (a) military and (b) civilian aircraft to have landed, or taken off, from each of the airports or aerodromes that his Department owns or controls in Yorkshire and Humberside, other than RAF Finningley.

No records are available for Church Fenton, Dishforth or Topcliffe. The largest military aircraft to have landed at, or taken off from, RAF Leeming is a Lockheed C141 Starlifter; the largest civilian aircraft to have done so is a Boeing 737. No records are available for civilian aircraft landing at, or taking off from, RAF Linton-on-Ouse; the largest military aircraft to have done so is a Nimrod MR2.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which is the largest civilian aircraft that could be landed in normal operating conditions from each of the airports or aerodromes that his Department owns or controls in Yorkshire and Humberside, other than RAF Finningley.

Adequate performance data for civilian aircraft is not available in respect of RAF Linton-on-Ouse. The relief landing grounds at Church Fenton, Dishforth and Topcliffe are now suitable only for light aircraft. The largest civilian aircraft that could be landed at RAF Finningley in normal operating conditions is a Boeing 707.

Raf Finningley

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much money has been spent on improving accommodation assigned to (a) commanding officers, (b) other officers and (c) other ranks in each of the last four years at RAF Finningley; and if he will make a statement.

Figures are not available prior to 1991 when works management was untied from the Property Services Agency and delegated to local budget areas. Figures from financial year 1991–92, which include both single and married accommodation, is as follows:

Year	Commanding Officer	Other Officers	Other Ranks
	£	£	£
1991–92	Nil	4,800,000	759,000
1992–93	Nil		483,000
1993–94	2,725	160,000	135,000

The £4,800,000 was spent over financial years 1991–92 and 1992–93 on a single project for a major refurbishment of officers' married quarters. The other expenditure largely relates to: Food Act improvements and health and safety fire measures in the officers', sergeants' and airmen's messes; the refurbishment of two barrack blocks for airmen in 1991 and 1992; and double-glazing for the commanding officer's residence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what review there has been into the requirements of (a) RAF Finningley and (b) each other airport or aerodrome in Yorkshire and Humberside for military purposes (i) before and (ii) since the publication of "Options for Change".

No formal review was conducted into the requirements for military purposes of either RAF Finningley or any other RAF airport or aerodrome in Yorkshire and Humberside prior to "Options for Change". Following "Options for Change", the RAF airfield at Church Fenton was declared surplus to requirements and the station was closed in April 1992, although the airfield remains in use as a relief landing ground for RAF Linton-on-Ouse. Currently, the complete RAF flying training requirement is the subject of a review which will include consideration of the use of all flying training airfields within the United Kingdom. More generally, the requirement for all RAF airfields is currently under review as part of the defence costs study "Front Line First".

Accommodation Improvement

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much money has been spent on improving accommodation assigned to (a) commanding officers, (b) other officers and (c) other ranks in each of the last four years at airports and aerodromes owned or under his Department's control in Yorkshire and Humberside, other than RAF Finningley; and if he will make a statement.

There is no RAF-maintained accommodation at Church Fenton, Dishforth or Topcliffe. For RAF Linton-on-Ouse, figures are only available for the last two years, as follows:

	Commanding Officer	Other Officers	Other Ranks
Year	£	£	£
1992–93	Nil	Nil	62,727
1993–94	Nil	105,686	43,760

For RAF Leeming, figures are available for all four years, as follows:

	Commanding Officer	Other Officers	Other Ranks
Year	£	£	£
1990–91	2,000	58,700	¹2,033,000
1991–92	1,700	122,700	457,200
1992–93	2,000	229,700	403,800
1993–94	16,500	180,200	281,000
¹This expenditure includes the completion of new housing

Runway Capacity

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the airports or aerodromes that his Department owns or controls in Yorkshire and Humberside other than RAF Finningley; if he will list the length of each airport or aerodrome runway; and if he will list the annual volume of flights in and out of each location for each of the last four years and the current year to date.

The only airports or aerodromes other than RAF Finningley owned or controlled by the Ministry of Defence in Yorkshire and Humberside are RAF Leeming and RAF Linton-on-Ouse; RAF Linton-on-Ouse also has the use of the airfield facilities at the former RAF stations of Church Fenton, Dishforth and Topcliffe, which are used as relief landing grounds. Runway lengths are as follows:

Airfield	Length metres
RAF Leeming
Only one operational runway	2,292
RAF Linton-on-Ouse
Runway 04/22	1,835
Runway 10/28	1,339
Church Fenton
Runway 06/24	1,759
Runway 16/34	1,666
Dishforth
Runway 16/34	1,858
Runway 10/28	1,362
Topcliffe
Runway 03/21	1,837
Runway 13/31	1,262

The number of movements at each airfield, since 1990, is as follows:

	Movements by Year
Airfield	1990	1991	1992	1993	¹1994
RAF Leeming	—²	36,674	41,221	33,793	6,510
RAF Linton-on-Ouse	71,531	76,549	66,382	56,485	8,937
Church Fenton	—²	—²	33,618	24,602	5,885

	Movements by Year
Airfield	1990	1991	1992	1993	¹1994
Dishforth	43,035	43,961	32,519	32,277	5,712
Topcliffe	23,285	29,141	14,540	15,529	3,332
¹ figures to date
² figures not available

World War Two Munitions

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what areas in the Irish sea, northern channel and off the coast of Northern Ireland have been used in the disposal of world war two munitions since 1964; and if he will make a statement;(2) how many discarded world war two munition devices have come ashore on the British mainland over the last five years; and if he will make a statement;(3) if he will make a statement on sea disposal of surplus world war two munitions since 1964; if the disposal included chemical weapons and gas canisters; and if he will make a statement.

There are no records of world war two vintage munitions having been disposed of by sea dumping after 1964. In the last five years Royal Navy clearance diving units have conducted 3,268 munitions clearance tasks below the highwater mark on the British mainland. Available records do not identify the type, origin or number of devices dealt with.

Low Flying

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a table giving the number of low-flying sorties conducted over Wales in every year since 1978 (a) in total, (b) below 250 ft and (c) at 100 ft.

Records are not held of low-flying sorties conducted over specific locations or the number of low-flying sorties flown below 250 ft. However, the number of low-flying movements below 250 ft authorised into the central Wales tactical training area in each year since 1979, the earliest year for which figures are available, are set out in the table. Operational low flying may be authorised down to a minimum level of 100 ft, but records do not distinguish between movements flown below 250 ft and at 100 ft.

Number of movements carried out below 250 ft down to a minimum height of 100 ft in the Central Wales Tactical Training Area
Year	Number
1979	123
1980	171
1981	59
1982	4
1983	21
1984	64
1985	44
1986	63
1987	242
1988	60
1989	89
1990	265
1991	90
1992	174
1993	192

Light Dragoons Reconnaissance Squadron

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the commanding officer of the Light Dragoons Reconnaissance Squadron, Major Oliver Ellwood, did not accompany his troops when they left base in Germany for Bosnia; and if he will make a statement.

Major Ellwood departed Germany for Bosnia on the first flight and with the first group of his squadron on the evening of Saturday 12 March 1994.

Overseas Contracts

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the dates on which memoranda of understanding have been drawn up with overseas Governments on matters relating to defence contracts in each year since 1986.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for South Shields (Dr. Clark) on 9 February, Official Report, column 254.

Arms Sales

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list for each year since 1979, and in total at constant 1993 prices, the total value of arms sales to (a) Indonesia and (b) Tanzania.

It is not our policy to reveal details of arms sales to individual countries.

Civil Servants

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list for each civil service grade in his Department (a) the total number of persons employed and (b) the percentage of this figure that are women.

I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 29 November 1993, Official Report, columns 371–76.

Yugoslavia

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is (a) the total number of United Kingdom service personnel currently serving in the former Yugoslavia and on sanctions activities in the Adriatic and on the Danube and (b) his estimate of the comparable figures for other Western European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation countries.

There are currently some 3,300 United Kingdom service personnel deployed on the ground in the former Yugoslavia. Around 600 Royal Navy personnel are serving in the Adriatic in support of NATO-WEU sanctions monitoring and enforcement operations. The military contribution of other nations to these operations is a matter for their national Governments and for the United Nations. Due to fluctuations in the actual level of troop contribution from a wide range of countries, it is not possible at this time to estimate comparable figures for other NATO and WEU countries.

Married Quarters

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on plans for the new management arrangements for the Ministry of Defence's married quarters estate.

Following an open competition, Mr. James Michael Robinson, presently co-ordinator and chief executive of Bristol city council, has been selected for the post of chief executive designate of the new housing organisation. Mr. Robinson will take up his appointment shortly.Following a separate competition, Price Waterhouse has been appointed as the lead consultant to assist Mr. Robinson in developing the operational and business plans for the new organisation.

Volume 239: debated on Thursday 17 March 1994

Written Answers To Questions

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"London: Making The Best Better"

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