To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he has finalised his plans for the Court Services Agency; what consideration has been given therein to the current responsibilities of (a) tribunals, (b) social security commissioners, (c) Judge Advocate General's offices, (d) Official Solicitor, (e) Court Funds Office, (f) Lord Chancellor's visitors and (g) the Northern Ireland Court Service; and if he will make a statement.

Plans for the creation of a Court Service Agency are yet to be finalised. Such plans will not, however, affect the responsibilities of those bodies and officeholders which the hon. Member has mentioned.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans his Department has to ensure that minor disputes can be resolved in court or at arbitration at less cost and greater speed than at present.

Since the publication of the civil justice review in 1988, my Department has been engaged in an ongoing programme targeted at reducing cost, delay and complexity in all forms of civil litigation.The small claims procedure in the county court aims to provide the benefits of arbitration to litigants with minor disputes. Various changes have been made to this procedure in recent years in order to increase its speed and accessibility. In 1993 106,000 cases were heard as arbitrations in the county court, more than twice as many as in 1990.My Department has recently consulted on proposals that small unliquidated claims should also be heard in this more informal forum, and we are currently evaluting the results of this consultation.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to ask the Lord Chancellor's advisory committee on legal education and conduct to conduct an investigation into the admissions procedures for the Inns of Court school of law for the academic year 1994–95.

The Lord Chancellor's advisory committee on legal education and conduct is currently conducting a wide-ranging review into all aspects of legal education. It is due to complete this review at the end of 1995. The Lord Chancellor has no plans to request the Lord Chancellor's advisory committee on legal education and conduct to examine the specific procedures of the Inns of Court school of law in isolation.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to the answer of 12 April, Official Report, column 100, what response his Department made when approached in connection with the report to the European Commission on information and protection of transactions concerning immovable property purchased by consumers.

I assume that the question refers to an answer given by the President of the Board of Trade on 12 April. The Lord Chancellor's Department was approached in the context of a study of the existing position in the United Kingdom. The Department offered to assist, but the offer was not followed up by those preparing the report.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many pilot projects have been undertaken using parish constables; and what resources his Department has contributed in each case.

There are 46 parish constable schemes in operation. They are listed in table A.Parish constable schemes are the responsibility of chief officers and are funded in the same way as other policing activities. Additional resources allocated by the Home Department to police forces involved in the development of schemes for the supply of essential communications equipment are shown in table B.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from the Royal Ulster Constabulary Police Federation about proposals to alter the arrangements for criminal injury compensation; and if he will make a statement.

We have not received any representations from the Police Federation for Northern Ireland. The new arrangements for awarding criminal injuries compensation in Great Britain came into effect on 1 April 1994. Separate arrangements continue to apply in Northern Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will publish the results of the recent study on the link between unemployment and crime, conducted by the crime policy division of his Department;(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of the document on the link between unemployment and crime, prepared by the crime policy division of his Department.

There is no such study or document.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many bans on public meetings and demonstrations were issued in (a) 1979, (b) 1985 and (c) the last year for which figures are available.

There is no power to ban public meetings. The power under the Public Order Acts of 1936 and 1986 to prohibit public processions was not used in 1979, and was used five times in 1985 and twice in 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the revenue and capital expenditure of the Durham fire brigade on mobile communications equipment and command and control systems in each financial year since 1991–92; and what plans exist for 1994–95.

Expenditure on mobile communications equipment and command and control systems is a matter for individual authorities and detailed information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the revenue and capital expenditure of the Durham police constabulary on mobile communications equipment and command and control systems in each financial year since 1991–92; and what plans exist for 1994–95.

Revenue and capital expenditure by Durham Constabulary on mobile communications equipment and command and control systems since 1991–92, and current plans for 1994–95, are shown in the table.

Revenue and capital expenditure by Durham Constabulary on mobile communications equipment and command and control systems
	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94	1994–95 (plans)
Revenue (£)	235,470	278,240	277,420	258,600
Capital (£)	5,000	36,100	105,000	181,000

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the results of the Essex parliamentary boundary commission inquiry to be published.

I understand that the Boundary Commission for England will be making a decision on the inquiry report towards the end of June, after which the outcome will be published.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the costs passed on to Aintree Racecourse Ltd. by Merseyside police for policing the 1994 Aintree spring race meeting.

Merseyside police estimate that the total charge to be passed on for this year's event will be about £100,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which drugs used to treat human patients are known to cause cancer in animals; and if he will make a statement.

Many products used to treat human cancer and other life-threatening conditions are capable of causing cancer in animals; they are used because the benefits they offer to sufferers are judged to outweigh any risks there may be. The detailed information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for the televising of criminal trials in England and Wales.

We have no such plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the estimated cost of replacing the radio communications equipment for the whole of the Metropolitan police district;(2) if he will estimate the length of time that will be required by the Metropolitan police to plan, install and implement a trunked radio system.

I understand that the Metropolitan police are evaluating tenders for the replacement of personal radio systems for divisional, specialist and public order use. The timescale for implementation will be a matter of negotiation prior to contract but the indications are that the work will take between four and five years to complete.So long as the Metropolitan police are in negotiation with potential suppliers, details of cost estimates are commercially sensitive.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the dates for the implementation of the public safety radio communications project.

We plan that the public safety radio communications project, if approved, would be implemented from 1998. To that end, the Home Office is currently undertaking a detailed assessment of the feasibility and costs of various options. Implementation will depend on a number of factors including the availability of frequencies and technology.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the European Union distance selling directive in relation to tourism.

The Government have made it clear that it will not agree to this directive while it contains provisions which would prevent payment in advance for goods and services. We are also pressing for the complete exclusion of services with reservation from the scope of the directive. The Greek presidency has responded to these concerns by tabling compromise proposals which go some way to addressing them, and these are under discussion in Brussels. It is too early to say whether these proposals might form a basis for agreement.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to publish a report on the expected benefits of the general agreement on tariffs and trade for British industry and commerce within each sector of the economy in the format of that produced in New Zealand; and if he will make a statement.

The Government intend to publish a White Paper setting out the results of the GATT round. My Department is analysing the results of the round in order to identify more fully the potential opportunities for different industrial and commercial sectors.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will place the prospectus, guidance notes and application forms for his programme for competitive manufacturing in the Library.

The recently published DTI annual report gives information on the many schemes operated by the department to help improve the competitiveness of United Kingdom industry. A copy of this report has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what requests were received by the British Government from Iraqi companies or Government agencies for biological agents between 1979 and 1991; and if he will list the companies or Government agencies.

Records are not kept in a form which would enable me to answer this question. Export controls on certain specific biological agents were not introduced until 31 December 1992.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what quantities of (a) Ustilago nuda Rostrup, (b) Histoplasma capsulatum var. farciminosum, (c) Bacillus Anthracis, (d) Bacillus Subtilis Cohn, (e) Clostridium tetani, (f) Clostridium botulinum Type E, (g) Clostridium perfringens, (h) bacillus megaterium, (i) Clostridium botulinum Type A, (j) Brucella abortus Biotype 3, (k) Brucella abortus Biotype 9, (1) Brucella melitensis Biotype 1, (m) Brucella-melitensis Biotype 3, (n) Clostridium botulinum Type F, (o) Saccharomyces cerevesia, (p) Escherichia coli, (q) Bacillus cereus, (r) Staphylococcus epidermis, (s) Bacillus pumilus, (t) Cauliflower Mosaic Caulimovirus, (u) Plasmid in Agrobacterium Tumefaciens, (v) Bacillus ceres, (w) Francisella tularensis var. tularensis Olsufiev, (x) Salmonella choleraesuis subsp. choleraesuis Serptype typhi, (y) Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. pneumoniae, (z) Hulambda 4x-8, clone (HPRT) chromosome, (aa) Hulambda 14-8, clone (HPRT) chromosome, (bb) Hulumbda 15, clone (HPRT) chromosome, (cc) PHPT31, clone (HPRT) chromosome and (dd) plambda 500, clone pseudogene (HPRT) chromosome were exported from Britain to Iraq between 1979 and 1991.

Records are not kept in a form which would enable me to answer this question. Export controls on certain specific biological agents were not introduced until 31 December 1992.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 24 March, Official Report, columns 428–9, if he will list the firms of consultants employed by his Department and the number of contracts they have undertaken in each of the last five years.

The information requested cannot be provided other than at disproportionate cost.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what information technology consultants his Department has employed; for what purpose; and at what total cost for each of the last five years.

The Department has employed a wide range of information technology consultants and contractors from many sources over the last five years, for the purposes of assisting the development of IT strategies, and all aspects of their implementation, including support for project management, project support, systems analysis, computer programming, system testing, and IT security. Expenditure on such resources for the last five years, for which information is held centrally, and excludes agencies, is as follows:

Year	£K
1989–90	2,015
1990–91	3,492
1991–92	5,072
1992–93	6,909
1993–94	5,247

To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether the present arrangement in the British Coal staff superannuation scheme of allowing staff to retire at 50 years of age will continue for present employees; whether the Government will continue to meet the cost from 50 years to 60 years; and on which vote the cost will be borne.

The arrangements under which members of the British Coal staff superannuation scheme can qualify for pensions at 50 is a matter for the corporation and the scheme trustees. The related obligation on British Coal to make "additional contributions" in respect of early and enhanced pensions will continue to be honoured and to attract Government financial support. The cost to Government is borne on vote 5 within the Department's expenditure.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what computer systems his Department have brought in, for what function and at what cost for each of the last five years; and in each case whether the computer system is still in use.

The Department has made increasing use of computer systems, enhanced existing systems, and introduced many new systems over the last five years to assist most aspects of my Department's work. This includes: financial and management information systems; database systems recording incidents of insolvency, patents, designs, trademarks, DTI sponsorship of United Kingdom companies, export licences, home accidents; econometric and statistical systems recording information on production sector companies, overseas trade, the insurance industry, energy sources and resources; modelling systems for pay forecasting and energy demands; and office automation and communications systems.Micro-computer systems have a life expectancy of three years or more, and larger systems five years or more. Very few of the computer systems introduced over the last five years are no longer in use. Central capital expenditure on new and enhanced computer systems for the last five years is as follows:

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 12 April, Official Report, column 100, what information he has concerning the date on which the European Commission intends to publish the report on information and protection of transactions concerning immovable property purchased by consumers; and what information he has as to why the Commission has not as yet published that report.

The Commission has no plans to publish the report now or in the future. It commissions many reports, not all of which are published. The Commission has not made public its reasons for not publishing this report.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 12 April, Official Report, column 100, what response was given by the Office of Fair Trading to the approach made in connection with the report to the European Commission on information and protection of transactions concerning immovable property purchased by consumers.

This is a matter for the Director General of Fair Trading. I have informed the director general of the question and I understand that he will be writing to the hon. Member.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade which Ministers in his Department were approached to sign public interest immunity certificates in connection with the Matrix Churchill trial and declined to do so.

On 29 September 1992, shortly before the Matrix Churchill trial, further DTI documents were discovered which fell within a class for which PII is usually claimed. In the absence of both myself and my hon. Friend the Minister for Trade, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Consumer Affairs and Small Firms, Baroness Denton, was approached to sign a third DTI PII certificate in this case, following the two that I had signed earlier. She felt that the issue should await the Minister for Trade's return to the office the next day. On 30 September the Minister for Trade was approached to sign the certificate but was unable, in the time available to him, to give the matter the due attention that it demanded. The documents were subsequently mentioned to the court by prosecuting counsel and released to the defence in the light of the decision of the court to order the disclosure of other DTI documents.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions he has had with representatives of the telecommunications industry to establish a subsidised phone rate for calls made to general practitioners' mobile phones when on call; and if he will make a statement on plans for such a rate.

[holding answer 15 April 1994]: The use of mobile phones by general practitioners when on call can provide a valuable benefit to patients, by improving response times and quality of service. The price of phone services is a matter for the individual telecommunications companies who provide them. I have received no requests to discuss with these companies the subsidisation of their services.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list all payments by the Export Credits Guarantee Department in relation to the Pergau project, giving the dates on which they were made and the amounts of the payments in each case; and if he will give similar information for the planned schedule of future disbursements.

Payments made by ECGD in relation to the Pergau project have been entirely related to the cost of providing interest rate support. Up to 20 December 1993 such costs amounted to £29·202 million of which the ODA ATP budget contributed £24·367 million.Contributions are received from ODA in June and December in each year and, for ease of comparison, ECGD's costs, whether paid or accrued, have been reported to 20 December in the relevant financial year.Future interest support costs will be affected by the rate at which the balance of the loan is drawn down and, to a limited extent, by the future course of interest rates. The table shows the estimated cost by financial year, including the contribution made from ODA ATP funds.

£ millions
	Amounts paid or to be paid
Financial year	By ECGD	of which contributed by ODA
Amounts Paid
1991–92	2·235	1·882
1992–93	9·294	7·835
1993–94	17·673	14·650
Estimated Payments
1994–95	27·080	25·310
1995–96	31·284	26·940
1996–97	31·384	26·950
1997–98	30·406	26·980
1998–99	26·729	22·926
1999–2000	23·042	19·749
2000–01	19·411	16·538
2001–02	15·668	13·396
2002–03	9·833	10·218
2003–04	6·871	7·039
2004–05	3·726	3·880
2005–06	0·674	0·740
Total	255·310	225·033

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 29 March, Official Report, column 650, what was the level of United Kingdom overseas investment in (a) the far east, (b) Europe and (c) north America in 1979 and 1993.

I have been asked to reply. The available information for the nearest adjacent years for which estimates of overseas district investment have been made is as follows:

Direct investment assets abroad1 (at book values)
	19782	£ million 1992
Far East (Asia, other than Middle East)	1,773	11,530
Western Europe	6,145	42,967
North America	6,496	61,130

Source: Central Statistical Office, Business Monitor MO4 and First Release.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the level of tidal movements in Torbay; and if he will now categorise the bay as less sensitive under the urban waste water directive.

The Secretary of State asked the National Rivers Authority to make recommendations as to those areas which might be identified as high natural dispersion areas—less sensitive areas under the urban waste water treatment directive—in England and Wales. The authority has made its recommendations on the basis of agreed criteria and, in so doing, it has been for it to make whatever assessments of tidal movements may be relevant.The Secretary of State will announce the areas to be identified as high natural dispersion areas shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he was notified of the findings of the local government ombudsman in respect of Cambridgeshire county council concerning the case brought by Mr. E. B. C. Osmotherly; and what action he will take to ensure that the recommendations are implemented.

Our attention has been drawn to this case on several occasions by the complainant's former and present Members of Parliament. I understand that the county council has declined to act upon the recommendations of the local government ombudsman, who is now in correspondence with the council about the terms of a statement which he will require to be published locally. My right hon. Friend has no powers to ensure that recommendations made by a local government ombudsman should be implemented.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the previous water authority or company experience of each of the 1994 appointees to the regional customer services committees of Ofwat.

The Water Industry Act 1991 requires the Director General of Water Services, in appointing persons to be members of customer service committees, to have regard to the desirability of the persons appointed being persons who have experience of, and have shown capacity in, some matter relevant to—(i) the function of a water or sewerage undertaker; or (ii) the carrying out of those functions in relation to any area by a company which the director has allocated, or is proposing to allocate, to that committee; and the desirability of—(i) the committee including one or more persons with experience of work among, and the special needs of, disabled persons; and (ii) persons appointed including disabled persons.Copies of the Ofwat news releases announcing the new appointments made in 1994, including a short biography of the appointees, are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the current membership of each of the regional customer services committees of Ofwat, indicating which of those members were newly appointed in 1994.

The chairmen and members of Ofwat's 10 customer service committees—CSCs—are listed in the director general's annual reports, copies of which are in the Library; the next report is expected to be published in June. I have today placed in the Library, a list of CSC members, excluding the chairmen, as at 31 March 1994. In 1994, so far, there has been one new appointment, that of Mr. Subhash Thakrar to Ofwat's Thames CSC. In addition, two new chairmen have been appointed in 1994, Mr. Eric Wilson to the Yorkshire CSC, and Dr. Roger Corbett to the Eastern CSC. Copies of the relevant Ofwat news releases relating to these appointments are also in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what interim relief of council tax is available to households transferring to higher rated districts due to the implementation of local boundary commission recommendations.

We shall be considering, together with the local authority associations, whether we should provide transitional help to protect countil tax payers where a new authority inherits commitments that otherwise could not be met without increasing council taxes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to delay the implementation of waste management licensing of the metal recycling industry pending the agreement of a common European definition of waste; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects the European Commission to issue a common European definition of waste.

[holding answer 12 April 1994]: A common European definition of waste has been agreed and is contained in article 1 of directive 91/156/EEC which was adopted by the Council of Ministers on 18 March 1991. I announced on 13 April, Official Report, column 176, that the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994 had been laid before Parliament and will come into force on 1 May 1994. Implementation of the waste management licensing provisions of part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 will also commence on 1 May 1994. However, the application of these provisions to activities involving scrap metal will not commence until 1 October 1994. This will allow the scrap metal industry further time to consider the implications of the new system and to make any representations. The scrap metal industry will remain subject to the licensing provisions of part I of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 until 1 October 1994.The 1994 regulations transpose into national legislation the definition of waste in article 1 of directive 91/156/EEC. The new definition will come into force on 1 May 1994 for the purposes of both part II of the 1990 Act and the extant provisions of part I of the 1974 Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether it will be possible for appeals to be made against planning decisions for the five new secure training centres being created by the Home Office if they are placed on the existing site of a disused Home Office detention centre.

[holding answer 15 April 1994]: Development by the Crown does not at present require planning permission. But Government Departments follow the procedures contained in part IV of Department of the Environment circular 18/84 which provides for them to consult local planning authorities before proceeding with development, including material changes of use, which would otherwise require planning permission. Where the local planning authority objects to the development proposal or where there is any unresolved disagreement, the developing Department, if it wishes to proceed with the development, will notify the Secretary of State for the Environment, who will determine whether the development should go ahead. In all such cases the local planning authority, the developing Department, and other interested parties are given an opportunity to express their views. As with decisions on all planning applications, there is no third party right of appeal.There may be cases where consultation would not be required, for example, because the development proposed does not entail a material change of use. In such cases, Departments have agreed to notify the local planning authority of development proposals which are likely to be of special concern to the authority or to the public. This gives the local planning authority an opportunity to decide whether to advertise it so as to give the public a chance to comment and to discuss with the developing Department ways in which the proposal might be amended to overcome any objections.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when fines will be imposed on the United Kingdom under article 104c of the Maastricht treaty for being excessively in debt; and if he will make a statement.

The possible imposition of fines on member states for failing consistently to comply with Council recommendations to tackle excessive deficits does not apply until the beginning of stage 3 of economic and monetary union. The protocol to the treaty relating to the United Kingdom makes it clear that this possibility can apply to the United Kingdom only if and when it enters stage 3. Under the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993, the United Kingdom cannot move to stage 3 without approval by an Act of Parliament.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the extent to which the new reporting and collection system of the trade returns underestimates the balance of payments deficit; what are the reasons for this; and if he will issue a statement on the necessary provisions to the figures published since the new systems began.

I have little to add to the replies I gave to my hon. Friends the Members for Hazel Grove (Sir T. Arnold) on 21 March at column 21, and for Chelmsford (Mr. Burns) on 8 February at column 121.The investigations into the Intrastat system are proceeding well. Customs and Excise and the Central Statistical Office aim to publish a full report in the summer at around the same time as data from the 1994 edition of the Pink Book on the United Kingdom balance of payments is released. As announced in its first release on the estimates of the balance of United Kingdom visible trade for January 1994, published on 14 April 1994, the Central Statistical Office aims to include any preliminary adjustments shown to be necessary with the estimates for trade in February 1994 that are scheduled for publication on 12 May 1994.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the bank rate in April 1988; what annual income was received from savings of £250; and what are the equivalent figures for April 1994.

In April 1988, the base rate was 8 per cent. It now stands at 5¼ per cent. The annual income from savings depends on the financial product in which the savings are invested.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much is spent by the Medical Research Council on research into the treatment of psoriasis; what was the cost five years ago; and if he will make a statement.

In the financial year 1992–93, the Medical Research Council's expenditure on research in the field of psoriasis was £409,000 and in the financial year 1988–89 total expenditure in this field amounted to £538,000.The council also supports a substantial portfolio of research on skin, data from which may be of direct relevance to our understanding of diseases such as psoriasis. In the financial year 1992–93 the council's expenditure on skin research was £4,874,000.The council is always willing to consider new applications for research in the area of psoriasis and other skin disorders; such proposals would be peer-reviewed in competition with all other applications for MRC support.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will ensure that copies of Government press releases are always made available to hon. Members at the same time as they are placed in the Parliamentary press Gallery.

Most Government news releases which are placed in the press Gallery are transmitted electronically at the time of release to POLIS—the Hose information system —where they may be accessed by any Member.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the definition to be adopted by Her Majesty's Government of "vexatious" as used in paragraph 9 of the code of practice on access to Government information; what criteria will be used to judge whether or not a request for information is vexatious; and if he will give an explanation for the change in wording of paragraph 15(b) on statutory and other restrictions on information disclosure in regard to Parliament compared to paragraph xv of the draft code.

"Vexatious" as used in the code of practice bears its natural and ordinary meaning. Whether or not a particular request is "vexatious" is a matter which needs to be established on a case-by-case basis. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration would be able to investigate complaints that Departments had applied this or any other exemption unreasonably. On the final part of his question, I refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave him on 12 April at column 26.

To ask the Prime Minister what papers or communications are retained at 10 Downing street in regard to the role of Allivane in providing shells and other military equipment to Iraq and Iran.

Copies of correspondence received by my office since November 1990, and to which I or my office have replied, have been retained, as is customary. No records exist prior to April 1989.

To ask if he will list the name and Department of each special adviser employed in the service of himself, members of the Cabinet, Ministers of State, and Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State; if he will give their educational and vocational qualification, salaries and duties; and if he will make a statement.

To ask The Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 12 April, Official Report,columns 30-31, if he will identify those political advisers who are not employed on civil service grades of pay, the Departments in which they work and the salaries that they receive.

There are currently 38 special advisers attached to Ministers. Details of their names and Departments are as follows:

Name	Department
K. Adams	Environment
A. Allen	Trade and Industry
P. Barnes	Social Security
C. Blunt	Defence
T. Burke	Environment
J. Caine	Northern Ireland Office
D. Cameron	Home Office
Dr. E. Cottrell	Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Dr. W. Eltis	Trade and Industry
M. Fraser	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
J. Gray	Environment
C. Grantham	Education
D. Green	Prime Minister's Office
Mrs. S. Hogg	Prime Minister's Office
Ms S. Hole	Chief Whip's Office
A. Kemp	Trade and Industry
Mrs. T. Keswick	Treasury
Mrs. E. Laing	Transport
D. Loehnis	National Heritage
G. MacKay	Scottish Office
M. MacLay	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
R. Marsh	Health
Ms S. McEwen	House of Lords
M. McManus	Employment
P. Moman	Privy Council Office
Dr. J. Nicholson	Office of Public Service and Science
L. O'Connor	Environment
Sir I. Pearce	Transport
Lord Poole	Prime Minister's Office
Ms K. Ramsay	Prime Minister's Office
P. Rock	Home Office
D. Ruffley	Treasury
D. Rutley	Office of public Service and Science
Lady Strathnaver	Trade and Industry
N. True	Prime Minister's Office
Miss A. Warburton	Prime Minister's Office
H. Williams	Welsh Office
A. Young	Scottish Office

The duties of special advisers are a matter for the appointing Minister. Details of their qualifications are not held centrally.Salaries for special advisers are negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings, and are confidential. They are, however, normally paid on a special advisers' salary spine of 30 points, ranging from £19,121 to £59,957. Appointments are non-pensionable, and the salary spine reflects this. Of the 38 advisers currently employed, six are paid outside the normal salary spine—three political and three experts. One other, expert adviser, is paid on a civil service scale.

To ask The Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 12 April, Official Report, column 31, if he will specify the salaries paid to political advisers in each Department since 1988, expressed in 1993–94 prices.

The salaries of individual advisers are confidential. Information available on the number of advisers in each department in each year since 1988 and the number of advisers on each point of the pay

Table 1
Department	Number of Advisers
	1 September 1988	6 April 1989	30 July 1990	16 September 1991	1 April 1992	20 October 1993	1 April 1994
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Cabinet Office (including Prime Ministers Office, Chief Whips Office, and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster's Office)	9	10	10	7	9	8	9
Ministry of Defence	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Department of Education	1	1	1	2	2	1	1
Department of Employment	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Department of the Environment	2	2	3	7	6	2	4
Foreign and Commonwealth Office	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Department of Health1	3	3	1	3	3	1	1
Home Office	1	2	2	2	2	2	2
House of Lords	—	—	—	—	—	1	1
Department of National Heritage	—	—	—	—	—	1	1
Northern Ireland Office	—	—	—	—	1	1	1
Scottish Office	1	1	2	1	2	2	2
Department of Social security1	—	—	1	1	1	1	1
Department of Trade and Industry	2	2	1	2	2	1	4
Department of Transport	1	1	2	1	1	1	2
Her Majesty's Treasury	3	3	3	3	4	2	2
Department of Energy	1	1	1	1	1	—	—
Privy Council Office	1	1	1	1	1	—	—
The Lord Privy's Seals Office	—	—	—	—	1	—	—
Welsh Office	—	—	—	—	—	—	1
1Formerly DHSS

Table 2
		Number paid this amount
Scale point	Current salary £ per annum	1 September19881	6 April 19892	30 July 19903	16 September 19914	1 April 19924	20 October 19934	1 April 19943
30 (pp)	59,957	—	—	1	—		1	1
29 (pp)	57,650	—	—	—	1	1	—	—
28	55,433	1	2	1	2	1	4	5
27	54,136	1	1	1	1	1	—	—
26	52,845	—	1	—	—	—	1	1
25	51,193	—	—	—	1	1	—	1
24	49,541	2	1	3	1	1	1	4
23	47,284	—	1	3	2	4	1	1
22	45,527	1	2	1	1	—	1	1
21	43,778	3	2	2	2	1	1	4
20	41,947	1	1	2	2	1	—	—
19	40,100	1	2	1	1	2	—	1
18	38,254	1	4	2	1	3	1	—
17	36,415	1	l	—	—	—	—	—
16	34,222	1	1	—	—	—	—	—
15	32,827	3	2	—	3	2	1	1
14	31,718	2	—	—	—	1	1	1
13	30,613	—	—	—	1	—	1	1
12	29,453	—	—	—	1	1	—	—
11	28,394	1	—	2	1	—	1	1
10	27,523	—	—	—	—	—	1	1
9	26,303	—	—	—	1	—	1	1
8	25,374	—	l	1	—	1	2	2
7	24,548	—	—	2	2	2	—	—
6	23,734	—	—	—	—	1	1	—
5	22,902	2	1	2	3	5	2	3
4	21,683	—	1	—	1	1	—	—
3	20,941	—	—	1	—	—	—	—

To ask The Prime Minister what response he has made to representations from the Government of Belize following the decision of the Greek presidency to eject Belize from observer status at the recent EC meeting in Athens with the San José Ten; and if he will make a statement.

We have protested to the presidency and made clear to others our dissatisfaction at the mishandling of arrangements regarding Belizean attendance at the San José meeting. We shall continue to make clear, both to partners and in the region, that Belize as a stable, responsible democracy deserves inclusion in the San José process.

To ask The Prime Minister how many parliamentary questions to his Department have not been answered because of disproportionate costs or because the information requested was not held centrally over the last five years; how many could be answered now due to computerisation and/or more effective operational systems; and if he will list each such question along with the name and constituency of the hon. Member who tabled it.

I have answered more than 2,000 questions, of which under 2 per cent. from a number of different hon. Members have not been answered because of disproportionate costs or because the information requested was not held centrally. As computer and operational systems continue to improve, doutbless there will be increased potential for this percentage to decline.

To ask The Prime Minister if he will place in the Library all correspondence between the Cabinet Secretary and Lord Justice Scott further to his letter of 17 March 1993.

The Cabinet Secretary has not had further correspondence with Lord Justice Scott concerning the issues raised in the former's letter of 17 March 1993.

To ask The Prime Minister whether all papers promised by Ministers or departmental officials to the Scott inquiry, pursuant to oral evidence by Ministers or officials have now been delivered to Lord Justice Scott.

Following recent hearings certain material remains to be provided to Lord Justice Scott, but will be sent as soon as possible. Further hearings will take place in May and the provision of material to Lord Justice Scott will continue for some time.

To ask The Prime Minister, pursuant his oral statement of 29 March, Official Report, columns 797-99 if he will state the treaty or other basis on which the Court of Justice of the European Community would be able to rule that, assuming accession to the Community of all applicant states—any decision reached by at least 68 votes —the Commission would be required to take any necessary initiatives stating the date and place when the document giving the basis for such a ruling was agreed.

The obligation, in the Council decision on qualified majority voting, on the Commission and the presidency to take any initiative necessary to reach a solution adopted by at least 68 votes is justifiable in the European Court of Justice. The text of the Council decision has already been deposited in the Library of the House.

To ask The Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral statement of 29 March, Official Report, columns 797-98, concerning extension of a proposal blocking minority of 27 votes in an enlarged European Community Council of Ministers, if he will state, precisely, the nature of the qualifications now agreed, where they are available in written form, and published, and by whom they are authenticated.

The text of the Council decision on qualified majority voting has already been deposited in the Library of the House.

To ask The Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Cunninghame, South (Mr. Donohoe) of 12 April, Official Report, column 17, if he will list the Labour-controlled local authorities he referred to where there is corruption.

District auditors' reports and the outcome of criminal proceedings have revealed instances of malpractice and corruption in a number of Labour councils.

To ask The Prime Minister how many permanent secretaries, deputy secretaries and under secretaries left the civil service and subsequently took up appointments in the private sector since 1979; what was the average interval between leaving the service and taking up appointment in the private sector; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 12 April 1994]: Precise numbers could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, examination of a substantial sample of applications for approval to take appointments by civil servants in grades 1, 1A, 2 and 3 since 1984 shows an average interval of 3·4 months between leaving the service and proposed date of taking up a first private sector appointment. Not all appointments are necessarily taken up. Applications to take up second and subsequent appointments after leaving are not included in the average.

To ask The Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the need for comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation for disabled people.

[holding answer 15 April 1994]: On a number of occasions, I have not only made clear my support for the principle of seeking to eliminate discrimination against people with disabilities, but also my reservations on the detailed practicalities of the present approach to comprehensive legislation. None the less, I shall of course want to see and consider the results of the deliberations of the Standing Committee on the Civil Rights (Disabled Persons) Bill.

To ask the Lord President of the Council what plans he has to improve the scrutiny of the activities and legislation of the European Community.

The scrutiny arrangements generally work well and need no fundamental change. They are, however, under constant review, and will continue to be developed as necessary.

To ask the Lord President of the Council what plans he has to ensure that Prime Minister's Question Time is used only for scrutiny of the actions of the Government.

Subject to Madam Speaker's views as to what is or is not in order, it is up to the hon. Members who ask questions to determine what questions they ask.

To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will obtain (a) for his office and (b) for the Library, a copy of the plans for the new Reichstag; and if he will make a statement.

I have no plans to do so.

To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will move to set up a Select Committee to consider the effect of sanctions policy against countries such as Iraq, Libya and North Korea.

I have no plans to do so. The hon. Member may wish to suggest the topic to the relevant Select Committee.

To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission what was the cost in 1993–94 of space in the parliamentary estate other than for the offices of hon. Members, their staff and staff of the House and those used for meetings and debates.

All but some 1 per cent. of the total area of the parliamentary estate is used for facilities for Members and staff. On a very rough apportionment, the annual cost to this House of the remaining space would be some £220,000, together with any costs of rent and rates for the outbuildings.

To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission what financial provision has been made for increasing the seating capacity of the Strangers' Gallery.

None.

To ask the Chairman of the Finance and Services Committee, pursuant to his answer of 28 March, Official Report, column 505, when the last review took place of financial arrangements for commercial organisations with accommodation in the Palace of Westminster.

A review of the agreement with Thomas Cook was completed by the Administration Committee in March.

To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will make a statement on his duties as Lord President of the Council.

As Lord President, I am responsible for the work of the Privy Council Office, and for overseeing the functions of the Privy Council itself. In this connection, I present the Council business to Her Majesty.I also act for the Queen as Visitor of a number of universities and colleges.

To ask the Lord President of the Council what public consultations he undertakes before appointments are made by the Privy Council.

As indicated in my written answer to the hon. Member on 3 March, Official Report, column 868, consultation in respect of Privy Council appointments is conducted with the organisations concerned and with relevant Government Departments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many square feet of office space his Department leases, rents or owns inside the boundary of the borough of Ipswich; and what was the equivalent area in June 1979.

The full range of information is not available from 1979. However, from the information which is available, it is estimated that during the last 10 years the Department's occupancy covered a total of 32,722 sq. ft. spread over three sites:

• —Eastgate House, Carr street—8,608 sq. ft.
• —Warnford House, Coleman street—21,538 sq. ft.
• —Princess House, Princess street—2,586 sq. ft.

At present the Department occupies 42,892 sq. ft. in one building within the borough—St. Felix house, Silent street. The property is leasehold and the Department is the sole tenant.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what arrangements he has made for a review of the security of civil servants working in the Child Support Agency; if he will sanction extra resources for managers to implement measures which will help to allay staff fears over their safety, with particular reference to stringent procedures for dealing with incoming mail and the provision of escorts for field visits; and what he proposes in respect of the compulsory wearing of name badges and staff identifying themselves over the telephone or in correspondence as required by the citizens charter.

Measures to ensure the safety of Child Support Agency staff are the responsibility of Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive, who has ensured that comprehensive and professional security is provided for all the staff. There are strict procedures for the safe handling of incoming mail including the use of X-ray machines. Procedures are also in place to minimise the risk to visiting officers which include accompanied visiting where there is concern for personal safety.The agency has a policy of giving names and wearing name badges as a matter of course. This is in the interest of providing good customer service to clients. It is recognised, however, that some staff may feel concerned about giving their names and those fears are treated sympathetically.These areas are very sensitive and the chief executive and I are keeping them under close review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will detail all the contracts on which his calculation of £136 million savings in the civil service market-testing programme is based; what was the value of each contract; what was the saving in each case; and what were the main items by which the savings were secured in each major case.

The £136 million detailed in the question is the value of savings achieved by the Government's market testing programme. As at 31 March 1994 this Department had awarded 55 contracts with a total value of £62·5 million which have achieved efficiency savings averaging some 32 per cent. Details of individual contract values and savings are commercial in confidence information and cannot be provided.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Streatham (Mr. Hill), 30 March, Official Report, column 787, if he will list the occupational activities for which occupational deafness can be prescribed as a disease, in relation to which disablement benefit is payable; and if he will make a statement.

Occupational deafness is prescribed for disablement benefit purposes in relation to the following occupational activities:

1. The use of powered, but not hand powered, grinding tools on cast metal other than weld metal or on billets or blooms in the metal producing industry, or work wholly or mainly in the immediate vicinity of those tools whilst they are being so used;

2. The use of pneumatic percussive tools on metal, or work wholly or mainly in the immediate vicinity of those tools whilst they are being so used;

3. The use of pneumatic percussive tools for drilling rock in quarries or underground or in mining coal, or work wholly or mainly in the immediate vicinity of those tools whilst they are being so used;

4. Work wholly or mainly in the immediate vicinity of plant (excluding power press plant) engaged in the forging (including drop stamping) of metal by means of closed or open dies or drop hammers;

5. Work in textile manufacturing where the work is undertaken wholly or mainly in rooms or sheds in which there are machines engaged in weaving man-made or natural (including mineral) fibres or in the high speed false twisting of fibres;

6. The use of, or work wholly or mainly in the immediate vicinity of, machines engaged in cutting, shaping or cleaning metal nails;

7. The use of, or work wholly or mainly in the immediate vicinity of, plasma spray guns engaged in the deposition of metal;

8. The use of, or work wholly or mainly in the immediate vicinity of, any of the following machines engaged in the working of wood or material composed partly of wood, that is to say; multi cutter moulding machines, planing machines, automatic or semi-automatic lathes, multiple cross-cut machines, automatic shaping machines, double-end tenoning machines, vertical spindle moulding machines (including high speed routing machines), edge banding machines, bandsawing machines with a blade width of not less than 75 millimetres and circular sawing machines in the operation of which the blade is moved towards the material being cut;

9. The use of chain saws in forestry.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend, the Member for Erewash (Mrs. Knight) on 24 February at column 368, which sets out the further occupational activities to be added from October 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what matters in regard to the control of nuclear proliferation he plans to raise at the Foreign Affairs Council on 18 to 19 April.

Nuclear non-proliferation does not feature on the agenda of this meeting.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the provisions in the accession document submitted by Sweden to the Council of the European Union on publication by civil servants of Government documents.

Sweden made a declaration in the Final Act attached to the treaty of accession welcoming the development now taking place in the European Union towards greater openness and transparency. The declaration noted that open government is a fundamental part of Sweden's constitutional, political and cultural heritage. The Union made a declaration in response noting the Swedish declaration and adding that the member states of the European Union take it for granted that as a member Sweden will fully comply with Community law in this respect. The United Kingdom fully supports this declaration by the Union.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the treatment of the representative of Belize at the recent conference between the European Union and central American countries.

We have protested to the presidency and made clear to others our dissatisfaction at the mishandling of arrangements regarding Belizean attendance at the San José meeting. We shall continue to make clear both to member states and to countries in the region, that Belize as a stable, responsible democracy deserves inclusion in the San Jose process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement regarding territorial claims by Guatemala over Belize.

Guatemala recognised Belize as a sovereign and independent state in 1991. We will continue to encourage both countries to work for a full settlement of their territorial dispute.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the policy of the EC on the territorial integrity of Belize.

The European Community welcomed Guatemalan recognition of Belize in 1991 and its reaffirmation by the new Guatemalan Government in 1993. The European Community also urged Belize and Guatemala to continue to work for a full settlement of their territorial dispute.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent meetings he or his officials at the United Nations have had with (a) the United States of America, (b) Russian and (c) Chinese ministers or officials in regard to the present situation in North Korea's nuclear programme.

North Korea's nuclear programme is frequently a subject of discussion between us and the Governments of those states most directly concerned. The United Nations Security Council last considered the matter of North Korea's compliance with its IAEA safeguards agreement during the final week of March. Following discussions on this issue between all members of the Security Council, the President of the Security Council issued a statement on 31 March calling on North Korea to comply fully with its safeguards agreement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what extra resources the OPS unit of UNDP in Somaliland has recently received to help it in its work of disarming and rehabilitating militia in Somaliland.

The national demobilisation committee project proposal, prepared with the assistance of the UNDP/OPS contracted team of Zimbabweans, is due to be presented to donors on 22 April 94. Decisions on funding are expected to be taken in the light of that presentation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals Her Majesty's Government have put forward with a view to introducing monitoring and enforcement mechanisms in the forthcoming updating of the United Nations 1980 inhumane weapons convention.

None. The United Kingdom is still considering the issues involved in the review conference.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what resources are currently being made available by his Department for tiger conservation schemes; and if he will make a statement.

We are most concerned about the plight of the tiger and are working through CITES to encourage consumer countries to stamp out the illegal trade in tiger parts. For this reason, we contributed towards the cost of the CITES high level delegation to the region. We welcome the development of the global tiger forum last month in India and will continue to participate actively in international efforts to save the tiger.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the European Court of Justice to offer an opinion on the referral submitted by the European Commission concerning the decision of the Government of Greece to impose an embargo against the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; and if he will make a statement.

There is as yet no indication when the European Court of Justice might offer a ruling. We have made clear our support for the Commission's decision to refer Greece's action to the European Court of Justice. We hope that this will lead to an early lifting of Greece's measures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 12 April, Official Report, column 101, on the report on information and protection of transactions concerning immovable property purchased by consumers, if he will now make it his policy to bring forward proposals to ensure that member Governments of the European Community are entitled (a) to see and (b) to publish for consultation all reports commissioned by the European Commission.

No. The publication of reports commissioned by the European Commission is a matter for the Commission itself. However, the majority of these reports are likely to be available under the agreement on public access to documents held by the Council and Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 12 April, Official Report, column 99, on information and protection of transactions concerning immovable property purchased by consumers, if he will make it his policy to bring forward proposals to ensure that in future the European Commission informs the United Kingdom Government of all the reports which it commissions.

No. The European Commission commissions large numbers of reports annually to assist it in its work. These reports are the property of the Commission, which itself decides whether or not they should be published. However, under the code of conduct on access to Council and Commission documents, we would expect the public to have access to the majority of such reports.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 12 April, Official Report, column 100, on the report on information and protection of transactions concerning immovable property purchased by consumers, if he will now make it his policy to require the European Commission to make known to the United Kingdom Government the cost of this and of all future such reports which it commissions.

No. The cost of reports commissioned by the European Commission is a matter for the Commission itself. However the Commission must ensure that all its expenditure is consistent with the treaties and Community legislation, including requirements for sound financial management. It is also subject to examination by the Court of Auditors as to the legality and regularity of transactions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the difference is between devolvement and delegation of local education authorities' moneys.

In the context of local management of schools, funds are customarily said to be delegated where they form part of the unhypothecated budget shares allocated to schools by formula, and devolved where they are made available to schools subject to conditions, specified by the local education authority, as to the purposes for which they may or may not be used.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement on the future of the core status of the United Nations following the pending review of the history programme of study within the national curriculum.

My right hon. Friend is currently considering advice from the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority on slimming down the national curriculum. At this stage I cannot comment on the possible place of the United Nations within a revised history curriculum. The Secretary of State's proposals will be published in May and will be followed by a public consultation exercise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which grant-maintained schools previously required to provide rooms for election meetings are now able to refuse.

There has been no change in the statutory requirements governing the provision of rooms at schools for election meetings.