To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department which courts in Staffordshire have child liaison officers to protect child witnesses; and if he will make a statement.

There is a designated child liaison officer for every Crown court centre, including the combined court centres at Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the expenditure on salaries of all (a) full-time district judges and (b) part-time district judges in the 1993–94 financial year.

During the 1993–94 financial year, the total amount paid to full-time district judges was £18,427,591. The figure for part-time district judges is not yet available for the whole financial year, but for the 11-month period from April 1993 to February 1994, the fees amounted to £4,870,627.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the planned increase for the years 1994, 1995 and 1996 in (a) full-time district judges and (b) part-time district judges.

The number of full-time district judges in post on 1 March 1994 was 289. The planned number of full-time district judges for the three forthcoming financial years is:

	Number
1994–95	305
1995–96	309
1996–97	314

There are no plans to increase the number of deputy district judges from the present level of 750.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many leaflets his Department distributed in 1993 explaining the processes of the small claims courts.

A series of seven leaflets explains the small claims procedure in county courts. The total number distributed in 1993 was approximately 1·5 million. The leaflets are distributed by Her Majesty's Stationery Office to court offices, trading standards offices, citizens advice bureaux and other advice agencies.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many actions were commenced through the small claims court in each year from 1990.

The term "small claims court" refers to the arbitration procedure in the county court. The number of arbitrations heard—which mainly, but not exclusively, consist of cases below the small claims limit—in England and Wales since 1990 were:

	Number
1990	52,360
1991	161,919
1992	80,341
1993	105,843
1 On 1 July 1991 the maximum sum claimable through the small claims procedure increased from £500 to £1,000.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 23 March, Official Report, column 275, if he will list the firms of consultants employed by his Department in each of the last five years and the number of contracts they have undertaken.

Firms of consultants employed in 1992–93 on projects costing more than £20,000 and the number of contracts that they undertook were as follows:

Consultants	Number of Contracts
Price Waterhouse	6
Grasshopper Computers Ltd.	3
TRIAD Special Systems Ltd.	1
WS Atkins	2
KPMG	2
Coopers & Lybrand	2
Ernst & Young	2
University of Westminster	1
PE International	1
Compucare	1
Baz Services Ltd.	1
LBMS	1
Comshare	1
CSC	1
Aims Systems	1
Sapphire Consultancy Services	1
Clark Whitehill	1
Enviroplan	1
Benford Associates	1
Clarkson Goff Management	1
John Garnett	1

There were also some 70 projects each costing less than ·20,000 in 1992–93. As I said in my answer of 23 March, comparable information for earlier years is not available.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the current number of (a) Queen's Counsel and (b) barristers; and how many of each are (i) women and (ii) members of ethnic minorities.

The Lord Chancellor's Department does not have statistics on practitioners in the legal profession. However, I am informed by the Bar Council that as at 1 October 1993 there were 7,735 practising barristers, of whom 1,593 were women. At the same date there were 797 practising Queen's Counsel, of whom 41 were women. I am also informed by the Bar Council that of a total of 7,660 practising banisters on 6 September 1993, 347 had declared a non-white ethnic origin. Of these, nine were Queen's Counsel. Seventy-seven new practising Queen's Counsel have been appointed this year. Of these, nine were women and one was of non-white ethnic origin.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the Government's policy towards the provision of a network of independent advice and law centres throughout the country; and what response he has made to the Advice 2000 initiative launched by the Advice Services Alliance.

The Lord Chancellor's objectives for legal aid and the Legal Aid Board make it clear that he wishes to encourage law centres, citizens advice bureaux and others to take on an increasing proportion of work which it is appropriate for them to handle. The Legal Aid Board is currently undertaking two projects: the first is designed to ascertain whether methods of delivering legal services other than on a case-by-case basis would have benefits and the second to enable the board to set standards applicable to non-solicitor agencies. Information from these projects should assist consideration of how to achieve the above objective.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has to consult interested parties regarding any future amendment of section 20A of the Taxes Management Act 1970; and if he will make a statement.

The Inland Revenue is at present consulting the accountancy and legal professions over its draft guidance notes on the use of section 20A. The Government will be considering how to take the matter forward in the light of any responses to the draft guidance notes and the points made in Committee.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultation and preparation work is being carried on by which European Union institutions, committees and organisations about monetary union, the reconstruction of the exchange rate mechanism, the restoration of the coinage clearing systems and the institutional arrangements for monetary union; what part Britain is playing in both of these processes and organisations; how many British officials and committees are working on this issue (a) in the EU structures and (b) domestically; and what consultations are being held with British banks and financial institutions by EU officials and his own officials about monetary union.

Monetary co-operation in the European Union is regularly discussed by the Council of the European Monetary Institute, the Monetary Committee and the Council of Finance Ministers. In all those forums, the United Kingdom plays a full and constructive part.The Commission has announced its intention of setting up a study group of independent experts to advise on some of the practical issues which would arise on implementation of a single currency.A number of United Kingdom and Bank of England officials are concerned with European monetary issues. The Government and the bank are represented on the Monetary Committee; the bank is represented on the EMI council.British banks and financial institutions are also consulted as necessary by both British and Commission officials.There have never been EC coinage clearing systems, so the question of their restoration does not arise.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is the practice of Customs and Excise in respect of sending large denomination cheques through the post;(2) what security procedures are adopted to protect cheques sent by post by Customs and Excise.

Customs continually encourages businesses to provide it with bank account details so that repayments can be electronically transferred. However, not all traders yet take advantage of that facility and almost 1 million payable orders, with a total value in excess of £7 billion, are issued each year by first-class post.In conjunction with Her Majesty's Treasury, customs has been taking steps to increase even further the security measures for payable orders. These include higher levels of security printing so as to make alteration of the payee's name more difficult.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will make a statement regarding the repayment of £1 million to the London borough of Haringey by Customs and Excise;(2) what steps are being taken by Customs and Excise to recover £1 million misappropriated en route to the London borough of Haringey.

The payment of £1 million to Haringey borough council was in respect of a claim by it for a lost payable order of £1,156,806·10, plus interest and repayment supplement. Settlement of the claim was made on the basis of advice from counsel and the full agreement of the parties involved.Inquiries into the case, by the police and customs, are still continuing.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total excise and revenue raised from petrol sales in (a) 1990–91, (b) 1991–92 and (c) 1992–93.

Information on the excise duty and VAT revenue raised from petrol sales in (a) 1990–91, (b) 1991–92 and (c) 1992–93 is provided in the table:

£ billion
	1990–91	1991–92	1992–93
Excise duty	7·0	8·0	8·2
VAT (estimated)	1·3	1·5	1·6
Total tax revenue	8·3	9·6	9·7

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total income to the Treasury from value added tax on petrol in 1992–93.

The total income to the Treasury from value added tax on petrol in 1992–93 is estimated at £1·6 billion.No direct figures are available for the VAT raised on petrol. An estimate has been made using national accounts data; it covers only consumers' expenditure—the yield from business is highly uncertain because the majority of businesses can reclaim the VAT paid as in-put tax.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the effect of pre-payment by large-scale gas and electricity users to avoid value added tax on domestic fuel from 1 April; and what assessment he has made of the scheme of pre-payment and its effect on (a) the revenue expected from the tax and (b) the level of savings held in building societies.

I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 13 April, Official Report, column 171.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what impact the recent tax changes will have on the Child Support Agency assessments for child maintenance; and if he will make a statement.

To the extent that they affect the net incomes of absent parents, the recent direct tax changes will alter the assessments.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he will take to ensure that the age limit is reduced from 65 years to 60 years for women to be able to invest in pensioner certificates.

There are no plans to change the present age limit for purchase of the National Savings pensioners guaranteed income bond.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what key targets have been set for the Central Statistical Office for 1994–95.

The Central Statistical Office's key targets for 1994–95 are set out in the "CSO Programme Strategies 1994–97", a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House. As before, the targets cover the timeliness of published statistics, the size of revisions, the coherence of key economic statistics, the response rates for statistical inquiries, action to minimise the load on respondents, response times to public requests for information and the CSO's running costs, efficiency improvements and receipts. A number of the targets have been tightened for 1994–95 in recognition of the continuing improvements in the CSO's performance.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many domestic properties in England and Wales have been re-banded on sale and repurchase; and, of these, how many have had their banding increased and how many decreased.

The Valuation Office Agency does not keep a record of how many bandings are increased or decreased in England and Wales as a result of a sale.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what criteria are used to decide the rebanding of domestic properties on sale and repurchase;(2) what steps are taken by the Inland Revenue to review the banding for council tax purposes on the sale and repurchase of domestic properties.

A listing officer is required to alter the banding of a property following the sale or other relevant transaction if the banding does not reflect the value added by improvements carried out by the previous taxpayer. Otherwise, the listing officer will review a banding following sale of the property only if the sale price is significantly different from the figure that would reasonably have been expected at that date for a property with that banding. In such cases, he will consider all the evidence available to him of the value of the property as at the valuation date of 1 April 1991, including any relevant sale prices at or around that date, in order to establish whether there is any inaccuracy that requires to be remedied.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if it is his policy to reband other similar properties in the same area where a property is rebanded for council tax purposes on sale and repurchase.

Where a property is reviewed and rebanded following a sale or other relevant transaction because the band does not reflect the value of the improvements carried out by the previous taxpayer, the banding of other similar properties in the locality is not reviewed. Where a property is reviewed and rebanded following a sale which indicates that the original entry in the compiled valuation list was incorrect and the listing officer is aware that similar properties in the locality may be incorrect, the banding of those properties is reviewed.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 29 March, Official Report, column 640, if he will give details of the countries of origin of the tiger products seized by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise; and in each case what was the ultimate destination of the products.

[holding answer 18 April 1994]: It is not always possible to determine the origin—as opposed to country of consignment—of goods, but the following additional information may be of help in connection with the seized tiger derivatives listed in my previous answer:

Item	Country of consignment
Handbag	Australia
Skin (whole and piece); two claws	India
Pair of shoes	Saudi Arabia
50 boxes pills; 12 packets plasters	Hong Kong
20 packets plasters	USA
Item	Country of origin
All other goods	China

In all cases customs seized the goods; there is no information on their intended ultimate destination other than the declared United Kingdom address of the importer.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what level of change in profit margins has been reported in (a) the west midlands and (b) Coventry in each quarter since April 1991.

[holding answer 13 April 1994]: Information on profit margins is not available but gross trading profits in the west midlands standard region are estimated at £4,903 million in 1991 and £5,266 million in 1992. No estimates have yet been made for 1993. There are no quarterly estimates and none for Coventry separately.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what was the amount spent in each year since 1985, by tobacco manufacturing companies on sponsorship of each sport, under the terms of the voluntary agreement.

Records are not kept of the amount of sponsorship money spent on each individual sport. The voluntary agreement on sponsorship requires tobacco manufacturers represented on the Tobacco Advisory Council to inform the Government of the expenditure incurred each year on sports sponsorship in the United Kingdom. These amounts are as follows:

Year	£
1985–86	8,252,000
1986–87	7,699,000
1987–88	5,911,000
1988–89	5,329,000
1989–90	7,253,000
1990–91	7,630,000
1991–92	8,981,000

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when he was notified by the European Community Commission of its intention to take the United Kingdom to court over the broadcasting directive; and what particular issue is being pursued.

[holding answer 18 April 1994]: I refer to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend on 13 April, Official Report, column 190. I was informed on 23 March by the United Kingdom's representative in Brussels, though I have yet to receive a formal communication from the Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to announce changes in the proposals for all-seater stadiums to be installed at premier league and first division football clubs before the end of 1994.

[holding answer 15 April 1994]: I have no such plans. The 1 August deadline for all-seating at premier league and first division clubs remains unchanged.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education 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.

The number of answers given to parliamentary questions by the Department for Education—and the Department of Education and Science prior to April 1992—between January 1987 and December 1993 recorded in the POLIS database as including a reference to part or all of the information being available only at disproportionate cost was 260. Details of each of these questions can be obtained from the POLIS database, access to which is available in the Library. The further information requested is not currently available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many copies of the GM pack, "Going GM", including, "How to become a GM School", "Experiences During the First Year", "Questions Parents Ask", "Questions Staff Ask" and "Funding Worksheet", have been sent to school heads and governors; and what is the total cost of the information sent, including postage costs.

A composite Department for Education information pack on grant-maintained status was first issued in September 1992. Its contents have varied a little for particular purposes over time. Numbers issued fall into the following categories:

a. circulation of updated publications following the Education Act 1993, to chairmen of governors of all maintained schools in December 1993 (22,531 copies at a total cost of some £63,000, including also DFE Circular 18/93 "Grant-Maintained Schools: Acquisition, Transfer and Governance");

b. accompanying invitations to attend the Department's regional "Going GM" conferences, sent to headteachers and chairmen of governors in batches between September 1992 and December 1993 (57,092 copies at an estimated total cost of some £127,000). A further mailing has taken place within the last week of 10,118 invitations with packs; figures on the cost of this mailing are not available yet;

c. in response to requests, some of which were from headteachers and governors, between September 1992 and December 1993 (approximately 78,000 copies at an estimated cost of £110,000, exclusive of postage). Since January 1994 the contents of the individual packs have been specifically tailored to the needs of individual enquirers.

Cost estimates reflect the variation in pack contents over time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the total cost of each of the "Going GM" conferences held in Darlington on 3 February, Manchester on 18 February, Newcastle on 4 March and Huddersfield on 14 March; how many school heads and how many governors attended each conference; how many speakers were paid by the Department; and how many civil servants attended in each case.

The numbers attending and the costs of the Darlington, Manchester, Newcastle and Huddersfield "Going GM" conferences are set out in the table:

Conference	Cost12 £	Delegates3	Civil Servants4
Darlington	13,335	94	25
Manchester	15,697	114	10
Newcastle	14,131	77	13
Huddersfield	15,151	102	10
1 Includes venue hire and catering, equipment costs, and pro rata conference support costs (secretariat, production, and conference management), and expenses payments to GM headteachers who spoke at the conferences and who have submitted an expenses claim.
2 Does not include the cost of mailing invitations for these conferences, or related travel and subsistence costs for civil servants.
3 The Department's records do not identify separately headteachers and governors attending "Going GM" conferences.
4 Attendance at a "Going GM" conference is often part of the

Participation in Pre-primary Education(Full and Part-time)by age group,1991
	Percentage of age group
	Age at which Compulsory schooling starts	Education		Percentage of preprimary provision which is within the private sector 11991
		3 to 5	3 to 4
France	6	100	100	12
Germany	6	63	53	1267
United Kingdom34	5	68	52	6
		568	553
United States of America	66-8	60	45	137
1 1990 for Germany and 1989 for United States of America.
2 In Germany, some providers of private sector provision receive some public subsidy.
3 Participation rates of those in school at start of calendar year with ages at that point.
4 Age 3 includes some children age 2.
5 1992 data.
6 Varies between states

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is his estimate of the cost of the freephone calls in response to the recent advertisements in the national press on GM status and his most recent figure of the number of calls received.

To date, more than 1,100 of the responses to the advertising campaign were calls to the freephone number. To disaggregate the cost of these calls from that of other calls received by the Department's GM publications centre would involve disproportionate expense.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) Germany, (c) France and (d) the USA have nursery places provided by (i) the Government sector and (ii) the non profit-making private sector.

Information is not centrally available in the form requested. The table below shows the latest available information on combined public and private participation rates in pre-compulsory schooling. Separate participation rates are not available. There are also some differences between countries in the distinction drawn between education and day care. If the United Kingdom figures are defined to include nursery schools, nursery classes, infant classes, pre-school play groups and group day care, the participation rates for both three to four and three to five-year-olds increase to over 90 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is his latest estimate of the average cost per surplus pupil place in respect of (a) a secondary pupil and (b) a primary pupil.

The average premises-related cost of maintaining a school place is estimated at £179 a year for a primary school place and £298 a year for a secondary school place at 1994–95 prices. The actual cost and the scope for realising savings from removal of surplus places in practice will depend on local circumstances.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the figures, in total and for each local education authority, on the number of parents who secured the primary or secondary school of their first choice for their child for 1989–90 and 1990–91.

Data on the number of parents securing their first choice of school are not collected centrally. However, the most recent evidence—from surveys commissioned by the Association of Metropolitan Authorities in 1992 and The Times in 1993—shows that some 90 per cent. of parents gain a place at their first choice of secondary school.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what payments his Department has made, either directly or indirectly, to Hanover Insurance Brokers for their work in advising grant-maintained schools on issues concerning insurance.

Hanover Insurance Brokers is one of a number of companies that advise grant-maintained schools on their insurance requirements. The Department has made no direct payment to Hanover Insurance Brokers in respect of this work. Arrangements for paying brokers in respect of advice on insurance is a matter for individual grant-maintained schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education who are the directors of the Grant-Maintained Schools Foundation Ltd; who has been appointed as chief executive; and what was the Department's involvement in the appointments.

The directors of the Grant-Maintained Schools Foundation Ltd. are Sir Robert Balchin, chairman, Mr. John Spiers, Sir Christopher Lawson, Mr. David Allan, OBE, Mr. Lawrence Norcross, OBE and Mr. Thomas Savage. The company's chief executive is Mr. Andrew Turner. The Department was not involved in the appointment of the directors or the chief executive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much grant aid the new Grant-maintained Schools Foundation Ltd. has applied for in 1994–95; and what level of grant has been granted.

The Grant-Maintained Schools Foundation Ltd. is currently in discussion with the Department about grant aid for 1994–95. Decisions on the total level of grant have yet to be taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to investigate the potential conflict of interests arising from other chairmanships held by the chairman of the Funding Agency for Schools.

None. I do not accept that any conflicts arise. It will be for the funding agency to keep a register of chairman's and members' interests and for individual members to disclose any private interest in a matter to be considered by the board in the normal way.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions in the last 10 years he has used powers to call in planning applications after they have been approved by local authorities.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to introduce the system of statutory water quality objectives under the Water Resources Act 1991.

My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales and I have today laid before Parliament the Surface Waters (River Ecosystem) (Classification) Regulations 1994. These regulations, together with an accompanying document specifying procedures to be used by the National Rivers Authority, prescribe for the first time a statutory system for classifying the overall quality of rivers in England and Wales. This builds on the previous informal river classification system, and follows extensive consultations. The regulations will allow the process of introductory statutory water quality objectives to begin.Water quality objectives will provide a stable framework for the NRA to maintain and, where appropriate, improve river quality; they will build on the major programmes of investment that are already planned or under way. My hon. Friend and I will, after advice from the NRA, consult on proposals for the first water quality objectives to be set on the basis on these regulations.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement about the Advisory Committee on Human Genome Research.

I established an Advisory Committee on Human Genome Research, early last year, to advise me on how best to build on the existing strengths of United Kingdom human genome research and secure the benefits it promises for human welfare, health care and United Kingdom industry.The committee convened an independent expert working group of leading geneticists, to review the area and identify priorities for investment in the United Kingdom to benefit both basic science and commercial opportunities. Its report, "The Human Genome Mapping Project—Priorities and Opportunities in Genome Research", was published this morning. I believe that it will be of interest to all those concerned with genome research in the United Kingdom. I am arranging for copies to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to his answer of 31 March, Official Report, column 1018, if he will list the firms of consultants employed by his Department and the number of contracts they have undertaken.

The information requested is not held centrally and is available only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the total amount of spending in 1993 in Wales by the Natural Environment Research Council in pounds million at 1994–95 prices net of spending on the research vessels services in Barry and the British geological survey, Aberystwyth, together with the corresponding percentage spending by the Natural Environment Research Council in Wales as a proportion of spending the United Kingdom net of spending on the above two establishments.

The estimated expenditure by the Natural Environment Research Council in Wales in 1993–94 was £3·4 million at 1994–95 prices, net of the research vessel services at Barry, and the British geological survey's district office at Aberystwyth. This amounts to approximately 2 per cent. of the NERC's total United Kingdom spend.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will now seek written confirmation, by means of an exchange of letters, of the undertakings he announced in his oral statement of 29 March, Official Report, columns 797-98, and place copies in the Library.

I see no need for this, in the light of the undertakings given.

To ask the Prime Minister how many people, of what grade, are employed by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel.

The number of staff and their grades currently employed in the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, excluding those on loan to the Law Commission and the Home Office, is:

	Number
First Parliamentary Counsel (grade 1)	1
Second Parliamentary Counsel (grade 2)	1
Parliamentary Counsel (grade 2)	8

	Number
Deputy Parliamentary Counsel (grade 3)	3
Senior Assistant Parliamentary Counsel (grade 5)	3
Assistant Parliamentary Counsel (grade 7)	12
Grade 7	1
Executive Officer	1
Senior Personal Secretary	7
Administrative Officer	5
Support grade band 2	2
Total	44

The following Parliamentary Counsel Office staff are on loan to the Law Commission:

	Number
Parliamentary Counsel (grade 2)	1
Deputy Parliamentary Counsel (grade 3)	1
Principal Assistant Parliamentary Counsel (grade 4)	1
Senior Assistant Parliamentary Counsel (grade 5)	1
Assistant Parliamentary Counsel (grade 7)	1
Total	5

The following Parliamentary Counsel Office staff are on loan to the Home Office:

	Number
Assistant Parliamentary Counsel (grade 7)	1
Total	1

To ask the Prime Minister what official duties have been carried out by Stephan Adolphus Kock since 1979.

None.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 19 April.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 19 April.

This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House I shall be having further meetings later today.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the organisations and individuals who have submitted evidence to the interdepartmental fire safety scrutiny initiative; and if he will make a statement on the timetable for the review.

The team conducting the review of fire safety legislation and enforcement has consulted widely among more than 100 organisations with a known interest in the subject. These have included, inter alia, representatives of fire service bodies, the insurance industry, fire and other safety organisations, the Confederation of British Industry and groups representing small businesses, organisations representing retail, manufacturing and other business interests, consumer bodies, organisations representing property interests, fire equipment manufacturers, groups representing the disabled, local authorities, unions, the construction industry, surveyors, building control officers, architects and planners.Many such organisations have responded by supplying written evidence and some have also met the review team. Evidence has also been received from a number of individuals interested in this important matter.The review team are still receiving representations. They will include the final list of all those who submitted evidence in their report to Ministers which is due before the end of May. We will then need to consider their recommendations and any changes that they may propose. The Government are committed to consulting all interested parties before making any legislative changes.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the reports of the eight deregulation task forces will be deposited in the Library.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Warley, West (Mr. Spellar) on 30 March 1994, Official Report, column 766, which stated that the working papers of the seven business task forces were placed in the Library of the House on 30 March.The eighth task force, which is looking at legislation affecting charities and voluntary organisations, has now completed its work and is due to report shortly.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received regarding dumping of aluminium from the former Soviet Union.

None.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what the imports of aluminium have been from the former Soviet Union in each of the last five years.

The information is provided in the table:

Imports of Aluminium from the former Soviet Union
Year	Volume (Metric Tonnes)	Value (£000's)
1989	0	0
1990	4,552	4,297
1991	22,387	16,981
1992	17,355	11,291
1993	229,305	180,432

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 29 March, Official Report, columns 647-49, if he will consider making it a duty for authorities to consult local communities for the purposes of regional challenge; if he will publish rules indicating that the consultation should enable local communities to have an impact on decisions; and if he will ensure that the rules of this new competition do not allow for unnecessary competition between deprived communities.

I have nothing to add to my reply of 29 March.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade who will be responsible for consumer protection and safety in respect of domestic coal consumers when the Domestic Coal Consumers Council ceases to exist after Royal Assent is given to the Coal Industry Bill.

A substantial body of general consumer protection legislation will continue to apply to coal as well as to other products. Discussions are taking place in the coal trade on voluntary complementary arrangements following the privatisation of British Coal. The Domestic Coal Consumers Council is an advisory body. No date has been set for its abolition, although the Coal Industry Bill provides for that in due course.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has in respect of (a) "Complete Heat" and (b) British Coal domestic consumers database after the Coal Industry Bill receives Royal Assent.

Decisions on the future of "Complete Heat" and British Coal's database of domestic consumers are a matter for the Corporation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the ratification of the 1988 protocol to the 1974 international convention on the safety of life at sea.

The 1988 protocol to the 1974 international convention on the safety of life at sea will be ratified upon completion of the work in consolidating the Merchant Shipping Acts. This is scheduled for later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many holders of his office have had advice from the Landscape Advisory Committee since 1964.

All.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport why he no longer needs advice from the Landscape Advisory Committee.

The reasons are given in paragraph 8.11 of "Trunk Roads in England: 1994 Review", copies of which are in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the advice and publications from the Landscape Advisory Committee in the past 10 years.

Copies of each of the committee's annual reports were placed in the Library. The reports list the schemes on which the committee has advised.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when he decided to abolish the Landscape Advisory Committee;(2) when he first

My right hon. Friend and I considered the future of the Landscape Advisory Committee as part of the Government's review of the road programme, announced in August 1993. My right hon. Friend announced the results of the review on 30 March 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he advised the Select Committee for Transport on his proposal to abolish the Landscape Advisory Committee.

The decision to disband the Landscape Advisory Committee was announced in "Trunk Roads in England: 1994 Review", published on 30 March 1994. My right hon. Friend wrote to the Chairman of the Select Committee on Transport drawing his attention to that document on the day of publication.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who have been the members of the Landscape Advisory Committee since 1964.

A list of members since 1970 is set out in alphabetical order. Information on members between 1964 and 1969, if available, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.Members of Landscape Advisory Committee since 1970

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the cost of the Landscape Advisory Committee in each of the past 10 years.

Over the last 10 years, expenditure incurred by Landscape Advisory Committee members on travel, subsistence and accommodation in connection with Committee meetings and site visits has been as follows:

Year	Cost (£)
1984–85	17,532
1985–86	21,520
1986–87	19,475
1987–88	19,810
1988–89	18,555
1989–90	28,974
1990–91	52,062
1991–92	47,155
1992–93	53,898
1993–94	48,593

In addition, the Committee was supported throughout this period by a secretariat consisting of two full-time staff whose costs including salaries and accommodation amounted to around £60,000 in 1993–94. Substantial costs were also incurred by officials and consultants attending meetings and site visits and preparing briefing material. These costs are not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the three rolling stock companies will tell passenger railway service operators how much they will be charged for using their rolling stock in the current financial year.

The timing of this is a matter for the British Rail board. I understand from British Rail that the rolling stock companies intend to issue indicative prices within the next two or three weeks.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the terms of the shadow franchise agreements for the six railway shadow franchises which came into operation on 1 April will be finalised; and whether the terms of the agreements including the minimum service specification and the performance standards will be made public.

It is the franchising director's intention to finalise the details of the shadow franchise agreements for the first six franchises within the next few months. These will be made public except in so far as that might damage the commercial interest of the businesses concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the possibility of requiring all cyclists to wear protective headgear on public roads.

The benefits of cycle helmets are well established, particularly for children and young adults who are most at risk of injury when cycling. Research shows that good standard cycle helmets reduce the chance of head injury by 85 per cent. and brain injury by 88 per cent. We actively promote helmet wearing but are not minded to regulate to make it a criminal offence to ride a bicycle without a helmet.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimates he has made of (a) his Department's annual spending on and (b) the annual grant to local authorities for repairs to road bridges for each year since 1985 and in each of the years of the current public expenditure White Paper.

The figures are:

Year	Department of transport Capital expenditure on trunk road structures	Local authority expenditure accepted for transport supplementary grant(TSG)
	£ million	£ million
1985–86	7	—
1986–87	37	—
1987–88	51	—
1988–89	31	—
1989–90	66	—
1990–91	87	—
1991–92	120	91
1992–93	116	111
1993–94	129	137
1994–95	150	137
1995–96	155	—
1996–97	155	—

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to require local authorities to divest their interests in bus companies; and if he will make a statement.

It is our policy that all the remaining local authority-owned bus companies should be transferred to the private sector. We have been encouraging their voluntary sale. I am pleased that 28, including most recently Greater Manchester Buses, have already been sold. Measures to require the sale of local authority bus companies will be introduced when a suitable legislative opportunity occurs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many unauthorised penetrations of controlled or regulated airspace were reported in each year since 1988; and what proportion of the number in each year were by military aircraft.

As this is a matter within the responsibility of the Civil Aviation Authority, I am asking the chairman of the CAA to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many children have been killed or injured in accidents involving school minibuses in each region in each of the last five years.

The information requested is shown in the table.

Minibus1 casualties: Number of school pupils2 killed or injured: Great Britain 1988–92
Departmental regions	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992
Northern	10	9	10	9	16
Yorkshire/Humberside	18	10	25	22	20
East Midlands	9	16	37	36	34
Eastern	49	38	41	47	41
South-East	34	35	50	26	38
Greater London	10	9	18	0	32
South West	24	31	28	7	29
West Midlands	24	26	12	21	10
North West	56	28	54	21	13
England	234	202	275	189	233
Wales	24	33	14	40	45
Scotland	51	36	48	23	42
Total	309	271	337	252	320
1 Includes motor caravans.
2 Aged 0-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the current membership of the London heliport study group; and when it is expected to report.

The membership of the London heliport study working group comprises representatives of the Department of Transport, Department of the Environment, Department of Trade and Industry, Civil Aviation Authority, British Helicopter Advisory Board, London Planning Advisory Committee, and Westland London heliport. The group expects to report by summer 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the objectives of the River Thames working group; and when the group will report to him.

The River Thames working group, which I chair, is reviewing current transport uses of the River Thames and possible constraints on those uses. It will establish the potential for the development of the river for transport, particularly freight, alongside other river interests, and identify and encourage private sector-led initiatives. My Department has recently engaged Wootton Jeffreys Consultants Ltd. to assist it in analysing the information that the group has received following a wide-ranging consultation exercise which I launched last year. The working group is aiming to complete its report in July.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many heavy goods vehicles have suffered shattered windscreens during trial runs through the channel tunnel; and if he will make a statement.

Commissioning of the tunnel system is a matter for Eurotunnel. I understand that no vehicle windscreens have been shattered.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department is planning into leg protectors for motor cycles.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 March to a question tabled by the late hon. Member for Bradford, South, Official Report, column 107.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the cost of setting up the new Marine Safety Agency.

[holding answer 18 April 1994]: The additional cost for setting up the Marine Safety Agency was approximately £253,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the cost of setting up the new Coastguard Agency and replacing the National Coastguard Service.

[holding answer 18 April 1994]: The cost of setting up the Coastguard Agency, comprising Her Majesty's Coastguard and the marine pollution control unit was £231,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether the recently published joint National Air Traffic Service and International Air Transport Association recommendation leaflet concerning runway occupancy times and the need for pilots of landing aircraft to ensure expeditious clearance of the runway has been approved by the safety regulation group of the regulatory authority; and whether the associated air traffic procedures have been approved by the Civil Aviation Authority's air traffic control standards department;(2) what are the reasons for establishing a runway hourly movement monitor to compare actual movement rates achieved with the declared runway capacity and for the requirement of air traffic controllers at Manchester to submit to an internal management investigation if they fail to achieve the declared hourly movement rate.

[holding answer 18 April 1994]: As these two questions concern matters that are within the responsibility of the Civil Aviation Authority, I am asking the chairman of the CAA to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to meet the chairman of Railtrack to discuss the tendering timetable for retail developments; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 18 April 1994]: My right hon. Friend and I regularly meet the chairman of Railtrack to discuss a range of issues, including opportunities for retail developments on Railtrack property. We expect Railtrack to report during the summer on the prospects for retail and development opportunities at certain major stations.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if all sheep exported from the United Kingdom to Spain for slaughter and for further fattening (a) have been and (b) will be slaughtered in abattoirs which are guaranteed by the Spanish Government as complying with directive 74/577/EEC requiring the stunning of animals before slaughter.

The answer given to the hon. Member for Glanford and Scunthorpe (Mr. Morley) on 16 February, Official Report, column 847, set out the arrangements for ensuring that animals for immediate slaughter in Spain would be sent only to slaughterhouses that the Spanish authorities had confirmed as meeting Community welfare rules. These arrangements do not apply to animals for further fattening. The Government have, however, agreed further safeguards with the Spanish authorities under which they will carry out checks to ensure that consignments for slaughter or further fattening are correctly described.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if she will outline the conservation and control regime for fisheries allowed to Norway under the entry agreement with the EEC in (a) northern waters and (b) the rest of Norwegian fishing grounds; and in which ways this departs from the common fisheries policy as applied in British waters;(2) what proposals she has for extending the Norwegian management and control regime for fisheries permitted under the entry agreement with the EU to British waters; and what plans she has to urge that such a regime be extended to other national waters.

In waters north of 62 deg. north, for a transitional period of three years from accession, Norway is authorised to maintain:

(a) national control measures which involve, for example, making rendezvous with inspectors at sea, and

(b) the ban on discarding fish at sea and the system for opening and closing fisheries in biologically sensitive zones, neither of which policies is applied by the CFP.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when she last met members of the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations to discuss the Norwegian accession.

European Community Foodstuffs held in Public Intervention Storage ('000 tonnes)
Commodity	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984
Butter	271	128	9	100	692	841
Skimmed Milk Powder	227	230	286	567	990	617
Wheat	1,821	4,914	2,978	6,300	6,857	8,782
Barley	69	1,086	740	1,625	1,102	1,845
Rye	549	513	321	293	249	426
Durum	143	157	307	771	714	858
Total Cereals	2,582	6,670	4,346	8,989	8,922	11,911
Beef	275	302	181	203	372	610
Wine Alcohol (million litres)	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	2

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action she has taken to raise awareness of issues of welfare in the transportation of live animals with the Governments of other member states.

The Government take every opportunity in the Council of Agriculture Ministers and elsewhere to press for our high standards of animal welfare during transport to be applied throughout the European Community.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what animal identification methods will be acceptable under the EU directive 92/65/EEC on the import and export of animals.

The current arrangements for identifying animals for import and export are not altered by directive 92/65 except in the case of cats and dogs imported into the United Kingdom. From 1 July 1994 traded cats and dogs imported under the directive will have to be identified with an implanted microchip.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether Ministers of her Department have supported in meetings of the Council of Ministers a maximum journey time of eight hours for livestock.

In Community negotiations the United Kingdom is taking full account of the case for journey limits and how they could be enforced.

I briefed representatives of the NFFO and of other fishermen's organisations fully on the outcome of the Norwegian accession negotiations on 22 March.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current size in terms of (a) weight and (b) volume of the European Communities' reserve stocks of (a) cereals, (b) beef, (c) grain, (d) butter, (e) milk and (f) wine; and how these have varied since 1979.

Tables showing current levels of all produce held in intervention within the European Community are deposited in the Library of the House at monthly intervals, most recently on 8 April. The information currently held in the House Library goes back to January 1985; figures for earlier years were not prepared on the same basis, but the table gives intervention stocks as at 31 December for the years 1979–84.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what actions (a) the European Commission and (b) other member states can take against member states that do not enforce implementation of European directives.

Where the European Commission considers that a member state has failed to fulfil a Community obligation it may, in accordance with article 169 of the treaty of Rome, deliver a reasoned opinion, after giving the member state the opportunity to submit its observations. If the member state does not comply with the opinion, the Commission may bring the matter before the European Court of Justice. Similarly, if a member state considers that another member state has failed to fulfil a Community obligation it may, under article 170 of the treaty of Rome, bring the matter before the European Court of Justice. Before it does so, however, it must give the Commission an opportunity to consider the dispute.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will make a statement on the outcome of the Fisheries Council in Luxembourg on 12 April.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Hertsmere (Mr. Clappison) on 13 April 1994, Official Report, columns 183-84.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the budget, in real and nominal terms, for England in (i) 1991, (ii) 1992, (iii) 1993

£ million
Scheme		1991–92	1992–93	1993–94 forecast	1994–95 estimate
Sheep annual premium	Nominal	117	139	208	183
	At 1991–92 prices	117	135	198	n/a
Suckler cow premium	Nominal	34	34	31	56
	At 1991–92 prices	34	33	29	n/a
Beef special premium	Nominal	26	20	49	69
	At 1991–92 prices	26	20	47	n/a

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the total amounts of fruit and vegetables destroyed by the European Community in 1991–92; what was the purpose of such destruction; and when comparable figures will be produced for 1992–93.

[holding answer 18 April 1994]: The information, produced by the Commission, on the destruction of fruit and vegetables withdrawn from the market in 1991–92 is as follows:

Product	Quantity destroyed (tonnes)
Cauliflowers	40,503
Apricots	93,653
Tomatoes	49,370
Aubergines	543
Nectarines	36,362
Peaches	336,992
Lemons	13,445
Pears	634
Grapes	291
Apples	26,134
Satsumas	1—
Mandarins	2,723
Clementines	1,654
Oranges	154,943
1—No withdrawals.

The EC fruit and vegetable regime provides growers with compensation for withdrawing produce from the market when prices fall below a certain level. This produce may be disposed of by several means with destruction being a last resort once all other alternative uses have been exhausted. The Government consider that the system sustains overproduction and are therefore pressing the Commission for a radical reform of the arrangements.We expect the Commission to produce comparable figures for 1992–93 shortly.

The table shows expenditure by financial year under the sheep annual premium, the suckler cow premium and the beef special premium schemes in nominal terms and at constant 1991–92 prices.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the estimated total cost of the refurbishment of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office accommodation at 11 Belgrave road, London SW1.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is not responsible for 11 Belgrave road, London SW1.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the estimated total cost of the refurbishment to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office building, Marlborough house.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is not responsible for Marlborough house.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the estimated total cost of the refurbishment to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office building, Depot, Chadwick street, London SW1.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is not responsible for Depot, Chadwick street, London SW1.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the estimated total cost of the refurbishment of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office building, Thames house, Millbank, London SW1.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is not responsible for Thames house, Millbank, London SW1.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the estimated total cost of the refurbishment to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office building, 1 to 19 Victoria street, London SW1.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is not responsible for 1 to 19 Victoria street, London SW1.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what administrative framework the IGADD nations have set up to ensure the implementation of the recent agreement in Nairobi between the participants in the Sudanese civil war.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer to his written question on 13 April at column 206.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration he has given to appointing a full-time Nairobi-based diplomat to monitor both political and aid issues particularly in southern Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

Staffing requirements at all overseas posts are kept under regular review. We are currently satisfied with the coverage of southern Sudan which we receive from our missions in Khartoum and Nairobi.