To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were being held in police cells in England and Wales at the latest date available.

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences were reported to the police in each of the last five years involving sexual abuse or serious ill treatment of children aged under 16 years by stepfathers or men cohabiting with the child's mother.

The information is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what reasons he has been given for actuality film of police car chases being supplied by local police forces to the commercial producers of the video "Police Stop"; and what form of payment was made for this transaction;(2) when the hon. Member for Hartlepool can expect to receive a reply to his letter of 21 March concerning the co-operation given by the police in the commercial production of the video "Police Stop";(3) if he will request local police forces in future to stop providing film footage of police car chases and crashes to commercial video producers.

My right hon. and noble Friend Lord Ferrers replied to the hon. Member's letter on 13 April. The supply of informaiton from police records, including video material, is an operational matter which is for the discretion of individual chief officers of police. The traffic committee of the Association of Chief Police Officers has take a close interest in the issue and will be considering it in full when the committee meets on 11 May. I understand that the information was supplied for the purpose of promoting road safety and that none of the police forces concerned received money for the supply of footage.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take measures to allow British citizens to continue to use a United Kingdom rather than a European passport if they so wish.

Old-style British passports remain valid until their normal date of expiry, but are then replaced by new-style British passports which are machine readable and in a common format agreed with our European Community partners. We have no plans to change the present arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what steps the Home Office is taking to reduce car crime, with particular reference to new initiatives taken within the last six months;(2) what estimates the Home Office has regarding the likely incidence of car crime in 1994–95 and 1995–96;(3) how many police hours were committed nationally to covering incidents of vehicle crime in each year since 1990;(4) what was the estimated cost to British car owners of vehicle crime in each year since 1990.

The Home Office is continuing its car crime prevention campaign in 1994, with both media advertising and behind the scenes activities designed to reduce the opportunities for this type of crime.In addition, the advisory committee on car crime prevention has now been brought under the auspices of the national board as a working group and continues to look at devising new ways of improving vehicle security. We are also continuing to promote the secured car parks initiative and I urged major car park operators to participate in the scheme when I met them on 2 February to discuss car park security.It is not possible to estimate what the likely incidence of car crime will be in 1994–95 and 1995–96, but I am pleased to be able to report that vehicle crime as a whole went down by almost 2 per cent. in 1993. I hope that this downward trend will continue.Information as to bow many police hours were committed nationally to covering incidents of car crime in each year since 1990 is not available.Similarly, information as to the estimated cost of vehicle crime to British car owners over the same period is not available in the form requested. However, the British Crime Survey found that in 1991 the net losses to victims of all types of thefts involving cars was somewhere in the region of £775 million, excluding insurance and security costs.

To ask the Secretary of Sate for the Home Department what was the total cost of advertising and promoting the parish constable initiative incurred by his Department.

There has bneen no formal advertising or promotional activity. The parish constables initiative was promoted through exchanges between the Home Office and police forces and parish councils in the course of normal business.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what extra resources his Department has provided to fund the provision of parish constables.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 18 April at columns 352-54.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has had from councils to provide funding for the provision of parish constables; and what has been his response.

The only representations of this kind that have been received from parish councils have suggested that the special constables serving as parish special constables, or the members of the public serving as wardens, should be paid either by the state or out of council funds. In the case of parish special constables, this would be contrary to the tradition of the special constabulary. Special constables volunteer their time and are not paid, although they receive allowances and out-of-pocket expenses for their hours of duty. This has not proved an obstacle to take-up of the initiative. More than 40 schemes are now up and running.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many parliamentary questions to his Department in the last five years have not been answered because of disproportionate costr j 2-6 or because the information requested was not held centrally; 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 questions to my Department in the five calendar years 1989–93 which the POLIS database has been able to identify as fitting the hon. Member's criteria is 479. Information on how many of these questions could now be answered and details of the questions and the hon. Members who tabled them could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been (a) the establishment and (b) the number of police officers in post in North Yorkshire on 1 April 1974 and on the same date each year since then up to and including 1 April 1994.

Information on police strength is collected at the end of each month. The figures set out in the table give the information requested as at 30 April in each year. Data for April 1994 are not yet available.

Establishment and strength of the North Yorkshire police from 1974 to 1994
Years as at 30 April	Establishment	Strength
1974	1,277	1,183
1975	1,277	1,246
1976	1,328	1,309

Years as at 30 April	Establishment	Strength
1977	1,328	1,294
1978	1,328	1,271
1979	1,328	1,337
11980	1,368	1,355
1981	1,368	1,352
1982	1,368	1,361
1983	1,368	1,362
1984	1,368	1,358
1985	1,368	1,348
1986	1,368	1,365
1987	1,368	1,362
1988	1,368	1,370
1989	1,383	1,363
1990	1,408	1,380
1991	1,408	1,380
1992	1,418	1,389
1993	1,418	1,384
21994	1,418	1,326
1 The North Yorkshire authority did not ask for an increase in establishment between 1980–81 and 1987–88.
2 Figures as at February.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what new steps he is taking to ensure that disabled persons have full access to polling booths during local, national and European elections.

We regularly remind local authorities and returning officers about their obligation to choose, wherever possible, buildings which provide access for the disabled, and we have included further advice in our guidance for acting returning officers at the forthcoming European parliamentary elections. This matter is also being considered as part of our post-election review.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases of violent crime abuse of the drug Temazepam has been found to be a factor in the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

The information is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to reschedule the drug Temazepam in capsule and tablet form; and if he will make a statement.

The Home Office carried out a public consultation exercise on this proposal last year. The advisory council subsequently considered the responses to this consultation, and I am currently considering the council's conclusions in consultation with ministerial colleagues. I plan to reach a decision shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people from Bosnia have sought refugee status; and how many have been granted this in each year since 1992;(2) how many people from Bosnia are currently living in the United Kingdom because of insecurity in their homeland; and if he will give a breakdown of their current status regarding their right to stay.

[holding answers 19 April 1994]: The available information on asylum applications by nationals of the former Yugoslavia, and on decisions made, for the period 1 January 1992 to 31 March 1994 are given in the attached table; data for Bosnians are not separately identifiable in the statistics. The large majority of applications made in the period are under consideration and the applicants are being allowed to remain in the meantime.In addition to consideration of asylum applications, the Government have, under arrangements announced in November 1992 and June 1993, offered to receive 1,000 particularly vulnerable individuals from the former Yugoslavia, and their close dependants, an estimated total of 4,000 people in all. As at 12 April 1994, 626 particularly vulnerable individuals and 849 dependants had arrived under these arrangements. Prior to this, 68 sick and wounded ex-detainees from Bosnia arrived in September 1992.

Decisions1 on applications1 received for asylum in the United Kingdom from nationals of the former Yugoslavia, excluding dependants, 1 January 1992 to 31 March 1994
Number of principal applicants
	1992	1993	January 1994 to March 1994
Asylum applications1	5,635	1,830	390
Decisions2 3	130	180	270
Recognised as a refugee and granted asylum	*	55	220
Not recognised as a refugee but granted exceptional leave to remain 4	*	55	220
Refusals	125	125	45
Refused asylum and exceptional leave after full consideration	—	10	25
Refused under para 180F5	65	80	10
Refused on safe third country grounds6	60	30	5
1Provisional figures rounded to the nearest 5 with *=I or 2.
2Figures exclude information on applications made overseas.
3Decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made in the period.
4Usually granted for a year in the first instance, subject then to further review.
5For failure to provide evidence to support the asylum claim within a reasonable period, including failure to respond to invitation to interview to establish identity (para. 101 prior to 26 July 1993).
6Refused on the grounds that the applicant had arrived from a safe third country.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what considerations led him to apply differential treatment to individual and district heating systems in regard to the levying of VAT on domestic fuel.

There is no special VAT treatment for supplies of heat made under a district heating scheme. However, where landlords supply their tenants with heat under such a scheme and make a flat rate charge for both accommodation and heat then, in VAT terms, there is only a single supply of heated accommodation. In such cases the VAT liability of this single supply will be determined by the principal element, the accommodation. This has always been the position and follows established VAT supply principles.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the extent to which value added tax will be charged on any fuel used before 1 April, in bills sent out shortly after 1 April; and if he will make a statement.

There are transitional arrangements that enable suppliers to apportion bills so that VAT is charged only on gas and electricity calculated as used after the new rate came into force.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to change the design, size and colouring of £10 or £20 notes.

The design of Bank of England banknotes is the responsibility of the Bank. I understand that it has no plans to make any further changes to the £10 and £20 notes. New versions with clearer numerals were introduced last year. The size differences have been maintained in order to help the blind and partially-sighted. The colours are predominantly different, especially in the bold coloured symbols and around the portraits on the reverse of the notes.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration is given when introducing new bank notes to the needs of the blind and the elderly.

Design of Bank of England bank notes is the responsibility of the Bank of England. The Bank consults representatives of the blind, the partially sighted and the elderly about the design. In the light of advice from these groups, the Bank has maintained differences in the heights and widths for each denomination in the new series of notes and introduced a different bold coloured symbol on the front of each note to assist the partially sighted.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the countries which have benefited to date from the Trinidad terms; if he will specify for each of these countries how much debt has been written off in total, and how much has been written off by the United Kingdom; if he will list the countries which will be coming up for debt relief under the Trinidad terms in the near future; and if he will indicate which countries have started negotiating the second stage of their Trinidad terms agreement.

To date, 22 countries have benefited from a reduction in the burden of their official bilateral debt under Trinidad terms. They are: Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Cote D'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Republic, Guyana, Honduras, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Vietnam and Zambia.Figures for the debts owed to individual creditors, or the debts cancelled for any individual country are confidential. We cannot publish these figures without the consent of the authorities in both the debtor and creditor countries. But in total, it is estimated that over the lifetime of these agreements over $71/: billion of debt will be restructured and around $23/4 billion will be forgiven. The United Kingdom's share of the debt and debt service forgiven is estimated to be over $200 million. However, such estimates are liable to revision since, for several of the debtor countries, discussions over the detailed terms are still underway.The merits of all future requests for debt rescheduling will be considered by the Paris Club creditors on a case by case basis. Thus it is not possible to say which countries might obtain debt relief under Trinidad terms in the future. As yet, no countries have begun negotiating for reductions of their stock of official bilateral debts with the Paris Club.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the recent meeting of EC finance ministers with EC central bank governors.

EC central bank Governors were invited to the informal meeting of EC Economic and Finance Ministers held in Greece on 9 April. The main item of discussion was follow-up work to the Commission's White Paper on "Growth, Competitiveness and Employment." As is the practice for informal meetings of this sort, there were no formal Council conclusions.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the amount saved or collected due to uncovering of value added tax registration fraud due to local knowledge of local registration staff in each constituency in England and Wales.

False VAT registration by bogus business for the purpose of obtaining false VAT repayments is treated as criminal fraud. Of the reported cases, Customs are unable to identify how many were detected specifically as the result of local knowledge of registration staff in local VAT offices.

To ask the Attorney-General whether he has received a report from the Metropolitan police into the alleged electoral malpractices of the British National party in leaflets put out in Millwall on the 1 October 1992 and 16 September 1993 local by-elections; and if he will make a statement.

The Crown Prosecution Service has been kept informed of the progress of the Metropolitan police inquiries following a complaint made by the hon. Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw). The investigation is continuing and the CPS expects to receive a report when it is concluded.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the number of people not in receipt of severe disablement premium because of computer error by the Benefits Agency; how long this problem has existed; what is being done to rectify it; what efforts are being made to trace those concerned; what his Department's policy is towards backdating payments to the date when entitlement commenced; and if he will make a statement.

The administration of income support is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what action he is taking to remove legislative barriers to improved handling of appeals to social security appeal tribunals, disability appeal tribunals and medical appeal tribunals.

Amendments to the social security adjudication regulations have been laid today to make a number of changes which will streamline the handling of appeals by the independent tribunal service. The main purpose of these minor and technical amendments is to ensure that before a date is arranged for an appeal hearing all necessary preliminary work can be completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average value of weekly state pension paid (a) four weeks in arrears and (b) 13 weeks in arrears.

The information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of the population of working age in Britain is (a) currently contributing to the state earnings-related pension scheme or (b) currently opted out of SERPS and is earning above the national insurance minimum contributions level.

During 1991–92, the latest date for which information is available, of the population of working age in Great Britain with earnings above the national insurance lower earnings level:

(a) 15.4 per cent. paid national insurance contributions to count towards the state earnings-related pension scheme;

(b) 34.2 per cent. were contracted out of SERPS, including those who are members of an appropriate personal pension scheme;

(c) 3 per cent. worked in both contracted in and contracted out employments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners receive their state pension via automated credit transfer (a) four weeks in arrears and (b) 13 weeks in arrears.

At March this year, an estimated 2,550,000 pensioners received their state pension by automated credit transfer four weekly in arrears; and an estimated 85,000 received their state pension by automated credit transfer 13-weekly in arrears.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 12 April, Official Report, column 164, what views his Department's legal advisers have expressed on his proposals applying an habitual residence test to the payment of benefit.

The Department's legal advisers believe that the proposals are in accordance with Community law.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what analysis he has undertaken into the relative Government support received by Rolls-Royce, Pratt and Witney and General Electric concerning aero-engine development.

The United States aero-engine industry receives no direct financial support from the United States Government. However, indirect support, primarily from NASA and the Department of Defence for research and development, is estimated by the United Kingdom industry to be approximately $760 million per annum. Due in part to the high level of indirect support provided by the United States Government to its aircraft industry, the United Kingdom has been seeking a new GATT agreement on trade in civil aircraft to provide strict and fair limits on all classes of Government support for the aerospace industry.Currently Rolls-Royce receives around £5 million under a number of DTI schemes. The Ministry of Defence, including the Defence Research Agency, currently spends around £51 million with Rolls-Royce on aero-engine research technology demonstration and development contracts.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what level of repayments of launch aid have been made by Rolls-Royce to the Exchequer in each year since 1986.

Launch aid repayments made by Rolls-Royce for each year since 1986 are as follows:

Year	£ million
1986–87	22·2
1987–88	25·2
1988–89	21·5
1989–90	31·9
1990–91	17·3
1991–92	27·3
1992–93	33·6

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much Government assistance has been given to Rolls-Royce since 1986.

Approximately £196 million has been provided to Rolls-Royce under a number of schemes since 1986.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many firework-related injuries were referred to hospitals in the period around 5 November 1993.

According to reports from accident and emergency units in hospitals in England, Wales and Scotland, 1,058 people required treatment for injuries caused by fireworks, an increase of 12 per cent. over the total number of injuries reported in 1992.A breakdown of the figures for 1993 and for the previous four years by region, type of injury and kind of firework involved is being placed today in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.Virtually half the injuries were due to illegal misuse of fireworks in the streets or public places—338—and to sparklers—189. Injuries in the 16 to 20-year age group were 12 per cent. lower than in 1992.Notwithstanding annual average sales of 100 million fireworks, I remain concerned at the number of firework injuries.My Department is in touch with representatives of the fireworks industry and of enforcement authorities to discuss ways in which firework injuries can be reduced.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the ECGD will become a next steps agency.

ECGD's status has recently been reviewed as part of the Government's ongoing next steps programme. In the light of this Ministers have concluded that ECGD's current status as a separate Government Department remains best suited, in present circumstances, to the achievement of its aims and objectives. This conclusion reflects, in part, the continuing high level of ministerial involvement in ECGD's business. The circumstances bearing on this conclusion will be considered again in three years' time to determine whether there has been any material change which would justify a further formal status review.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the current location of the abandoned mine plans for the Northumberland, Durham and Cumberland coalfields.

I understand that British Coal holds abandoned mine plans, on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive, at Bretby in Staffordshire.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether consultants retained by him on the review of the Warren Springs laboratory of AEA Technology have advised him of conflicts of interest.

No.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total financial support from the Government during 1993, direct and indirect, including research, given to (a) coal-fired power generation, (b) nuclear power, (c) gas-fired power generation, (d) oil-fired power generation, (e) wind power and (f) wave power.

Financial support is given to the power generation industry through the fossil fuel levy. In 1992–93 the levy raised 1,348 million: of this some 98 per cent. went to nuclear £power generators, and 2 per cent. to renewable generators. The proportion of levy receipts going to renewable generators is expected to increase during the 1990s, as more renewable generating plant is commissioned.Information on the Government's expenditure on energy research and development is published in "Trade and Industry—The Government's Expenditure Plans 1994–95 to 1996–97", Cm 2504, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. The estimated outturn for 1993–94 expenditure on R and D on renewables and novel sources of energy given at page 57 includes £7.31 million for wind power and £0.196 million for wave power.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the location of those proposals for wind energy submitted for the new round of contracts under non-fossil fuel obligation 3 which are sited in Wales; and if he will give (a) the size, (b) the proposers and (c) other details of each such proposed new site in Wales.

This is a matter for the appropriate regional electricity companies and their agent, the Non-Fossil Purchasing Agency Ltd, which is co-ordinating applications from generators seeking contracts under the proposed third renewables order.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what measures his Department will take to deal with the short-termism of the City.

Although the issue is unproven, there is a perception that short-termism exists. A lack of effective dialogue between companies and their shareholders may lead to short-term attitudes; by companies with regard to their investment decisions, and investors with regard to their shareholdings. My Department will continue to support initiatives which can lead to an improved level of understanding between the City and industry.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what advice he has given Professor Littlechild concerning the potential subsidisation of the retail activities of regional electricity companies through their electricity supply functions.

This is a matter for the Director General of Electricity Supply. It is a condition of regional electricity companies' licences that they may not cross-subsidise between their separate businesses.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many complaints have been received by his Department from customers of regional electricity companies who believe that through the price of electricity they subsidise the retail activities of those companies.

Over the last financial year, 1993–94, the Department of Trade and Industry has received no complaints from consumers on this matter.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what information is collected by 0141-.ER concerning the retail activities of regional electricity companies.

The Director General of Electricity Supply has no power to intervene in the running of the regional electricity companies' retail businesses. A condition in their licences ensures that the RECs may not cross-subsidise between their separate businesses, and the Director General has a duty to collect information to ensure that this is the case.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total amount received from the flotation of the regional electricity companies; and what is their total current value.

Proceeds from the sale of shares in the RECs was £5,040 million. In addition the companies were floated with a debt to the Government of £2,815 million. Some of this debt has already been paid back to the Treasury and some has yet to be redeemed. Total proceeds of the sale, therefore, will amount to £7,855 million.As with most other public limited companies the current values of the regional electricity companies are publicly quoted and vary on a day to day basis.Figures are given to the nearest million pounds.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the esimated value of the National Grid following demerger from the regional electricity companies.

This is a commercial matter for the current owners of the company to assess.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 12 April, column 106, if he will place in the Library a copy of the National Rivers Authority's response to the consultation exercise on the Coal Authority explanatory note and draft model licensing and leasing documents.

The response has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will make it his policy to halt immediately all arms exports to Indonesia if it is established that weapons or military vehicles which have been manufactured in Britain and exported to Indonesia are being used against the people of East Timor;(2) what guarantees he has received from the Indonesian Government that British aircraft and weapons which have been exported to Indonesia will not be used against the people of East Timor.

Specific assurances have been given to the Government in respect of Hawk aircraft sales.Because all applications for licensable goods are subject to strict controls and are scrutinised on a case by case basis, no further assurances or guarantees have been deemed necessary.If we believe that a prospective purchase of military goods is likely to be used for repressive purposes against a civilian population, the application is rejected.If there is any evidence of British military equipment being used for repressive purposes against civilians I shall certainly consider it.

To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many cleaners are employed within the House and its associated offices; how many hours on average each cleaner works; and what is the hourly rate of pay for each grade of cleaner.

The House currently employs one full-time cleaner working 37 hours per week and 69 part-time cleaners working 17 hours per week in the Serjeant at Arms Department and one part-time cleaner in charge working 30 hours per week and four part-time cleaners working 28¼ hours per week in the Department of the Library. In negotiations recently concluded between management and the relevant trade union representatives, the number of part-time cleaners in the Serjeant's Department will, over time, be reduced to 62 by natural wastage.The hourly rate of pay of the cleaners is £4.7044 per hour, rising to £4.78 after five years' service, and that of the cleaner in charge is £4.94/0.37 depending on length of service, rising to £5.56 after three years' satisfactory service and £5.75 after a further three years satisfactory service.

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

I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from Monday 16 May to Friday 20 May.

To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission what funds are being made available to the National Audit Office to investigate the work of Government agencies.

The National Audit Office's budget of £36.5 million for 1994–95 includes provision both for financial audit of Government Departments, executive agencies, and a wide range of other public sector bodies, and for value for money investigations. As my hon. Friend will know, the forward investigation programme of the National Audit Office is a matter for the Comptroller and Auditor General and the Public Accounts Committee.

To ask the Lord President of the Council, pursuant to his answer of 14 March, Official Report, column 513, for what reason the original HMSO estimate for the printing and publishing costs of the December 1992 Register of Members' Interests, HC 325 of 1992–93 was incorrect; by what percentage the revised figure differs from the previous estimate; what is the basis for those estimated costs and their revision; and if he will make a statement.

Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to Her Majesty's Stationery Office under its chief executive. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member direct.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when he expects to be in a position to publish his proposals for additional capacity on the M25 between junctions 10 and 12;(2) what criteria his Department is using in preparing the design of any proposals to provide additional capacity on the M25 between junctions 10 and 12; and what possibilities are being examined.

These questions relate to operational matters of the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive, Mr. Lawrie Haynes, to write to my right hon. Friend.

Year	Route/Scheme	Total cost (£ million)	Grant or Loan	To whom grant or loan authorised	Scheme description
1990 to 1991	A606 Little Wymondley bypass, Hertfordshire	11·3	100 per cent. grant	Hertfordshire county council	Dual two-lane all-purpose bypass
1990 to 1991	A418 Wing bypass, Buckinghamshire	18·3	100 per cent. grant	Buckinghamshire county council	Dual two-lane all-purpose bypass
1990 to 1991	A134 Fornham St. Martin, Suffolk	4·2	100 per cent. grant	Suffolk county council	Dual two-lane all-purpose bypass
1991 to 1992	A6(M) M56 (Manchester airport link) central section, Cheshire	14·8	100 per cent. grant	Cheshire county council	Part of dual carriage way A34 Wilmslow and Handford bypass
1991 to 1992	A16 Market Deeping/Deeping St. James bypass, Lincolnshire	5·8	100 per cent. grant	Lincolnshire county council	Dual two-lane all-purpose bypass
1992 to 1993	Al2 Lowestoft eastern relief road, Suffolk	3·57	100 per cent. grant	Suffolk county council	Single carriageway relief road

Section 272 grants were awarded to these schemes because the Department intends to trunk the route and these improvements would offer significant benefits to the road network.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations his Department has received in 1994 from north Devon about the future of rail services in the south-west.

My Department has received two representations from north Devon about the future of rail services in the south-west. Both concerned the future of the Exeter to Barnstaple line.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the highway schemes funded under section 272 of the Highways Act 1980, in 1990–91, 1991–92 and 1992–93 showing (a) the total cost of each scheme, (b) the amount of the grant under section 272 and whether it was a grant or a loan, (c) to whom the grant or loan was authorised, (d) the reasons for using this procedure and (e) a description of the scheme.

Details of the highway schemes that the Department agreed in principle would be funded under section 272 of the Highways Act 1980 in 1990–91, 1991–92 and 1992–93 are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what were the results of the Transport Council held in Luxembourg on 18 April.

The Transport Council met in Luxembourg on 18 April. I represented the United Kingdom.The Council had further discussions following the wise men's report on the airline industry. The Commission will present an action plan to the June Council. There is increasing support for the United Kingdom position on the need to implement in full the third aviation package and to have new Commission guidelines to deal with state aids.Although there was some support for the United Kingdom view that the work on the opening of negotiations on air and road transport agreements with Switzerland should be resumed, further discussion was postponed until after the General Affairs Council in May has considered the wider implications of the recent Swiss referendum on lorry transit.The Council asked for the draft directive on Community railway licensing to be further developed. Most member states, including the United Kingdom, favoured restricting its scope to operators of international services. More detailed discussions will take place before the proposal returns to the Council.The Council remitted for further consideration by officials a proposed directive on transport of dangerous goods by road which seeks to extend to transport within a member state the provisions of a European agreement on such transport internationally.The Council instructed the Commission to open negotiations on road transit with Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania; and asked officials to consider further a mandate for wider negotiations on road transport with central and eastern European countries.The Commission reported on progress on the continuing negotiations with east European countries on an agreement for the inland waterway sector. The Commission presented its proposal for a decision establishing guidelines for trans-European transport networks covering all modes of transport. I welcomed the proposal while highlighting the United Kingdom concern that trans-European network funding should not distort competition. I also mentioned that the United Kingdom would be likely to request changes to the United Kingdom network following the United Kingdom national roads programme review.Other matters mentioned included Commission discussions with the United States of America on aviation and maritime issues and progress in the working groups on road safety. I undertook to send colleagues copies of the Donaldson report on the protection of the United Kingdom coastline from pollution from shipping when it is published. I propose to place it on the agenda for the next Council in June.No votes were taken on any of the items.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many sites of special scientific interest will have been saved by the recent Government announcements in relation to the roads programme.

As a result of our recent review of the national road programme for England, eight sites of special scientific interest which could have been affected directly or indirectly by road schemes are no longer affected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the second public inquiry into the Sheep lane junction on the A5 north of Dunstable will commence; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 18 April 1994]: The development of this scheme is now an operational matter for the Highways Agency. The chief executive has written to my hon. Friend about the revised proposals for the Sheep lane junction.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has now received the report from the working group of officials on the options for privatisation of the national air traffic services of the Civil Aviation Authority; and if he will make a statement.

I have received the working group report, which I am currently considering, and I hope to announce my response shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many parliamentary questions to his Department in the past five years have not been answered because of disproportionate cost or because the information requested was not held centrally; 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 questions to the Department that were not answered due to disproportionate cost or because the information was not held centrally over the last five years was 88.The number of such questions that could now be answered due to increased computerisation and other changes to operational systems could be calculated only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support the United Kingdom Government are giving towards de-mining activity in Somaliland; and where de-mining activity is currently taking place in Somalia.

We are not funding de-mining work currently. We provided almost £700,000 to support work in north-west Somalia from November 1991 to May 1993. We understand UNOSOM II is supporting 14 local mine clearance schemes and plans to expand them and to open a de-mining training school in Mogadishu.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on which dam and large-scale power projects approved for ATP assistance in the last five years there has not been a full environmental impact assessment.

All ODA projects, including ATP projects, are subject to environmental assessment according to the guidelines and procedures described in our Manual of Environmental Appraisal, first issued in 1989, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. If on initial screening the proposed development registers any significant environmental impacts then we would take further steps to ensure a more detailed environmental appraisal, or environmental impact assessment, is carried out.The following two projects were not subject to more detailed environmental appraisal: gas turbines, Philippines; scattered diesels, Indonesia. Both projects were approved before the ODA guidelines on environmental appraisal came into being.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many refugees are estimated to be fleeing Rwanda; and what response is being made by the international community.

The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimated, as of 15 April 1994, that some 26,000 people had fled Rwanda, 12,000 of whom were Burundi refugees who had sought refuge in Rwanda; 9,000 Rwandese refugees are reported to have fled to Zaire. The situation, however, is in a state of flux. Britain has so far committed some £820,000 in humanitarian aid as our share of the international response. Details of responses by other donor countries are not yet available.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 12 April, Official Report, column 29, concerning the powers of Her Majesty's Government within the Council of Ministers of the European Community, which articles listed refer to (a) obligatory duties or action as required by the treaties and (b) optional actions.

Whether the treaty requires the Council to act, or gives it a discretion whether or not to act, specific proposals for action made under the articles listed in my previous answer require the unanimous agreement of the Council.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 31 March, Official Report, column 908, regarding friendly countries, which countries and Governments are presently regarded as sharing the United Kingdom's objectives.

I have nothing to add to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member on 31 March at column 908.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the current members of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.

The members of the Advisory Committee on usiness Appointments are:

• The right hon. the Lord Carlisle of Bucklow QC—Chairman
• The Lord Bridges GCMG
• Sir John Blelloch KCB
• Sir Trevor Holdsworth
• Sir Charles Huxtable KCB CBE
• Sir Robin Ibbs KBE
• The right hon. Peter Shore MP
• The right hon. the Lord Thomson of Monifieth KT

I have recently appointed the right hon. Member for Bethnal Green and Stepney (Mr. Shore) and Sir John Blelloch, following the retirement at the end of their appointments of Lord Merlyn-Rees and Sir Patrick Nairne.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements he has made to issue guidelines in relation to the liaison between local authorities and local water authorities after local government reorganisation.

None. It is a matter for a local authority and a local water company what links are established between them, provided that they comply with statute. That applies whether local government structure is reorganised in their area or not.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further representations he has received on local government reforms.

My right hon. Friend receives a number of representations from time to time relating to the reform of local government in England. Local government in Wales is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to make further announcements about the process of taking forward the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the Rio earth summit.

The Government published in January this year a comprehensive strategy on sustainable development and national plans on climate change, biodiversity, and forests. We are taking a full part in international action to follow up the earth summit, including preparations for the next meeting in May of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to review private rented housing.

The private rented sector has already expanded considerably since deregulation in 1989. We have in hand a number of other initiatives to ensure that this revival continues.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received concerning his policy on out-of-town shopping developments; and if he will make a statement.

We have received a number. The majority have been supportive of our policy of encouraging shopping development in or next to existing town centres and concentrations of people.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to alter the planning regulations to give additional protection to listed buildings; and if he will make a statement.

Provisions in schedule 3 to the Planning and Compensation Act 1991 considerably strengthened the regime for enforcing listed building control. We will consider any additional provisions that my hon. Friend wishes to propose.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to review the law relating to the right to buy.

I have no plans for a major review. I am, however, considering one or two minor clarifying amendments for introduction when a suitable opportunity arises.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received on the licensing of markets; and if he will make a statement.

Ministers receive representations on the licensing of markets from time to time.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has for changing the methods of financing capital investment by local authorities.

The system established by the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 fosters an appropriate pattern of investment while maintaining control of public expenditure.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent discussions he has had with the National Rivers Authority about the impact on watercourses of closed coal mines.

My Department maintains regular contact with the National Rivers Authority about this and other issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will appoint a Royal Commission on local government.

No. My right hon. Friend sees no reason for the appointment of such a commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will review the need for a derogation from the European Union requirement to end North sea sewage sludge dumping.

The Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive does not provide for a derogation from the requirement to ban dumping of sewage sludge at sea by the end of 1998.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what the average council tax is for a band D property.

The average headline council tax for a band D property for English authorities, based on information returned to my Department, is £580. This represents an increase of 2.2 per cent. on the 1993–94 average which was £568. Most households pay band C or less. The comparable band C figure for 1994–95 is £516.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the differences in council tax levels between local authorities.

The average headline council tax (band C, two adults) ranges from £218 set by Westminster to £770 set by Liverpool. The average headline council tax (band C, two adults) for Conservative-controlled authorities is £429 while the average for Labour-controlled authorities is £560.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the average level of rent set by each local authority for the years 1993–94 and 1994–95.

The information so far available to my Department from local authorities' returns has been placed in the Library. It represents returns from 329 of the 366 housing authorities in England. My Department's estimate of the average council rent for 1994-95 is £35.70, an increase of £2.00 a week on 1993–94.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the five London boroughs with the highest average council house rents, and the five lowest; and if he will give the political control of each of those councils.

Local authorities report information on average rents on housing revenue account claim forms. The London boroughs with the five highest and five lowest average rents for 1994–95, based on the latest available information, are as follows:

	Average weekly rent 1994–95 (£)	Political control
Redbridge	63·75	Conservative
Harrow	62·97	Conservative
Westminster	61·43	Conservative
Kensington and Chelsea	60·28	Conservative
Kingston upon Thames	60·27	No overall control
Hounslow	39·97	Labour
Newham	39·88	Labour
Tower Hamlets	37·71	Liberal Democrat
Havering	36·91	No overall control
Barking	33·15	Labour

Rent levels reflect a number of factors, including the arrangements for setting guideline rents for HRA subsidy purposes. These arrangements are related to capital values, which generally lead to higher rent levels in areas where the average value of council dwellings are higher.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he made of the responses to his London questionnaire on the changes in the quality of life for Londoners over the past 10 years.

Our analysis of the responses did not reveal any comments on changes in the quality of life for Londoners over the past 10 years.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to devolve power from central to local government.

The distribution of power between central and local government is guided by the principle of subsidiarity, which requires responsibility to be delegated to the level which is most consistent with competence, practicality and cost-effectiveness.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many letters he has received concerning the Energy Conservation Bill; what proportion are in favour; and if he will make a statement.

My Department has received some 500 letters in support of the Energy Conservation Bill.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the implementation of planning policy guidance notes 6 and 13.

These planning policy guidance notes play a key role in our sustainable development strategy by helping to maximise the potential of existing centres, and encouraging development in locations where there can be a choice of means of access—and which can help to reduce the need to travel. It is for local authorities to reflect this approach in their plans and planning decisions in the first instance. The principles will also apply to decisions on planning appeal and call-in.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about local government reorganisation in Cleveland; and if he will make a statement.

We have received more than 300 representations about local government reorganisation in Cleveland since the Local Government Commission issued its final report last November. When we lay an implementation order for Cleveland we shall place a summary of these in the Library. Individual representations will be made available if requested unless the writers intended their views to be treated in confidence.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimated total cost of the refurbishment of Charles house, London W14.

This property, with an area of 33,000 sq. metres, is held on a lease expiring in June 2010 at an historically low rent. The refurbishment is being undertaken jointly by Property Holdings and Inland Revenue (the major occupier) at a total cost of £3.7 million, inclusive of fees and VAT. It will upgrade the accommodation to provide good value central London offices and at the same time enable the surrender of other premises showing an estimated annual saving of £4.3 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many of the responses to the consultation paper on "London: Making the Best Better", raised topics on which responses were not specifically invited; and if he will list each such topic, indicating the level of support from the public which it attracted.

Question 1 of the questionnaire in "London: Making the Best Better" invited respondents to select aspects of London they appreciate from a list of 62 topics, with space to write in other aspects if they wished. All the other questions were open-ended and gave respondents free rein to raise the issues which concerned them about London. Distinctions between topics on which views were or were not specifically invited did not, therefore, arise and all the views expressed were taken into account in the analysis.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to increase or extend the availability of housing renovation grants.

We will announce our conclusions on the future of private sector renewal programmes following last year's consultation exercise in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much land he expects to be used for public housing for (a) council and (b) housing association development during the current year; at what cost to public funds; and if he will make a statement.

New house building by local authorities is now negligible. Housing associations are now the main providers of new social housing.Forecasts of the amount of land expected to be used for the provision of social housing, and the cost to public funds of the land, are not collected by the Housing Corporation or the Department. Housing association bids for funds from the Housing Corporation's approved development programme take into account the total cost of a scheme including any requirement to purchase land but do not identify the cost of the land separately.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much has been spent on consultants' fees by each urban development corporation since the corporations' inception.

Urban development corporations contract our project management, legal, planning, architectural and engineering design and a range of other services to private sector consultants. In addition consultants are commissioned to produce reports, although this represents only a small proportion of the total expenditure. Expenditure from inception to 31 March 1994 on consultants' fees is as follows:

Urban development corporation	£ million
Birmingham heartlands	0·54
Black country	27·68
Bristol	6·40
Central Manchester	6·00
Leeds	4·93
London docklands	152·70
Merseyside	24·40
Plymouth	0·58
Sheffield	11·14
Teesside	226·92
Trafford Park	22·03
Tyne and Wear	25·49
1 Figures from 1 April 1990 to 31 March 1994—project consultancies only. Figures from inception to 31 March 1990 not available.
2 Figures up to 31 March 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give figures on the distribution of the coalfield areas fund and on the share of the fund that is being made available in relation to the closure of Littleton colliery in south Staffordshire.

The full £5 million available under the Coalfield Areas Fund was allocated last year, in response to bids from local authorities, as follows:

DOE Region and Authority	Bids approved (£)
Merseyside
St. Helens MBC (Parkside/Sutton Manor)	150,000
North West

DOE Region and Authority	Bids approved (£)
Wigan MBC (Parkside)	120,000
North
Easington DC (Vane Tempest/Easington)	164,000
Durham Co.C (Vane Tempest/Easington)	86,000
West Midlands
Stoke-on-Trent Ci C (Trentham)	560,400
Staffordshire Co. C (Trentham)	266,000
East Midlands
Ashfield DC (Silverhill)	336,108
Rushcliffe BC (Cotgrave)	293,232
Nottinghamshire Co. C (Coalfield area/Cotgrave/Bevercotes/Clipstone)	384,500
Bolsover DC (Bolsover/Shirebrook)	544,393
Newark and Sherwood DC (Clipstone)	72,756
Chesterfield BC (Bolsover)	214,000
Bassetlaw BC (Bevercotes)	193,800
Mansfield DC (Coalfield area/Clipstone/Shirebrook)	359,800
Derbyshire Co. C (Coalfield Area)	50,500
Yorkshire and Humberside
Doncaster MBC (Rossington/Markham Main)	648,150
Wakefield MDC (Sharlston)	288,000
Rotherham MBC (Maltby)	291,000
Total	5,022,639

Although communities affected by the closure of Littleton colliery have not been assisted by the Coalfield Areas Fund, they will benefit from other elements of the Government's £200 million package of assistance announced last year by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade.

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

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave him on 18 April at column 361

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each local authority, together with an indication of political control, (a) the budget submitted for 1994–95, (b) the spending at standard spending assessment, (c) the percentage over standard spending assessment which the budget represents, (d) the percentage over the 1993–94 budget which the 1994–95 budget represents, (e) the provisional cap and (f) the approved cap.

I am arranging for the information to be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what account he takes of the impact of fixed spending on capital financing costs in his policies on the capping of local authority expenditure.

Provision for capital financing costs is included within authorities' standard spending assessments. In determining his principles for capping my right hon. Friend has regard to all relevant considerations. The cap proposed for any authority designated in accordance with those principles takes account of all the available information on its circumstances.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 24 November, Official Report, columns 43–44, in what way his final proposals on capital financing standard spending assessments took into account responses to the consultation on his original proposals.

The Secretary of State considered carefully all the representations which we received during the consultation period, including those relating to the capital financing element, and any other relevant information before taking his final decisions on the 1994–95 revenue support grant settlement.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will present to the European Commission the Government's proposals for directing future European structural funds assistance towards regions in England seriously affected by industrial decline; and if he will make a statement.

I have arranged for the regional conversion plans for the nine regions in England designated by the Commission for assistance under structural funds objective 2 to be presented to the European Commission today. Funding under objective 2 contributes towards the development of regions (including employment areas and urban communities) seriously affected by industrial decline. The plans cover the period 1994–96, for which £1,195 million has been allocated to England.The nine regions, with 1994–96 allocations, are North East England, £239 million; West Cumbria and Furness, £19 million; Yorkshire and Humberside, £243 million; East Midlands, £62 million; West Midlands, £287 million; Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire, £255 million; East London and Lee Valley, £57 million; Thanet, £11 million; and Plymouth, £22 million.The plans have been lodged in time to ensure that the eligible date for expenditure on objective 2 programmes is 1 January 1994. Under the Structural Funds Regulations, the Commission is required to reach a decision on the plans within six months of receipt.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the guidelines issued to the rent officers to assist them in the setting of rent levels.

When setting fair rents, rent officers follow the provisions of section 70 of the Rent Act 1977. When considering the reasonableness of market rents for housing benefit purposes, they follow the provisions of the Rent Officer (Additional Functions) Order 1990 (SI 428) as amended. The Secretary of State has no powers to issue guidelines about setting rents to rent officers, and has therefore not done so.The Education Trust of the Institute of Rent Officers has established a working party to examine issues surrounding the determination of fair rents, and its report will be published during May.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to the recommendations of the construction deregulation task force in relation to the contracting-out of the processing or planning applications and the introduction of a twin-tracking approach to technical assessment.

The way in which planning authorities manage planning applications is best left to their discretion in the light of local circumstances. Planning authorities are already free to put the preliminary functions out to tender if they wish. But they must satisfy themselves that this would not compromise their statutory responsibilities, undermine the need to reach decisions on the basis of objective evidence or lead to conflicts of interest.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what percentage of public appointments made by his Department in 1993 were of (a) Asians and (b) black people; and if he will list their names.

In 1993, 146 appointments were made to the bodies for which the Department of National Heritage is responsible. Of these, two appointments were of Asian people and two of black people, representing 1.37 per cent. in each case or a total of 2.7 per cent.It would not be appropriate to identify individual appointees in the way requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list all recent statements made by Ministers in his Department in respect of alteration of the policy of all-seater stadiums for premier league and first division football clubs.

[holding answer 15 April 1994]: There have been none. The all-seater policy remains unchanged.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the situation in Rwanda with particular reference to international action to end the violence.

The priority for the moment is to establish a cease-fire and create conditions in which the Arusha peace process and humanitarian relief efforts can be relaunched. The United Nations, countries of the region and the Organisation for African Unity are all playing a role in this.