To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans his Department has (a) to utilise the Internet, (b) to make available on the Internet press releases and other departmental information which the public may wish to have access to and (c) to use the Internet as a means of increasing the openness of his Department.

The Lord Chancellor's Department has no plans directly to utilise the Internet. Press releases issued by my Department through the Central Office of Information are accessible through the Internet via Data-Star Dialog (Europe) and Mead/Lexis/Nexis. They are also available to subscribers to FT Profile, Reuters Textline and to Polis.My Department's press releases are also made available through the COI's fax retrieval service.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many (a) portable telephones, (b) pagers and electronic bleepers and (c) car telephones are currently used by his Department; what are the annual costs of operating this equipment; and to which personnel it is made available.

The numbers of portable telephone, pagers and electronic bleepers, and car telephones currently used by my Department are respectively 322, 128 and 17. The annual costs of operating this equipment are £190,000. The equipment is used by staff who are required to work away from their office on a regular basis.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, which Crown court centres in England and Wales have live television link and video playback equipment for use in the presentation of evidence by child witnesses.

The following Crown court centres are fitted with live television link equipment and video playback equipment for use in the presentation of evidence by child witnesses:

Birmingham (three sets)	Hull
Derby	Leeds
Grimsby	Newcastle
Leicester	Sheffield
Lincoln	Teeside
Northampton	York
Nottingham	Carlisle
Peterborough	Liverpool (two sets)
Stafford	Manchester (two sets)
Wolverhampton (two sets)	Preston
Bradford	Central Criminal Court

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department which courts in England and Wales have child liaison officers.

Child liaison officers are in place in all Crown court centres in England and Wales.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the political balance of magistrates in (a) Huntingdon, (b) Norfolk and (c) Hereford, (d) Enfield, (e) Folkestone and (f) Doncaster.

The political balance of magistrates in Huntingdon, Norfolk, Hereford, Enfield, Folkestone and Doncaster on 21 February was as follows:

	Conservative	Labour	Liberal Democrats	Independent/not known
Huntingdon	23	9	11	12
Norfolk	258	88	84	49
Hereford City	35	19	20	14
Enfield	54	15	13	15
Folkestone	28	4	7	4
Doncaster	101	62	23	6

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many adjudicator's recommendations at immigration appeals have not been accepted by his Department for each year since 1988, including the current year to date; and how many of these cases concerned a recommendation of exceptional leave to remain in the United Kingdom.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received that those convicted of murder of prison officers and police officers should never be released from custody.

I have received a number of representations to this effect. Under the present arrangements, those convicted of such murders will normally serve a minimum of 20 years in prison. Some will serve longer and some may never be released.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of AIDS have been reported in United Kingdom prisons in each of the past eight years; and if he will make a statement.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has about shootings involving reactivated firearms.

We are aware of 14 incidents since the beginning of 1993 involving firearms which have been identified as being previously deactivated and then reactivated to working condition. The standards to which guns are deactivated are currently under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has had about the need to protect legitimate traders from the activities of ticket touts.

We have received a number of representations from hon. Members and others on the subject of ticket touting, including some from those involved in the organisation and promotion of theatrical, sporting, and other entertainment events.The Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill currently before Parliament will make the unauthorised touting of tickets for football matches an offence because of the serious consequences such touting may have for the preservation of public order. Similar problems have not occurred at other sporting events or entertainments and the Government have no plans to make touting in general a criminal offence. However, my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade is considering making regulations under the Consumer Protection Act 1987 to ensure that those who deceive customers as to the value or type of the tickets they sell can be punished appropriately.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what grounds immigration detainees are moved from one detention centre to another or to a prison; on whose authority this is done; and what steps the Home Office takes when detainees are moved to ensure that solicitors of detainees are immediately told of their whereabouts.

Transfers are made for a variety of reasons, including the best use of the available accommodation, proximity to ports of departure where removal has been arranged and the behaviour and any medical requirements of individual detainees.Detainees are transferred on the authority of an officer of at least chief immigration officer grade. The port or office responsible for the initial decision to detain informs legal representatives of any transfer as soon as practically possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the Prison Service's key targets for 1994–95.

The Prison Service's key targets for the current financial year are set out in its business plan for 1994–95, which is being published today. A copy has been placed in the Library. My right hon. and learned Friend has set the following key targets for 1994–95:

1. To ensure that the number of escapes from prison establishments and from escorts, expressed as a percentage of the average prison population, is fewer than in 1993–94.

2. To reverse, over the period 1993–96, the rising trend of assaults on staff, prisoners and others, expressed as a percentage of the average prison population.

3. To ensure that in 1994–95 the average number of prisoners held three to a cell in accommodation which is intended for one prisoner is fewer than in 1993–94, subject to ensuring that no prisoners are held in police cells unless this is absolutely unavoidable.

4. To provide 24 hour access to sanitation in at least 3,500 more cells, including new and renovated accommodation, thus ensuring that at least 95 per cent. of prisoners have access to sanitation at all times.

5. To ensure that prisoners spend, on average, at least 25.5 per hours per week in purposeful activity.

6. To ensure that by 31 March 1995 at least 36 per cent. of prisoners are held in establishments where prisoners are unlocked on weekdays for at least 12 hours.

7. To ensure that all prisoners have the opportunity to exceed the minimum visiting entitlement throughout 1994–95.

8. To ensure that the average cost per prisoner place (including places temporarily out of use) does not exceed £24,500.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what decisions the Government have reached on the recommendations made by the Police Negotiating Board for changes to pay structures, pay levels, overtime and allowances for the police service.

I received the Police Negotiating Board's recommendations at the beginning of April and the Secretaries of State for the Home Departments have considered them carefully. The recommendations included proposals for constables and sergeants, inspectors, superintendents and chief officer ranks. We accept the board's recommendations for constables and sergeants: these will be implemented with effect from 1 September.The board has now put forward further proposals which take account of the decision which I announced on 26 April that the rank of chief inspector should be retained. We are now studying these proposals and looking again at those for the more senior ranks in the light of them. I hope to announce shortly decisions in relation to the ranks of inspector and above.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Dover (Mr. Shaw) of 21 April, Official Report, column 597, if the roll-over of capital allowance balancing charges for merchant ships will apply to fishing vessels.

This point will be considered in drawing up the draft legislation for this measure.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average rate of inflation between February 1974 and May 1979 and over the past five years; and if he will make a statement.

Between February 1974 and May 1979 the average rate of inflation, as measured by the retail prices index, was 15.4 per cent. per annum. This compares with 4.5 per cent. for the last five years to March 1994, the latest month for which information is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the pupil capacity of (a) the Greenwood Dale grant-maintained secondary school, (b) the George Spencer school and (c) the Ravensdale school in Nottinghamshire.

The information held by the Department showing the pupil capacity is set out below.

	Number
(a) Greenwood Dale Grant Maintained School	722
(b) The George Spencer Grant Maintained School	980
(c) Ravensdale Grant Maintained Middle School	560

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list those voluntary schools which have become grant-maintained, indicating which ones were previously aided or controlled and the denomination or religion involved in each case.

The information requested has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice was given to farmers in the Worcester area following the water pollution incident of 15 April; how such advice was publicised or drawn to the attention of farmers; and at what times such advice was offered.

The Department was alerted to the incident by the local office of the National Rivers Authority during the morning of 15 April. In the course of the day, Severn Trent water authority issued advice to all residents in the Worcester area not to drink, or use for washing, or wash in, tap water.The MAFF regional office immediately established close contact with the Severn Trent water authority, the National Rivers Authority and Worcester environmental health department. The normal telephone inquiry service for farmers was operating at the MAFF regional office and was available throughout the weekend. As a precaution, following consultation with the Severn Trent water authority and the National Rivers Authority, farmer inquirers were advised to provide an alternative water supply for animals. The advisory warning was lifted on 16 April.In consultation with MAFF, the Milk Marketing Board arranged that, pending a food safety risk assessment, milk collected from the affected area on 15 and 16 April should be diverted to processing rather than go for early liquid consumption. On 16 April, Ministry scientists confirmed that the incident did not pose any risk to food safety.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will make a statement on the Government's flood and coastal defence strategy.

After extensive consultations with a wide range of organisations, my right hon. Friend the Minister published the strategy for flood and coastal defence in England and Wales in October 1993. Copies were placed in the Library of the House.The strategy reaffirms the Government's commitment to reducing the risks to people and to the developed and natural environment from flooding and coastal erosion, by encouraging the provision of technically, environmentally and economically sound and sustainable defence measures. In particular, it emphasises that the safeguarding of lives must be the highest priority; that a strategic approach should be adopted, taking account of the potential impact of defences on natural river and coastal processes; and that environmental considerations should be integral to flood and coastal defence policy.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will make a statement on the place of arterial drainage infrastructure and sea defence works in British agriculture.

The Government's flood and coastal defence strategy for England and Wales recognises that over 50 per cent. of grade 1 agricultural land is situated in areas which depend on flood defence or arterial drainage works to maintain their productive capacity. The maintenance of this infrastructure is supported through central Government's financial support for local authorities.As far as capital works are concerned, the Ministry no longer provides financial support for new rural arterial

Imports of sheep from Spain and Poland since 1 January 1994
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)
Date of arrival at slaughterhouse	Date of importation	Number of animals recorded on the health certificate	Number of animals inspected on arrival at slaughterhouse	Number of animals recorded at lairages in Great Britain
17 February 1994	16 February 1994	300	289	Not recorded
8 March 1994	3 March 1994	300	291	297 animals recorded at lairage at Dover (including 2 dead on arrival and 4 unfit for further transit
9 March 1994	8 March 1994	334	328	Not recorded
17 March 1994	17 March 1994	351	350	No Great Britain lairage used
28 January 1994	27 January 1994	300	243	Not recorded
15 February 1994	14 February 1994	250	188	No Great Britain lairage used
8 March 1994	7 March 1994	300	290	Not recorded
23 March 1994	22 March 1994	300	268	300 animals recorded at lairage at Southampton (including 4 dead on arrival and 28 unfit for further transit)

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what reasons underlay the decision to grant full Spanish accession to the common fisheries policy as part of the Norwegian accession negotiations; whether this was at the insistence of (a) Spain or (b) Norway; and if she will make a statement on reasons for the United Kingdom position on the issue.

The accession treaty of Spain and Portugal provides for certain of its fisheries provisions to be amended. The Commission proposed the integration of Spanish and Portuguese fishing arrangements into the CFP in October 1993. The subsequent negotiation on the principles to guide the Commission in drafting detailed rules for the waters and resources concerned was concluded at the Fisheries Council on 12 April. As provided for in the accession treaty, it was decided by qualified majority vote—not as the result of the insistence of a single country. In my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Hertsmere (Mr. Clappison), Official Report, columns 183–84, I explained why the outcome was satisfactory.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Dulwich (Ms Jowell) of 13 April, Official Report, column 180, if she will list for each consignment of culled milking ewes (a) the date of importation, (b) the number of animals recorded on the animal health certificate, (c) the number of animals inspected on arrival in Birmingham and (d) the numbers of animals recorded at any intermediate stage in each journey.

The information requested is in the table.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether Spain and Portugal will be fully integrated into the common fisheries policy as from 1 January 1996 and have access to all waters on a non-discriminatory basis.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 5 May to my hon. Friend the Member for Ludlow (Mr. Gill), Official Report, column 641.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the methods of calculation of the compensation paid to farmers for slaughtered confirmed cases of BSE; and what changes were made in this calculation between January 1990 and January 1994.

From 8 August 1988 up to 14 February 1990, compensation paid to farmers for a confirmed case of BSE was an amount equal to 50 per cent. of either the actual market value of the animal or of 125 per cent. of the average market price—AMP—for commercial grade Friesian dairy cows and heifers in milk and in calf, whichever was the lower figure. Details can be found in the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Order 1988, S.I. 1988 No. 1346.This was changed from 14 February 1990 up until 1 April 1994, when compensation paid was an amount equal to 100 per cent. of either the actual market value of the animal or the AMP, whichever was the lower figure—BSE Compensation Order 1990, S.I. 1990 No. 222.From 1 April 1994, the method of determining the ceiling for compensation was modified to reflect the increasing proportion of older cattle being slaughtered as BSE suspects. The monthly AMP was replaced by the indicative market price—IMP—which is a weighted average of prices of Friesian and Holstein cows, heifers in milk and in calf, and barren dairy cattle taking into account the age distribution of cattle slaughtered as BSE suspects in the month. The compensation paid out is an amount equal to 100 per cent. of either the market value of the animal or the IMP, whichever is the lower figure—BSE Compensation Order 1994, S.I. 1994 No. 673.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the average compensation paid out per confirmed case of BSE between January 1990 and January 1994.

BSE compensation is paid on all cattle slaughtered whilst BSE suspects. Additional payments may be made in cases where BSE is not confirmed following laboratory examination. Between 1 January 1990 and 31 December 1993, 129,700 cattle were slaughtered as BSE suspects of which 110,101 were subsequently confirmed as having BSE. The total compensation paid out during that period was £92,709,724. The average compensation for all cattle slaughtered while BSE suspects was therefore £715 per animal. It is not possible without disproportionate cost to separate compensation into that paid for confirmed and unconfirmed cases of BSE.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much European Union beef has been exported to developing countries in each of the past five years; to which countries; in what quantities; and what is the value of the European Union subsidy per ton of beef.

In the 1992 calendar year, European Community exports of beef to developing countries, as defined by "Eurostat", were as follows in tonnes carcase weight equivalent:

Country	tonnes
Canary Islands	26,491
Ceuta and Melilla	2,563
Morocco	9,099
Algeria	27,763
Tunisia	14,050
Libya	21,569
Egypt	147,591
Sudan	100
Mauritania	143
Mali	18
Burkina Faso	1
Niger	131
Chad	49

Country	tonnes
Cape Verde	307
Senegal	1,377
Gambia	421
Guinea Bissau	190
Guinea	2,380
Sierra Leone	452
Liberia	3,332
Ivory Coast	23,986
Ghana	28,529
Tonga	791
Benin	7,760
Nigeria	38
Cameroon	598
Central African Republic	156
Equatorial Guinea	702
Sao Tome and Principe	7
Gabon	16,666
Congo	23,449
Zaire	22,053
Vanuatu	1
French Polynesia	4,104
Polar Regions	13
Iraq	3,709
Iran	53,776
Israel	2,946
Jordan	31,387
Saudi Arabia	67,499
Kuwait	5,669
Bahrain	1,980
Qatar	1,267
United Arab Emirates	6,976
Oman	144
Yemen	3,883
Afghanistan	23
Grenada	52
Aruba	23
Netherland Antilles	86
Colombia	26
Venezuela	917
Guyana	5
Surinam	22
French Guiana	1,653
Ecuador	69
Peru	238
Brazil	231
Chile	3
Paraguay	1
Argentina	31
Falkland Islands	6
Burundi	207
St. Helena	9
Angola	12,815
Ethiopia	5
Dijbouti	191
Somalia	14
Uganda	18
Tanzania	26
Seychelles	107
British Indian Ocean Territories	1
Mozambique	534
Madagascar	5
Reunion	1,233
Mauritius	4,479
Comoros	2,926
Mayotte	1,102
Zambia	346

Country	tonnes
Namibia	31
Greenland	411
St. Pierre and Miquelon	3
Mexico	19,322
Bermuda	185
Guatemala	140
Belize	116
Honduras	24
El Salvador	23
Nicaragua	115
Panama	153
St. Christopher and Nevis	98
Bahamas	780
Dominican Republic	117
Virgin Islands	26
Guadeloupe	3,904
Antigua and Barbuda	105
Dominica	73
Martinique	4,293
St. Lucia	699
St. Vincent	79
Barbados	703
Trinidad and Tobago	1,723
Cyprus	5,010
Lebanon	26,030
Syria	3,034
Pakistan	39
India	7
Sri Lanka	12
Thailand	65
Laos	59
Indonesia	1,006
Malaysia	77
Brunei	47
Singapore	448
Philippines	18,343
South Korea	122
Taiwan	25
Hong-Kong	1,265
Macao	22
Papua New Guinea	20
Nauru	19
New Caledonia	246
Wallis and Futuna Islands	1
New Zealand Oceania	16

Equivalent information is not yet available for 1993 and, for earlier years, can be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, total beef exports from the European Community to all third countries, including developing countries, in the period 1988–1992 were:

	Number
1988	785,445
1989	1,024,987
1990	816,019
1991	1,324,866
1992	1,323,389

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will resist (a) proposed restrictions on the purchase of a variety of veterinary medicines for treating horses and (b) proposed new tests on such medicines, provided they satisfy existing United Kingdom standards; and if she will make a statement.

I am not aware of any proposals for restrictions on the purchase of veterinary medicines for use in treating horses, nor for any proposed new tests on such medicines. The hon. Member may have in mind recent reports about the possible effects the establishment of maximum residue limits—MRLs—might have on the availability of equine medines. If so, the position remains as I set out in my reply to the hon. Member for Thanet, North (Mr. Gale), Official Report, column 491. Maximum residue limits must be established by 1996 for active ingredients in veterinary medicines used in food producing species. No MRLs are necessary, however, for medicines to be used in horses, irrespective of their value, which are not intended for human consumption.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the recent award to the Southern Irish fishing industry to compensate for bad weather conditions is consistent with the commons fisheries policy; if she will consider proposing similar assistance for the United Kingdom fishing industry; and if she will make a statement.

The European Commission has a duty to examine all aids introduced by member states. It will consider whether the national aid package for the Irish fishing industry announced by the Irish Government on 18 April to alleviate hardship caused by the recent bad weather is in accordance with the provisions of the treaty of Rome and the guidelines on state aids in the fisheries sector.I have no plans to introduce such aid in the United Kingdom. However, United Kingdom share fishermen who satisfy the conditions of the national insurance rules that apply to them they are eligible to claim unemployment benefit for days they did not fish due to bad weather.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much her Department has spent on contracts with private detective agencies since 1991; and if she will make a statement.

No use is made of private detective agencies by this Department.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment she has made of the current moratorium on commercial whaling; and if she will make a statement.

The Government's position on the current International Whaling Commission moratorium on commercial whaling is clear and unambiguous. We strongly support its retention and will not even contemplate its lifting unless stocks are shown to be at healthy levels, methods used to kill whales are humane and fully effective procedures for managing whale stocks are in place which include ways of ensuring that the rules are observed and enforced.More details of our policy on whaling were contained in the letter I sent to hon. Members on 27 April 1994.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if she will commission a report on the price of foodstuffs in the United Kingdom and in the USA.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will commission a report on the price of foodstuffs in the United Kingdom and in the USA.

I see no present need for such an exercise.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what expenditure has been incurred by her Department (a) up to 31 December 1993, and (b) since 1 January 1994 in making preparations, including the purchase of equipment, for the implementation of the Sea Fisheries (Conservation) Act 1992.

[holding answer 4 May 1994]: Most of the expenditure was on staff salaries for officials dealing with claims from fishermen for additional days at sea and for the secretariat of the Sea Fish Licence Tribunal. This expenditure amounted to £318,000 up to 31 December 1993 but it includes the salaries of staff who were also working on other tasks such as the 1993 decommissioning scheme. Those officials engaged solely on the implementation of the Sea Fish (Conservation) Act have gradually been redeployed over the first quarter of this year and expenditure has been reduced accordingly.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many officials of her Department were engaged in work related to the implementation of the Sea Fisheries (Conservation) Act 1992 in December 1993; and how many officials continue to be engaged in work related to the implementation of this Act.

[holding answer 4 May 1994]: At the beginning of December 1993 10 officials were responsible for assessing fishermen's representations against their provisional days at sea allocations; they have all been redeployed. The Sea Fish Licence Tribunal secretariat with six staff has also been disbanded.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what amount of computer hardware and

£ million
	Total gross expenditure		Total gross voted expenditure
	1990–91	1991–92	1990–91	1991–92
Sea Fisheries Industry Authority	8·675	9·208	8·463	4·098

[holding answer 4 May 1994]: Computer hardware and software was purchased mainly for the operation of the Sea Fish Licence Tribunal. The hardware has now all been put to good use elsewhere in the Department and future expenditure will be correspondingly reduced.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will estimate the cost of employing consultants in connection with privatisation programmes in which her Department has been engaged since 1980.

[holding answer 4 May 1994]: Since 1980 my core Department has made no expenditure on consultants in connection with privatisation programmes. However, studies into the privatisation of the Covent Garden Market Authority were undertaken by consultants at a total cost of approximately £41,000.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many arable acres are estimated to be ploughed (a) by machine and (b) by horse-drawn appliance; at what estimated cost per acre in each case; and if she will make a statement.

[holding answer 5 May 1994]: Estimates of the area ploughed are not available. The cost of ploughing will depend on many factors. Typical contractors charges and farmers costs for ploughing are contained in "Farm Management Pocketbook" published by Wye college, no official estimates are available for the costs of horse-drawn ploughing.

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

[pursuant to his reply, 1 March 1994, c. 646–47]: I would now like to submit a revised figure in the case of the Sea Fisheries Industry Authority.This figure relates to columns showing the "Total Gross Voted Expenditure" for 1990–91 and 1991–92. The line should read:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general and senior managers have been employed in the health service in the west midlands in each year since 1986.

The information requested is shown in the table. These figures should be treated with caution. The general and senior manager class was introduced into the health service in phases from 1986. Most of the apparent growth reflects the reclassification of staff from professional and administrative groups, including many senior nurses, as managers. The pattern of phased introduction in the west midlands corresponded with the national pattern. General and senior managers account for only 2 per cent. of the total NHS work force in the west midlands.

General and Senior Managers in the Regional, District, and Family Health Services Authorities in West Midlands (in whole time equivalents) at 30 September.
	Number
1986	60
1987	90
1988	150
1989	530
1990	1,150
1991	1,540
1992	1,830

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration is being given to possible use of the Internet or other E-mail system in order further to improve care in the community for the elderly, the disabled and other housebound people; and if she will make a statement.

The provision of community care services is a matter for local health and social services authorities. Where they are exploring the use of information technology we would encourage them to share their experience widely with other authorities.The Department is currently putting in place a national health service-wide networking infrastructure to support all electronic communications, including E-mail, throughout the NHS in England. The extent to which electronic communications are used should be decided in the light of whether it is a cost effective way of improving patient care. All connections to NHS-wide networking factilities, either directly or through other networks such as the Internet and those run by social services, will have to meet national technical, security and confidentiality standards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the level of infant mortality in each of the past 10 years in each district health authority in London.

The information will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if social service departments have been requested to make estimates of the number of children likely to be received into care following the repeal of local authorities' duty to provide gipsy caravan sites under the Caravan Sites Act 1968, as provided for by the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total number of junior doctors in each regional health authority in London; what is the number in each hospital; and what is the total number of hours covered by junior doctors in each regional health authority in London.

In September 1992, the number of whole-time equivalent junior doctors in the Thames regions was:

	Number
North West Thames	1,840
North East Thames	2,270
South East Thames	1,840
South West Thames	1,320

Information on the number in each hospital and complete information on the total number of contracted hours of junior doctors is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many junior doctors are contracted for more than 72 hours per week in each hospital in each regional health authority in London; and how many have regularly worked more than 72 hours per week since 1 January 1993.

At 31 March 1994, the number of junior doctors and dentists in London regional health authorities contracted to work on average for more than 72 hours a week was reported to be:

	Number
North East Thames	965
North West Thames	693
South East Thames	604
South West Thames	695
Total	2,957

Information on individual hospitals and on hours of work is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will set up an inquiry into procedures used at the north Staffordshire pathology laboratory for the processing of thyroid function tests; and if she will make a statement.

The tests are carried out by trained and qualified medical physicists. The isotope department of the North Staffordshire national health service trust has been doing this work for at least 20 years and there is no sign that it fails to meet required quality standards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statutory provision is made for individuals to appeal against a local authority decision to charge for services; what provision is made for local authorities to publicise the right to an appeal; what consultation local authorities have to carry out before introducing charges; and if she will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 31 March, Official Report,1040–41.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average annual cost of keeping a child in local authority care, at 1993 prices, for each of the last 10 years for which information is available.

Information is available centrally on a consistent basis for the years 1983–84 to 1991–92 and is shown in the table. These figures exclude cases where care is provided at little or no cost to local authorities—for example, placed with parents—or where local authority costs did not relate solely to children in care.

Average annual net cost of keeping a child in care/looked after, at 1993 prices1
Year	Cost (£)
1983–84	9,520
1984–85	9,636
1985–86	9,726
1986–87	10,233
1987–88	10,645
1988–89	11,182
1989–90	11,475
1990–91	12,044
1991–92	12,889
1 Using the Gross Domestic Product deflator.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 30 March, Official Report, column 889, how many of those children received into care because of homelessness remained in care for more than one year; and how many of those children were not subsequently reunited with their parents.

Information available centrally relates to the duration of the most recent care episode and this was first computed for the year ending 31 March 1977. Figures are available on children whose episode of care ceased because they were self-supporting/under parental care, but these do not separately identify children whose entry to care because of homelessness was in previous years. Figures for 1977 are shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children were received into care in England because of homelessness in each of the years following the implementation of the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977; and how many of these were gipsy or traveller children.

The information available centrally relates to the number of children in England taken into care on a voluntary basis because their families were made homeless. Figures for the years 1977–78 to 1990–91 are shown in the table. The information available for 1991–92 is an estimate of 110 for the period 14 October 1991 to 31 March 1992. Gipsies and travellers are not separately identified in these figures.

Children admitted to care due to homelessness England, 1978–1991 England
Year ending 31 March	Number of children
1978	559
1979	421
1980	529
1981	471
1982	378
1983	317
1984	244
1985	215
1986	207
1987	209
1988	179
1989	223
1990	225
1991	138

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will review the proposals to close continuing care beds at Westcliffe and Starfield hospital.

North Staffordshire health authority is currently reviewing local provision of continuing care beds for the elderly and will conduct a formal public consultation exercise when these plans are sufficiently developed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will reinstate the NHS continuing care beds for people with dementia in the north Staffordshire area.

Provision of health care for people with dementia in north Staffordshire is a matter for North Staffordshire health authority. I understand that the health authority states that there has been no recent change in the level of continuing care purchased for the residents of north Staffordshire.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will discuss with the Alzheimer's Disease Society the conclusions of its survey of continuing care provision for people with dementia in the west midlands.

The Department is in contact with the Alzheimer's Disease Society about a range of matters including its survey into continuing care provision for people with dementia in the west midlands.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the paediatric hospitals in London; and how many beds there are at each of these hospitals.

The term paediatric hospital is not used in central returns. Information on children's beds is contained in the publication "Bed Availability for England — Financial Year 1992–93", copies of which are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average cost of treating a patient on the waiting list.

Provisional figures show that in 1992–93, for cases involving the use of a bed, the average cost of treatment per patient was £1,241.69. This average applies to all admissions, including those from the waiting list.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average deprivation payment to general practitioners in (a) inner London and (b) the 10 biggest cities outside London, at the latest available date.

The average deprivation payments to general practitioners in 1992–93, the last year for which figures are available, were:

	£
Inner London	6,265
Birmingham	5,223
Leeds	3,282
Sheffield	1,332
Bradford	4,719
Liverpool	2,922
Manchester	4,413
Avon1	1,144
Wakefield	59
Coventry	3,164
Sunderland	1,690
1 Including Bristol.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the United Kingdom died from all forms of food poisoning in the last five years for which figures are available.

Figures for England and Wales are shown in the table.

Deaths from food poisoning: England and Wales 1988–92
Year	Number of Deaths
1988	63
1989	67
1990	71
1991	64
1992	64

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what figures she has on the number of patients dying on waiting lists for cardiac or heart bypass surgery.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary gave her on 14 April 1993, Official Report, column 608.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the perinatal mortality rate for all areas covered by the London implementation group, and the national average, at the latest available date.

Perinatal mortality rates for health authorities in Greater London are shown in the table.

Perinatal mortality rate 1992 District health authorities in the Greater London area (DHAs as at 1 April 1992)
District health authority	1Rate
Barnet	6·0
Barking, Havering and Brentwood	9·1
Bexley	6·3
Bloomsbury and Islington	8·0
Bromley	6·4
Camberwell	10·3
City and Hackney	7·1
Croydon	7·2
Ealing	10·7
Enfield	7·2
Greenwich	10·8
Hampstead	7·4
Haringey	9·6
Harrow	7·8
Hillingdon	7·6
Hounslow and Spelthorne	4·5
Kingston and Esher	4·2
Lewisham and North Southwark	10·0
Merton and Sutton	6·6
Newham	10·5
Parkside	8·1
Redbridge	8·0

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will bring the Employment of Children Act 1973 into force; and what plans she has to introduce other legislation which would afford equal or greater protection to children at work.

No. We are satisfied that the current safeguards which exist in legislation and byelaws to protect children who work are adequate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will set out the total budget for her Department's press office in each year from 1990–91 to 1994–95; how many press officers work at her Department; and how many press releases have been sent out in the name of each Minister in the last six months.

The budget for the press office is not available in the form requested. The number of staff employed in the press office is 14. The number of press releases sent out in the name of each Minister can be identified separately before 1 January 1994 only at disproportionate cost. The number of press releases issued in the name of each Minister since 1 January 1994 are:

	Number
Secretary of State	45
Minister of Health	45
Parliamentary Secretary (Health)	24
Parliamentary Secretary (Community Care)	41
Parliamentary Secretary (Lords)	24

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished consultant episodes were purchased from non-NHS providers in 1992–93 by NHS trusts, regional health authorities, district health authorities and family health service authorities.

This information is not available centrally for 1992–93 and is available only on an individual basis from those purchasers—district health authorities and general practitoner fundholders—who contract with non-NHS providers—hospital and community units.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to institute a review of the therapeutic suitability of mental health units within district general hospitals.

A review of the therapeutic suitability of mental health units within district general hospitals was one of the recommendations in the recent report of the mental health nursing review team. This report is still being disseminated throughout the national health service and three regional conferences will consider how the recommendations may be taken forward.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 21 April, Official Report, column 669–70, when the survey results will be made available.

When validation, aggregation and analysis is complete.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the name, occupation and age of each non-executive director of NHS trusts operating in Nottinghamshire.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn) on 17 January, Official Report, column 385. The amendments listed below apply. We are not prepared to disclose the ages of these individuals without their permission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 12 April, Official Report, column 82, if the cost given for withdrawing the Health Education Authority's pocket guide to sex included the cost of (a) commissioning, (b) printing, (c) distributing and (d) promoting the guide; and if she will break down the figure into its components.

The estimated costs of withdrawing the guide totalled almost £17,000. This figure represents:

	£
Commissioning	4,500
Printing	9,000
Distributing	1,200
Recalling	2,000

There were no promotion costs as space reserved for advertising was used for other existing Health Education Authority material.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will seek a report into the extent of the connection between the refusal of the prison medical service to treat drug-addicted prisoners with methadone treatment and the spread of the AIDS virus in prisons through the sharing of heroin needles; and if she will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.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 Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he and the United Nations are taking to ensure the safety of Brcko.

The Security Council agreed a presidential statement on 4 May calling on all parties to agree to a resumption of negotiations and demanding that they refrain from any offensive military action, or any action likely to lead to renewed fighting. The statement noted with concern indications of increased tension in the Posavina corridor area where Brcko is situated, welcomed the steps taken by UNPROFOR to deploy military observers there and warned the parties of the serious consequences of any offensive military action in the area. The Security Council is keeping the situation under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the United Nations' calculation about the number of troops that would be necessary to make an effective peacekeeping intervention in Rwanda.

The United Nations Security Council has judged that conditions in Rwanda would not allow any force to fulfil an effective peacekeeping role.The United Nations Secretary-General is still pursuing diplomatic efforts aimed at securing a ceasefire and a return to the peace process. These conditions must be fulfilled if any United Nations force is to help keep the peace.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has financially to support an Organisation of African Unity peacekeeping force in Rwanda; and what obstacles exist to doing this.

The OAU Secretary-General has made known his view that the OAU is not best placed to launch a peacekeeping force in Rwanda. Accordingly, we have made no plans to offer financial support.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy on the lifting of the marine blockade of Aqaba; and if he will make a statement on proposals for its replacement with a land-based system.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer that my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs gave him on 5 May, Official Report, column 677.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy on allowing no arms sales to countries unless there is a verifiable cap on their nuclear weapon programme; and to what countries Britain has sold arms which have not had such a verifiable cap in the past 10 years.

The United States and Russia are the only nuclear weapon states which have accepted a verifiable ceiling on their nuclear warhead numbers under the START treaties. We do not have a policy of refusing arms sales to countries which have not accepted similar restraints.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commownealth Affairs what is the size of his Department's grant to the BBC World Service expressed over the next three years in both cash and constant price terms.

Total grants-in-aid to the World Service in the 1994–95 to 1996–97 funding triennium, including the contribution from the MOD to monitoring, are as follows, in £ million:

	1994–95	1995–96	1996–97
FCO grants-in-aid	171·5	175·0	175·0
MOD contribution	3·6	3·7	3·7
Total	175·2	178·8	178·8
at constant prices (using official GDP deflators)	175·2	172·3	168·1

(Figures rounded to the nearest 100K)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been done to follow up the Franco-British initiative to assist the United Nations in its preventive diplomacy launched by him in his address to the General Assembly on 28 September 1993.

Since the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Alain Juppé, and I launched our joint initiative, our officials have been working with the United Nations to see how best we can help the organisation. Following those discussions, our two permanent representatives to the United Nations handed over to the Secretary-General on 29 April detailed information on the support we can provide, including, for our part, mobile communications equipment and illustrative lists of personnel who might be made available for preventive diplomacy missions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will encourage local authorities to seek tenders for the provision of nursery education.

It is for education authorities to decide on the arrangements they make for the provision of nursery education in their area. I believe that co-operation between private and public sector as part of those arrangements can offer real opportunities and I am happy to commend such developments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what he regards as a satisfactory pupil-teacher ratio in nursery schools; and what proposals he has to introduce national standards.

The adequacy of teaching staffing employed in nursery schools depends crucially on the number and expertise of other staff working alongside them. It follows that the appropriate level of teaching staff in nursery classes is best decided by education authorities in the light of their own policies and the particular needs of children.Section 23(3) of the Schools (Scotland) Code states that the education authority shall employ nursery nurses or helpers in the proportion of not less than one such person for 20 pupils.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many primary schools there are; and how many have fewer than 35 pupils.

In September 1993 there were 2,341 education authority primary schools and departments in Scotland, of which 338 had fewer than 35 pupils on their register.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland for what purpose he authorised Chief Constable George Essen to make an official visit to the United States Attorney-General Janet Reno.

Ms Janet Reno, the Attorney-General of the United States, invited Mr. George Esson, who was about to retire and has now retired from the police service, to call on her in order to thank him for the important part which he had played in the Lockerbie investigation, which was conducted jointly between Dumfries and Galloway constabulary and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his discussions with interested parties about the future of the Glenfeshie estate.

The future of the Glenfeshie estate is a matter for the current owner and any prospective purchaser. My right hon. Friend has no plans to meet interested parties to discuss its future. However, the matter was discussed during a recent meeting I held with representatives of the voluntary environmental sector, including representatives from Scottish Wildlife and Countryside Link, the Scottish Wildlife Trust, the World Wide Fund for Nature and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Irrespective of ownership, the Government will look to Scottish Natural Heritage to continue to protect the natural heritage value of the estate through the range of powers at its disposal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has to improve the programming of business in the sheriffs' courts.

Consultations with interested parties indicated general support for the recommendations in the first report on court programming prepared by groups under the chairmanship of Sheriff Principal Gordon Nicholson QC and Sheriff Principal, then Sheriff, Graham Cox, QC. Following consultation with the sheriffs principal, I have decided to set up a group under the chairmanship of Sheriff Principal Gordon Nicholson, QC to facilitate the implementation of the recommendations in the first report and to bring under review other aspects of court programming. The membership of the group will be as follows:

• Sheriff Principal Gordon Nicholson, QC (Chairman), Lothian and Borders
• Mr. Roy Cameron, QPM, Chief Constable, Dumfries and Galloway
• Sheriff Robert Dickson, Airdrie
• Mr. James Friel, Regional Procurator Fiscal, North Strathclyde
• Mr. Andrew Gallen, Solicitor, Glasgow
• Mr. Duncan Lowe, Crown Agent
• Mr. Gordon Murray, CB, Director, Scottish Courts Administration
• Ms Alison Paterson, Director, Victim Support
• Ms Marilyn Riddell, (Secretary), Edinburgh Sheriff Court
• Mr. John Robertson, Regional Sheriff Clerk, Grampian, Highland and Islands

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what progress is being made by Greater Glasgow health board in developing a mental health services strategy for its area.

My noble and learned Friend the Minister of State has today endorsed Greater Glasgow health board's mental health strategy 1993–2000, and given his approval to the planned closure of Gartloch hospital by 1995 as part of the specific proposals to put the strategy into effect.The strategy, which has been subject to full public consultation, proposes a new model of care based on a fundamental shift away from large institutions towards care provided in local community settings. Two key elements of the strategy are that the alternative community-based care services must be in place before patients begin to transfer in substantial numbers and hospitals finally close and the development of locality-based resource centres. The strategy plans to establish up to 25 such centres. Each will house multi-disciplinary teams consisting of psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, occupational therapists and social work staff providing care, treatment, supervision and counselling. The teams will be involved in the entire range of care, from hospital settings to domiciliary care, and available 12 hours a day, seven days a week with crisis team cover outside these times.The board plans to implement the strategy in three phases. Phase 1 will focus on the north and east of Glasgow and involve the establishment of 10 resource centres and the creation of an additional 90 day hospital places. As a first step towards implementing the strategy, the board has submitted a bridging finance application to the management executive for funds covering the period to March 1997. While certain details of the application remain to be agreed, the Minister of State has today approved an initial allocation of bridging finance of £6 million for 1994–95. This will go towards the initial start-up and double running costs that will be incurred as the alternative community based services are put into place.The bridging finance application was co-signed and submitted by the health board, Strathclyde regional council social work department, and Glasgow district council. The application contains a far-reaching set of proposals and some considerable commitments by the individual agencies involved. This, in my view, is an excellent example of joint working and co-operation and one that I would urge others to follow.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will visit meetings of Elderly Forums in the Glenburn, Foxbar, South End, West and Central, and Elderslie areas of Renfrew district to discuss local government reform, water and sewerage services, concessionary travel schemes, standing charges for utilities and other topics of interest; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 29 April 1994]: My right hon. Friend has no current plans to attend any such meetings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the use of private detective agencies and security companies by his Department.

The Employment Department group regularly contracts with security companies to provide protection for a number of its headquarters premises and occasionally employs them to protect temporarily empty premises, patrol jobcentres and hold keys for emergency call-outs.The Employment Service has used private detective agencies, through retained solicitors, on two occasions—to make financial inquiries when an individual was in default of rent payment commitments and when proceedings had to be served on an individual who was negligent in a land transaction.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans his Department has (a) to utilise the Internet, (b) to make available on the Internet press releases and other departmental information which the public may wish to have access to and (c) to use the Internet as a means of increasing the openess of his Department.

I have asked officials to look into this matter. I am grateful to my hon. Friend for drawing this to my attention.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he will publish the Health and Safety Commission report on the review of regulations covering health and safety.

The Health and Safety Commission submitted the final report on its review of health and safety regulation to me at the end of April. The Government are currently considering the report's findings and recommendations and plans to make a statement on them as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has for regular contact with the European Committee of the Regions.

The Department will be able to provide information for the United Kingdom members of the European Community's Committee of the Regions on proposals that come before the Committee for an opinion, where they relate to areas for which we have responsibility.