To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will describe the head restraint used on deportees; and if he will make a statement as to the use of this type of restraint.

The use of mouth restraints was suspended in August 1993. Following a joint review of removal procedures by the Home Office and the police; it was decided in January this year that their use should not be resumed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answers of 1 December 1993, Official Report, column 625, 17 February 1994, Official Report, column 903, and 20 April 1994, Official Report, column 512, what conclusions his Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs reached regarding the misuse of Temazepam; what aspects of those conclusions have caused the delay in his reaching a decision; and if he will make a statement.

The recommendations of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs in relation to Temazepam have implications for a number of Government Departments.I am considering the council's recommendations in consultation with ministerial colleagues. I am afraid that this has taken longer than I would have wished. I hope to be able to announce a decision before too long.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a)roadside checks of vehicles in respect of motor vehicle exhaust fumes and (b) prosecutions following such checks took place in 1993; and if he will make a statement.

Figures obtained from the vehicle inspectorate—an executive agency of the Department of Transport—show that 48,857 roadside exhaust smoke/ emission checks were carried out in Great Britain in the period 1 April 1993 to 31 March 1994. A total of 587 prohibitions were issued as a result of these checks.Information on prosecutions following such tests is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to amend British marriage law to recognise trans-sexuals in their reassigned roles; and if he will make a statement.

:None.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what grant was made in respect of probation hostels in the west midlands in 1993–94; what grant is being made in 1994–95; and if he will make a statement.

Total revenue grant for west midlands' approved hostels for 1993–94 was £1,908,804; for 1994–95 the preliminary figure is £1,513,000. I cannot add anything further as this matter is currently sub judice.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration he has given to the part played by probation hostels in contributing to community safety and tackling the attitudes of criminals and underlying causes of criminal behaviour.

Chapter 7 of "National Standards for the Supervision of Offenders in the Community" deals with the purpose and role of approved hostels. A copy of "National Standards" has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from judges and magistrates in the west midlands about the funding of probation hostels in the west midlands.

A number of representations have been received from judges and magistrates in the west midlands arguing for the retention of all the approved hostels now in use there.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were placed in cells built for fewer prisoners than were being housed there in the last year for which figures are 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 what is the average distance from home a prisoner was placed in the last year for which figures are available; what was the average in 1985; and what was the average in 1979.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Department, pursuant to his answer of 10 May, Official Report, column 71, what plans he has to ensure that a record is kept of the private security firms employed by his Department.

I am arranging for information to be collated on the extent of the use of private security firms employed by my Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 10 May, Official Report, column 72, what Coopers and Lybrand was asked to do during the recruitment of the prison ombudsman.

Coopers and Lybrand Executive Resourcing was asked to undertake a search to identify candidates in addition to those identified through advertisement, to attend sifts, interview search candidates and provide reports on all short-listed candidates.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cars have been stolen in each region in England since the passage of the Aggravated Vehicle Taking Act 1992; and if he will make a statement.

The information available relates to theft of all motor vehicles and is contained in the following table.

Offences of theft of motor vehicles, April 1992 to December 1993, by region
Region	1Number of thefts of vehicles
North West	170,425
North East	217,875
Midlands	112,905
Eastern	107,749
South East	294,835
South West	78,677
1 Offences of aggravated vehicle taking and theft of a vehicle recorded by the police.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been made under the charge of aggravated vehicle taking in each region of England; how many have been successful; what has been the average sentence in successful prosecutions in each region; and if he will make a statement.

Information for 1992 is given in the tables. 1993 data will not be available until the autumn. We are monitoring carefully both prosecutions and penalties under this new provision. It is still too early to draw many conclusions but early indications are that this measure is providing a useful weapon in our armoury against car crime.

Table A Number of defendants prosecuted, convicted and average custodial sentence length given at magistrates' courts for aggravated vehicle taking offences by region 1992 England
Offence/region	Prosecutions	Convictions	Average custodial sentence length (months)
Indictable (triable either way)
Causing death by aggravated vehicle taking
North West	8	5	—
North East	1	1	—
Midlands	1	—	—
Eastern	6	1	—
South East	11	4	6
South West	—	—	—
ENGLAND	27	11	6
Aggravated vehicle taking—
injury to person, damage to property or car
North West	232	123	4
North East	448	259	4
Midlands	145	57	4
Eastern	251	131	4
South East	323	149	4
South West	56	24	4
ENGLAND	1,455	743	4

Offence/region	Prosecutions	Convictions	Average custodial sentence length (months)
Summary
Aggravated vehicle taking—
criminal damage of £2,000 or under
North West	2	2	—
North East	7	4	—
Midlands	48	32	3
Eastern	67	42	5
South East	15	8	—
South West	49	33	5
ENGLAND	188	121	4

Table B Number of offenders convicted and average custodial sentence length given at the Crown Court for aggravated vehicle taking offences by region 1992 England
Offence/Region	Convictions	Average custodial sentence length (months)
Indictable (triable either way)
Causing death by aggravated vehicle taking
North West	2	17
North East	5	18
Midlands	—	—
Eastern	1	5
South East	—	—
South West	—	—
ENGLAND	8	15
Aggravated vehicle taking—
injury to person, damage to property or car
North West	57	11
North East	93	11
Midlands	37	12
Eastern	55	10
South East	52	10
South West	30	10
ENGLAND	324	11
SUMMARY
Aggravated vehicle taking—
criminal damage of £2,000 or under
North West	—	16
North East	—	—
Midlands	—	—
Eastern	1	—
South East	1	—
South West	—	—
ENGLAND	2	6
1 Relates to one offender who was convicted at the magistrates' court but committed for sentence to the Crown Court.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who represented his Department at the seminar on "Britain and the Non-Proliferation Regime: 1995 and Beyond", held in Oxford on 19 April, organised by the Oxford research group; and what benefits accrued to his Department from its representation.

My Department was represented by the Director of Defence Policy. I understand that the seminar provided a useful forum for discussion on the approach to the 1995 conference of the parties to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Carmarthen (Mr. Williams) of 21 April 1994, Official Report, column 623, the reason the information requested regarding low-flying sorties is not available.

The mean height and velocity of aircraft during low-flying sorties are not recorded.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the current and future resources for Army welfare services and dedicated social services support for Army and ex-Army personnel.

My Department continues to provide the appropriate level of welfare support which takes into account the needs of service personnel and their families. It does this through the unit command structure, and through MOD-funded organisations such as the Soldiers' Sailors' Airmen's Families Association—SSAFA.In the United Kingdom, social services for service personnel, their dependants and all former service personnel are primarily a matter for local authorities. Overseas, these services are replicated by my Department and are available to all service personnel, Ministry of Defence UK-based civilian staff and dependants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many courts martial have been undertaken, annually, in each of the services, in the last five years in which figures are available.

The following table shows the annual number of courts martial undertaken by each of the three services in the last five years:

	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993
Royal Navy	57	32	42	61	92
Army	676	837	703	706	636
Royal Air Force	157	148	147	138	133
Total	890	1,017	892	905	861

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what studies he has commissioned to assess health conditions resulting from the use of DDT in the armed forces.

As there is no authoritative scientific evidence of any harmful effect of DDT on humans, there has been no reason for my Department to commission any such studies.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many new businesses have started in north Yorkshire in each year since 1978.

The numbers asked for are not available. The best guide to trends in the number of business starts at county level come from VAT data. Figures are available for the years 1980 to 1992 and are published in "VAT Registrations and Deregistrations, County and District Analysis", 1980 to 1991, and 1992 editions. Both these documents are available in the Library of the House or on-line via NOMIS. For further information, contact the NOMIS team at NOMIS, Unit 3P, Mountjoy research centre, University of Durham DH1 3SW.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the impact on small businesses of the EC Commission proposal Com (94) 5813 to amend directive 77/388/EEC.

All EC proposals for measures that are likely to impose a burden on United Kingdom business are subject to a compliance cost assessment including a small business litmus test. In light of the concerns recently expressed by United Kingdom business, in particular small business, a compliance cost assessment will be undertaken in consultation with those likely to be affected by the provisions in the proposal relating to the exemption of retail export goods. The line that the United Kingdom is taking in Brussels already takes account of the concerns expressed by United Kingdom small businesses. The assessments of the burdens that the proposal would impose should provide hard evidence in support of our negotiating line.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make it his policy that no changes in gas pricing will be allowed which provide for significant variations between regions.

The plans for a new pricing structure for gas transportation, in the light of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission's findings, were set out in a consultation document published by the Office of Gas Supply in December 1993. The matter is further considered in the joint consultative document, "Competition and Choice in the Gas Market", issued on 9 May 1994 by myself and the Director General of Gas Supply, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House, and I look forward to receiving the comments of all interested parties.The Office of Gas Supply expects that the most likely outcome of charging realistic long distance pipeline costs will be for overall prices to move by plus or minus about 2.5 per cent.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has had on regionalised gas pricing for domestic consumers.

[holding answer 9 May 1994]: I have received a number of representations.The plans for a new pricing structure for gas transportation, in the light of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission's findings, were set out in a consultation document published by Ofgas in December 1993. The matter is further considered in the joint consultative document "Competition and Choice in the Gas Market" issued on 9 May 1994 by myself and the Director General of Gas Supply, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House. I look forward to receiving the comments of all interested parties.The Office of Gas Supply expects that the most likely outcome of charging realistic long distance pipeline costs will be for overall prices to move by plus or minus about 2.5 per cent.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has had about the appointment and dismissals undertaken by the Director General of Ofwat.

Under Section 28 of the Water Industry Act 1991, the Director General of Water Services is required to consult the Secretary of State about the appointment of chairmen of the customer service committees. In this connection, my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade, has received a number of representations concerning the expiry of the appointment of the chairman of the Yorkshire committee in February 1994.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many post offices and sub-post offices there currently are in south Yorkshire; and what were the figures for (a) 10 years and (b) 20 years ago.

I understand from the Post Office that currently there are four crown post offices and 387 sub-post offices, including franchise and agency offices, in south Yorkshire. Corresponding figures for 10 years and 20 years ago are not available because of changes in Post Office Counters Ltd's regional organisation and in the local government structure in south Yorkshire since 1974.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what decisions taken at the recent nuclear suppliers group meeting in Madrid will affect United Kingdom nuclear export policy.

The group adopted changes to the "Guidelines for Nuclear Transfers"—DOC INFCIRC 254 Part 1 Rev. 1 Mod 1—at the Madrid meeting. The effect of these changes is to strengthen the retransfer provisions in the guidelines and incorporate a new provision in the guidelines underlying the importance of members satisfying themselves that their exports would not contribute to the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Both changes are consistent with existing British policy.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) of 18 April, Official Report, column 357, if he will make it his policy to compile records of exports of biological agents in future.

Exports to certain destinations of biological agents specified in export control legislation, and for which an export licence has been granted, are now recorded.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish details of the annual on-going compliance costs for new regulations affecting business for which his Department has completed compliance cost assessments.

The Department of Trade and Industry completed 13 compliance cost assessments last year on draft legislation brought before Parliament. 'These were routinely published and copies are available in the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he is likely to complete his review of the Post Office.

My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade will announce the outcome to the review when decisions have been taken. We will not set an artificial date.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade for how many more years the B205 plant at Sellafield is expected to reprocess spent fuel from magnox reactors.

This is a commercial matter for British Nuclear Fuels plc as operators of the plant.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much business was attained by British firms in the clean-up of Kuwait after the Gulf war.

In the first 12 months of Al Awda—the Return—reconstruction phase, the United Kingdom won contracts and orders worth more than £500 million. The official United Kingdom exports to Kuwait for 1991, 1992 and 1993 were £178 million, £262 million and £312 million respectively. This does not accurately reflect the true level of exports to the market as many of the orders placed during reconstruction were routed through Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade on what date the interdepartmental lire safety scrutiny is expected to report its findings to Ministers; and on what date that report will be (a) made available to the House and to the public and (b) published.

The report of the interdepartmental fire safety scrutiny is due to be completed on 25 May and will then be submitted by the scrutiny team to my right hon. Friends the President of the Board of Trade, the Home Secretary and the Secretaries of State for Employment and for the Environment.No decisions will be taken about publication until ministerial colleagues have had an opportunity to consider the report.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what percentage of workers in the offshore oil and gas industry are not British.

The percentage of workers in the offshore oil and gas industry in 1993 who are not British is estimated to be some 8 per cent. Details are published by my Department in the "Energy Report" volume 2, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make it his policy to withdraw from the 16th licensing round any blocks recommended for withdrawal by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

I will consult the Joint Nature Conservation Committee both before and after nominations are received for the 16th round and will take into account its comments when deciding on the blocks to be offered in the round.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade which specific conditions attached to licenses for offshore oil exploration may be made available to the public under the Environmental Information Regulations 1992 in line with paragraph 6 of the Edinburgh Gazette announcement of 26 April.

As was the case in the 14th round, I shall judge each application for such information on its merits having due regard to the provisions of the environmental information regulations. It is my intention to make available those conditions attached to licences for the purposes of protecting the environment.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) which non-governmental organisations he intends to consult prior to deciding which blocks to license in the 15th and 16th offshore licensing round;(2) what specific plans he has to consult nongovernmental organisations before deciding which blocks to license in the 15th and 16th rounds of offshore licensing.

My officials consulted the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and a number of fishing organisations prior to deciding which blocks to offer in the 15th round.We have already informed over 100 organisations, including the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, environmental groups, relevant local authorities and various fishing organisations, of our plans for the 16th round. Once the nominations for the 16th round are received at the end of July, these bodies will be offered the opportunity to comment on which blocks can be offered for licence.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the construction task force was established; when it is expected to report; what are its terms of reference; what areas it is investigating; what is its membership; who employs each member; and in what capacity.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Warley, West (Mr. Spellar) on 30 March 1994, Official Report, column 766.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assistance is to be given to the new London First centre for its overseas inward investment activities.

I am pleased to announce that in addition to the grants for the six regional development organisations announced on 17 March, I have today offered £500,000 of grant-in-aid to the new London First centre for its overseas inward investment activities, covering the whole of London. The grant-in-aid is linked to the performance of specific inward investment promotion activities on behalf of the Invest in Britain Bureau.The London First centre is an initiative by London First to establish for the first time an inward investment agency for London. The centre is being set up initially with support from local authorities, the private sector and my Department. Its aims are to promote London as a location for national and international business and industrial activity, for wealth and job creation in London.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many employees have worked on a full or part-time basis with the Scott inquiry liaison unit set up within his Department; when the unit was established; and when its work will be completed.

[holding answer 13 May 1994]: The Scott inquiry liaison unit was set up on 23 November 1992. Seven people have worked in the unit on a full-time basis, though not all at the same time. Manning has usually been kept to four people, though currently it stands at three. The attendant registry has employed six people, two on a part-time basis. After the initial demands of setting up the registry, manning has generally stood at three people. The timing for the completion of the work of the unit and the registry depends upon the length of the inquiry.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if his inspectors have completed their inquiry into Atlantic Computers Ltd.; and when he expects to publish their report.

[holding answer 16 May 1994]: The inspectors completed their report on 22 April. My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade is considering whether the report should be published in line with usual practice. However the report is unlikely to be published in the immediate future in view of possible prejudice to current criminal proceedings.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what proposals he has to prohibit the importation, for recycling, of certain chemicals from other EC countries; and if he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.The new control regime under the EC Waste Shipments Regulation and the United Kingdom's associated Transfrontier Shipment Of Waste Regulations 1994 came into force on 6 May. This legislation enables the United Kingdom to fulfil its obligations under the Basel convention, to which the United Kingdom became a party on 8 May. The Government are considering the use of their powers under the new legislation and will announce its proposals in due course.As regards exports of waste for recovery, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State reported on the decision taken at the second conference of the parties to the Basel convention in his answer to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) on 30 March 1994

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how he is planning to implement the policy for industrialised countries to be self sufficient in waste by restricting or banning the importation of toxic waste into the United Kingdom when the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 1994 come into force on 6 May;(2) when he plans to publish the waste management plan referred to in the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 1994 which will contain the Government's policies in relation to the import and export of waste for recovery or disposal into and out of the United Kingdom, in accordance with EC directive 75/442/EEC(a).

I refer the hon. Member to the answer which I have given today to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Taunton (Mr. Nicholson) to the President of the Board of Trade.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has received from the Assembly of European Regions meeting in Shrewsbury on 14 April on the role of regional participation in environmental policy.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his assessment of the current relative radiative forcing effects of carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, nitrous oxide, halocarbons and water vapour with respect to pre-industrial levels; how he expects this to change in the future; and what implications this has for the United Kingdom climate change programme.

The intergovernmental panel on climate change published estimates of current forcings, and possible future forcings under a range of scenarios, in its 1992 report, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. The panel will publish a new report on the radiative forcing of climate, containing revised estimates, later this year.The United Kingdom's climate change programme, published earlier this year, contains a package of measures aimed at meeting our commitments under the United Nations framework convention on climate change. The programme makes clear that the United Kingdom will work within forthcoming reviews of the convention, which will take account of the latest scientific evidence from the IPCC, towards ensuring that the ultimate objective of the convention is met. The United Kingdom's national programme will be reviewed and developed in the context of that process.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what request for assistance his Department received from The Economist intelligence unit in assistance in the preparation of its report on management of Europe's environmental challenge.

I am not aware of any request.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which standards authorities are recognised for certifying product specification in the water and sewerage industry.

Water companies are private sector entities and may use certifying bodies of their choosing.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements are made to consult public or environmental health organisations on new product specifications used in the water and sewerage industry.

Subject to the requirements of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989, water companies are free to use new product specifications without further consultation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment to what recognised standards of thickness, strength, life expectancy and composition, pipework used to carry sewage is expected to conform.

It is for the water companies to determine the factors affecting the performance of products which they use. They have the benefit of British standards where they exist and must ensure that they meet statutory and common law obligations relating to pollution.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when Marley Quantum plastic pipework was approved for use as sewer pipework to a European standard.

I understand there is no European standard applicable to this type of pipework system.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which products have been approved since privatisation by the Water Industry Certification Scheme.

The Water Industry Certification Scheme is a private company. I understand that it publishes details of its product approvals.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment to what extent the Water Industry Certification Scheme is financially independent from the privatised water companies.

The Water Industry Certification Scheme is financed by the water companies, the Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities, the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland and the charges which it levies for its services.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his latest assessment of the contribution to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development target of reduced carbon dioxide emissions from road transport; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to her on 25 April 1994, Official Report, column 36.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much (a) carbon dioxide, (b) sulphur dioxide, (c) nitrogen oxides and (d) ash is emitted into the environment each year as a consequence of the generation of electricity; and if he will make a statement.

In 1992, 51 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, 2.4 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide, 0.69 million tonnes of nitrogen oxides were emitted into the environment as a consequence of electricity generation. The trend in emissions for all these pollutants from this source is downwards. The figure for total particulate matter as authorised by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution was 16,390 tonnes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he plans to publish the "Index of Local Conditions."

The "Index of Local Conditions", giving information based upon data from the 1991 census and other data, is being published today. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House and sent to local authority associations and key voluntary organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he proposes to consult on amending the building regulations to make provision for access by disabled people to dwellings.

At my request, the Building Regulations Advisory Committee has been examining the desirability and practicability of extending access provisions for disabled people to dwellings in England and Wales. The present provisions for disabled people in the building regulations apply only to non-domestic buildings.I have now received advice from the committee. As announced by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Social Security and Disabled People on 6 May, we aim to consult on detailed proposals to apply to new dwellings. When issued for consultation, the proposals will be accompanied by a compliance cost assessment.The committee is also examining whether the existing provisions for disabled people applying to non-domestic buildings should be improved. Any proposals here will also be subject to consultation in the normal way.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who will succeed Mr. Byatt as Director General of Water Services when his appointment ends on 31 July.

The Secretary of State for Wales and I have decided to reappoint Mr. Byatt until 30 June 1996, to enable him to complete the implementation of the outcome of his periodic review of water charge limits to apply from 1 April 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to make water utilities liable for damage caused to property as a result of the sinking of water boreholes; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 12 May 1994]: Water utilities already have the same liabilities as any other owner or occupier of land for any damage caused by them to neighbours in sinking boreholes on their land or on land to which the owner or occupiers allow them access. In addition, where they sink boreholes under powers conferred under the Water Industry Act 1991, they are liable to pay compensation for damage under schedule 11 —compulsory works powers—or schedule 6—powers to search for water--of that Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the methods whereby assessment is made of the risk of damage to local property resulting from the sinking of new water boreholes; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 12 May 1994]: The National Rivers Authority must consider the implications of any new borehole which needs its licence or consent, or which is notified to it, in respect of water resources, the aquatic environment and other protected rights to water. Where planning permission is needed, the local planning authority will have to consider all material factors. Other aspects must be assessed by the person proposing to make the borehole, particularly in respect of his potential liabilities to compensate others for any damage that may be done.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, when he expects to announce the siting of the new enterprise zone on Tyneside as a result of substantial job losses at Swan Hunter; and if European Commission agreement for such an enterprise zone has been sought.

[holding answer 12 May 1994]: No acceptable proposals for the siting of the proposed Tyneside enterprise zone have yet been made. The approval of the European Commission has not been sought.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received regarding the impact of the special protection areas for wildlife contained in the draft regulations implementing the EC habitats directive.

In October 1993 this Department issued a public consultation paper on proposals to implement the EC habitats directive. Over 140 responses were received and copies have been placed in the House Libraries. The responses have been taken into account in drafting implementation regulations which will be laid before the House shortly. The Government have not yet published their proposals for special areas of conservation to be designated under the terms of the directive.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the latest estimated level of uncollected corporation tax, in figures and as a percentage, for each year since 1979, including 1993.

The amounts of corporation tax uncollected and consequently remitted or written off as irrecoverable since 1979 are as follows:

Year	Amount £thousands	As a percentage of total corporation tax collected
1979	15,182	0.50
1980	16,214	0.49
1981	20,688	0.70

Year	Amount £thousands	As a percentage of total corporation tax collected
1982	34,396	0.89
1983	40,912	0.11
1984	58,051	1.23
1985	75,342	1.27
1986	91,365	1.11
1987	92,830	0.93
1988	225,597	1.92
1989	151,368	1.05
1990	184,725	1.17
1991	320,929	2.09
1992	1about 440,000	3.77
1993	n/a	n/a
1 From 1992 there has been a once and for all change in Revenue accounting practice. Under the new system the figures are

	PAYE		National insurance contributions
Year	Amount in £thousands	As a percentage of total collected	Classes 1 and 1A - amount in £thousands	As a percentage of total classes 1 and 1A collected
1979	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
1980	9,914	0.05	1,056	0.01
1981	11,432	0.08	1,158	0.01
1982	15,281	0.06	1,261	0.01
1983	22,622	0.08	1,555	0.01
1984	33,312	0.11	1,971	0.01
1985	46,695	0.14	2,213	0.01
1986	60,915	0.17	4,377	0.02
1987	92,560	0.25	8,514	0.03
1988	130,724	0.33	15,894	0.06
1989	122,890	0.28	15,127	0.05
1990	107,091	0.22	17,239	0.05
1991	135,258	0.26	21,644	0.06
11992	2130,000	0.24	32,570	0.09
31993	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
1 From 1992 there has been a once and for all change in Revenue accounting practice. Under the new system the figures are £381,172,000 and 0.71 per cent.
2Approximate.
3The figures for 1993 are not sufficiently complete to allow the necessary comparison to be made and consequently the information is not available in the form requested.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the latest estimated level of uncollected schedule D tax, in figures and as a percentage, for each year since 1979, including 1993.

:The amounts of schedule D tax uncollected and consequently remitted or written off as irrecoverable since 1979 are as follows:

Year	Amount in £thousands	As a percentage of total Schedule D collected
1979	n.a.	n.a.
1980	33,081	0.79
1981	41,552	0.75
1982	52,763	0.84
1983	68,536	1.04
1984	91,229	1.32
1985	90,196	1.18
1986	124,297	1.29
1987	133,878	1.88
1988	252,424	3.06
1989	242,024	2.53
1990	254,989	2.35
1991	383,566	3.17

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is the latest estimated level of uncollected PAYE and national insurance contributions deducted but not paid over to the Revenue, in figures and as a percentage, for each year since 1979, including 1993;(2) if he will list the amounts of PAYE and national insurance written off, in figures and as a percentage, for each year since 1979, including 1993.

The amounts of PAYE and national insurance contributions uncollected and consequently remitted or written off as uncollected are as follows:

Year	Amount in £thousands	As a percentage of total Schedule D collected
1992	703,422	5.16
1993	n.a.	n.a.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the latest estimated level of uncollected capital gains tax, in figures and as a percentage, for each year since 1979, including 1993.

The amounts of capital gains tax uncollected and consequently remitted or written off as irrecoverable since 1979 are as follows:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many cases PAYE was written off in each year since 1980.

The number of cases where PAYE was written off in each year since 1980 is as follows:

Year	Number of cases written off
1980	44,464
1981	7,019
1982	74,077
1983	36,871
1984	45,958
1985	48,361
1986	58,782
1987	69,079
1988	76,348
1989	76,853
1990	68,456
1991	93,341
1992	104,522

Figures for 1993 are not sufficiently complete to allow the necessary comparison to be made and consequently the information is not available in the form requested.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what studies his Departmnent has undertaken to ascertain the practicality of replacing self-employment certificates with national identity cards.

No studies have been undertaken by the Inland Revenue for this purpose.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to announce the result of his consultation on the problems of late payment.

The Government expect to announce their proposals shortly.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his Department's estimate of the loss to the Exchequer from fraud in the building industry.

No reliable estimate can be made. But the construction industry deduction scheme provides a significant deterrent in controlling the extent of fraud in the building industry.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total contribution from the Exchequer towards the cost of local government services; and how much of that amount goes to (a) London boroughs, (b) other English local authorities and (c) Welsh local authorities.

Exchequer contributions towards the cost of local government services take three forms: grants—including redistributed non—domestic rates—within aggregate external finance—AEF—which go to support services wholly or mainly financed out of local authorities' general resources—including the council tax; current grants outside AEF, which generally relate to services wholly or mainly financed by such grants; and capital grants.It is estimated that some 16.7 per cent. of grants within AEF to English local authorities are paid to London boroughs. Current grants outside AEF and capital grants are distributed by a number of different Government Departments. Information on the division of these grants between London boroughs and other English local authorities is not available centrally—the total England figures are therefore given.The figures are as follows:

(£ million,1993–94)
	Grants within AEF	Other current grants	Capital grants
Total England	33,231	11,468	1,401
Welsh local authorities	2,339	572	224
TOTAL1	40,776	13,007	1,793

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the proportional cost to the Exchequer of collecting that proportion of the tax take which is then given towards local authorities.

Exchequer grants to local authorities are derived from general Government funds. They are not hypothecated from particular taxes. It is therefore not possible to hypothecate to them the costs of tax collection.Non-domestic rates are collected by local authorities and redistributed to them through a central Exchequer pool. Authorities can offset amounts for the cost of collection against their contribution to the pool. For 1994–95, the allowance is £69.5 million—less than 0.7 per cent. of the expected rates yield for the year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what basis he excludes the files of individual tax-payers from his market testing of the Inland Revenue.

There is no basis for excluding the files of individual taxpayers. If activities involving the processing, handling or holding of tax information were to be transferred to a private sector organisation, the Inland Revenue would remain responsible for continuing to ensure proper standards of privacy and confidentiality for all citizens. In addition to contractual safeguards, the contracting organisation and its employees would be subject, in the same way as Inland Revenue employees, to the criminal sanctions—a fine or imprisonment or both —provided by section 182 of the Finance Act 1989 for unauthorised disclosure of taxpayer personal information.Confidentiality is not a bar to market testing; a lot of highly sensitive Government work is done by the private sector. But the Inland Revenue would need to be sure that an outside contractor could replicate existing security procedures and conditions.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost of employing consultants in connection with privatisation programmes in which his departments have been engaged since 1980.

[holding answer 4 May 1994]: The Treasury is the only one of the Chancellor's Departments to incur cost in employing consultants in connection with privatisation programmes since 1980.With regard to the Treasury, I regret that information going back beyond 1991 can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The estimated cost of employing consultants in connection with privatisation programmes since 1991 is as follows:

	£
1991–92	8,890,632
1992–93	1,428,793
1993–94	5,019,584

All the figures are exclusive of VAT.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make arrangements for each Government Department and ministerial office to receive mail from hon. Members taking up matters on behalf of their constituents through E-mail.

I have no present plans to do so, but the Government are keeping the matter under review.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will give details of the current level of Government expenditure, and for each of the previous five years, on public relations and advertising, covering all Departments of state; and if he will also show the sums spent through external agencies, both in public relations and advertising.

The information requested is not held centrally for all Government Departments.

To ask the Prime Minister when he last met the President of Cyprus; and what issues were discussed.

I last met President Clerides during the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Cyprus in October 1993. We discussed United Nations efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem.

To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with other members of the United Nations Security Council about the statement by Edwin Bollier and Ulrich Lumpert, Swiss manufacturers of timing devices, about the circumstances of the Pan Am 103 disaster over Lockerbie and the policy of sanctions against Libya.

The exchange of information with the authorities of other Governments involved in the Lockerbie investigation is a matter for my noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate. He has made it clear that he cannot comment on the details of the available evidence while criminal proceedings are pending.We have regular discussions with the other members of the Security Council about Libya. They are clearly of the view that Libya has not complied with Security Council resolutions 731, 748 and 883.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 17 May.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 17 May.

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

To ask the Prime Minister for how long his predecessor visited Malaysia on 6 August 1988; who she met during her visit and by whom she was accompanied during her meetings; what subjects were discussed during the meetings; and on what date it was decided that she should visit Malaysia on 6 August 1988.

My predecessor decided in June 1988 to visit Malaysia in August on her return from Australia. During a two hour stop-over in Kuala Lumpur on 6 August, she met the Malaysian Prime Minister, who was accompanied by his Foreign Minister, the Secretary-General of the Foreign Ministry and two other officials. The British high commissioner and the Prime Minister's foreign affairs private secretary were also present. A wide range of subjects was discussed, including aid, air services, Cambodia, defence sales, and arrangements for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Malaysia in 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list by Her Majesty's prison and remand home/centre for the latest date he has figures available, the number of inmates whose place of residence is South Yorkshire; and what were the figures (a) 12 months and (b) 24 months ago.

Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Scottish Prison Service under its chief executive, Mr. E. W. Frizzell. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) for which hospital contracts in Scotland Scottish Office advice has been given that they lie outside the scope of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations; and for which contracts advice has been given that they fall within the scope of TUPE;(2) what advice was given by the national health service management executive about the applicability of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 to contracts for domestic and portering services at Glasgow Royal infirmary, the Royal maternity hospital and Yorkhill hospital.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 16 May, Official Report, column 365.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many parliamentary questions, in the period November 1992 to March 1993, were answered with the response that the information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost; how many were referred on to an agency chief executive; and, in each case, what percentage of the total number of questions asked this constituted.

The information requested is as follows:

	Number	Percentage
Total number of Parliamentary Questions answered in the period November 1992 to March 1993.	11,321	—
Number (and percentage of Parliamentary Questions which received responses that information requested is not held centrally and/or could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.	143	3.26
Number (and percentage of Parliamentary Questions referred to Agency Chief Executives for reply.	10	0.76
1 Source Polis

	Average number of days lost per officer for reasons of sickness			Figures for Male/Female not available before 1991
	1993	1992	1991	1990	1989	1988	1987	1986	1985	1984
Central
Male	9	9	12	11	11	7	10	13	11	10
Female	13	12	18	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Dumfries and Galloway
Male	10	10	13	11	11	11	11	9	9	9
Female	11	5	7	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Fife
Male	8	9	11	11	12	8	11	10	12	11
Female	12	11	12	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Grampian
Male	5	6	112	10	9	7	8	8	10	8
Female	9	11	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Lothian and Borders
Male	10	11	18	12	13	10	11	9	13	10
Female	13	16	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Northern
Male	9	9	14	12	10	11	8	8	11	11
Female	8	12	12	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Strathclyde
Male	15	15	116	19	14	11	14	15	14	15
Female	17	20	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Tayside
Male	12	10	4	8	8	7	9	11	9	10
Female	11	10	7	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1Figures for Male/Female not available

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the members of all further education college boards in Scotland and their relevant qualifications for this position.

I have placed in the Library of the House the information held by my Department on the membership of boards of management of further education colleges in Scotland. Members of the boards of incorporated colleges are appointed in accordance with criteria set out in schedule 2 of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992. Schedule 6 of the Act provided that, with the exception of the staff and student representatives, the initial appointments o the boards were made by the Secretary of State. Subsequent appointments are for the boards themselves.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list by sex, and by year for the last 10 years, the average number of police officer days lost for reasons of sickness in each police authority.

The information is set out in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidelines the Government give to hospital trusts about openness and accountability.

My noble and learned friend the Minister of State last month issued codes of conduct and accountability covering issues such as openness and accountability to all members of health boards and NHS trusts. Each board has been asked to adopt these codes at its next formal meeting. For new members, acceptance of the codes will be a condition of appointment. Arrangements have been made for copies of the codes to be available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the advantages for the Scottish ambulance service of becoming a trust and the disadvantages of remaining as it is at present.

[holding answer 13 May 1994]: In signifying an interest in trust status the Scottish ambulance service has indicated that this will allow it to make much faster progress towards the achievement of its four main objectives which are:

(a) improving the quality of service to its patients;

(b) improving relationships with health boards and NHS trusts as purchasers of ambulance services;

(c) improving the motivation and ability of its staff to deliver better services;

(d) achieving better value for money.

These advantages will be explained in more detail in the Scottish ambulance service trust application which is to be issued for public consultation on 18 May and a copy will be sent to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what changes are proposed to the composition of prison visiting committees; which individuals and organisations were consulted before such changes were proposed; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 16 May 1994]: Under The Prison (Scotland) Rules 1952, as amended, appointments to prison visiting committees are made by every local authority in whose area prisoners might have their homes. As a result some committees are extremely large—the Barlinnie visiting committee for example has 35 members —and members have to travel long distances. As currently drafted, under the new Prisons and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Rules only those local authorities within which the prisons lie would appoint members to visiting committees. The position would then be as set out in table 1.In the new draft rules it is also proposed that half the membership of visiting committees should come from outwith the elected membership of the appointing authorities. It would therefore be open to the latter to appoint whoever they considered appropriate. These proposals were the subject of consultation last September, when views were sought from the organisations and individuals listed in table 2.No firm view has yet been taken on the final shape of the new rules. We are considering carefully the representations made during the formal consultation process. Thereafter the new rules will be laid before this House.

Name of prison and Names of appointing authorities	Numbers of members to be appointed
Aberdeen
Grampian Regional Council	3
City of Aberdeen District Council	5
	8
Barlinnie, Glasgow
Strathclyde Regional Council	10
City of Glasgow District Council	15
	25
Cornton Vale, Stirling
Central Regional Council	4
Stirling District Council	5
	9

Name of prison and Names of appointing authorities	Numbers of members to be appointed
Dumfries
Dumfries and Galloway Regional Council	3
Nithsdale District Council	5
	8
Dungavel
Strathclyde Regional Council	3
East Kilbride District Council	5
	8
Edinburgh
Lothian Regional Council	5
City of Edinburgh District Council	12
	17
Friarton
Tayside Regional Council	3
Perth and Kinross District Council	5
	8
Glenochil
Central Regional Council	4
Clackmannan District Council	10
	14
Greenock
Strathclyde Regional Council	3
Inverclyde District Council	5
	8
Inverness
Highland Regional Council	3
Inverness District Council	5
	8
Longriggend
Strathclyde Regional Council	5
Monklands District Council	3
	8
Low Moss
Strathclyde Regional Council	4
Strathkelvin District Council	6
	10
Noranside
Tayside Regional Council	3
Angus District Council	5
	8
Penninghame
Dumfries and Galloway Regional Council	3
Wigtown District Council	5
	8
Perth
Tayside Regional Council	3
Perth and Kinross District Council	5
	8
Peterhead
Grampian Regional Council	3
Banff and Buchan District Council	5
	8

Name of prison and Names of appointing authorities	Numbers of members to be appointed
Shotts
Strathclyde Regional Council	5
Motherwell District Council	12
	17