To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what advice and instructions have been issued from his Department concerning the granting of legal aid to those pursuing claims concerning Creutzfeldt Jakob disease.

None.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 29 April, Official Report, column 335, when he expects to be able to publish his analysis of the responses received to the consultation paper on the organisation and management of civil enforcement agents.

The consultation exercise raised a wide range of difficult issues. The Lord Chancellor is continuing to give consideration to these, and is not in a position to say when an announcement will be made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 10 May, Official Report, column 127, what arrangements were made for the funding of the national commemoration of the 50th anniversary of D-day.

The expected additional cost to the MOD of the commemoration of D-day is between £3,000,000 and £4,000,000. This covers expenditure on the military events organised by the MOD. Parliamentary approval to this expenditure is being sought in the 1994–95 supply estimates for defence: operational and support costs vote, class I, vote 1. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure of £1,000,000 on new services is being covered by a repayable advance from the contingencies fund.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future location of units returning from Germany and Hong Kong; and if he will now announce the location for the second additional infantry battalion announced on 3 February 1993, Official Report, column 321.

A number of options have been considered for permanent barracks required for three Army units returning from Germany in 1995, for one of the battalions returning from Hong Kong, and for the Gurkhas. I am pleased to announce that I have decided that the following locations will be retained by the Army as permanent baracks:

i. The Gurkhas, currently in Church Crookham near Aldershot, will move to Elizabeth Barracks, Pirbright around the end of the year. Until that time Pirbright will house the Black Watch, returning in July from Hong Kong.

ii. The Army Apprentice College, Chepstow will be converted into a permanent infantry barracks and will be the home for the 1st Battalion the Royal Welch Fusiliers from December 1995.

iii. 14 Signals Regiment, returning from Germany, will be housed permanently in RAF Brawdy from December 1995. Until then, RAF Brawdy will be used as temporary accommodation for the 1st Battalion the Royal Welch Fusiliers.

iv. 16 Regiment Royal Artillery (Air Defence), returning from Germany, is to be located at the Royal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich by November 1995. Woolwich is the historic home of the Royal Artillery.

v. 39 Regiment Royal Artillery, returning from Germany, is to be located at Albermarle Barracks, Ouston from November 1995.

I am still considering possible locations for another permanent infantry barracks to cater for the second of the two additional infantry battalions announced on 3 February 1993,

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to make an announcement about the future of Her Majesty's yacht Britannia.

HM yacht Britannia was launched in 1953 and commissioned for service in January, 1954. In the 40 years since then she has' travelled over 1 million miles and has served as royal residence and a setting for official entertainment by the Queen and members of the royal family during state and other visits overseas and in home waters, and has also been used for the promotion of British commercial interests overseas. She was originally designed to have the additional function of serving as a hospital ship in time of war, but has never served in this capacity and it is no longer practicable for her to do so. Her outstanding contribution over the years reflects the great care and professionalism which the Royal Navy, and in particular her successive ship's companies, have devoted to her.The yacht last underwent a major refit in 1987. A further refit at an estimated cost of some £17 million would be necessary in 1996–97 but would only prolong her life for a further five years. In view of her age, even after the refit she would be difficult to maintain and expensive to run. It has therefore been decided to decommission Britannia in 1997.The Government will now consider the question of whether to replace Britannia. The Queen has made it known that in the light of changes in the pattern of royal visits since the yacht was built, she does not consider a royal yacht to be necessary in future solely for the purposes of royal travel. None the less, in view of the success of Britannia in her representational role during state visits, and on other state occasions, and of the part played by the royal yacht in trade promotion, the Government believe it right to consider, without commitment, whether there should be a replacement at some future point, together with other options for meeting the tasks presently fulfilled by Britannia.The Government will be seeking Her Majesty's views on what should happen to Britannia after 1997. We shall seek to find a way of enabling her to continue to serve a useful purpose, even though she will no longer go to sea. A further statement will be made in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any decision has been taken on the future of the continental Territorial Army in Germany.

The continental Territorial Army, CTA, which is some 160-strong, was formed in Germany in 1984. At that time, when there was still a real threat from the Warsaw pact and Soviet Union, there was seen to be clear advantage in recruiting reserve forces from among those with useful skills who could be immediately available on mobilisation in the area they are likely to serve. The requirement for Territorial Army units based in Germany has now been reviewed following the changes in the security environment that have resulted from the end of the cold war. It has been decided that there is no longer a need to base TA units in Germany and the CTA will be disbanded with effect from 30 November 1994. Any individual who wishes to continue to serve will be given the opportunity to do so in a United Kingdom-based unit. I should like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to all the volunteers who have served with the CTA since its formation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the key management targets of the Maintenance Group Defence Agency for the financial year 1994–95.

The Maintenance Group Defence Agency's key management targets for 1994–95 concentrate on three principal objectives:

(a) The effective performance of the Group;

(b) The economic use of resources;

(c) The introduction of management initiatives.

The group's targets are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about possible defence agency status for the Royal Navy's training and recruiting organisation.

I have decided that the Royal Navy's flag officer training and recruiting organisation, FOTR, should be considered as a candidate for defence agency status under the next steps initiative. FOTR currently employs 5,400 staff and has some 15 major training schools across the country. Of those 3,900 are service personnel who rotate between front-line operational appointments and the FOTR organisation, thus providing current knowledge, experience and expertise; the remaining 1,500 are civilians.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the future of RAF VIP and communications flying.

Following the efficiency scrutiny undertaken last year, it has been decided that the Queen's flight, currently based at RAF Benson, will move to RAF Northolt to join the other RAF communications aircraft of No. 32 Squadron. Rationalisation into a single collocated unit, which will be known as 32 (The Royal) Squadron, will enable the RAF to continue to provide a flexible and cost-effective service to the royal family and the other VIP customers. The high standards associated with the Queen's Flight will be fully maintained. The new arrangements will include a new centralised tasking and monitoring organisation to ensure best use of all the assets available.The bulk of the use made by the royal family of the Queen's flight is for national, ceremonial and other public duties where the cost falls to the MOD. Private use of the Queen's flight at MOD expense has been restricted to the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen Mother, and the Prince and Princess of Wales. Such use has been minimal. However, Her Majesty has indicated a wish in future that the MOD should be reimbursed for this use, and arrangements are being made accordingly.Long-range VIP flying will for the time being continue to be undertaken by the RAF's VC10 fleet. However, the possibility of using an RAF Tristar remains under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make details available of proposals for the development of the Otterburn training area.

New developments within the Otterburn training area are required for training with AS 90 and MLRS—multiple-launch rocket system—equipments on their return from Germany under the Government's "Options for Change" programme.Last year independent environmental consultants, RPS Clouston Ltd., were commissioned to consider proposals by my Department for Otterburn. Using their material, and advice provided informally by the Northumberland National Park Authority, the proposals have undergone a detailed scrutiny within my Department and have been significantly refined. I am now satisfied that these revised proposals are for the minimum development necessary to meet the Army's operational training requirements.These development proposals are, of course, subject to planning approval, and as a first step in the public consultation process my Department will shortly be making arrangements for consultants to undertake a comprehensive environmental impact assessment. When this assessment has been completed and after careful consideration of any views put forward by the statutory bodies and other relevant parties, it is out intention to lodge a notice of proposed development with the Northumberland National Park Authority.Because there are sensitive issues involved my Department will enter into an early dialogue with the Northumberland national park and Countryside Commission authorities to examine the issues in detail and recommend how a balance might be achieved between the requirements of national park policies and the Army's need for effective training.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what legal actions were taken against his Department following the collisions between civil and military aircraft over Norfolk on (a) 9 August 1974 and (b) 29 February 1984; and what were the outcomes of the actions.

My Department no longer holds records which might relate to the legal and claims aspects of either of these accidents.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken to monitor the use by Indonesia of British Hawk jets.

The United Kingdom could not monitor the use of these aircraft on a regular basis. But the Government have made clear their concerns and have received an assurance from the Indonesian Government that the Hawks will not be used against civilians. Staff from the British embassy in Indonesia regularly visit East Timor, as do representatives of various human rights organisations. We have no reports from these visitors of Hawk sightings there, either in the air or on the ground.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will reconsider his Department's policy on fitting flight recorders to military aircraft.

My Department's policy on fitting recorders to military aircraft remains that all new aircraft types shall be fitted with accident data recorders. The technical difficulties and costs in fitting ADRs to older aircraft types are such that this could be undertaken only as part of a major upgrade programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what grounds Mr. Paul Martin was suspended from work; when he hopes to announce the results of his Department's inquiry; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Paul Martin was suspended from work, under departmental disciplinary regulations, pending the outcome of inquiries into the security implications of allegations of improper behaviour reported by a national newspaper. It is not the practice to announce the results of internal inquiries of this nature and I do not, therefore, intend to make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the RAF Tornado GR1/1A fleet will be equipped with thermal imaging airborne laser designator equipment; and what is the expected resultant increase in the requirement for night flying training by RAF Tornado aircraft.

It is not our practice to release operational information such as that concerning the number of TIALD-equipped aircraft. There are no plans to increase night flying training in order to practice TIALD operations at night, since it should be possible to practice these within the current Tornado GR1 night flying training programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current annual requirement for live delivery of the JP233 weapon in the continuation training syllabus of combat-ready Tornado GR1 aircrew; and where the live firing is carried out.

There is no annual requirement for live delivery of the JP233 weapon in the continuation training syllabus of combat-ready Tornado GR1 aircrew. Live firing is not carried out during training.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many confidential incident reporting system—CONDOR—reports have been received in each year since 1979 in which military pilots have reported narrowly avoiding hitting the ground.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Mr. Llwyd) on 15 December 1993, Official Report, column 749.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the operational function of the ground-to-air Rapier missile launcher that was stationed in the village of Great Stukely, Cambridgeshire, on 16 May; whether the right hon. Member for Huntingdon (Mr. Major) was informed of its presence; and if he will make a statement.

The Rapier missile launcher was stationed in Great Stukely, Cambridgeshire, on 16 May 1994 as part of a routine airfield defence training exercise. The office of the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Huntingdon, was consulted prior to the deployment.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many Football Association Premier League clubs are under examination by the special compliance office of the Inland Revenue; if he will identify the clubs; and if he will make a statement;(2) how much was recovered by the Inland Revenue from FA Premier League clubs following investigations in each of the last three financial years; and if he will make a statement;

The Inland Revenue's special compliance office is conducting investigations into FA Premier League clubs. For reasons of confidentiality, to which football clubs are entitled as much as any other taxpayer, I am not able to provide details of these investigations or of any results which may have arisen from them.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was received by the Inland Revenue following investigations by the special compliance office in each of the last three financial years.

Special compliance office investigations produced the following yield in the last three financial years:

	£ million
1991–92	330·6
1992–93	387·4
1993–94	348·3

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the United Kingdom's net contribution to the European Union in (a) the calendar year 1995 and (b) the current year; and what was the actual net contribution in 1993.

The Government's estimates of the United Kingdom's net contribution to EC institutions for the calendar years 1993 and to 1994 are set out in the "Statement on the 1994 Community Budget" (Cm 2486), which was published in March this year. Our estimates for the calendar year 1995 will be published in next year's statement.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many seizures of illegally imported alcohol were made by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise service in the last year for which figures are available; what was the total volume of these seizures; and how these figures compare with previous years.

During the year to 31 March 1994 Customs and Excise seized 790,169 litres of alcoholic drink in 1,866 seizures. Before the completion of the single market on 1 January 1993 only seizures of spirits were separately recorded as numbers of seizures of other alcoholic drinks were insignificant. Seizures recorded in the previous two financial years were: 1992–93, including first three months of the single market, 88,858 litres in 1,561 seizures; 1991–92, 73,956 litres in 3,132 seizures.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade which local authorities have approached his Department for their views on the contracting-out of trading standards and/or environmental health enforcement; what proposals were made by those authorities; and what position his Department took on such proposals.

There have been no such approaches.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many contracts and for what total sum were let out by his Department and for the Department of Energy when it was a separate department and agencies for which it is responsible to (a) Coopers and Lybrand, (b) KPMG Peat Marwick, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) Price Waterhouse, (e) Arthur Andersen, (f) Touche Ross, (g) Grant Thornton, (h) Robson Rhodes and (i) Pannell Kerr Forster for (i) privatisation, (ii) market testing, (iii) management advice, (iv) accounting, (v) audit, (vi) consultancy and (vii) other services in (1) 1980 to 1983, (2) 1984 to 1987, (3) 1988 to 1991 and (4) 1992–93.

My Department does not record centrally details of work undertaken in terms of its activity, and collection of this information would incur disproportionate costs.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether full compliance costs assessments have yet been undertaken in connection with the implementation of the European Commission's unfair consumer contracts directive; what are the results of such assessments to date; what benefits this legislation will bring to United Kingdom industry; and how it furthers the Government's deregulation initiative.

[holding answer 20 June 1994]: A compliance cost assessment is in the course of preparation following responses to my Department's consultation paper published last October. To the extent that it may call for improved standards in the drafting of consumer contracts the unfair contract terms directive should assist the competitiveness of United Kingdom industry. Political agreement on the directive was reached before the launch of the Government's deregulation initiative, but consistent with that initiative the Government secured the deletion of certain provisions which appeared likely to prove onerous to industry.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what changes were (a) sought and (b) obtained to the early drafts of the EC unfair consumer contracts directive; and to what extent he now considers that the directive is helpful to United Kingdom industry.

[holding answer 20 June 1994]: The text of the unfair contract terms directive at the time of its adoption by the Council of Ministers broadly met the United Kingdom's negotiating objectives. In particular, we secured the deletion of potentially onerous provisions regarding the law relating to sale of goods, and agreement that the annex of potentially unfair terms should not be a blacklist. To the extent that it may call for improved standards in the drafting of consumer contracts the directive should assist the competitiveness of United Kingdom industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to make further improvements to the war pensions scheme.

We have decided to introduce two improvements which will benefit two groups of war widows. First, from October, we will supplement to United Kingdom levels the pensions of New Zealand war widows resident in this country, who are British. They receive the lower New Zealand pension because their husbands served with the independent New Zealand forces, not with those of the United Kingdom.Secondly, and also from October, we will improve the financial position of some Northern Ireland war widows. They are the widows of members of the Ulster Defence Regiment who died in service between 1 April 1974 and 31 March 1980 and whose attributable pension from the Ministry of Defence is not as much as the special payments made to pre-1973 war widows. We will top up the MOD pension to the level of the pre-1973 payment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the hon. Member for Walsall, North will receive a reply to his further letter of 12 April to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State's letter, reference POF(6) 3644/65, concerning a constituent.

I replied to the hon. Member today, and I am sorry for the delay.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 20 May, Official Report, column 598, what plans he has for the adoption of daylight saving.

Our policy on future summer time arrangements, including whether to move to central European time, remains under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will refer the case of J. R. Edmonds of the BNP to the Court of Appeal in order that that court may impose a higher sentence in that case; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has no powers to do so. Sections 35 and 36 of the Criminal Justice Act give the Attorney-General the power to refer unduly lenient sentences passed for certain offences in the Crown court to the Court of Appeal. The power applies to offences that are triable only in the Crown court and to those triable either way which have been prescribed by order made by the Secretary of State. The Home Secretary has made such an order in respect of offences of indecent assault, making threats to kill and child cruelty.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the draft regulations which have been agreed at the police negotiating board and remain to be placed before the House and in each case the date when they were agreed at the PNB and the expected date when they will be placed before the House.

None, but I will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in establishing an EU register of primates held in breeding and research establishments.

The idea of a primate register has not so far been taken up by our EU partners. I understand, however, that a European primate resources network, EUPREN, is in the process of being established by primate breeding and research centres in a number of member states, with the object of improving both the quality of primate research and the welfare of the animals concerned. I gather that the network will be an appropriate forum for the exhange of information on the availability of suitable animals.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when the next survey of primates held in British laboratories is scheduled to take place;(2) what percentage of primates held in United Kingdom laboratories are captive bred.

A survey in 1992 showed that approximately 80 per cent. of old world primates held in the United Kingdom laboratories were captive bred. In 1993 almost all old world primates imported for use in scientific procedures were captive bred. Most new world primates held here have been bred in United Kingdom.No decision has yet been taken on the need for another survey.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which species of primate are covered by the term "larger primate", as referred to in the 1992 annual report of the Animal Procedures Committee.

The term referred to old world primates, in particular macaques and baboons.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken by him to expedite the validation of the fixed dose method as a replacement for the LD50 test.

Holders of project licences under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 are required to use the fixed dose procedure wherever this is acceptable to the relevant regulatory authority. In other cases licensees are encouraged to seek the agreement of the regulatory authority to use the FDP rather than the LD50 test. We are considering a recommendation from the Animal Procedures Committee that action be taken to encourage acceptance of data from tests conducted to current OECD guideline methods; these include the FDP.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what complaints over the past five years have been received by his Department relating to the miscarriage of justice, defects in the legal system or failure to deal with crime promptly from (a) the Channel Islands and (b) Jersey.

Letters are received each year from a few individuals in the Channel Islands or in the United Kingdom who are dissatisfied with some aspect of the criminal law or judicial system in the island in question or a court's decision in a particular case. No central record is kept of such letters, but the number of complainants is very small.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers are currently being held in detention in police stations; what is the length of time of their detention in police stations and in total; and if he will present this information according to the nationality of the asylum seekers.

The information now available, following the introduction of improved recording systems, shows that on 15 June 10 people who had at some stage claimed asylum were recorded centrally as detained in police stations under Immigration Act powers. The breakdown by nationality and total length of detention—all in police stations—was as follows:

	Detained
2 Turkish	5 days
1 Turkish	4 days
1 Algerian	3 days
1 Algerian	2 days
1 Indian	2 days
1 Turkish	1 day
1 Brazilian	1 day
1 Russian	detained on 15 June
1 Algerian	detained on 15 June

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were found guilty of non-criminal offences related to the non-payment of community charge or council tax and imprisoned for each period of six months since April 1990; what was the length of their sentences; and what was the average amount of the debt unpaid for the non-payment of which they had been found guilty.

The available information is given in the table. No information is available centrally regarding the amount of debt unpaid.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a copy of the instructions issued to officers of the Metropolitan police regarding the use of police car sirens.

I understand from the Commissioner that guidance on the use of sirens is presently under review and that specific instructions are expected to be issued shortly. I shall place a copy of these in the Library when they are available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the performance targets for (a) the number of assaults on staff and (b) the number of assaults on prisoners set out in the contract to run Doncaster prison; and what the penalty will be if these targets are exceeded.

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 Lord President of the Council what instructions are given to security staff in his departmental offices in London for dealing with (a) those sleeping rough in departmental doorways and (b) beggars in the vicinity; and how many problems have been experienced with each group in the last three months.

The Privy Council Office is housed within buildings for which the Cabinet Office and the Treasury, respectively, have overall security responsibility. I accordingly refer the hon. Member to the replies given to the similar questions he addressed to my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

To ask the Lord President of the Council what is the number and percentage of registered disabled persons employed by the House of Commons; and what would be the number and proportion equivalent to the statutory quota.

I have been asked to reply, on behalf of the House of Commons Commission.Of a total of 1,404 staff employed by the House of Commons Commission 16 are registered disabled persons; this represents 1·1 per cent. of the work force. The statutory quota, 3 per cent., for the current complement would be 42.

To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee, pursuant to his answer of 3 May, Official Report, column 404, regarding applications for exhibitions of a parliamentary nature in the Upper Waiting Hall, on what criteria the Committee decides to exempt applications from ballot.

In order to be considered for exemption from the ballot for exhibitions to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall a proposed exhibition must have a clear and direct connection with Parliament.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 23 June.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 23 June.

This morning, I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. This afternoon, I shall be travelling to Corfu for the European Council.

To ask the Prime Minister which Departments do not send out a ministerial reply to letters from hon. Members.

It is for Ministers in each Department to decide the best way in which to reply to correspondence from hon. Members. Where the correspondence covers operational matters dealt with by an executive agency, the Minister may decide that it would be more appropriate and helpful for a reply to be sent by the agency chief executive, who has the detailed knowledge which the hon. Member is seeking, as well as the necessary delegated authority to take appropriate action. It is open to an hon. Member who is dissatisfied with a reply from an agency chief executive to raise the matter with the responsible Minister.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what alterations he will make in future financial years to lessen the effect of the south-east area cost adjustment on the comparative position of the south-west of England.

The area cost adjustment will be discussed with the local authority associations during the summer. The Government will be giving particular attention to the way that the adjustment tapers within the south-east region outside London. We will also give careful consideration to any new evidence which is brought forward on other aspects of the adjustment. We will announce our proposals for the 1995–96 local government finance settlement later in the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the criteria used to assess the suitability of data sources for use in standard spending assessment calculations.

The data sources used in the calculation of standard spending assessments are generally those which are compiled on a consistent basis across all relevant authorities, are judged to be reliable, are not affected by individual authorities' own decisions, and are as up to date as possible.There is a continuing dialogue with the local authority associations about data sources which are capable of producing indicators relevant to, or indicative of, the variations in the need for local authority spending.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 26 May, Official Report, columns 240–41, if he will make a statement about the Government's planning policy towards applications for farm shops in the green belt.

Advice on development control matters within green belts is contained in planning policy guidance note 2. Paragraph 13 of that document states that approval should not be given, except in very special circumstances, for the construction of new buildings or for the change of use of existing buildings for purposes other than uses appropriate to a rural area.It is for local planning authorities to take this advice into account, together with all other material planning considerations, including my answer of 26 May,

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has received from non-governmental organisations this year on environmental risks of (a) nuclear facility decommissioning and (b) the storage and processing of high-level radioactive waste.

The Department received a copy of a report. "Consequence Analysis of a Catastrophic Failure of Highly Active Waste Tanks Serving THORP and Magnox Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing Plants at Sellafield", by Mr. Peter Taylor. The report was passed to the Health and Safety Executive, which regulates radioactive waste storage arrangements at nuclear licensed sites.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assurances he proposes to provide to constituents in Rutland, Stamford, Ribble Valley and elsewhere about the protection of the environment during the burning of substitute fuel in cement kilns.

Current authorisations of cement kilns provide for certain substitute fuels to be used in trial burning subject to the agreement of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution. While each case will be considered on its merits, HMIP, using experience gained, will be requiring trials to be conducted on the following basis. No more such trials will be approved than are necessary to allow HMIP to determine what constitutes best available techniques not entailing excessive costs—BATNEEC—for operations by the cement manufacturing industry in these circumstances.Before a trial commences, satisfactory baseline data on the normal operation of the cement manufacture will need to be provided to HMIP. These data will have to cover all of the aspects in the following paragraphs, in partiular including full details of the kiln and its operating characteristics, and of the emissions to the environment during normal operation.Trials will be run in accordance with a schedule of conditions to be agreed in advance with HMIP. This schedule will be placed on the public register. Operators will be required to make on-going reports on the progress of all trials and in particular to clear with HMIP any reasons for slippage in the progress of any trial. HMIP's agreement will be needed to any proposals to use substitute fuels for longer periods than agreed in the trial schedule. Operators will be expected to discontinue any trial in the event of developments which might adversely affect the environment. For monitoring purposes, HMIP will impose an enhanced and stricter regime to meet the particular circumstances of the trials.Only substitute fuel that can meet a suitable specification, agreed in advance with HMIP and covering, for example, chlorine, polychlorinated biphenyls, sulphur and heavy metals content, will be allowed to be used in the trials. All deliveries of the substitute fuel will be required to meet the agreed specification. Storage to an agreed standard and with adequate control systems will be needed for the substitute fuel. This may call, for example, for tank level indicators, suitable bunding of containment, instrumentation for controlling and measuring the flow of the substitute fuel, appropriate emergency cut-outs and other features.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the United Kingdom ambassador to the Yemen made in his meeting with the chairman of the Presidential Council in Sanaa.

In his meeting with President Saleh on 8 June, the British ambassador urged the President to comply with the terms of United Nations Security Council resolution 924; in particular to agree to an immediate cease fire to allow dialogue to take place.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress being made in the United Nations voter identification programme for the referendum in the Western Sahara.

The United Nations identification commission announced on 1 June that it had completed the preliminary analysis of applications for registration received so far, and was launching the identification and registration process both in Western Sahara and in the refugee camps in the Tindouf area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what safeguards are being put in place by the United Nations to prevent Moroccan citizens from wrongly taking part in the Western Sahara referendum.

Only those individuals identified and registered by the United Nations identification commission will be eligible to vote in the referendum. One of the duties of MINURSO will be to ensure the proper conduct of the referendum.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what stipulations have been made by the United Nations about residence and other qualifications to take part in the Western Sahara referendum.

Security Council resolution 907 of 29 March 1994 endorses the criteria for eligibility to participate in the referendum proposed by the United Nations Secretary-General in his report to the Security Council of 28 July 1993—document 2/26185, available in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government will agree to the Russian proposal for an international conference to discuss the Korean crisis; and if he will make a statement.

The Russian proposal to hold a conference to discuss the security of the Korean peninsula is one of a number of responses to the situation currently being considered.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy on the United Nations proposed sanctions on North Korea.

In the Security Council we are consulting other member states on the timing, tactics and substance of council action, including the imposition of sanctions. We shall continue to consult the other states in the region.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the use of DNA examinations in Somalia for proposed entrants to the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Somalis applying for entry clearance as dependants of those settled in the United Kingdom are eligible for DNA testing in the same way as other nationals. DNA tests will be offered free of charge, under the Government-sponsored scheme, to first-time applicants where the entry clearance officer has doubts about the claimed relationship at the time of the application. In 1993, 19 DNA tests were conducted in Addis Ababa on Somalis applying to join family in the United Kingdom for settlement, and seven in Nairobi.The British embassy in Mogadishu is temporarily closed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government have made to Pakistan in its capacity as a member of the Commonwealth to repeal discriminatory laws against women and offer equal opportunities for women in all fields.

We regularly urge the Government of Pakistan to ensure the protection of the human rights of all Pakistanis. The United Kingdom aid programme in Pakistan promotes the status of women, which is one of ODA's seven priority objectives.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government have made to Pakistan in relation to the ending of child labour and for a free and compulsory education system.

The Government of Pakistan are aware of our expectation that they will meet their obligations as a signatory to the UN convention on the rights of the child, and enforce their own Bonded Labour Systems (Abolition) Act. The, United Kingdom's aid programme in Pakistan includes assistance for children's education.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government have made to Pakistan on the ending of discrimination on the basis of religion, with particular reference to the law requiring indication of religion on the national identity card.

We have frequently urged the Government of Pakistan to protect the constitutional rights of religious minorities. There is no current requirement in Pakistan for religious affiliation to be indicated on national identity cards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government have made to Pakistan about equal rights for religious minorities in Pakistan.

We have frequently urged the Government of Pakistan to ensure that the rights of religious minorities are protected, as the country's constitution requires.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government have made to Pakistan in relation to reports of recent human rights violations in Karachi; and if he will make a statement.

We regularly urge the relevant Pakistani authorities to safeguard human rights. On 11 May Her Majesty's deputy high commissioner in Karachi, along with other EU representatives, discussed the situation there with the Chief Minister of Sindh.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if it is the practice for Ministers to write personally to hon. Members regarding the refusal of visitors' entry clearance; and if he will ensure that all correspondence from hon. Members to Ministers receive a ministerial reply.

Ministers reply personally to all Members on questions of policy affecting the entry clearance operation at our posts overseas but not on individual cases. Usually officials in the migration and visa correspondence unit write direct to hon. Members on factual inquiries about most visa cases.These arrangements were described in my letter of 7 July 1993 to all hon. Members. It enclosed a guidance booklet "Representations by Members of Parliament in Visa and Immigration Cases". I am sending the hon. Member another copy of each.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what effect the enlargement of the EU will have on the whaling industries.

Of the four applicant states, only Norway has a whaling industry. As part of its terms of accession to the European Union, Norway agreed that its policy on whales will fully respect the European Community's existing legislation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress being made in peace talks in Angola.

The talks continue, but agreement has still not been reached on the issue of UNITA's participation in Government. The Angolan Government broadly accepted compromise proposals from the mediators about which posts should be given to UNITA. But UNITA has not yet accepted them. We have urged UNITA to respond positively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current military situation in Angola.

Since February, there has been a rise in military activity by both the Government of Angola and UNITA forces. There is particularly heavy fighting around the cities of Kuito and Malanje, and Huambo has been bombed. This has resulted in an indefinite suspension of humanitarian relief flights. We have expressed concern to both parties and urged them to respect United Nations Security Council calls for all offensive military operations to cease.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the military authorities in Nigeria about the need to restore democratic Government; and what response he has had.

The presidency of the European Union made representations to the Nigerian Foreign Minister on 20 May, urging the military to take concrete steps towards a restoration of democratic civilian rule. The Foreign Minister gave assurances of the military's commitment to the national constitutional conference, due to begin on 27 June, and to hand over power.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports have been made by the United Nation's special envoy to Somalia about whether progress is being made in respect of a constitutional conference on the future of Somalia.

The Secretary-General's special representative reports regularly to the Secretary General on the political, humanitarian and military situation in Somalia. These updates form the basis of the Secretary-General's reports to the Security Council. The last such report was on 24 May. The Secretary General's special advisers also brief Security Council members and troop contributors on developments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the latest situation in Somalia.

Security Council resolution 923 of 31 May urged all parties to pursue negotiations aimed at achieving national reconciliation. We welcome the agreement signed on 18 June in Kismayo on reconciliation in the Lower Juba region. The international community are concerned at the continued delays in convening a national conference and hope that Somalis will build on the progress made in Kismayo to facilitate a national settlement.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make it his policy to set up an independent regulator for Football Association Premier and Football League clubs in England.

No. It is a matter for the football authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will instigate an inquiry into the rules governing the financial arrangements of Football Association Premier League clubs.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many men and how many women aged (a)30 to 40 years, (b)40 to 50 years, (c)50 to 60 years and (d) over 60 years were (i) accepted and (ii) rejected for Ofsted training as team inspectors; and how many in each category were not successful;(2) how many courses have been organised by Ofsted for the purpose of training potential team inspectors;

These are matters for Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools, who heads the new independent Office for Standards in Education. I have asked Professor Sutherland to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many of his Department's booklets entitled "Special Educational Needs—A Guide for Parents", were printed; to whom they were circulated; and what was the overall cost.

The booklet "Special Educational Needs—A Guide for Parents" was printed and distributed as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many candidates sat GCSE in a modern foreign language in 1993; and in what languages.

The number of candidates in England who sat GCSE in a modern language in 1993 was 402,700. The languages, in order of popularity, were French, German, Spanish, Urdu, Italian, Bengali, Russian, Chinese, Panjabi, Gujarati, modern Greek, Arabic, Turkish, Japanese, modern Hebrew, Portuguese, Hindi, Polish and other languages not listed individually. The other languages include Irish, Esperanto and Ukranian.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many candidates sat A-level in a modern foreign language in 1993; in what languages; and what were the figures five years earlier.

The number of candidates in England who sat GCE A-level in a modern foreign language in 1993 was 38,570 of which 26,170 were from schools. The languages, in order of popularity, were French, German, Spanish, Urdu, Italian, Chinese, Russian, Japanese, modern Greek, Panjabi, Bengali, Portuguese, Polish, Turkish, modern Hebrew, Dutch, Hindi and Danish.No comparable figure is available for 1988, although 19,000 school leavers in 1987–88 sat a GCE A-level in a modern foreign language in that year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many students who graduated in (a) 1989, (b) 1990, (c) 1991, (d) 1992 and (e) 1993 are still in debt to the Student Loans Company; and if he will make a statement:(2) how many students applied for student loans in

This is a matter for the Student Loans Company. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the average grant received by students in (a) 1991, (b) 1992 and (c) 1993; and if he will make a statement.

The average maintenance grants, excluding any payment for fees, received by mandatory award holders in England and Wales in the academic years 1990–91, 1991–92 and 1992–93 are set out in the table. Since 1990–91 students have also had access to student loans.

Average maintenance grants to holders of mandatory, awards England and Wales: 1990–91 to 1992–93
	Academic year
	1990–91 £	1991–92 £	11992–93 £
Average maintenance grant
Local authority element	1,478	1,541	1,610
Assessed contributions2	1,025	990	940

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will discuss with the RSI group in north Staffordshire a research proposal to increase awareness and understanding of RSI.

The main agency through which the Government support biomedical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council, which receives its funding from the Office of Science and Technology within my Department.I understand that the MRC is not currently supporting any research specifically into repetitive strain injury, but officials from the council are always willing to discuss and consider scientifically based, sound proposals. The prospects for funding of research into RSI will therefore depend on the nature and quality of any applications received.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the quality of the shipping communications to and from St. Helena.

The issue of shipping communications links with St. Helena is a matter which is regularly under review with the St. Helena Government. Transport communications are clearly very limited, but there has been difficulty in identifying a cost-efficient means of strengthening it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth affairs if he will make a statement on progress in the acquisition of a shuttle ship for St. Helena.

My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development has decided that the search for a shuttle ship between St. Helena and Ascension Island should be discontinued for the time being. This decision, which was reached with great reluctance, followed an exhaustive four-year search, conducted with the assistance of specialist maritime consultants, which failed to identify a suitable vessel available at a cost that was not disproportionately expensive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the wind electricity generation project for St. Helena.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 24 February, at column 397.We have asked the project consultants to carry out a survey of the world market for smaller-rated wind turbine generators and to report on their suitability for installation in St. Helena.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his assessment of the droughts and famines in each of the affected countries of east Africa; and how the Overseas Development Administration and the European Union are reacting to these needs.

The World Food Programme estimates that up to 20 million people will be at risk from droughts and famine in 1994. Over 2.8 million tonnes of food aid will be needed. Britain has responded promptly. Since January, we have committed nearly 130,000 tonnes of food, including 46,500 tonnes announced by my noble Friend Baroness Chalker, the Minister for Overseas Development, on 22 June and £15 million of non-food emergency assistance. Figures for individual countries are as follows:

Food Aid (Metric Tonnes)
	Needs	United Kingdom	EC1
Eritrea	190,000	14,475	—
Ethiopia	955,000	45,000	264,000
Kenya	719,000	20,000	26,000
Somalia	343,000	—	800
Sudan	575,000	40,000	80,000
Tanzania	27,000	10,100	—
Uganda	24,000	68	—
Totals	2,833,000	129,643	370,800
1Excluding bilateral pledges from member states.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the means to ensure independence of decisions on British overseas aid from sales of arms.

British aid funds are not linked to the sale of arms. All bilateral project proposals are subject to economic, financial, technical and environmental appraisal before they are approved, to ensure that they meet the needs and priorities of recipient countries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what view Her Majesty's Government have about Greece vetoing a proposed EC loan to Albania; whether he will ensure that Her Majesty's Government support such assistance to Albania; if he will discuss the issue with representatives of the Greek Government; and if he will make a statement;

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress there has been on removing the Greek Government's blockage on European Union aid to Albania.

We support the Commission proposal for macro-economic assistance to Albania in the form of a 35 mecu grant. We regret the delay in agreeing the Commission proposal and hope that the terms of this assistance will be agreed soon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what environmental conditions are attached by the European Union or any of its specialist agencies in assistance given to Brazil for the development of the Greater Carajas project; and whether those conditions have been fulfilled to date.

EC assistance to the Greater Carajas project has been limited to a European Coal and Steel Community loan, since repaid, of 257 million ecu—£201 million—in 1982. This loan covered approximately 7 per cent. of the project's cost. There were no environmental conditions attached to the ECSC loan. The Carajas region is expected to benefit from environmental monitoring and protection measures under the pilot programme to conserve the Brazilian tropical rainforest which is being supported by the EC, the United Kingdom and other donors.The Carajas project was discussed by the EC Development Council in November 1989. These and other discussions contributed to an EC resolution on Environment and Development that was adopted in 1992. The terms of that resolution are reflected in the legal framework for all EC aid to Latin America and in the 1992 co-operation agreement with Brazil.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what representations he is making in the World bank negotiations with Brazil that any assistance to Brazil should be conditional upon the fulfilling of promises about the demarcation of land in the Amazon rain forest for indigenous peoples;(2) whether the Brazilian Government have fulfilled the conditions regarding the demarcation of indigenous areas of first their World bank loan in 1982 which assisted with the development of Carajas projects.

The United Kingdom is not a party to negotiations between the World bank and Brazil on proposed lending. Bank staff are satisfied that all the conditions of the 1982 loan have been fully met.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action has been taken by the European Union to co-ordinate the humanitarian response to the needs of Rwanda.

Since the start of the crisis European Community humanitarian assistance 1.0 the region totals about £15.2 million, in addition to substantial amounts provided bilaterally by member states. Further support is being considered. Following a decision of the European Development Council a Troika mission will assess the situation by visiting neighbouring countries in early July.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much Her Majesty's Government have allocated to overseas development in Bangladesh; and if he will make a statement.

Britain provided more than £65 million in aid to Bangladesh in the financial year 1992–93, the last year for which figures are available.Our aid programme supports the development of Bangladesh's natural resources, its physical infrastructure and its human resources through health and family planning, education and training. We promote good government through our assistance with economic reform, and with projects to improve the efficiency and accountability of the civil service, parliament and the judiciary.The establishment of a new aid management office in Dhaka in October 1992 has allowed us to focus our aid more effectively on Bangladesh's development priorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to encourage public sector landlords to provide disabled people with personal housing plans; and if he will make a statement.

I expect publicly funded housing bodies dealing with disabled people fully to address their housing needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list, by estate, those occasions on which birds belonging to protected species have been found (a) shot, (b) poisoned or (c) otherwise illegally killed in each of the past five years; and what were the number of (i) prosecutions and (ii) convictions which have resulted.

The number of birds of protected species poisoned in Wales in each of the last five years is:

Year	Number of birds poisoned
1989	12
1990	2
1991	3
1992	7
1993	7

No information on poisonings is held by estate and none of the other information sought is held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the number and total cost of merit awards currently made to consultants for each health authority in Wales.

Responsibility for funding the cost of existing and new awards was devolved to health authorities in 1991–92. Information on the number and total cost of merit awards currently made to consultants for each health authority in Wales is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many rural primary schools with a pupil attendance of 30 or less there were in Wales in (a) 1973, (b) 1983 and (c) 1993; and if he will make a statement.

The information requested is not available prior to 1976 and rural schools cannot be identified separately. Comparable data for the number of primary schools in Wales with up to 25 pupils on roll for 1976, 1985 and 1993 are given in the following table. Data on schools with up to 30 pupils are not readily available.

Number of schools
	January 1976	January 1985	January 1993
Number of pupils on roll
Up to 25	106	114	61
26 or more	1,853	1,682	1,636
TOTAL	1,959	1,796	1,697

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy that in cases other than a major incident, as encompassed in "Welsh Affairs Circular (93)69", no chief ambulance officer or his staff shall release information to the press following a 999 call requiring the attendance of an ambulance at a serious road accident.

There are no central guidelines for the release of information, by chief ambulance officers, to the media in the event of a 999 call to a serious road accident. The national health service has an overriding responsibility to respect the confidential nature of the relationship with its patients and should not disclose personal information without the patient's consent, other than in the most exceptional of circumstances.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take steps to clarify the position regarding the provision of fertility services in West Glamorgan.

The provision of fertility services is a matter for West Glamorgan health authority, which will take into account need, competing demands and available resources.