To ask the Attorney-General if he will take steps to publish a record of the accumulated legal costs borne by the United Kingdom in the cases initiated against Her Majesty's Government in the European Court of Justice.

Legal costs excluding travel and subsistence totalled approximately £90,000 in nine out of the 10 cases brought since 1 January 1986.

To ask the Attorney-General what steps he is taking to make the revised code for prosecutors known to the public.

The revised "Code for Crown Prosecutors" was published by the Director of Public Prosecutions on 21 June 1994. It has been widely distributed to those with an interest in the criminal justice system. Copies are available from Crown Prosecution Service headquarters.

To ask the Attorney-General how many cases have been referred to him in the last 12 months as being unduly lenient sentences.

One hundred and sixteen sentences have been considered and I have applied for leave to refer 46 as appearing to me to be unduly lenient.

To ask the Attorney-General what plans he has to make an official visit to the Crown Prosecution Service in Chester to discuss the work of the office; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General has no plans to visit the Crown Prosecution Service in Chester, but I shall be visiting offices of the Crown Prosecution Service in the north-west area, of which Chester is a part, in the near future.

To ask the Attorney-General when and in what form he expects to publish Sir John May's inquiry into the Guildford and Woolwich bombings case; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary and I expect to publish the report shortly.

To ask the Attorney-General what change of policy will be made by the Crown Prosecution Service as a result of the case of PC Guscott at Bridgwater magistrates court.

The CPS is aware of the difficulties and dangers which police officers face in their work. This is a factor which is always taken into account in deciding whether the prosecution of a police officer is in the public interest. The public interest however also demands that officers should conduct themselves within the law. These cases are considered with great care according to their individual merits. The DPP does not consider any change of approach to be necessary.

To ask the Attorney-General what plans he has to review the Crown Prosecution Service guidelines on dealing with cases of racial harassment.

The revised edition of the "Code for Crown Prosecutors" makes it clear that a prosecution is likely to be needed if, among other considerations, the offence was motivated by any form of discrimination against the victim's ethnic or national origin.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will name the Lords Advocate and Solicitors-General who have held office since 1964.

The information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made with the review of the Scottish criminal justice system; and what conclusions he has reached on proposals for improving the delivery of justice in Scotland.

I have today laid before Parliament and published a White Paper entitled "Firm and Fair" which sets out the Government's proposals for reform of the Scottish criminal justice system. The White Paper is the culmination of a wide-ranging review of the Scottish criminal justice system and criminal legal aid, in which I have sought the views of all those with a genuine interest in the delivery of justice in Scotland. The response to the four consultation papers we issued was very encouraging. We have received a large number of thoughtful comments which have been carefully considered. The White Paper contains the Government's conclusions following that consideration.The White Paper also reports on our consideration of those recommendations of the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice which were of relevance to Scotland and includes proposals on other aspects of the Scottish criminal justice system which were not part of the main review exercise.The proposals in the White Paper seek to ensure that offenders are quickly identified, brought to account and punished and that all those who come into contact with the criminal justice system, whether as victims, witnesses or jurors, are dealt with fairly and sensitively. The proposals include action to tighten up bail procedures and to deal with people who commit offences while on bail, changes to pre-trial procedures, the operation of the jury system, the powers of the courts and appeals procedures.On certain issues, I have concluded that there should be no change or that further work is necessary. One of the most controversial issues on which I consulted was the future of the not proven verdict. This provoked a healthy public debate. The clear weight of opinion was, however, in favour of retention and I have decided that the three verdicts, including not proven, should remain.I also consulted on the need for change in the Appeal Court's consideration of appeals and the handling of alleged miscarriages of justice in Scotland, in the light of the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice for a new independent review authority for England and Wales. The response to the consultation was inconclusive and, given the complexity and importance of these related issues, I have decided to appoint an independent committee, which will include a senior member of the judiciary, to consider both these matters in the Scottish context and to report to me. I shall announce the membership and remit of the Committee soon.The consultation exercise has been productive and worthwhile. I believe that the proposals contained in this White Paper will command widespread support. I also believe that they will significantly improve the delivery of justice in Scotland. Where legislation is required to implement the proposals contained in the White Paper, it will be brought forward at the next available opportunity.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many and what proportion of (a) chairmen, (b) chief executives and (c) board members of (i) urban development corporations and (ii) housing action trusts are women.

The number and proportion of women in urban development corporations and housing action trusts are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of North West Water plc's actions in respect of the preservation of the amenity values of Sweetloves reservoir, Bolton; and if he will make a statement.

I have considered carefully the concerns expressed by my hon. Friend over North West Water's proposed redevelopment of the Sweetloves reservoir, together with the information provided by the company to my Department. While I consider that it would have been better if the company had carried out consultations prior to draining the reservoir and bringing forward its redevelopment proposals, I am satisfied that failure to do so does not of itself constitute a breach of the company's statutory environmental duties under the Water Industry Act 1991. I have however written to North West Water informing it of my serious concerns over its handling of this matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his policy relating to the development of quarries within the area of Doncaster metropolitan borough council.

Policy guidance on the provision to be made for minerals in development plans is given in minerals planning guidance notes 1 and 6. In particular MPG 6 sets out regional apportionments for meeting projected demand for aggregates to 2006. In drawing up policies and proposals in their development plans for meeting the demand for aggregates and other minerals, mineral planning authorities should have regard to the local apportionments for the supply of aggregates and the other guidance in MPG 6.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each of South Yorkshire metropolitan borough councils in rank order their full-time equivalent number of employees per thousand of population.

The information requested is not available centrally. However, figures are available for the total number of employees per thousand of population. These are:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authority, housing association and voluntary sector hostel bedspaces for single homeless people there were in England on (a) 31 December 1993 and (b) 31 March 1994, or the most recent figures available.

Information on short-life accommodation managed by housing associations in England, including property owned by a local authority, is published for the year ending 31 March 1993 by the Housing Corporation in table 13.1, page 47 of "Housing Associations in 1993", an analysis of the annual statistical survey, part 1, general report. No information is held centrally on short-life accommodation owned by local authorities and not managed by housing associations. A copy of the report is held in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information his Department has on accidents arising from surface heat of domestic heating radiators; and if he will make a statement.

The Department of the Environment does not keep statistics on this subject. In general, reducing surface heat to a level which is completely safe will also result in living space temperature falling to a level incompatible with comfort.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what regulations cover the surface temperature of domestic heating radiators.

There are no regulations relating specifically to the surface temperature of domestic heating radiators. In sheltered accommodation, such as nursing homes, the relevant local authority has responsibility for setting a maximum surface temperature for radiators.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans she has to increase the powers of local authorities and affected persons to take action against noisy neighbours.

Local authorities and individuals already have a range of powers to tackle neighbour noise nuisance. Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, local authorities can serve abatement notices to control noise from domestic and other premises which they judge to be a statutory nuisance. These powers have recently been extended by the Noise and Statutory Nuisance Act 1993 to control certain types of noise in the street, including misfiring vehicle alarms. Contravention of abatement notices can lead to substantial fines.In addition, a number of local authorities have successfully confiscated equipment such as hi-fis and stereos where an abatement notice has been ignored. Individuals can also take their own action in the magistrates' court to have a noise nuisance abated or they can take civil action.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the current distribution of standard spending assessments in reflecting need to spend in (a) deprived local authority areas and (b) Birmingham.

The standard spending assessment formulae, which apply to authorities throughout England, contain many indicators related to the additional need to spend in deprived local authority areas. As well as the economic and social indices which reflect general needs, there are indicators such as the proportion of children in lone-parent families or in families receiving income support, homeless households, households living in non-self-contained accommodation and elderly residents with a long-term illness. These indicators have been chosen after detailed statistical analysis of the patterns of local authorities' spending.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the analysis of English housing fitness contained in the report "English Homes—A National Asset?" presented to him in March; and what proposals he intends to make in response.

The analysis of housing fitness contained in the report "English Homes—A National Asset?" is based on the 1991 English house condition survey, published by the Department in September 1993. The recommendations of the report are being considered in the context of the Department's current review of the future of private housing renewal programmes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce his decision on the report of the public inquiry into the proposed community stadium at Stoneham, Southampton.

It is hoped to announce the decision shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many responses to the Department of the Environment's consultation paper "The New Forest: The Government's Proposals", published in September 1992, were received by the Department before the end of 1992; and of these responses what proportion supported the Government's proposals that (a) statutory designation should be given to the area broadly related to the heritage area proposed by the New Forest committee and that (b) a planning regime similar to that which applies in the national parks and the Broads should apply to this area.

We received 209 responses to our consultation paper on the New Forest before the end of 1992. Sixty per cent. of these responses addressed the issue of a statutory designation for an area related to the New Forest heritage area, of which 84 per cent. supported the proposal for a statutory status which would bring with it a planning regime similar to that which applies in the national parks and the Broads.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what steps his Department is taking to provide advice and support to local authorities in preparing bids for objective 5b grant;(2) in which part of his Department objective 5b bids are handled.

Applications for funding under objective 5b of the European structural funds will be handled by secretariats located at the appropriate Government office in each region.Local authorities and other potential applicants to use objective 5b funding may obtain advice and guidance from the appropriate regional office. The European Commission is currently considering proposals for the use of the funds in each of the eligible areas, which have been prepared by the Government offices in consultation with local partnerships including the local authorities. When agreed by the European Commission, these single programming documents will provide the framework within which decisions on project applications will be made, and further guidance will be made available to interested organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy towards voluntary agencies funded through City Challenge which operate unsatisfactory employment practices and procedures.

Decisions as to which agencies and projects City Challenge supports are matters for individual partnerships set up under the initiative and the appropriate local authorities. As far as possible, the partnerships should be satisfied that the agencies operate within the requirements of the law.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will make a statement on the discrepancy between the claimed and the satellite measured areas of durum wheat in Italy.

I understand that work on remote sensing commissioned by the European Commission in 1990 identified some discrepancies between the actual and declared areas of durum wheat in Italy. Appropriate action was taken by the Italian authorities. Remote sensing can make a useful contribution to preventing fraud and the Commission is continuing to encourage its use in appropriate circumstances.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the recommended 1991 daily intake, reference nutrient intake and lower reference nutrient intake, for children of different ages; and what percentage these figures represent of the values recommended in 1979.

I have been asked to reply.Information concerning the reference nutrient intake—RNI—the estimated average requirement—EAR—and the lower reference nutrient intake—LRNI—for 33 nutrients were published in the 1991 Report on Health and Social Subjects No. 41 "Dietary Reference Values (DRV) for Food Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom", a copy of which is available in the Library.It is not possible to establish what percentage the 1991 DRVs represent of the 1979 recommended daily amounts—RDA—because figures are not comparable in the two reports.

To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will set out in tabular form the non-contributory benefits and contributory benefits, where the rates of contribution are the same, available to Members of the European Parliament and hon. Members of this House on ceasing their employment, setting out the reasons for any differences; and if he will make a statement.

A resettlement allowance is payable to Members of the House in accordance with the Resolution of 22 May 1991 at rates that vary between 50 and 100 per cent. of annual salary according to age and length of service. Our intention is that the same terms should be available to Members of the European Parliament. Accordingly, the Home Secretary laid an order on 24 June making certain changes to their scheme in line with improvements already made in the scheme for Members of this House.Members of this House and Members of the European Parliament pay contributions of 6 per cent. of salary for pensions at retirement, as distinct from cessation of employment. The Home Secretary laid an order on 24 June to make certain changes to the scheme for MEPs to ensure that the benefits are the same for both schemes.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will set up a Royal Commission to investigate the workings of the Broadcasting Act; and if he will make a statement.

No. However we are keeping the working of the Act under review.

To ask the Prime Minister what instructions are given to security staff at No. 10 Downing street for dealing with beggars in the vicinity; and how many problems with beggars have been experienced in the last three months.

None, in both cases.

To ask the Prime Minister how many representations he has received since 1 January 1993 calling for the unfreezing of British state retirement pensions in those countries where British pensioners are denied annual upratings.

I have received numerous representations.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the Government Departments which issue press releases on recycled paper; and what percentage of press releases from each department are on recycled paper.

I have been asked to reply.The use of recycled and environmentally friendly paper for the issue of press releases is a matter for individual Departments. However, the Government's policy, as set out in the White Paper "This Common Inheritance", is to use its influence as a major consumer. It discriminates positively in favour of recycled and environmentally-friendly products and will use recycled or environmentally friendly paper wherever this is available, of adequate quality and represents value-for-money.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the extension of the Konver programme.

The European Commission announced a second Konver initiative for the period 1994–97, to assist the regeneration or areas affected by job losses due to defence changes. It is one of 13 community initiatives to be financed from the European structural funds.These funds will contribute £380 million to Konver II; the allocation for the United Kingdom, and Gibraltar, will be known in July. The eligible areas should be determined in September; they will, as before, include areas other than those designated for objectives 1, 2 and 5

To ask the President of the Board of Trade at what stage of preparation are draft contracts for the contracting out of the Insolvency Service's mechanical processing work.

No decision has yet been taken on whether to contract out this work. Drafting of any contracts has not, therefore, begun.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to increase the prosecution rate for inadequate accounting records by the Insolvency Service.

Stoy Hayward Consulting was invited to bid for the second phase of the work in a single tender action.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what evidence he has that United Kingdom manufacturers are investing in increased capacity to increase exports and displace imports; and if he will publish a list of the industries in which such investment is taking place.

Information on the reasons for investment by a sample of United Kingdom manufacturing industry is contained in the CBI "Industrial Trends Survey", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if his Department has allocated a budget to make matching grants available to objective 5b bids in line with EU rules.

No; there is no such rule.Structural funds projects are funded jointly by the Community and the member state. My Department, and others, make public expenditure provision for the forecast value of the Community contributions. The remainder of the cost of each project is the responsibility of the beneficiary of the Community grant.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans his Department has to use the Institution of Electrical Engineers INSPEC database and information service.

The DTI information and library services use those sources of information most appropriate to each individual inquiry they receive. The ILS has accessed the INSPEC databases regularly over the last 10 years or so, using a variety of hosts. In addition, the ILS subscribes to a number of IEE publications.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many employees of British Coal have been removed from their posts on the grounds of conflict of interest where they have been interested in participation in a management buy-out of their colliery; and if those in senior positions within British Coal are deemed to be affected by the same conflict of interest.

[holding answer 24 June 1994]: This is a matter for British Coal, which has put in place detailed internal guidelines designed to avoid any potential conflicts of interest. These procedures require any manager wishing to participate in a management buy-out to obtain the consent of the chairman of the corporation to do so. I understand that in each case potential conflicts of interest are assessed and appropriate measures put in place.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects amendments to the Electricity (Class Exemptions from the Requirement for a Licence) Order 1990 to be made; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 14 April 1994, c. 253]: I have today laid before Parliament an order further amending the Electricity (Class Exemptions from the Requirement for a Licence) Order 1990.This order, and the earlier order which I laid on 14 April, will bring into effect a package of five amendments to the exemption order that I announced at the end of last year. One effect of this order will be to allow more companies, including some joint ventures, to be included in a qualifying group of companies that may be supplied by an unlicensed on-site generator. In addition, more small generators may be exempt from the requirement for a generation licence, as a result of the change to the definition of a "qualifying group".This package of amendments will reduce the regulatory burden on small generators, on-site generators and companies which sell on a small proportion of the electricity they purchase.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the revenue the Treasury will derive from the imposition of value added tax on domestic fuel in the financial years 1994–95 and 1995–96; how much of this will be attributable to the imposition of value added tax on the standing charge element of domestic fuel bills; and if he will make a statement.

Latest published estimates of the revenue yield were set out in annex B to chapter 4 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report for 1994–95". Approximately 12 per cent. of the VAT yield is attributable to the standing charge element of domestic fuel bills.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and which Departments have been asked to conduct a fundamental review of their spending; how many and which Departments have produced a report as a result of such a review; and how many and which Departments have (a) published and (b) plan to publish such a report.

Four fundamental reviews were started in early 1993 covering social security, health, education and the Home Office. A further eight were announced in the November Budget last year. These covered employment and transport programmes, the legal Departments, Trade and Industry, Inland Revenue, Customs and Excise, Her Majesty's Treasury and urban expenditure. It is intended that all Departments will conduct such reviews by the end of this Parliament.The reviews once started are on-going. There are no plans to publish reports on the reviews, but their output will, as the first four reviews did last year, inform the annual public expenditure survey decisions.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the central Government deficit in the last financial year as a percentage of gross domestic profit; and what is the maximum level allowed under the Maastricht convergence criterion.

There is no maximum level for the budget deficit allowed under the excessive deficits procedure of the Maastricht treaty. Rather, there is a reference level of 3 per cent. of GDP which is one of the factors to be taken into account in deciding whether a country has an excessive deficit.The measure of the budget deficit used for the excessive deficit procedure is the general Government financial deficit—GGFD. This is provisionally estimated at 7.8 per cent. of GDP in 1993–94. The projections in the 1994–95 medium term financial strategy showed the GGFD being reduced to 3 per cent. of GDP in 1996–97.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 13 April, Official Report, column 169, if he will make a statement on measures being taken to allow for changes in the family expenditure survey and in the classification of both income and taxation to improve time series statistics on the distribution of income, or specify upper and lower ranges of possible error, to overcome the problems of comparability.

The family expenditure survey is modified over time to improve the quality and usefulness of the data and consequently changes are made which can have an effect on the continuity of published data. The aim of the Central Statistical Office article on the effects of taxes and benefits on household income is to give the best estimates for the current year. It is not possible to eliminate all inconsistencies.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the rationale underlying the decision for places of religious worship to lose their VAT exemption from 1 April 1994.

The religious activities of churches remain outside the scope of the VAT system but they pay VAT on the things that they buy. The introduction of VAT on fuel and power from 1 April 1994 applies across the board to all consumers.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the salary of the national savings adjudicator; how many disputes he has settled during the last year; and if he will give a breakdown of the settlement.

The national savings adjudicator is paid for the amount of work he is required to carry out, at a rate of £32 per hour plus associated travel expenses. In 1993–94, this totalled£5,450.In the year to 31 March 1994 the adjudicator dealt with 10 disputes. A breakdown of the types of dispute is outlined:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money previously attributed to civil service expenditure has not been accounted to that source of expenditure due to the establishment of executive agencies, in each year since the first executive agency was established; if he will publish a table breaking down the figures for each agency; and if he will make a statement.

Expenditure by next steps agencies remains part of their sponsor Minister's programme.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money which was previously accounted to the civil service pay bill has not: been attributed in each year since the establishment of the first executive agency; if he will publish a table breaking down these figures; what was the gross and net civil service pay bill in each relevant year; how much has been saved for accounting purposes by the civil service pay bill due to the establishment of executive agencies, expressed as a percentage; and if he will make a statement.

Spending by next steps agencies on civil service pay remains part of the total civil service paybill.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the identifiable amount of public expenditure per head of population in Scotland; and by what amount, as a total sum for Scotland as a whole per annum, this differs from the average for England.

Identifiable general Government expenditure per head in Scotland in 1992–93, the latest year for which information is available, was £3,968. The equivalent figure in England was £3,290. The total difference in public expenditure between the two countries, on this basis, was therefore some £3.5 billion.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the official estimate of the United States and Japanese direct investment in the United Kingdom as a percentage of direct investment in all European Community countries in each year from 1989 to the latest available date.

[holding answer 23 June 1994]: Fully comparable information on direct inward investment in the European Community from outside the EC is not available. However the following estimates for the years 1989 to 1992 have been prepared, based on the most readily available sources.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the estimated annual savings to be achieved from the replacement of regular cleaners at MI6 by contract cleaners.

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made clear in his answer to the hon. Member for Peckham (Ms Harman) on 21 June at columns 85–86; the contract for office cleaning services at the new Secret Intelligence Service headquarters at Vauxhall cross will achieve a substantial saving to public funds. It is not our policy to give detailed information about the expenditure of the individual security and intelligence agencies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many contracts and for what total sum were let out by his Department and agencies for which it is responsible to (a) Coopers & Lybrand, (b) KPMG Peat Marwick, (c) Ernst & 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.

The table shows the relevant information for contracts let out to the named companies by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office diplomatic and aid wings in 1992–93.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the United Kingdom Government are taking to ensure the continued support for Caribbean sugar in the European Union.

The Government remain firmly committed to the sugar protocol to the Lomé convention, which provides levy-free access to the European Union at guaranteed prices, negotiated annually, for 1·3 million tonnes of cane sugar from African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. Of the Caribbean countries, Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana and St. Kitts benefit from this protocol.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are currently taken by diplomatic personnel in Nigeria positively to promote the interests of British industry in that country; and what plans he has to improve such representation in the immediate future.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has commercial officers in Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna, Kano and Port Harcourt—the latter two were opened in late 1993. They are there to seek out export opportunities, advise British companies on the business to be won in the market, lobby on their behalf for major contracts and against discrimination, and to organise inward and outward trade missions. A programme of promotional activity agreed by the tropical Africa advisory group, Department of Trade and Industry and the FCO is underway with a view to increasing our market share.The level of commercial representation in Nigeria was reviewed and adjusted by a team of inspectors in February and March 1994. The staffing requirement will be kept under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has concerning the number of British citizens who are currently resident in Nigeria.

There are 7,000 British citizens registered with British diplomatic missions in Nigeria. In addition, the high commission in Lagos estimates that there are between 2,000 and 3,000 British citizens who are not registered. The total is therefore about 10,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement setting out Her Majesty's Government's policy on relations with Nigeria.

We value our relations with Nigeria. We hope to see firm progress soon towards a restoration of democratic civilian rule.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has concerning the extent to which release from custody has now been granted for those human and civil rights activists arrested in Nigeria following the annulment of the June 1993 presidential election; and what response he has made to such releases.

Those arrested immediately after the annulment of the June 1993 election were released shortly afterwards. We welcomed these releases.In the last few weeks however there have been fresh detentions, including Chief Abiola, presumed winner of the 1993 election. We strongly regret those arrests and call on the Nigerian Government to engage all sides in political dialogue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to be able to announce the siting of the Antarctic protocol secretariat.

Discussions continue among Antarctic treaty consultative parties about where the proposed Antarctic treaty secretariat should be sited. We hope that the secretariat will be in operation by the time that the environmental protocol to the antarctic treaty enters into force.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impartiality of the Nigerian forces in supporting the UNOMIL peacemaking mission in Liberia.

We have no reason to doubt the commitment of Nigerian forces to help implement the peace process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the United Kingdom's aid budget was (a) given as bilateral aid, (b) multilateral aid and (c) administered by the . European Community in 1979, 1983, 1987, 1992 and currently.

In 1979–80, 72 per cent. was bilateral aid, 12 per cent. was channelled through multilateral institutions other than the EC, and 16 per cent. was administered by the EC.In 1983–84, the figures were 55 per cent., 15 per cent., 30 per cent.; in 1987–88 the figures were 60 per cent., 16 per cent., 24 per cent.; and in 1992–93, the most recent year for which figures are available, the figures were .54 per cent., 21 per cent., and 25 per cent. respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consultations he has had with his European counterparts to improve the delivery of humanitarian aid in Bosnia.

My noble Friend the Baroness Chalker is in regular contact with her European counterparts to increase the effectiveness of aid to Bosnia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the latest position on aid to Rwanda.

Since 6 April 1994, Britain has committed over £11 million bilaterally of emergency aid for displaced Rwandans and Rwandan refugees in neighbouring countries. We continue to monitor the situation closely and plan a further assessment mission to the region next month.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the overseas aid budget for sub-Saharan Africa goes to assist sustainable development.

In 1992–93, 78 per cent. of total bilateral aid to sub-Saharan Africa was provided as development assistance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations he has received this year in favour of the United Kingdom raising its contribution to overseas aid to 0·7 per cent. of GNP; and if he will make a statement.

We continue to receive representations from hon. Members and others. The Development Assistance Committee has just reported that United Kingdom aid in 1993 was above the average of OECD countries in terms of percentage of GNP.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from the Government of Malawi about humanitarian needs caused by drought; and what response he has made.

In April, the Government of Malawi appealed for help to offset a serious crop failure resulting from poor rains. We have pledged 10,000 tonnes of emergency food aid costing about £2.5 million. We have also pledged a further £3 million in balance of payments support for 1994–95 to help pay for additional imports of maize. This is in addition to our earlier pledge of £12 million of balance of payments aid to support Malawi's reform programmes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how the money in the United Nations Liberian trust fund has been spent.

In addition to the United Kingdom contribution of $1 million, other contributions to date to the Liberian trust fund have been from the USA, $19·8 million and Denmark, $0·3 million.I refer the hon. Gentleman to my reply of 14 April,

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the timetable for reviewing the framework for economic assistance to St. Kitts and Nevis; and if he will make a statement.

We expect to review the nature of our bilateral aid programme to St. Kitts and Nevis in early 1995. The programme will be fully committed until then, largely on assistance to infrastructure development.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of (a) general dental practitioners in practice, (b) general dental practitioner practices, (c) community dental practitioners and (d) salaried dental practitioners, for each family health services authority area in England for each year since 1984; and if she will express these figures per 1,000 of the population resident in each family health services authority area.

The available information will be placed in the Library. Information is not collected on general dental practices. As community dentists are employed by national health service trusts or district health authorities, information is not available by family health services authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses were in training for state registration in each of the last 10 years.

The available information is shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the numbers and percentages of the population, by age and income, with inadequate nutritional intakes for the last five years for which information is available.

This information is not available in the form requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to issue a report updating the 1986–87 dietary and nutritional survey of British adults.

The adult survey was part of a rolling programme of surveys on diet and nutrition covering all population groups. The adult survey will be repeated after 1998.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what research has been commissioned by her Department on the adequacy of nutritional intake among children in the last five years;(2) what assessment she has made of the recent trends in the nutritional adequacy of the diets of children, by household disposable income and socio-economic status.

Twelve months' field work for a dietary and nutritional survey of children aged one and a half to four and a half years was completed in July 1993. Data from this survey are now being analysed. A report of the survey is expected to be published in the autumn. It will provide information on the links between nutritional adequacy and dietary patterns and a full range of socio-economic variables.The survey was carried out as part of the joint Department of Health and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food national diet and nutrition survey—NDNS—programme which was set up to ascertain the dietary habits and nutritional status of all sections of the population in an eight-year cycle. Field work on a survey of schoolchildren aged five to 15 years is expected to begin in 1996.In addition the Department of Health has, since 1975, commissioned five-yearly national surveys of infant feeding practice. The last survey was in 1990. Plans are now underway for the 1995 survey. The Department has also this year commissioned a survey of infant feeding practices in Asian ethnic subgroups of the population. The results of this survey are expected in 1997. Socioeconomic data are collected in all surveys of infant feeding practice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the perinatal mortality rate in each of the past 10 years in each district health authority in (a) South Yorkshire, (b) West Yorkshire, (c) North Yorkshire and (d) Humberside.

This information will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will amend the patients charter so that patients who by their general practitioner are to undergo hip or knee major joint surgery are informed of the type of prosthesis to be used.

The patients charter already sets out the right for patients to be given a clear explanation of any treatment proposed, including any risks and alternatives, before the patient decides whether or not to agree to the treatment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements have been made regarding the VAMP national medicines database; and what discussions have been held with (a) commercial and (b) academic research organisations in the United Kingdom and the United States of America regarding its future.

Discussions with Reuters Ltd., the owners of the VAMP research databank are continuing. A seminar has been arranged for 11 July for interested researchers, academic departments, pharmaceutical companies and representatives of national health service organisations at which views will be canvassed on the best long-term management arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the level of infant mortality in each of the past 10 years in each district health authority in (a) South Yorkshire, (b) West Yorkshire, (c) North Yorkshire and (d) Humberside.

This information will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what variation there is in the provision of infertility treatment between each regional authority in England; and what waiting lists are maintained.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list those health authorities which (a) will purchase in-vitro fertilisation treatment for any couple of child-bearing age, (b) will purchase in-vitro fertilisation treatment for a restricted group of couples and (c) will not purchase in-vitro fertilisation treatment for any couple.

It is the responsibility of each individual health authority to determine its provision of infertility treatment. Information on which health authorities provide in-vitro fertilisation treatment is not available centrally. Available information on waiting times for infertility treatment is given in "Hospital Episode Statistics, Volume 2", copies of which are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what initiatives she proposes to reduce waiting lists for infertility treatment.

We are committed to reducing all waiting times, including that for infertility treatment. Patients charter guarantees limit the time people have to wait for hospital treatment. District health authorities are encouraged to improve upon these guarantees.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ambulances there are per head of population in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland, (c) Northern Ireland, (d) England and (e) the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement.

It is for individual ambulance services to determine the number of ambulances which meet the requirements. Total numbers of vehicles in England and Wales are not available centrally.I understand that Scotland has 92 accident and emergency ambulances per million population and that Northern Ireland has 80 accident and emergency ambulances per million population.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints she has received in (a) 1992–93 and (b) 1993–94 from patients and organisations representing patients at Walsgrave hospital, Coventry; and what assessment she has made of the working of the patients charter there.

We have received a number of letters about the Walsgrave hospitals national health service trust in Coventry. These have been referred to Mr. David Loughton, chief executive of the trust. Meeting the requirements of the patients charter is the responsibility of the trust. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. Robert Jordan, chairman of the Walsgrave hospitals NHS trust, for details.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she is taking to reduce the number of complaints received by hospital trusts.

National health service trusts should be seeking constantly to raise the standards of care provided to meet the aspirations of health care purchasers and individual patients. They should give patients every opportunity to make comments and suggestions or put forward complaints on their services. Patients' complaints can and should be used for enhancing the quality of the health services provided.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will make a statement as to how the patients charter is working in (a) hospitals in the west midlands and (b) the health service in the west midlands;(2) what benefit to patients the patients charter has given in the west midlands.

The patients charter has brought benefits to national health service patients in all areas, including the west midlands, by informing patients of their rights and the standards of service they can expect to receive. It is an important step forward in ensuring the delivery of quality services to patients.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what incentive payments general practitioners receive under their contracts for meeting vaccination programme targets; how the payments are related to the number of vaccines administered; and what limit exists on the number of vaccinations for which payments are made.

Two incentive payments are available to general practitioners for meeting immunisation targets. The first is for achieving either higher or lower targets for immunising children aged two against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, whooping cough, measles, mumps, rubella, and, from 1 July this year, Hib meningitis. The second is for booster immunisations in children aged five against diphtheria, tetanus and polio. Details of the payment mechanisms are contained in the "Statement of Fees and Allowances", a copy of which is available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the cost of out-of-court settlements for medical negligence claims involving national health service bodies in each year since 1990–91.

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) pursuant to her answer of 10 May, Official Report, columns 484–86, if she will itemise which national health service bodies have been involved in medical negligence claims, and for what amount;(2) pursuant to her answer of 14 March,

The information supplied to the Department by national health service bodies is provided voluntarily in confidence on the basis that it will be collated to show regional and national trends.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish an updated list of the chairmen and non-executive members of regional health authorities.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn) on 25 April at column 68. Mr. P. Wright has since filled the vacancy on the board of the North West regional health authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the current level of remuneration paid to chairmen and members of (a) regional health authorities, (b) district health authorities, (c) national health service trusts and (d) family health service authorities.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Worsley (Mr. Lewis) on 5 May 1993 at column 91.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will show for each NHS trust into which band the trust falls for the purpose of evaluating the chairman and non-executive members' salaries.

It is the responsibility of each trust to pay its chairman in line with the appropriate band for that trust, which is based on the unit's turnover in 1988–89. Information on the band applicable to individual trusts is not available centrally. The annual rate of remuneration for all non-executive directors of national health service trusts is currently £5,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many private pay (a) bed units and (b) wings there were within the national health service in each year since 1990–91.

These are local matters about which the Department does not collect information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to penalise medical consultants for inadequate performance.

This is a matter for employing authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of all surgical interventions are provided by unsupervised junior hospital doctors; what evidence she has as to whether the quality of this care is good; and what evidence she has as to monitoring of these practices and the provision of quality control by non-clinical managers.

Detailed operational issues are the responsibility of health authorities and national health service trusts. Information on which staff undertake surgical interventions is not available centrally.Hospital consultants are responsible for ensuring that junior doctors do not undertake any surgical intervention which is beyond their competence and for providing adequate supervision. The report of the 1991–92 national confidential enquiry into perioperative deaths—NCEPOD—published in 1993, commented that in some specialties, basic specialist trainees should not be left to work alone without suitable supervision and direction. NCEPOD has recommended that consultants and hospital managers at local level should work together to achieve this. Copies of the report are available in the Library.Health authorities are now responsible for funding clinical audit through contracts, and non-clinical managers are therefore involved in deciding the agenda of topics for clinical audit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what deficiencies she has identified in career training for chief executives in the NHS; and what plans she has to remedy them.

There is a wide range of training and development programmes for chief executives and other senior managers in the national health service, much of it carried out at local level to meet the specific requirements of individual managers and the changing needs of the service. The national health service executive works with managers of professional and educational bodies to ensure that chief executives are able to meet the demanding standards expected of them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list, by London health district, the total number of acute beds for each of the past five years.

The information will be placed in the Library. Figures for some district health authorities may not be comparable over the period because of boundary changes.During the period 1988–89 to 1992–93 there was a 4.49 per cent. increase in the number of in-patients treated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects all trusts to be operating local pay agreements.

The National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 provided for all trusts to employ staff on such terms as they think fit. The chief executive of the NHS executive wrote on 6 June to the chief executives of all trusts asking for local action plans to be established by October 1994 for local pay machinery to be in place by February 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to re-introduce the post of matron into all NHS hospitals; and if she will make a statement.

The exact titles and responsibilities of senior nurses are for local decision. The title matron may be used if appropriate. Every national health service trust is required to have a senior nurse as an executive director.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the trend in entry into general practice in the last three years; and what assessment she has made as to the adequacy of entry to compensate for loss.

Over the past three years there have been approximately 1,400 new entrants to general practice per year in England and Wales. This has been sufficient to ensure a continuing increase in overall numbers of general practitioners.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the report on consultants' distinction awards will be published.

We are considering the report of the working party on the review of the consultants' distinction awards scheme, and an announcement will be made in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will appoint an independent inquiry into how a patient admitted to the secure unit located at Lynfield Mount hospital in Bradford escaped from the hospital grounds on 21 June; what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the security arrangements at the secure unit and in the hospital; and what her policy is in respect of the location of secure units in residential areas.

Bradford community health national health service trust has instigated a full investigation into this matter.Hospitals are responsible for ensuring that security of pyschiatric patients is maintained at a level consistent with the risk that they may present to themselves or to other people. The siting of national health service facilities has, since April 1991, been subject to the normal requirements of town and country planning legislation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what scientific evidence she has as to the cost-effectiveness of the increase in practice nurses in primary care.

We are satisfied that the effect of the increase in practice nurses is evident in benefits to patients, for example, through support of general practitioners in the provision of the following services;

immunisation—over 90 per cent. of GPs have achieved top rates;

97 per cent. of GPs have reached cervical cytology targets; over 90 per cent. of GPs have reached band three of health promotion, while almost 90 per cent. of GPs have been approved to run chronic disease management programmes for the treatment of asthma and diabetes;

a survey conducted by MORI in 1991 found that almost four out of five elderly patients, over 75 years of age, who were offered a health check took advantage of it while nine out of ten of those patients who had the health check found it to be useful.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women were eligible for free dental service during pregnancy and one year after the birth of the child in each of the past three financial years.

This information is not available in the form requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been deregistered by their dentists in each regional health authority since 1 July 1992; and how many dentists in each of the RHA areas have been involved in deregistrations.