To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions have been brought by the Crown Prosecution Service for non-payment of compensation awarded to victims as a result of court orders in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Compensation orders made in criminal proceedings are registered in the relevant magistrates' court which then has the responsibility for enforcement through the various powers vested in it for that purpose. The Crown Prosecution Service does not play any part in the enforcement of such compensation orders.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will request the Director of Public Prosecutions to issue a revised map of England and Wales for the annual report of the Crown Prosecution Service so that both Anglesey and the Isle of Wight are depicted.

The Director of Public Prosecutions will ensure that Anglesey and the Isle of Wight are included with similar maps in future editions of the annual report.

To ask the Attorney-General what training is given to prosecutors regarding the racial motivation of crimes.

The Crown Prosecution Service runs a number of courses for legal staff which include sessions on various aspects of racial awareness including the racial motivation of crime. I have placed a more detailed description of such courses in the Library.The nature and substance of the racial awareness training provided by the CPS is currently being reviewed with a view to introducing further improvements where appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what facilities his Department provides for the parking of the bicycles of visitors to its offices in Westminster.

Although no facilities are provided outside our buildings in the Whitehall area specifically for visitors' bicycles, facilities could usually be provided if they were requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the precise provisions of principle 24 of agenda 21 of the Rio declaration of June 1992; what is his policy in respect of implementing those provisions; and what specific guidance is given to the armed forces in respect of those aspects of principle 24 which commit signatories to fighting only environmentally friendly wars.

As with other Governments participating in the Rio summit, the United Kingdom supports the broad principles enshrined in the Rio declaration, including principle 24, which says that states should respect international law providing protection for the environment in time of armed conflict. It is my Department's policy that the armed forces should act at all times in accordance with United Kingdom national and international law. Training in the law of armed conflict is given to all members of the armed forces.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many requests for environmental information under the Access to Environmental Information Regulations 1992 have been received by his Department; how many were answered within two months; how many were refused; and on what grounds in each case.

My Department has received four requests for environmental information under the Access to Environmental Information Regulations 1992; all received an answer within the specified two months; and none were refused.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the organisations which have made representations to him opposing the Government's plan to introduce secure accommodation for juveniles.

In March 1993, the Home Office invited views and comments from interested organisations on the details of the proposals which were then being developed following the statement by the then Home Secretary my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr. Clarke) on 2 March, Official Report, columns 139–42. Subsequently, more than 60 sets of written comments were received; and a range of meetings were held at both ministerial and official level. Although a substantial number of respondents were opposed to the introduction of a new secure training order, there was a very wide measure of agreement on the need for the courts to have a power to order the detention in secure accommodation of those juvenile offenders for whom it is clear that community penalties would be neither effective nor appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he intends to take to ensure that the quality of education provided in the secure accommodation units run by private contractors is of a sufficiently high standard.

Contractors will be required under the terms of their contracts to provide education and training for trainees to an agreed standard based on the requirements set out in the operational specification for a secure training centre. The contract terms will be underpinned by minimum standards laid down in secure training centre rules. Copies of the operational specification and an administrative paper setting out proposed rules have been placed in the Library of the House.In addition, education standards in secure training centres will be subject to inspections arranged by Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of non-consensual buggery of men were reported in the United Kingdom in (a) 1983 and (b) 1993; and if he will make a statement.

Information is readily available centrally only for England and Wales and Northern Ireland. The information for England and Wales given in table 1 is for those prosecuted. The 1993 data are not yet available. Information on cases reported during 1992 in Northern Ireland is given in table 2.

Table 1
Number of male prosecutions in England and Wales for non-consensual buggery of men, by offence 1983 and 1992
England and Wales	Number of males
Offence description	Year	Prosecutions
Buggery by a man with a male person of the age of 16 or over without consent1	1982	19
	1992	38
Attempt by a man to commit buggery with a male person of the age of 16 or over without consent1	1982	3
	1992	2
Assault with intent to commit buggery2	1982	6
	1992	6
Indecent assault on male person, 16 years or over3	1982	148
	1992	193
1Sexual Offences Act 1956, sec. 12, as amended by the Sexual Offences Act 1967, sec. 3(1).
2Sexual Offences Act 1956, sec. 16.
3Sexual Offences Act 1956, sec. 15.

Table 2
Number of cases reported in Northern Ireland for non-consensual buggery of men by offence, 1992 Northern Ireland
Offence description	Number of cases
Buggery by a man with a male person of the age of 16 or over without consent	1
Attempt by a man to commit buggery with a male person of the age of 16 or over without consent	—
Assault with intent to commit buggery	—
Indecent assault on male person, 16 years or over	—

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals, displaced by violent conflicts are currently seeking refuge in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

The information requested is not separately identifiable from the statistics.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fire officers were injured in the course of their duty in 1993; and if he will make a statement.

Figures are not yet available for the number of fire officers injured in the line of duty in 1993. However, in England and Wales in 1992, three fire officers were killed and 861 were seriously injured in the line of duty. Serious injuries are defined as those which result in absence from duty for at least one month or two weeks or more of hospitalisation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what complaints his Department has received over the past five years relating to defects in the Channel Islands legal system or the failure of the Jersey legal system to deal promptly with crimes of fraud, violence and miscarriages of justice.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State to the right hon. and learned Member for Aberavon (Mr. Morris) on 23 June, Official Report, column 257.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on Sir John May's final report on the Guildford and Woolwich case.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Burton (Sir I. Lawrence) on 30 June 1994, Official Report, column 653.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are expected to make successful claims under the criminal injuries compensation scheme in each of the next six years.

It is not possible to forecast how many successful claims will be made in any particular year as claims are not necessarily settled in the year in which they are made. However, for the purpose of some recent judicial review proceedings, it was estimated that the number of awards made in the next six years will be of the following order:

	Number
1994–95	46,900
1995–96	57,700
1996–97	60,300
1997–98	68,300
1998–99	74,800
1999–2000	76,400

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what proportion of those eligible to claim under the criminal injuries compensation scheme did so in (a) 1991–92, (b) 1992–93 and (c) 1993–94;

We have no information about numbers of people who might be eligible to claim compensation under the criminal injuries compensation scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assumptions have been used to estimate the likely future cost of the criminal injuries compensation scheme if his Department's proposals for reform were not implemented.

Based on average trends over the 10 years to 1993–94, it was assumed, for this purpose, that numbers of applications received and cases resolved would continue to increase by 9 per cent. annually, and that the average award would continue to increase annually by 5 per cent. more than gross domestic product inflation. It was also assumed that the number of resolved cases attracting an award would remain between 62 per cent. and 65 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) 1992–93 and (b) 1993–94 market tests have been discontinued.

Ten market tests in the 1992–93 Home Office market testing programme have been discontinued. No market tests in the 1993–94 programme have been discontinued.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out the total cost of external consultancy fees incurred by his Department in relation to market testing.

[holding answer 29 June 1994]: From 1 April 1992 to 31 May 1994, expenditure by my Department including the Prison Service on external consultancies in respect of market testing is estimated to be approximately £930,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what interim proposals Ernst and Young has made as part of the expenditure review concerning (a) market testing, (b) unit costs and (c) the funding of voluntary organisations.

During the course of the review a number of topics were considered for more detailed work. These included exploring a method of achieving equivalent savings to market testing without going out to competition, the development of better use of unit cost information and examination of the effectiveness of Home Office scrutiny of proposals for grants to the voluntary sector.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) Prison Service functions have been contracted out and (b) in-house jobs have been lost as a result of the (i) 1992–93 and (ii) 1993–94 Prison Service market testing programmes.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff have attended management training seminars run by Padgett Thompson in the last 12 months.

Three members of staff have attended seminars run by Padgett Thompson.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when he will publish research into (a) intensive community sentences and (b) reconviction rates;(2) when he will publish comparative European research into ethnicity and crime;(3) when he will publish his Department's research into the experiences of

Neither my ministerial colleagues nor I have had an opportunity to consider reports on four of the studies listed: intensive community sentences; reconviction rates; Vietnamese refugees; and the survey of criminal justice agencies' responses to the Criminal Justice Act 1991.A report on the settlement of refugees, carried out in collaboration with Salford university, is currently being revised. This study included those granted exceptional leave to remain.A study of the Bail Act 1976 was published in 1992—"Offending while on bail", research and planning unit paper No. 65. A follow-up study based on five local initiatives is nearing completion, and the report will be revised to take into account the comments of the five local steering groups and others.On comparative European research into ethnicity and crime, the Dutch Ministry of Justice is this month publishing a book on an international comparative study on youth and crime, which includes a chapter by Home Office researchers on results in this country. The research and planning unit is preparing a fuller report on the British results, which will include a detailed assessment of the findings by ethnic group.I expect reports on all the studies listed to be published later in the year, once they have been finalised and arrangements for their publication has been agreed.The research and planning unit programme for 1993–94 has been published, and a copy has been placed in the Library. The programme for 1994–95 will be published when this has been finalised.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the results of the Prison Service intelligence evaluation unit's drugs survey.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the consultants Ernst and Young commenced work on the March 1994 expenditure review.

The review of Home Office expenditure involving Ernst and Young began on 8 April and is due to be completed later this month.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been paid by his Department and its agencies in consultancy fees to Ernst and Young during the last three financial years.

During the last three financial years, the Home Office has paid £856,564 to Ernst and Young for consultancy work.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what regulations govern the notification of a prisoner in the event that he or she is placed in a cell with a prisoner with the AIDS virus; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 26 May 19941:] 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 Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the measures that he is currently taking to ensure that district judges have a full understanding of the complexities of personal injury claims.

The Judicial Studies Board is responsible for the training of newly appointed deputy district judges and of experienced district judges. Training on personal injury cases is accorded great importance in both induction and refresher seminars. In addition, all judges who deal with such cases are issued with "Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases", which was produced by the Judicial Studies Board and published by Blackstone Press.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list those of his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which the Government are required to consult prior to legislation proposals; and in respect of which bodies the Government must publish their response to advice supplied by them.

The Government are required to consult the Council on Tribunals when considering rules affecting tribunals coming within the council's supervision but are not required to publish their response to that advice.There are two rule committees, the Land Registration rule committee and the Magistrates' Courts rule committee, which the Government are required by statute to consult prior to legislation proposals. The Government do not respond specifically to the advice given and, if they did, the response is not required to be published.Other rule committees are consulted and the committees consider, propose and advise the Government on legislative proposals. The Government do not respond specifically to the advice given and, if they did, the response is not required to be published.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department which have a statutory basis.

The information requested is as follows:

• The Legal Aid Advisory Committee
• The Legal Aid Advisory Committee (NI)
• The Advisory Committee on Legal Education and Conduct
• The Advisory Council on Public Records
• The Council on Tribunals
• The Crown Court Rules Committee
• The County Court Rules Committee
• The Supreme Court Rules Committee
• The Magistrates Courts Rules Committee
• The Land Registration Rules Committee
• The Family Proceedings Rules Committee
• The Law Commission

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which are required to produce annual reports.

The information requested is as follows:

• The Legal Aid Advisory Committee
• The Legal Aid Advisory Committee (NI)
• The Advisory Committee on Legal Education and Conduct
• The Advisory Council on Public Records
• The Council on Tribunals
• The Law Commission
• Each of the 94 Advisory Committees on Justices of the Peace in England and Wales produces an annual report.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which are required to publish their advice to Government.

None.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department which are required to lay their annual reports before Parliament.Mr. John M. Taylor: The information requested is as follows:

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the advisory bodies which he has set up in his Department since the publication of "Public Bodies 1993".

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action is being planned by the United Kingdom, the European Union and other countries to remedy the defects in transport arrangements in efforts to counteract the famine in the Hararghe area of eastern Ethiopia.

The rural road network in Hararghe is poor. But British non-governmental organisations operating in the region believe that transport capacity is adequate to distribute available food aid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many requests for environmental information under the Access to Environmental Information Regulations 1992 have been received by his Department; how many were answered within two months; how many were refused; and on what grounds in each case.

The ODA does not keep records of the number of requests received under the environmental information regulations nor when they were answered. The ODA keeps records of refusals to supply information and the grounds for refusal.In the period up to 30 June 1994, the Department gave 14 refusals: in 11 cases because no formal environmental impact assessments existed and in one case because the content contained internal advice; in another case, the report had been commissioned by, and was the property of, another Government; and in the other case access was refused on the ground of commercial confidentiality.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is Her Majesty's Government's policy on the proposal of the Commissioner for Social Affairs, in his communication on immigration and asylum to the European Parliament and the Council 1994, to adopt a community code of practice prohibiting racial discrimination in employment.

I understand that the Commission is currently preparing a draft code of practice on race and employment. The Government will consider their policy on the proposal when they have had the opportunity to study the draft.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many staff are involved in servicing the review bodies on doctors and dentists remuneration and on nursing staff, midwives, health visitors and professions allied to medicine; how many national health service staff are covered by those review bodies; and what is the annual cost of running those bodies.

In 1994–95 the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration and the Review Body for Nursing Staff, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine are expected to be serviced directly by up to eight staff, shared equally between the two bodies and assisted as necessary by other clerical and secretarial staff of the Office of Manpower Economics.As at 30 September 1992, the latest date for which figures are available, there were some 123,000 doctors and dentists and the full-time equivalent of some 512,000 nursing staff, midwives, health visitors and professions allied to medicine in the NHS. This includes staff employed by NHS trusts, which are free to determine the pay of their staff locally.The annual cost of running the two review bodies, in respect of the salary costs of the eight staff and the travel and subsistence costs for members—who are otherwise unpaid—and staff is expected to be £299,000 in 1994–95.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the reasons for the delay in objective funding for the Hope Street theatre training scheme in Liverpool.

I have been asked to reply.No objective 1 projects have been approved. Although negotiations on this Merseyside single programming document have been completed with the Commission, it—with the other United Kingdom objective 1 SPDs—is still waiting for the Commission to complete its internal procedures. Applications for European social funding supported projects such as Hope Street are, however, being invited this week.

To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee if he will make a statement on the progress of his Committee's deliberations on improving access to the Palace of Westminster for disabled people;

To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what further progress has been made by his Committee on improving access to the Palace of Westminster for disabled people.

In response to a resolution of the former Services Committee a report containing recommendations for the improvement of provision in the Palace of Westminster for people with disabilities has been submitted to this Committee. Its proposals are being considered in the context of evidence from the Director of Works, a number of organisations representing disabled persons, and English Heritage. The Committee expects to receive further evidence this autumn and to make its conclusions known at the end of the year.Pending the Committee's final recommendations, approval has been given for a large number of minor and uncontentious improvements to go ahead. A number have already been completed and others have been included in the rolling programme of works. A sum of £250,000 has been set aside for this purpose in the current year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has received regarding the warrant issued by the Indonesian Government for the arrest of the human rights lawyer Adrian Buyung Nasution; and if he will make representations to his Indonesian counterpart concerning the human rights situation in Indonesia.

Rumours of Mr. Nasution's impending arrest have proved unfounded. The Indonesian authorities are well aware of the importance that we attach to respect for human rights. We draw it to their attention on a regular basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his Indonesian counterpart with regard to the banning of Tempo, Editor and De Tik on 21 June and the confrontation between Indonesian security forces and a peaceful demonstration in Jakarta on 27 June; and if he will make a statement on the current human rights situation in Indonesia.

None as yet, but we will seek an early opportunity to make representations on this issue. We welcome the Indonesian Government's efforts over the past year to improve their human rights record. It is, therefore, with surprise and concern that we learned of the banning of the three journals by the Indonesian Government. The decision appears inconsistent with the greater spirit of openness prevailing in Indonesia recently.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber (Sir R. Johnston) of 16 June, Official Report, column 642, about United Kingdom citizens awaiting trial in overseas prisons; what action he proposes to take to monitor the number of Britains on remand for long periods in Spanish gaols; and if he will make representations on behalf of Colin Salt, currently on remand in Madrid, to press for an early court hearing.

We continually monitor all British nationals on remand in Spanish gaols, especially those remanded for long periods. Our consular officers are doing all that they properly can to help those detained and their families. However, we have no standing to intervene in the Spanish legal process itself, and it is for Mr. Salt's lawyer to press for a hearing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what statements the Nigerian head of state has made recently about the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group forces in Liberia; what action is being proposed by the United Nations to respond to a withdrawal by the Nigerians from the ECOMOG forces; and if he will make a statement.

In a broadcast on Radio Nigeria on 24 June, President Abacha said that Nigeria intended to pull out of Liberia. In his fifth progress report on the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia, the United Nations Secretary-General noted concerns expressed by the President of Nigeria at the financial burden of participation in ECOMOG. The Secretary-General urged that troops should not be withdrawn precipitately and undertook to endeavour to obtain additional financial support from member states. The United States has contributed about US$30 million, while we have provided US$1 million of humanitarian aid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what commitments were made by the Nigerian Minister of Information and Culture when he met recently with the British high commissioner to Nigeria.

Her Majesty's high commissioner called on the Nigerian Minister of Information and Culture on 17 June. The Minister stated the Nigerian Government's commitment to hand over to a democratically elected Government in the shortest possible time.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his policy in respect of maintaining the long-term growth rate of the economy when world interest rates rise.

The Government will continue to follow domestic policies which create the right conditions for sustainable growth by maintaining low inflation and sound public finances and by a continuing programme of reform designed to improve the efficiency of markets and strengthen the long-term supply performance of the economy.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on management consultancy contracts in each of the last two years.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mrs. Dunwoody) on 14 June, Official Report, columns 349–51.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of Treasury staff he proposes to redeploy or make redundant under management reorganisation.

The Treasury is currently undergoing a fundamental review of its expenditure. Until the results of this are available, the implications of any management reorganisation will not be clear.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library the rules of guidance for profit-related pay schemes drawn up by the Inland Revenue covering (a) the involvement in profit-related pay of schemes not based on companies, (b) restrictions on conversion of existing pay into profit-related pay, (c) the definition and calculation of profit in profit-related pay and (d) other relevant matters.

The Inland Revenue publishes two booklets to help employers who would like to introduce a profit-related pay scheme which qualifies for tax relief. These are "Tax Relief for Profit-Related Pay: Notes for Guidance", PRP2, and "Tax Relife for Profit-Related Pay. Setting up a Scheme". I understand that a copy of both booklets is available in the Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing the growth in numbers of profit-related pay schemes, and participants in profit-related pay with a regional breakdown of schemes; and if he will also estimate the revenue forgone in each year of profit-related pay together with the current year.

The available information is in the table. The data are not centrally available to produce a regional breakdown of schemes. This could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Live schemes as at	Number of schemes	Number of employee participants
March 1988	616	90,000
March 1989	869	122,100
March 1990	1,175	232,000
March 1991	1,277	350,100
March 1992	2,597	718,100
March 1993	4,615	1,167,400
March 1994	7,039	1,794,100

	Estimated cost of income tax relief for PRP
1987–88	1—
1988–89	10
1989–90	15
1990–91	25
1991–92	40
1992–93	200
1993–94	300
1994–95	n/y/a
1Negligible.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what facilities his Department provides for the parking of the bicycles of visitors to its offices in Westminster.

Bicycle parking facilities are available at the Treasury's offices in Westminster and Victoria for the use of staff and visitors.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library the Inland Revenue guidance on capital allowances for research and development; if he will outline the circumstances under which expenditure on the development of a specific product or technique qualifies for such allowance; if he will outline the legal or administrative source for the definition of research and development; and whether the guidance or definitions are currently under review.

Section 139(1) of the Capital Allowances Act 1990 defines scientific research as covering

"any activities in the fields of natural or applied science for the extension of knowledge".

Whether any particular activities fall within this definition will depend on the facts of the case. However, in general terms, activities constitute scientific research if they involve the application of new scientific principles in an existing area of research or the application of existing principles in a new area of research. The essential test is innovation.Scientific research is generally regarded as including the development of a piece of fundamental research up to the production stage. Expenditure on construction of prototypes, pilot plant and so on qualifies for scientific research allowances if the prototypes are used to test the results of the basic research or the possibility of applying the results of the basic research to manufacture.The Inland Revenue's main internal instruction books will be published as soon as practicable in accordance with the code of practice on access to Government information. Details of the publication arrangements should be available within the next few weeks.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the regulatory organisations and Government Departments which have a role to play in relation to the unit trust industry, with their respective responsibilities.

The information requested is as follows:

(a) The Securities and Investments Board is responsible for authorising unit trusts and for product regulation of authorised unit trusts—AUTs. It also oversees self-regulating organisations—SROs—recognised under the Financial Services Act 1986. Trustees and managers of AUTs may be authorised either directly from SIB or through membership of an SRO.

(b) The Investment Management Regulatory Organisation is the SRO for regulation of fund management.

(c) Regulation of retail sales at present falls within the scope of the Life Assurance and Unit Trust Regulatory Organisation for marketing of AUT products, and the Financial Intermediaries, Managers and Brokers Regulatory Association for independent financial advisers who offer investment advice to the general public. From 18 July, these functions will fall primarily to the Personal Investment Authority, or in certain instances to IMRO.

(d) Certain professional bodies also recognised by SIB under the FSA (RPBs) regulate the sale and marketing of AUTs through their member firms. The main ones are the various professional accountancy bodies—ICAEW, ICAS, ICAI and CACA—the Insurance Brokers Registration Council and the three law societies.

(e) The Treasury is responsible, under the FSA, for general policy oversight relating to collective investment schemes, including questions of whether responsibility for further functions relating to the investment and borrowing powers of AUTs should be transferred to SIB.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what rate of air passenger duty will apply to flights to Basle and Geneva airports.

Both Basle and Geneva airports are in the unusual position of straddling Switzerland and France and allowing passengers to choose into which country to exit the airport. It would therefore be impossible to charge the higher £10 duty rate, as there is no distinction on a passenger's ticket to indicate whether he intends to enter Switzerland or France, and in any case, the extra £5 would be relatively easy to avoid by leaving the airport through a different exit and crossing a land frontier into Switzerland.It has therefore been agreed that flights to Basle and Geneva may exceptionally be treated as subject to the lower £5 duty rate.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to the use of excise duty and tax rates to encourage the use of natural gas as an alternative fuel for motor vehicles.

The rate of excise duty on natural gas used as a road fuel is currently half the rate applied to leaded petrol. When deciding the rates of duty on road fuels, all relevant factors are taken into consideration, including revenue yield, conservation of finite fuel resources and the effects of fuel usage on the environment.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what working assumptions he is now using in his medium term financial strategy for privatisation proceeds over the period 1994–95 to 1998–99.

The medium-term financial strategy in the 1994–95 "Financial Settlement and Budget Report" assumed privatisation proceeds of £5·5 billion in 1994–95 and £1 billion a year after. The assumption for 1995–96 was raised to £2·5 billion in the summer economic forecast, to reflect the latest assessment of likely proceeds from later instalments from the sale of the Government's residual stakes in the generating companies and from the sale of its other residual equity and debt holdings.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide forecasts of public expenditure in 1996–97 on the same basis as table 2.2 of the Treasury's "Summer Economic Forecast 1994".

The summer economic forecast is a short-term forecast which, for public finances, covers the period up to 1995–96. Medium-term fiscal projections are published only in the medium-term financial strategy at Budget time.At its meeting on 23 June, Cabinet decided that control total spending should be kept within the cash ceilings announced in the Budget last year. Revised projections of the other components of general Government expenditure will be published in the Budget in November.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the review of the Building Societies Act 1986.

[holding answer 27 June 1994]: In January, I announced a review of the Building Societies Act 1986 to explore the scope for a further liberalisation of the building societies legislation. The review, which was to be in two stages, was to look at the main restrictions of the Act, including the wholesale funding limit and procedures relating to mergers, conversions and takeovers.The initial stage was to be concluded by the early summer and, if the case for making more extensive changes to the legislation needed to be explored, there would be a wider consultation in the autumn, with the aim of concluding the review by the end of the year.The first stage is now complete and we have reached a number of conclusions:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the yield from the uniform business rate in Northern Ireland each year since its introduction.

I have been asked to reply.The uniform business rate as such does not operate in Northern Ireland due to the different arrangements for financing local government services. There is a non-domestic rate and in 1994–95 this is expected to raise some £212 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in (a) York, (b) North Yorkshire and (c) England were prescribed minor tranquillisers in each year since 1979.

Information in the form requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health where are the nearest (a) regional drug dependency unit, (b) drug rehabilitation unit and (c) drug detoxification unit to York; and how many York patients attended each of them in the last year.

The nearest drug dependency unit to York providing in-patient detoxification is in the Leeds health authority at High Royds hospital, Menston, although within York health services trust consultant psychiatrists do offer assessment and detoxification on an in-patient basis, followed by rehabilitation and support as an out-patient. The nearest regional drug dependency units to York are located at the northern regional alcohol and drug service in Newcastle and Drugs North West at Prestwich.In York, services, including community-based rehabilitation, counselling and aftercare are provided by the following non-statutory agencies:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients suffering from mental illness escaped from the care of secure hospitals in (a) 1991, (b) 1992 and (c) 1993; and if she will make a statement.

The information is not available in the form requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her definition of arrival used in the patients charter indicator for accident and emergency departments; and if the definition used includes any delays waiting to see a receptionist.

Arrival in accident and emergency departments is defined as arrival at the point of entry. It does not include any delays waiting to see a receptionist.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional cancer screening programmes are at present under review; when those reviews are expected to be completed; and which agencies or people are carrying out the reviews.

Any introduction of new screening programmes relies on the existence of accurate and evaluated research. Currently, research is being undertaken in a number of cancer screening areas. The Department of Health's standing group on health technology assessment is in the process of commissioning evaluations of screening for colorectal and prostate cancer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her Department's policy on the use of helmets by child cyclists.

There is considerable evidence of the benefits of cycle helmets in mitigating the effects of head injuries to cyclists of all ages.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the estimated cost of reducing waiting lists to under two years; and what estimates she has made of the costs of reducing the waiting lists further.

Between 1987–88 and 1993–94, the Government provided £252 million to fund the waiting time initiative. One of the many targets of the initiative was to reduce to less than two years the maximum length of time a patient would wait for hospital treatment. New initiatives to reduce hospital waiting times are constantly being considered.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will institute discussions with deans of medical colleges to ensure that obstetric cholestasis is adequately covered in their curricula.

No. It is for the university medical schools to determine the curricula for medical education. They do so in the light of recommendations from the education committee of the General Medical Council, which has the statutory authority to determine the extent of the knowledge and skill required for the granting of primary medical qualifications in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to allow the amendment of birth register entries to recognise gender identity disorder sufferers in their reassigned roles.

None. The birth register is a record of historical fact; it is not, nor does it purport to be, a record of current status or identity. Corrections to entries in the birth register may be made only where an error is shown to have existed when the birth was registered.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the relationship between her answer to the hon. Member for Bristol, East (Ms Corston) of 18 February, Official Report, column 1041, and her answer to the hon. Member for Manchester, Withington (Mr. Bradley) of 20 June, Official Report, column 26.

The national health service provides a wide range of treatment for subfertility but information about the services available in specific places is not generally available centrally. It is for individual health authorities to determine priorities in the light of local needs and circumstances.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the precise provisions of principle 8 of agenda 21 of the Rio declaration of June 1992; what is her policy in respect of implementing those provisions; and what specific policies have been adopted by her Department in respect of those aspects of principle 8 which commit signatories to achieve sustainable development through the adoption of appropriate demographic policies.

In common with other Governments participating in the Rio summit, the United Kingdom accepts the broad principles enshrined in the Rio declaration. The Government's commitments to sustainable developments are set out in "Sustainable Development: the UK Strategy", published in January 1994, copies of which are available in the Library. Policies are formed with regard to the well-being of the population—for example in the fields of social, economic and environmental planning—rather than with regard to population size or growth.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many requests for environmental information under the Access to Environmental Information Regulations 1992 have been received by her Department; how many were answered within two months; how many were refused; and on what grounds in each case.

The Department does not keep records of the number of requests received under the environmental information regulations or of when they were answered. The Department does, however, keep records of refusals to supply information and on what grounds.In the period 1 January 1993 up to 30 June 1994, the Department made no refusals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions her Department has had with the Department of Transport and the Department of the Environment concerning reducing air pollution.

The Department's officials have frequent discussions with their colleagues in the Departments of Transport and of the Environment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies her Department has undertaken in the last three years to investigate the correlation between levels of air pollution and the number of people being admitted to hospital with breathing problems.

The Department funded a research project which examined the effects of the December 1991 air pollution episode in London when the highest recorded peak of nitrogen dioxide occurred. This study included investigations of the increased admissions to hospital and increased mortality occurring during the week containing the episode. An outline of the results of this study has been presented to the British Thoracic Society. As soon as the full report is available, it will be put for comments to the Department of Health's expert advisory Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants.There are several other studies of the health effects of air pollution that are being funded by other Departments or establishments. When published, the results of the United Kingdom studies are referred to COMEAP and COMEAP sub-groups.

To ask the Secretary of State for health what is her Department's estimate of the number of people who are admitted to hospital each year as a result of breathing toxic exhaust fumes.

Hospital admissions are not recorded according to cause of illness and it is not possible, on present information, to make any reliable estimate of the numbers admitted as a result of breathing toxic exhaust fumes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will give a breakdown by nature and severity of disabilty of the numbers of disabled people who are currently registered in England and Wales;(2) how many of those individuals registered disabled in England and Wales experience mobility problems; how many are confined to wheelchairs; and what information she has as to the extent of mobility problems experienced by those registered disabled persons with such mobility problems, but who are not confined to wheelchairs.

The number of persons who are registered as having a physical disability in England at 31 March 1993 by category of disability was published in "Registers of Physically Disabled Persons (General Classes) (A/F/93/19), a copy of which is available in the Library. Information on mobility problems and wheelchair use is not available centrally.Information relating to Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what involvement the British Technology Group has had with the Public Health Laboratory Service on the issues of BSE and Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease; and if she will make a statement.

The Public Health Laboratory Service has had no direct involvement with the British Technology Group on these issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the suspension of Dr. Harash Narang from the Public Health Laboratory Service.

This is a matter between Dr. Narang and his employer, the Public Health Laboratory Service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list, for each NHS trust in the former Mersey region, those chairmen and non-executive directors who live outside the boundaries of the district health authority in which that trust is situated.

[holding answer 29 June 1994]: Eighty-eight—60 per cent.—of the 146 chairmen and non-executive directors appointed to national health service trusts within the former Mersey region live within the boundaries of the district health authority in which that trust is situated. The names of the appointees who live outside the relevant district health authority boundaries are listed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list for each NHS trust in the former north western region, those chairmen and non-executive directors who live outside the boundaries of the district health authority in which that trust is situated.

[holding answer 30 June 1994]: Some 152—70 per cent—of the 218 chairmen and non-executive directors appointed to a national health service trust within the former north western region live within the boundaries of the district health authority in which that trust is situated. The names of those who live outside the relevant district health authority boundaries are listed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 15 June, Official Report, columns 589–90, what estimates of the total number of NHS and private sight tests have been made for each of the last five financial years; and what estimates of the total number of NHS and private sight tests for 1993–94 have been made by the technical sub-committee of the Department of Health and the ophthalmic profession.

[holding answer 29 June 1994]: (a) The number of National Health Service sight tests paid for in the last five financial years for which figures are available in Great Britain are shown in the table.

Number of NHS sight tests paid for by financial year
	Great Britain (millions
11989–90	6·0
11990–91	4·8
1991–92	5·8
1992–93	6·4
21993–94	6·9
1From 1 April 1989, NHS sight tests were restricted to certain eligible groups in the population. The figures for 1989–90 included 1·82 million sight tests paid for in 1989–90 but conducted in 1988–89 under the previous scheme. The remaining 4·22 million were conducted and paid for in 1989–90, which does not constitute a full twelve months of the new scheme. The figures for 1990–91, which do represent twelve months under the new scheme, are not therefore directly comparable with those for 1989–90.
2This figure is provisional.

(b) From the survey carried out on behalf of the technical sub-committee, it was estimated that the total number of sight tests performed in Great Britain in 1993–94 would be 6·594 million NHS and 6·589 million private.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been (a) her Department's and (b) the NHS's research and development spend in (a)1990–91, (b)1991–92, (c) 1992–93 and (d) 1993–94; what is the planned amount for 1994–95; and how much of these totals is used to fund research.

[holding answer 4 July 1994]: The information on central research and development expenditure by the Department of Health, including the national health service executive, is collected annually in the "Forward Look of Government-Funded Science, Engineering and Technology". The information for 1990–91 is available in the "1993 Annual Review of Government Funded Research and Development". Copies of these documents are available in the Library.Information on NHS research and development commissioned at regional and local level is not collected by the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many police surgeons there were in each of the last five years by local authority and region.

I have been asked to reply. The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what transactions his Department has had since 1979 with the ENI Group of companies.

My Department has no record of any transaction with the ENI Group.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make it his policy to arrange a meeting with the chairman of British Nuclear Fuels plc to discuss the commercial implications for nuclear reprocessing and the oxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield of a delay in the Japanese plutonium fuel re-use policy.

I meet the chairman of British Nuclear Fuels plc from time to time to discuss a range of issues.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what recent communications he has received from the United States Department of Energy in regard to the historic use or current disposition of the plutonium from United Kingdom civil reactors exported to the United States since 1964 under the provisions of the Anglo-American agreement on the "Co-operation on the Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defence Purposes" of 1958, Cm. 537, as amended.

I have nothing to add to my reply to the hon. Member on 8 February 1994, Official Report, columns 227–28.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn) of 22 June, Official Report, column 230, if he will exceptionally give details of the three export licences issued to Argentina for defence equipment, to which the reply refers.

The export licences referred to covered sporting shotgun cartridges and humane cattle stunning blanks. None of the goods were covered by the arms embargo.I cannot give more information for reasons of commercial confidentiality.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of United Kingdom oil and gas production comes from Scotland at the latest available date; and what was the proportion in 1979.

Nearly all of the United Kingdom's oil and natural gas production comes from the offshore part of the United Kingdom continental shelf. In 1993, this accounted for 97.4 per cent. of production, with the remaining 2·6 per cent. coming from onshore production in England. The corresponding proportions in 1979 were 99·9 per cent. and 0·1 per cent. respectively.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what further exceptions there have been concerning the Government's export licensing policy towards Iran following his statement of 18 January, Official Report, column 509.

As I said in my earlier statement, a number of representations have been received by my Department concerning export business entered into before the moratorium on export licenses was imposed on 17 December 1992. We have identified a second case concerning the completion of a contract for repair and overhaul in the United Kingdom of non-lethal aircraft components.Given the circumstances, we have agreed to issue a licence for a small number of components to be returned to their owners in Iran unrepaired.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will announce the membership and terms of reference of the deregulation task force.

The terms of reference of the dereguation task force, chaired by the right hon. Francis Maude are:

To help the President of the Board of Trade promote deregulation which will enhance the competitiveness of United Kingdom business and the effectiveness of the voluntary sector.

To advise him on action for Government Departments and associated bodies or agencies to take to remove unnecessary regulation or to reduce the burden of necessary regulation. This will include domestic, European and international regulation enforced in the United Kingdom.

The members are:

Tessa Baring (Barnados), David Campbell (Fine Organics), Maurice Denyer (Fowler Bros.), Michael Fallon (Management Consultant), Mike Fisher (Whale Tankers), Teresa Graham (Baker Tilly), George Goring (Goring Hotel), Janet Morgan (Sainsbury Family Trusts), Archie Norman (Asda), Tim Parker (Kenwood), David Parry (Business Consultant), Tony Rammelt (Regis), Dan Wright (Albion Automotive) and Peter Wyman (Coopers and Lybrand).

Other appointments may be made in due course.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what percentage of his Department's (a) press releases and (b) written answers are printed on recycled paper.

[holding answer 4 July 1994]: All my Department's written answers are printed on recycled paper. Press notices have to be printed in substantial numbers and are printed, on the advice of the printing machine manufacturers, on environmentally friendly paper manufactured from wood from sustainable sources.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total financial cost of publicising his competitiveness White Paper, including unsolicited letters to companies.

[holding answer 4 July 1994]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for The Wrekin (Mr. Grocott) on 14 June 1994, Official Report, columns 423–24.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much subsidy for extra sales of deep-mined coal, as outlined in "Prospects for Coal" was paid out by 31 March; how many contracts this involves; what was the tonnage of coal involved in that contract; and what is his estimate of the financial support that will be paid in 1994–95.

[holding answer 5 July 1994]: To date, the Department has paid £3,237,639 of subsidy covering the sale of 361,523 tonnes of additional coal in 1993–94. Of this, £651,966 was paid by 31 March. The remainder was paid in June following receipt of authorisation from the European Commission for payments in respect of production from 1 January 1994 onwards.Altogether the Department has made six offers of subsidy in relation to seven contracts covering some 2 million tonnes of coal. The total amount of subsidy paid in 1994–95 will depend on how successful British Coal and the private sector are in securing further sales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the estimate for the Doncaster and Mexborough areas of (a) the number of absent parents who have been assessed by the Child Support Agency and (b) the proportion of those who have made payments as a result of such assessment.

The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many (a) deductions from earnings orders, (b) poindings and warrant sales and (c) arrestments of bank and building society accounts the Child Support Agency has pursued in Scotland; and what amounts of money have been recovered in each case.

The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what have been the total amounts recovered by the compensation recovery unit in each year since its formation;(2) in how many cases since its formation the compensation recovery unit has reclaimed money from the bereaved;(3) what have been the amounts recovered by the compensation recovery unit in each year since its formation from sufferers of asbestos-related diseases or their surviving relatives.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish tables similar to those in his Department's 1993 tax benefit model tables, but with rents, council tax, benefits and direct taxes updated to 1994, showing the net weekly spending power of a lone mother with two children aged four and six years, now and after introduction of the childcare disregard for family credit, on the assumptions she is (a) not in paid work, (b) working part time earning the maximum income support earnings disregard, (c) working part time for 16 hours earning £40 per week, (d) working part time for 24 hours earning £60 a week and (e) working full time and earning weekly sums from £100 to £300 in increments of £10 and assuming childcare costs of £25 when working 16 hours a week, of £40 when working 24 hours a week, and of £70 when working full time.

The information is in the tables. The childcare disregard will be introduced in October and will apply to the calculation of housing benefit, council tax benefit and disability working allowance as well as family credit. Up to £40 of childcare costs for children under 11 will be disregarded against earnings, provided that care is arranged with a registered childminder or nursery.The level of earnings in some of the questions is particularly low and not representative of the average working lone parent. In addition, some of the childcare costs specified are significantly higher than those typically encountered at the level of earning specified. Recent research