To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will publish the report on the civil service fast stream entry.

As I announced on 18 February, the team reviewing the civil service fast stream entry, as recommended by the career management and succession planning study, was asked to report by the end of June 1994. Its report will be published today. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.The review team's report reaches five main conclusions:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he will publish the report of the review team which has been considering the respective responsibilities of the Civil Service Commissioners and Government Departments.

The head of the home civil service commissioned in January an internal review of responsibilities for civil service recruitment, with the following terms of reference:

"In the light of experience in practice and increasing open competition for posts to re-examine the specific split of responsibilities made between the Commissioners, the Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency and departments in 1991 by, in particular:

• —considering whether changes are required to improve effectiveness;
• —identifying any issues here which affect RAS's performance;
• —reviewing the definition of Commissioners' recruitment."

The review team has now completed its work. Copies of its report, entitled "Responsibilities for Civil Service Recruitment", have been placed in the Library of the House. The review team has made a number of

recommendations designed to reinforce the principles of openness, fairness and merit in civil service recruitment and to clarify responsibilities for ensuring that these principles are properly and effectively applied. The main proposals are that:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the Government's response to the efficiency unit's report on "Career Management and Succession Planning in the Civil Service".

The statement I made to the House today and the accompanying White Paper on the civil service set out the main lines of the Government's response to the efficiency unit report, and build further upon it. I am placing in the Library of the House today a note of the detailed response to each of the report's recommendations.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what key performance targets he has set for Chessington Computer Centre trading fund for the current year.

The key performance targets for Chessington Computer Centre trading fund for 1994–95 are:

• * an operating surplus of £1·1 million;
• * an increase in pay clerk productivity of 6 per cent. (over 1993–94 performance);
• * increasing usage of the online data capture system (SPIRE) to 82·5 per cent.;
• * raising minimum online service and availability to 98·5 per cent;
• * continually improving services to customers by updating software.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will set out the criteria used in determining the allocation of a contract under the Government's policy of market testing.

All Government purchasers are encouraged to base all procurement of both goods and services on value for money criteria. They should take into account, as appropriate, the requirements of EC procurement directives, which in the case of services, have been put into effect in the United Kingdom by the Public Services Contracts Regulations 1993, SI 3228. Section 9 of the Government's "Guide to Market Testing", which is in the Library, outlines the main criteria which Departments should take into account in market testing.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the United Kingdom's current annual commitment to CERN; what are the budget projections for the next six years; and if he will make a statement on the effects of those spending proposals on the development of the large hadron collider.

The United Kingdom's subscription to CERN for 1994–95 is £60·5 million, which is some 13·6 per cent. of CERN's overall budget. Our contribution for the next six years, at most recent exchange rates, are estimated to be:

	£million
1995–96	61·0
1996–97	61·7
1997–98	62·4
1998–99	63·1
1999–00	63·8
2000–01	64·5

These figures are likely to change due to fluctuations in exchange rates and in the relative net national incomes of CERN members.These spending proposals, taken in association with the normal subscriptions to CERN of other member states, will make possible the construction of the large hadron collider. For the construction of the LHC to be on schedule, however, additional income will be required. CERN is currently in discussion with host states and non-member states to secure additional contributions towards the project.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the average value, as stated by plaintiffs, of those claims heard in the small claims court for each year since 1990.

[holding answer 29 June 1994]: The information requested is not recorded and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. I previously gave a holding answer to enable further investigation to take place. This showed that it is not possible to extract relevant data at a reasonable cost.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what involvement his Department will have in the Government's forthcoming consultation on disability.

My right hon. Friend the Minister for Social Security and Disabled People will be co-ordinating action on this front and will involve other Departments as necessary.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to ensure that discussion of economic policy at the Group of Seven summit meeting will include consideration of the ecological sustainability of economic activity.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 11 July, Official Report, column 376.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out the details of his public sector pay policy and indicate what the permitted level is; how it was arrived at; to which posts in the public sector it applies; and to what extent its effectiveness is measured by the (a) total wage or salary bill of a public sector organisation, (b) rates of pay or (c) comparability with outside rates.

The Government expect pay across the public sector in 1994–95 to be considered in accordance with the approach which my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in my statement of 14 September 1993 and which was reflected in the expenditure programmes announced in the Budget on 30 November. That approach will play a role in restraining the overall level of public expenditure and ensuring that within established ceilings resources can be devoted to public services and investment rather than running costs and pay.The effective application of this approach to public sector pay will constrain the overall Government pay bill and ensure that the costs of pay settlements are offset by efficiencies and other savings. Within this framework there is flexibility for different public sector groups to reach different pay settlements consistent with their own particular circumstances and under their usual pay determination procedures.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to publish detailed proposals on resource accounting and budgeting.

My November 1993 Budget statement contained a commitment to produce detailed proposals on the introduction of resource-based accruals accounting in Government Departments. It also said that the Government would look at the implications of this development for the current arrangements for public expenditure planning and control. This initial review is now complete and I am today publishing a Green Paper entitled "Better Accounting for the Taxpayer's Money: Resource Accounting and Budgeting in Government". Copies are available from the Vote Office.The Green Paper announces the intention to proceed with the introduction of resource accounting for Departments and that all Departments prepare these accounts by April 1998. The Green Paper also announces a commitment in principle to build on the introduction of resource accounting by developing a system of resource budgeting, which would mean changing the basis of the public expenditure survey and in-year control arrangements to reflect the full cost of resources, while retaining controls relating to cash.The Green Paper provides for a consultation period of six months, until January 1995.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the number of staff in post in central Government Departments at 1 April.

On 1 April 1994 there were 533,350 permanent staff in post in central Government, which is a new post-war low. This is a decrease of nearly 20,900 in the last year.Of the total staff in post 487,435 were non-industrials and 45,915 were classified as being in industrial work.A summary showing staff in post by Department has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what powers the Monetary Commission and the Commission of the European Union have to initiate alterations in the conditions for nations proceeding to monetary union set out in the Maastricht treaty; arid if he will make a statement on the current discussions between the Commission and the Government of the Republic of Ireland.

[holding answer 11 July 1994]: The conditions under which member states may proceed towards economic and monetary union are set out in the Maastricht treaty. The Commission has the right to propose amendments to that treaty but such amendments would require the unanimous consent of an intergovernmental conference. Discussions between the Commission and the Government of the Republic of Ireland are a matter for them.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to respond to the report on "The Arts and Compulsory Competitive Tendering" commissioned from the consultants Positive Solutions Ltd.

I have been asked to reply.I will make a statement as soon as possible.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what view he is taking about the quality of response by the Government of Kenya to previous World bank and International Monetary Fund criticisms; and what action will be urged by the British Government's director at the World bank in forthcoming debates in Kenya.

I have been asked to reply. The IMF and World bank believe that there has been good progress recently in the implementation of Kenya's economic reform programme. We share that view. Macroeconomic stability is being restored; and the agreed structural reforms are broadly on schedule. We shall encourage the continued vigorous implementation of the economic reform agenda.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the consequences of World bank programmes on the poor of Kenya, the role of the Kenyan Government in promoting or alleviating poverty, and the action that should be taken in future programmes to alleviate poverty.

I have been asked to reply.We have been assisting in the preparation of a poverty assessment, sponsored by the Kenyan Government and a number of donors, including the World bank. This aims to provide a thorough analysis of both the nature of poverty, and the impact on the poor of the Government's structural adjustment programme, which includes a social dimension. Poverty in Kenya will be reduced by faster economic growth, which effective implementation of the adjustment programme will help to achieve, and by direct interventions favouring specific poor groups.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) pursuant to her answer of 21 June, Official Report, columns 117–18, if she will break down to the smallest possible unit the budget heads for all expenditure on non-staffing costs within the Department of Health administration budget;(2) pursuant to her answer of 23 June,

Details of expenditure for 1992–93 and 1993–94 are shown in the table. The full information requested is not available centrally because individual managers set budgets for different types of non-staffing expenditure according to the particular needs of their business area. It is not possible to give the same level of detail prior to 1992–93.

Expenditure details for 1992–93 and 1993–94
£000s
Expenditure	1992–93	1993–94
Accommodation (rent)	41,055	30,928
Building maintenance	1,704	1,280
Fuel and utilities	2,357	1,609
Security	1,150	1,139
Cleaning	1,426	1,033
Office services	3,685	3,670
Committee expenditure	1,098	1,130
Seminars/Conferences/Workshops	1,086	666
Publishing, printing and stationery	6,240	4,258
Payments to other Government Departments for services provided	25,901	17,793

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give a regional breakdown of the number of dental deregistrations across England and Wales for each year since June 1992.

The available information will be placed in the Library. Patient deregistrations in Wales are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

To ask the Secretary of state for Health if she will make a statement on guidance to general practitioners and family health services authorities about the change in general practitioners' terms of service to allow the immediate removal of particularly abusive or violent patients from general practitioners' lists.

The national health service executive issued guidance, FHSL(94)24, in April which explained the new arrangements for removing violent patients from general practitioners' lists.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what investigations she has undertaken into the treatment and resuscitation of patients with a history of mental illness;(2) what guidelines or advice she has issued concerning the treatment and resuscitation of patients with a history of mental illness.

No recent investigations have been carried out. Hospital consultants are responsible for having clear policies for making decisions about resuscitation. Decisions should take account of the best interests of individual patients.The Department has not issued any specific guidelines about the resuscitation of patients with a mental illness. The Chief Medical Officer wrote to all regional and district directors of public health on 20 December 1991, PL/CM0(91)22, to make it clear that responsibility for resuscitation policy lies with hospital consultants, who should ensure that their policy is known to junior medical staff. Copies of the letter will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will fund research into the cause, detection and treatment of Kawasaki disease;(2) what information she has on the incidence of Kawasaki disease in

Kawasaki disease is an uncommon disease of childhood. Most children make a full recovery but, in a minority of cases, cardiac complications can arise. The following information is available centrally on the prevalence of the condition and deaths recorded:

Annual total cases
	Total number of cases
Year	England and Wales	West Midlands region
1986	59	4
1987	72	3
1988	87	5
1989	81	6
1990	123	14
1991	151	15
1992	147	13

To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what circumstances a person in need of hospital care may choose the hospital in which they receive treatment under the national health service.

It is a fundamental objective of the current national health service reforms to improve patient choice and it is the responsibility of district health authorities, in consultation with general practitioners and local people, to agree contracts with those hospitals where patients prefer to be treated. GPs will sometimes wish to refer a patient to a hospital or service with which the DHA has no contract in place and DHAs hold funds to meet the cost of these extra-contractual referrals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many national health service hospitals that (a) are in use and (b) have been closed and are surplus to requirements lie in the green belt.

The information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the estimated cost to the national health service of officials attending conferences; and what guidelines she proposes to issue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many chairs, chief executives and non-executive directors of NHS trusts and health authorities attended the recent NAHAT conference; who paid their fees; and what was the overall cost to public funds.

The information requested is not available centrally. We have no plans to issue central guidance. It is for individual health authorities and NHS trusts to decide what priority they attach to attendance at conferences. In doing so, however, we expect them to have proper regard to value for money and the potential benefits to the NHS and its staff, compared with other kinds of developmental training.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 17 May, Official Report, column 420, when he expects a report from the current departmental review of the cost and cost-effectiveness of counselling.

The report of the Department's review of strategic policy on psychotherapy services, which will include a review of research evidence on the cost-effectiveness of counselling, is expected to be available towards the end of this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 6 July, Official Report, column 215, if she will provide whatever figures are available from the prescribing analyses and costs data produced by the Prescription Pricing Authority on the quantity of minor tranquillisers prescribed in (a) York, (b) North Yorkshire and (c) England in those years for which figures were collected.

The number of prescription items for minor tranquillisers dispensed nationally since 1979 and in North Yorkshire in 1992 and 1993 is shown in the table:—

Minor tranquillisers: number of prescriptions (thousands) dispensed
Year	England	North Yorkshire Family Health Services Authority
1980	12,631	—
1981	12,354	—
1982	11,964	—

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement concerning the costs of implementing the Access to Health Records Act 1990.

The costs of implementing the Act are minimal, and largely self-financing. The Act allows a charge of up to £10 to be made to people seeking access to records which have not been added to in the last 40 days. A fee may also be made, where applicable, to cover the cost of copying and postage.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has for each national health service hospital or trust as to whether people with physical disabilities have access to all wards, clinics and out-patient departments.

This is a matter for each individual hospital and trust and consequently no detailed information is available centrally. However, as part of the patients charter, hospitals should make arrangements to ensure that everyone, including people with disabilities, can use their services. In addition, we have published guidance—"Designing for Disabled People"—on the briefing and design stages of schemes for providing new or adapting existing health buildings and health authorities and trusts are encouraged to consult local representatives of disabled people on this issue. Copies of the guidance are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to receive the annual report of the Medicines Commission for 1993.

We have received the report, and copies have been laid today before both Houses of Parliament in accordance with the requirements of section 5(2) of the Medicines Act 1968.Bound volumes have been placed in the Library containing the 1993 reports of the Medicines Commission, the Committee on Safety of Medicines, the Committee on Dental and Surgical Materials, the British Pharmacopoeia Commission and the Veterinary Products Committee.We are glad to pay tribute to the valuable work done by the distinguished members of the Medicines Act advisory bodies and thank them warmly for the time and effort which they contribute in the public interest to this most important field.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to ensure (a) the use of steroid warning cards and (b) that a right of informed consent is given to patients prescribed corticosteroids.

The use of steroid treatment cards is a well-established practice. We have no plans to discontinue their use.Under the patients charter, patients have a right to be consulted about, and to be given an adequate explanation of, their proposed course of treatment, and information on alternatives available through the national health service. However, there will be some cases where doctors will feel that informing patients of the treatment proposed and possible risks could be counter-productive to the well-being of the patient. In such cases, the decision on whether the patient should be informed of the proposed treatment and possible risks or not is for the doctor's discretion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many official complaints were received from NHS patients by each NHS hospital or trust between January and March.

This information is not yet available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average time that patients in (a) England, (b) each English regional health authority and (c) each hospital or trust waited from the date that their general practitioner referred them to a consultant until the date of their first out-patient appointment between January and March.

The information requested is not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will publish the annual report of the chief executive of the Youth Treatment Service for 1993–94; and if she will make a statement.

Copies of the report have been placed in the Library today. The report contains, at annexe 7, the Youth Treatment Service's receipts and payments account for the year ended 31 March 1994. These accounts, which are unaudited and have no form of endorsement by the National Audit Office, represent the service's view of the financial outcome for the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will give the latest figures and those for the previous four years for the total number of operating theatres (a) for England, (b) by region and (c) by district;(2) if she will give the latest figures and those for the previous four years for the number of operating theatre sessions cancelled because suitable back-up resources are absent or insufficient

Information on operating theatres for financial years 1988–89 to 1992–93 is published in "NHS Operating Theatres Availability and Use", financial year 1988–89, year ending 31 March 1992, year ending 31 March 1993—copies of which are available in the Library.Reasons for the cancellation of operating theatre sessions are not recorded centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will give by district the latest figures and those for the last four years for patients funded by general practitioner fundholders waiting for ordinary admission (a) less than three months, (b) three to five months, (c) six to eight months, (d) nine to 11 months, (e) 12–23 months, (f) more than 24 months and (g) in total;(2) if she will give by district the latest figures and those for the last four years for patients funded by district health authorities waiting for ordinary admission

Such information on waiting times for in-patient and day case treatment as is available is given in "Hospital Waiting List Statistics: England", copies of which are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish a table showing the total amount spent on administration by (a) regional health authorities, (b) district health authorities, (c) special health authorities, (d) family health service authorities, (e) trusts and (f) the Department of Health/NHS executive, in 1993–94, in each case breaking the figure down to show expenditure on (i) salaries and wages and (ii) establishment expenses.

[holding answer 17 June 1994]: Expenditure on Department of Health administration, including national health service executive administration, in 1993–94 was £250 million, of which £117 million was on salaries and wages. The figures are provisional. Information on the 1993–94 expenditure of NHS bodies is not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the variations, adjusted by age and sex, in the number of cardiological procedures by purchaser; and what are the causes of these variations.

[holding answer 4 July 1994]: Information about variations in the numbers of cardiological procedures by purchaser is not available centrally. The table shows the number of finished consultant episodes involving a heart operation in 1991–92 by region of residence of patient, expressed relative to the national total, England-100, adjusted for the age and sex distribution within each region.The Government asked the Clinical Services Advisory Group to advise on access to and the availability of coronary bypass grafting. Its report, which also covers coronary angioplasty, published in March 1993, sets out the possible causes of variations in the services provided; a copy has been placed in the Library.

1991–92 index of finished consultant episodes involving a heart operation (England-100)
	Number
Northern	74
Yorkshire	133
Trent	89
East Anglian	79
North West Thames	156
North East Thames	149
South East Thames	124
South West Thames	89
Wessex	84
Oxford	83
South Western	59
West Midlands	83
Mersey	98
North Western	90
England	100

These figures are based on preliminary, unpublished, data from Hospital Episodes Statistics.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children per 100,000 have been damaged by vaccine for each category of damage, broken down by first and second immunisations, for each year since 1987.

[holding answer 5 July 1994]: The information requested is not available. However, the number of awards made under the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979 since 1987 is as follows:

Year	Awards
1987–88	10
1988–89	3
1989–90	3
1990–91	1
1991–92	7
1992–93	13
1993–94	4

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the future funding of the Energy Saving Trust.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Blaby (Mr. Robathan) on 4 July, Official Report, column 22.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when a proposal for two radomes, support buildings, security fencing and extension of service road at Menwith hill station, Harrogate, was referred to him to determine whether the development should proceed; how many objections have been lodged against this development; and if he will make a statement.

The proposal has not been referred to the Secretary of State.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research the Energy Efficiency Office has carried out to explore top management attitudes to energy efficiency and the environment.

A report outlining the findings of research carried out among a sample of firms with more than 200 employees over the past three years has been published by HMSO today. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.The findings show improvements in top management attitudes to and practices on energy efficiency and the environment. The proportion of firms with an environmental policy has increased steadily over the period from 46 per cent. to 58 per cent. and those with an energy policy from 34 per cent. to 46 per cent. Yet much remains to be done if the Rio target of returning CO

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his position with regard to any decision on the proposed north circular road improvement scheme between Hangar lane and Gunnersbury avenue, Ealing.

Given that my London residence is close to the proposed scheme I shall not be taking any part in the decision-making process which will pass to a colleague. Neither will I be commenting on the merits of the scheme as the inspector's report is currently under consideration. The tried and tested method for considering major road proposals is through a public inquiry of which there have been two into this particular stretch of the north circular road. Such inquiries enable the issues to be debated openly and a decision to be made on the merits of the scheme after all those concerned have had a chance to put their case.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which organisations, agencies and other bodies relating to his departmental area of responsibility have been privatised since 1990; and what plans he has for further privatisation.

[holding answer 12 July 1994]: Since 1990, the operating activities of the Property Services Agency Services were sold as follows:

Division	Date	Purchaser
PSA Projects	1 December 1992	Tarmac Construction Ltd.
Building Management (BM) Scotland	1 September 1993	Serco
BM Manchester	1 October 1993	W. S. Atkins
NorEast BM	1 October 1993	Mowlems
BM South East and BM South West	1 October 1993	Amec-Pell Frischmann Consoritum

My Department continues to examine regularly all its activities to ensure that the best mode of delivery is achieved. In particular, the Government have a manifesto commitment to privatise the docklands light railway and an announcement will be made in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimated total cost of the refurbishment works on 1 to 19 Victoria street.

I have been asked to reply.1–19 Victoria street is being refurbished for reoccupation by DTI as its headquarters building. The work is expected to cost £61·4 million, net of VAT, £59 million of which is being provided by the landlord, Legal and General Property.

To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, representing the House of Commons Commission, what plans he has to introduce compliance with British Standards Institute quality standard BS 5750 in Departments of the House of Commons.

While there are no plans to require Departments of the House formally to comply with the performance standards contained in BS 5750, considerable importance is attached to the development of the quality control and management procedures by which performance can be assessed. Details of the measures so far adopted by individual Departments of the House may be found in the Commission's annual reports.

To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee if he will make a statement on the number of times the lifts have broken down in 7 Millbank and the penalties incurred by the lift contractors.

These are matters for the Director of Works and I shall ask him to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many copies of the updated parents charter have been printed.

A total of 20 million copies of the parents charter have been printed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the printing cost of the updated parents charter.

The cost of printing 20 million copies of the updated parents charter was some £2 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the delivery and distribution cost of the updated parents charter.

The final cost of the household distribution of the updated parents charter has yet to be confirmed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education where was the updated parents charter printed.

The updated parents charter was printed in the north of England.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he intends to reply to the first report of the Education Committee of Session 1993–94, HOC 255, on the common funding formula for grant-maintained schools.

The Government's formal response has been sent to the Chairman of the Committee today, together with a consultation paper, seeking views on the design and scope of the common funding formula in 1995–96. Copies of both documents have been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what figures he has requested from the Student Loans Company for each year on graduates deferring payment of their student loans for (a) one year, (b) two years, (c) three years, (d) indefinitely and (e) refusing payment; arid if he will make a statement.

The SLC provides certain statistics annually for inclusion in the Department's statistical bulletin "Student Loans". They are not in the form requested by the hon. Member. The last bulletin on student loans was published in February. I will place a copy in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the cost in 1993 in Northern Ireland of payments under (a) the sheep annual premium, (b) the suckler cow premium, (c) the beef special premium and (d) the hill livestock compensatory allowances; and what is his estimate of the cost in 1994.

	1991	1992	1993	11994
Number of applications for appointment2	1	24	24	12
Number of appointments made2	1	23	24	12
Number of notices to attend issued2	1	30	29	16
Number of interviews conducted3	1	23	26	14
Number of persons interviewed2	1	22	19	12
Number of search warrants obtained2	0	0	0	0
Number of persons charged with schedule 5 offences2	0	1	0	1
Number of persons convicted of schedule 5 offences2	0	1	0	0
Number of search warrants or orders obtained4	0	0	0	12
Number of production orders obtained4	0	0	1	5
Number of explanation orders obtained4	0	0	0	0
1Up to 30 June.
2Under the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1991.
3Some persons have been interviewed more than once.
4Under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989.

I remain of the view that use of the powers available under schedule 5 of the 1991 Act plays an important part in the investigation of terrorist finance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been prosecuted as a result of investigations involving the use of powers authorised by section 57 of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1991 since 1991; in relation to what offences these people were prosecuted; and how many people have been convicted.

Four persons have been prosecuted as a result of investigations involving the use of the powers authorised by section 57 of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1991.One person has been convicted of failing to comply with a requirement made by an authorised investigator contrary to paragraph 4(1) of schedule 5 to the 1991 Act. A further person awaits trial on a charge of contravening that provision. One person awaits trial on two charges of false accounting contrary to section 17(1) of the Theft Act (Northern Ireland) 1969. The fourth person awaits trial on two charges of making a false instrument contrary to

The information requested is as follows:

£ million
	1993 (cost)	1994 (cost)
Sheep annual premium	41·7	30·2
Suckler cow premium	8·8	39·8
Beef special premium	4·9	48·8
Hill livestock compensatory allowances	18·5	13·6

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been interviewed by authorised investigators under schedule 5(2) of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1991 in each year and part year since 1991.

The following statistics indicate the number of persons interviewed by authorised investigators since schedule 5 of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1991 came into force. They also show the incidence of use, by authorised investigators, of the other powers available to them under schedule 5.section 1 of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 and two charges of false accounting contrary to section 17(1) of the Theft Act 1968.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money has been recovered under confiscation orders obtained under section 47 of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1991 since 1991.

No moneys have yet been recovered under the provision.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many murders were committed in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years for which figures are available; of these how many were the result of terrorist activity; and, of the rest, how many persons were killed by (a) shotguns, (b) handguns and (c) other firearms.

The available information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many of the persons charged with causing the death of another person by the use of a firearm of any description had authority to possess that firearm, excluding all those cases where terrorists were involved or where the death was caused by a member of the security forces, in each of the last three years.

The numbers of persons charged with non-terrorist murders involving the use of a firearm in each of the last three years are as follows:

	Number
1991	2
1992	5
1993	Nil

In each case the firearm was legally held but not by the person committing the offence. In addition, in both 1991 and 1992, two persons who could otherwise have faced charges committed suicide.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what further proposals he has to reduce carbon emissions from road traffic.

We have already introduced measures to address the problem of carbon emissions from vehicles.

Year	Core business capital grant	Core business revenue support grant	New lines and extensions capital grant	Total grant
Cash Prices
1978	64	56	—	120
1979	97	60	—	157
1980	116	102	—	218
1981	135	82	—	217
1982	126	186	—	312
1983	167	175	—	342
1984–851	137	186	—	323
1985–86	182	125	—	307
1986–87	224	66	—	290
1987–88	159	44	—	203
1988–89	150	20	—	170
1989–90	204	44	—	248
1990–91	366	74	2	442
1991–92	405	103	65	573
1992–93	546	254	83	883
1993–94	506	66	120	692
1994–952	360	13	527	900
1995–963	477	—	453	930
1996–973	556	—	431	987
1993–94 prices
1978	184	161	—	345
1979	238	147	—	385

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish his Department's assessment of the impact and effectiveness of the most recent change of regulations regarding vehicle exhaust emissions; and if he will make a statement.

New emissions limits, which came into force on 31 December 1992, effectively require new cars to be fitted with catalytic converters which reduce emissions of carbon monoxide—CO—hydrocarbons—HC—and oxides of nitrogen—NOx—by over 75 per cent. Similar measures will apply to new light vans from 1 October 1994. Some three million cars are already fitted with catalytic converters.From 1 October 1993, emission limits for new diesel-engined trucks and buses over 3·5 tonnes, were reduced by 60, 50 and 45 per cent. respectively, for CO, HC and NOx, and a limit on particulates set for the first time. A further reduction, to be implemented in October 1996, by halving the particulate limit, will increase the level of stringency to that soon to be applied in the United States.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out in tabular form (a) total grant, (b) core business capital grant, (c) new lines and extensions capital grant and (d) revenue support grant, excluding the docklands light railway, awarded to London Transport in each year since 1978; and what is the planned expenditure for each year between 1994–95 and 1996–97, at both cash and 1993–94 prices.

The information requested is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to introduce legislation to ban the attachment of bull bars to road vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

As I indicated in my reply to the hon. Lady of 21 June, Official Report, column 133, it would not be sensible to legislate without compelling evidence of increased injuries in actual accidents. Meanwhile I support voluntary action by individuals and organisations to remove existing bull bars and my Department has invited the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders to discourage their sale.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what estimate he has made of the trends in the relative use of (a) benzene and other aromatics and (b) lead additives in petrol; and if he will make a statement;(2) what estimate there is of the increase in the use of benzene and other aromatics as the level of lead additives in petrol has been reduced; and if he will make a statement;(3) what research has been conducted into the possible effects upon the environment of the increase in use of benzene in motor fuel; and if he will make a statement.

Differences in the aromatic and benzene content of petrol are the result of the refinery processes used to make the components of the fuel. Benzene in petrol is controlled at 5 per cent. maximum by EC directive and available data indicate that the present content for United Kingdom fuels averages some 2 per cent., a reduction on previous findings. There is no significant upward or downward trend in the aromatic content of United Kingdom petrols, though the overall percentage of aromatics in unleaded fuel is slightly higher than in leaded. Lead added to petrol is restricted by EC directive to 0.15 per cent. grams/litre maximum. Average content varies between 0·12 and 0·14 per cent. grams/litre.Benzene in exhaust gases is, however, principally a product of the combustion process rather than the fuel itself. Of the trace quantities created in the combustion process over three quarters are removed by catalytic convertors. All pollution from motor vehicles, including benzene, is falling as a result of tighter controls on emissions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the benefits of super-unleaded fuel over unleaded fuel; and if he will make a statement.

High octane super unleaded petrol gives motorists whose cars were not originally designed to run on unleaded fuel the opportunity of choosing a fuel which will bring environmental benefits through a reduction of lead in the atmosphere. Current usage averages some 6 per cent. of total petrol sales and is expected to decline as cars built prior to 1991 are phased out. After this date all cars have been designed to use premium unleaded petrol.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate there is of the number of motor vehicles which are equipped with catalytic convertors; and if he will make a statement.

The precise number of vehicles fitted with catalytic convertors is not known, but is estimated at approximately 3 million or 15 per cent. of the total licensed passenger car fleet, excluding diesel cars.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents have taken place involving commercial (a) fishing vessels and (b) merchant ships in the Bristol channel during each of the last five years; and how many lives have been lost as a result of those incidents.

The figures given relate to incidents involving UK-registered merchant or fishing vessels where it has been established that the accident happened in the Bristol channel.The figures are given only for the years shown as information relating to a particular sea area can only readily be obtained from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch computerised accident database. The database contains data from 1991 onwards only. To obtain the information requested for 1989 and 1990 would entail a great deal of research of the manual records for those years.

	1991	1992	1993	1994 (to date)
Registered Fishing vessels	6	2	13	3
Registered Merchant vessels	2	1	—	1

None of the incidents involved loss of life, but the Department is aware that an incident involving an unregistered fishing vessel resulted in the death of two sea anglers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give for each of the last 10 years the full details of (a) coastguard station closures and (b) the number of sector posts reduced by (i) promotion, (ii) retirement and (iii) non-filling of vacant posts.

In the last 10 years the following coastguard rescue centres have been closed: Shoreham—1983; Tees—1984; Hartland Point—1988; Peterhead—1989; and Ramsey—1989.There have been no sector posts reduced in the last 10 years by promotion, retirement or the non-filling of vacant posts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which office posts, in which districts, will be affected by the proposed efficiency savings for the Coastguard Service; and if he will make a statement.

The Coastguard Agency, along with other DOT executive agencies, has submitted proposals on how a 20 per cent. improvement in efficiency could be achieved. The Secretary of State is currently considering these proposals. No decisions have yet been made and it is not possible to give details of the office posts or districts which will be affected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of staff competence arising from fatigue relating to changed duties in coastguard stations around the country; and if he will make a statement.

During the 12 years that HM coastguard's existing watch structure in rescue co-ordination centres has been in place, there has been no documented evidence to suggest it has been necessary to conduct an assessment of the effect of staff competence arising from fatigue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will reconsider his policy to suspend the practice of allowing heavy goods vehicles and motor cycle driving schools to block-book test slots.

Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Driving Standards Agency under its chief executive, Dr. Ford, and I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. The agency's deputy chief executive, Mr. Lobo, will answer in Dr. Ford's absence on leave.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the report presented by the International Transport Workers' Federation in respect of the search for the MV Derbyshire; and when he now expects to make a further statement.

The Department has not received such a report from the International Transport Workers Federation.The technical material which has been received is currently being examined by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch. When that examination is complete the chief inspector of marine accidents will advise my right hon. Friend on the course of action which he recommends.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to make announcements on restructuring of the Highways Agency only while Parliament is sitting and to inform immediately those hon. Members with Highways Agency facilities in their constituencies of his proposals.

An announcement on Highways Agency restructuring will be made as soon as possible. My right hon. Friend has asked the chief executive of the agency to consider what arrangements are appropriate for informing hon. Members with Highways Agency facilities in their constituencies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the level of transport supplementary grant in each year since 1990; and if he will make a statement.

Transport supplementary grant is payable to local highway authorities An England. The amounts of TSG made available in each of the last five settlements are as follows:

	£ million
1990–91	233·125
1991–92	317·790
1992–93	370·000
1993–94	430·841
1994–95	329·433

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the projected figure for transport supplementary grant for 1995–96 based on the Government's expenditure plans for transport; and if he will make a statement.

The amount of transport supplementary grant to be distributed to local authorities in 1995–96 will be determined later this year in the light of the total resources available for transport investment and the bids submitted by local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his budget for volunteer auxiliary coastguards in each of the last 10 years as a percentage of the budget for officer posts; and on how many occasions and in what circumstances auxiliary coastguards have been used in excess of 16 hours per week.

The budget for volunteer auxiliary coastguards for each year as a percentage of the budget for officer posts, including a small number of administrative staff was: 1990–91, 16·7 per cent.; 1991–92, 18·3 per cent.; 1992–93, 16·8 per cent.; 1993–94, 15·7 per cent.; 1994–95, 13·7 per cent. The figures for the years 1984 to 1989 are not now available as a different accounting system was then used.Details of how many occasions in the last 10 years and in what circumstances auxiliary coastguards have been used in excess of 16 hours per week could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out the details of (a) insurance liability and (b) responsibility for health and safety matters in respect of auxiliary coastguards; and if he will make a statement.

Auxiliary coastguards are volunteers. They have a call on the principal civil service pension scheme in the event of injury while on duty, limited to impairment of earning capacity. In all other insurance matters they receive the same cover as regular staff while on duty.Auxiliary coastguards are covered by the same health and safety arrangements as apply to regular staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he will now take to ensure that councils do not suffer financially by allocating a seat to every child on a school bus; and if he will make a statement.

The Public Service Vehicles (Carrying Capacity) Regulations 1984 permit three children, each of whom is under 14, to share a double seat and count as two passengers.The Government are considering the way forward as part of the wider review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has held with the Metropolitan and the City of London police on the enforcement of the London night-time and weekend lorry ban.

Enforcement of the ban is the responsibility of the London borough councils and the police. Informal contact with the Metropolitan police has indicated they see no particular difficulties with the Government's proposals to amend the ban. Once the Deregulation and Contracting Out Bill receives Royal Assent the police will be consulted on any draft order to amend the ban under the provisions of clause 24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the need for additional staff arising from increased incidents following the closure of Hartland maritime rescue sub-centre in 1988.

Following the closure of Hartland maritime rescue sub-centre in 1988, staff complements were increased in the Maritime rescue co-ordination centre Seansea and an extra sector post established in the north Devon area. Experience since indicates that no additional staff are necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his Department's estimate of the scale of fraud in taking driving tests; and what steps are being taken to prevent abuse.

Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Driving Standards Agency under its chief executive, Dr. Ford, and I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. The agency's deputy chief executive, Mr. Lobo, will answer in Dr. Ford's absence on leave.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by what date he intends (a) to go out to consultation on and (b) to implement regulations under the European Communities Act 1972 to implement the second EC directive on driver licensing.

[holding answer 5 July 1994]: Consultation on the second EC directive on driver licensing began on 31 March and ended on 24 June. Regulations to be made under section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972 to implement the directive will be made as soon as remaining questions of interpretation have been clarified with the European Commission. The directive will come into effect on the due date of 1 July 1996.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the date, the cause of the accident, and the extent of any resultant pollution for maritime losses, collisions and contacts in 1993 and 1994 to date in the sea areas of the Irish sea and the English channel.