To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much has been spent on the new extension to the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand; how much has been spent on facilities for (a) members of the public, (b) plaintiffs' prosecution witnesses, (c) defendants and defence witnesses, (d) solicitors and barristers, (e) judges and (f) administrative staff.

The works cost of this scheme amounted to £15.4 million including VAT. No elemental cost breakdown of the areas to which the hon. Gentleman refers can be produced without incurring disproportionate cost.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he expects to announce the findings of his Department's 1992 review of the organisation and management of civil enforcement agencies.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Dr. Jones) on 23 June, Official Report, column 247. The consultation exercise raised a wide range of difficult issues. The Lord Chancellor is continuing to give consideration to these, and is not in a position to say when an announcement will be made.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to introduce paper arbitrations into the small claims procedure.

There are no plans at present to introduce paper arbitrations into the small claims procedure.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has in this Parliament to raise the small claim court limit from its current level of £1,000.

The Lord Chancellor will review the monetary limit for automatic reference into the county court arbitration procedure later in the year. No new figure has yet been decided and no date for implementation has yet been set.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the consultants used by his Department on standard development work associated with NVQs in each of the years 1991–92, 1992–93 and 1993–94, together with the specific subject areas on which they worked, the cost of each contract and whether these contracts were publicly advertised and tendered.

The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to extend the eligibility for the travel-to-interview scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education when his Department received the city of Manchester's proposals for reorganising special education in the city; when he will be responding; and if he will make a statement.

Manchester city council notified the Department on 20 July 1993 of its intention to reorganise special education in the city. Formal proposals were submitted to the Department on 1 October.The council was notified on 31 March 1994 of the Secretary of State's decision to approve the reorganisation of the Ewing special school. On 11 July, the council was informed that the Secretary of State had given qualified approval, subject to the satisfactory completion of building work, to the reorganisation and closure of other special schools in the city.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many nursery units and nursery schools have been granted capital funding in each of the last five years; and what was the total amount of funds granted to nursery units and nursery schools in capital allocation in each of the last five years.

Nursery education does not represent a separate category in the distribution of annual capital guidelines to local education authorities. Authorities' plans for spending on nursery classes and schools are taken into account in the formula calculation of the ACG category covering improvement and replacement work. Capital spending at all county and controlled schools is entirely the responsibility of LEAs.For voluntary aided and special agreement schools the governors are responsible for building work and may claim grant of up to 85 per cent. on their expenditure. The table sets out the number of new nursery units approved for funding since 1989–90, together with projected allocations for total governors' expenditure:

Voluntary aided and special agreement schools
Year	Number of new units	Governors' Expenditure (£000)
11989–90	5	898
11990–91	5	913
1991–92	13	1,109
1992–93	13	1,089
1993–94	19	1,202
21994–95	10	1,023
1 Projects flowing from statutory proposals approved after the annual capital announcement were not recorded separately and may be omitted from the 1989–90 and 1990–91 statistics.
2 To date.

Figures are not available for funding work within existing aided school nurseries.The allocation of capital grants to grant-maintained schools is now the responsibility of the Funding Agency for Schools. I have asked the chairman of the Funding Agency to reply to the hon. Member.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 7 July, Official Report, column 274, (1) on what three dates he attended functions at which Mr. Gordon McNally was present; at what location he attended functions at which Mr. Gordon McNally was present; and for what purpose and in what circumstances the functions were held at which both he and Mr. Gordon McNally were present;(2) in what official circumstances he has been photographed in a group with Mr. Gordon McNally.

The three large functions which I attended, at which Mr. McNally also attended, were on 29 September 1992, 13 November 1992 and 23 March 1993. Photographs are often taken at such events and may have been taken on each occasion.

To ask the Prime Minister whether he has sought the views of the Data Protection Registrar in relation to the possible introduction of a national identity number; and if he will make a statement.

We have no plans to introduce a national identity number. The question of a national identity card scheme is kept under review. If we decided to introduce such a scheme there would be a full consultation exercise.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 11 July, Official Report, column 377, if it is his intention at present or at any time in the future to implenent the resolution of the House of 1 July on welfare of ex-service people.

We have no such plans at present.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to hold further public consultation on the future of English Nature and the Countryside Commission for England.

The public consultation which has already taken place produced well over 300 replies, which have been taken fully into account by the study group considering the possible merger of the Countryside Commission and English Nature. There are no plans at present for a further round of consultation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the final report of the study group on the future of English Nature and the Countryside Commission for England will be published; and if he will also publish the evidence submitted.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will wish to consider the issue of the report further once he has made up his mind on the results of the study. Copies of responses to the consultation will be made available in the usual way when a decision is announced.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the study group on the future of English Nature and the Countryside Commission for England has completed its report; and when he expects to make a statement.

Yes. My right hon. Friend will make a statement when he has had an opportunity to draw his own conclusions from the study.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from the London Ecology Committee in relation to the study group on the future of English Nature and the Countryside Commission for England, and if he will make a statement.

The detailed submission from the London Ecology Committee was one of well over 300 responses received to the public consultation. All the views expressed have been taken fully into account by the study group.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he plans to make an announcement about proposals for further safer cities projects.

I am pleased to announce that, as part of our undertaking to meet existing commitments to programmes now coming within the single regeneration budget, we propose to set up another 20 safer cities projects in this financial year.The areas invited to participate in the next wave are:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what changes he proposes to make to the Building Regulations 1991; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment is today laying before Parliament the Building (Amendment) Regulations 1994. The main purpose of these amendments is to strengthen the requirements of part L of the Building Regulations 1991 for the conservation of fuel and power; to improve part F on ventilation; and to simplify part A on structural stability. They also introduce a new regulation 13A to regularise unauthorised development.In revising part L, the aim has been to reduce CO

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will issue guidance on the EC waste shipments regulation.

The Department of the Environment has published a circular, DoE circular 13/94, giving guidance on the implementation of the EC waste shipments regulations and the associated Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 1994. The circular will assist waste regulation authorities and the waste disposal and recovery industries to follow the requirements of the new system.The final text of the circular reflects the outcome of public consultation on a draft document issued in March, and incorporates various changes to meet the concerns and interests of industry, local authorities and the public. The circular explains the provisions and administrative procedures of the waste shipments regulations and United Kingdom regulations, describes the roles and responsibilities of the various parties involved in the shipments process, and offers guidance on issues such as the options available for the provision of financial guarantees, and local authorities' administrative charges.A compliance cost assessment has been undertaken in relation to the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 1994. Copies of both circular 13/94 and the compliance cost assessment have been placed in the Library.The new system strengthens controls over transfrontier shipments of waste in the interests of protecting human health and the environment. We are confident that the guidance in this circular will help both industry and regulators to get to grips with the demands of the new regime.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce his decision on the proposed Pennine bridleway.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has today signified that he is minded to approve the Countryside Commission's report in respect of the Pennine bridleway, with modifications to the route as submitted by the Commission.Further consultation will now take place with the local authorities through whose areas the route passes to confirm their agreement to the modification put forward.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the recent consultation exercise on coastal zone policies.

In October 1993, the Department of the Environment and the Welsh Office published two discussion papers on coastal issues: "Managing The Coast" and "Development Below Low Water Mark". Both papers were prepared with the full co-operation of all relevant Departments. They fulfilled the commitments made by the Government in their response, Cm 2011: July 1992, to the report from the Environment Select Committee, April 1992, on coastal zone protection and planning.Extensive comments were received on the two papers and reflected a wide range of views. I am today arranging for those comments and a summary of them to be made available in my Department's Library.The Government recognise the heightened importance attached to effective management of the coastal zone, and to ensuring that a balance is achieved between the commercial, environmental, leisure and other demands—for example, military needs—on such areas, in accordance with the principles of sustainable development.Following full consideration, we remain confident that existing statutory systems—including the specialised sectoral controls which apply offshore—are the most effective means of regulating development in the coastal zone. Accordingly, in recognition of the distinct needs of land and marine environments, we believe that a case has not been made for any general extension below low water mark of the jurisdiction of town and country planning legislation. However, we shall keep under continuing review the scope for making appropriate improvements to present arrangements: for example, to ensure maximum transparency and liaison in the decision-making process. We shall also consider further the scope for addressing some more detailed points raised in responses to the recent consultation exercise.However, we accept that there is concern in some quarters that new means of taking an overview of the impact and development of policies towards the coast are required, and that increased emphasis should be placed on the wider management of the coastal zone on the basis of defined goals and objectives.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has received a copy of Sir Michael Latham's final report of the joint Government-industry review of procurement and contractual arrangements in the United Kingdom construction industry.

Sir Michael Latham has now presented his final report, which was due this month, and I have received a copy. Sir Michael will publish his report on Monday 18 July and copies of the report will be placed in the Library.Sir Michael's report contains recommendations to Government, the construction industry and its clients about

Quintiles of gross weekly household income
	Lowest twenty per cent.	Second quintile group	Third quintile group	Fourth quintile group	Highest twenty per cent.	All households
1992
Lower boundary of group (£)	—	108	213	341	515	—
Average weekly expenditure on water and sewerage charges (£)	1·90	2·30	2·70	2·90	3·60	2·70
Percentage of weekly household expenditure	2·00	1·40	1·10	0·90	0·70	1·00
1987
Lower boundary of group (£)	—	82	162	260	381	—
Average weekly expenditure on water and sewerage charges (£)	0·60	1·00	1·30	1·60	2·00	1·30
Percentage of weekly household expenditure	0·90	0·80	0·80	0·70	0·60	0·70

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposal on the costing of environmental protection arising from (a) the Marrakesh meeting on the implementation of the Uruguay round by GATT and (b) recent EU council decisions he intends to put to the forthcoming meeting of the G7 in Naples.

I have been asked to reply.At Marrakesh in April, Ministers decided that the World Trade Organisation should establish a committee on trade and environment. G7 leaders at the Naples summit welcomed the new World Trade Organisation's work on trade and the environment.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment reported the outcome of the last EU Environment Council meeting in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Lincoln (Sir K. Carlisle) on 17 June,

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of family expenditure in each quintile of income was taken up by water charges in 1987 and 1992.

I have been asked to reply.The amounts and proportions of weekly household expenditure on water and sewerage charges for each quintile of income are given in the table for the United Kingdom for 1987 and 1992. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10p.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for Walsall, North will receive replies to his two letters of 7 June concerning constituents ref. 09/06/94 and 08/06/94.

I wrote to the hon. Member on 14 July and understand that the Minister of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for Fareham, also replied on that date.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement before the summer recess regarding his proposals on private wheel clamping.

We have no plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his Department's current practice in respect of immigration officials passing on details of the claims of persons seeking asylum to the embassies of countries from which asylum seekers have travelled.

It is not our practice to disclose any information about an individual asylum application to the diplomatic post of the asylum seeker's country of origin.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the types of personal data held by his Department which relate to the administration of immigration procedures; and if he will make a statement.

I will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will introduce measures to give trading standards officers the power to control car boot sales.

I have been asked to reply.Trading standards officers already have extensive powers to enforce legislation intended to protect consumers. These powers can be exercised at car boot sales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if steel rolls are required to be secured to a lorry cradle during transportation along minor roads; and if he will make a statement.

Steel rolls and the cradles upon which they are carried are both required to be secured to a lorry when they are in transit on any road.The safety of loads on vehicles used on roads is controlled by the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986. Regulation 100(2) requires that any load carried by a vehicle be secured, if necessary, by additional restraints so that it is not likely to cause danger or nuisance by moving, falling or blowing off the vehicle. This would apply to steel rolls.Section 8 of the Department of Transport's publication "Code of Practice on the Safety of Loads on Vehicles" advises operators of the best way to secure metal rolls to their vehicles.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on developments on the liberalisation of United Kingdom-United States air services.

I am writing today to the United States Transportation Secretary saying that I am prepared to give exceptional approval for airlines to bring in new services to replace certain transatlantic routes which have recently been or are about to be suspended. I am therefore offering United States airlines rights to serve Manchester-Los Angeles and Stansted-New York-Chicago.I am making this offer in order to help to maintain services for consumers while we continue to seek to make progress in securing a wider liberalisation of United Kingdom-United States air services. I hope that the United States will soon be in a posiiton to return to the liberalisation negotiations. This offer is a further demonstration of my determination to secure liberal changes to the current air services agreement in the interests of consumers on both sides of the Atlantic.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the public service obligation grant awarded to Network SouthEast in each year since 1978, in both cash and 1993–94 prices.

The table shows the level of public service obligation grant spent on Network SouthEast since 1985–86. Figures are not readily available to split PSO by sector before 1985–86. Up to 1986–87 figures are shown for London and the south-east region.

Year	£ million Cash	£ million 1993–94 Prices
1985–86	253	388
1986–87	205	304
1987–88	230	324
1988–89	140	184
1989–90	86	106
1990–91	146	169
1991–92	355	384
1992–93	575	595
11993–94	371	371
1Subject to audit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what costs have been incurred by his Department in developing road schemes subsequently abandoned in respect of (a) Preston southern and western bypass, (b) Hereford bypass, (c) Durham western bypass, (d) the A40 north of Oxford and Headington bypasses and (e) the A40 Longford-Gorsley improvement.

[holding answer 23 June 1994]: As the information requested relates to operational matters of the Highways Agency, I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what amount of the United Kingdom's bilateral aid programme was spent last year in (a) sub-Saharan Africa, (b) India and (c) South Asia; and how much the Oversease Development Administration plans to spend in each year to 1996–97 in these places in (a) cash prices, (b) real terms and (c) as a percentage of the relevant year's bilateral aid programme.

Actual expenditure figures for the last financial year, 1993–94, are not yet available. United Kingdom bilateral aid expenditure figures in 1992–93, the latest year for which actual data are available, are:

	1992–93 Prices £ million	Percentage of Total Bilateral Aid
Sub-Saharan Africa	509	137
of which: Country Programmes	285	21
Other Bilateral Aid2	224	16
India	115	18
of which: Country Programmes	92	6
Other Bilateral Aid2	23	2
South Asia (excluding India)	145	111
of which: Country Programmes	99	7
Other Bilateral Aid2	46	4
Other Regions	439	132
of which: Country Programmes	174	13
Other Bilateral Aid2	265	19
World Unallocated3	166	12
of which: Other Bilateral Aid	166	12
1 The corresponding figures as a percentage of bilateral aid allocable by region are higher.
2 Other bilateral aid is made up of Aid and Trade Provision, Food Aid, Disaster Relief, Debt relief, Non-Project Technical Co-operation, Drugs Assistance and CDC Investments.
3 "World Unallocated" comprises block grants to the British Council, Natural Resources Institute, VSO, NGOs, Research Institutions and Commonwealth Organisations based in the United Kingdom.

For 1993–94 and subsequent years, no breakdown is available for sub-Saharan Africa, India or South Asia. Figures are available for Africa, including North Africa and the middle east, and for the whole of Asia and the Pacific. The table shows planning figures for bilateral country programmes only for these two areas. These figures are not directly comparable with the figures for 1992–93.

	Country programmes only		Percentage of total country programmes
	Cash prices	1992–93 prices
Year	£ million	£ million
Africa (including North Africa and Middle East)
1993–94	330	320	47
1994–95	344	324	45
1995–96	315	286	45
1996–97	284	252	44

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Her Majesty's Government first received (a) a draft copy and (b) the final version of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report on the United Kingdom's aid programme published on 5 July; and what plans there are to respond to the criticisms contained in the OECD report.

We received a copy of the draft version of the report on 24 February and the final version on 5 July. The intervening period was required for the OECD to circulate the draft to other members for comments, and to fit publication into its printing schedule. Overall the OECD report recognised the many strengths in the "highly concessional and business-like" United Kingdom aid programme. We are continually looking for ways to improve efficiency and in doing so we shall take into account the conclusions of the OECD review.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Wyre (Mr. Mans) of 4 July, Official Report, column 80, what discussions took place on civil nuclear science and technology co-operation during his visit to Japan in June; and if he will place a copy of the United Kingdom-Japan science and technology agreement of 13 June in the Library.

My visit in June was to attend the seventh Carnegie group meeting of Science Ministers and advisers of G7 countries. This informal biannual meeting has a wide-ranging agenda and useful discussions took place on strengthening international co-operation and on progress with major science projects, including some in the field of civil nuclear research. However, no bilateral discussions took place.I have arranged for a copy of the United Kingdom-Japan science and technology agreement to be placed in the Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he has to improve the opportunities for employment and career development of disabled people in the civil service.

The civil service has had a code of practice on the employment of people with disabilities since 1985. The code has done much to improve the position of disabled people in the civil service, but we have recognised that still more needs to be done. For this reason, on 15 July the code will be replaced by a programme for action to achieve equality of opportunity in the civil service for disabled people.The programme provides a framework which will help Departments and agencies recruit, retain and promote people on merit, regardless of disability. It also provides detailed action checklists to help Departments and agencies make the best possible use of their disabled employees. The programme for action is accompanied by a stand-alone support document, "Focus on Ability", which offers practical advice on how to implement the programme.In addition, the approval of the Privy Council is currently being sought to an amendment to the civil service Order in Council, which will permit Departments and agencies to offer disabled applicants encouragement and assistance in the selection process, such as a guaranteed interview, and thus enable those Departments and agencies that wish to do so to sign up to the Employment Service's two-ticks symbol.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement about the future of the ecclesiastical exemption from listed building and conservation area control.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I have today laid before Parliament an order under section 60(5) and 75(7) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 defining the future scope of the exemption in England and Wales.As foreshadowed in my reply to my right hon. Friend on 17 December 1992,

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to her answer of 4 July, Official Report, column 37, whether an immunodeficiency virus has ever been communicated from cattle to humans; why no tests are done on imported milk; what tests are done on United Kingdom produced non-pasteurised milk; whether bovine immunodeficiency virus has been found in non-pasteurised milk; and what assessment she has made of whether BIV is killed by (a) pasteurisation, (b) sterilisation and (c) ultra heat treatment.

There is no evidence that an immunodeficiency virus has been communicated from cattle to humans and there is no evidence that bovine immunodeficiency-like virus affects humans. Experimental efforts to grow BIV in human cells have failed. Two United States laboratory personnel who accidentally had needle stick injuries with BIV infected cell material some five years ago have shown no signs of illness as a result. In the absence of any risk to human health from BIV, we do not consider it necessary to test milk for the virus. Raw cow's milk produced in the United Kingdom is subject to hygiene and quality checks for example for plate counts, antibiotic residues and added water. In addition, raw cow's milk sold for drinking in England and Wales is subject to strict microbiological standards, for plate count and coliforms, under the Milk (Special Designation) Regulations 1989. We are not aware that BIV has been isolated from unpasteurised milk either here or abroad. It is known that lentiviruses are susceptible to heat treatment. Studies have been commissioned at the Central Veterinary Laboratory on the inactivation of BIV in milk by pasteurisation.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to her answer of 4 July, Official Report, column 37, if she will now require testing of all milk imported from other EC countries to ensure that it complies with EC directive 92/46 on milk hygiene and that it is free of bovine immunodeficiency virus.

EC directive 92/46 allows milk to be traded within the EC if it meets requirements in the directive and bears the EC health mark. Under the EC veterinary checks regime, it is the responsibility of the exporting member state to ensure that only products meeting these requirements enter intra-Community trade. An importing member state can carry out nondiscriminatory checks at destination unless there is suspicion of an infringement of requirements in the directive, in which case spot checks, including sampling, can be carried out at any stage. However, it would be a barrier to trade and contrary to EC law to check for bovine immunodeficiency-like virus, which is not referred to in the directive.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how the Intervention Board performed against its targets for 1993–94; and what key performance targets Agriculture Ministers have set the agency for 1994–95.

The Intervention Board's performance against its key targets in 1993–94 was as follows:

	1993–94
	Target (per cent.)	Performance (per cent.)
Percentage of claims processed within deadlines	98·0	99·9
Percentage of claims processed correctly	98·5	98·8
Running cost efficiency gains	2·5	4·5
Improvement in productivity	5·0	8·0
Ratio of disallowance to EAGGF funds handled	0·40	0·03
To main expenditure within vote provision, cash and running cost limits	—	Met
New value for money savings in procurement of goods and services	5·0	6·5

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the 1993–94 annual report and accounts for the Veterinary Medicines Directorate is due to be published.

I am pleased to report that the Veterinary Medicines Directorate's annual report and accounts for 1993–94 was published today. Copies are available in the Library of the HouseThe report charts the continuing success of the directorate as a next steps agency, and I would like to congratulate the chief executive and his staff on their considerable achievements during the year.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the destination of the donation of biscuits from the strategic food stockpile; and if she will make a statement.

During the past three years more than 30,000 tonnes of high-energy biscuits have been donated from the strategic food stockpile administered by my Department. The biscuits were subject to stringent quality testing prior to release for donation. They were donated to some 20 United Kingdom-based charities to help the starving and homeless victims of serious disasters in more than a dozen countries in Africa and eastern Europe, particularly to help relieve the plight of the civilian population in the former Yugoslavia.The final 5,000 tonnes of biscuits will be donated to the United Nations World Food Programme through the Overseas Development Administration over the coming months. This is a step towards the liquidation of the strategic food stockpile by March 1996.The biscuits would provide sufficient food for over 250,000 people for a year. To provide similar aid at today's prices would cost in excess of £20 million and represents a significant contribution to the United Kingdom's response to disaster relief.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on which dates he met representatives of the Irish Government since 1 September 1993 to discuss political developments in Northern Ireland.

I have held such discussions with the Irish Foreign Minister, Mr. Spring, at six meetings of the intergovernmental conference on 10 September and 3 November 1993, 28 January, 10 March, 25 April and 17 June 1994, during a visit to Dublin on 5 March and in the margins of the opening of the Shannon-Erne waterway on 23 May.I was also present on 3 and 15 December 1993 and 19 February 1994, when these matters were discussed by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and Mr. Reynolds, the Irish Prime Minister.

	Perceived religious affiliation
Type of Employee	Roman Catholic	Protestant	Not known	Total
Full-time	29	22	4	55
Part-time	24	13	7	44

Information on the Roman Catholic : Protestant ratio in each of the employment catchment areas for the three homes is not readily available.

Recipients of Benefit in Northern Ireland
	Current1		1991		1981
	Total population= 1,628,000		Total population= 1,601,400		Total population= 1,637,700
	Recipients	Percentage of population	Recipients	Percentage of population	Recipients	Percentage of population
Housing Benefit	137,621	8	168,000	10	n/a	—
Attendance Allowance	49,237	3	41,400	3	18,300	1
Invalid Care Allowance	18,736	1	10,600	1	700	2—
Disability Living Allowance	67,080	4	n/a	—	n/a	—
Disability Working Allowance	159	2—	n/a	—	n/a	—
Mobility Allowance	n/a	—	17,000	1	6,900	2—
Child Benefit (Children)	488,372	29	459,700	29	482,600	31
One Parent Benefit	30,890	2	26,400	2	20,800	1
Family Credit	19,952	1	15,300	1	n/a	—
Family Income Supplement	n/a	—	n/a	—	10,700	1
Income Support	222,621	14	203,700	13	n/a	—
Supplementary Benefit	n/a	—	n/a	—	161,600	10
Industrial Injuries Benefits	9,574	1	10,200	1	8,200	2
Sickness Benefit	4,183	2—	3,898	2—	18,100	1
Invalidity Benefit	87,813	4	58,800	4	32,600	2
Severe Disablement Allowance	14,334	1	13,400	1	n/a	—
Maternity Allowance	893	2—	500	2—	14,085	1
Guardian's Allowance/CSA	100	2—	100	2	400	2—
Unemployment Benefit	14,595	1	18,900	1	41,200	3
Widows Benefit	11,129	1	12,800	1	15,100	1
Non-contributory Invalidity Pension	n/a	—	n/a	—	10,200	1
1 Most recent information available—mainly May 1994.
2—denotes less than 0·5.

	1971		1984
	Total population = 1,540,400		Total population = 1,450,000
Benefit	Recipients	Percentage of population	Recipients	Percentage of population
Family allowance (children)	308,100	20	270,100	19
Widows' benefits	15,100	1	15,900	1
Guardians allowances, orphans' pensions and children's allowances	290	1—	329	1—
Supplementary benefit	108,395	7	n/a	n/a
National assistance allowance	n/a	n/a	58,324	4

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons are employed on (a) a full-time and (b) a part-time basis at the residential homes of the Southern area health board; how many i n each category at each home are (a) Protestants, and (b) Roman Catholics; and what is the Roman Catholic/Protestant ratio in each of the employment catchment areas for the three homes.

The table below gives a breakdown of staff by perceived religious affiliation in the three residential homes within the Armagh and Dungannon unit of management which is the only remaining directly managed unit within the Southern board's area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of the resident population are in receipt of benefits other than retirement pension; and what were the numbers in (a) 1964, (b) 1971, (c) 1981 and (d) 1991.

The information requested is provided in the tables:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list by wave (a) the number of non-executive directors of NHS trust hospitals and (b) the number of chairs of NHS trust hospitals, by salary band.

Information on appointments to HSS trusts in Northern Ireland is set out in the table:

Chairmen
	Non-executive directors	Band 1 £19,285	Band 2 £17,145	Band 3 £15,125
Wave 1	5	1	—	—
Wave 2	43	3	4	2
Wave 3	114	—	1	2
1One non-executive director post remains to be filled.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many sets of (a) twins, (b) triplets, (c) quadruplets, (d) quintuplets and (e) sextuplets were born in Northern Ireland in each year from 1990 to 1993; what was the total number of maternities in Northern Ireland in each year; and how many multiple births of each type in each year were conceived as a result of (i) in-vitro fertilisation, (ii) gamete infra-fallopian transfer and (iii) other forms of assisted conceptions.

The information requested is set out in the table.

	1990	1991	1992	19931
Sets of
(a) Twins	267	315	258	293
(b) Triplets	5	6	8	9
(c) Quadruplets	—	—	—	—
(d) Quintuplets	—	1	—	—
(e) Sextuplets	—	—	—	—
Maternities	25,338	26,058	25,425	24,828
(i) IVF2
(a) Twins	12	11	4—	4—
(b) Triplets	2	1	4—	4—
(ii) GIFT3
1 Provisional.
2 These figures are the results of IVF by year of conception.
3 GIFT was available in Northern Ireland in only 1986 and 1987.
4 Not known.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals the United Nations Secretary-General has made in respect of moving the UN Relief and Welfare Agency and other agencies; what sites he has suggested; and what is Her Majesty's Government's policy on this.

The Secretary-General has proposed moving UNRWA's headquarters from Vienna to Gaza. We will discuss this proposal with other donors represented on UNRWA's advisory commission. We have seen no proposals to move other agencies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will now make special representations to the Burmese Government for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

With our European Union partners, we will underline our very serious concern about Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's continued detention on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of her house detention.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what communications he has received from the retired Australian diplomat James Dunn in relation to loss of life in East Timor; what reassessment he has made of the situation there; and if he will make a statement.

We can find no record of any communication from Mr. Dunn in the last three years. Research of earlier files would involve disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on developments on the Jordanian track of the middle east peace process.

We warmly welcome the recent decision by Jordan and Israel to initiate detailed discussions in the region on the elements of an eventual peace agreement. We similarly welcome King Hussein's decision, communicated to members of Jordan's Parliament on 9 July, that he and other Jordanian leaders should hold direct talks with Prime Minister Rabin and other Israeli leaders. I understand that discussions on border, security and water issues will begin on 18 July and that Foreign Minister Peres plans to meet the Jordanian Prime Minister and the United States Secretary of State, on the Jordanian side of the border on 20 July, to discuss economic issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects an announcement to be made by the Kuwaiti Government in respect of orders for United Kingdom ships; and what size and type of vessel is involved.

I have been asked to reply.The Kuwaiti Government is currently considering bids for eight 42m fast patrol boats from British, French and German shipyards. Vosper Thornycroft are a leading contender.I am unwilling to speculate when an announcement is likely to be made as the Kuwaiti Minister of Defence has recently stated that the bids are still under consideration.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total value of claims and recoveries to the Export Credits Guarantee Department in each of the last five years; and how much of each of these was in relation to defence exports.

The total value of claims and recoveries to the Export Credits Guarantee Department in each of the last five years was as follows:

	Claims £ million	Recoveries £ million
1989–90	912.9	229.1
1990–91	967.5	224.9
1991–92	954.1	187.2
1992–93	734.3	157.1
11993–94	517.5	177.0
1 Provisional.

ECGD does not record claims and recoveries by industry sector. It is thus not possible to provide the breakdown which the hon. Gentleman has requested.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consultations he has held with representatives of regional breweries with regard to the tie system and public house management.

Neither my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade nor I have recently had discussions with the regional brewers about the tie or public house management. However, my officials are in regular contact with individual regional brewers and Independent Family Brewers of Britain, which represents many local brewers, on a number of issues of concern to the brewing industry.I am aware that some brewers are concerned that the EC Commission may bring forward proposals to amend or rescind regulation 1984/83, which concerns beer supply agreements. The regulation is due to expire at the end of 1997 and the EC Commission has said that it will not begin to review it until 1996 at the earliest. The Government will, of course, take into account the views of all interested parties when considering any proposals that the Commission may bring forward during that review.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the effect of a revision of the tie system on employment prospects in regional breweries.

Regional brewers have benefited greatly from the guest beer provision of the 1989 beer orders, which has enabled many to sell their cask-conditioned beer in tied pubs owned by the national brewers. They have also been able to acquire pubs sold by national brewers who were obliged to reduce the size of their tied estates to comply with the provisions of the beer orders.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, further to his letter dated 11 July 1985, concerning pay of directors in answer to the written question from the hon. Member for Great Grimsby, whether he will now publish his letter, dated 11 July 1985, with the two enclosures, concerning the emoluments of the chairmen and highest-paid directors of large industrial and commercial companies.

The letter was published on 25 July 1985, Official Report, columns 730–32.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, further to his letter dated 11 July 1985 about the pay of directors of plcs in answer to the written question from the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (1) whether he will publish a table showing the same information for the most recent years for which corresponding figures are available;(2) whether he will bring the two tables concerning the emoluments of chairmen and highest paid directors of plcs enclosed with his letter up to date with the full figures for 1983 as mentioned there together with those for subsequent years.

The information requested is not readily available. It ceased to be compiled from 1990, and obtaining information for 1983 to 1990 from archive data could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what direct benefits will accrue to the United Kingdom from the liberalisation of the electricity market in the European Union.

Liberalisation of electricity markets will put downward pressure on electricity prices and will help to provide a level playing field in electricity supply in the European Union, particularly for energy-intensive industries. The opening of markets will create new investment opportunities for the United Kingdom electricity companies which do not exist at present.

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

[holding answer 13 July 1994]: My officials approached the trading standards departments of the City of Westminster and the London boroughs of Wandsworth and Bromley. None of the authorities is proposing to contract out its trading standards function; however, the London borough of Bromley is considering contracting out some trading standards work. My Department has noted the position and continues to monitor developments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what are the major reasons for the increase in the amounts recovered by the compensation recovery unit between 1990–91 and 1993–94;(2) if he will provide a breakdown of the main sources of income from the compensation recovery unit;(3) from how many asbestosis victims the compensation recovery unit recovered money in 1993–94; and what were the amounts involved.

The administration of the compensation recovery scheme 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 what consideration he has given to changing the child support formula so that children from the first and second families of the absent parent and any stepchildren for whom he or she may be caring are all treated equally when a maintenance assessment is carried out.

It is a basic principle of child support that, once his or her own personal living costs are met, the first duty of a parent is the support of his or her own children. Where an absent parent has stepchildren in his current family, the stepchildren's natural father has prime responsibility for their support.However, although the main child support formula does not treat stepchildren as the absent parent's own by making allowance for their living costs, their needs are taken into account when the protected income calculation is made. This ensures that the absent parent and his family will remain significantly above income support levels after the payment of child support maintenance. The changes which we introduced in February increased this protection and will be particularly helpful to absent parents with step-families.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claims of disablement benefit in respect of chronic bronchitis or emphysema have been made by persons currently on income support benefit since September 1993; how many of these claims have been successful; and in which circumstances it can be financially advantageous for those suffering from chronic bronchitis or emphysema to be successful in claiming disablement benefit.

The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Industrial injuries disablement benefit is payable in addition to other incapacity and disability benefits, but is taken into account in assessing entitlement to income-related benefits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he will take to ensure that those in receipt of chronic bronchitis or emphysema disablement benefit receive this payment as compensation for a prescribed disease or illness which they have suffered.

The industrial injuries scheme provides non-contributory, non means-tested, tax-free benefits on a no-fault basis to workers disabled by industrial accidents or prescribed diseases. Industrial injuries disablement benefit in respect of chronic bronchitis and emphysema, as prescribed, is payable on this basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he will publish an estimate of the effect on social security expenditure and tax revenues of reductions in Department of the Environment housing expenditure between 1992–93 and 1993–94; and if he will make a statement.

The information is not available. The link between reductions in Department of the Environment housing expenditure and social security expenditure and tax revenues is not direct and is affected by the complex interaction of a number of factors.

Year	Rent Rebate		Rent Allowance				RPI
	Eligible Rent2	Percentage increase	All Tenants		Housing3 Association	Other Private
	£		Eligible Rent2 £	Percentage increase	£	£	Per cent.
May 1988	18·84	—	21·32	—	—	—	4·2
May 1989	20·57	9·2	24·29	13·9	—	—	8·3
May 1990	23·62	14·8	29·42	21·1	—	—	9·7
May 1991	27·29	15·5	35·75	21·5	—	—	5·8
May 1992	30·48	11·7	41·67	16·6	36·54	48·57	4·3

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will publish a table setting out the number of people who have taken up the disregard in family credit to meet part of the cost of child care, as announced in the Budget, divided between (a) male and female claimants and (b) those who were already in work before the introduction of this reform and those who have moved from unemployment into paid employment since its introduction; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will publish an estimate of the number of people who have taken up the disregard in family credit to meet part of the cost of child care, as announced in the Budget; what his estimate is of the average additional amount of family credit which they will each receive; and if he will make a statement.

We plan to introduce the child care disregard from 4 October 1994. Our best estimates are that about 150,000 families will benefit from it, of whom about 100,000 will already be in paid work and about 50,000 will move into work of 16 hours or more. The extent of additional help will depend in individual cases on earnings, on the cost of the child care and on whether family credit is received alone or in combination with housing benefit and council tax benefit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table setting out his estimates of the cost in 1994–95 of the disregard in family credit to meet part of the cost of child care, as announced in the Budget, as it affects (a) expenditure on family credit, (b) total expenditure on social security, including any offsetting reductions in spending on other benefits and (c) the public sector borrowing requirement, including any offsetting reductions in spending in other areas and any increase in tax revenues; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table setting out for every year since 1988–89 how rents paid by claimants of (a) rent rebate and (b) rent allowance, divided between those claimants who are housing association tenants and those who are private sector tenants, have risen relative to the retail prices index; how much of the increase in spending on each of these benefits is accounted for by such increases above inflation; and if he will make a statement.

The available information is in the table¹.

The full-year effects of the proposed child care disregard in family credit, housing benefit, council tax benefit and disability working allowance, to be introduced from October 1994, are expected in the longer term to be as follows:

	£ million pa
(1) Increase in Family Credit expenditure	+250
(2) Savings on other benefits, mostly Income Support	-190
(3) Net increase in Social Security expenditure	+60
(4) Offsetting increases in Tax and NI revenue	-30
(5) Net increase in Public Sector Borrowing Requirement	+30

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how work will progress on his proposals for the new requisite benefits test for contracted-out salary related occupational pension schemes as set out in his White Paper "Security, Equality, Choice: The Future for Pensions" published on 23 June.

A technical consultation paper is being issued today. The paper seeks views on the detailed criteria of our proposals for the new requisite benefits test, including definitions of pensionable salary and the role of scheme actuaries. It is being issued to a number of interested parties and is available to others on request. I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Coventry, South-East (Mr. Cunningham), of 30 June, Official Report, column 678, if he will allocate the public sector assets to broad areas of spend, distinguishing between the Government and non-governmental public sector in cash and real terms for the years specified.

Table 8.2 of the "Statistical Supplement to the 1992 Autumn Statement", Cm. 2219, provided a detailed breakdown of public sector asset creation by spending sector and function between 1987–88 and 1992–93. Table 1.8 of the "Statistical Supplement to the

Public sector capital by spending sector and function, 1989–90 to 1996–97 in real terms1
£ million
	1989–90	1990–91	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94	1994–95	1995–96	1996–97
	outturn	outturn	outturn	outturn	estimated outturn	plans	plans	plans
Central Government Own
Defence	663	566	638	649	707	700	-100	500
Overseas services including overseas aid	85	90	124	147	174	100	100	100
Agriculture, fisheries, foods and forestry	173	633	497	429	454	200	200	200
Trade, industry, energy and employment	797	750	604	531	625	700	700	700
of which: Regional and general industrial support	500	395	313	224	264	300	300	200
National roads	1,824	2,254	2,142	2,196	2,278	2,100	2,000	2,000
Other transport	68	35	33	36	43	—	—	—
Housing	1,206	1,813	2,194	2,559	2,044	1,600	1,500	1,500
Other environmental services	232	221	240	404	448	300	300	200
Prisons	450	527	451	355	293	300	200	200
Other law, order and protective services	255	278	277	294	278	300	200	200
Education	541	576	633	629	842	800	1,000	1,100
National heritage	160	180	200	191	170	200	500	500
Hospital and community health services	1,671	1,769	1,589	1,402	1,064	500	600	500
Other health and personal social services	142	152	163	185	135	100	100	100
Social security	372	332	353	356	386	300	300	200
Miscellaneous	510	629	655	419	498	500	400	400
Total central government	9,148	10,802	10,793	10,781	10,442	8,800	8,100	8,600
Local Authorities
Agriculture, fisheries, foods and forestry	43	55	46	9	33	—	—	—
Trade, industry, energy employment	15	9	12	9	26	—	—	—
Local roads	1,279	1,106	1,215	1,283	1,494	—	—	—
Other transport	246	174	139	186	180	—	—	—
Housing	2,635	1,414	1,966	1,688	1,460	—	—	—
Other environmental services	1,257	1,211	1,334	1,370	1,579	—	—	—
Law, order and protective services	376	304	331	359	361	—	—	—
Education	1,038	916	914	904	902	—	—	—
National heritage	510	383	301	234	296	—	—	—
Personal social services	228	201	172	166	205	—	—	—
Total local authorities	7,627	5,773	6,430	6,208	6,536	5,500	5,000	4,750
Public Corporations
Electricity industries	2,600	2,487	788	542	426	300	100	100
British Rail	685	1,031	1,337	1,523	1,067	800	700	600
Other nationalised industries	2,146	1,236	1,066	1,366	1,396	1,200	1,200	1,300
Other public corporations	772	1,097	1,356	1,705	2,243	2,800	2,700	2,700
Total public corporations	6,204	5,851	4,547	5,136	5,133	5,200	4,800	4,800
Allocation from the reserve	—	—	—	—	—	300	600	900
plus national accounts adjustment	1,204	450	628	1,076	1,003	900	900	900
Total public sector	24,183	22,876	22,398	23,201	23,114	20,750	19,500	20,000
11992–93 prices.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates he has, for the latest tax year, of the number of people over retirement age (a) who pay no income tax at all, (b) who pay income tax only at the 20 per cent. rate, (c) who pay more than (i) £100, (ii) £500, (iii) £1,000 and (iv) £3,000 in income tax in the year.

Provisional estimates for 1994–95 are:

	Numbers (millions)
(a) Non-taxpayers aged 65 or over	6·2
(b) Taxpayers aged 65 or over liable only at 20 per cent.	1·1

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) when he intends to restore the monthly return of trade statistics reporting British trade on a comprehensive basis;(2) what are the reasons for the delay in the publication of United Kingdom trade figures with individual EU countries and with the EU as a whole; and when he hopes to be able to publish these figures on a monthly basis.

The Central Statistical Office restarted publication of monthly estimates of the total value of the United Kingdom's visible trade with the world, including figures for trade with the European Community, on 11 October 1993. Since then, it has published aggregate details for trade with the European Community for every month, including details for trade with individual countries, 10 weeks after the end of the month. This information is available on the Central Statistical Office database, which can be accessed through the Library of the House. The full detailed statistics for every month are made available approximately 14 weeks after the end of the month through marketing agents appointed by Customs and Excise. It is planned to reduce this delay in publication to 10 or 11 weeks by the end of March 1995.Comparable statistics for trade with countries outside the European Community are available six weeks after the end of a month. This difference in the availability of the two sets of statistics is due to differing systems of collection. The statistics on trade with European Community countries are not released until response from industry is such that the statistics are of an acceptable quality.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met the House Builders Federation; and when he next expects to meet it.

The Chancellor last met the House Builders Federation on 22 September 1993. My right hon. and learned Friend has no plans at present for further meetings with the Federation.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the latest estimate of the United Kingdom's gross contributions to the European Union in 1995, after rebate; and what he expects will be the gross contribution in 1994.

[holding answer 11 July 1994]: The Government's latest estimate of the United Kingdom's gross contributions to EC institutions for the calendar year 1994 is set out in the "Statement on the 1994 Community Budget" Cm. 2486, which was published in March this year. The Government's estimate for the calendar year 1995 will be published in next year's statement.

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

[pursuant to his reply, 13 July 1994, c. 599]: I have been asked to reply.Last year, I commissioned Positive Solutions to undertake a study of management practice in local authority arts facilities and ways in which it might be improved.The consultants have produced a thorough report, reflecting extensive consultation with local authorities, arts organisations, the commercial sector and others: a copy is being placed in the Library. Taken with the recent Arts Council survey of local authority expenditure on the arts, it shows that local authorities are very significant supporters of all forms of arts provision, both through direct assistance of artists and entertainers and through the provision of facilities for arts events either in purpose-built venues or in other general purpose facilities. I am pleased to pay tribute to local authorities' work in ensuring a high quality and innovative arts sector, accessible to all.The report shows that there have been significant improvements in local authorities' management of arts facilities. Since the Audit Commission's report on arts and entertainment in 1991, greater attention is now paid to such matters as the definition and communication of arts policies and the control of expenditure against agreed plans and targets.Nevertheless, there is general agreement that performance varies greatly between authorities and that there remains considerable scope for management improvements. There is also further scope for authorities to encourage the growth of private sector competition in the longer term.I therefore propose to review with local authorities a detailed programme of voluntary mechanisms for implementing management improvements where they have not already been adopted. Specific areas to cover include identification of a client-side function within authorities; development of performance indicators similar to those developed by the Audit Commission for other areas of local authority services; establishment of service level agreements; monitoring of performance against agreed performance targets; mechanisms for effective consumer feedback; and scrutiny of staff terms and conditions. In addition, as means of promoting competition I shall explore with local authorities mechanisms to encourage them to introduce efficiencies of scale through cluster management and to exercise customer choice within the internal market of their facilities.I shall aim to conclude this review by the end of 1994–95, with a view to implementing its conclusions from the following year. I would propose to assess the progress which authorities have made on this voluntary basis in two years' time.I am confident that the resulting changes will improve management standards in arts facilities and be to the benefit of users, artists, local authority staff and local taxpayer alike.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the standard of treatment given by police surgeons to detainees compared with standard national health service treatment.

Arrangements for the provision of services of police surgeons are a matter for individual police authorities. I understand that police surgeons are predominantly national health service general practitioners. There is no reason why the standard of treatment given by police surgeons to detainees should be any different from that given to NHS patients.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list by wave (a) the number of non-executive directors of NHS trust hospitals and (b) the number of chairs of NHS trust hospitals by salary band.

Information on the numbers of trust chairmen by salary band is not available centrally. The number of chairmen and non-executive directors of national health service trusts by wave is shown in the table.

	Chairmen	Non-executive directors
First Wave	49	246
Second Wave	91	458
Third Wave	136	668
Fourth Wave	143	707