To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans his Department has to place some of the legal work it currently performs out to competitive tendering; and in what areas.

The Lord Chancellor's Department has no plans at present to place the legal work which it currently performs out to competitive tendering.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he expects to make an announcement on the provision of grants of probate in a bilingual format in Wales.

The necessary changes to the Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987, which will allow bilingual forms, will be made before the end of this year.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he expects to be able to reply to the letter of 21 June from the hon. Member for South Hams and the letter from Brooke Blain Russell and Quinn, reference LB/DH/COAT40011, concerning the case of Mrs. Coates.

The hon. Member's letter was received in the Parliamentary Secretary's office on 23 June. A reply will be sent to the hon. Member on or before 21 July.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) pursuant to his answer of 11 July, Official Report, column 393, what plans he has to order (a) increases in the fees for civil business and (b) cuts in his Department's spending to make up for the £52 million shortfall in predicted income from civil business for the current financial year;(2) what is the total sum that he is seeking to recover from individual circuits in the current financial year;(3) how much, by way of running costs, he is seeking to recover from each individual circuit in the current financial year;(4) pursuant to his answer of 11 July,

We plan to meet the forecast shortfall by a combination of fee increases and expenditure cuts. A package of county court fee increases, worth an estimated £11 million this year, is in hand. We are monitoring changes in income and expenditure closely, and drawing up detailed plans to cover the remaining gap. It is too early to say what the extent of the expenditure cuts will be, where they will fall, or what the effects of them will be.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to publish a White Paper on divorce law reform.

No decisions have been made about the proposals in the consultation paper. It is therefore too early to make plans for publication of a White Paper.

To ask the Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of ministerial exhortation on the pay and other benefits of directors of electricity and water companies in 1994.

I have made it clear on many occasions that directors should follow the lead that the Government have set for pay in the public sector.However, remuneration of directors is a matter for the judgment of companies and their shareholders, within the framework of established company law, and reflecting affordability and individual and corporate performance.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral answer to the hon. Member for Chingford of 11 July, Official Report, column 674, which are the other countries involved in nuclear proliferation to which he referred in his answer.

Both Iraq and North Korea are countries of nuclear proliferation concern. Both states have breached their obligations under the International Atomic Energy Authority full scope safeguards agreements. We are also concerned by reports that Iran may be seeking to develop nuclear weapons, and we continue to emphasise the importance we attach to all states party abiding by their obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. We also take very seriously reports that India, Israel and Pakistan may possess nuclear weapons. We urge these countries to allay suspicions about their nuclear programmes by acceding to the NPT as non-nuclear weapons states.

To ask the Prime Minister what was the cost to the Exchequer of the G7 summit in Naples.

It is not possible to give the cost of this meeting at present. A figure will, however, be available in due course.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) of 11 July, Official Report, column 376, if he will set out the reasons why he will not make it his policy that all Government Departments provide substantive replies to questions rather than referring them to the Library.

It has long been the practice that right hon. and hon. Members should be directed to the original source of information which is detailed or long.

To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has held with Gordon McNally relating to Government procurement.

None.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what surveys of the views, opinions and attitudes of the staff of his Departments have been carried out in the last three years; and if he will place copies of the findings in the Library.

The Treasury, Customs and Excise, Inland Revenue, Central Statistical Office and the Royal Mint have conducted separate staff attitude surveys in the last three years; copies of the summaries of the findings have been placed in the Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many visits to the United Kingdom were made by foreign tourists, and how many tourism trips abroad were made by United Kingdom residents, in each of the last five years.

Information on this topic is published each month in "CSO First Release" titled "Overseas Travel and Tourism".

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the latest figures for the balance of trade in manufactured goods.

The information is available from the CSO database, which may be accessed by the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses have applied to register with the Personal Investment Authority; and whether individual registration will be permitted.

As at 18 July the Personal Investment Authority has received 3,666 applications for membership. The PIA has announced that it will maintain a register of member firms, appointed representatives of member firms and individuals appointed by member firms as financial advisers or company representatives. The PIA is considering whether it should enter into a direct contractual relationship with relevant individuals working for member firms.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Securities and Investments Board concerning restitution proceedings under section 61 of the Financial Services Act 1986 to obtain compensation for investors who suffered from unsuitable advice on home income schemes.

None.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times the former right hon. Member for Blaby, when Chancellor of the Exchequer, informed Parliament and its Committees that he was shadowing the deutschmark; and on what dates.

While sterling has not been participating in formal exchange rate systems it has been the practice of successive Governments not to make public any targets for sterling's exchange rate.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Securities and Investments Board and the Personal Investment Authority concerning the impact of regulatory costs on the competitive edge of retail financial services and on the creation, continuity and expansion of small firms which offer independent financial advice.

In order to give the Securities and Investments Board leave to recognise the Personal Investment Authority as a self-regulatory organisation, the Financial Services Act required the Treasury to consider whether the PIA's rules, regulations, statements of principle and codes of practice had, or were intended or likely to have, the effect of restricting, distorting or preventing competition to any significant extent. I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Chelmsford (Mr. Burns) on 22 June at columns 208–9 on that point.In addition, the Securities and Investments Board is required by the Act to have satisfactory arrangements for taking account of the cost of complying with statements of principle, rules regulations and codes of practice which it proposes to make. The review of the role and functions of the board, "Making the Two Tier System Work", published in May 1993, extends this commitment to oversight of the cost effectiveness of the whole system of financial regulation under the Act. SIB intends shortly to set up a cost of compliance unit.My right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor meets the chairman of SIB from time to time to discuss these and other matters. I have no hesitation in confirming the Government's appreciation of the value of independent financial advice.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what commitments were made at the Naples economic summit of 8 to 10 July on the sale of part of the International Monetary Fund's gold reserves to assist debt relief for developing countries; and if he will make a statement.

Decisions on the sale of the IMF's gold reserves require an 85 per cent. majority of the board of governors of the IMF. No commitments were therefore made at the Naples G7 economic summit.The G7 did agree to explore ways of mobilising more effectively the existing resources of the International Financial Institutions to respond to, among others, the needs of the poorest most indebted countries. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made clear in his statement to the House on the Naples summit, sales of IMF gold could be one way of helping such countries.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider (a) taxing free employee car parking or (b) granting tax relief to users of public transport travelling to work.

I have noted the hon. Gentleman's suggestions.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the comparative fee scales chargeable for independent financial advisers as required by FIMBRA, IMRO, SIB and PIA; and if he will make a statement.

For a typical firm of independent financial advisers which has two registered individuals, a gross income of £75,000 does not act as a fund manager and does not handle clients' money or investments, the figures would be as in the table.

	£
FIMBRA1	1,260
IMRO2	2,633
SIB2	3,025
1 1994–95 figures.
2 1993–94 figures.

The large majority of independent financial advisers are currently regulated by FIMBRA. The PIA has yet to settle its fees for 1994–95. Existing fee structures will be retained for that year. The PIA proposes to increase aggregate fees by 18 per cent. compared with the fees that would otherwise have been incurred by members in 1994–95.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce tax relief on the purchase of new public transport vehicles.

Expenditure on the purchase of new public transport vehicles is already entitled to tax writing down allowances of 25 per cent. per annum on a reducing balance basis. This allows almost 70 per cent. of the cost to be written off over the first three to four years of the vehicle's life.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the achievements of (a) his policies and (b) his Department in helping small businesses over the last 12 months as against the previous 12 months; if he will publish the performance indicators by which his Department monitors those achievements and the statistical results of such monitoring; and if he will set out his targets to help small businesses in the next year.

The Government's overall economic objective is to promote sustained economic growth, by establishing a stable microeconomic environment. Small businesses stand to benefit from such conditions.Particular Budget measures aimed at helping small businesses to become established and grow include:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Government now intend to introduce legislation to implement the own resources decision agreed at the Edinburgh summit of December 1992 and announced in the last Gracious Speech.

I am not able to add to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Oxford, East (Mr. Smith) on 4 May at column 242.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he intends to publish the next Finance Bill before the Christmas recess.

The Government will publish the next Finance Bill as soon as possible after the Budget, but I cannot give a firm date at this stage.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the public sector borrowing requirement was accounted for by payments of unemployment benefit and redundancy payments in each of the years 1991–92, 1992–93 and 1993–94.

The table sets out the latest data for payments of unemployment benefit and the PSBR in each of the years 1991–92, 1992–93 and 1993–94. No data are collected centrally on public sector redundancy payments.

	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94
Payments of unemployment benefit £ million	1,642	1,801	1,786
Public sector borrowing requirement	13,879	36,578	45,937

It is not meaningful to express total general Government expenditure or any of its components as a percentage of the PSBR since the PSBR is the difference between expenditure and receipts.

To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an application for an exhibition relating to "Twelve Years of Channel 4" to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from Monday 14 November to Friday 18 November.

To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will publish the results of the survey into child care in the parliamentary estate.

Copies of the report of the survey of potential demand for child care facilities are now available from the Vote Office. The report was prepared by RSL in February 1994 in consultation with the Department of Finance and Administration and the Administration Committee. The House of Commons Commission has agreed that it should be made available to assist the House in considering a child care policy.

To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will list those occasions since 1979 when a Bill that has been announced in the Gracious Speech has not subsequently been introduced in that Session.

The Queen's Speeches at the beginning of the 1979–80 and 1980–81 Sessions included references to Bills which were not subsequently introduced in the same Session.

To ask the Lord President of the Council, pursuant to his oral answer of 5 July, Official Report, column 144, whether the Conservative party will return the donation received from the Palumbo family trust if it proves to have been misappropriated.

This is not a matter for the Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the current membership of the Welsh Economic Council together with the cost associated with servicing it and remuneration or expenses paid to its members in respect of their duties.

Current members of the Welsh Economic Council are:

Professor John Andrews, Ms Noreen Bray, Professor Tim Congdon, Mr. Richard Cuthbertson, Mr. Nigel Guy, Mr. Carl Hadley, OBE, Mr. David Jenkins, MBE, Mr. Tony Lewis, Councillor John Pembridge, Mr. David Rowe-Beddoe, Mr. John Troth, OBE and Councillor Tom Williams.

Membership carries no remuneration but there are arrangements for reimbursement of travelling expenses and any necessary subsistence or additional child care costs incurred, in line with Welsh Office rates. To date, a total of £138.60 has been paid in expenses to members. Other people are invited to attend individual meetings to bring their expertise to bear on the chosen subject.The cost associated with servicing the council, including members' expenses, will be met from within a budget of £9,921 for the current financial year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which management consultants have been employed by his Department to assist in the assessment of applications for trust status; how much each was paid; and how many assessments they undertook, in each wave.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 1 November 1993 at column 51.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he can report with the "Good government" initiative.

Good government is crucial to development. This is now very widely accepted by aid recipient countries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the overseas aid budget goes to east African countries.

Twelve per cent. of bilateral aid to developing countries went to east African countries in 1992–93.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the assistance being given by Britain and the European Union to support the Palestinian authority in Gaza and Jericho.

In January 1994 my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary announced our intention to give, over the three years 1994–95 to 1996–97, £70 million in aid for the Palestinians and in support of the peace process. Most of it will be channelled through the programmes of the European Community, but a significant proportion, currently £6 million a year, will go through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. The rest will be bilateral technical cooperation.On 8 July my right hon. Friend announced a further £5 million of bilateral assistance for the new Palestinian administration this year. This is made up of £3 million for immediate running costs and £2 million for increased technical assistance.Part of these funds will go to the Palestinian police force to help in the maintenance of law and order. Priorities for British assistance are good government—for example, legal infrastructure, elections and the police, finance and private enterprise, health and water.During the period 1994–98, the EC will provide an assistance package worth 500 mecu or £388 million, half of which will be grant and half loans through the European Investment Bank. Over 50 mecu has been approved this year, including 10 mecu for housing, 10 mecu for education, 10 mecu for police, 10 mecu for the rehabilitation of detainees, 8 mecu for credit institutions, 5 mecu for technical assistance, 1.5 mecu for statistical support and 1.5 mecu to support the elections. The EC is also contributing the UNRWA over 30 mecu or £23.5 million per annum for the period 1993–94. In April EU Foreign Ministers adopted a joint action plan in support of the middle east peace process, focusing on support for the police, elections and election monitoring and an international presence in the occupied territories.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what administrative impediments there are in the way of the giving of assistance by Britain and the European Union to the Palestinian authority in Gaza and Jericho; and how they are being resolved.

Some key appointments still remain to be made by the new Administration, which itself lacks administrative experience. Assistance with institution-building is a priority for the international community. In particular, the World bank has helped the Palestinians draw up a priority investment programme, and is providing technical assistance and feasibility studies through a special fund to which Britain contributed $2 million. The World bank is also administering a separate fund set up as a channel for bilateral contributions to the running costs of the Palestinian central administration. Discussions are taking place among donors aimed at the rapid establishment of a similar mechanism for funding police running costs.Both Britain and the EC are providing direct help in the development of administrative capacity and are contributing towards the Palestinians' immediate budgetary needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much aid is currently being given to Rwanda by (a) the European Union and (b) the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Since the start of the crisis the British Government have committed over £11 million bilaterally in emergency aid to Rwandans, both inside Rwanda and as refugees in neighbouring countries. The European Union has committed over £34 million. Details of the substantial amounts provided bilaterally by other member states are not immediately available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the 1994 United Nations Children's Fund report, "The Progress of Nations"; and to what extent he considers the report to be an accurate assessment of the objectives set out in the 1990 summit for the world's children and the progress made in achieving those objectives.

"The Progress of Nations" is an interesting and encouraging account of real achievements by developing countries. It also highlights, however, those areas, such as the elimination of neonatal tetanus and improvements in child rights, where more work remains to be done.An assessment of progress towards achievement of the summit's goals is expected to be made in the mid-decade review next year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has (a) to increase contributions to UNICEF and (b) to press for a greater proportion of UNICEF's expenditure to be spent on meeting the objectives set out in the 1990 summit for the world's children.

Our core contribution to UNICEF in 1994–95 will be £8.5 million. In addition, we will continue to consider each UNICEF appeal for supplementary and other funding on its merits.A mid-decade review of progress on the world summit for children will be made to the United Nations Secretary-General. Progress on the summit's goals is a matter not simply of asking UNICEF to devote more resources but of ensuring a concerted effort by donors, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and, above all, national Governments, to achieve the goals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the procedures for monitoring the achieving of the objectives set out at the summit for the world's children in 1990.

Agencies of the United Nations take the lead in monitoring performance in respect of ale goals established at the 1990 world summit for children. These agencies produce regular reports which measure progress in such areas as child health, basic education and child protection.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what account he takes of military spending by recipient countries in deciding the allocation of aid resources.

The United Kingdom actively supports the increased emphasis placed by the donor community, including the International Monetary Fund and the World bank, in their relations with developing countries on the implications for economic and social development of an excessive level of military expenditure. We have made it clear that we consider the setting of an appropriate level of military expenditure to be an important part of good government. It is one of the factors we take into account when deciding our allocations of bilateral aid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has for analysing contributions to overseas aid in terms of allocation to (a) basic education, (b) primary health care, (c) safe drinking water, (d) adequate sanitation, (e) family planning aid and (f) fair distribution of resources between different groups.

The ODA has recently introduced a computerised policy information marker system which records both expenditure and future commitments against the seven priority objectives of the aid programme outlined in the ODA's 1994 departmental report. Spending commitments in the areas listed in the question will not be shown separately under the PIMS system but will score against some of ODA's seven objectives, such as human development, including better education and health and children by choice and direct poverty reduction. PIMS data will be drawn upon in the series of biennial monitors' reports which will assess performance, including spending performance, against each of the objectives, and consider what lessons this may have for future strategy and allocation of resources.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give a table showing those district health authorities that are (a) over and (b) under their capitation targets indicating for 1994–95 (i) the percentage by which they diverge from their capitation and (ii) the cash amount that this represents of current budgets.

A table summarising district health authority capitation positions as supplied by regional health authorities to the Department will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list for each of the 14 former NHS regions and for special health authorities for each financial year from 1992–93 onwards (a) the total number of maternities, (b) the total number of birth episodes in the maternity hospital episode system and (c) the total number of birth episodes in the maternity hospital episode system which had a maternity tail.

The data are contained in the tables, the latest available being those for the year 1992–93. Maternities occurring in hospitals are shown for calendar year 1992; financial year data are not available.

Table 1 Maternities in hospitals, 1992 Regional health authority of occurrence
	Number
Northern	39,450
Yorkshire	49,051
Trent	57,461
East Anglian	27,572
North West Thames	41,282
North East Thames	59,574
South East Thames	49,738
South West Thames	37,994
Wessex	36,609
Oxford	35,328
South Western	38,720
West Midlands	72,370
Mersey	30,729
North Western	56,890
Special Health Authorities	5,130
ENGLAND	637,898

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number of active registrations of capitation patients for dental treatment in (a) Trafford family health services authority and (b) City and East London family health services authority in the age categories (i) nought to two years, (ii) three to five years, (iii) six to nine years, (iv) 10 to 14 years, (v) 15 to 17 years and (vi) under 18 years for the period January to March; and what was the take-up rate for each age group per 100 local population.

The available information is shown in the table. Figures are available on a quarterly basis. Patients are free to register with a dentist outside the family health services area where they live. The take-up rates shown in the table therefore reflect registrations with dentists in each family health services area and not registrations of each area's residents. Our recent publications, "Improving NHS Dentistry" and "An Oral

Number of capitation patients registered and take-up rate per 100 local population1 at 31 March 1994 Trafford and City and East London family health services authorities
Trafford family health services authority			City and East London family health services authority
Age group	Number registered	2Take-up rate per 100 local population	Number registered	2Take-up rate per 100 local population
0 to 2	3,284	37	1,980	6
3 to 5	7,107	82	9,059	31
6 to 9	10,620	95	16,343	45
10 to 14	12,550	94	17,224	45
15 to 17	5,873	80	7,854	39
Under 18	39,434	80	52,460	34

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 7 July, Official Report, column 318, what research her Department intends to commission to discover the proportion of the population who visit a dentist every six months.

The 1993 General Household Survey included questions about attendance patterns at the dentist.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many national health service staff took early retirement in each of the last three years; and what was the total cost to the national health service.

The number of people taking early retirement age 50 and over, except those retiring because of ill health, in each of the last three years is:

Early retirement
Year	Number
1991–92	3,108
1992–93	4,033
1993–94	6,318

National health service employers meet the full cost of paying these retirement benefits early. The total costs in each of the last three years are:

Early retirement
Year	£
1991–92	19,222,371
1992–93	27,065,579
1993–94	42,522,384

The cost of ill health retirement is not charged to NHS employers. The number of people taking ill health retirement in each of the last three years is:

Year	Number
1991–92	7,387
1992–93	8,381
1993–94	6,613

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the value of NHS property stolen in each of the last five years.

The reported losses of property, including cash, due to theft, fraud, arson, neglect of duty or gross carelessness are shown in the table.The figure relates to regional, district and special health authorities and family health services authorities. Figures for national health service trusts are not collected on a comparable basis.

Reported losses to RHA, DHA and FHSA property
Year	£ thousands
1988–89	2,482
1989–90	2,667
1990–91	3,138
1991–92	4,995
1992–93	2,111

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of patients discharged from hospital in (a) England, (b) each regional health authority and (c) each hospital or trust between January and March had a community care plan for their continuing health and social care needs agreed with them prior to discharge.

The patients charter states that before a patient is discharged from hospital a decision should be made about any continuing health or social care needed. Local authorities and health authorities should work together to assess and respond to the needs of people who may need long term care and should agree local arrangements for monitoring hospital discharge.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the registration of skin cancers other than melanomas; and what improvements she proposes.

I am advised that there is under-registration of skin cancers other than melanomas. Registration varies widely depending on the registry's access to out-patient records and general practitioners. The steering committee on cancer registration has recommended that the implications of improving registration of these cancers should be examined in a cost-benefit analysis. This is under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department is doing into malignant skin cancer.

Research is being undertaken by or commissioned by this Department, the Medical Research Council, which receives its grant-in-aid from the office of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and the National Radiological Protection Board. Current and recent research has looked at the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of the public in relation to the risks of over-exposure to sun, underlying mechanisms of ultraviolet-induced skin damage and the benefits of screening for skin cancer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has made to the World Health Organisation about the quality of its work in emergency situations in developing countries.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Afairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale (Mr. Lennox-Boyd), gave him on 13 July at column 636.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has about the quality of the work of the World Health Organisation in emergency situations in sub-Saharan Africa; and what proposals she has to improve the quality of her monitoring of the activities of the World Health Organisation in developing countries.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale (Mr. Lennox-Boyd), gave him on 4 July at column 77.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the instructions which are given to national health service trusts for calculating hospital charges to private patients; and what surpluses these are expected to achieve.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. Pawsey) on 29 June at col 587. No targets have been set for the amounts to be raised from treating private patients.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will make a statement on the extent to which national health service trusts can undertake private work;(2) what controls and reporting mechanisms there are within national health service trusts to ensure that the treatment of national health service patients is not adversely affected by the use of staff and resources for private patient treatment.

National health service trusts may make accommodation and services available for private patients providing there is no significant interference with the performance of the trust of its obligations under NHS contracts. This statutory requirement prevents NHS patients from being disadvantaged by private practice within the health service. It is for local management to ensure that these statutory obligations are met.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health why Mr. Graham Smith was not recommended for reappointment as chairman of Doncaster health authority; and at what level the decision was taken.

Mr. Graham Smith's term of office expired on 31 March 1994. The decision not to offer a further term was made by Ministers, on advice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what measures the Government are taking to ensure that all patients with breast cancer are treated and cared for by expert and experienced staff with specific skills in the management of breast cancer;(2) what steps she is taking to define what constitutes a critical mass of patients to be seen and cared for in breast clinics;(3) what plans she has to ensure that patients suffering from breast cancer are seen only by specialist surgeons experienced in the management and treatment of breast cancer.

The expert advisory group on cancer consultative document entitled "A Policy Framework for Commissioning Cancer Services", copies of which are available in the Library, recommends that professional bodies should urgently develop guidelines on the level of expertise and support required to manage the commoner cancers including breast cancer. Professional bodies are currently being consulted on the group's recommendations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to increase the current number of specialist breast care nurses to ensure that all patients have access to their skills and support in the physical and psychological effects of the disease and treatment.

The expert advisory group on cancer's consultative document entitled "A policy Framework for Commissioning Cancer Services", copies of which are available in the Library, recommends that the benefits of specialised care are available to all cancer patients. It is for individual health authorities to decide what staff to employ in the light of local needs and priorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures she has planned to lessen variations in breast cancer deaths occurring within a single regional health authority.

The expert advisory group on cancer's consultative document entitled "A Policy Framework for Commissioning Cancer Services", copies of which are available in the Library, makes a number of proposals to improve cancer care. In particular it recommends that all patients should have access to a uniformly high quality of care wherever they may live to ensure the maximum possible cure rates and best quality of life. Decisions on the group's proposals will be made when the consultation exercise has been completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures she is taking to expand services to care for the number of patients with breast disease in whom curative treatment is not appropriate and who require continuing care and support.

The Government are continuing to encourage the development of palliative care in all settings to ensure that patients receive sensitive care and relief from pain and other distressing symptoms. Regional health authorities have been asked to ensure that an appropriate level of palliative care services for terminally ill people is commissioned through service contracts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to provide a confidential, appropriate and comprehensive prosthetic service for patients who have had breast surgery.

The arrangements for the supply of breast prostheses to women who have suffered a mastectomy are through the hospital service. Where they are prescribed through the hospital consultant they are supplied and fitted free. The Department of Health is providing section 64 project funds for a survey, conducted by the charity Breast Cancer Care, into the experience of women fitted with a prosthesis. Their findings will be studied by the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the family health services appeal unit uses the information it receives through identifying practitioners who have persistently been found to be in breach of the terms of service to monitor and improve services.

Decisions of the director of the family health services appeal unit are notified to family health services authorities who are responsible for monitoring and improving family health services in their localities. The director may also inform the relevant professional regulatory body of his decision in a particularly serious case.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average time since 1 April 1992 taken by the family health services appeal unit (a) from the time of appeal to reach a decision concerning a breach of the terms of service, (b) from the time of the receipt of the request to reach a decision concerning waiving of time limits, (c)to arrange an appeal hearing from the time of receipt of appeal, when the appeal is made by the complainant, (d) to arrange an appeal hearing, from the time of receipt of appeal, when a practitioner has appealed against a withholding and (e) to notify the result of an appeal hearing, after the date of the hearing.

This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what performance standards the family health services appeal unit has.

Officials are discussing the development of performance standards with the new director of the unit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the family health services appeal unit's most recent annual report was made available to the public.

In March 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to set up a national skin bank; and if she will make a statement.

We have recently asked the United Kingdom Transplant Support Services Authority to commission a review of the current arrangements for the retrieval, storage and use of tissue, including skin, in the United Kingdom. Once the findings are complete we will give careful consideration to what tissue banking arrangements will be needed for the future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to increase the current number of non-surgical oncologists in line with the Expert Advisory Group on Cancer consultative document entitled "A Policy Framework for Commissioning Cancer Services".

We are currently consulting on the proposals contained within the consultation document; final decisions are still some months away. We will be looking at manpower issues, but any changes required will be phased gradually over a number of years to allow for the required training of any additional staff and necessary changes to the organisation of cancer provision.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to ensure that patients will receive a firm diagnosis within a minimun of four weeks of a referral by their general practitioner to a hospital providing on-site comprehensive histology, cytology and radiography services.

We recognise the fears and anxiety of patients who are concerned that they may have cancer and we consider it unacceptable for patients to wait an undue period for their results. In many places patients are already seen promptly. The expert advisory group on cancer's consultative document entitled "A Policy Framework for Commissioning Cancer Services", copies of which are available in the Library, identifies the need to ensure appropriate referral from general practitioners and for patients to be seen by appropriately trained multidisciplinary teams which should ensure patients are seen more quickly. Commissioning authorities, hospitals and general practitioners are being consulted on the group's recommendations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the population was eligible for free NHS eye examinations in each of the last five financial years.

Such estimates are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was (a) the share of the revenue resource allocation 1994–95, based on population adjusted for age and standardised mortality ratio and the weighted capitation target, (b) the actual allocation of the revenue resource allocation 1994–95 made, in pound sterling, as of April 1994, (c) the amounts in pound sterling, for London weighting market forces factors and Thames factor and other sums specivically allocated, (d) the amounts for additional moneys included in the actual allocations to region and the district health authorities, which are not weighted capitation target funded and (e) the contigency sums held back by the region or other top-sliced amounts not included in the allocation budgets to district health authorities for (i) each of the four Thames regional health authorities, (ii) each district health authorities in Greater London and (iii) England; and what was the method of sub-regional allocation of the four Thames regional health authorities.

I will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to introduce legislation to reform the Mental Health Act 1983.

We have been consulting on the need to amend section 18 of the Act relating to the return to hospital of detained patients who are absent without leave. We have also put forward proposals to amend the Act on extended leave and supervised discharge and will do so when parliamentary time permits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to extend the scope of GP fund holding; and whether this requires primary legislation.

Ministers will be reviewing the options for expanding and developing the fundholding scheme. Revisions to the scope of the list of goods and services for fundholding would not require primary legislation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 20 June, Official Report, column 28, if she is now in a position to announce when she will make a decision on the proposal to move the burns unit from Billericay to Broomfield hospital, Chelmsford; and if she will make a statement.

The proposals have been referred to Ministers by the regional health authority, and a decision will be made in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she now expects the task force on diabetes to report; and if she will make a statement.

The St. Vincent joint task force for diabetes is expected to offer initial advice to the Department of Health and the British Diabetic Association later this year on the implementation of the St. Vincent declaration. Further discussions are then expected to take place to identify possible courses of action and priorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will call for a report on the death of Mr. John Sheppard and the consequent actions of Brent council.

The Department has been provided with information about the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. John Sheppard. I understand that Brent social services and housing departments have already taken steps to improve procedures to check on people who have social services discontinued or who accumulate large rent arrears.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what level of spending there has been on extra-contractual referrals in each region in each quarter for which statistics are available.

The National Health Service Executive quarterly monitoring system collects information by region on their actual spend on extra contractual referrals compared with planned levels of spend. This information is not audited and is only suitable for management purposes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received about the proposed closure of the homoeopathic service at Mossley Hill hospital in Liverpool.

The hon. Member tabled an early day motion on 13 July, and the Department has received one letter from the North West Friends of Homoeopathy. North Mersey Community national health service trust is temporarily closing its homoeopathy in-patient unit; the hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. R. James, chairman of the trust, for further details.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 12 July, Official Report, column 527, what is the annual cost of travel for Department of Health and NHS Executive staff between Leeds and London.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 12 July at column 527.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she has taken to control the prescribing of prednisolone steroids; what information she has on the possible harmful side-effects of this drug; and if she will make a statement.

The side-effects of prednisolone and other corticosteroids are well recognised. Information on the side-effects are widely available in the published literature including the product data sheets, which are authorised by the licensing authority and the British National Formulary which the Department sends free to all prescribers. Information on suspected adverse reactions is also provided to the Medicines Control Agency through the yellow card scheme for spontaneous reporting. Steroid treatment cards are routinely issued to patients which give clear guidance on the precautions to be taken and details of the prescribed drug, including dosage and duration of treatment.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his policy in respect of pre-stamping disposable products.

I have it in mind to make use of the powers proposed by clauses 1–4 of the Deregulation and Contracting Out Bill, once enacted, to amend the Weights and Measures Act 1985 so as to make pre-stamping lawful in defined circumstances and subject to prescribed conditions.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what role will be played by his Department in any consultation on disability; and what plans he has to publish a consultation paper on countering unfair discrimination against disabled people in trade and industry matters.

My right hon. Friend the Minister for Disabled People announced the publication of a consultation document on 15 July. My Department contributed to its preparation. I welcome the publication of this document and would encourage everyone with an interest in these issues, especially disabled people themselves, to let us have their views.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he still intends to introduce legislation to introduce competition to the domestic gas supply market as stated in paragraph 6 of the joint DTI/Ofgas consultative document, "Competition and Choice in the Gas Market"; and what form that legislation will take.

The Government's policy, and the form of the legislation proposed, continue to be as described in the text referred to by the hon. Member.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade which sections of the Gas Act 1986 require modification to establish competition in the domestic gas supply market.

In the light of responses to the recent consultation on competition and choice in the gas market, my Department is preparing instructions on the legislative changes which will provide the basis for the new regulatory system. Several provisions of the Gas Act 1986 are likely to require modification. The precise sections will be identified in the process of the preparation of the instructions, and the subsequent consideration of them by Parliamentary Counsel.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much of the debt relief given to Jordan by the United Kingdom has been granted on past Export Credits Guarantee Department credits for defence equipment; and under which departmental budget such costs were carried.

The United Kingdom along with other official creditors in the Paris Club has agreed to reschedule Jordan's debts on three occasions. These agreements include debts of £255 million in respect of defence sales covered by ECGD. They provide for the debts to be repaid in full by Jordan, with interests being charged at a commercial rate.The claims paid by ECGD in respect of these rescheduled debts are met from the ECGD vote for the relevant year. They are also reflected in ECGD's published trading accounts.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the purpose of the reception to mark the Royal Assent to the Coal Industry Act 1994 on 19 July; who has been invited to this event; and what is its total cost.

The reception on 19 July is to mark the Royal Assent to the Coal Industry Act 1994 and to thank many of those who have been involved in its passage. Those invited include hon. Members who served on the Standing Committee, including the hon. Gentleman, and others who worked on the Bill. The total cost is expected to be around £1,000.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade which of the options contained in the Green Paper on the future of postal services would require paving legislation.

Paving legislation would be required for option 2, a 100 per cent. share sale of Royal Mail, and for option 3, joint ownership by Government, the public and employees, but not for option 1, commercial freedom within the public sector.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he plans to introduce legislation in the next parliamentary Session to regulate the gas industry.

The Government intend, subject to the availability of parliamentary time, to introduce legislation to provide the basis for the new regulatory system to come into operation by April 1996. The legislative programme for the next Session has not been finalised, so I cannot say at this stage whether time will be found for a Gas Bill in 1994–95.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) how he regulates cable television companies to ensure that cable laying does not cause serious disruption to other local services and to local residents;(2) what monitoring his Department carries out of fracturing of gas, water or electricity mains and other serious damage by cabling companies; and if he will publish a list of such incidents.

Under the terms of their telecommunications licences, cable operators are required to carry out their street works in a responsible manner, to maintain effective liaison with other statutory undertakers, and to adhere to all relevant street works legislation. Street works are subject to the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991, and its associated regulations. The Act imposes a duty on the cable operator to co-operate with the local highway authority in the interests of safety, to minimise the inconvenience to persons using the street and to protect the structure of the street and the integrity of apparatus in it. The Act makes an undertaker liable to pay compensation for damage caused to another undertaker's apparatus.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the procedure for reviewing the terms of a franchise awarded to companies laying cables for television.

Franchises are awarded to cable television companies by the Independent Television Commission, which also has responsibility for those franchises awarded by its predecessor, the Cable Authority. All franchisees are required to be licensed under both broadcasting and telecommunications legislation. Review of the terms of broadcasting licences for cable programme services is a matter for the ITC. Responsibility for review of the terms of a telecommunications licence governing the running of a telecommunications system rests with the Office of Telecommunications. Review of the terms governing the installation of that system are for DTI to consider.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will set out for each year from 1985–86 to 1993–94 (a) the number of offers made for regional, selective assistance, (b) the value of the offers and (c) the number of requests for regional selective assistance refused.

[holding answer 7 July 1994]: The number and value of offers made and the number of requests refused for regional selective assistance in England from 1985–1986 to 1992–93 is set out in the table. Information on regional selective assistance for 1993–94 is not yet available.

	Offers Made
	Number	Value £ million	Number of applications rejected
1985–86	720	110.9	146
1986–87	1,025	122.2	102
1987–88	1,553	164.1	125

	Offers Made
	Number	Value £ million	Number of applications rejected
1988–89	1,261	120.3	134
1989–90	1,180	101.5	132
1990–91	906	98.9	92
1991–92	787	89.4	154
1992–93	834	94.9	146

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when he expects to be able to announce the results of his recent consultations about his policy with regard to the British film industry; and if he will make a statement.

During the consultation round, and subsequently, I have received numerous proposals aimed at increasing the level of private investment in British film production. Some of the issues raised are not straightforward, and affect the interests of other Departments. I shall make an announcement as soon as practicable.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) what plans he has to extend the current concessions in television licence fees to partially blind people; and if he will make a statement;(2) what plans he has to give further concessions in the television licence fee for blind people; and if he will make a statement.

The Government have no plans to increase the current reduction in the television licence fee for registered blind people, or to introduce a similar concession for registered partially sighted people.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to introduce legislation in the next parliamentary Session to reform the rules covering cross-media ownership.

Ministers will be considering a report reviewing the cross-media ownership rules shortly. An announcement about the outcome of the review, including any legislative implications, is likely in the autumn.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how much was earned by the tourism industry in the United Kingdom from foreign tourists; and how much was spent by United Kingdom residents on tourism abroad, in each of the last five years.

I have been asked to reply.Information on this topic is published each month in "CSO First Release" titled "Overseas Travel and Tourism".

To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners, what response the Commissioners have made to the Archbishops Commission on the Organisation of the Church of England.

The Commissioners have submitted a factual note to the Turnbull commission tracing the way in which the Commissioners' functions have developed through the years. Further evidence may be submitted in due course. The First Church Commissioner, Sir Michael Colman, is a member of the Turnbull commission and has submitted his own evidence.

To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners, what is his estimate of the current annual cost of official accommodation for bishops and archbishops.

The Commissioners have budgeted £2.1 million in 1994 for the upkeep of the 45 official residence of diocesan bishops and the two archbishops, with a further £0.7 million for possible capital works. The cost of maintaining the 69 houses occupied by suffragan bishops is estimated at £0.4 million, though these costs are shared equally with dioceses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made on the outcome of the Intergovernmental Authority on Drought and Development talks on the future of Sudan and on the desirability of a new international initiative.

We support the IGADD initiative which is still continuing. The third round of talks between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Army factions is due on 18 July in Nairobi.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action the United Nations is taking in Burundi to stop (a) the operators of radio stations and (b) political parties promoting genocidal activity.

We are aware of reports of radio stations in Burundi inciting Burundians to inter-tribal violence. The United Nations has yet to confirm these reports, but if such activities were found to be taking place it would strongly condemn them and call for them to cease forthwith as it has done in the case of Rwanda.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about extrajudicial killings on a tribal basis in Bujumbura in Burundi; and what representations are being made and what actions are being taken by international organisations.

We are concerned at reports that tribal killings may have taken place in Bujumbura and other areas of Burundi. The United Nations Secretary-General will advise on appropriate action if these reports are confirmed by the United Nations or the Organisation of African Unity presence in Burundi.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Australian and Canadian high commissions concerning their use of enforced subject access, in the manner described in the 10th report of the Data Protection Registrar; and if he will make a statement.

Procedures used by other Governments to satisfy themselves as to the suitability of prospective immigrants from the United Kingdom are a matter for them—provided, of course, that they are consistent with British law.