To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much debt owed to Britain by severely indebted low-income countries has been cancelled since the introduction of the Trinidad terms in 1990.

The amount of official bilateral debt owed to Britain by severely indebted low-income countries which has been cancelled since 1990 is £610 million.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much debt owed to Britain by severely indebted low-income countries since 1990 has been rescheduled.

The amount of official bilateral debt owed to Britain by severely indebted low-income countries which has been rescheduled since 1990 is £1.7 billion.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much debt owed to Britain by developing countries has been rescheduled since 1990.

The amount of official bilateral debt owed to Britain by developing countries which has been rescheduled since 1990 is £3.4 billion.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much debt owed to Britain by developing countries has been cancelled since the introduction of the Trinidad terms in 1990.

The amount of official bilateral debt owed to Britain by developing countries which has been cancelled since 1990 is £712 million.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the countries of sub-Saharan Africa most in debt to the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom's biggest sub-Saharan debtors are Nigeria, Zambia, Sudan, Tanzania, Gabon and Congo.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the debt owed to Britain by the severely indebted low-income countries of sub-Saharan Africa has been cancelled since 1990.

The amount of official bilateral debt owed to Britain by severely indebted low-income countries of sub-Saharan Africa which has been cancelled since 1990 is £214 million.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the debt owed to Britain by the severely indebted low-income countries of sub-Saharan Africa has been rescheduled since 1990.

The amount of official bilateral debt owed to Britain by severely indebted low-income countries of sub-Sarahan Africa which has been rescheduled since 1990 is £1.11 billion.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to introduce legislation to control share settlements systems, with particular reference to control of the exposure of holdings by market makers.

Securities settlements systems are already governed by legislation, notably the Financial Services Act 1986 and the Companies Acts. New, computerised securities settlements systems such as CREST will require changes to the existing law. The Treasury is preparing regulations under section 207 of the Companies Act 1989 to allow such systems to operate. These regulations will not affect existing arrangements regarding control of the exposure of holdings by market makers.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list those agencies expected to take full pay delegation by 1 April 1995; and if he will identify separately all those agencies that already have delegated responsibility for pay.

The following civil service organisations are already negotiating the pay and conditions of their own staff:

• Agricultural Development and Advisory Service
• HM Customs and Excise
• Defence Research Agency
• Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
• Driving Standards Agency Employment Service
• Fire Service College
• Forensic Science Service
• Health and Safety Executive
• HM Prison Service
• Her Majesty's Stationery Office
• Inland Revenue
• HM Land Registry
• Meteorological Office
• Ordnance Survey
• Queen Elizabeth H Conference Centre
• Royal Mint
• Scottish Prison Service
• Social Security Benefits Agency
• Social Security Contributions Agency
• Social Security Information Technology Services Agency
• Valuation Office Agency
• Vehicle Inspectorate

The following are expected to do so from April 1995:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time and part-time staff are currently employed at the Inland Revenue office in Cumbernauld.

The Inland Revenue employs 814 full-time and 260 part-time staff at the accounts office in Cumbernauld.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now bring up to date the import-home demand ratio as set out in ratio I in table 15.10 of the "Monthly Digest of Statistics" as published in 1987.

It is the policy of the Central Statistical Office to publish and make available as much as possible of the data that it collects. Provisional data on import penetration will be included in the CSO's "Monthly Digest of Statistics" early in 1995.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when and in what form the summaries of the import penetration figures on an industry basis from the CSO-Taylor Neilson A6 new business series will be made available to hon. Members.

Copies of "UK Markets" produced by CSO and Taylor Nelson AGB will become available during December and will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the guidelines issued by his Department to regulate relationships with lobbying companies.

[holding answer 14 November 1994]: Conditions of service for the staff of my Department incorporate the general principles of conduct that require civil servants not to misuse information which they acquire in the course of their duties; not to make use of their official position to further their private interests or those of others; and not to receive gifts, hospitality or benefits of any kind from a third party, which might be seen to compromise their personal judgment or integrity.

Member States' Net Balances 1993 Community Budget
	Contributions Receipts	(billion ecu)	Net	Net balance per capita (ecu)
Belgium	2.4	2.5	-0.1	-10
Denmark	1.2	1.6	-0.4	-70
Germany	19.1	7.2	+11.8	+150
Greece	1.0	5.1	-4.1	-410
Spain	5.2	8.3	-3.1	-80
France	11.5	10.5	+1.0	+20
Ireland	0.6	2.9	-2.3	-700
Italy	10.3	8.7	+1.5	+30
Luxembourg	0.2	0.4	-0.2	-600
Netherlands	4.0	2.7	+1.3	+90
Portugal	0.9	3.4	-2.5	-240
United Kingdom	7.6	4.5	+3.1	+50
Allocation not applicable or available	—	6.3
Total	64.0	64.2

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the increase in VAT on fuel from April 1995 on the inflation rate.

[holding answer 24 November 1994]: An increase of 2.9 per cent. in the retail prices index component index for gas would have the effect of adding around 0.05 percentage points to the percentage change over 12 months in the all items retail prices index.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the gross domestic product growth assumptions of each EU country on which his estimate of budget contributions was based.

[holding answer 25 November 1994]: The growth assumptions are for the Community as a whole and are based on real growth of 2.5 per cent. per annum and inflation of 2.5 per cent. per annum over the period 1995 to 1999.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what EC membership his calculation of budget contributions were based.

[holding answer 25 November 1994]: Twelve.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the (a) net contributions per capital and (b) the gross contributions per capita in each EU country after the raising of the VAT ceiling is in force.

[holding answer 25 November 1994]: I presume that the hon. Gentleman is referring to the proposed increase in the own resources ceiling.The table shows each member state's net balance per capita to the 1993 Community budget.Community spending. I gave a broad assessment of likely developments in reply to the hon. Member for Moray

(Mrs. Ewing) on 24 November,

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what assumptions about the sums agreed for the EU budget for each of the next five years, his assessment of the British net contribution in his letter to hon. Members was based.

[holding answer 25 November 1994]: I presume that the hon. Member's intention was to ask on what assumptions my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer's assessment was based.My right hon. and learned Friend's assessment was based on the assumption that the European Community budget will fully utilise the own resources ceilings in each of the years 1995 to 1999. Assuming 2.5 per cent. annual inflation in the Community, 2.5 per cent. annual growth in real Community GNP, and an exchange rate of £1=1.30 ecu, the figures are as follows:

Own resources ceiling (ECl2, assuming increases agreed at Edinburgh)
£ billion
1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
55.5	59.1	63.1	67.4	71.4

The own resources ceiling is a limit on the revenue the Community can call up from the member states, not an entitlement to spend or a target for spending. The Community budget is negotiated annually within the framework of the financial perspective. It is therefore more than possible that in practice annual budgets will be smaller than assumed for the purposes of this assessment.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what assumptions of the allocations to Britain from the structural funds on which his estimate of the net United Kingdom contributions to the EC budget were based.

[holding answer 25 November 1994]: The assumption underlying the latest forecast of the United Kingdom net contributions is that our receipts from the structural funds will average around 8.6 per cent. per year. The United Kingdom's allocation is expected to decline slowly over the period of the forecast reflecting the changes in the allocation of the structural funds agreed at Edinburgh.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much public money will be spent on entertaining, Christmas decorations and other festive activities this Christmas season by his Department and Government agencies answerable to his Department; and of this sum how much will be spent in Ministers' private offices and official residences.

Disaggregated information of this nature is not available. Such costs are covered by the entertainment expenditure for this Department, which is published in the annual report, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many official Christmas cards he and his Ministers intend to send in 1994; how much these cards will cost (a) to buy, (b) to post and (c) in staff time to sign, address and place in envelopes; and if he will place in the Members' Library a sample copy of the official Christmas card he intends to send this year.

This Department's Ministers intend to send 700 official Christmas cards at an anticipated cost of £668 to buy. Postage will cost approximately £175.00. The information regarding the cost in staff time to sign, address and place the cards in envelopes is not available.I do not plan to place a sample copy of my official Christmas card in the Members' Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1)which European countries currently do not have a system of photographs on driving licences;(2)if he will list those European countries that currently have a system of photographs on driving licences, and indicate which of those countries have a written constitution.

All other member states of the European Union have driving licences with photographs. Most member states have some form of written instructions or legislation which could be regarded as a constitution.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the deadline for submissions on the consultation document "Photographs on Driving Licences"; and when the decision was taken to include photographs on driving licences.

The closing date for receiving comments as part of the consultation exercise is 30 November. We issued a press notice on 4 November 1991 announcing that photographs would be included on the British driving licence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library the study into the main legal, privacy and administrative issues, referred to on page 1 of his Department's consultation document "Photographs on Driving Licences".

The study report is commercial in confidence. But I have arranged for a copy of the management summary to be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the figures available in respect of the origins and destinations and types of vehicles using the existing A27 from Polegate to Lewes on dates subsequent to 1 January 1990; what are the figures available in respect of projections made for the years 2000, 2005 and 2010 in respect of the origins, destinations and types of vehicles using (i) the existing A27 and (ii) the proposed improved A27; what feasibility studies are being made in the use of tunnelling in connection with the proposed new A27; and when these are due to be published.

This is an operational matter for the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will announce the detrunking of the A40 through Cheltenham.

This is an operational matter for the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the hon. Member for Coventry, North-East will receive the letter on air traffic control training in Kent, referred to in his answer of 31 October, Official Report, column 962.

I have written to the hon. Member today and have placed a copy of my letter in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the average and the median time his Department has taken to pay suppliers in each of the last 12 months; and what proportion of bills it took more than six weeks to pay.

The average time taken to dispatch a payment document was 18 days, the median being 20 days. A total of 4.8 per cent. took more than six weeks to pay.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects final agreement between all interested parties involved with the west Yorkshire electrification scheme; what is the latest estimated total cost of the scheme; what were the previous estimated total costs; by whom rolling stock is to be supplied and at what cost; when the scheme is expected to be fully operational; and if he will make a statement.

These are matters for the West Yorkshire passenger transport executive, Railtrack and the train operating unit. However, I understand that discussions are in progress to determine the final scheme cost; that progressive completion and introduction of electric services are planned from spring 1995 onwards and that the PTE is exploring options with the rolling stock companies and other parties for the replacement of the class 308s which will operate the electric local services initially.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how much public money will be spent on entertaining, Christmas decorations and other festive activities this Christmas season by his Department and Government agencies answerable to his Department; and of this sum how much will be spent in Ministers' private offices and official residences.

Disaggregated information of this nature is not available. Such costs are covered by my Department's entertainment expenditure, which is contained within the running costs expenditure published in its annual report.The Department of National Heritage and its agencies have spent the following sums on official hospitality in the two years since the Department was set up:

	Department of National Heritage £	Historic Royal Palaces Agency £	Royal Parks Agency £
1992–93	22,037	17,690	1,032
1993–94	18,278	16,374	8,541

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he intends to appoint management consultants on the restructuring of the Sports Council, on the terms he envisaged in his statement of 8 July, Official Report, columns 584–86.

I am currently considering responses to the consultation on the Government's proposals set out in our 8 July statement. To assist me in this, I have asked the GB Sports Council to provide me with its own view of how its current functions and staffing might be realigned to take account of those proposals. In the light of my analysis, and this further work, I shall be taking final policy decisions and deciding on how these should be implemented.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many FM radio frequencies have been issued by the Radio Authority in the Greater London area; and what is the maximum number which may be issued.

The authority has awarded licences for 11 radio services to use FM frequencies in the Greater London area. The maximum number depends on frequency availability and on the operational characteristics and locations of the transmitters.The Radio Authority has said that it does not envisage advertising any further London-wide licences in the foreseeable future, but intends to advertise more small-scale services for parts of the Greater London area over the next couple of years.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what proposals he has for ensuring that minutes of meetings of the Radio Authority are published.

None. Under the Broadcasting Act 1990, it is for the Radio Authority to determine its own procedures.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to ensure that a new radio frequency or frequencies can be allocated to a station or stations playing mainly young rock music.

None. The Government assign frequencies to the Radio Authority. Decisions on licences are a matter for the Radio Authority. Section 85 of the Broadcasting Act 1990, which describes the licensing functions of the Radio Authority, makes it clear that the authority must do all it can to secure a diversity of independent radio stations. Licence applicants are free to offer a young rock music format.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what report he has received from the Radio Authority as to its reasons for selecting Crystal and Virgin as the allocated stations for FM licences announced in March.

No report has been received. Licensing decisions are entirely matters for the Radio Authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what discussions he has had with film exhibitors and cinemas proprietors about the provision of access for people with disabilities to cinemas in Britain.

My Department has had informal discussions with the Cinema Exhibitors Association, which represents 95 per cent. of exhibitors on issues relating to access to cinemas for people with disabilities. The association responded to the consultation document on measures to tackle discrimination against disabled people published by the Government earlier this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list and date those occasions in the last two years when Ministers or officials in his Department have met lobbying companies, prior to a decision being made on the subject of the meeting with the lobbying company.

[holding answer 24 November 1994]: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the guidelines issued by his Department to regulate relationships with lobbying companies.

[holding answer 24 November 1994]: Conditions of service for the staff of my Department and its agencies incorporate the general principles of conduct that require civil servants not to misuse information which they acquire in the course of their duties; not to make use of their official position to further private interests or those of others; and not to receive gifts, hospitality or benefits of any kind from a third party which might be seen to compromise their personal judgment or integrity.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made as to the knock-on effects of his Department's proposals to introduce a new system for calculating the management and maintenance allowances for local authority housing upon the social security budget.

We are consulting local authorities on the housing revenue account subsidy determinations for 1995–96 and our proposals do not include changing the method of calculating the management and maintenance allowances.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library copies of the surveys of "Public Attitudes to the Environment" and "Public Attitudes to Planning (and Development)", the rent-to-mortgage leaflet follow-up, the Home Improvement Agency client survey and "Wasting Energy Costs the Earth".

A copy of the survey of public attitudes to the environment has been placed in the Library of the House. A copy of the rent-to-mortgage leaflet follow-up survey report and a full report of the Home Improvement Agency client satisfaction survey will be placed in the Library shortly. A summary of the latter survey's findings is included in the publication "Review of the Home Improvement Agency Grant Programme", a copy of which has been placed in the Library. Research for the report on public attitudes to planning and on the Wasting Energy Costs the Earth campaign has yet to be completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to reform the homelessness legislation in England and Wales.

As my right hon. Friend the then Minister for Housing, Inner Cities and Construction told the House on 18 July, Official Report, columns 21–23, we intend to introduce legislation when parliamentary time permits.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what formal or informal conversations, or written correspondence, he or any of his staff have had with any of the Wirral's elected officers or officials on how the single regeneration budget might be spent in the Wirral.

Officials in the Government office for Merseyside held six meetings with officers of Wirral metropolitan borough council to discuss potential SRB bids, and wrote to the authority's chief executive in July with preliminary comments on the outline bids under consideration at the time.Since the final bids were submitted in early September, no meetings or discussions have taken place and no indication has been given of the likely success or otherwise of individual bids.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the cost to public funds of the Local Government commission review into local government reorganisation to date; and if he will make a statement regarding its progress.

The Local Government Commission for England incurred expenditure of £2.056 million in 1992–93 and £5146 in 1993–94. We are making available grant in aid of some £8.300 million to the commission for 1994–95.The commission has published final recommendations for 19 shire counties, of which three have been referred back to the commission for further review. Final reports on the remaining counties, including the three second reviews, are due to be submitted to the Secretary of State by the end of the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what redress is available to a member of the public who is dissatisfied with an investigation carried out by Ofwat;(2) what powers he has to review investigations carried out by Ofwat.

The Director General of Water Services has a duty to consider any complaint made by a customer or potential customer which is referred to him by a customer service committee because it remains unresolved; he also has a duty to consider complaints from customers that a CSC has failed to perform any of its duties. The Secretary of State does not have powers to review investigations carried out by Ofwat, but the parliamentary ombudsman can investigate complaints of personal injustice resulting from Ofwat's administrative actions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress he has made with respect to the section 106 agreement with Aldersgate, in respect of land on Canvey Island; and when he will commence the promised public consultation prior to agreement being finalised.

We will be writing to Aldersgate Developments and other interested parties shortly about the company's draft section 106 documents and the issues which they raise.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many tenants are currently estimated to be living in overcrowded accommodation.

The latest estimate for England is that about 310,000 tenants had fewer bedrooms than the bedroom standard in 1993–94. This figure is from the 1993–94 survey of English housing and is subject to sampling error.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he will take to maintain estate action funding should the funds available for these projects from the single regeneration budget be reduced.

All commitments under the estate action programme which has been subsumed within the single regeneration budget will continue to be honoured.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps the Government will be taking to ensure the completion of the flue gas desulphurisation fitting programmes (a) at Drax power station and (b) at Radcliffe power station, and the use of FGD at these power stations.

Under part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, a condition may be included in the authorisation for a power station, to require its operator to install FGD and to run it whenever that power station is operated, provided that to do so would not be excessively costly and that there is no other preferable technique of preventing or, failing that, minimising and rendering harmless releases of sulphur dioxide, having regard to costs and efficacy.As I indicated in answer to the hon. Member on 22 November, Official Report, columns 66–67, Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution is currently in discussion with the generators about their generating operations and improvement programmes for each station.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many forms have to be completed by local housing associations applying for grants from the Housing Corporation to build affordable housing to meet local needs; and how many questions are on each form.

Four forms have to be completed by housing associations applying for project approval and grants from the Housing Corporation. A form is completed for each of the following: initial calculation to establish the grant rate for the scheme, application for project approval and grant, application for payment of grant, and the final grant claim. Each form is designed so that check marks can be placed in prepared boxes to ease completion. The first form comprises 14 questions, the second form 16, the third form four, and the fourth form has two questions relating to each house or flat in the scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what part the Government expects Drax power station and Radcliffe power station to play in the market for providing clean electricity; and if he will make a statement.

Under the United Kingdom's national plan implementing the EC large combustion plants directive, each of the two generators in England and Wales is allocated an annual quota of maximum emissions of sulphur dioxides and oxides of nitrogen for the company's generating operations as a whole. Each company has the freedom to decide the distribution of its quotas between its individual power stations, taking account inter alia of market conditions, subject to meeting the conditions in individual site authorisations issued by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.As I indicated in answer to the hon. Member on 22 November,

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many disconnections there have been in the London borough of Lewisham in the past 12 months; how many of these disconnections are attributable to water metering; and what is Thames Water Utilities' programme for water metering in Lewisham.

Data on disconnections by local authority district and by charging method are not available centrally. The Director General of Water Services publishes data on disconnections twice a year, by water company area and by domestic and non-domestic customer. Data on disconnections in the six months to 30 September 1994 were published in an Ofwat news release on 15 November, a copy of which is in the Library. I understand that Thames Water Utilities has yet to decide on its preferred future method of charging domestic customers for water and sewerage services but has a policy of metering all commercial customers. Most water companies meter all new and substantially altered domestic properties.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement concerning the cost to public funds of employing ministerial special advisers in his Department.

There are five special advisers in No. 10 Downing street.Salaries for special advisers are negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings, and are confidential. They are, however, normally paid on a special advisers' salary spine of 34 points ranging from £19,503 to £67,609 or, in some cases, at a rate appropriate to a relevant civil service grade. Appointments are non-pensionable, and the salary spine reflects this.

To ask the Prime Minister how many official Christmas cards he intends to send out in 1994; and how much these will cost.

I have nothing further to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member on 22 November 1994, Official Report, column 89.

To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to provide information via the Internet; and if he will make a statement.

My office is currently studying options to provide information via the Internet.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will set out the considerations which led the Cabinet Secretary not to interview Mohamed Al-Fayed in his investigations into allegations of improper behaviour by Government Ministers.

The Cabinet Secretary indicated his reasons in his report, which I published on 25 October 1994, Official Report, columns 521–22, and I have nothing further to add.

To ask the Prime Minister if the Nolan committee will be interviewing Mohamed Al-Fayed in its examination of standards in public life; and if he will make a statement.

It is for the Committee on Standards in Public Life to decide whom it wishes to invite to give oral evidence.

To ask the Prime Minister who are the current members of the Crown Appointments Commission.

The Crown Appointments Commission is a standing commission of the General Synod of the Church of England. Its membership is set out on page 38 of the current edition of the "Church of England Year Book", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will review the powers of the (a) gas and (b) other utility regulators over boardroom salaries, shareholdings and perks.

[holding answer 25 November 1994]: The utility regulators' role is to promote competition and operate price caps in areas of monopoly. Within this framework it is for each company and its shareholders to exercise control of board membership, pay and conditions.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what representations he has received from Mr. David Hernandez Purnell; and what was his response;(2) if he will make a statement regarding the letter of 13 November to the Treasury Solicitor from a constituent of the hon. Member for Woolwich, a copy of which was forwarded to the citizens charter unit; and what assessment he has made of the conformity of Her Majesty's Government's action in this case with the spirit of the citizens charter.

Mr. Hernandez Purnell has been a frequent correspondent with Government Departments about the purchase of both his and his son's property by the Department of Transport. He has written over 400 letters to the Department of Transport alone. Further correspondence in which Mr. Hernandez Purnell himself has inquired about the role of the citizens charter in his complaint has been answered by officials from the citizens charter unit, and letters from the hon. Member of 3 and 22 September 1993 concerning Mr. Hernandez Purnell were replied to on 30 September 1993 by the then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.The citizens charter and the citizens charter unit have only an indirect role in Mr. Hernandez Purnell's dispute with the Department of Transport. The role of the citizens charter unit is to work with Departments in developing their services in line with the principles of the citizens charter, and to encourage good practice in doing this. When members of the public write to the citizens charter unit, the unit tries to ensure that a prompt, full and clear reply is sent. Ultimately, however, it is the responsibility of individual public sector organisations, including Government Departments, to ensure that their services are delivered to charter standards. Where—as in Mr. Hernandez Purnell's case—correspondence from a member of the public concerns a dispute about departmental policy which is also the subject of legal proceedings, it is not the role of the citizens charter unit to act as an intermediary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) further education and (b) higher education lecturers retired early on the grounds of ill-health in the last 10 financial years.

The available data do not enable distinction between further or higher education lecturers and other teachers who retire on health grounds within the teachers' superannuation scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) part-time and (b) full-time lecturers in colleges of further education there were in each salary grade in each local education authority or otherwise appropriate areas in the last five years for which figures are available.

I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is her Department's estimate of the total funds necessary to undertake essential health and safety repair work at colleges of further education.

A professional survey of college buildings when they left local authority control in 1993 estimated the cost of essential health and safety repair work at £136 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how she plans to finance the expansion of nursery education, targeted through standard spending assessment or specific grant for (a) buildings and (b) revenue funding; and is she will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend is now consulting widely a range of interests in pre-school education with a view to drawing up detailed proposals on how to achieve thelarget for expansion of pre-school provision set by the Prime Minister. The need for additional funding will be .determined as part of the development of these proposals.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what legal aid will be available for employees wishing to sue their employers if industrial injuries legislation is changed.

Legal aid is available to employees who qualify for help with their legal costs in pursuing a claim for damages against an employer through the courts. I cannot anticipate the outcome of any future legislative changes.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will consider making legal aid available to allow victims of crime or their families to seek appropriate professional advice.

Advice and assistance is already available to those financially eligible under the legal aid green form scheme.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the latest annual figure paid for legal aid for non-United Kingdom citizens.

	Amount (Estimate)	Purchase Price (Estimate)	Postage Cost (Estimate)		Cost in Staff Time
			UK	Overseas
Lord Chancellor	250	Own Purchase	£38	£33	Not available
Parliamentary Secretary		£12	£6	Not applicable	Not available
	50	£15 with VAT

I will be placing a sample copy of the Christmas card the Lord Chancellor intends to send—when available—in the Member's Library.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans Her Majesty's Government have to reduce the cost and complexity of defamation proceedings.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he intends to bring forward legislation relating to the law of defamation.

In December 1992, the Lord Chancellor announced his intention to introduce a number of reforms which we believe will be of great assistance to parties seeking speedy and economic disposals of defamation claims, and the reforms which could be

The information sought is not collected.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what advice his Department gives magistrates about wearing British Legion poppies in court.

None. For myself I have always accepted the British Legion's suggestion that we should wear our poppies with pride and with humble appreciation, too, of those who made great sacrifices for our freedom.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much public money will be spent on entertaining, Christmas decorations and other festive activities this Christmas season by the Lord Chancellor's Department and Government agencies answerable to this Department; and of this sum how much will be spent in Ministers' private offices and official residences.

Disaggregated information of this nature is not available. Such costs are covered by the entertainment expenditure for the Lord Chancellor's Department, which is contained in the running costs expenditure published in the annual report, copies of which are in the Library of the House.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many official Christmas cards the Lord Chancellor and his Ministers intend to send in 1994; how much of these cards will cost (a) to buy, (b) to post and (c) in staff time to sign, address and place in envelopes; and if he will place in the Library a sample copy of the official Christmas card the Lord Chancellor intends to send this year.

The information requested is as follows:achieved by amending rules of court have already been implemented. Also, we have made considerable progress in developing a precise framework for the further reforms foreshadowed in that statement and on which the Lord Chancellor intends to introduce legislation as soon as he has a suitable opportunity. These reforms include a new defence, recommended by a working group under the chairmanship of Lord Justice Neill, which will avoid the need for a trial if the defendant is prepared to offer amends and pay damages assessed by a judge.In addition, there will be a new summary procedure, under which every defamation claim will come before the judge at an early stage. He will assess whether the claim is suitable for summary disposal, or whether it should go for trial, with or without a jury. He will have power on summary disposal to award damages up to a fixed ceiling. We believe that the procedure will help the parties to clarify the real issues much earlier, and encourage sensible settlements, as well as providing a fast track for the disposal of straightforward claims.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department whether he will make available to the public, on request, cassette copies, at cost, of the whole or part of all tape recordings of court proceedings heard in public.

A member of the public who is not a party to an action may only have a transcript of recordings of court proceedings with the prior leave of a district judge in civil cases, and of a chief clerk in criminal cases. There are no plans to change these arrangements.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what are his responsibilities in relation to following up the crash of Pan Am 103 at Lockerbie.

None.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to encourage the closer working together of barristers and solicitors; and if he will make a statement.

Banisters and solicitors are members of the legal profession, which is independent of Government. It would, therefore, not be appropriate for either the Lord Chancellor or me to determine the closeness of their working arrangements. However, we would both wish to support any initiatives on the part of the legal profession which accord with the principles of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990, by making provision for new or better ways of providing legal services while maintaining the proper and efficient administration of justice.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the time taken to answer complaints about lawyers by the appropriate legal bodies.

The legal professions function independently of Government. I have no responsibility for monitoring the time taken to answer complaints made to bodies within the professions.The Lord Chancellor is responsible for the appointment and monitoring of the legal services ombudsman, who investigates complaints about the manner in which complaints about lawyers made to the appropriate legal bodies have been, or are being, dealt with. This will include any complaints relating to time taken in investigation.

To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee (1) what has been the cost of work on the three main lifts in the Norman Shaw north building over the last 12 months; who authorised that work; and on how many working days one or more of those lifts have been out of operation during the last year;(2) what has been the cost of renovating the rear lift in the Norman Shaw north building; who authorised that work; and whether the lift has been working satisfactorily since the work was completed.

All three lifts in Norman Shaw north were badly affected by a burst pipe which occurred on 10 October. Two electric motors had to be taken away for rewinding and there was a spate of other minor problems resulting from the flood damage, which altogether cost some £14,000 to repair. The annual maintenance cost for each lift is estimated to be £1,500. The information requested on the number of working days when the lifts did not operate could be compiled only at a disproportionate cost.The cost of the work to replace the rear lift was £73,000. The work was approved by the Accommodation and Works Committee as part of the rolling programme of lift replacement and refurbishment. The contractor has had to correct several teething problems since the lift was installed, but I believe that these have been overcome and that normal service should now continue. The Director of Parliamentary Works is monitoring the situation carefully.The combination of the planned lift replacement work on the rear and the unforeseen damage to the three main lifts has resulted in a poor lift service to users of the building over the past few months. Every effort is being made to ensure that a reliable service is provided in the future.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much public money will be spent on entertaining, Christmas decorations and other festive activities this Christmas season by his Department and Government agencies answerable to his Department; and of this sum how much will be spent in Ministers' private offices, and official residences.

Disaggregated information of this nature is not available. The DTI's expenditure on official hospitality since 1990 was published in the answer to the hon. Member for Truro (Mr. Taylor) on 26 October, column 654.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many official Christmas cards he and his Ministers intend to send in 1994; how much these cards will cost (a) to buy, (b) to post and (c) in staff time to sign, address and place in envelopes; and if he will place in the Library a sample copy of the official Christmas card he intends to send this year.

My Department does not commission its own departmental Christmas card. Individual Ministers may choose to send cards. While specific lists of addressees have yet to be drawn up, it is expected that Ministers will send in the region of 500 cards at an expected average cost of 75p each. Cards for recipients within the United Kingdom will be sent second class. It is not possible to predict accurately the amount of staff time that will be required to process the cards.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement concerning the cost to public funds of employing ministerial special advisers in his Department.

My Department employs three special advisers.Salaries for special advisers are negotiated individually, and are confidential. They are, however, normally paid on a special advisers' salary spine of 34 points, ranging from £19,503 to £67,609. Appointments are non-pensionable, and the salary spine reflects this.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what external legal advice he has received on the impact of privatisation of the Insolvency Service on the future disqualification and prosecution of bankrupts;(2) what advice he has received in respect of the application of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 in the event of the privatisation of the Insolvency Service;(3) if he will publish in full the report of the consultants Stoy Hayward into privatisation of the Insolvency Service.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stockton, South (Mr. Devlin) on 3 November 1994, Official Report, columns 1251–52.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the efficacy of investigations begun by the Insolvency Service but completed in the private sector, in the event of privatisation of the service.

Stoy Hayward Consulting reported that the contracting out of official receivers administrative functions would enable official receivers to concentrate more on their investigatory role. Under such arrangements investigations begun by contractors would be completed by official receivers.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the total cost, including the cost of using consultants, of the review of possible privatisation in respect of the Post Office; and how much has been paid to each consultant.

The Government announced their intention to privatise Parcelforce on 15 July 1992, Official Report, column 1137, and announced the review of the structure and organisation of the Post Office on 29 July 1992. From those dates to the date of the Government's decision that they would not, for the present, be proceeding with legislation on the Post Office, a total of £1,613,002.28 was spent on consultancy advice. The cost of work undertaken by individual contractors is commercially confidential.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he last discussed the prospects of continuing investment in the machine tool industry with the leaders of that industry; and what concerns the leaders in that industry expressed about ensuring their competitiveness in the world markets.

Ministers and officials in the DTI have had close and continuing contact with the machine tool industry in recent years. The most important influence on investment is a stable economic climate based on low inflation. Inflation is now at its lowest level for 27 years and the output of the United Kingdom machine tool industry is about 15 per cent. higher than a year ago.We have also discussed with the industry's trade association, the Machine Tool Technologies Association—MTTA—ways to improve the overall competitiveness of the industry. We are presently working with the MTTA and other associations to produce guidance for small manufacturing firms which will enable them to improve the overall quality of investment. This was an initiative referred to in the White Paper "Competitiveness: Helping Business to Win", Cm 2563.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the effect on manufacturing employment of manufacturing businesses contracting out to other firms, classified as service businesses, activities such as transport, catering and cleaning.

The Central Statistical Office has estimated that manufacturing employment might have been up to three quarters of a million higher than recorded in 1989 had manufacturers' purchases of non-industrial services as a proportion of total sales remained at 1973 levels—"Changes in the structure of manufacturing industry 1973–1989 as measured by the annual Census of Production", Economic Trends, No. 462 April 1992.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade which EC member states increased steel production between 1988 and 1992; and by how much production and employment fell in the United Kingdom steel industry during this period.

Crude steel production in Italy and Spain increased by 4.5 per cent. and 3 per cent. respectively between 1988 and 1992. In the United Kingdom steel industry production fell by 14.5 per cent. and employment fell by 26 per cent. over the same period.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the numbers employed in the steel industries of EC member states in 1975, 1981, 1987 and 1993 with the percentage change in the numbers employed since 1975.

The information requested is in the table.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action he proposes to take to assist the British steel industry in view of the nature of the support by other member states and of their industries; and if he will make a statement on the enforcement of articles 4 and 95 of the treaty.

The best way in which the Government can assist the industry is to work for an international market in which the highly efficient United Kingdom steel industry can trade freely and without unfair competition. The Government will continue to press the Commission to enforce the state aid rules rigorously and to take action against any breaches.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the British share of (a) American investment in Europe in each year since 1964 and (b) all non-European investment in Europe over the same time period.

Table 1 sets out the United Kingdom's share of American investment in Europe since 1964. The remaining information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. This is because data are not available on a consistent basis for the entire period requested.From sources readily available within the Department it would require converting data from national currencies to a common currency for each year and obtaining data from "National Statistical Sources".

Table 1. Annual capital flows for US direct investment abroad
			United Kingdom share per cent.
United Kingdom		Europe
	$ millions
1964	381	1,796	21.2
1965	559	1,867	29.9
1966	477	2,249	21.2
1967	519	1,858	27.9
1968	686	1,601	42.8
1969	535	2,251	23.8