To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many times judges have used their power of arrest in cases of contempt of court in each of the last three years.

My Department does not collect data about arrests which are made under the Contempt of Court Act 1981. Such information for the last three years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost and its accuracy could not be guaranteed.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will provide estimates for the total amount that has been paid to N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd. with respect to any work undertaken by it on privatisation programmes in which his Department has been engaged since 1979 after taking account of inflation.

There is no record that N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd. has been involved in any privatisation programmes for the Lord Chancellor's Department.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department on how many occasions departmental officials met representatives of Ian Greer Associates (a) formally and (b) informally on 26 January to discuss matters relating to their clients' interests.

As far as I am able to ascertain, no officials of the Lord Chancellor's Department met representatives of Ian Greer Associates on 26 January, either formally or informally, to discuss matters relating to their clients' interests.

To ask the Chancellor to the Exchequer what will be the effect on the public sector borrowing requirement of the expenditure on the Nirex rock characterisation facility.

Nirex's estimate of the cost of constructing the rock characterisation facility is approximately £120 million at 1992 prices. This will be funded by Nirex's public sector shareholders, whose external financing requirements are included within the PSBR.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide estimates for the total amount that has been paid to N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd. with respect to any work undertaken by it on privatisation programmes in which his Department has been engaged since 1979 after taking account of inflation.

The table lists the sales conducted by the Treasury in which N. M. Rothschild was appointed and the roles to which it was appointed. The fees paid to firms appointed within the privatisation programme are commercially confidential.

Privatisation by Her Majesty's Treasury involving N. M. Rothschild
Company	Year	N. M. Rothschild's role(s)
Britoil	1985	Underwriter
BP	1987	Financial adviser Underwriter
BT	1991	French syndicate member
BT	1993	Global syndicate member

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the (a) exchange of letters between spending Departments and the Treasury, (b) official level bilateral meetings, (c) ministerial level bilateral meeting and (d) the EDX process—the Ministerial Committee on Public Expenditure—will take place during 1995 as part of the public expenditure round; and what part the representatives of local government will play in this public expenditure round.

The detailed timetable for the 1995 public expenditure survey has not yet been set. The process starts in the spring, but Treasury and spending Departments are in regular contact throughout. Most of EDX's meetings take place in September and October.Ministers from Departments with an interest in local government and their officials have regular discussions on service and expenditure issues with the local authority associations and individual authorities, and consider written representations from them. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and other interested Ministers meet the chairs of the local authority associations at the Central Council on Local Government Finance in July and October. Ministers take account of the views expressed by these means, along with those of other groups, in making public expenditure decisions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out for each of the next steps agencies in his Department, whether they have acquired their own headquarters buildings and, if so, at what purchase cost or annual rental; how many support staff they have required which were not required when their operations were within his Department; how many of them publish periodical journals and at what annual cost; how many have fleets of executive cars or single executive cars and at what annual cost; how many have specially designed logos and at what cost; how many have corporate clothing and at what cost; and what is the cost of specially designed and printed corporate stationery.

I will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers employed in the Metropolitan police area have been sacked for sexual or racial discrimination in each of the last three years.

Sexual discrimination is not a specific disciplinary offence. One officer was dismissed in 1992 for discreditable conduct, following a series of allegations of sexual discrimination; there were no comparable cases in 1993 or 1994.Racially discriminatory behaviour is an offence under paragraph 9 of schedule 1 to the Police (Discipline) Regulations 1985. No officers were dismissed on this ground in 1992, 1993 or 1994. From the information that has been collected, it is not possible to say whether an allegation of racially discriminatory behaviour may have been a contributory factor in some cases of dismissal on other grounds, such as discreditable conduct, misconduct towards a member of a police force, or abuse of authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the months of (a) October, (b) November and (c) December 1994 officers of the Metropolitan police have been unable to attend magistrates courts in order to give evidence against those charged with offences due to budget limitations of the force; and on how many occasions in each month the persons concerned were discharged and no further proceedings taken.

None, in each case.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints of sexual or racial discrimination have been made against (a) policemen and (b) policewomen employed in the Metropolitan police area in each of the last three years.

The following figures refer to complaints for which investigations were completed. It is not possible to provide the information in the form requested during the year in question.In 1992, 205 complaints of racially discriminating behaviour against Metropolitan police officers were investigated, and in 1993, 198 complaints. In some cases, the complaint may have involved more than one officer. It is not possible to identify the numbers of male and female officers involved.In 1994, the latest figures available indicate that a total of 287 complaints of racially discriminating behaviour were the subject of completed investigations. These related to 315 officers, of whom 259 were male and 43 female. The sex of the remaining 13 officers has not been recorded.Figures for complaints of sexually discriminating behaviour are not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what compensation is available from EEC funds for the policing costs of enforcing EEC regulations against the protests in the United Kingdom; and if he will request support from EEC funds for police action at British ports in respect of (a) live calf exports and (b) fishermen's protests.

Law enforcement is an area where the Community rightly has no competence and there is therefore no provision in the Community budget for such expenditure.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what extra funds he will be making available to the West Sussex police authority for the extra policing required at Shoreham port; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Shoreham (Mr. Stephen) on 19 January, Official Report, column 672.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of prison sentences given by the courts are of the statutory maximum.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many compensation orders were made by (a) Gateshead magistrates court in 1993, (b) the Gateshead magistrates court in 1994, (c) the Central Newcastle magistrates court in 1993, (d) the Central Newcastle magistrates court in 1994, (e) the Newcastle Crown court in 1993 and (f) the Newcastle Crown court in 1994;(2) what is the total value of compensation orders which remain unpaid made by

Information held centrally, which is given in the table, shows the number of compensation orders issued and the value of the amounts made for 1992 and 1993—the latest available figures. 1994 data will not be available until the autumn.Information is not collected centrally on the number and amounts of compensation orders that remain unpaid. However, for further information I would refer the hon. Member to the footnotes of the table given in my reply on 17 January, column

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion and number of non-industrial civil servants in the Departments and agencies for which he has responsibility are registered disabled and disabled as defined by the Cabinet Office document "Focus on Ability".

On 25 January 1995, 229 members of staff in the Home Office and its agencies were registered disabled, representing 0.5 per cent. of all staff; a further 146–0.13 per cent. of staff—have declared themselves as disabled, but have not registered as such. There are likely to be others who have not responded to the Department's voluntary surveys.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a decision is going to be made on the asylum application first lodged in October 1986 by Mr. Daya Pal Singh, ref: IMG/94 330/972/1(5); when Mr. Singh was last interviewed; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Singh was last interviewed on 19 October 1994 and produced a number of additional documents which required translation before the application could be fully and properly considered. We expect to make a decision shortly. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as Mr. Singh has been notified.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children under the age of 16 years have been registered with the National Missing Persons Bureau since its opening.

Information is not held in the form requested. From the opening of the bureau on 18 March 1994 to 31 December 1994, a total of 2,363 persons under the age of 18 years were reported missing. Of these, 115 were still missing at 31 December.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide estimates for the total amount that has been paid to N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd. with respect to any work undertaken by it on privatisation programmes in which his Department has been engaged since 1979 after taking account of inflation.

No work on a privatisation programme has been undertaken for the Home Office by N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) pursuant to his answer of 20 January, Official Report, column, 695, relating to the papers relating to Mahmood Mettan's execution at Cardiff gaol in 1952, if he will give further consideration to the explanation given for the routine destruction of the relevant papers in 1986, having regard to the discovery of the papers in the Public Record Office; and if he will place a copy of those papers in the Library;(2) if he will supply a copy of all or part of the papers relating to the trial and execution of Mahmood Mattan in 1952 to solicitors acting on the family's behalf in pursuit of their request for a posthumous pardon.

No. Further inquiries within my Department and the Public Record Office have confirmed the destruction of Home Office records of this case.I understand that copies of documents from the Lord Chancellor's Department file at the Public Record Office were sent to the solicitors acting for Mr. Mattan's widow in September 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to amend the law on betting licensing.

I have today issued a consultation document on possible changes to the law on betting permits and licences and track betting licences in Great Britain.Subject to the consultation, the Government intend to make an order under section 1 of the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994 to implement these changes. It is hoped to bring the draft order before Parliament in spring 1995.The purpose of the consultation document is to give details of the proposed changes and to seek the views of interested parties. Briefly, it is proposed to:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his reply of 24 January, Official Report, column 152, when a company was last granted authority specifically to possess electric shock weapons; if he will name the company or companies involved; and for how long that permission was given.

[holding answer 30 January 1995]: No company has been granted authority specifically to possess electric shock weapons in the last three years. Information about the granting of authority for that purpose in earlier years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To aks the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what further steps he is taking to review the operation of guidelines relating to the manufacture, marketing and supply of (a) electro-shock weapons and (b) weapons of torture; and if he will make a statement;(2) what assessment he has made that guidelines relating to the manufacture, marketing and supply of

[holding answer 30 January 1995]: Electric shock weapons are prohibited by section 5(1)(b) of the Firearms Act 1968, and cannot be possessed, manufactured or sold without the authority of the Secretary of State. The procedures for granting or refusing authority to possess prohibited weapons are kept under regular review.It is not practicable to control trade in the wide range of goods which could be misused for the purposes of torture. The Government are willing to look at any tangible evidence of British companies knowingly involved in supplying materials and expertise for the purposes of repression.

To ask the Lord President of the Council on how many occasions departmental officials met representatives of Ian Greer Associates (a) formally and (b) informally on 26 January to discuss matters relating to their clients' interests.

None.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the capacities in which Mr. Ian Henderson, currently head of Bahrain's security and intelligence services, has been employed by Her Majesty's Government.

Mr. Ian Henderson served in the colonial police service in Kenya from 1948 until Kenyan independence in 1963. In that capacity, he was an employee of Her Majesty's overseas civil service.

To ask the Prime Minister when he last met the chairman of the Standard Chartered bank; and if he will make a statement.

The chairman of the Standard Chartered bank was present at a lunch given in honour of the Indian Prime Minister on 14 March 1994.

To ask the Prime Minister when he last met the Prime Minister of India; and if he discussed the position of the Standard Chartered bank.

I last met the Prime Minister of India when he visited the United Kingdom from 13 to 16 March 1994. We did not discuss the Standard Chartered bank.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 31 January.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 31 January.

This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will support a proposal that all remuneration received by hon. Members for parliamentary duties from outside sources should be deducted from parliamentary salary in the same way that deductions are made from income support.

Hon. Members are entitled to the parliamentary salary as the remuneration payable to them as Members of this House. There are well-established procedures for determining this.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will provide estimates for the total amount that has been paid to N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd. with respect to any work undertaken by it on privatisation programmes in which his Department has been engaged since 1979 after taking account of inflation.

None.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his letter of 25 January, whether in order to honour Her Majesty's Government's commitment in the letter to obtain justice for all the victims of the Lockerbie crime, he will discuss with Chancellor Kohl the possibility of the Scottish police interviewing Hafey Dalkamoni before such time as he is released.

There is no need for me to have such a discussion with Chancellor Kohl. My noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate has repeatedly stated that he cannot make public details of what inquiries, including interviews, have been or may be carried out in this case. It would be a matter for him to request legal assistance from the competent German authorities, if the Scottish police and Crown Office did indeed consider it necessary for any one in Germany to be interviewed or re-interviewed.

To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions departmental officials met representatives of Ian Greer Associates (a) formally and (b) informally on 26 January to discuss matters relating to their clients' interests.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the present position in respect of the deployment of UN forces in and around Tuzla in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The headquarters of UNPROFOR's sector north-east is located in Tuzla and a mechanised infantry battalion of some 1,200 Swedish and Danish soldiers, together with a Jordanian mortar-locating unit, are based in and around the town.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received concerning the development of the future large aircraft; and if he will make a statement.

I have discussed the future large aircraft with both British Aerospace and my French and German counterparts. As my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Defence announced on 16 December, Official Report, column 823, we will rejoin the FLA programme at the end of the feasibility phase provided that it is managed on a commercial basis under the umbrella of the Airbus consortium. Resources will need to be available and our requirements on price and performance must also be met. A programme of work with our partners is in progress.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement concerning the prospect of his Department purchasing the future large aircraft consequent upon his decision to purchase Lockheed Hercules aircraft.

As my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Defence announced on 16 December, Official Report, column 823, we will rejoin the FLA programme at the end of the feasibility phase provided that it is managed on a commercial basis under the umbrella of the Airbus consortium. Resources will need to be available and our requirements on price and performance must also be met. A programme of work with our partners is in progress.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how his Department's budget has been affected by the lack of sales of married quarters housing stock.

The defence budget continues to assume a substantial receipt from the sale of married quarters in Great Britain. Although the original plans for a housing trust have been dropped, other options are being pursued.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what new proposals he has to add new weapons to the inhumane weapons convention.

The United Kingdom has not proposed to add any weapons to the scope of the UN weaponry convention, but we are considering carefully those proposals made by others. Our main aim remains to strengthen restrictions on the use of anti-personnel land mines.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to make a decision on the purchase of attack helicopters for the RAF.

Evaluation of the bids received under the attack helicopter competition is in progress and we expect to make a decision on the purchase of this equipment for use by the Army Air Corps later in the year. I am, of course, conscious of the importance to industry of an early decision.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will define the threat which he expects a new attack helicopter to meet or match.

British defence policy, in common with that of our allies, is no longer based upon defending against a single specific threat or threats. Instead, we aim to provide forces with a flexible capability to undertake a range of operations, from general war to peace support operations, and to respond to the changing demands which may be placed upon them in the future. However, a fundamental part of our defence policy remains the ability of our armed forces to defend themselves against tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles.We plan to procure an attack helicopter to replace Lynx in the anti-tank role for the early part of the next century. Its primary requirement will be to defeat any present and envisaged main battle tank which may be deployed against our armed forces. It will also be required to have a self-defence capability against enemy helicopters and ground to air threats.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what review of capability requirements in respect of a new attack helicopter he has carried out to underpin the purchase together with what review of alternative investments he has made.

We have a continuing requirement for a capability to engage in high-intensity conflict, including operations against armoured forces. A series of studies has been conducted to examine the relative cost and effectiveness of various weapon systems with an anti-tank capability. These included multiple-launched rocket systems, ground-launched missile systems, tanks, mines, fixed-wing aircraft and attack helicopters. The studies have shown that the most cost-effective mix of weapons to meet our anti-tank requirement entails the procurement of an attack helicopter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to decide which attack helicopter to purchase; from which aircraft he intends to choose; what will be the relevant factors in order of importance which will guide his choice; how many he intends to purchase together with the estimated total cost; whether the alternatives have flown or expect to fly; and if he will make it his policy that the choice of machine will not be dominated by considerations of domestic employment.

We expect to make a decision on the purchase of an attack helicopter later in the year. Bids were received from: Agusta—Al29; Atlas AviationRooi valk; Boeing-Sikorsky—Comanche; BAe/Eurocopter—Tiger; GEC/Bell-Textron—Cobra Venom; and Westland/McDonnell Douglas—Apache AH64/D. Tender assessment is based on four main parameters: operational effectiveness; life cycle costs; risk; and proposals for United Kingdom industrial participation. The precise number of helicopters to be procured will depend on affordability and on the solution chosen and, therefore, has yet to be determined. The estimated total cost of the programme is over £2 billion. Current versions of all the aircraft except Comanche have flown. It is our intention to equip the Army with the most cost-effective solution which fully meets its requirements. To that end, each bid will be considered on its merits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel have been disabled as a result of injury in the armed forces in each of the last three years.

There are varying degrees of disablement, not all of which are serious enough to cause the service man or woman to be medically discharged. Statistics are not maintained centrally of disabilities which do not result in discharge.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the defence of the Falkland Islands.

The British Government are committed to defending the right of the Falkland Islanders to determine their own future. As long as Argentina maintains its claim to the Falkland Islands, the United Kingdom will keep forces there to deter, and if necessary counter, any possible aggression. Force levels are kept under review and, if the need arises, can be reinforced at very short notice using the airfield at Mount Pleasant.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of rescue co-ordination facilities.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 January, Official Report, column 547.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for a European army.

We have no plans for the creation of a European army.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he intends to make it his policy to make a single Minister responsible for all ex-serviice men's affairs.

My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence is usually responsible for those issues relating to former service personnel with which the Department deals directly. The Government do not, however, propose to appoint a single Minister to co-ordinate matters concerning the ex-service community across the range of Government; I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Thurrock (Mr. Mackinlay) on 22 November 1994, Official Report, columns 461–62.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress he has made in the investigation being undertaken by his Department into potentially dangerous German chemical bombs which were buried at Llandwrog airfield, near Dinas Dinlle in Gwynedd after the second world war; and if he will make a statement.

My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State wrote to the hon. Member on 24 January.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the adequacy of naval forces to carry out fishery protection duties.

The Royal Navy's Fishery Protection Squadron comprises nine vessels. The requirements for the provision of fishery protection services are reviewed annually with the fisheries Department. During this financial year, 1994–95, the squadron is contracted to provide these Departments with some 1,380 patrol days dedicated to fisheries work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he had made of the current arrangements governing the separation of civilian helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft from low-flying military jets; and if he will make a statement.

My Department has a wide range of measures in place to minimise the risk of confliction between civil and military aircraft. These are kept under continuous review in consultation with the Civil Aviation Authority and civilian aircraft operators as part of an on-going programme of work to enhance flight safety.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to develop links between trainees in the armed services and other training initiatives outside the forces.

Whenever it is cost-effective and beneficial to do so, my Department is seeking to extend the close links which it already has with external training and education bodies and institutions. Unless there are operational reasons for retaining the work in-house, it is our aim to put as much of our training out to the private sector as is possible and draw on the considerable expertise which is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the number, manufacturer, capacity and year of production of fuel servicing trucks currently held by (i) the RAF, (ii) the Royal Marines, (iii) the Army Air Corps and (iv) the Fleet Air Arm; what consideration he

Service	Quantity	Capacity	Year of Manufacture	Manufacturer
Royal Air Force	176	18000 ltr	1987–1993	AEC,
	166	13000 ltr	1970–1982	Leyland/DAF,
	54	4500 ltr (Tactical)	1980–1989	Bedford,
	83	4500 ltr	1981–1991	Scammell
Royal Marines	12	9000 ltr	1987	Bedford
Army Air Corps	122	4500 ltr	1965–1985	Bedford
	6	4500 ltr	1987–1988	Leyland
Fleet Air Arm	33	9000 ltr	1988–1993	Leyland
	20	18000 ltr	1990	Leyland

The majority of fuel servicing vehicles in service will be considered for refurbishment or replacement—either by purchase of lease—over the next 10 years. The leasing of equipment is routinely considered as part of the replacement decision. In general, however, there is no commercial equipment which meets the specific requirements for military aircraft refuellers, and the leasing of purpose-built refuellers has been shown to be uneconomic.The operational requirements for 12 fuel servicing trucks for the Royal Marines commando operations and support cell dictates that vehicles must be of a specialised type, particularly in respect of their ability to operate in such extremes of climate as the Arctic and the Gulf. Furthermore, the operational requirement includes provision of a high degree of corrosion protection. The specialist nature of these vehicles ruled out leasing of commercially available types, and the high cost of refurbishment of existing vehicles precluded that option. Purchase was assessed to be the most economic means of meeting this operational requirement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) of 29 November 1994, Official Report, column 618, how many foreign students from Sudan who have visited the United Kingdom for military training, were sponsored (a) by the Sudanese Government or (b) by the rebel forces in that country.

The details of training provided for overseas military personnel, including numbers, are not normally disclosed as they are' confidential between Governments. The inclusion of Sudan in the answer I gave the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) on 29 November 1994, Official Report, column 618, referred to two civilians who attended aviation medicine courses. Both students were sponsored by the Government of Sudan.

The information requested is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Tornado mid-life update will be complete.

Delivery of the last aircraft to the upgraded standard is expected about the end of 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list by establishment, including agencies, the numbers of (a) military and (b) civilian employees of his Department in the Salisbury constituency in (i) 1990, (ii) 1994 and (iii) an estimate for 1998.

It is not our normal policy to divulge the number of employees at individual Ministry of Defence establishments. Although my Department keeps no record of military and civilian employees by parliamentary constituency, we are able to provide the numbers of service and civilian personnel within the Salisbury local authority area. At 1 July 1990, there were 5,187 service and 3,765 full-time equivalent civilian personnel employed in the local authority area. The corresponding figures for 1 July 1994 were 4,923 service and 3,920 civilian personnel. It is too early to make accurate estimates of the corresponding figures for 1998.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the estimated cost of messing for United Kingdom armed forces during the past year; and if he will make a statement.

During the financial year 1993–94, some £142 million, inclusive of VAT, was spent feeding regular and reserve armed forces personnel in the United Kingdom and overseas. As well as food served in messes, this figure also includes operational ration packs and allowances paid to personnel who were not able to eat in messes owing to the nature of their duties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether service men and women and their families enjoy the same rights as other citizens to make representations during public consultations and public inquiries kind to make complaints under the citizens charter; and if he will make a statement.

The families of service personnel enjoy the same rights as other citizens to make representations during public consultations and public inquiries and to make complaints under the citizens charter. The same rights apply to service personnel provided that the impartiality of the armed forces is not compromised, and that such representations do not involve the disclosure, without permission, of information obtained in the course of their official duties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many vehicles are owned by his Department for use by (a) the Royal Navy, (b) the Army and (c) the Royal Air Force and issued with (i) civil vehicle registration marks and (ii) service vehicle registration marks by the Directorate General (Supplies and Transport (Naval)) for the Royal Navy and by the Directorate of Supply Management (Army) for the Army and for the Royal Air Force.

My Department owns 6,225 vehicles for use by the Royal Navy, 87,238 for use by the Army and 151,816 for use by the Royal Air Force. These figures include both operational and administrative vehicle types.Both service and civilian vehicle registration marks are issued by the Army on behalf of all three services. Of the 19,279 vehicles owned, 11,365 show civilian registration markings; the remainder, service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what quantities of defence nuclear material are stored in south Wales; and if he will make a statement.

The only nuclear material stored in south Wales is depleted uranium at the atomic weapons establishment, Cardiff.Although it has not been the practice of this or previous Governments to reveal quantities of nuclear material stored at the AWE sites, in accordance with our policy of greater openness, my Department is seeking to revoke this restriction in respect of depleted uranium.Details of the depleted uranium wastes arising at and discharged from AWE Cardiff are already in the public domain.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 20 January, to the hon. Member for Milton Keynes, North-East (Mr Butler), Official Report, column 751, what are the principal details of the decision-making process relating to the decommissioning and subsequent 'disposal of the site of the atomic weapons establishment, Llanishen, Cardiff; what consultations he has had with the management of the Atomic Weapons Establishment in relation to this decision; and if he will make a statement.

We are prepared to consider any proposal for the future use of the AWE Cardiff site. If no such acceptable proposal is received, and if there is no alternative defence use which arises in the period before then, the site will close in 1997 as soon as work on Trident components is completed. These proposals have been developed in close consultation between Hunting-BRAE Ltd. and the MOD.The Ministry of Defence will then be responsible for the immediate decommissioning of the site and it will be disposed of in the normal way.There is no statutory requirement fully to restore land offered for sale, but it is my Department's policy to seek to identify instances of contamination on sites allocated for disposal. This information is made available to prospective purchasers and taken into account in agreeing the sale price. Decontamination work is generally limited to the removal of ordnance and other contaminants such as explosives, radioactive and microbiological materials.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Sea King helicopters will be in the search and rescue fleet in September 1996.

On present plans, there will be 25 RAF Sea King helicopters in the search and rescue role in September 1996. This includes two RAF Sea Kings based in the Falkland Islands. No Royal Navy Sea Kings are dedicated to search and rescue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions departmental officials met representatives of Ian Greer Associates (a) formally and (b) informally on 26 January to discuss matters relating to their client's interests.

To the best of my knowledge, no officials from my Department met representatives of Ian Greer Associates on 26 January 1995 to discuss matters relating to their clients' interests, either formally or informally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on Britain's involvement in greater European defence integration.

The United Kingdom is fully involved in efforts to develop the Western European Union as the means to strengthen the European pillar of NATO and as the defence component of the European Union.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he can report on the outcome of the consultation process for the Army Base Repair Organisation, Old Dalby.

Following my 27 October 1994 announcement, Official Report, column 732, of plans to withdraw MOD activity from the Army Base Repair Organisation workshop at Old Dalby and to change the agency's market-testing programme to include tests for base and district workshops only after such reorganisation, I have received a wide range of comments from a number of MPs and local authorities. In addition, the trade union representatives of staff at the workshop have submitted detailed comments on the plans and provided counter-proposals with a view to continuing operations at the site.The formal consultation period ended on 23 December. Since then, a detailed evaluation of the comments received and, in particular, the proposals from the workshop has been undertaken. In parallel, I have taken the opportunity to visit the workshop to understand better the local impact. I have also had discussions with representatives from the Donnington workshop, which would import the bulk of the work from Old Dalby.As a result of the consultation period, changes have been made to assumptions used in the analysis of various options for the future of Old Dalby.Having now considered all of the proposals, counter-proposals and their implications, I am convinced that the only viable option is to proceed with the withdrawal of MOD activity from the workshop and to implement the restructured market-testing programme which I announced on 27 October. None of the suggestions or counter-proposals resulting from the consultation process can deliver the necessary restructuring or offer of an equivalent level of savings to the taxpayer while preserving service to the Army. Any attempt to maintain MOD activity at the Old Dalby workshop would result in the Army continuing to have excess capacity beyond all foreseeable requirements. The resultant inefficiencies would inevitably be reflected in the costs passed on to the Army and ultimately to the taxpayer. Excess capacity would also disadvantage the agency teams in their attempts to prepare for the forthcoming market-testing process and could undermine their chances of making most cost-effective use of the facilities.The final version of the analysis undertaken changed the net benefit of withdrawal from Old Dalby rather than Donnington, but did not change the preference for withdrawing from the former. I am accordingly instructing the agency to proceed with planning for the withdrawal of MOD work from the Old Dalby workshop. I must emphasise, however, that I recognise the skill and success of the Old Dalby work force and their interest in continuing to undertake ABRO work. Prior to the implementation of the planned move of MOD work later this year, I have asked that, for each discrete package of work at the Old Dalby workshop, an evaluation be undertaken to ascertain whether these should be placed with the private sector, using either their own facilities or by taking over the workshop facilities at Old Dalby, or with other MOD units. Any decision to place work with such facilities must, however, show an improvement over the savings which would be achieved by placing such work at ABRO Donnington. No irrevocable action will be taken by ABRO until at least July 1995 which would prevent the successful placement of such packages of work elsewhere than Donnington.Representations made have clearly identified the potential effects of these changes on the local community and economy. Given that my Department is no longer able to make effective use of the modern, high-technology facilities at the site, every effort will be made to encourage the private sector to put forward innovative proposals for alternative uses which can capitalise on the skills and expertise of the work force. My Department intends to work closely on this with the local authorities and other employers in the area. An early start will be made to obtain appropriate advice within and outside the MOD to market the skills of the work force and the existing facilities for alternative private sector usage in parallel with the cost evaluation of the individual work packages referred to.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide estimates for the total amount that has been paid to N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd. with respect to any work undertaken by them on privatisation programmes in which his Department has been engaged since 1979 after taking account of inflation.

N. M. Rothschild and Sons provided advice to my Department in respect of the privatisation of Royal Ordnance, which was achieved in 1986 and 1987. The fees paid to firms appointed within the privatisation programme are commercially confidential.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what steps he is taking in the current review of pay and grading in the Planning Inspectorate executive agency to ensure that he meets the requirement set out in the first report to him of the advisory panel on standards for the Planning Inspectorate executive agency in respect of the need for planning inspectors to be of the highest quality and drawn from a variety of appropriate professional backgrounds; and if he will make a statement;(2) how many person-days of work were, or are planned to be carried out by

I have delegated responsibility for all these matters to the Planning Inspectorate executive agency. I have therefore asked Mr. Chris Shepley, the agency's chief executive, to reply.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a league table of councils' efficiency in letting council houses.

On 11 January, I said, in response to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Ayr (Mr. Gallie), Official Report, column 134, that I was placing in the Library a list of local authorities ranked on the basis of numbers of management vacants as at 1 April 1994.The Audit Commission for Local Authorities in England and Wales requires local authorities to publish information annually about the number and percentage of dwellings that are empty and the average time taken to relet dwellings available for letting or awaiting minor repairs. The commission will publish comparative data for 1993–1994 at the end of March this year.

To ask the secretary of State for the Environment how many appeals against business rates increases are outstanding at valuation offices in (a) Lancashire and (b) England.

Appeals may be made against the entries in the non-domestic rating list for a variety of reasons. As at 31 December 1994, there were 8,788 appeals outstanding in the offices which cover Lancashire and 293,644 in total in England. Only a small proportion of these will have resulted from an increase in the rateable value of a particular hereditament, and these figures are not collected separately.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will detail in the form of a table similar to that provided on 1 November 1994 to the hon. Member for Coventry, South-West, (Mr. Butcher) Official Report, columns 1005–6, showing the estimated increase or decrease in business rate bills for properties in each region in England between 1994–95 and 1995–96 as a result of the 1995 revaluation, in the absence of transitional relief.

I am placing this information in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent consultations he has undertaken concerning common land; and if he will make a statement.

Over the last 18 months, officials of the Department of the Environment and the Welsh Office have held informal discussions with the major bodies concerned with common land. Those discussions confirmed the Government's view that there was a need to investigate practical ways in which improvements in both the registration process and the management of common land might be achieved. Officials have since been looking at what needs to be done to achieve those objectives, and I hope to report our conclusions to the House shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much has been spent or grant aided, in each of the last three years for which figures are available, on the repair of eroded footpaths by the Countryside Commission for England.

Repair of the surface of footpaths is the legal responsibility of the highway authority, the landowner or the occupier, depending on the cause of the damage to the path surface. The Countryside Commission does not contribute grant aid towards this statutory duty, except in the case of national trails.In the last three years, the commission has spent the following on the surface restoration of trails:

Year	£
1991–92	700,000
1992–93	1,000,000
1993–94	850,000

These sums were spent mainly on restoring paths crossing peat in upland area, particularly the Cleveland and Pennine ways.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the areas in Great Britain most affected by the erosion of footpaths.

In 1993–94, the Countryside Commission conducted a sample public rights of way condition survey in England. Walkers found that only 14 out of 11,847 links—a section of path between two junctions—surveyed were "impassable/unusable" on account of erosion. Some 103 links were "impassable/unusable" because they were muddy, boggy or flooded, but the causes for this will be varied. The full results of the survey are due to be published in the summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful bids for moneys from the single regeneration budget that exceeded in their submissions the recommended number of pages set out in the Department's bidding guidance; and if he will specify (i) the numbers of pages and (ii) the length of any appendices.

Guidance on the preparation of bids for single regeneration budget funding was contained in annexe B of the SRB bidding guidance issued in April 1994, copies of which are in the Library of the House. Access to the 469 individual bids, plus supporting material, is available from the relevant Government office for the region. Copies of individual bids are available at a charge. Information about the numbers of pages and length of appendices of bids is not held centrally, and could be made available only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to require local authorities and other bodies submitting second round bids for moneys from the single regeneration budget to indicate the cost or preparing the submission, the number of staff allocated to its preparation and the number of person hours involved.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful bids for moneys from the single regeneration budget were (i) thematic in nature covering the entire area of the local authority and (ii) for a small area covering a discrete part of the local authority.

Guidance on the area coverage of bids for single regeneration budget resources was set out in paragraphs 15 to 25, annexe A and annexe B of the SRB bidding guidance issued in April 1994, copies of which are in the Library of the House. Information on the thematic coverage of bids by reference to geographical area is not held centrally. Of the 201 successful bids under the first bidding round, about 35 per cent. related to a small area—under 25,000 population—about 29 per cent. related to a local authority district, about 19 per cent. related to an area greater than a local authority district, about 10 per cent were county-wide and about 7 per cent. were region-wide. These figures are subject to the final agreement of delivery plans between the individual SRB partnerships and the Government offices for the regions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his reply of 25 January, Official Report, column 206, if he will list the five local authorities which made unsuccessful bids for single regeneration budget moneys and the relevant regional offices.

The five local authorities are Cleethorpes, Great Grimsby, Halton, Nottingham and Pendle.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on Government policy with regard to internal markets for local authorities.

The Government welcome the focus on the efficient delivery of, cost-effective services which stems from the creation of an internal market for local authority services. From 1995–96, local authorities will be required to prepare and publish a statement of support service costs, setting out the full cost of support services. Making costs transparent through the framework of this statement will further stimulate the development of internal markets.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received regarding the non-collection of service charges on ex-local authority properties in Westminster.

Representations have been received from Councillor Andrew Dismore, the leader of the opposition, Westminster city council.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received concerning the future of local government in London; and what plans he has for a London-wide elected authority.

Londoners' responses to the consultation paper "London: Making the Best Better", published in November 1993, showed little support for a London-wide elected authority. I am unaware of any formal representations made since then. The Government have no plans for an additional elected authority for London.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will now make it his practice to give details of the agenda of meetings of the Cabinet Sub-Committee for London;(2) if he will now make it his practice to give dates of the meetings of the Cabinet Sub-Committee.

I do not propose to give details of the timing of meetings or the topics discussed by the Cabinet Sub-Committee for London. The Government will continue to make their decisions known to Parliament and the public in the usual ways.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of licensed premises have smoking free areas; and what studies his Department is conducting into the benefits of such areas.

My Department has no information on the numbers of licensed premises with smoking free areas. The benefits of smoking-free areas in public places, including licensed premises, are outlined in the Government's code of practice on smoking in public places.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in rank order all English local authorities according to where they fall in the social index.

The requested information has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce the appointment of an inspector for the public inquiry into the proposed Nirex rock characterisation facility in Cumbria; and what the terms of reference will be for the public inquiry.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State expects to make an announcement about these matters within the next two weeks.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each property type in Nottinghamshire the percentage increase in rateable values as a result of the 1995 revaluation compared with the 1990 list.

Draft rateable values in Nottinghamshire have increased by 28 per cent. overall. The rateable value for shops has increased by 32 per cent.,

Estimated increases or decrease in rate bills in England between 1994–95 and 1995–96 as a result of the 1995 revaluation in the absence of transitional relief—Nottinghamshire
1995–96 bill as a percentage of 1994–95 bill	Small properties		Large properties		All
	Number (000s)	Change £ millions	Number (000s)	Change £ millions	Number (000s)	Change £ millions
<50 per cent.	—	—	—	—	—	—
50 per cent.–80 per cent.	—	—	—	-1	—	-1
80 per cent.—120 per cent.	6	+1	1	+2	7	+3
120 per cent—200 per cent.	16	+16	5	+28	21	+43
200 per cent.—500 per cent	2	+3	-1	+3	2	+6
>500 per cent.	-1	-1	-1	+1	-1	+1
All	24	+20	6	+33	30	+52
All (after transitional relief)	24	+5	6	+10	30	+15

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide estimates for the total amount that has been paid to N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd. with respect to any work undertaken by it on privatisation programmes in which his Department has been engaged since 1979 after taking account of inflation.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce the pension he has determined for the retiring chairman of the Commission for the New Towns.

In accordance with the provisions of schedule 9 to the New Towns Act 1981, I am today placing a statement in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many coastal or estuarial sewage discharges under construction or planned include treatment to reduce or eliminate viral content;(2) how many sewage discharges receive treatment to reduce or eliminate viruses; and what percentage that represents of the total coastal discharges.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will produce a table in the same form as provided to the hon. Member for Coventry, South-West (Mr. Butcher) on 1 November 1994, Official Report, columns 1005–6, showing the increase in rate bills for properties in Nottinghamshire between 1994–95 and 1995–96 as a result of the 1995 revaluation, in the absence of transitional relief.

Estimates for Nottinghamshire based on the draft 1995 rating lists are shown in the table. I have also given the change in bills once transitional relief has been taken into account.

Sewage treatment which is at primary level or above will reduce the levels of viruses in discharges. The current and planned levels of treatment for sewage discharges into coastal and estuarial discharges under the urban waste water treatment directive are set out in the United Kingdom's report under article 17 A copy of this is in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research has been carried out by his Department into the health impacts of viruses in sea and river water.

The Government funded an extensive four year research programme into the health effects of sea-bathing, which was published in January 1994.Copies of the full report have been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what financial effect the inclusion of homelessness as an indicator has had on the grant settlement this year for (a) Coventry, (b) Wandsworth and (c) Westminster councils.

There is no specific amount for homelessness within standard spending assessments. However, homelessness is one of a large number of general indicators that are included within composite indices in the personal social services and all other services service blocks. They serve as an adjustment to increase or reduce the SSA, depending on the position of the authority relative to the average for all authorities. For the specified authorities, these homelessness indicators contribute the following adjustment:

	£ million
Coventry City Council	-1,790
London Borough of Wandsworth	+1,684
Westminster City Council	+3,519

It is the overall value of an index which is important in determining an authority's SSA and not the value of an individual indicator within an index.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which 10 councils gained most in this year's grant distribution as a result of homelessness being a factor in the standard spending assessment system.

There is no specific amount for homelessness within standard spending assessments. However, homelessness is one of a large number of general indicators that are included within composite indices in the personal social services and all other services service blocks. The 10 authorities which have the highest contribution from homelessness indicators are:

• Birmingham City Council
• Manchester City Council
• London Borough of Lambeth
• London Borough of Hackney
• London Borough of Southwark
• London Borough of Islington
• London Borough of Walsall
• Bradford City Council
• London Borough of Haringey
• London Borough of Westminster

It is the overall value of an index which is important in determining an authority's SSA and not the value of an individual indicator within an index.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those authorities which have made oral representations to Ministers as part of the consultation on his proposals for local government finance for 1995–96, showing in each case the Minister seen by the authority, the duration of the meeting and the main topics raised.

The table lists authorities which made oral representations to myself and other Ministers in my Department on the proposed locál government finance settlement for England for 1995–96. In addition, Home Office Ministers met a number of police authorities. The main topics raised in meetings with DOE Ministers are listed in the table. No note was made of the duration of meetings, but I and other Ministers have sought to make time available for the fullest consultation.