To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he would make a statement on the circumstances of the dismissal of Mr. A. K. Talwar from his post as a junior doctor at Craigavon area hospital in July 1992.

It is inappropriate for Ministers to become involved or comment on a matter which rests between the employer and the individual concerned. The question has been copied to the chairman of Craigavon Area Hospital Group HSS Trust, who has undertaken to write to the hon. Gentleman.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the percentage of disabled people directly employed by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

At 1 January 1994, 1,300 staff in the Northern Ireland civil service—4.3 per cent. of the service—self-reported a disability. Of these 476,—1.6 per cent. of the service—were, or had been, registered as disabled. In addition, 81 registered disabled people are working in the Northern Ireland civil service under the employment support programme.Of the home civil service staff in the Northern Ireland Office, one person is known to be registered disabled—0.45 per cent. of the work force.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will detail the main differences in the application of social security policy in Northern Ireland and elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

Northern Ireland maintains parity with Great Britain on social security policy and legislation. The social security schemes and the conditions for receiving them are therefore the same as those which apply in Great Britain, except in respect of council tax benefit legislation.

To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners, how many redundant churches there are in Lancashire which are earmarked for sale.

Three redundant churches and one redundant church site in Lancashire are earmarked for sale.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the number and percentage of defendants remanded in custody and committed for trial at the Crown court who were dealt with within 16 weeks in each year since the Prosecution of Offences (Custody Time Limits) Regulations 1987 came into force.

Information about the statutory time limits is not collected in the form requested. However, of the 23,749 defendants remanded in custody awaiting trial who were dealt with during 1994, 74.2 per cent.—about 17,630 defendants—waited less than 16 weeks. It is not possible to provide an accurate comparable figure for earlier periods.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what proposals he has for improving control over the granting of criminal legal aid in magistrates courts.

A number of measures are in hand. In particular, the Lord Chancellor has today laid before Parliament regulations requiring justices clerks to keep records of all applications for criminal legal aid, showing the reasons for deciding whether individual applications should be granted or refused. These regulations will come into force on 1 May 1995.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary; Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to extend the provisions for lay advocacy in the county courts; and when a timetable for this project will be set.

The situation is under review. If proposals to extend the current arrangements for lay representation in the county courts are pursued, they would be put out to public consultation.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make it his policy to ensure that civil proceedings in respect of which the causes of action arise in the counties of Clwyd, Gwynedd, Powys and Cheshire can be tried at all stages within the Mold/Chester group of courts; and if he will make a statement.

Rules of court govern the venue for commencement of civil proceedings. Once a case is under way it may be automatically transferred to the court where the defendant lives, or, by order of a judge, to any other court. In the light of these rules, it is not possible to say that all cases where the cause of action arises in the counties listed will be tried in the Mold/Chester group of courts.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on the future venues for civil proceedings in respect of which the causes of action arise in the counties of Clwyd, Gwynedd, Powys and Cheshire.

The Lord Chancellor has no current proposals to change the venue rules. Any proposed changes in the future will be subject to the usual consultation process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 27 February, Official Report, columns 394–95, if Her Majesty's Government are seeking to be orally represented in their own right before the European Court of Justice at the oral hearing requested by the Commission in the matter regarding the abolition of border controls.

We have submitted our written observations to the court, and intend to attend the oral hearing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the size of the European Union approved budget for human rights work in countries in transition; and if groups in Hong Kong may apply for the use of this money.

The European Parliament added a new "remark" to the 1995 budget line B7-5240 to the effect that the budget line could be used to

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit Gibraltar; and if he will make a statement.

I have no immediate plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Chief Minister of Gibraltar as to holding a constitutional conference to consider reforms to the 1969 constitution; and if he will make a statement.

None. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs confirmed to the Chief Minister in a letter on 13 February that he would be willing to listen to the views of Gibraltarians and the Gibraltar Government on how the constitution might be developed. But we have always made clear that any changes would have to be realistic in the circumstances of Gibraltar.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent evaluation Her Majesty's Government have conducted in respect of the human rights situation in Turkey; and if he will make a statement.

Turkey's human rights performance has long given cause for concern. We monitor the situation closely and take every opportunity to express our concerns to the Turkish authorities and to point out the need for reform.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations he has received in the last three years from Kurdish groups situated in the United Kingdom regarding the position of Kurds living in Turkey; and if he will make a statement.

We have received numerous representations in the last three years from Kurdish groups situated in the United Kingdom regarding the position of Kurds living in Turkey. We take every opportunity to make clear to the Turkish authorities our concern at the human rights abuses arising from the conflict in south-east Turkey.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations he has received about the position of Kurds living in Turkey in the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

We have received numerous representations in the last three years about the position of Kurds living in Turkey. We take every opportunity to make known to the Turkish authorities our concern at the human rights abuses arising from the conflict in south-east Turkey.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he proposes to make to the Turkish authorities regarding the recent failure of six Kurdish Members of Parliament to have their appeal upheld; and if he will make a statement.

The Kurdish Members of Parliament exercised their right to appeal against the sentences imposed on them in Ankara last December. We understand no date has yet been set for a further hearing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to raise the issue of global sex trade in women and children at (a) the United Nations conference on women in Beijing and (b) the UN social summit in Copenhagen.

The draft declaration and programme of action to be negotiated at the world summit for social development in Copenhagen already address the issue of sexual exploitation. We support this and hope that such language will he strengthened at the fourth world conference on women in Beijing later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met Amre Moussa, Foreign Minister of Egypt, to discuss the Lockerbie situation; and what contact he has had since.

I have regular discussions with the Egyptian Foreign Minister, most recently on 21 November 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs following his undertaking given in Glasgow on 3 February to look into the claims made by the Bradford police surgeon, Dr. David Fieldhouse, what action he has taken to verify Dr. Fieldhouse's claims about the body count at Lockerbie on 21, 22 and 23 December 1988.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs undertook to look into the apparent difference between a reply he gave to a question from the hon. Member for Linlithgow during the Adjournment debate on 1 February and Dr. Fieldhouse's subsequent statement. He wrote to Dr. Fieldhouse on 13 February explaining the basis for his reply. He has also written to the hon. Member about this issue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has sought from Juge Bruguière in France, in relation to the UTA case, with particular reference to support for a Libyan connection for Lockerbie.

We have had regular contact with Juge Bruguière about the UTA case ever since he began his inquiry, in the course of which he has issued warrants in respect of several Libyan nationals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will enter into discussions with Dr. Esmat Abdul Meguid with a view to resolving the Lockerbie case.

I discussed the Lockerbie issue with Dr. Meguid, the Secretary General of the Arab League, in November 1994. Her Majesty's ambassador at Cairo has regular discussions with Dr Meguid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs following the court case, Air Malta v. Granada Television, and pursuant to the Prime Minister's answer of 31 January, Official Report, column 558, what evidence has been found to substantiate a Malta connection with the Lockerbie bombing.

Two Libyan nationals are accused of having placed, or having caused to be placed, the bomb which destroyed flight PA 103 on board an Air Malta flight from Luqa airport on 21 December 1988. As the hon. Gentleman knows, I cannot comment on the detail of the evidence against the two accused while criminal proceedings are pending. The recent out-of-court settlement between Air Malta and Granada Television has no bearing on the prosecution case against the two accused. I understand that the story in relation to which Air Malta brought the action was based on allegations different in detail from those contained in the warrants for the arrest of the two Libyans accused.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration has been given to evidence involving officials of countries other than Libya in relation to Lockerbie; and what efforts Her Majesty's Government have made to obtain such evidence concerning nationals of countries, other than Libya, undertaken on 20 January 1992, Official Report, column 159.

The Lockerbie investigators have given exhaustive consideration to all information relevant to the Lockerbie bombing. The possible involvement by nationals of a number of countries has been very closely investigated. Despite the unprecedented scale of the investigation, the available evidence does not support charges against the nationals of any country besides Libya. But the investigation remains open and any relevant new information will be considered.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason Her Majesty's Government supported the United States decision that the Montreal convention, requiring attempts at conciliation and arbitration, should not be applied in relation to Pan Am 103 and Lockerbie; and what the preferred action was through the UN Security Council.

The question of the applicability of the Montreal convention is pending before the International Court of Justice. We and the US Government referred to the UN Security Council Libya's failure to surrender the two accused of the Lockerbie bombing in view of the frequently expressed concerns of the United Nations about the effect of terrorism on international peace and security.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has had from Esmat Abdul Meguid on the issue of Libya's position in relation to the Lockerbie case.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave on 18 January, Official Report, column 497.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with the German Government the refusal of the Federal Republic of Germany to join the United States and United Kingdom indictment in respect of Lockerbie; and what grounds Volke Rath, the German public prosecutor, gave for the decision.

The Lockerbie bombing was a crime committed against a United States aircraft over Scotland. It is logical and right that the trial of those accused should take place in one of those two countries. I understand that Mr Rath has stated that he does not have sufficient evidence against the two accused to bring proceedings in Germany. In so stating, he was merely referring to the evidence available to him as part of the investigation by him as the state prosecutor at Frankfurt.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice was sought from Her Majesty's Government by the German Government on the reply that they should give to the letter to Bundeskanzler Helmut Kohl, in German, from a German national, Elizabeth Mosey, mother of a Lockerbie victim, of 23 January; and what advice was given by Her Majesty's Government.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assurances he has given to the Council of Europe Assembly following the enquiries of 25 January from the hon. Member for Wentworth (Mr. Hardy), about the accuracy of British information in relation to Lockerbie and Libya.

I replied to the hon. Member for Wentworth (Mr. Hardy) on 6 February.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his oral statement of 1 February, Official Report, column 1058, on Lockerbie, whether he will place in the Library the records of the exchanges between the Scottish Police and the Bundeskriminalamt and the Verfassungschutz on this issue of whether Scottish detectives could directly question Mr. Ghadanfar and Mr. Dalkomoni in relation to the destruction of Pan Am 103.

There was no question of Scottish detectives directly questioning these persons. In common with many countries, Germany does not permit foreign investigators to conduct interviews on individuals in Germany, but permits interviews to be carried out at the request of foreign authorities by German police, prosecutors or judges as appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he took on reports emanating from the East German News Agency, broadcast by English News from Moscow, that the type of fuse used in the Lockerbie bombing was one of a small number made by a Swiss firm, which went to the East Germans.

I am not aware of the reports to which the hon. Gentleman refers. It would in any event be inappropriate to comment on details of investigative steps taken while criminal proceedings are pending.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his letter of 9 December 1993 to the hon. Member for Linlithgow, if he will discuss with the German Government the visit to Germany of the Iranian Intelligence Minister, Mr. Fallahian, and subsequent visits by Iranian Ministers at which the destruction of Pan Am 103 was discussed.

We have regular discussions with the German Government on a wide range of issues of mutual interest. I am not aware that the destruction of Pan Am 103 has been the subject of discussion between the German authorities and Mr. Fallahian.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the basis for his assertion on 3 February at the Scottish Oils Club's annual dinner that a trial relating to Lockerbie would be prejudiced by a public inquiry.

There has already been a public inquiry into the circumstances of the deaths—the fatal accident inquiry held from October 1990 to February 1991. A further public inquiry could hardly fail to encroach upon areas of evidence which can only properly be made public in the context of a criminal trial, where the accused are legally represented and are able to test the strength of the evidence. The public examination of such areas of evidence in any other public forum prior to the criminal trial would prejudice any future prosecution.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the statements by the Government of Iran in the possession of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that the skies would rain blood on America, as a result of the shooting down of an Iranian Airbus by the USS Vincennes.

My Department does not have in its possession any such formal statements by the Government of Iran. However, we are aware of an unattributed comment on similar lines broadcast on Tehran Radio in July 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he was last in contact with the Government of Finland about the identity of a caller to the US embassy in Helsinki on 5 December 1988, warning that within two weeks a bomb would be carried on to an American airliner from Frankfurt, destination New York.

The credibility of this warning was examined by police officers involved in the Lockerbie investigation, who travelled to Helsinki for this purpose. It was discounted at an early stage of the investigation. We have not therefore pursued this further with the Finnish Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration he is giving to the death of a British subject, Mr. Prazak, on 22 December 1992, on a Libyan airliner on an internal flight in the light of approaches from Mrs. Felicity Prazak, a British citizen.

I was very sad to hear of Mr. Prazak's death. In March 1994 permission was granted for settlement of insurance claims due to families of victims of the crash.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's communications with the solicitors of Pan Am, Windels, Marx, Davies and Ives, regarding aspects of the destruction of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie.

It would not be proper to comment on such communications.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his oral answer of 1 February, to the right hon. Member for Tweedale, Ettrick and Lauderdale (Sir D. Steel), Official Report, column 1062, what further assessment he has made, following the letter of 3 February from Professor R. Black of the Law Faculty of Edinburgh university on whether legislation would be necessary to allow those suspected of the Lockerbie crime to be tried elsewhere than Scotland or the United States of America.

I replied to Professor Black on 28 February. The question of whether legislation might be necessary to facilitate a trial of the two accused outside Scotland or the United States is in any event immaterial. They should appear before the appropriate United Kingdom or United States court, as confirmed by the United Nations Security Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what conclusions he has drawn from the case of Air Malta v. Granada Television in relation to Lockerbie.

Two Libyan nationals are accused of having placed, or having caused to be placed, the bomb which destroyed flight PA 103 on board an Air Malta flight from Luqa Airport on 21 December 1988. As the hon. Gentleman knows, I cannot comment on the detail of the evidence against the two accused while criminal proceedings are pending. The recent out-of-court settlement between Air Malta and Granada Television has no bearing on the prosecution case against the two accused. I understand that the story in relation to which Air Malta brought the action was based on allegations different in detail from those contained in the warrants for the arrest of the two Libyans accused.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date Her Majesty's Government were informed by the German Government of the decision to free Abdul Ghadanfar in November 1994.

It is not normal practice for one Government to inform another about the release from its prison of the nationals of third countries, unless there are outstanding judicial requests concerning particular individuals. Since no such requests existed in the case of Mr. Ghadanfar, there was no reason for the German Government to inform us of his release.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he was informed of and consulted about the release of and the decision to free Abdul Ghadanfar by the German authorities in November 1994; and if he will make a statement.

It is not normal practice for one Government to inform another about the release from its prison of the nationals of third countries, unless there are outstanding judicial requests concerning particular individuals. Since no such requests existed in the case of Mr. Ghadanfar, there was no reason for the German Government to inform us of his release.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date the request by the Scottish police to interview Abdul Ghadartfar was transmitted to the German Government.

Disclosure of the fact that Messrs Ghadanfar and Dalkamouni were interviewed was an exceptional step taken only because of the unwarranted criticisms which had been, and were continuing to be, made of the German authorities and the Scottish police. It would not be appropriate to go beyond this by discussing details of confidential communications between the Scottish police and prosecuting authorities and their counterparts in Germany, or indeed in any other country.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the percentage of disabled people directly employed by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

As at 1 January 1995, the percentage of registered disabled people employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, including the Overseas Development Administration and its agency, was 0.71 per cent. Figures for non-registered disabled people in the FCO-ODA are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which states on the continent of Africa support UN sanctions against Libya.

When Security Council resolution 883, which strengthened sanctions against Libya, was adopted in November 1993, Cape Verde then President of the Security Council voted in favour of the resolution; Dijbouti and Morocco abstained. Egypt and Sudan were also in attendance, without the right to vote, and both spoke against the resolution. There has been no relevant vote at the UN since then.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library those sections of the report of Her Majesty's Government under section 5 of the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993 concerning the social economic and environmental goals specified in article 2 of the Treaty on European Union.

I have been asked to reply.Chapters 4, 5 and 6 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report" form the report to Parliament for the purposes of section 5 of the European Communities Amendment Act. In order to comply with the requirements of articles 103(3) and 104c of the treaty on European Union, my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor wrote to Mr. de Silguy at the European Commission on 2 March 1995, enclosing copies of the Budget statement, the 1995–96 FSBR, the March 1995 excessive deficits return and the information required under section 4 of the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993. A copy of this letter with attachments has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is the percentage of disabled people directly employed by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

The latest available figures show that 14 staff employed by my Department, excluding our two agencies, identified themselves as disabled. This represents 3.8 per cent. of all staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the mechanism whereby staff in his Department report approaches from outside employers offering employment; and how these reports of approaches or job offers are differentiated from applications under the business appointment rules.

Staff considering any approach from an outside employer offering employment for which approval would be required under the business appointment rules are required to report the approach to an officer two grades higher in their line management chain. Staff in sections concerned with procurement or contract work are required to report any such approach whether or not they are considering taking it up. Applications to accept outside appointments require the completion of a detailed application form and are considered centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff working in sections concerned with procurement or contract work, and at what grades, have left his Department since February 1993 (a) to retire and (b) to take other employment.

Our records do not categorise retirements and resignations by the type of work in which the individuals were last engaged. In any event, staff, other than very senior staff, are not required to advise the Department of their future employment plans except where this involves certain types of employment such as defence-related industries or companies with which they have had official contact during their service with the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many persons and at what grades, work in sections concerned with procurement or contract work.

No central record is kept of the number of staff in my Department who are wholly or partly employed in the many areas concerned with procurement, and the information could not therefore be provided. The numbers and grades at executive officer level and above in sections, other than those in the separate defence agencies, directly involved with contracts work are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was his response to the communication sent by Colonel James Sullivan of the office of the Secretary of the United States Air Force on 17 November 1994 concerning the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie.

None. My right hon. and learned Friend received no such communication.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence between what dates Maurice Callejas served in the Royal Artillery.

Although it is not normally our practice to disclose such information, my noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence would be happy to look into any matters concerning this individual if the hon. Member were to write to him with the background.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the percentage of disabled people directly employed by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

My Department monitors its civilian staff to gather data on those who have a disability, for which they may or may not be registered. The results from the monitoring show that, on 1 October last year, 5.1 per cent. of the civilian staff employed by the Ministry of Defence and its agencies has some form of disability. Of these, 1.3 per cent. were registered disabled.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department (a) hold open meetings, (b) conduct public consultation exercises, (c) conduct consultation exercises without commercial interests, (d) publish a register of members' interests, (e) publish agendas for meetings and (f) publish the minutes of meetings; and whether, in each of the above categories, this is (i) under statutory requirement or (ii) voluntary.

Of the advisory non departmental public bodies sponsored by my Department, the advisory committee on conscientious objectors holds open meetings on a voluntary basis, for which it publishes agendas.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were the differentials between levels of compensatory payments made to officers and other ranks for deaths and serious injuries suffered in the Falklands War; and what steps have been taken since to reduce these differentials.

The armed forces pension scheme administered by my Department provides occupational pension benefits for the eligible dependants of those killed in war, and to personnel who are invalided from service as a result of injuries sustained in war.The invaliding and dependants' pension benefits for personnel injured or killed due to service are paid at enhanced levels to provide a guaranteed minimum level of income. The rates of pension are based on representative rates of pay for each rank, since AFPS benefits, like many other occupational pension schemes, are salary-related. The level of award for those attributably invalided also takes into account the degree of disability. There will therefore be differences in the level of awards for all ranks, whether they are officers or other ranks.Invalidity and death benefits for service personnel are being considered in a general review of the AFPS being undertaken at present as part of the independent review of armed forces' manpower, career and remuneration structures by Mr. Michael Bett.War disability pensions, which are administered by the Department of Social Security, are not rank related; they are based solely on the degree of disablement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has held on the continuing presence of UNPROFOR forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina with General Sir Michael Rose since he relinquished his command there, with particular reference to the implications for the safety of this mission of President Tudjman's call for the withdrawal of UNPROFOR from Croatia on 31 March; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend took the opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues on the former Yugoslavia with General Rose when he returned to the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the number of appeals for redress of complaint concerning the scale of redundancy entitlement for ex-service personnel which are currently outstanding; what is the average time taken to process such appeals; and when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for East Lothian dated 23rd May 1994 about Mr. Eric Wright.

[holding answer 3 March 1995]: There are at present 101 applications outstanding. These were received in my Department between May and December last year.The length of time being taken to process these appeals reflects the need to ensure consistent treatment for each individual in the light of all the circumstances. I am afraid that consideration of these cases is not yet complete. My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence will send a substantive reply to the hon. Member as soon as the Army board has reached its conclusions.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he has to review research allocations to reduce the development gap which he identified to the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology.

Over the next few months I shall be reviewing with colleagues the implications of "Technology Foresight" on departmental science and technology programmes.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress his Department has made in the past 12 months on changing the structure of Government.

In the past 12 months, 12 next steps agencies have been created and one civil service body has been privatised. In the 12 months to September 1994, over 400 activities worth a total of £1 billion were reviewed under the "Competing for Quality" programme resulting in savings worth about £275 million a year. All this is indicative of the Government's continued determination to strive for ever greater efficiency and effectiveness within the civil service.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement setting out the areas of which the citizens charter will be extended.

The charter already applies to all public services, but we continually seek to extend charter principles to raise all those services to the quality of the best. For example, this year we are seeking user nominations for the charter mark awards. This should make users more conscious of the standards of services they receive, and increase customer pressure for improvements in poorer quality organisations.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the annual budget for the development unit set up by his Department to promote women into science, engineering and technology.

The unit is an integral part of the Office of Science and Technology. We need to attract the best people into science, engineering and technology—men and women. The unit has an important role to play in this and will have the funding it needs.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he is taking to improve morale within the civil service.

The Government take very seriously indeed the need to maintain high morale in the civil service. In the Command Paper on the civil service, published in January, the Government set out policies which they believe will maintain and improve morale by providing a framework within which civil servants can give of their best.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the percentage of disabled people directly employed by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary gave to the hon. Member for Dundee, East (Mr. McAllion) on 1 February Official Report, column 712.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what information he has in respect of research which has been carried out to date in the United Kingdom in respect of isolating human genes; and if he will make a statement.

The Medical Research Council, which receives its funding from my Department, supports an extensive programme of work on the isolation and characterisation of human genes under the human genome mapping project initiative. Research is being carried out at the HGMP research centre in Cambridge, at MRC funded units—for example, the human genetics unit in Edinburgh—and through grant support to researchers in universities. In 1993–94, the council's expenditure on this research was £5.6 million, and work to exploit the fruits of this activity is being carried out under the council's "Genetic Approach to Human Health Initiative".Considerable progress has been, and continues to be made in this area. A number of genes have already been isolated by council-supported scientist, including, for example, the gene for polycystic kidney disease.Officials from the MRC are always willing to discuss and consider scientifically based, sound proposals. The prospects for funding of research into the isolation of human genes will therefore depend on the nature and quality of any applications received.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, further to the information provided in paragraph 4.23 of his Department's 1995 report and expenditure plans, when he expects to publish the draft legislation on access to personal records and health and safety information.

Proposals for legislation on access to personal records and health and safety information will be introduced when the parliamentary timetable permits.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he has to arrange further ministerial accountability for agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Ministers are accountable for all the work of their Departments, including agencies. The Government's position was set out fully in Command Paper 2748, including the response to the TCSC conclusions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those instances in 1994 where permissions to burn Cemfuel was refused.

[pursuant to his reply, 24 February 1995, c. 350]: I regret that one of the locations given was incorrect. The two plants which use Cemfuel are Castle Cement at Clitheroe and Ketton. Limited trials have taken place at these sites. There has been no other formal application to burn Cemfuel.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimates he has made of the amount of Cemfuel burnt (a) in England and (b) in Lancashire in 1994.

[pursuant to his reply, 14 February 1995, c. 350]: I regret that the figures given were incorrect. The total estimated quantity of Cemfuel used in England in 1994 was 37,000 tonnes, of which 34,000 was used in Lancashire.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what response he has made to the DRI/McGraw-Hill report on carbon emissions across Europe, a copy of which has been sent to him.

The Department has no record of having received the report. I am, however, aware of its conclusions, which the Government do not share.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many sites of special scientific interest there are now, and how many there were five years ago.

At 31 March 1990, there was 3404 SSSIs in England. AT 31 March 1994, the latest date for which figures have been published there were 3794.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list by location all sites of special scientific interest in England and Wales.

English Nature produces a list of sites of special scientific interest by county. I have arranged for a copy to be placed in the Library. Matters relating to Wales are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales. However, I understand that the Countryside Council for Wales produces similar information on request.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many (a) men and (b) women applied for career breaks in his Department or its agencies; and how many have had their employment terminated in the last five years.

The number of people who have applied for career breaks is not available, but the number of such breaks, by gender, in the period January 1990 to December 1994 were four men and one hundred and thirty one women, none of whom have had their employment terminated.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the plans for opencast coal mining in Oxfordshire were submitted.

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to extend and develop the network of bridleways in England.

The Government have endorsed the target to ensure that the whole network of footpaths, bridleways and byways open to all traffic is properly maintained and recorded on definitive maps by the year 2000. The Secretary of State was also pleased recently to approve the Countryside Commission's proposals for the Pennine bridleway national trial.Local authorities have powers to create bridleways by agreement or order. While the provision of facilities for specific recreational activities is a matter for local authorities to consider, planning policy guidance note 17 encourages them to include in local plans policies and proposals on the availability of rights of way.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the percentage of disabled people directly employed by his Department and if he will make a statement.

In 1994, the combined percentage of registered and non-registered disabled people employed in my Department was equivalent to 2 per cent. of total non-industrial staff, excluding PSAS.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to amend the Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1988 in respect of development requiring environmental assessment.

My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Wales have today laid before Parliament the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995 and the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995. These two instruments consolidate the General Development Order 1988 and its numerous amending orders. Following public consultation in 1993, the Permitted Development Order also introduces provisions whereby permitted development rights granted by article 3 of the order are withdrawn for development that should be subject to environmental assessment. It is proposed that the measures will come into force on 3 June 1995. From that date, permitted development rights will no longer apply to the types of projects listed in schedule 1 to the Town and Country Planning (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations 1988, the EA regulations, or to developments within any of the categories in schedule 2 to the EA Regulations if they would be likely to have significant environmental effects unless, for example, other procedures associated with those developments provide for environmental assessment. We anticipate that only a small number of developments will be affected by these changes, since most projects carried out under permitted development rights are minor and would not be expected to have significant environmental effects.My right hon. Friends have also today laid before Parliament the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Assessment and Permitted Development) Regulations 1995. These, too, are proposed to come into force on 3 June 1995. Under the regulations a developer may apply to the local planning authority for an opinion on whether a particular development, which would otherwise benefit from permitted development rights, will require environmental assessment, and consequently a planning application.A developer receiving an opinion from the planning authority that environmental assessment is required may appeal to the Secretary of State for a direction. Where the local authority is both the developer and planning authority, or where someone proposes a joint development with a local authority, an opinion on the need for EA may be sought from the Secretary of State.Guidance to local planning authorities and developers on the effect and operation of the new measures is to be issued in the next few days.Copies of the 67 non-confidential responses to the consultation paper have been placed in the Department of the Environment and Welsh Office libraries, and a summary and list of the responses have been deposited in the Libraries of both Houses together with a compliance cost assessment.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to produce guidance on the design, construction and operation of landfills.

Landfill is the predominant method of waste disposal in this country, and will remain of major importance as far into the future as we can see. Landfills, unless they are properly designed, built and operated, can have a major impact on the atmosphere, the soil and the water supply. Unless we ensure that landfill uses the best possible techniques, we shall have failed the test of sustainability.We are therefore publishing today a consultation draft of waste management paper 26B, "Landfill design, construction and operational practice". The draft paper has been prepared by consultants. They have drawn extensively on the waste management industry's experience of landfill techniques, on the waste regulators' particular skills, and on their own specialised knowledge of landfill engineering as a technical discipline.The consultation period will be until 10 May 1995. Subject to the results of the consultation, waste management paper 26B should be published in late summer 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has for improving local services by streamlining the regulation of local government; and if he will make a statement.

The Government are determined to remove all unnecessary bureaucratic regulation of local government. As part of this commitment my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Wales have today published a paper for consultation, "Deregulating Local Government".The paper makes proposals for further specific measures in the following areas of local authority activity: enforcement action, finance and administration, housing, personal social services, and traffic and highways. It also reviews progress to date on freeing up local government from unnecessary bureaucratic requirements, Finally, it invites consultees to put forward their own proposals for further streamlining and reducing the regulation of local government.Regulatory regimes for local government should be kept to the minimum necessary to safeguard our national policies for services and the management of the economy. This will help local authorities to be responsive to the needs and wishes of their local businesses and citizens, and to provide them with quality services which they want and can afford.I have arranged for copies of the paper to be placed in the Library. Copies are also being sent to the local authority associations, individual local authorities, and to other interested bodies, all of whom are being invited to respond by 1 May 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the financial benefits to the Exchequer of the privatisation of the water industry; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 2 March]: Privatisation allowed the water industry access to private sector funds, removing its dependence on the Exchequer. This has enabled a much increased investment programme of around £3 billion each year since 1989 to improve drinking water quality and the water environment as well as allowing the necessary maintenance of infrastructure. For example, in England and Wales in 1993, 99 per cent. of 3.5 million tests met the drinking water quality and between 1990 and 1993 there was a net upgrading in quality of nearly 16 per cent. of river length—the proportion of rivers in the highest quality class increased and the proportion in the lower classes reduced.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the cost of removing phosphates from water in England and Wales (a) in total and (b) by water authority to stop the formation of algal blooms in reservoirs in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

The Department does not collect information of this kind.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the management plan setting out his policies on imports and exports of waste.

My Department has today issued for public consultation a draft of the management plan or imports and exports of waste, copies of which have been placed in the Library. This sets out in detail the Government's policies on waste imports and exports, which were outlined in a statement on 15 June last year.The waste management plan will be an important component in the system of controls over transfrontier movements of waste. It gives guidance to regulators and to industry as to the types of shipment which will in future be allowed into and out of the United Kingdom, and those which will not. In particular, it helps towards achieving the Government's aim of self-sufficiency in waste disposal, both at national and European Community levels. The plan is separate from, but consistent with, the waste strategy for England and Wales, a draft of which was yesterday issued for consultation.The key proposals of the management plan for imports and exports are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the percentage of disabled people directly employed by her Department, and if she will make a statement.

The DFE's Department annual disabled person's return for 1994 shows that the number of registered disabled people employed by the Department is 60, representing 2.9 per cent. of the total.This figure refers only to staff who are registered disabled. There are disabled people employed by the Department who chose not to register, and therefore do not appear in the figures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what considerations underlie the policy of requiring a compulsory act of worship for those school students who are older than the statutory age for school attendance.

Collective worship helps to establish a positive ethos in a school community, and makes a vital contribution to pupils' moral and spiritual development.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education when she expects to answer the letters from the hon. Member for Bradford, South of 17 October 1994 and 27 January 1995 concerning Mr. Michael Johnson.

The letters received holding replies dated 2 November 1994 and 15 February 1995 respectively. A substantive reply to Mr. Johnson's request for the Secretary of State to intervene in his case was sent on 2 March 1995 and, as promised, a copy was sent to the hon. Member for Bradford, South.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, (1) if she will publish a table showing (a) the number and (b) the proportion of overseas students studying for a first degree in every university in the United Kingdom (i) in 1994–95 and (ii) in 1984–85;(2) if she will publish a table showing

The available information, covering both questions on universities in England is shown in the table. My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the budget for the youth service unit for 1993–94, 1994–95 and 1995–96.

[holding answer 28 February 1995]: In 1993–94, the running costs of the youth service unit amounted to £382,000. It is anticipated that the costs in 1994–95 will be roughly £435,000. The unit's budget for 1995–96 has not yet been fixed. These figures reflect changes in the functions of the unit from year to year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what sums will be available to the aid budget in 1996–97 as a consequence of the decision to fund the Pergau dam and other aid and trade provision projects from reserves.

The planning figure for the 1996–97 aid programme remains as announced by my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 29 November 1994. As my right hon. Friend and Foreign Secretary made clear in his statement to the House on 13 December 1994, final figures for the aid programme in 1996–97 and later years will as usual be determined during the annual public expenditure survey in the light of all relevant factors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current position of the Overseas Development Administration on the supply of four-wheel drive vehicles to overseas non-governmental organisations; and if priority is given to British products.

We undertake procurement in accordance with aid tying rules agreed with the DTI under which we look to United Kingdom supply sources wherever possible. These rules apply no differently to four-wheel drive vehicles than to any other equipment provided as part of the aid programme. However, our prime concern is to ensure that our programmes, whether operated by ourselves or by NGOs on our behalf, have satisfactory equipment with which to undertake their work where and when they need it.

To ask the Attorney General what is the percentage of disabled people directly employed by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

The information for the Departments for which I am responsible as at 31 December 1994 is set out in the table. Each of the Law Officers' Departments is an equal opportunities employer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer on 28 February, Official Report, columns 502–3, on what date his Department was notified of (a) the proposal and (b) actual payment of the grant by the Cardiff Bay development corporation to Grosvenor Waterside plc for the development of Crickowell house.

My Department was approached by the corporation in July 1991 about a contribution towards infrastructure costs associated with the construction of Crickowell house.An agreed contribution was paid by the corporation in March 1994.