To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the total expenditure on (a) all forms of publicity and (b) all publications and pamphlets produced for his Department and for all the agencies and public bodies for which his Department is responsible for each year since 1979, including the budgeted figure for 1995–96, (i) including and (ii) excluding privatisation-related expenditures and expressed in 1994 prices; and if he will supply information for the period from 1 April 1993 to 1 March 1995 showing (1) the nature and (2) the purpose of each publicity campaign and of each publication involving the expenditure of more than £50,000.

The cost of publicity, publications and pamphlets, including court forms, produced centrally by the Lord Chancellor's Department since 1992 is as follows:

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department in what circumstances and under what provisions legal aid can be refused to Mr. Gerry Adams in his application for judicial review against the British Government; and what changes in the law are necessary to prevent Mr. Gerry Adams from claiming legal aid in his application for judicial review.

All applicants for civil legal aid must pass a test of their financial means and of the merits of their case if they are to be awarded legal aid by the Legal Aid Board. Legal aid will be refused if the applicant is unable to satisfy either of these tests. The statutory basis for the grant of legal aid is the Legal Aid Act 1988 and the regulations made under it. Mr. Adams will be treated in the same way as any other applicant for legal aid. Any changes in the law relating to legal aid are made only when it seems sensible to do so in respect of all applicants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what research his Department has carried out over the last 10 years into the extent of workplace bullying.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proposals he has for introducing a code of practice aimed at avoiding incidents of (a) workplace victimisation and (b) intimidation of employees.

The Department has no plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total expenditure on (a) all forms of publicity and (b) all publication and pamphlets produced for his Department and for all the agencies and public bodies for which his Department is responsible, for each year since 1979, including the budgeted figure for 1995–96, (i) including and (ii) excluding privatisation-related expenditures and expressed in 1994 prices; and if he will supply information for the period from 1 April 1993 to 1 March 1995 showing (1) the nature and (2) the purpose of each publicity campaign and of each publication involving the expenditure of more than –50,000.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 3 March 1995, Official Report, columns 747–48, which provides information on all publicity expenditure for each year since 1979. The budgeted figure for advertising and publicity for 1995–96 is £10.6 million. Further information broken down by type of publicity is not available.Separate information on privatisation-related publicity is not available.Information about individual publications between 1 April 1993 and 1 March 1995 involving the expenditure of more than £50,000 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.The following publicity campaigns costing over £50,000 were conducted during the period:

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if, under the proposed jobseeker's allowance, he intends to retain the provisions in regulation 7B of the Social Security (Unemployment, Sickness and Invalidity Benefit) Regulations concerning restrictions on availability for work resulting from the person's physical or mental condition.

Jobseeker's allowance claimants will normally be expected to be available for a minimum of 40 hours a week. Regulations will reflect our policy that claimants with a mental or physical condition will be able to restrict their availability in accordance with their disability.

To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an application for an exhibition relating to the Refugee Council to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from Monday 19 June to Friday 23 June 1995.

To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an application for an exhibition relating to Child 2000 to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from Monday 12 June to Friday 16 June 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the total expenditure on (a) all forms of publicity and (b) all publications and pamphlets produced for his Department and for all the agencies and public bodies for which his Department is responsible, for each year since 1979, including the budgeted figure for 1995–96, (i) including and (ii) excluding privatisation-related expenditures and expressed in 1994 prices; and if he will supply information for the period from 1 April 1993 to 1 March 1995 showing (1) the nature and (2) the purpose of each publicity campaign and of each publication involving the expenditure of more than £50,000.

For expenditure by my Department and its agencies on above-the-line advertising, I refer the hon. Gentlemen to the replies I gave on 14 February, Official Report, columns 524–25. Information on other forms of publicity could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the location of each automatic open level crossing (a) remotely and (b) locally monitored, which currently fails to meet the criteria specified in the report produced by Professor Stott, with the dates by which the replacement of the level crossing is expected to be completed.

Of the 250 automatic open crossings on the British Rail system at the time of the Stott report, 74 were identified as likely to fail to meet the criteria established by Professor Stott.The Health and Safety Executive's railway inspectorate has advised me that all remotely monitored automatic open level crossings now meet the Stott report criteria.The following four locally monitored automatic open level crossings currently remain to be converted to meet the Stott report criteria.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the cost of his Department's expenditure on water and sewerage in (a) the current year and (b) each of the three previous years.

My Department spent the following amounts on water and sewerage during the financial years indicated:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what response he has made to the proposals set out by the Director General of Water Services at the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Communities, Sub-committee C on the environment, public health and education, on 1 March, on the placing of a legal duty on water companies to promote the efficient use of sewerage services.

My right hon. Friend is meeting the Director General of Water Services to discuss the issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will consult the Secretary of State for Education about the implications for the education service of the Local Government Commission's recommendations in respect of Berkshire;(2) if he will consult the Secretary of State for National Heritage about the implications for the public: library service of the Local Government Commission's recommendations in respect of Berkshire;(3) if he will consult the Secretary of State for Transport about the implications for transport planning of the Local Government Commission's recommendations in respect of Berkshire;(4) if he will consult the Secretary of State for Health about the implications for social services, with particular reference to the development of community care and the protection of mental health, of the Local Government Commission's recommendations in respect of Berkshire.

Decisions made by Government, including decisions on the recommendations of the Local Government Commission, are taken collectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received concerning the recommendations of the Local Government Commission in respect of Berkshire; and how many of these opposed the proposals.

We have received some 5,400 letters. Many of these have not been couched in terms of support for, or opposition to, the commission's recommended local government structure for the county as a whole, but approximately three quarters have expressed opposition to change. We have also received a petition of some 10,000 signatures in support of an alternative unitary structure and one of some 4,300 signatures in favour of a unitary Reading on extended boundaries. One hundred and thirty-five pro-forma leaflets have been received, 39 of which have expressed opposition to change.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the Local Government Commission included the status quo as an option for public consultation in its review of local government structure in Berkshire.

No. The commission's consultation report and leaflets did, however, explain that it must recommend to the Government whether to change the existing structure of local government in the county or whether to make no change.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to reach a decision on the recommendation of the Local Government Commission in respect of Berkshire.

As my right hon. Friend told the House on 2 March, Official Report, columns 1183–1202, he expects to be able to make a statement in the very near future on Berkshire and those other counties on which decisions about local government structure have yet to be announced.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate the Local Government Commission has made of the additional administrative staff required by the proposals in respect of Berkshire.

The commission's financial estimates of costs and savings associated with its proposals for local government reorganisation in Berkshire, which were made publicly available in December 1994, incorporated the assumption that 129 additional staff would be required compared with the status quo. The staffing levels of local authorities are, however, ultimately a matter for the authorities themselves.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if joint arrangements between authorities would be needed for the implementation of the Local Government Commission's recommendation in respect of Berkshire.

It would be for the Berkshire local authorities to consider the most suitable means of service delivery, including whether voluntary joint arrangements were desirable for particular functions. For the fire service, the Local Government Commission has recommended a statutory joint authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what agreement he has arrived at with the member of the European Commission responsible for the regional development fund concerning the retrospective element of the single programme document in the United Kingdom objective 2 areas with effect from 1 January 1994.

The regulations governing the use of the EC structural funds provide for expenditure incurred after 1 January 1994 to be eligible for European regional development fund grant. Projects which involve retrospective expenditure will be considered at the first bidding round in each programme area. No other agreement has a been reached regarding retrospection in the objective 2 programmes for which my Department is responsible.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what negotiations he has carried out on the setting up of a programme for the European regional development fund for the eligible parts of the United Kingdom for objective 2 funding for the period commencing 1 January 1997.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the shire county areas, in respect of which the Local Government Commission has recommended the total abolition of the county council in favour of unitary authorities; and what percentage they represent of all shire county areas.

The Local Government Commission recommended an all-unitary structure of local government in 10 county areas—that is, 26 per cent. of the 39 shire county areas in England. Specifically, it recommended that the county councils in Avon, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cleveland, Dorset, Humberside, North Yorkshire and Somerset should be abolished and that the Isle of Wight should have one unitary authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for increasing the amount of the housing association budget which can be spent for the Wirral.

The allocations from the Housing Corporation's approved development programme to local authorities in 1995–96 were announced on 15 December 1994, Official Report, columns 734–35, and details were placed in the Library of the House. There are no plans for increasing these amounts.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the health risk level accepted by his Department for ground level concentrations of (a) vanadium and (b) nickel in nanograms per cubic meters.

:[Pursuant to his reply 2 March 1995, c. 695]: I regret that some of the factual information given was incorrect. The answer should have been as follows:My Department has no air quality standards for these substances but the World Health Organisation guideline for vanadium is 1 microgram per cubic meter—averaging time 24 hours. There is no WHO guideline for nickel, but the WHO estimate a lifetime cancer risk of 4 x 10

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the total expenditure on (a) all forms of publicity and (b) all publications and pamphlets produced for her Department and for all agencies and public bodies for which her Department is responsible, for each year since 1979, including the budgeted figure for 1995–96, (i) including and (ii) excluding privatisation-related expenditures and expressed in 1994 prices; and if she will supply information for the period from 1 April 1993 to 1 March 1995 showing (1) the nature and (2) the purpose of each publicity campaign and of each publication involving the expenditure of more that £50,000.

The expenditure figures for publicity and publications for the Department for each year since 1979–80 are given in the table. The figures for publicity cannot be disaggregated from publications.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations she has made to the Secretary of State for Transport regarding the proposal of the Newbury Transport Forum to build a new route for the A34 through the site currently earmarked for a new campus for Newbury college.

My right hon. Friend has made no such representations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consultations she has had with the chairman of the Student Loans Company concerning the provision of student loans to students classified as bankrupt; and if she will make a statement.

There have been no consultations between Ministers and the chairman of the Student Loans Company on this matter. However, there has been correspondence between company executives and officials. The Education (Student Loans) Act 1990 does not specifically prevent students classified as bankrupt from being eligible for a loan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the final cost of the household distribution of the updated parents charter.

The Royal Mail was the sole distributor of the 1994 parents charter. To disclose the payment made to the Royal Mail would compromise the Department's confidential tendering procedures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence under what powers he is seeking in the courts an injunction preventing Ms Lindis Percy, of Bradford, from entering Menwith Hill station; what proportion of the legal costs are being borne by the National Security Agency of America; and if he will make a statement.

My Department is seeking an injunction against Ms Percy under the common law of trespass. The legal costs are borne by my Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what level of cost savings were projected by his Department to arise from the implementation of its policy of transferring risk to the private sector in prime contracting; what savings have been made to date; and what savings are projected over the next five years.

The Ministry of Defence has introduced a wide range of initiatives to improve value-for-money in defence procurement. These act concurrently on project costs and isolating the effect of a single factor, past or future, is a very complex process. It is, therefore, not possible to quantify the cost savings attributable to the policy in recent years of transferring or sharing risk, whereby taut and incentivised contracts are used to place responsibility with the contractor for activities which they are usually best fitted to discharge. We know that the costs of failing to do this adequately in the past could run into many millions of pounds on a single large project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Leigh (Mr. Chisholm) of 14 December, Official Report, column 909, if the planned reduction in the United Kingdom's deployed nuclear explosive power involves an increase or a decrease in the number of deployed nuclear warheads.

It is not our current practice to release details of nuclear weapons numbers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what are the implications of the comprehensive test ban treaty for the future development of a new nuclear warhead by the United Kingdom;

A comprehensive test ban treaty, effectively verified and commanding universal adherence, would have significant non-proliferation benefits. It would also place severe constraints on the five nuclear weapons states. We plan to develop further a range of techniques to enable us to maintain our nuclear capability in the absence of testing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total expenditure on (a) all forms of publicity and (b) all publications and pamphlets produced for his Department and for all the agencies and public bodies for which his Department is responsible for each year since 1979, including the budgeted figure for 1995–96, (i) including and (ii) excluding privatisation-related expenditures and expressed in 1994 prices; and if he will supply information for the period from 1 April 1993 to 1 March 1995 showing (1) the nature and (2) the purpose of each publicity campaign and of each publication involving the expenditure of more than 50,000.

The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made as to the extent to which the Governor of the Bank of England's assurances of July 1994 on the monitoring of derivative trading were in the public interest.

[holding answer 13 March 1995]: My right hon. and learned Friend has made no such assessment, but I am aware that the Bank of England has consistently made clear the risks involved in derivatives. The Governor's assurances of July 1994 related to the understanding of the most active players in the market and were balanced by a statement of the need to deter intermediaries who do not understand the risks involved. I recognise, as does the Governor, the need to ensure effective regulation of derivatives trading.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations she has received in favour of her Department's offer to general practitioners of a new out-of-hours payment scheme; and if she will make a statement.

We have met with representatives of family doctors on many occasions to discuss our offer to change the night visit payments scheme. The profession's representatives are in favour of change, and we are continuing to discuss what form a new scheme should take.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from the National Kidney Federation about the revised arrangements for the provision of home-based continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

The National Kidney Federation has written to indicate its acceptance in principle of changes which will mean that continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis will he funded entirely through contracts let by health authorities after 1 April 1995. The federation has asked that these changes are monitored to ensure that the quality of services is maintained.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of whether the principles set out in the World Health Organisation's international code of marketing of breast milk substitutes should apply to the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom supported the adoption of this World Health Organisation code, by the World Health Assembly in 1981, as the recommended basis for action in member states. The Government have consistently supported breastfeeding as the best means of feeding a baby, and this is reflected in our policies and initiatives to promote and protect breastfeeding. We have also taken steps to restrict the advertising and promotion of baby milks in the Infant Formula and Follow-on Formula Regulations 1995 which came into force on 1 March 1995. The regulations implement the relevant European Community legislation which is firmly based on the principles and aims of the WHO international code of marketing of breast milk substitutes. The new regulations give a statutory basis to the restrictions on advertising in place since 1983 under the voluntary agreement with the baby milk manufacturers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many strains of listeria monocytogenes are known to her Department; and what assessment has been made of whether each strain of listeria monocytogenes has the same potential effects on health.

There are 13 main types—serovars—of listeria monocytogenes, each containing a number of strains. All strains contain virulence genes. This means that they all have the potential to cause human illness, although not all are reported to have done so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Wakefield (Mr. Hinchliffe) of 19 December 1994, Official Report, column 990, what estimate she has made of the percentage of (a) midwives, (b) community nurses, (c) health visitors, (d) doctors, (e) other health professionals in the community, (f) managers, (g) board members and (h) Other non-clinical staff who have access to an NHS car.

All employees and board members who have a need related to their post may have access to a national health service car.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the drugs with their respective uses currently administered in the national health service for which (a) a product licence has not been granted and (b) animal/toxicology and clinical trials have not been undertaken.

This information is not available centrally. Under the Medicines Act 1968 and the Medicines for Human Use (Marketing Authorisations Etc.) Regulations 1994, doctors acting on their own responsibility may prescribe any medicinal product, whether licensed or not and irrespective of its indications for use, which they consider to he clinically appropriate for their patients' needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the up-to-date position regarding the negotiations between the regional health authority and the architects for St. Mary's hospital.

The South and West regional health authority and the architectural firm Ahrends Burton and Koralek have announced that arbitration proceedings between them have been settled by mutual consent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many whole-time equivalent consultants there have been in the NHS in each of the last five years.

The information is shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many whole–time equivalent consultants were appointed in each of the last five years as part of the new deal for junior doctors.

Our regional task forces report that appointments have been made as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of whole-time equivalent staff grade and associate specialists in each of the last five years.

The information is shown in the table. Staff grade numbers are increasing as more posts are allocated up to a ceiling of 10 per cent. of consultant numbers which has now been reached. Associate specialist appointments are personal regradings, for which strict criteria are applied by regional offices.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department is doing on hepatitis C.

The Department of Health is funding through its centrally commissioned research programme a project which is looking at behaviours associated with exposure to hepatitis C, hepatitis B and HIV infections.The main agency through which the Government support biomedical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council which receives its grant in aid from the Office of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and which is, I understand, funding a number of projects researching into hepatitis C.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when her Department first became aware of the risk of transmission of hepatitis C through blood transfusion products; when blood transfusion products were first screened for hepatitis; and when the blood test for hepatitis C was first available.

It has been known since the 1970s that, despite the introduction of testing for hepatitis B, some recipients of blood and blood products continued to develop hepatitis which was neither hepatitis A nor hepatitis B—NANB. In 1988 a virus called hepatitis C was reported in scientific literature, which was thought to be the main cause of NANB transfusion-associated hepatitis. The first anti-hepatitis C tests were reported in scientific literature in March 1989, but did not become available until later in the year. Expert advice was that these tests should not be introduced because of proven deficiencies. These first tests had a large number of false positive and false negative results and no satisfactory confirmatory tests were available. In due course, the test was improved considerably and also confirmatory tests became available. Routine testing of all blood donations for antibodies for the hepatitis C virus was introduced in September 1991, when the expert advice was that sufficiently reliable tests were available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on any plans she has to compensate patients developing hepatitis C from transfusion of NHS blood products.

The Government have no plans to make payments to patients who have been infected with hepatitis C as a result of national health service treatment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health who holds the job contracts of junior hospital doctors; and if she will make a statement on changes she is planning.

The job contracts of registrars and senior registrars are currently held by regional health authorities; those of senior house officers and pre-registration house officers are normally held by their employers, either trusts or health authorities. For information about our plans for the future, I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. and learned Member for Montgomery (Mr. Carlile) on 9 February, Official Report, columns 369–70.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what capital projects have been completed in the London borough of Barnet with a works cost of over £1 million since 1979; and if she will give a brief description of each project.

The figures in the table record national health service capital projects that have been completed within the boundary of the London borough of Barnet with a works cost of over £1 million since 1979, and a brief description.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much acamprosate was used in the NHS in 1994; and if she will make a statement;(2) what guidelines are in place to regulate the use of acamprosate in the NHS, and if she will make a statement.

Information on the use of acamprosate in the national health service in 1994 is not available centrally. Acamprosate is not licensed for use in the United Kingdom, although an application for such a licence is currently with the Medicines Control Agency. Before a licence is granted, the Medicines Control Agency will need to be satisfied as to the product's quality, safety and efficacy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures she has taken to secure the prevention of the spread of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus in the NHS.

The Department of Health in EL(94)74, entitled "Improving the effectiveness of the NHSE", issued to the NHS on 28 September 1994 commended the revised guidelines for the control of epidemic methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus published jointly by the Hospital Infection Society and the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy in 1990. New general guidance on hospital infection control issued to the NHS on 8 March includes new advice on the surveillance of MRSA and other antibiotic resistant bacteria. Copies of the guidance are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus have been reported in the NHS for each year since 1992.

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans her Department has to research potential links between the Gulf war and the outcome of pregnancies in service families.

None. This is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has had from Manchester city council about her proposal to reduce the city's AIDS support programme; what reply she is sending; and if she will make a statement.

We received one letter on 17 February which was answered on 8 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what criteria the areas helped by the establishment of the London initiative zone were selected; and what plans she has to extend the life and scope of the zone.

The London initiative zone covers those areas where need is deemed to be greatest, services weakest and where both hospital services and primary care present further challenges. The LIZ is expected to continue until 1997–98. There are no plans to extend the scope and the life of the zone.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information is held centrally on London ambulance service response times; what are the catchment areas served by local hospitals; what are the numbers of patients attending accident and emergency departments; and what is the number of patients attending minor accident treatment service units.

Information is collected centrally for ambulance services, including the London ambulance service, on response times. Information on catchment areas and patient flows is available from district health authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contingency plans she has in respect of court awards of large sums of money following litigation against health trusts.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. and learned Member for Montgomery (Mr. Carlile) on 16 March, Official Report, column 706.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total expenditure on (a) all forms of publicity and (b) all publications and pamphlets produced for her Department and for all the agencies and public bodies for which her Department is responsible, for each year since 1979, including the budgeted figure for 1995–96, (i) including and (ii) excluding privatisation-related expenditures and expressed in 1994 prices; and if she will supply information for the period from 1 April 1993 to 1 March 1995 showing (1) the nature and (2) the purpose of each publicity campaign and of each publication involving the expenditure of more than £50,000.

This information could he provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the total cost of his Department's war widows' pensions currently being paid to post-1973 war widows.

Actual expenditure for 1994–95 post-1973 war widows' pensions is not available from the expenditure information currently collected, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The total estimated net cost of all war widows' pensions in 1994–95 is £361 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the hon. Member for Walsall, North will receive a reply to his letter of 2 February concerning a constituent.

I sent a reply to the hon. Member today, having obtained a copy of the letter the day before. The original had not been received in the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his Department's policy concerning the position of Maxwell pensioners.

In June 1992, I announced a number of exceptional measures to help the Maxwell pensioners. This followed the discovery of a shortfall in scheme assets of some £440 million, affecting the pension rights of some 32,000 pension scheme numbers. About 4,000 current pensioners faced large and immediate cuts in their payments and about 12,000 future pensioners had no prospect of their pensions coming into payment. These measures have ensured that all pensions have stayed in payment while uniquely complicated asset recovery work has been undertaken by the pension scheme trustees and the liquidators of the Maxwell pension investment company.The measures the Government took were: the provision of £2.5 million in emergency funding to keep pensions in payment in the short term; setting up the Department's Maxwell pensions unit and the Maxwell Pensioners Trust, chaired by Sir John Cuckney, which raised some £6 million; and deferring the collection of some £115 million in state scheme premiums payable on the pensioners' return to the state earnings-related pension scheme, which amounts to a substantial interest-free loan. Sir John Cuckney also acted as my adviser on the Maxwell pensions affair.The Government and the Maxwell Pensioners Trust have encouraged the parties to Maxwell pensions claims to consider the possibility of out-of-court settlements and mediation so that the cost and delays of litigation can be kept to a minimum. On 10 February, I warmly welcomed the announcement by the scheme trustees and the liquidators that they had agreed in principle a basis of a major settlement of various claims. This agreement was subject to terms and conditions also being agreed and obtaining the necessary court approval. Other claims are unaffected and are being pursued separately.I hope that the parties concerned will be able to finalise a settlement. I shall continue to follow developments closely as, I am sure, will others, including the Social Security Committee, who have done excellent work on behalf of the pensioners. Sir John Cuckney and the Maxwell pensions unit have played an important role in

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many appeals concerning invalidity benefit were (a) received and (b) decided in each of the quarters ending June 1993, September 1993 and December 1993; and what percentage of these were found in the claimants's favour.

The information is in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 7 March, Official Report, column 168, how many of the people moving off incapacity benefit to sign on in 1995–96, and 1996–97, he estimates (a) will also receive an occupational or private pension and (b) will be aged 45 years or over.

The information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people in each of the years 1995–96, 1996–97 and 1997–89 he estimates will qualify for income support to top up a payment of (a) the lower rate of short-term incapacity benefit (b) the higher rate of short-term incapacity benefit and (c) the long-term rate of incapacity benefit.

The information is not available in the form requested. The figures in the table are based on the estimated number of incapacity benefit recipients also in receipt of income support at the end of March each year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants of severe disablement allowance also receive an allowance for an adult dependant who is aged under 60 years who is not looking after children.

As at 3 April 1993 there were 3,000¹ recipients of severe disablement allowance, less than 1 per cent. of the total case load, who had an increase for an adult dependant but no increase for a dependent child in payment. Information is not available on the number of adult dependants who are aged under 60.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what were the numbers and proportion of people who lodged an appeal during each of the quarters ending December 1994, September 1994 and June 1994 against a decision that they were capable of work, who were for the period pending their appeal (a) signing on as available for work, (b) claiming income support without signing on under regulation 8 of the Income Support (General) Regulations and (c) without any state benefit.

The information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 20 February, Official Report, column 77, if he will state for each company the month and year in which they began employing staff from his Department.

The available information is given.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement about acts of intrusion into the privacy of clients of the Benefits Agency with particular reference to the arrangements made with Royal Mail for the opening of mail to the agency.

This is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans the Child Support Agency has produced to move its headquarters to the Dudley Child Support Agency centre; when the Child Support Agency intends to implement that proposal; and whether the chief executive of the Child Support Agency intends to base her own office and her support staff at the Dudley Child Support Agency centre.

The administration of the Child Support Agency is the responsibility of the chief executive, Miss Ann Chant. She will write to my hon. Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he introduced leaflet BAL4; what is its purpose and what was the reason for its introduction at that time; and if he will list the areas in the United Kingdom where the leaflet is being used.

The administration of the Benefits Agency is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, its chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available.

To ask the Prime Minister (1) if he will identify which forms of personal conduct are unacceptable for a Minister; and if he will amend "Questions of Procedures for Ministers" accordingly;(2) if any Minister who has, or who has had, an extra-marital affair will be expected to resign.

I have been asked to reply.Paragraph 1 of "Questions of Procedure for Ministers" makes it clear that Ministers are expected to conduct themselves in such a way as to protect the integrity of public life. My right hon. Friend has no plans to amend it.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, what was the total expenditure on (a) all forms Of publicity and (b) all publications and pamphlets produced for his Department and for all the agencies and public bodies for which his Department and for all the agencies and public bodies for which his Department is

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of (a) new family credit claims and (b) renewal family credit claims are presently being processed with in (i) one week, (ii) four weeks, (iii) six weeks, (iv) eight weeks and (v) longer than eight weeks.

The administration of family credit is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available.

The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the salary paid to Mr. Peter Luff while employed as a specialist adviser to Ministers by the Department of Trade and Industry during the period 13 June 1987 to 24 July 1989 was supplemented by income from employment outside the Department.

Special advisers are bound by the same rules as civil servants regarding outside employment and their other financial interests. In general, these require that there should be no conflict between those interests and their official duties. Apart from this, their income is a matter for them.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what contact his Department has had with Eurosolar UK; and what assessment he has made of Eurosolar UK's stated aims and activities.

There have been exchanges of correspondence with Eurosolar UK and meetings between officials and representatives of Eurosolar UK. The Department was represented at the launch of Eurosolar UK on 28 February. Eurosolar UK has been invited to express its views in the consultation process on the non-fossil fuel obligation and future renewable energy orders.The Government welcome the launch of Eurosolar UK since its key aim is to promote the use of sustainable forms of energy which is in line with the Government's own policy in this area.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the Office of Fair Trading will publish its report on prepaid funerals and the funeral industry.

I understand from the Director General of Fair Trading that he expects to publish his report on prepaid funerals during April.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade for this year and each of the past five years, how many employees in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies for which his Department is responsible who have been employed on temporary contracts of (a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks' duration are re-employed in the same or similar position at a later date.

[holding answer 15 March 1995]: The information in precisely the form requested by the hon. Member is not readily available. The number of staff currently employed, or who have been employed during the last five years, on temporary contracts and then re-employed in the same or similar position at a later date is 70 for my Department and 279 for the agencies.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many people he expects to employ in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies for which he is responsible on temporary contracts of (a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks' duration in the next three years, in each case specifying the number of employees who had previously been employed in a similar position on the same contract.

[holding answer 15 March 1995]: The information is not available in the form requested. The Department's "Expenditure Plans Report 1995"—Cm 2804—gives details in man years of casual staff planned in my Department and its agencies. Copies are available from the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many employees in (i) his department and (ii) all executive agencies supervised by his Department have been employed on temporary contracts of (a) 51 weeks of (b) less than 51 weeks' duration for this year and each of the past five years, in each case specifying what percentage of the respective total work force these employees constitute.

[holding answer 15 March 1995]: The information requested by the hon. Member is as follows:

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish the full terms of employment as specified to employees in his Department and all executive agencies for which he is responsible who are employed on a temporary contract of (a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks' duration.

[holding answer 15 March 1995]: Several types of temporary appointment are perrnissable under the civil service Order in Council. The two types mainly in use in the DTI are the fixed-term appointment and the casual appointment. The full terms of employment offered are in accordance with the guidance issued by the Civil Service Commissioners and are set out in a letter of appointment and associated schedule, and the "Staff Handbook"–"The Guide". The letters of appointment and associated schedules for both types of appointment, together with a copy of "The Guide", have been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what guidance has been issued in respect of the recruitment and appointment of non-permanent employees in (a) his Department and (b) all executive agencies supervised by his Department.

[holding answer 15 March 1995]: The DTI and its agencies are required to follow recruitment principles set out in the civil service management code and the civil service Order in Council. The DTI guidance on the recruitment of non-permanent employees is based on these principles, and supplementary guidance which is issued from time to time by the Civil Service Commissioners.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what positions in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies for which his Department is responsible are filled by employees who are employed on temporary contracts of (a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks' duration.

[holding answer 15 March 1995]: The information in precisely the form requested by the hon. Member is not readily available. Those staff employed on temporary contracts in both the Department and its agencies are mainly used in the junior administrative grades.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the net loss of employment in the motor manufacturing industry as a result of the establishment of Japanese car plants in the United Kingdom; and what was the cost to public funds in grants and subsidies and in supporting those made unemployed.

The United Kingdom has successfully attracted £3.5 billion of investment from Japanese car manufacturers which have established plants here since 1986. This has directly created 9,500 jobs and is generating £1.5 billion a year in additional component procurement in the UK and continental Europe. It has also made a major contribution to improving quality, productivity and competitiveness across the industry. The Government assistance provided was limited to £125 million to Nissan to establish and expand its Sunderland plant.The United Kingdom is now the most rapidly expanding car manufacturing base in Europe with significant new investments announced in the last year by the major vehicle manufacturers. The recent announcement by Toyota of the expansion of its Burnaston plant is an important example of this. There has been a net loss of 27,000 jobs in the motor vehicles and parts sector since 1986 which reflects underlying improvements in competitiveness and the introduction of lean manufacturing techniques. It is not possible to determine the impact of these changes on the numbers unemployed and the associated costs to public funds.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what amount of subsidy has been paid to the coal industry since the White Paper "Prospects for Coal" was published; and to which mine each subsidy applied.

[holding answer 16 March 1995]: Since the publication of the White Paper "Prospects for Coal", subsidy paid to the coal industry under the Industrial Development Act 1982 amounts to about £9 million. Payments are in respect of Ellington, Monktonhall, Blenkinsopp, Lyn Clipstone, Rossington, Hem Heath and Markham Main. A further £1,650 million of financial assistance for the coal industry has been paid under the Coal Industry Acts.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list for each cable television area (a) the company awarded the franchise, (b) the date cabling commenced or the current expected date of commencement, (c) the number of homes in the franchise area and (d) the number of homes cabled to date.

I am writing to the hon. Member and will place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will ensure that the application from Murvi Motorcaravans Ltd., which he received on 14 March, for regional selective assistance receives immediate attention.

The application for regional selective assistance from Murvi Motorcaravans Ltd. is currently being appraised within the Government office for the south-west as quickly as resources permit.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make available as an alternative travel document to the British visitor's passport a United Kingdom identity card officially recognised throughout the European Union;(2) when he will publish a Green Paper containing proposals for the introduction of a United Kingdom identity card.

We intend publishing, later in the spring, a Green Paper on identity cards. This will set out and canvass views on the possible options for a national identity card scheme, including the use of a United Kingdom identity card as a travel document within the European Union.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the dates in each of the last three years when an inmate in Wandsworth prison has (a) committed suicide and (b) sought to commit suicide and has needed hospital care.