To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the bid by the private company awarded the contract for security at Somerset house was more expensive than the rival in-house bid; and what assessment he has made of the value for money achieved by the awarding of the contract.

The tendering process in this, as with any market test, sought best value for money and so considered not only price but also quality and ability to deliver. The decision was not made on cost alone. The contract commences on 1 March 1995, so it is too soon to evaluate delivery of the service.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the average increase in real terms of civil servants' salaries since 1979.

Between April 1979 and April 1994 civil servants' average earnings increased by 26 per cent. in real terms, based on data from the New Earnings Survey and deflated by the all items retail prices index.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the annual VAT income from VAT levied on private home care services provided by VAT-registered companies; and if he will make a statement.

It is not possible to provide a separate figure for VAT levied on private home care services.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the employment of polling or public survey organisations by his Department during the current and previous financial years, on the organisations employed by his Department, on the values of individual contracts for these services, on the total amounts of money spent and on the purposes of the research undertaken by these organisations. [14503]

[holding answer 20 March 1995]: In 1993–94, International Survey Research Limited was employed to carry out a staff attitude survey. Market and Opinion Research International Limited is currently carrying out a survey of members of the Government Accountancy Service.Disclosing details of the cost of individual contracts would breach commercial confidentiality. The total cost of the above contracts is expected to be some £60,000.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the projected earnings in 1995–96, 1996–97 and 1997–98 from the tax on medical insurance premiums 1994–95. [15000]

[holding answer 20 March 1995]: Annex A to chapter 4 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report shows that receipts for IPT on all types of insurance is forecast to be £0.2 billion in 1994–95 and £0.7 billion in 1995–96. Data from the Family Expenditure Survey suggests that around 8 per cent. of this is due to medical insurance.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to increase the VAT threshold for small businesses to £100,000. [13717]

No. The Government are obliged, under the EC sixth VAT directive, to restrict increases in the threshold to those which maintain its value in real terms.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will list all the visits by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has made since the start of the current parliamentary Session to the constituencies of other hon. Members, without prior warning to those hon. Members, for any purpose connected with his departmental responsibilities; [15027](2) if he will list all the visits he has made since the start of the current parliamentary Session to the constituencies of other hon. Members, without prior warning to those hon. Members, for any purpose connected with his departmental responsibilities. [15014]

My right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary and I always do our best to give prior warning to hon. Members when we visit their constituencies in an official capacity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he hopes to publish Sir Louis Blom-Cooper's second annual report as Independent Commissioner for the Holding Centres. [15600]

I have today arranged for copies of Sir Louis Blom-Cooper's annual report for 1994 to be placed in the Library.I welcome the report, which provides a valuable examination of custody procedures in the police offices. I shall be studying it carefully.I am most grateful for the work carried out by Sir Louis Blom-Cooper. The role of the commissioner remains important even in the changed circumstances since the PIRA and loyalist paramilitaries' cessation of violence. The Government remain committed to the principle that the emergency legislation will remain in force no longer than is necessary. However, for as long as the paramilitaries retain the capability to resume violence, and for as long as the police require to interview persons suspected of involvement in terrorism, there is a need to maintain special provisions for detaining suspects in police custody. While this is the case, all the present safeguards designed to ensure the rights of those held in custody will remain in place, including the Independent Commissioner for the Holding Centres. As Sir Louis Blom-Cooper states in his report, an immediate impact of the ceasefires was a dramatic drop in the numbers detained in the police offices.I am glad to note that, after a total of 26 visits of his own and 88 by his deputy, Sir Louis has been able to report that he can again find no cause for concern about the care and treatment of detainees held in the custody of uniformed officers of the RUC. I share Sir Louis' satisfaction that his terms of reference have been changed to permit him to be present, if he wishes, throughout interviews with terrorist suspects. This will further increase the level of independent supervision of procedures in the police offices.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list all the visits he has made since the start of the current parliamentary Session to the constituencies of other hon. Members without prior warning to those hon. members, for any purpose connected with his departmental responsibilities [15023]

It is standard practice, when I intend to visit any hon. Member's constituency, to inform the hon. Member concerned. I am aware of no occasion when I have departed from this practice.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement on the employment of polling or public survey organisations by his Department during the current and previous financial years, on the organisations employed by his Department, on the values of individual contracts for these services, on the total amounts of money spent and on the purposes of the research undertaken by these organisations. [14504]

[holding answer 20 March 1995]: My Department has employed the following polling and public survey organisations during the current and previous financial years:

The Historic Royal Palaces Agency used CC and C Research Limited during 1994–95 to carry out summer visitor surveys at Hampton Court palace, the tower of London and Kensington palace, at a cost of £10,325. In the same year it employed Vital Statistics to carry out an attitude survey cross all of the historic royal palaces, at a cost of £9,150.

The Royal Parks Agency employed the Centre for Leisure and Tourism Studies at the university of North London to collect information on the use of, and visitor attitudes towards, the Royal Parks. The cost in 1994–95 was £70,125.

All prices are exclusive of VAT.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what was the total number of civil servants employed by (a) his Department, (b) the agencies under his Department's responsibility and (c) public and other bodies under his Department's responsibility, for each year since 1992, divided into (1) full-time equivalents, (2) overtime, (3) casuals and (4) other; and whether he will also provide for each year his estimates of (A) civil service job reductions due to privatisation, (B) civil service job reductions due to contracting out, (C) civil service job reductions resulting from other transfer of responsibilities, (D) the total of all other staff undertaking work for the Department or its agencies without being categorised as civil servants, including external consultants, researchers, agency secretarial staff and staff substitution and (E) total manpower expenditures, in 1994 prices. [15099]

[holding answer 20 March 1995]: The civil service covers the permanent staff of central government departments and "next steps" agencies. The staff of other bodies are outside the civil service.The annual publication "Civil Service Statistics" gives details of the number of civil servants employed by my Department and its agencies, including full-time and equivalent staff and casuals (from 1993 onwards) and of staff leaving the civil service."Public Bodies", published annually since 1982, contains staffing information for those bodies not covered by "civil service statistics".Details of running costs and civil service pay bill for my Department can be found in figure 9.4 of my Department's annual report, Cm 2811.Copies of all these publications are available in the Members' Library.The remaining information sought could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what percentage of the land area of the United Kingdom was unable to receive terrestrial television in each year since 1985. [14920]

Television coverage estimates are made in terms of population rather than land area. The broadcasters estimate that their terrestrial television coverage had reached all but 0.6 per cent. of the UK population by 1985. they have continued to build about 25 new transmitters a year but this programme has not measurably reduced the estimate of the percentage of unserved population.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will consider granting concessionary TV licences to (a) residents of Bradely village, Stoke on Trent, over pension age and (b) residents under pension age; and if he will make a statement. [15131]

Under section 180 of the Broadcasting Act 1990, administration of the television licensing system, including determining eligibility for concessionary licences, passed to the BBC with effect from 1 April 1991. I have no power to intervene in respect of entitlement to the concession in individual cases.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 3 March, Official Report, column 727, if any officer of the Indonesian national police force who has received any form of training paid for by his Department has subsequently gone on to serve in East Timor. [15432]

No.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will name the consultancy to which he referred in his oral answer to the right hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Ashdown), Official Report, column 140, on 7 March as having achieved savings of tens of millions of pounds; and what were the savings and consultancy fees involved. [13241]

The example related to a Welsh Office roads project. On one particular five year project the final certificate for the main contract was substantially greater than the original tender price because of the effects of inflation and unforseen conditions encountered during construction. A consultant quantity surveying firm was employed in assisting departmental staff to consider the appropriate price for the overall contract. This work cost around £50,000, but the advice helped to inform the negotiations with the contractor, which led to a settlement £80 million less than the contractor's claim.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 21 March. [13541]

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 21 March. [13542]

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

To ask the Prime Minister if he will hold discussions with the United States Government about the action of the CIA in arresting Juval Aviv, former agent of the Israeli intelligence service, and on Mr. Aviv's report of September 1989 for Pan Am. [15397]

I have no plans to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to oral answer of 16 March, Official Report, column 1021, concerning the ratio of teachers to administrators or other staff within the ambit of local education authorities, what are the statistical bases and arithmetical calculations on which his statement was based. [15342]

Figures collected by the Local Government Management Board show that in June 1994 local education authorities in England employed 376,665 full-time equivalent teachers and lecturers and 316,244 full-time equivalent other manual and non-manual staff involved in education, making a ration of around 2.5 non-teaching staff to every three teachers.

To ask the Prime Minister what new Ministerial Committees of the Cabinet have been established since the updated list of membership and terms of reference of Cabinet Committees and Sub-Committees was published on 22 November 1994. [15648]

I have established a new Ministerial Committee to consider the co-ordination and presentation of Government policy. A copy of the terms of reference and membership is in the Library of the House. The details are as follows:MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE ON THE COORDINATION AND PRESENTATION OF GOVERNMENT POLICY (EDCP)

To ask the Prime Minister what was the total number of civil servants employed by (a) his Department, (b) the agencies under his department's responsibility and (c) public and other bodies under his Department's responsibility, for each year since 1979, divided into (i) full-time equivalents, (ii) overtime, (iii) casuals and (iv) other; and whether he will also provide for each year his estimates of (A) civil service job reductions due to privatisations, (B) civil service jobs due to contracting out, (C) civil service job reductions resulting from other transfer of responsibilities, (D) the total of all other staff undertaking work for his department of its agencies without being categorised as civil servants, including external consultants, researchers, agency secretarial staff and staff substitution and (E) total manpower expenditure in 1994 prices. [14769]

[holding answer 20 March 1995]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service and Science on 20 March.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the cost of the child abduction unit; and how many staff are involved in the unit, fall and part-time.

The cost of the child abduction unit for the year ending 31 March 1995 will be £130,000.There are four staff involved in the unit: two full time and two whose employment on unit work forms only part of their duties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what international agencies exist to maintain and promote standards concerning the content of international communications via computer networks.

No such international agencies exist.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what international agreements exist to set and maintain standards concerning the content of international communications on computer networks.

No such international agreements exist.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support of any kind was given to the United Kingdom by (a) Spain, (b) the EEC and (c) other individual EEC Governments between 1972 and 1976 in the United Kingdom's fishing dispute with Iceland.

The EEC made the tariff reductions on certain Icelandic fish imports provided for under protocol No. 6 of Iceland's 1972 free trade agreement with the Community dependent on a satisfactory resolution of the fisheries dispute with member states. The Council of the EEC implemented the protocol only after the UK settlement with Iceland on 1 June 1976, the last to be concluded by an EEC member. There was close consultations with the German federal Government, whose dispute with Iceland ended in 1975. This consultation included the handling of the British and German cases on the issue before the International Court of Justice. A German proposal for tripartite negotiations in 1972 was rejected by the Government of Iceland. Spain was not a member of the EEC at that time and I am unaware of any bilateral support.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on United Kingdom relations with the Philippines Government.

President Fidel V. Ramos has just completed a successful visit to the United Kingdom, the first by a Philippine President.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions the situation in Sierra Leone has been raised at a forum of the United Nations.

This information is not collated. However, Sierra Leone was raised on 25 January 1995, during informal consultations of the Security Council and on 10 February 1995 when UN Secretary-General addressed a donors' meeting.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the world summit for social development; and if he will list the changes in (a) policies and (b) expenditure to the United Kingdom Government as a result of the summit.

The declaration and programme of action of the world summit for social development were adopted on 12 March in Copenhagen.The summit outcomes do not require changes in policy or expenditure unless the Government decide that this is necessary. The Government will consider the outcomes of the summit carefully in the light of national circumstances and priorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if at its meeting on Monday 6 March the General Affairs Council of the European Commission took account of the use of Laogai labour in approving an increase in quotas on imports of Chinese goods, with particular reference to shoes; and if he will make a statement.

The increases agreed by the Council of Ministers on 6 March were primarily to take account of Community enlargement: there was no discussion of the nature of the quota regime as a whole.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what were the recent changes in the application fees for a visitors' visas and settlement visas; and what are the reasons for these changes. [14881]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for City of Chester (Mr. Brandreth) on 16 December 1994, Official Report, column 863.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all the visits he has made since the start of the current parliamentary Session to the constituencies of other hon. Members, without prior warning to those hon. Members, for any purpose connected with his departmental responsibilities. [15017]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs always does his best to give prior warning to hon. Members when he visits their constituencies in an official capacity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the annual report on Hong Kong will be laid before Parliament. [15581]

The report is being published and laid before Parliament today. Copies will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to rationalise Army vehicle storage facilities; and if he will make a statement. [15645]

Following the "Front Line First" announcement on 14 July 1994, proposals to rationalise Army vehicle storage facilities were outlined in a consultative document issued on 19 August 1994. Some 50 responses were received from trade unions, local authorities and other interested parties, all of which have been considered with care and sympathy. Understandable local concerns were expressed about the effects on employment and the local community but no significant new defence-related arguments emerged, nor have any new suggestions been made which have caused us to alter our original proposals for the rationalisation of vehicle storage.Having carefully considered all the points raised, I can therefore confirm that we shall now begin work on rationalising vehicle storage, concentrating on a single site at Ashchurch; the vehicle depot at Ludgershall will be closed for operation by 31 March 1997. I am confident that this change can be achieved without detriment to operational capability.

	Royal Navy		Army		Royal Air Force		Civilian
	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female
1990–91	146	43	406	27	1,019	186	—	—
1991–92	152	35	389	25	987	158	—	—
1992–93	80	15	362	23	659	126	—	—
1993–94	148	40	303	27	974	178	—	—
1994–95	134	33	291	43	740	166	570	90

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total number of military service houses and flats that were empty on 1 March.

As at 31 December last year, which is the latest date for which figures are available, my Department owned 9,992 vacant service married quarters. A further 2,160 former married quarters were vacant and in the process of being sold.Discussions are being held with the Housing Corporation on an enhanced programme of short term leasing to housing associations for married quarters which are temporarily surplus to our requirements. The majority of the vacant married quarters are not surplus, however, but are undergoing or awaiting major maintenance, held for future deployments or form part of the management margin needed to ensure that accommodation is available for entitled service families.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what co-operation he is offering to Dr. Roger Sutcliffe of the department of human genetics at the university of Glasgow for his proposal of a pilot study into miscarriages, still births, respiratory problems or low resistance to infection among babies born of Gulf war veterans.

My Department wrote on 7 March to the department of medical genetics at the university of Glasgow seeking clarification of Dr. Sutcliffe's views and further details of his proposal for a study. We also set out figures of service birth rates and information which indicates that the incidence of miscarriages, still births, birth defects and infant morbidity among families of Gulf veterans is no greater than the national average and has not changed since the Gulf conflict. My Department continues, however, to assess all available information and will give full consideration to Dr. Sutcliffe's views.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the number of applicants for bursaries awarded to university students, by gender, under his Department's arrangements for officer entry, in each year since 1990–91. [15108]

A breakdown by gender of the number of applicants for bursaries awarded to university students in each financial year since 1990–91 is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all the visits he has made since the start of the current parliamentary Session to the constituencies of other hon. Members, without prior warning to those hon. Members, for any purpose connected with his departmental responsibilities. [15028]

In accordance with the guidance contained in "Questions of Procedure for Ministers" it is the practice of MOD Ministers to inform hon. Members in advance of any visits to their constituencies.There has been one case in the current parliamentary Session, however, where due to an administrative

TCHD Mark 2 Operational Convoy unscheduled stops (29 January 1994 to 13 March 1995)
				Cause
Serial number	Date	Location	Fault	Quality	Design	Rectification	Delay time
1	6 June 1994	M1, Tibshelf near Mansfield	Knocking sound from tractor unit	—	—	Precautionary stop, no fault found	33 minutes
2	7 June 1994	A696, South of Otterburn	Air pressure warning buzzer sounded	—	—	Air pressure found satisfactory	34 minutes
3	2 August 1994	A68, SE of Edinburgh	"Clonking" sound when turning	—	—	Precautionary stop, no fault found	26 minutes
4	21 September 1994	A696, near Ponteland	Discharge from sump oil connecting pipe	X	—	Tractor unit changed	11 hour 10 minutes
Note:
1 The fault developed shortly after departure. After replacement of the spare tractor unit the convoy returned to await arrival of a substitute spare unit. Movement therefore suspended for 24 hours.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on expected levels of activity in the construction industry; and what action his Department intends to take.

Construction output increased by 3 per cent. last year and modest yet sustained growth looks set to continue. My Department continues to work with the industry to monitor activity levels in the different sectors, and to promote competitiveness and success in export markets.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the standards for hazardous waste incinerators and for cement kilns of emissions of (a) particulates, (b) oxides of nitrogen and (c) sulphur dioxide.

Under the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, existing hazardous waste incinerators and cement kilns are required to meet the following limits for emissions to the atmosphere:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many unscheduled stops there have been involving truck cargo heavy duty mark 2 vehicles since January 1994; and if he will provide a breakdown of the circumstances which resulted in these incidents.

Between January 1994 and 13 March 1995 there were four occasions on which truck cargo heavy duty mark 2 vehicles were obliged to make unscheduled stops to deal with technical problems. The circumstances are set out in the table.

Plant	Sulphur dioxide mg/m3	Oxides of nitrogen mg/m3	Particulates mg/m3
Hazardous waste incinerators	50(1)	350(1)	20(1)
Cement kilns	750(2)	Wet kilns = 1800(2)	50(3)
		Dry kilns = 1200
(1) To be met by 1 December 1996. (2) To be met by 1 April 1997.
(3) To be met by 1 April 1998.

These limits are set out in Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution guidance notes.So far as cement kilns are concerned, the figures in the table relate to operations where conventional coal/petroleum coke is being used as fuel. If cement kiln operations using substitute liquid fuel to replace a portion of coal/petroleum coke are authorised under the Act, then that part of the emissions that originates from the substitute fuel will be controlled to the above incinerator limits, while that part of the emissions which originates from coal/petroleum coke will be controlled to the above cement kiln limits. Taking sulphur dioxide as an example, if all of the conventional fuel is replaced with substitute fuel, then a limit of 50 mg/m

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each London borough (a) the numbers of applicants currently on the council housing waiting lists, (b) the total central Government funding for new rented housing association homes for 1995–96, excluding TIS, DIYSO and major repairs or sale programmes, (c) the sum which would have been available if original funding intentions as set out in the

Local authority	Allocations £'000s	Related units	1992 Autumn statement estimated allocation £'000s	Related units
Barking and Dagenham	1,415	46	3,561	116
Barnet	3,610	81	9,084	204
Bexley	1,159	68	2,916	171
Brent	5,827	117	14,663	294
Bromley	1,997	92	5,025	232
Camden	7,722	146	19,432	367
Croydon	4,457	138	11,215	347
Ealing	8,020	166	20,180	418
Enfield	3,682	114	9,265	287
Greenwich	4,712	126	11,856	317
Hackney	12,054	296	30,332	745
Hammersmith and Fulham	6,945	137	17,475	345
Haringey	9,788	179	24,629	450
Harrow	2,123	50	5,343	126
Havering	1,235	49	3,107	123
Hillingdon	8,137	241	20,475	606
Hounslow	4,386	103	11,036	259
Islington	7,028	136	17,685	342
Kensington and Chelsea	5,701	151	14,345	380
Kingston upon Thames	1,941	91	4,884	229
Lambeth	8,382	158	21,091	398
Lewisham	4,870	109	12,255	274
Merton	2,125	303	5,347	762
Newham	8,149	241	20,506	606
Redbridge	2,648	82	6,664	206
Richmond upon Thames	2,057	61	5,175	153
Southwark	4,784	137	12,038	345
Sutton	1,347	32	3,390	81
Tower Hamlets	3,976	91	10,005	229
Waltham Forest	4,288	121	10,790	304
Wandsworth	5,826	80	14,661	201
Westminster	11,242	252	28,288	634

Further social lettings will also be made available through vacancies in local authority and housing association properties; through the Housing Corporation's home ownership initiatives; through housing association developments funded by local authority housing association grant; and through the cash incentive scheme.The number of households on local authority housing waiting lists in London on 1 April 1994 is given in section B of the "1994 HIP1 All Items Print", a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his current estimate of the total value of tenancies sold under the right to buy.

Prior to 1993 figures for receipts resulting from council tenants exercising their right to buy from local authorities were not separately collected by the Department. However, between the introduction of the 1992 Autumn Statement had been maintained, (d) the estimated number of homes that will be built with the money now available and (e) the estimated number of homes that could have been built if funding had been provided at the original proposed funding level as set out in (c); and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 16 March 1995]: Allocations made to London boroughs from the Housing Corporation's 1995–96 approved development programme for the provision of new rented housing are listed below together with the Housing Corporations's estimate of what the allocations may have been if funding plans in the 1992 Autumn Statement had been maintained.right to buy in 1980 and the end of September 1994, the total value of council dwelling sales to sitting tenants, net of discounts is estimated to be £19.0 billion.The number of sales to local authority sitting tenants during this period was almost 1,300,000, and 92 per cent. of such sales resulted from tenants exercising their right to buy.Information on the value of right-to-buy sales to sitting tenants of new towns and housing associations is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authority owned houses and flats have been sold, to date, since the introduction of the right to buy in each local authority area in England. [14714]

Tables showing the available information on total right-to-buy sales for each English local authority for every financial year since 1980 and a cumulative total to March 1994 are in the Library. In addition, the tables also give data on total sales and on the number of flats sold.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 10 London boroughs with

	1993–94 council taxes received as a percentage of annual net collectable debit1	Uncollected council taxes as at 31 March 19942£000	Political control as at February 1995
Lambeth	48.4	25,597	Noc
Hackney	67.5	12,824	Lab
Islington	69.3	310,300	Lab
Southwark	73.1	7,693	Lab
Newham	73.4	7,703	Lab
Haringey	74.0	10,917	Lab
Camden	81.4	8,742	Lab
Waltham Forest	82.2	7,043	Noc
Lewisham	82.5	5,617	Lab
Tower Hamlets	843	32,600	Lab
1 Based on information supplied to the Department in May 1994. 2 Based on information published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) in its Revenue Collection Statistics 1993–94 publication.
3 No information was published by CIPFA for these two authorities: the figure shown is the Department's estimate based on information supplied in May 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much is owed to the London borough of Lambeth in (a) domestic rates, (b) community charge and (c) council tax; and if he will make a statement.

Information on uncollected domestic rates, community charge and council tax for each local authority is not available centrally. However, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy regularly publish estimates for individual authorities: figures for 31 March 1994 are available in their Revenue Collection Statistics 1993–94 publication, and are as follows:

	Arrears outstanding at 31 March 1994 for Lambeth (£000)
Domestic rates	12,917
Community charge	84,895
Council tax	29,597

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authority housing tenancies were available in (a) England, (b) Yorkshire and Humberside in 1994.

Local authorities housing investment programme—HIPI—returns for 1994 show that on 1 April a total of 3,615,504 local authority dwellings were occupied or available for letting in England. Of these, 451,112 were within the Yorkshire and Humberside region.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he intends to take to implement the recommendations of the panel on sustainable development.

The information requested is as follows:

We will shortly issue a response to the recommendations made in the first report of the Government's panel on sustainable development.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further progress has been made regarding the working party looking into noise from neighbours; and if he will make a statement.

The working party has completed its review of the effectiveness of current neighbour noise controls. We hope to consult in the near future on its conclusions and recommendations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to reduce the phosphate content of domestic detergent products. [13715]

There has been a reduction of the order of 40 per cent. in the use of phosphates in detergents since the early 1990s, due to the presence in the market place of phosphate-free detergents. The imminent inclusion of detergents in the EC ecolabelling scheme will give an incentive to manufacturers to reduce the content of phosphates in detergents still further. There are some unresolved questions about replacement of phosphates in detergents and the Government have no plans to require substitution.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all the visits he has made since the start of the current parliamentary Session to the constituencies of other hon. Members, without prior warning to those hon. Members, for any purpose connected with his departmental responsibilities. [15018]

My practice is to ensure that hon. Members have prior warning of all departmental visits that I make to their constituencies; so far as I am aware, this has been achieved for all the visits that I have made in the current parliamentary Session.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce decisions on the future structure of the remaining shire counties for which he had final reports from the Local Government Commission. [15646]

I can now announce my decisions on the remaining 12 shire counties as follows. In all cases I have considered the commission's reports and the representations I have received. In the process I have taken into account the transitional and ongoing costs and the viability of the structures—both of unitary authorities and remaining two-tier arrangements—which will result from my decisions. In each case I am satisfied that on balance my decision will best reflect the identities and interests of local communities and will best secure effective and convenient local government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the percentage of patients currently covered by GP budget fundholders in (a) the Dartford constituency,(b) the Dartford and Gravesham Health Trust area, (c) the county of Kent, (d) the South Thames regional health authority, (e) England and (i) the United Kingdom. [14566]

Information available from the enhanced general practitioner census of 1 April 1994 is shown in the table. Information is not collected below family health services authority level.

Area	Population coverage Area Per cent.
Kent FHSA	53
South Thames RHA	37
England	34

Information relating to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are matters for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Wales and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what evidence she has collected from other countries of ill health caused by the burning of secondary liquid fuels in cement kilns or incinerators; [14425](2) what evidence her Department has of ill health caused by the burning of secondary liquid fuels in

The Department is not aware of any evidence that the burning of secondary fuels has caused ill health.In England and Wales, cement kilns and waste incinerators are authorised under the integrated pollution control regime of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution. Under this Act, the operator of the plant is required to use best available techniques not entailing excessive costs to prevent, minimise or, where that is not practicable by such means, for rendering harmless any releases.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish a table showing for each local health area in England (a) the number of general dental practitioners and (b) the number of general dental practitioners per 1,000 population, for each year since 1986. [14723]

This information will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list all industries the processes of which discharge dioxin or heavy metals into the atmosphere together with details of illnesses directly or indirectly attributed thereto; and if she will make a statement. [14427]

The main industrial processes which discharge dioxin and/or heavy metals are incineration plants, power stations and other combustion plants, metal industry processes and chemical plants.The health effects of emissions from the burning of any fuel cannot be determined unless the specific components of the fuel and the method and temperature of its combustion are known. Discharges of dioxins and heavy metals must be kept within levels whereby no harm to health should occur. No illnesses are known to be directly or indirectly caused by such discharges in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will make an announcement on the Government's response to the report of the review committee on NHS complaints procedures, "Being Heard". [15644]

I shall publish tomorrow a booklet entitled "Acting on Complaints". This will set out our plans for a speedier, simpler and more effective national health service complaints procedure in England. Copies will be placed in the Library. Similar systems are being introduced in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. I will also be responding tomorrow to the recommendations in the First and Sixth Reports of the 1993–94 Session of the Select Committee on the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration, which relate to NHS complaints procedures in Great Britain.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Eastbourne of 22 November 1994, Official Report, column 88, what arrangements she has made to create a special health authority to undertake the functions of the family health services appeal unit. [15647]

Statutory Instruments were laid before this House on 8 March 1995 to come into effect on 1 April 1995 creating the Family Health Services Appeal Authority. The authority is to he located in Harrogate. The chairman of the authority will be Mr. Alan Crute and Mrs. Hilda Harvey, Mr. John Goss and Mrs. Josephine Larbie have been invited to be non-executive members.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the number and percentage of emergency ambulance calls in London that took (a) 14 minutes and (b) for each subsequent minute up to 70 minutes in February 1995. [14773]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 25 January at columns 251–52.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list all the visits she has made since the start of the current parliamentary Session to the constituencies of other hon. Members, without prior warning to those hon. Members, for any purpose connected with her departmental responsibilities. [15016]

Ministers always do their best to give prior warning to hon. Members when they visit their constituencies in an official capacity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people of (a) Turkish origin, (b) Turkish Cypriot origin and (c) other Turkish origin, including Kurdish origin, were resident in (i) each of the London boroughs and (ii) the United Kingdom as a whole at the latest available date. [15104]

Information is not available as these categories were not listed in the 1991 census ethnic group question. However, there was a space for people to enter their ethnic group if they felt that none of the printed, pre-coded, categories, was appropriate. Counts for the London boroughs of these "write-in" answers for the category of "Turkish", without any sub-division, are included in the 1991 Census Report for Ethnic Group and Country of Birth (table a), copies of which are available in the Library. The ethnic origin question was not asked in Northern Ireland and this table relates to Great Britain.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to publish the report submitted by the city of Bradford metropolitan council concerning the circumstances leading to the death of Sarah Varley, together with the response of her Department's social services inspectorate; and if she will make a statement. [15441]

It is for the Bradford area child protection committee to consider publication of the report. The review, completed in 1993, made a number of recommendations to the area child protection committee. The social services inspectorate has asked the Bradford director of social services to report on action taken to implement the recommendations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if patients given definite dates for treatment and operations are then removed from the waiting list. [15185]

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if the work of Remploy as clothing suppliers has met his quality control standards.

Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many contracts have been awarded to Remploy since the special contracts arrangements were introduced.

Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made of whether the special contracts arrangements are working effectively.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Eastleigh (Mr. Chidgey) on 15 March, Official Report, column 624.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the average change in real terms of industrial workers' salaries since 1979.

The average real weekly earnings of an industrial worker rose 32 per cent. between 1979 and 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 7 March, Official Report, column 143, if he will identify the six employer associations which, in the consultation process, expressed a view in favour of exempting small firms from the requirement not to discriminate against disabled employees and the three employer associations which were against this.

No. As I made clear in my answer of 7 March 1995, it is not our policy to publish particular responses to the consultation and this includes identifying the views that particular organisations expressed in those responses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when the Health and Safety Executive will make a complete independent assessment of the Forth railway bridge. [15101]

I understand the director general of the Health and Safety Executive, Mr. Rimington, has asked Her Majesty's railway inspectorate to undertake an assessment of the Forth bridge.A time scale for the completion of this work has not yet been confirmed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list all the visits he has made since the start of the current parliamentary Session to the constituencies of other hon. Members without prior warning to these hon. Members for any purpose connected with his departmental responsibilities. [15024]

I always do my best to give prior warning to hon. Members when I visit their constituencies in an official capacity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to reinstate a scheme along the lines of learning for work for unemployed people who would benefit from full-time study. [15336]

Learning for work will not be replaced by another scheme. The Department, through training and enterprise councils and the Employment Service, provides a range of programmes and services to help unemployed people prepare for work. Training for work, career development loans, job clubs and restart courses all play an important part of this package of help.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if part-time study by unemployed people will be a positive outcome of restart interviews. [15339]

It is appreciated that undertaking part-time education can enhance some clients' prospects of finding work in the longer term, so advisers will give advice and guidance on part-time education opportunities available and the implications for benefits. However, a client who starts part-time education following a restart interview is not counted towards the positive outcome targets unless he also leaves the unemployment register.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if a course of study being undertaken by an unemployed person by the Employment Service is not exceeding 16 hours of guided learning will be disregarded in any further tests of availability for work. [15335]

People claiming jobseeker's allowance will be able to take part-time courses provided that they remain available for, and actively seeking, employment.Courses of part-time study will not be disregarded by the Employment Service in availability for work tests.After three months unemployment, the course will not of itself be grounds for finding someone unavailable for work, but it will continue to be the case that a jobseeker may not turn down or refuse to apply for a vacancy notified to him merely because it conflicts with his course of study.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if the new rule on hours of study will apply during the first three months of unemployment. [15337]

People claiming jobseeker's allowance will be able to take part-time courses provided that they remain fully available for, and actively seeking, employment. After three months unemployment, attending a part-time course will not of itself be grounds for finding someone unavailable for work, but it will continue to be the case that a jobseeker may not turn down or refuse to apply for a vacancy notified to him merely because it conflicts with his course of study.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if people who were studying part-time while employed may be required under the rules for jobseeker's allowance to give up their courses on becoming unemployed. [15343]

People who become unemployed will be able to continue to study part-time within the rules of jobseekers allowance and receive benefit, so long as they remain available for, and actively seeking, employment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if study for a skill or qualification will be taken into account by the Employment Service under the rules for jobseeker's allowance, in judging the suitability of a job which an unemployed person may be directed to take. [15334]

The Employment Service does not set out to offer claimants unsuitable jobs, and employment officers may take into account a range of factors before notifying claimants of vacancies. However, jobseeker's allowance, like current unemployment benefits, will be for people whose first priority is to find a job. Study must not conflict with claimants' availability for work and active jobsearch and they will be liable to sanction if, without good cause, they refuse or fail to apply for a job that has been notified to them by an employment officer as vacant or about to become vacant. This does not mean that they must necessarily leave their course: it may be possible, because of the increasing flexibility of modern courses, to combine work and study. But it will continue to be the case that claimants may not turn down or refuse to apply for a vacancy notified to them merely because it conflicts with their course of study.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if courses for the long-term unemployed funded from the European social fund and provided at present by training and enterprise councils, further education colleges, local authorities and voluntary organisations will be made exempt from the 1 6–hour limitation and the actively seeking work requirement brought within the training for work programme or in some other way. [15338]

Courses part-funded by the European social fund and run under training for work will be subject to the rules of that programme. People undertaking part-time courses part-funded by ESF while claiming jobseeker's allowance will be subject to the rules of JSA, which will include an upper limit of 16 guided learning hours per week in Further Education Funding Council funded courses and a requirement to be available for, and actively seeking, employment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how much was paid in grants from any section of the European Union budget to the South Thames TEC for each year since 1992. [14730]

Payments to South Thames training and enterprise council under objective 3 of the European social fund for 1993 and 1994 are shown in the following table. The TEC had no applications approved for support in 1992.

Year	ESF grants paid £
1993	308,770
1994	166,100

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all the visits he has made since the start of the current parliamentary Session to the constituencies of other hon. Members without prior warning to these hon. members for any purpose connected with his departmental responsibilities. [15013]

On 16 February 1995 when, at short notice, I visited Wormwood Scrubs prison, and my office tried but was unable to contact the hon. Member for Hammersmith (Mr. Soley).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were prosecuted for not having a television licence in the latest year for which figures are available; what sentences they received; and how many people eventually served a period of imprisonment.

[holding answer 15 March 1995]: Information held centrally by my Department on the number of court proceedings under the Wireless Telegraphy Acts 1949 to 1967 cannot separately identify the offence of TV licence evasion. I understand from the national television licence records office that the number of prosecutions in the last two years was as is shown in the table. Over 97 per cent. of people found guilty were fined. A total of 845 people in 1993 and 754 in 1994 were imprisoned for default on fines imposed for using a TV without a licence.

Offenders prosecuted and found guilty of television licence evasion
England and Wales
Year	Prosecuted	Found guilty
1993	243,025	212,952
1994	223,985	199,970

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 13 March, Official Report, column 375, what is the length of the delay beyond their parole eligibility dates in the cases of each of the 569 prisoners mentioned in his answer. [15194]

I regret that the information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what response he has made to the request from the British Betting Office Association for a seat on the bookmakers' committee to the levy board and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 6 March 1995]: My right hon. and learned Friend has decided to review the composition of the bookmakers' committee in the light of representations from the British Betting Office Association.We have written today to the BBOA, the Secretary to the bookmakers' committee and to the levy board to inform them of this decision. Officials will be writing to the BBOA and the associations represented on the committee in order to undertake the necessary consultation.A decision on whether the BBOA will be granted representation on the committee and the size of any such representation will be taken following the consultation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police authorities have permanently staffed armed response units; and how many second officers from other duties for short periods. [14841]

On 31 December 1993, 34 police forces in England and Wales had armed response vehicles. A complete breakdown of this figure between forces which maintain a 24–hour armed response vehicle service, and those which do not, is not centrally available and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the level of financial support provided to Victim Support and the total number of victims so supported since 1989. [14396]

Details of Home Office funding of Victim Support since such funding began in 1979 were given in a reply to a question from the hon. Member for Wyre (Mr. Mans) on 22 February at column 236.Victim Support does not record how many victims have actually been helped, but its records show that in the period 1 April 1989 to 31 March 1994 it made more than 3.9 million offers of support to victims of crime.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those local authorities which have established designated units with a specific responsibility to reduce the fear of crime and improve crime prevention measures, reporting direct to the chief executive, by party of control. [14397]

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of uniformed officers with a commitment to a specific geographical area by police authority, in each year since 1989; and what these figures are as a percentage of uniformed officers in each area. [14299]

This information is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice his Department issues to police authorities about the account taken of community liaison work when considering the career progression of individual officers. [14400]

Guidance on best practice in operating career development and staff appraisal system does not specify how particular aspects of police work should be treated. It is for chief constables to take decisions on the career progression of their officers, taking into account the skills and abilities of the officers concerned, the long-term and short-term needs of the individual, and the needs of the force and the police service as a whole.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of medium and high-level community liaison posts by police authority, in place for each year since 1989. [14401]

The information requested is not held centrally. Each police force in England and Wales has a community liaison department, generally headed by an officer at superintendent or chief inspector rank. Officers at various levels in forces will have community liaison responsibilities, exercised locally as circumstances require.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions of retailers for the sale of (a) alcohol, (b) tobacco and (c) 18–classified video products to people who are under age were undertaken in the last year for which figures are available; and what advice his Department issues to the police regarding such offences. [14713]

Information held centrally shows that in England and Wales in 1993, 156 defendants were prosecuted for the illegal sale of alcohol on licensed premises to persons under 18. In 1993, 143 defendants were prosecuted for offences related to the illegal sale of tobacco to children under 16.The Video Recordings Act 1984 does not differentiate the supply of a video recording of classified work for hire from other forms of commercial supply, such as the supply of a classified video for sale. In 1989, there was one prosecution under section 11 of the Act relating to supply of a video recording in breach of the classification awarded. Information collected centrally from 1990 to 1994 does not identify individual offences committed under this specific Act from other summary offences. However, from 1995 onwards the information is being recorded separately. Home Office guidance to the police and local authorities in 1992 on the law relating to the sale of tobacco to children indicated that enforcement action was primarily a matter for the latter.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what considerations underlay his rejection of nominations for the Metropolitan police committee made by local authority associations. [14442]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 February to a question from the hon. Member for Woolwich (Mr. Austin-Walker), Official Report, column 757–58.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many meetings he has scheduled with the Metropolitan police committee; and how frequent those meetings will be; [14446](2) what sanctions the Metropolitan police committee has if he ignores its advice on policing the capital; [14447](3) how many times he has so far met the Metropolitan police committee, how many letters he has received from it; and to what extent he has acted on any advice received from it. [14449]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply to a question from the hon. Member for Newham, South (Mr. Spearing) on 11 January at column 139–40. The Metropolitan police committee is not yet formally in operation. From 1 April 1995 it is expected to advise the Secretary of State on a range of matters concerning the policing of the Metropolitan police district but it will be for Ministers to decide whether or to what extent they should accept the advice put forward. The question of sanctions does not arise.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what steps he took to establish that members of the Metropolitan police committee demonstrated knowledge of the workings of the Metropolitan police; [14805](2) how many people were interviewed for membership of the Metropolitan police committee. [14441]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave her on 20 February, Official Report, column 19.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many full-time and part-time staff will be allocated to the Metropolitan police committee; and what will be the cost of those staff; [14444](2) what will be the annual cost of the Metropolitan police committee. [14445]

The estimated cost of the Metropolitan police committee for 1995–96 is £399,000. This includes the cost of eight full-time and two part-time staff who comprise its Secretariat, accommodation costs and other expenses.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many members of the Metropolitan police committee are members of a political party; and if he will list those parties; [14443](2) how many of the members of the Metropolitan police committee

Information about past or present political affiliations, if any, of members of the Metropolitan police committee is not collected by my Department. However, I understand that of the two serving councillors appointed to the committee, one is a member of the Conservative party and the other is a member of the Labour party.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many overseas domestic workers are currently working in London; [14450](2) how many overseas domestic workers there are currently in Britain. [14448]

The information requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the percentage of (a) husbands and (b) wives seeking to join their spouses initially refused by entry clearance officers in India in 1994; what were the reasons for the differences; and if he will make a statement. [14831]

In India in 1994, 45 per cent. of husbands and 20 per cent. of wives were initially refused entry clearance for settlement in the United Kingdom. Some of these applications may be subsequently granted on appeal. Immigration rules for entry clearance for settlement in the United Kingdom apply equally to husbands and wives. Differences in the percentage initially refused reflect differences in individual applications.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the percentage of (a) husbands and (b) wives seeking to join their spouses initially refused by entry clearance officers in Pakistan in 1994; what were the reasons for the differences; and if he will make a statement. [14739]

In Pakistan in 1994, 60 per cent. of husbands and 25 per cent. of wives were initially refused entry clearance for settlement in the United Kingdom. Some of these applications may be subsequently granted on appeal. Immigration rules for entry clearance for settlement in the United Kingdom apply equally to husbands and wives. Differences in the percentage of applications initially refused reflect differences in individual applications.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment he has made of the need for a police authority for London; [14440](2) if he will establish mechanisms whereby London council tax-payers can influence expenditure on the Metropolitan police. [14454]

It is the Government's view that the Secretary of State should remain the police authority for the Metropolitan police district. Like other police authorities, the Secretary of State has overall responsibilities for the efficiency and effectiveness of the force. He answers to Parliament for those responsibilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list the full names of those private companies which have tendered for, or have been invited to tender for, each individual contract to (a) design, construct, manage or finance any of Her Majesty's prison establishments or (b) manage court or prison escort services, together with the contract involved; [14452](2) if he will list the full names of those private companies which have been awarded individual contracts to