To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 20 March, Official Report, column 30, if he will list the applications for legal aid made over the past 12 months by Darius Guppy. [15665]

Over the past 12 months, Mr. Guppy has made six applications for civil legal aid and one for ABWOR—assistance by way of representation. No central record of applications for criminal legal aid is kept, but I am aware of one such application from Mr. Guppy, to which I referred in my answer of 20 March.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 20 March, Official Report, column 30, if he will seek to amend section 38 of the Legal Aid Act 1988 to remove the confidentiality provisions on the disclosure of information on an applicant's financial means where the applicant is serving a prison sentence for theft. [15666]

No. The "confidentiality" clause in section 38 of the Legal Aid Act 1988 is not unique to legal aid and is common practice in organisations which retain personal details of an individual's circumstances.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will estimate what was the expenditure from the legal aid fund (a) in total and (b) in Wales in the last available year. [15789]

Actual net expenditure on legal aid in England and Wales in 1993–94 was £1,210 million. For expenditure in Wales, I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 2 March 1995, Official Report, column 677. The legal aid fund in Wales is administered by two separate area offices, situated at Cardiff and Chester, the latter being also responsible for administering legal aid in parts of England. It is therefore not possible readily to identify payments made solely in respect of assisted persons resident in Wales, nor is it possible to estimate what proportion of legal aid fund expenditure related specifically to Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the costs and benefits of constructing a high speed rail link from north-west England to connect with the proposed channel tunnel rail link.

I have not assessed the costs and benefits of a completely new line. However, on 22 March, I announced the first stage of a £1 billion modernisation of the west coast main line.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidelines his Department has issued to its agencies and other public bodies under its authority in respect of the employment of public relations companies and the procedures to be adopted in relation to requesting tenders for public relations companies. [16210]

Guidelines for the employment of public relations companies are contained in the working guide for Government information officers, copies of which are available in the library of the House. The procurement rules and procedures for the Department are contained in the Departmental procurement manual.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultations he has had with the Railway Heritage Group about the preservation of early records of the railway system in the last five years. [16597]

None. Early records which have come to light in the last five years have been sent to either the Public Record Office, the Scottish Record Office or the National Railway Museum to add to their existing collections. If the records were not appropriate for these three national bodies, they were sent to one of the local record offices listed by British Rail's records advisory panel. In future, the new independent Railway Heritage Committee, under the chairmanship of Sir Gordon Higginson, will supervise the transfer of historic railway artifacts and records to the collecting institutions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 20 March, Official Report, column 89, if he will give the total acreage of the 134 pieces of land sold by Railtrack to date. [16276]

I am advised by Railtrack that the total acreage of the 134 sale transactions by Railtrack to date amounts to about 41 acres.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions the royal train was used in 1993–94; what were its destinations; which members of the royal family used it and on how many occasions; and on how many occasions was it used overnight. [16768]

The royal train was used on 47 separate occasions, involving use of the royal train coaches on 95 days in 1993–94. I understand that the destinations were as follows:

• Aberdeen
• Aberystwyth
• Ashford (Kent)
• Bodmin Parkway
• Bridgend
• Bridgwater
• Cardiff
• Derby
• Edinburgh
• Fort William
• Gatwick Airport
• Glasgow
• Hexham
• Inverkeithing
• Lancaster
• Leeds
• Liverpool
• Lockerbie
• London
• Lympstone Commando
• Malton
• Manchester
• Mexborough
• Morpeth
• Newport
• Northallerton
• Penzance
• Plymouth
• Runcorn
• Sheffield
• Shrewsbury
• Slough
• Southampton Docks
• Stirling
• Stonehaven
• Sunderland
• Tattenham Corner
• Thirsk
• Truro
• Whitland
• Workington

The members of the royal family and numbers of occasions on which they used the royal train were as follows:

	Number of occasions
Her Majesty the Queen	11
The Duke of Edinburgh	5
The Prince of Wales	17
The Princess Royal	6
The Prince Edward	1
The Duke of Kent	1
The Duchess of Kent	4

The royal train was also used twice for state visits. The train was used overnight 48 times.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what was the cost of producing and circulating the last departmental annual report for each of the last three years in real terms. [16641]

The last three editions of the report have been published as Command Papers by HMSO, which has borne the printing and publishing costs with the aim of recovering these from sales revenue.My Department incurred additional production and distribution costs relating to the 1995 report of approximately £1,000, and additional production costs relating to the 1994 report of £9,473 at current prices. Information on the production costs of the 1993 report, and distribution costs of the 1993 and 1994 reports can be calculated only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what was the cost of producing and circulating the departmental annual report; what was the circulation list; how many copies were produced; how many copies were sold; and at what price. [16640]

Some 1,900 copies of my Department's report were printed and published. Of these, 500 copies were purchased by the Department for distribution to its agencies, sponsored bodies and other external contacts, as well as distribution internally for use as a working document. In addition to those copies required by Parliament, Government Departments and agencies concerned, just over 1,150 copies were produced to satisfy other sales at a price of £9.55 net. The costs of printing and publishing the report were borne by HMSO, which aims to cover these costs from sales revenue. The Department incurred additional production and distribution costs approximately £1,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what statutory references to hon. Members have been made in legislation introduced by his Department, or its predecessors, since 1965. [17039]

An analysis of all legislation introduced by this Department and its predecessors since 1965 for any reference of the type requested, could be provided only at disproportionate cost. It would be extremely unlikely for reference to be made specifically to an individual hon. Member. Frequent references are made to officers of state, and occasional general references are made to persons who are Members of one or other Houses of Parliament. The National Lottery etc. Act 1993 makes a reference to the Leader of the Opposition in schedule 6 concerning nominations for membership of the Millennium Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage on what date he received the report of the public library review from the consultants, ASLIB. [16180]

The report of the public library review was received from the consultants on 23 February.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when he will publish his response to the public library review. [16179]

I hope to make a statement shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will extend the deadline for meeting the recommendations of the Taylor report for those football clubs which have experienced protracted planning difficulties. [15953]

Any applications for an extension to the deadlines already announced for football clubs to meet the all-seater or safe terracing will be considered on their individual merits, as occurred in 1994, following consultation with the Football Licensing Authority. Extensions will be granted only in the most exceptional circumstances and where delays in meeting the necessary criteria are unforseen and unavoidable. Whether planning difficulties would fall into such a category would depend on the facts of the individual case.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when he expects to be able to announce the membership of the proposed Sports Council for England. [17499]

I confirmed the Government's intention to set up new United Kingdom and English Sports Councils from 1 January 1996, subject to the grant of royal charters, on 23 March, Official Report, column 316. I announced at the time of his appointment as chairman of the GB Sports Council that Mr. Rodney Walker would in due course become first chairman of the Sports Council for England. I am pleased to be able to announce today the remaining members-designate of the Sports Council for England:

• Mr. Gerald Dennis¹ Vice-Chairman
• Mr. Trevor Brooking¹ Vice-Chairman
• Mr. Keith Oates¹
• Ms Julia Bracewell¹
• Mr. Tim Marshall¹
• Mr. Geoff Thompson¹
• Mr. Ian Botham
• Mr. Jeff Probyn
• Mr. Chris Boardman
• Mr. Peter Blake
• Mr. Andrew Hancock
• Mr. Jim Munn
• Mr. David Oxley
• Mr. Sam Stoker
• ¹ Are serving members of the present GB Sports Council.

We proposed last July that the English council should concentrate its resources on an increased programme of direct support for governing bodies of sport for the development of sport from the grass roots to the highest competitive levels. We expect the English council to develop its policies and programmes in full and meaningful co-operation both with the Central Council of Physical Recreation, which represents the interests of governing bodies, and with local authority interests.I am also able to confirm that, as proposed on 8 July 1994, the present linkage between the Sports Council and the Regional Councils for Sport and Recreation will come to an end from 1 January 1996. Ministers will cease from today to renew or make fresh appointments to those bodies, but will in future appoint ministerial nominees in each of the regions of the English Sports Council. These will bring a further range of experience and expertise to the council's work, including that of local government.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the names of those persons appointed as political advisers to his Department since May 1992. [15619]

[holding answer 27 March 1995]: The names of those persons appointed as special advisers to my Department since May 1992 are:

Name	Date appointed	Date appointment ended
Mr. Chris Hopson	22 April 1992	24 September 1992
Viscountess Cobham	12 July 1992	24 September 1992
Mr. Dominic Loehnis	7 November 1992	20 July 1994

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to his answer of 9 March, Official Report, column 280, who is responsible for establishing the accuracy of local claims regarding the origins of historical figures used in terms of tourism promotion. [16044]

[holding answer 27 March 1995]: Where such claims are made in advertisements or sales promotions, these must conform with the appropriate self-regulatory codes of practice. These require advertisements and sales promotions to be legal, decent, honest and truthful.Certain claims must also comply with the Trade Descriptions Act 1968, which makes it an offence for a trader knowingly or recklessly to make a false or misleading statement about the nature of services, accommodation or facilities. This Act is enforced by local authority trading standards departments.

To ask the Prime Minister if he approved the statement of Government policy set out in paragraph 5 of the Bank of England press release of the text of the Deputy Governor's speech to the City branch of the Institute of Directors on 13th December 1993. [16988]

As stated in the 1995–96 Financial Statement and Budget Report, the role of monetary policy is to deliver low inflation. The Deputy Governor's speech to the City branch of the Institute of Directors was fully consistent with the Government's monetary policy.

To ask the Prime Minister whether the appointment of the Governor or Deputy Governor of the Bank of England requires or receives (a) Cabinet approval and (b) positive security vetting. [16942]

Appointments of Governor and Deputy Governor of the Bank of England are made by Her Majesty the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister. The posts are subject to security vetting procedures.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the names of those persons appointed as political advisers to his Department since May 1992. [15615]

[holding answer 27 March 1995]: The Prime Minister's staff includes a number of appointments as special advisers, both political and expert. The names are as follows:

	Date appointed	Date left
Lord Poole	May 1992	July 1994
Sir R. Braithwaite	June 1992	December 1993
Mr. D. Green	June 1992	December 1994
Mrs. K. Ramsay	June 1992	To date
Miss A Warburton	January 1994	To date
Mr. N. R. Blackwell	February 1995	To date
Mr. S. M. Williams	March 1995	To date
Ms C. Fairbairn	March 1995	To date

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the real change in take-home pay for a married couple on average earnings, with two children, between (a) 1973–74 and 1978–79 and(b) 1978–79 and 1993–94; and what were the figures in other EC countries.

Real take-home pay for a married couple on average earnings, with two children, decreased by 2 per cent. between 1973–74 and 1978–79 and increased by 41 per cent. between 1978–79 and 1993–94. Independent research shows that the take-home pay of production workers in the UK is comparable with that in Germany and ahead of that of France, the Netherlands and Denmark, once the cost of living has been taken into account.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the latest unemployment figures in the pools industry on Merseyside. [16372]

The proposed redundancies in the pools industry are regrettable. However, staffing levels must be a matter for the commercial judgment of companies concerned. Individuals who are unfortunate enough to lose their jobs from any sector can benefit from the Employment Department's extensive range of measures designed to help them find new jobs, re-train or set up in business. There are now more than 10,000 fewer unemployed in Merseyside than there were a year ago.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the outcome of the prior options review of the Employment Service. [17357]

The review is now complete and I have placed a summary of the review's conclusions in the Library. I have accepted all its recommendations, subject to the following points. The report sets out a compelling case for the agency and demonstrates its importance to the labour market. As the evaluation undertaken in support of the review shows, the Employment Service has steadily and substantially improved its performance since it became an agency in 1990. It also confirms the value of integrating job-broking, advisory and benefit services.The prior options review confirms the importance of the work of the ES in helping employers and unemployed people to operate more effectively in the labour market. The policies the agency has pursued have played a significant role in helping unemployed people, particularly those at a disadvantage, to compete effectively and actively for jobs. That has assisted many employers in filling their vacancies. The ES's operation as an agency has enabled it to meet increasingly stretching performance targets, while achieving better value for money for the taxpayer.I therefore endorse the recommendation of the review that the agency status of the ES should be confirmed. A new framework document will be drawn up to reflect working arrangements for the operation of the jobseeker's allowance subject to the passage of the necessary legislation. The ES, along with the Benefits Agency, will have a crucial role to play in implementing the JSA and ensuring it is delivered effectively, to a high standard of service to its clients and with increased benefit to the operation to the labour market. I am pleased that the review confirms that the ES is well positioned to carry out these tasks.The review recommends that, once the JSA is implemented successfully, there will be scope to test the potential for private sector involvement in the delivery of functions, other than adjudication, that are carried out in ES offices. I accept this conclusion in principle. My aim would be to take forward the review's proposal to market test the work of two or three ES districts in 1997 once the JSA has been fully introduced and subject to establishing the feasibility of separating adjudication from other aspects of the work of districts.I shall also be asking the ES to work up proposals for a market test in, one or two regions of placing, assessment and counselling teams, which provide specialist services for unemployed people with disabilities.The review also made recommendations about ES fraud work. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security and I are considering how the fraud work currently undertaken by the ES and the BA will be organised under the JSA and will make an announcement shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many press officers there are in his Department currently; and what the figure was in 1979. [16574]

The Department of the Environment currently employs 31.5 information officers, including those employed by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution. All deal with the full range of information services; none are exclusively press officers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much his Department spent on public relations during the financial year 1993–94; how much contracts with the private sector cost; and if he will list the activities covered by these contracts. [16287]

During the 1993–94 financial year my Department part-funded one PR contract to a value of £28,000. The activities carried out included planning, design and strategic work undertaken on behalf of the Lighting Industry Federation, the National Energy Foundation and my Department's "Helping the Earth Begins at Home" domestic energy campaign to encourage the use of energy-saving light bulbs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has received a reasoned opinion from the European Commission concerning the grant of planning permission for a chicken farm at the former airfield at Throckmorton, Worcestershire. [16767]

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made on sustainable development and the environment over the past year; and when he intends to respond to the recommendations in the first report of the Government's panel on sustainable development. [17181]

We are today publishing "This Common Inheritance: UK Annual Report 1995", which reports progress on commitments in previous environment White Papers and the sustainable development strategy. To complement this, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is today placing in the House Library a copy of the letter which he is today sending to the Government's panel, responding to the recommendations in its first report.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps Her Majesty's Government will take to ensure that important British habitats omitted from the EU habitats directive are given statutory protection at European level. [15114]

The provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 for the protection of sites of special scientific interest will continue to apply to sites notified by the nature conservancy councils, including those which contain habitats not listed in the EC habitats directive. The directive is intended to cover only those habitat types and species that are rare or endangered at a European level. We shall play a full part in the consideration of any revision of the habitat types listed in annexe I of the directive if proposals are made by the European Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what measures he proposes to ensure the adequacy of the quality of environmental data provision for the European Environment Agency; [15115](2) what provision he will make to ensure that dissonant information is given adequate recognition in EU environmental networks through the United Kingdom focal point. [15116]

My Department has established a network of organisations in the UK which will contribute to the work of the European Environment Agency. These organisations have widely recognised expertise in the fields of environmental monitoring and data collection, in particular at the national and European levels which will be the EEA's primary interest. Co-ordination of the UK network is the responsibility of the UK national focal point based in the environmental protection statistics division of my Department. The NFP will act as a channel of communication between the network and the EEA, to ensure that network members provide reliable and balanced information to the EEA and that network members are not overburdened with requests for unnecessary information.The EEA will also be open to receiving information form other organisations which are not part of the official network, including, for example, non-governmental organisations. Where any information provided by such organisations does not accord with that from official sources, the agency will investigate discrepancies.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will state the terms of reference for private sector participation in the European regional development fund objective 2 and 5b schemes. [16729]

A broad range of private sector organisations may benefit directly from ERDF grants, providing they are non-profit making and acting in the public interest.Although ERDF grants have not normally been available to profit-making companies in the past, the Government wish to maximise the private sector contribution to projects attracting ERDF grants, and has put to the European Commission proposals for facilitating this while ensuring that projects are of general economic benefit to the areas concerned, and that ERDF grants do not lead to excessive profits. The Commission's comments are awaited.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he proposes that English local authorities which are to remain unchanged, following his recent decision on the recommendations of the Local Government Commission, will be required to extend compulsory competitive tendering. [17356]

I am keen to see the benefits of competition brought to local people as soon as possible. It is now clear that many shire counties and districts will retain their existing two-tier structure, and these authorities are in a position to press ahead with the extension of CCT to further manual and white-collar services as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has decided which non-objective 1 areas in England should be included under the European structural funds Urban initiative; and if he will make a statement. [17716]

I have today presented the European Commission with the Government's decision on the six non-objective 1 areas in England to receive £37 million under the Urban initiative.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what changes have been made to the British Shipbuilders' external financing limit for 1994–95. [17501]

The external financing limit for British Shipbuilders for 1994–95 has been increased by £15 million from minus £3.8 million to positive £11 million. This increase is attributable to the sale of the McDermott barge, the company's largest and longest-running liability. The increase in the EFL will be met from the reserve and does not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure in 1994–95.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what statutory references to hon. Members have been made in legislation introduced by his Department, or its predecessors, since 1965. [17031]

An analysis of all legislation introduced by this Department and its predecessors since 1965 for any reference to the type requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. It would be extremely unlikely for reference to be made specifically to an individual hon. Member. Frequent references are made to officers of state, and occasional general references are made to persons who are Members of one or other of the Houses of Parliament.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what facilities in terms of (a) access to telephones, (b) use of equipment, (c) use of offices, (d) access to ministerial meetings, (e) sight of correspondence, (f) attendance at inter-departmental meetings and (g) access to civil servants are available to specialist advisers in his Department. [15608]

[holding answer 27 March 1995]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 27 March 1995, Official Report, column 435.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the names of those persons appointed as political advisers to his Department since May 1992. [15609]

[holding answer 27 March 1995]: No persons have been appointed as political advisers to this Department since May 1992.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consultations he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport about reducing noise at Coventry airport; and what assessment he has made of the impact on economic growth in the area of (a) aircraft noise pollution and (b) the increase in night flights. [16228]

I have had no consultations. These are matters for the local planning authorities and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to assist Coventry airport via the European Commission's objective 2 programmes; and what representations he has received from the residents of Willenhall. [16227]

It is for Coventry city council, as owner of the airport, to make applications for grant activities that can be assisted through the west midlands objective 2 single programming document 1994–96.All applications received will be considered in accordance with the programme arrangements agreed between the UK Government and the European Commission.I have not received any representation on this matter from residents of Willenhall.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many post office staff have left the Post Office as a result of crown post offices being converted to agency status. [16314]

[holding answer 27 March 1995]: I understand from the Post Office that some 4,000 staff have left on voluntary redundancy terms since 1989–90 as a result of crown post offices being converted to agency status. Many of them are now working in post offices either as agents or employed by agents.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what financial benefits the Post Office has obtained during the last and current financial years through the policy of converting crown post offices to agency status. [16312]

[holding answer 27 March 1995]: I understand from the Post Office that conversions of crown post offices in the financial year 1993–94 yielded net recurring savings of £3.9 million. The figures for the current financial year are not yet available but are expected to be of a similar amount.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the crown post offices converted to agency status in Scotland since January 1994 giving the parliamentary constituency within which they lie. [16315]

[holding answer 27 March 1995]: I understand from the Post Office that the following 18 crown post offices in Scotland have been converted to agency status since January 1994:

Post Office	Parliamentary Constituency
Annan	Dumfries
Anniesland	Glasgow Garscadden
Blantyre	Hamilton
Carluke	Lanark
Castle Douglas	Dumfries
Charing Cross	Glasgow Hillhead
Dumbarton	Dumbarton
Elgin	Moray
Kirkcaldy	Kirkcaldy
Livingston	Livingston
Partick	Glasgow Hillhead
Peterhead	Banff and Buchan
Renfrew	Paisley North
Stranraer	Galloway and Upper Nithsdale
Thurso	Caithness and Sutherland
Milngavie	Clydebank and Milngavie
Newington	Edinburgh South
Wick	Caithness and Sutherland

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many crown post offices have been converted to agency status in (a) Scotland and (b) throughout the United Kingdom for each financial year since 1989–90. [16313]

[holding answer 27 March 1995]: I understand from the Post Office that numbers of crown post offices converted to agency status in Scotland and throughout the United Kingdom in each financial year since 1989–90 are as follows:

	Scotland	United Kingdom
1989–90	32	153
1990–91	29	164
1991–92	40	147
1992–93	11	108
1993–94	13	117

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many crown post offices within (a) Scotland and (b) throughout the United Kingdom the Post Office views as appropriate for agency status. [16309]

[holding answer 27 March 1995]: I understand from the Post Office that it uses the following criteria for deciding on the appropriateness of agency status for a given office:

the customer service benefit of changing, e.g. longer opening

hours, better location;

financial benefits;

ability to redeploy any surplus staff;

availability of a suitable partner to become agent.

Since some of these factors have a degree of uncertainty attaching to them, the Post Office does not have a fixed view about the number of crown post offices appropriate for agency status. The Post Office continues to convert crown post offices to agency status where the right circumstances prevail.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the number of corporate insolvencies in Scotland for each of the years 1993 and 1994, and in respect of each year (a) the number of reports submitted by practitioners, (b) the number of court proceedings commenced and (c) the number of disqualification orders made under the Companies (Disqualification of Directors) Act 1985; and if he will express the last figure as a percentage of the total number of corporate insolvencies in each year. [16049]

The figures requested are as follows:

	1993	1994
Corporate Insolvencies	941	695
(a) Conduct reports submitted by Insolvency Practitioners	241	215
(b) Disqualification Proceedings Commenced	75	114
(c) Disqualification Orders Made	54	72
Disqualification Orders as a Percentage of Corporate Insolvencies	5.74	10.36

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many press officers there are in his Department currently; and what the figures were for (a) his Department and(b) the Department of Energy in 1979. [16560]

There are 17 press officers currently employed in my Department. Comparable figures for 1979 are not available.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) in what circumstances he will allow in-house bids at Companies House and the Patent Office, following his recent statements on the futures of these two organisations; [16985](2) what method will be used at Companies House and the Patent Office to determine whether or not it will provide value for money to contract out services in comparison to continuing with the current in-house provision. [16979]

Existing employees may bid for contracts on the basis that, if successful, they would carry out the work as private sector contractors.The basis for assessing bids will be overall value for money, including both cost and quality of service. On cost, bids will be assessed against the benchmark of forecast costs to carry out the function within the public sector, taking into account any planned efficiencies.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the full cost, from 1991 to date, of the reviews into the futures of (a) Companies House and (b) the Patent Office. [16980]

The full costs of the reviews into the futures of (a) Companies House and (b) the Patent Office are not available, although internal and external costs are taken into account in the DTI efficiency plan. The costs of consultancy advice to the reviews since 1991 are £283,000 and £135,000 respectively, both figures being exclusive of VAT.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what assurances he gave the member of the European Commission responsible for regional development concerning the application of the additionality principles agreed with her predecessors that would apply to the reduced grant in aid to the Welsh Development Agency and increased dependence of the agency on the European regional development fund; [16848](2) if he will list the principal points raised in his meeting with the European Commission member responsible for regional development on Thursday 23 March; what representations were made in relation to the additionality issue; and if he will make a statement. [16849]

[holding answer 28 March 1995]: My right hon. Friend the Minister for Industry and Energy and I both met Dr. Wulf-Mathies on 23 March. We discussed means of improving the European structural funds value for money throughout the EU; the importance of combating fraud and mismanagement; EU grants in Northern Ireland; regional challenge; and the importance of private sector financial contributions to structural funds programmes.The Commissioner raised points about the composition of United Kingdom structural funds monitoring committees, and the resources available for the administration of programmes. These are matters for the United Kingdom.Dr. Wulf-Mathies mentioned that the Commission had received representations from Merseyside and from Wales described as concerning "additionality". It appeared, however, that these representations did not relate to the regulatory provision, which requires additionality only at the level of each objective, not separately for individual areas, measures, projects or beneficiaries. The Welsh Development Agency was not mentioned.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his Department refused any applications for temporary export licences for companies to exhibit at the IDEX 95 defence exhibition held in the United Arab Emirates in March. [15968]

No.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many temporary export licences were issued to companies wishing to exhibit at the International Defence Exhibition, IDEX, in Abu Dhabi in March. [15967]

Licences for the temporary export of controlled goods are valid for 12 months. In the 12 months leading up to IDEX, beginning 1 April 1994, the Export Control Organisation issued 125 licences for temporary export valid for Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates. Licences for temporary export are usually for the purpose of "display", "exhibition", "demonstration" and similar reasons. The particular forum for the display or exhibition of the goods in question is not always specified. I cannot therefore say specifically whether or not all the licences referred to above were to enable the goods in question to be exhibited at IDEX.

To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he will estimate the number of journalists with parliamentary press passes in (a) 1975, (b) 1985 and (c) 1995.

I understand that the figures are (a) 356 and (b) 407. The current figure is 489.

To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he will arrange to monitor for a week the number of journalists in the Gallery during each hour the House sits.

Yes. I have asked the Serjeant at Arms to make the arrangements for the first full sitting week after the House returns from the Easter Adjournment.

To ask the Chairman of the Select Committee on Members' Interests, if an hon. Member in receipt of a gift or loan whose purpose, wholly or in part, is intended to avoid disqualification from the House is required to register it.

The liability of an hon. Member to register an interest can be decided only by the Registrar in the light of specific information about an individual case.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the cost of producing and circulating the annual report of the Cabinet Office for each of the last 10 years in real terms. [16628]

The annual Cabinet Office departmental report was first published in 1991. The printing and publishing costs are borne by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, which aims to recover these from sales revenue.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the cost of producing and circulating the last departmental annual report; what was the circulation list; how many copies were produced; and how many copies were sold and at what price. [16627]

The printing and publishing costs were borne by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, which aims to recover these from sales revenue. The report was circulated to the Prime Minister, OPSS Ministers, Opposition spokesmen, Parliament, Cabinet Office senior management, and contributors in HMSO, COI and the other organisations included within the report. There were 1,500 copies printed, and just over 900 copies were distributed for sale to the public, at a cover price of £11.55.

To ask the Minister what was the outcome of the Agriculture Council held in Brussels on 27 and 28 March 1995 and if he will make a statement. [17498]

At this meeting, the Council again considered possible rules on transport of live animals. The Commissioner floated some new ideas which would protect animal welfare better than those in the current presidency compromise. It was agreed that these should be examined at official level before the Council returns to the subject in May with a view to reaching a final conclusion.The Council also discussed the agri-monetary effects of the recent turbulence on international currency markets, as a result of which certain green currencies may need to be revalued according to the Community rules. A further Council will be held on 10 April to take decisions on this aspect, but the Commission indicated that it would use its powers to ensure that revaluations did not come into effect before 5 May.The 10 April Council meeting is also expected to take decisions on the reform of the Community sugar regime. At this meeting we again argued that any cuts in sugar quotas necessary for the Community to meet its GATT commitments should be targeted on those countries with the largest surpluses.The Council extended the marketing years for milk and beef since farm prices for 1995–96 have not yet been set.In other discussions, the United Kingdom strongly opposed any proposal to place limits on nitrates in lettuce which cannot be fully justified by the scientific evidence.

To ask the Minster of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the budget forecast for the common agricultural policy in 1995; and what proportion of this fund will be allocated to the United Kingdom. [15796]

The draft supplementary and amending CAP budget for 1995, the latest official forecast, has been set at 36,897 mecu or £29,283 million—1,047 mecu or £831 million below the guideline. It is set in relation to forecast expenditure throughout the Community, and not on the basis of allocations to individual member states. The level of UK CAP receipts will depend on a variety of factors, such as production levels, quantities exported, and purchases in and sales out of intervention storage. It is forecast at £2,873 million for the 1995–96 financial year.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 15 March, Official Report, column 63, on water and sewerage charges, if he will define disproportionate cost. [15934]

Disproportionate cost is when it is estimated that the staff costs of preparing a full reply to the parliamentary question are likely to exceed £450.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what was the cost of producing and circulating the last Departmental annual report; what was the circulation list; how many copies were produced; how many copies were sold; and at what price; [16658](2) what was the cost of producing and circulating Departmental annual report for each of the last 10 years in real terms. [16659]

A total of 2,250 copies of the 1995 departmental report of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the intervention board were produced. About half were required by Parliament, the Ministry, its agencies and the intervention board, the remainder being produced for sale at £19.60 net. Actual sales figures are not yet available.Departmental reports were published for the first time in 1991. The estimated cost of producing the 1995 report, including the cost of the Ministry's staff resources and the use of professional typesetters, was very approximately £100,000. Similar figures are not available for earlier years.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many press officers there are in his Department currently; and what the figure was in 1979. [16564]

The number of press officers, including the chief press offficer, employed by MAFF is seven. In 1979, the number was the same.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when it was decided to include off-farm income in the formula for determining the average income of hill farmers for the purposes of hill livestock compensatory allowances; and if he will make a statement. [16782]

Off-farm income has never been included in the calculations of farm income taken into account in determining the rates of hill livestock compensatory allowances. The Government have made no decision, nor are there plans, to do so.

To ask the Minister what representations he has received about the Meat Hygiene Service's proposed charges and if he will make a statement. [175001]

The chief executive has kept me fully informed of the progress of consultation on the Meat Hygiene Service's proposed charges for 1995–96, and of the industry's request for some short-term assistance to facilitate the transition to the new system.While I cannot take final decisions until the statutory consultation exercise has been completed in mid-April, I am minded to make available transitional assistance to allow the MHS to offer a rebate on its hourly rate for meat inspectors of £2 per hour for the first six months of 1995–96 and £1 per hour for the second six months, and to set a ceiling on the official veterinary surgeon hourly rate of £35 per hour.In making any such rebates, the MHS would need to observe the requirements of the European legislation which prohibits subsidisation of inspection charges below the level of the Community standard charge.I will shortly be publishing performance targets for the MHS which are designed to ensure that the chief executive maximises efficiency and minimises costs. The MHS will be expected to recover the full economic cost of its chargeable services from the industry from 1996–97 onwards.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are being taken to help combat fraud in the European Union, with particular reference to the spending of the common agricultural policy and structural or cohesion budgets. [14974]

Steps are being taken to combat fraud in all areas of the European Community budget.At the Essen European Council last December, the Prime Minister made a number of proposals to help tackle fraud, as well as waste and mismanagement. These are now being taken forward. Member states will report back to the European Council later in the year on what they are doing to combat fraud against the Community budget on their own territories. The Council is actively pursuing agreement on a legally binding instrument on national criminal law protection of the Community budget, as well as on a regulation on the protection of the Community's financial interests which would establish a framework for extending Community administrative penalties to all areas of the Community budget.Significant progress is being made against fraud under the common agricultural policy. Administrative penalties are being applied on overclaims and member states are being "disallowed" previous agricultural expenditure where it is found not to be in accordance with the applicable rules. CAP reform is addressing weaknesses in controls that have previously led to fraud and irregularity. This includes a Commission proposal for a new procedure to reform the clearance of CAP accounts, involving in-year audits to improve management, and preventative and corrective action with suggestions from the Commission on possible changes to procedures instead of financial penalties. Also well advanced is Council consideration of a significant measure for tackling fraud, known colloquially as the CAP blacklist. This would set down a framework for member states to identify, and to notify each other of, traders who have deliberately, or as a result of serious negligence, committed an irregularity prejudicial to Community funds or who are subject to "well found suspicion" of having done so.In July 1994, Commission regulations were introduced to ensure that member states report irregularities under the structural funds and the cohesion fund. These require member states to submit quarterly reports to the Commission on any irregularities which have been the subject of initial administrative or judicial investigations. These reports, the first of which was presented by member states to the Commission at the end of last year, will provide a more complete picture of fraud, financial mismanagement and waste in the structural funds.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the average annual increase in Government expenditure for the years (a) 1965 to 1970, (b) 1970 to 1974, (c) 1974 to 1979, (d) 1979 to 1989 and (e) 1989 to 1995. [16810]

Figures are readily available only for financial years. The table shows the average annual percentage increases in general government expenditure, excluding privatisation proceeds, over the relevant periods.

From	To	Increase per cent.
1965–66	1970–71	9.7
1970–71	1974–75	18.7
1974–75	1979–80	16.1
1979–80	1989–90	8.5
1989–90	1995–96	6.8

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what cost-benefit analysis he has (a) crried out and (b) plans to carry out on the effects of hypothecating the income generated from fines due to speeding offences detected by automatic cameras to the provision of further speed cameras and the processing of the resultant offence data. [15661]

No cost-benefit analysis has been carried out, nor are there any plans to do so. The Government take the view that, in general, hypothecation of revenue is not the best way of matching resources to needs.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Government ceased to require United Kingdom banks to hold reserve requirements on deposit with the Bank of England. [15899]

The requirement ceased on 20 August 1981, when new arrangements for monetary control were introduced by the Bank of England.

To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the cost of producing and circulating the departmental annual report for each of the last 10 years in real terms. [16618]

Departmental reports were published for the first time in 1991. The reports for the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Departments have been published as Command Papers by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, which has borne the printing and publishing costs with the aim of recovering these from the sales revenue.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the cost of producing and circulating the last departmental annual report; what was the circulation list; how many copies were produced; how many copies were sold; and at what price. [16617]

A total of 1,500 copies of the departmental reports for the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Departments were printed and published as Cm 2817, 2818 and 2819. In addition to those copies required by Parliament and the Government Departments and agencies concerned, 1,000 copies of each report were produced to satisfy other sales at a net price of £18.40 for Cm 2817, £7.35 for Cm 2818 and £6.65 for Cm 2819. The costs of printing and publishing these reports were borne by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, which aims to recover its costs from sales revenue.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he is planning to take to encourage companies to pay promptly. [16619]

A package of measures aimed at bringing about a change in business culture and hence shorter payment times was announced in the Competitiveness White Paper last May. That package is being implemented. The Government will continue to keep the position under review. If there has not been a significant improvement by 1996, they will review the case for legislation.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the overall percentage change in the value of the £ sterling since 1 September 1992 against (a) the dollar, (b) the Deutchsmark and (c) the basket of currencies. [16862]

Between 1 September 1992 and 27 March 1995, sterling has fallen by (a) 20 per cent. against the dollar, (b) 19 per cent. against the Deutchsmark and (c) 15 per cent. on an exchange rate index basis.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what influence the levels of export margins have on decisions on interest rate levels; and what criteria are used to determine whether export margins are considered to be excessive. [16990]

Interest rates decisions are based on a wide range of information, including monetary and other financial indicators, indicators of activity and indicators of costs. The price of UK exports, and hence the export margin, is a matter for the individual firms concerned. But export volumes in the fourth quarter were up 13½ per cent. on a year earlier, so margins do not appear excessive.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what expenditure has been incurred recently in order to finance privatisation costs; and if he will make a statement. [17359]

Expenditure has been incurred to cover:

(i) the residual costs arising from the sale of National Power and PowerGen shares in March 1995, estimated at £32,000,000.

(ii) expenditure, estimated at £600,000 in connection with the Treasury's sale of privatised companies debt this year.

Costs incurred on this vote will be offset by receipts appropriate-in-aid. Such receipts will include the second instalments on National Power and PowerGen shares, estimated to be some £1.1 billion.Parliamentary approval of these new services is being sought in the 1995–96 main estimate for HM Treasury's sale of sales of residual Government shareholdings and Government holdings of privatised companies' debt vote, class XVII, vote 15.Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £32,600,000 will be met from repayable advances from the contingencies fund.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the tax to be forgone by the Treasury in 1995–96 through profit-related pay schemes. [15843]

[holding answer 27 March 1995]: An estimate of the cost of income tax relief for profit-related pay schemes in 1994–95 is published in table 1.6 of Inland Revenue Statistics 1994, a copy of which is in the Library. An estimate of the cost in 1995–96 is not yet available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the names of those persons appointed as political advisers to his Department since May 1992. [15605]

[holding answer 27 March 1995]: The special advisers appointed to the Treasury since May 1992 are as follows:

Name	Period of appointment
D. W. D. Cameron	11 May 1992–21 June 1993
R. Darwall	8 February 1993–27 May 1993
Mrs. T. Keswick	1 June 1993–
D. Ruffley	28 May 1993–
J. Bercow	20 March 1995–

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what statutory references to hon. Members have been made in legislation introduced by his Department, or its predecessors, since 1965. [16094]

An analysis of all legislation introduced by the Northern Ireland Departments and the Northern Ireland Office and its predecessors since 1965 for any reference to the type requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. It would be extremely unlikely for reference to be made specifically to an individual hon. Member. Frequent references are made to officers of state, and occasional general references are made to persons who are members of one or other of the Houses of Parliament.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what targets he has for withdrawing regulations within his Department. [15556]

[holding reply 27 March 1995]: At present there are some 30 regulations unique to Northern Ireland which impact on business. Five of these have been targeted for repeal or amendment and legislative action is in progress.Other Northern Ireland regulations which replicate Great Britain provisions, and also impact on business, are reviewed and action taken in the light of decisions taken in Great Britain.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 9 March, Official Report, column 227, on what basis James Hawthorne CBE was judged to have satisfied the criteria for established management consultants for the fair employment small business scheme as set out in the answer of 27 February, Official Report, column 402. [16045]

On the basis of his experience at senior management level for a period well in excess of five years, Mr. Hawthorne was judged by the Fair Employment Commission to have the necessary experience of human resource management, including recruitment and selection procedures. In addition, Mr. Hawthorne was able to demonstrate to the interviewing panel that his knowledge of the fair employment legislation and code of practice satisfied the criteria for appointment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the kinds of recreations which qualify certain hereditaments for rate relief under article 31 of the Rates (Northern Ireland) Order 1977 as amended. [16046]

The relevant recreations are specified in the schedule to the Rates (Recreational Hereditaments) Order (Northern Ireland) 1979, SR 1979 No. 428, a copy of which is available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the amounts paid each year to the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools under each of paragraphs 11, 13, 14 and 15 of schedule 8 to the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 and the amounts repaid under paragraph 16. [16047]

The information is as follows:

	Paragraph 11 staff salaries	Paragraph 13 allowances	Paragraph 14 total recurrent grant from DENI	Paragraph 15 capital expenditure grant from DENI
1990–91	536,398	13,878	678,881	86,750
1991–92	583,826	44,313	778,000	68,974
1992–93	607,523	60,522	832,000	90,906
1993–94	753,038	52,040	1,018,000	92,986

No moneys have been due to be repaid in the above years under paragraph 16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has reached his decisions on the recommendations contained in the report of the Independent Commission for Police Complaints "Triennial Review 1991–1994". [17167]

Yes. On 22 March 1994 Official Report, column 148, I announced the publication of the report and that I intended to consult various interested bodies before reaching any decisions on the recommendations made. I have now given further consideration to the recommendations in the light of the comments received.I am glad that the commission considers that the system works well in practice and that it is rigorous and effective. However, like the commission, I am determined that the system should be reviewed and improved. Consequently, I have given deep thought to the commission's proposals and to the way forward and I am glad to say that I have been able to accept, in total or in part, most of the recommendations made.I have accepted in full two recommendations. I intend to bring forward legislation which will establish a tribunal, chaired by the Chief Constable and balanced by two assessors drawn from an independent panel appointed for the purpose, to hear certain types of disciplinary procedures. (Recommendation 5). It is in the nature of these types of case that the commission instigates the disciplinary proceedings and I have accepted that it is then inappropriate for the commission to be represented on the tribunal hearing the charges as it is at present. I share the commission's considered view that the Chief Constable, who is responsible for discipline within his service, should retain a leading role.I also agree that there should be a review of the use of the informal resolution procedure. (Recommendation 6). Use of the procedure in Northern Ireland has more than doubled—to 10 per cent.—in the last five years. In Great Britain, around 30 per cent. of complaints are informally resolved. I accept that a review of the procedure in Northern Ireland should be carried out.I have also accepted three of the recommendations in part.The commission reaffirmed that it wished to have the power to supervise some non-complaint matters where it appears to the Commission that such supervision was necessary because of either the gravity of the matter or the exceptional circumstances involved. (Recommendation 2). I am unable to agree that the commission should have the power to "call in" cases when no complaint is made. I am, however, willing to agree that the commission should have a statutory power to draw matters to my attention. It would then be my responsibility to refer appropriate cases to the commission. This arrangement will enable the commission to make known its concerns in non-complaint cases without impinging on my statutory responsibilities or those of the police authority and the Chief Constable.The commission also recommended that it should be notified at once where death or serious bodily harm has been caused or may have been caused to any person by a police officer. (Recommendation 3). I have decided to accept that the commission should be notified of all deaths which may have been caused by a police officer even if there is no prima facie evidence of police misconduct or oppressive behaviour, and this will be included in legislation when the opportunity arises. I will not, at present, extend this cover to incidents of injury. I have accepted the view that such a requirement would cause administrative difficulties and over-reporting.I have given further thought to the commission's recommendations that it should be given the discretion to concentrate its resources of those cases of public concern which are deserving of very close scrutiny, rather than being constrained by the mandatory supervision of certain cases. (Recommendation 4). I have decided not to accept this recommendation as I feel that mandatory supervision of

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about relations between Britain and Israel. [14940]

Bilateral relations with Israel are excellent. During his recent visit to Israel the Prime Minister and Mr. Rabin agreed that they have never been better.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further discussions he has had with his counterparts abroad about the need to strengthen sanctions against Serbia. [14959]

We and our partners and allies regard sanctions as an important element in our efforts to achieve a peace settlement in Bosnia. In response to President Milosevic's decision last summer to support the Contact Group plan and close the border between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to all but humanitarian goods, the United Nationals Security Council decided to suspend sanctions on international air links with Belgrade, a ferry service between Montenegro and Italy and in the fields of sporting and cultural relations. At the same time United Nations sanctions against the Bonsnia Serbs, who have refused to accept the Contact Group plan were tightened. We continue to support, together with other states, the effective enforcement of these sanctions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to discuss the future of peacekeeping operations with the Secretary General of the United Nations. [14962]

We are a major troop contributor to UN peacekeeping operations, and will continue to hold regular discussions with the UN Secretary General on all aspects of peacekeeping.We are concerned by legislative proposals in the US Congress which would severely restrict US contributions to assessed peacekeeping costs. The proposals would require the United States to deduct from its assessed contributions all costs incurred directly by the US for operations in support of UN Security Council resolutions.If these proposals were implemented the established system of financing UN peacekeeping operations would unravel. We welcome the commitment by the US Administration to oppose.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will outline what steps the Government are taking to provide non-nuclear states with binding security guarantees; and if he will make a statement. [14963]

We already provide non-nuclear weapon states with security assurances in which we undertake not to use nuclear weapons against them unless they attack us in association of alliance with a nuclear weapon state and further to seek UN Security Council action to provide assistance to any such state that is attacked with nuclear weapons.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the middle east peace process. [14964]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support Britain is giving to the middle east peace process. [14942]

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's recent visit to Israel, the occupied territories and Jordan underlined Britain's firm support for the peace process. He announced an increase in aid to the Palestinians to £82 million over the three years 1994 to 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on British relations, including trade relations, with Brunei. [14965]

Britain has very close and friendly relations with Brunei. Our links are strong in many areas including trade, education and defence. The Sultan is a regular and most welcome visitor to this country.Brunei is our 43rd largest export market. In 1994, UK exports totalled £418 million, having risen by 28.7 per cent. from the 1993 figure. In 1993, Britain's share of OECD exports to Brunei was 34 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received about British relations with South Africa. [14966]

During the state visit by Her Majesty the Queen to South Africa last week, President Mandela expressed warm appreciation for Britain's contribution to strengthening and developing these relations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next plans to hold discussions with the United States Secretary of State in respect of United States relations with member states of the European Union. [14967]

I have regular discussions with the US Secretary of State on many subjects including EU-US relations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on United Kingdom relations with the United States of America. [14976]

They are excellent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on British trade relations with the United States of America. [14977]

The US is our largest trading partner. United Kingdom exports of goods to the US were worth £16.8 billion last year, and two-way trade in services was worth over $35 billion in 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on United Kingdom-Iranian relations. [14968]

We restored relations with Iran on 27 September 1990 on the basis of mutual respect and non-interference in each other's affairs.We and our European partners made clear at the European Council at Edinburgh in December 1992 that improvements in Iran's behaviour in a number of areas, particularly human rights, the fatwa on Rushdie and terrorism, would be important in determining the extent to which closer relations and confidence in Iran could be developed. This remains European Union policy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what new plans he has to improve bilateral relations between the United Kingdom and Georgia. [14970]

During Georgian Head of State Eduard Shevardnadze's visit to the UK in February my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced that a British embassy will be opened in Tbilisi later this year. The UK has recently doubled its technical assistance programme through the know how fund to £1.2 million for projects in the near term.The British Council plans to expand its teachers' resource centre in Tbilisi to a general information centre, and to promote the teaching of modern English.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current grant in aid from the Foreign Office to the BBC World Service; and what percentage increase he expects for the next funding triennium; and if he will make a statement. [14971]

The grant in aid to the BBC World Service in the current financial year is £175.2 million. It will rise to £178.8 million in each of the following two years of the current triennium, that is 1995–96 and 1996–97.Discussions on the level of funding for the next triennium from 1997–98 to 1999–2000 will begin early next year. The actual funding for that triennium will be determined during the 1996 public expenditure survey.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the "Britain in the World" conference taking place in London on 29 March. [14972]

The conference on Britain in the world is taking place today. It has been organised by the Royal Institute of International Affairs, in association with Her Majesty's Government, as part of the institute's 75th anniversary celebrations.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave the opening speech. His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales gave a lunch-time address. The hon. Member for Livingston (Mr. Cook) will speak this afternoon. So will I.I hope the conference will stimulate an open and lively debate on Britain's overseas interests.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the number of proposals for new legislation being put forward by the European Commission for 1995; and what the figure was in each of the last three years. [14975]

We welcome the emphasis on subsidiarity in the Commission's work programme for 1995. We will examine carefully every proposal which is tabled, on the basis of subsidiarity and the national interest.The number of proposals for new legislative initiatives tabled by the Commissions in the last three years is:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current NATO information budget; what are its main purposes; what was the budget (a) five and (b) 10 years ago in real terms; and if he will make a statement.

The budget of the NATO office of information and press for 1995 is 192,583,000 Belgian francs. In 1990, the figure was 171,400,000 Belgian francs. The figure for 1985 is not available.The purpose of NATO's information work is to create and reinforce a positive climate of informed public opinion concerning the alliance, encourage informed dialogue about the alliance and current issues, and explain current policy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the authorities in the Republic of Ireland with regard to the legal difficulties encountered by Mrs. Patricia Bland, a British subject, arising out of the incestuous rape of her daughter. [16048]

None. The legal process is continuing: the case is still before the Irish courts. It is a matter for them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his letter to the hon. Member for Congleton of 28 February, what steps he is taking to identify all those treaties and agreements to which the United Kingdom is a signatory but of which his Department has lost sight; if he will list those treaties and agreements so far identified; if he will indicate in each case the main provisions of the treaty or agreement and the action which he now proposes to take to comply with the provisions of those treaties and agreements; and if he will make a statement. [16524]

[holding answer 27 March 1995]: Treaty records, which were opened in 1835, show that the United Kingdom is now signatory to some 2,460 multilateral and 9,273 bilateral treaties.The treaties cover a wide range of subjects and most fall to other Government Departments to administer. Each treaty would need to be researched individually to determine its present status. The information sought is not therefore readily available from treaty records and could be provided only after lengthy research at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made as to the implications for human rights of the introduction of Sharia law in parts of Somalia. [14938]

Parts of Somalia have long suffered from anarchy and general lawlessness. There is evidence that in some areas the introduction of Sharia law, with broad consent, has improved the security of ordinary people. Whatever the system of law, it is important that it is applied fairly and with respect to the dignity of the individual.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action is being taken by the international community to assist the Government of Burundi to reform its army so that it is acceptable to both Hutus and Tutsis in the country. [16604]

The Government of Burundi has not requested assistance in reforming its army. Should it do so, we believe that the international community would be willing to consider the request.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made about the widespread arrests in Nigeria, with particular reference to General Obasanjo, and others who were working for a return to democratic rule. [15533]