To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue raised from taxing child benefit where either parent is a higher rate taxpayer and the administrative cost of doing this. [19698]

The Government are committed to maintaining child benefit, which recognises that all families with children face additional costs.Now that husbands and wives are taxed independently, it would be administratively complex to tax child benefit in a way which fairly reflected family circumstances.However, were child benefit to be taxed, the yield for 1995–96 from taxing it at the higher rate for lone parents who are higher rate taxpayers, and for married couples where either the husband or wife is a higher rate taxpayer, would be about £320 million.The cost of administration would depend on the method used to collect the tax.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish detailed plans for the sale or lease of part of the Treasury's Whitehall buildings including full calculations of the economic justification of such plans or decisions. [19892]

In his speech to the private finance panel conference on 24 January, my right hon. and learned Friend announced that the redevelopment of the Treasury building in Great George street will be taken forward under the private finance initiative. The process to define our requirement and conduct the competition to find a consortium to take the project forward is continuing. My right hon. and learned Friend will consider what information can be published at the appropriate time.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will submit to Parliament for its approval or rejection any plans to sell or lease part of the Treasury's Whitehall buildings; and, under what other auspices such a transaction might be concluded. [19893]

It has not yet been decided exactly how the redevelopment of the Parliament street building will be taken forward. When the decision is taken, Ministers will consider how the House should be informed.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of the Secretary of State for the Environment of 4 April, Official Report, column 1052, what view his Department has put to the working groups as to the desirability of a single exclusive register for public sector work. [20209]

HM Treasury has expressed no view to the working groups on the desirability of a single register for public sector construction work. It is awaiting the outcome of the study by Capita Management Consultancy Ltd. before reaching conclusions. It has, however, indicated to the working groups that it doubts whether excluding certain companies from bidding for public sector work merely because they were not on a register could be justified on value-for-money grounds.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to resist any proposals for the European Commission to prevent member states from continuing to exempt those goods and services which are currently zero-rated for VAT when the transitional period agreed under the sixth VAT directive expires. [20388]

The Government have consistently made it clear that, as a condition of any move to a definitive system for VAT within the European Community, provision must be made for the UK to continue to apply those zero rates which are in force at the time any new system is introduced.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what targets will be set for the Valuation Office executive agency for the year 1995–96. [21194]

I have set the follwing key targets for the agency in 1995–96: [21194]

	Key Targets
Operational targets Council tax	to clear 240,000 appeals against the council tax valuation lists
Non-domestic	to clear 330,000 appeals in aggregate against the 1990 and the 1995 rating lists
Direct taxes	to undertake 70,000 valuation cases for the Inland Revenue for capital gains and inheritance tax purposes
Financial performance and cost efficiency	to ensure the agency's net operating cost before cost of statutory non-chargeble work is at least fully covered by receipts
	to break even from year to year within each business segment, after charging for the full cost of chargeable services including notional interest of 6 per cent. on the average working capital
	to achieve efficiency savings of 6 per cent. on the agency gross expenditure
Quality of Service	to reply to 100 per cent. of correspondence within 35 days of receipt
	to achieve specified time limits in 96 per cent. of cases undertaken
	to achieve specified valuation quality standard in 84 per cent. of cases carried out

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 19 January, Official Report, columns 594–95, whether he and his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health have decided whether the Central Statistical Office and the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys should be merged. [21274]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and I have concluded that there would be benefits from such a merger. Subject to the views of other interested parties, we propose that on 1 April 1996 the two organisations should merge to form a new next steps agency which would be accountable to me.I am placing in the Library a document setting out the functions and responsibilities of the proposed new agency and the benefits which we believe would arise from the merger. Copies of this document will shortly be sent to those known to have a close interest in the work of the two organisations, with an invitation to make any comments on the proposals within three months.A decision on the proposed merger will be announced as soon as possible after that.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the outcome of the review of the agency status for the Central Statistical Office. [21226]

I announced on 18 November 1994, Official Report, column 12, that a review of the agency status of the Central Statistical Office was being undertaken by a small team representing a cross-section of interest in the CSO and its statistics. Since then, the performance of the CSO has been evaluated and CSO activities have been subjected to the prior options tests set out in "Next Steps Review', Cm 2430. A wide-ranging consultation exercise has been carried out and the views received have been incorporated in the team's report. The team recommended that the CSO remain an agency and the Government have accepted this recommendation. A copy of the review team's report is being placed in the Library. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced today that the Government propose that, subject to the views of other interested parties, the CSO should merge with the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys from 1 April 1996. We therefore propose to take forward the outcome of the CSO agency review in that context.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what guidance is given by the Head of the Government Statistical Service as to the maximum advance notice to be given to Ministers of the publication of regular statistical series; [18897](2) what advance notice Ministers are given of the publication of the main monthly economic statistical series. [18896]

[holding answer 18 April 19951]: The practice followed by the Central Statistical Office is set out in the open government White Paper, Cm 2290, and was announced previously by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer. The code of practice for official statistics, a copy of which is in the Library, was released earlier this month by the Head of the Government Statistical Service.Data are made available to all users at the same time, although Ministers, officials and the Governor of the Bank of England may receive copies of key statistical information at 5 pm two working days before publication on a strict need-to-know basis.In the case of the retail prices index, although the main release of the RPI does conform to standard release practices, Treasury Ministers, named officials and the Governor of the Bank of England receive an early unpublished projection about a week in advance of the first release.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has a vote in the election for the presidency of the African development bank; and which candidate he supports. [19916]

I have been asked to reply.The president of the African development bank is elected by a majority of the total voting power of its members, including a majority of the voting power of regional members. We are giving careful consideration to the five candidates nominated for the post.

To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission (1) what child care facilities are currently available in the House of Commons;(2) what studies he has undertaken of child care facilities in other Parliament buildings; and what conclusions he has drawn from this;(3) what is his estimate of the number of pre-school child care places needed in the Palace of Westminster by

[holding answer 24 April 19951]: I refer the hon. Member to the debate on child care facilities held on 12 January, Official Report, columns 323–45, and to the report on potential demand for child care facilities published by the House of Commons Commission in July 1994. Following the debate, the commission considered its policy on child care facilities and decided to implement a child care voucher scheme for staff of the House of Commons Service under arrangements set out in my reply to the hon. Member for Christchurch (Mrs. Maddock) on 2 March 1995, Official Report, column 637. No studies of child care facilities in other Parliament buildings have been undertaken.Staff of the House have now been circulated with details of the voucher scheme, which will operate with effect from 1 April 1995.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the number and location of Chessington Computer Centre, Civil Service College, HMSO, Occupational Health Service, Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency offices closed and the number of jobs lost or transferred as a result of agency work transferring from Scotland to the rest of the United Kingdom over the past five years; and if he will list the number and location of offices opened and jobs gained in Scotland as the result of agency work transferring to Scotland from the rest of the United Kingdom over the same period. [19966]

Of the agencies listed, only HMSO and the Occupational Health and Safety Agency have had offices in Scotland during the last five years. As the question concerns operational matters, I have asked the chief executives of HMSO and OHSA to reply direct to the hon. Member.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the institutions which subscribed to the Official Report in the 1978–79 Session and in the 1993–94 Session; and what were the prices of annual subscriptions in 1978–79 and 1993–94 in cash terms and at constant prices. [20016]

HMSO does not keep lists of subscribers to the Official Report other than for current dispatches. Details for 1978–79 and 1993–94 cannot therefore be provided.The price of the annual subscription to the daily

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what profit or loss was made from producing and publishing the Official Report in 1978–79 and in 1993–94. [20017]

In 1978–79, the subsidy voted to reimburse HMSO for losses arising from the sale of the Official Report of both Houses at less than the costs of production and distribution stood at £2.4 million. This subsidy was systematically eliminated between 1983—when it had reached £6 million—and 1991, by a combination of productivity improvements and price increases.The financial position in 1993–94 was distorted by significant investments in new technology and redundancy payments, following HMSO's successful in-house bids for two

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what guidelines he has issued with respect to in-house bids in market-testing exercises and the circumstances in which there should not be in-house bids in such exercises. [20867]

Guidance on in-house bids is set out in the "Government's Guide to Market Testing', a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. Examples of the circumstances in which in-house bids might not be considered are set out in the White Paper "Taking forward Continuity and Change', Cm 2748. They include occasions when a Department judges that the private sector is clearly better equipped to deliver a specific service, has a better understanding of market needs or has a capacity to invest in new technology or where an activity is relatively small and peripheral to a department's functions. It is, however, for individual Departments to decide in each case whether or not to consider an in-house bid.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list for each annual departmental report, the estimated cost of printing and publishing last year the total sales to (a) the Department and (b) other buyers; and if HMSO covered its costs. [20187]

Sales to the author Department and to other buyers for each 1994 departmental report are as follows:

Cm No.	Author Department	Sales to Author Department1	Other Sales2
2501	Defence	500	699
2502	Foreign and Commonwealth Office	2,770	632
2503	Agriculture	776	593
2504	Trade and Industry	3,850	955
2505	Employment	982	758
2506	Transport	530	972
2507	Environment	1,540	955
2508	Home Office	806	613
2509	Lord Chancellor and Law Officers	206	606
2510	Education	705	834
2511	National Heritage	825	688
2512	Health	1,157	855
2513	Social Security	1,870	807
2514	Scottish Office	35	694
2515	Welsh Office	450	628
2516	Northern Ireland Office	137	681
2517	Chancellor of the Exchequer's Departments	301	554
2518	Cabinet Office etc	340	582
2519	Statistical Supplement	263	857
	Complete Sets	Nil	222
1Initial supplies only, any subsequent orders are not recorded.
2 As at 20 April 1995.

The printing costs result from competitive tendering undertaken by HMSO and are therefore commercially confidential. Printing and publishing costs were borne by HMSO, which aims to recover these from the sales revenue.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the ways in which his Department disseminates information from EU Research Council meetings to potential beneficiaries in British industry. [20242]

My Department, the Department of Trade and Industry and other Departments concerned inform British companies about the opportunities available under the framework of EU research programmes agreed by the Research Council, principally by means of publications, supported by a programme of information days and seminars.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department publish (a) annual reports, (b) annual accounts, (c) the minutes of meetings, (d) the agendas of meetings and (e) registers of members' interests; and whether in each case this is (i) under a statutory requirement or (ii) voluntary. [20493]

The executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the Office of Public Service and Science are as follows:

• Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
• The Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils
• Economic and Social Research Council
• Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
• Medical Research Council
• Natural Environment Research Council
• Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council.

The research councils are responsible to my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Each council is required under the terms of the Science and Technology Act 1965 to publish an annual report and annual accounts. None of the councils is required to publish minutes or agendas of council meetings or registers of its members' interests.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department which are subject to (a) investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner, (b) scrutiny by the Audit Commission, (c) scrutiny by the National Audit Office, (d) statutory provisions for open government, (e) performance indicators and (f) provisions under the citizens charter. [20652]

The executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the Office of Public Service and Science are as follows:

• Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
• Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils
• Economic and Social Research Council
• Medical Research Council
• Natural Environment Research Council
• Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council

The research councils are responsible to my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what provision the national health service makes for patients awaiting organ transplants requiring multiple prescriptions who are disqualified from free prescriptions because they are above income support levels, what plans she has to revise the specified conditions list to make patients awaiting organ transplants exempt from prescription charges either totally or above a specified level; and if she will make a statement; [19038](2) when the last review of the specified conditions list was carried out; on what date changes resulting from this review were implemented; how the review and its implementation impacted on those awaiting organ transplants; how the review and its implementation impacted upon those whose medical condition precludes the reasonable prospect of an organ transplant; and if she will make a statement. [19036]

Patients awaiting organ transplants who are not otherwise exempt or entitled to charge remission may qualify for free prescriptions if they have any one of the specified medical conditions, including a permanent fistula requiring continuous surgical dressing or an appliance, and hold an exemption certificate issued by a family health services authority. The specified medical conditions were last reviewed in 1993 as part of the fundamental review of health expenditure and we have

£1000s
	1992–93		1993–94		1994–95
	UK	Foreign	UK	Foreign	UK	Foreign
Central Department	1,497	11,253	1,456	39	1,379	80
Agencies
NHS Estates2	148	3	260	—	221	28
Medicines ControlAgency2	78	158	85	252	92	173
NHS Pensions Agency	12	—	26	—	23	—
Medical Devices Agency3	—	—	—	—	21	—

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give the number and location of Medicines Control Agency, NHS Estates and NHS Pensions Agency offices closed and the number of jobs lost or transferred as a result of agency work transferring from Scotland to the rest of the United Kingdom over the past five years; and if she will list the number and location of offices opened and jobs gained in Scotland as the result of agency work transferring to Scotland from the rest of the United Kingdom over the same period. [20302]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 31 March, Official Report, column 816, what representations have been made to her about the difficulties experienced by sufferers from asbestos-related diseases in obtaining such diagnosis as an explanation of their health problems. [19927]

We have received no such representations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what response her Department has received to health service schemes under the private finance initiative. [19962]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the total amount paid by her central Department and each agency for which she is responsible in subsistence allowances for travel (a) within the United Kingdom and (b) outside the United Kingdom in each of the last three years. [19555]

The amounts paid by the Department and its agencies in subsistence allowances for travel in the United Kingdom and outside for 1992–93 to 1994–95 were as follows:

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the right hon. Member for Derby, South (Mrs. Beckett) on 21 April, Official Report, columns 312–13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to publish a further paper concerning the confidentiality of health information; and if she will make a statement. [20040]

Draft Guidance, "Confidentiality, Use and Disclosure of Personal Health Information', was issued for consultation in August 1994. The consultation period closed on 9 December. We are considering the many responses received and will be making any appropriate revisions to the guidance in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will re-establish the position of matron in NHS hospitals. [19902]

The exact titles and responsibilities of senior nurses are for local decision. The title of matron may be used if appropriate. Every national health service trust is required to have a senior nurse as an executive director.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what 1995–96 cash allocation has been made to each district health authority, including fundholding GP practices within the authority's area for hospital and community health services. [20022]

The 1995–96 recurrent allocations for resident population to district health authorities for hospital and community health services will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information her Department has on the number of people in England and Wales affected by hepatitis C as a result of contaminated blood prior to the introduction of screening in 1991. [20284]

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what progress has been made by her Department's working group into research regarding the bacteria strain in beef which has caused deaths; [20462](2) if she will list the members of the committee that was set up to investigate health hazards in respect of bacterium, E coli 0157; what are the members' qualifications; when the report will be published; and if she will make a statement. [20727]

The report of the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food on verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli—VTEC—will be published shortly with the Government's response to its recommendations. Details of the membership of the ACMSF and its working group on VTEC are contained in the ACMSF's annual report 1993, copies of which are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from doctors about the bacteria strain linked to beef responsible for deaths; and what trends there have been in the number of deaths caused. [20461]

We have received no such representations. Information on deaths associated with verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli is not available centrally. However, available evidence does not suggest a change in the mortality associated with infection.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what circumstances interest is payable on back pay arising from clinical grading appeals which are upheld. [20618]

Retrospective payments to national health service staff do not attract interest.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will require all NHS trusts to display on the exterior hospital name boards the names and home telephone numbers of the chairman and chief executive. [20692]

The provision of the names and office telephone numbers of board members and senior officers of national health service trusts is detailed as an example of good practice in the new code of openness in the NHS published in April.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many national health service trusts have (a) completed contracts with purchasers for the year 1995–96 and (b) not yet completed contracts for 1995–96; and how many in the latter category are in the process of arbitration. [19880]

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take action to ensure that the fee obtained by the Paymaster General for sending private pension correspondence to NHS pensioners is paid into the NHS benevolent fund. [20677]

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice was given by her Department to the Bristol royal infirmary on the future programme of paediatric cardiac surgery for (a) switch, (b) atrial ventricular canal, (c) ventricular septal defects and (d) tetralogy of fallow. [20508]

A protocol covering the future performance of all complex paediatric cardiac surgery in United Bristol Healthcare trust hospitals has been agreed jointly between my Department, the Director of Public Health Medicine for the south and west region, South and West regional health authority and the UBHT pending the arrival of the newly appointed paediatric cardiac surgeon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department has taken to continue to monitor the success rate of paediatric cardiac surgery at the Bristol royal infirmary; and what steps she has taken to satisfy herself that the procedures are carried out correctly. [20510]

Monitoring the results of treatment is an integral part of clinical audit and as such is the responsibility of health professionals. Audit methodology is continually improving, but there are at present no agreed national standards for paediatric cardiac surgery. Improved audit arrangements for paediatric cardiac surgery are being agreed between the United Bristol Healthcare trusts and Avon Health. In addition, my Department has just provided funding for a pilot project to assess the feasibility of establishing a national central cardiac audit database to enable cardiac surgeons and cardiologists to monitor the outcome of all cardiac interventions against agreed standards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action her Department recommended following the visit by Stewart Hunter, Sir Keith Ross, Sir Terence English and David Hamilton in 1992 to investigate the Bristol royal infirmary's paediatric cardiac record. [20512]

No such visit took place.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has received on the reasons why the Senning operation was carried out in much larger numbers at the Bristol royal infirmary as compared to switch operators in the 1990s and on the relative life expectancies and success rate. [20509]

These were matters of clinical judgement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she was informed of the record of open heart surgery on children at the Bristol royal infirmary in the 1990s. [20511]

My Department was informed in July 1994 that there was a difference of professional opinion about the results of an audit of paediatric cardiac surgery at Bristol royal infirmary. The United Bristol Healthcare trust management was asked to resolve the matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health which of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by her Department publish (a) annual reports, (b) annual accounts, (c) the minutes of meetings, (d) the agendas of meetings and (e) registers of members' interests; and whether in each case this is (i) under a statutory requirement or (ii) voluntary. [20498]

The information is as follows. Non departmental public bodies that:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by her Department which are subject to (a) investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner, (b) scrutiny by the Audit Commission, (c) scrutiny by the National Audit Office, (d) statutory provisions for open government, (e) performance indicators and (f) provisions under the citizens charter. [20658]

The information is as follows:Those non-departmental public bodies that are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the 1976 Royal College of Physicians study of fluoridation in 1976; and if she will order an inquiry as to the safety of fluoride in humans. [20797]

The 1976 report "Fluoride, Teeth and Health', from the Royal College of Physicians of London, concluded that fluoridation is safe and effective in reducing dental caries, and recommended

fluoridation of water supplies in the United Kingdom where the fluoride level is appreciably below 1 mg per litre

.Government policy continues to be in line with this recommendation. Water fluoridation at 1 mg per litre is considered, on the scientific evidence currently available, to be safe for humans, and is an effective way of improving oral health. The Department of Health will continue to monitor information relevant to the safety and efficacy of fluoridation of drinking water.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 25 April. [19504]

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 25 April 1995. [19506]

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 (1) how many individuals accompanying delegations of hon. Members were refused admission to Downing street on 19 April; and on what grounds they were refused entry; [20364](2) what dress restrictions govern admission of individuals to Downing street; [20365](3) when the decision was taken to restrict delegations to 10 Downing street to six people; who took it; and if he will list all restrictions applying to hon. Members. [20363]

Three members of the public were refused entry to Downing street on 19 April because they were dressed as foxes.Since 1980s, if petitioners have wished to wear costume, it has been the practice to restrict admission to those wearing national dress or working uniforms. This is to maintain the dignity of the street and its surroundings. Delegations are normally restricted to six people in order to ensure the staff in the street can cope during busy periods.There are no written restrictions on access to the street by hon. Members, but entry must remain at the discretion of the police on duty.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will state which of the VE commemorations Her Majesty the Queen will be participating in the United Kingdom and overseas as (i) Head of State of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, (ii) head of all those countries of which she is Head of State, (iii) Head of the Commonwealth and (iv) on which combination of (i) to (iii) above; and if he will make a statement. [20856]

Her Majesty the Queen, who is Head of the Commonwealth, will be participating in the VE day commemorations in the United Kingdom as Head of State of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Her Majesty will not participate in VE day commemorations outside the United Kingdom.

To ask the Prime Minister on whose advice governor-generals make visits in their capacity as representatives of Her Majesty the Queen to overseas countries; and if he will make a statement. [20860]

Governor-generals make official visits to overseas countries in their capacity as representative of Her Majesty the Queen on the advice of her Ministers in the realm concerned.

To ask the Prime Minister if the governor-generals of the countries of which Her Majesty is Head of State are deemed for the purpose of the VE commemorations to be Head of State in their own right; and if he will make a statement. [20855]

The only governor-general of Her Majesty's other realms who is expected to attend the VE day commemorations in London on 6 and 7 May is the Governor-General of Jamaica. He will attend in his capacity as Her Majesty's representative in Jamaica on behalf of the people of that country.

To ask the Prime Minister (1) if a state visit made by an overseas Head of State to Britain is a visit to (a) Her Majesty the Queen as Head of State of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, (b) Great Britain hosted by Her Majesty the Queen, (c) Her Majesty the Queen as Head of State of all those countries of which she is Head of State, (d) Her Majesty the Queen as Head of the Commonwealth or (e) in a combination of the above. [20857](2) if on the occasion of the state visit of

State visitors to the United Kingdom are invited by Her Majesty the Queen, who is Head of the Commonwealth, as Head of State of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, on behalf of the nation as a whole following consultation with her Ministers in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Prime Minister (1) by what method and which Heads of government the Queen is advised before and during an official visit to republics where she is making the visit as Head of State and not merely as the Head of State of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [20861](2) on the occasion of the visit by Her Majesty the Queen to Russia in October 1994 and South Africa in March 1995, if the Queen was received in her capacity as (i) Head of State of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, (ii) Head of State of all those countries of which she is Head of State, (iii) as Head of the Commonwealth, or (iv) on which combination of (i) to (iii) above; and if he will make a statement. [20859]

Her Majesty the Queen makes official visits overseas in her capacity as Head of State of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, on the advice of her Ministers in the United Kingdom unless the visit is to one of Her Majesty's other realms. In those latter cases, her visit is as Head of State of the realm concerned, and is made on the advice of her Ministers in that realm.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the factors which have led to World Food Programme trucks not reaching their targets in Rwanda; and what international action is being taken to allow them to progress to camps for Rwandan refugees in Zaire. [20251]

The rapid response from the UK and other donors to a recent World Food Programme—United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees appeal means that supplies are now assured until October. However, Rwanda's landlocked position has made it difficult to gauge the amount needed in the supply pipeline so as to ensure a continuous flow of food at the required level to people in need. On the question of access to camps in Zaire, we are in close touch with the WFP to see if we can help find a solution to the closing of the border. In the meantime, WFP is actively exploring alternative routes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action is being taken by Her Majesty's Government and by the international community to alleviate drought in Botswana. [20252]

No formal appeal for assistance has been made by the Government of Botswana, but we have had discussions on the drought with them, and other donors, and are ready to consider a request for assistance. There is unlikely to be a need for food aid as Botswana, in a non-drought year, already imports some 90 per cent. of its food requirements. It is therefore likely that any UK assistance will focus on technical and logistical support for food distribution to vulnerable communities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in what ways the Government of Kenya (a) meet and (b) do not meet the yardstick of good governance for the receipt of bilateral or multilateral aid. [19909]

Kenya's governance has improved significantly over recent years, which have seen the restoration of multi-party politics, serious discussion of issues of substance in Parliament and a much freer press. But concerns remain on a number of issues, including the status of the Government of Kenya—United Nations Development Programme displaced persons programme, the frustration by some officials of legitimate political activity, the arrests of opposition MPs, and corruption. The continuation of our substantial aid programme at current levels will depend on further progress on these and other governance issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance he is giving to India to raise environmental standards of coal-fired power stations.

We are helping the Indian authorities to improve environmental auditing and dry ash disposal. In collaboration with the World bank, we have also funded work on environmental management of coal-fired power stations in Singrauli; and are contributing to a programme in Orissa which includes renovation of existing thermal generation and construction of new capacity to current environmental standards. Other projects are under consideration.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many civil servants from his Department have been seconded to, or are otherwise employed within, business link outlets. [18110]

Thirty-nine civil servants have been co-located in business link outlets as at 31 March 1995. Annexe A gives a regional breakdown by Government office of staff co-locations to business links.

Government office for:	Number of staff co-located
East Midlands	8
London	0
South East	1
Yorkshire and Humberside	4
South West	1
East	2
North West	6
West Midlands	13
North East	2
Merseyside	2

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to protect franchisees from false claims by franchisers. [20029]

Franchising in the United Kingdom is subject to the general law of contract and other general laws applying to commercial relationships. There are no current plans to introduce specific legislation for franchise agreements.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many actions were taken by his Department, against franchisers, for false claims in 1994. [20030]

This information is not held in the form requested.The Department records only action taken under the Companies Act 1948 and 1985. These figures are not broken down by type of business.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much of his Department's grant was made available to the franchise centre. [20031]

The franchise centre received £10,000 regional selective assistance in 1993 to aid the establishment of 6.5 permanent jobs.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the average percentage increase in real wages since 1979 of chairs of the top 500 United Kingdom manufacturing companies. [20558]

The Government do not compile statistics of the type requested by the hon. Member.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to complete his investigations into the matters raised by the hon. Member for South Hams in his

	1992–93 £			1993–94 £			1994–95 £
	(a)	(b)	(c)	(a)	(b)	(c)	(a)	(b)	(c)
CPS	353,492	n/a	14,140	499,405	26,468	18,496	444,531	20,418	12,348
					23,433			15,985
					22,406			15,752
T. SOL.	26,237	8,418	4,373	4,318	2,931	1,439	4,448	3,033	2,224
		6,313			1,367			1,415
		5,860			20			—
GPL1	—	—	—	19,878	nil	29,391	9,513	29,391	nil
SFO	26,245	2,214	7,184	27,001	26,219	13,501	22,792	6,151	11,396
		—			28,733			—
		—						—
LSLO	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1 Government Property Lawyers was established on 1 April 1993.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will list the total amount paid by his central Department and each agency for which he is responsible in subsistence allowances for travel (a) within the United Kingdom and (b) outside the United Kingdom in each of the last three years. [19548]

	1992–93 £		1993–94 £		1994–95 £
	(a)	(b)	(a)	(b)	(a)	(b)
CPS1	894,140		788,055		1,072,030
T.SOL.	10,217	9,893	4,066	864	2,969	10,637
GPL2	—	—	4,155	NIL	3,566	NIL
SFO	38,255	14,639	71,812	22,133	62,920	19,302
LSLO	Included inT.SOL. above		938	1,417	1,030	1,526
1 Aggregate for (a) and (b).
2 Government Property Lawyers was established on 1 April 1993.

My investigations into this case are complete and I replied to my hon. Friend on 24 April 1995.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will list for each agency and the central Department for which he is responsible (a) the total amount of removal costs and associated expenses reimbursed to officials who were required to relocate as part of their employment, (b) the amount of each of the highest three claims that were concluded and settled and (c) the average amount of each claim in each of the last three years. [19666]

The information for the Departments and agency for which I am responsible—Crown Prosecution Service, Treasury Solicitor's Department, Government Property Lawyers agency, Serious Fraud Office and the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers—is given in the table.

The information for the Departments and agency for which I am responsible—the Crown Prosecution Service, Treasury Solicitor's Department, Government Property Lawyers agency, Serious Fraud Office and the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers—is given in the table.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will list for each agency and the central Department for which he is responsible (a) the total hours of overtime worked for which payment has been made, (b) the total amount paid in overtime and (c) the total time in days and its monetary equivalent lost through sickness in each of the last three years. [19668]

The information for the Departments and agency for which I am responsible—Crown Prosecution Service, Treasury Solicitor's Department, Government Property Lawyers agency,

Overtime
	1992–93		1993–94		1994–95
	(a) hours	(b) £	(a) hours	(b) £	(a) hours	(b) £
CPS	n/a	587,268	n/a	685,179	n/a	523,439
T.SOL.	2,589.0	24,025	3,027.5	30,220	1,701.5	18,190
GPL1	—	—	313.0	2,873	286.0	2,555
SFO	5,236.0	42,872	6,711.0	55,748	5,795.0	55,188
LSLO	1,781.5	14,426	1,943.5	17,279	1,435.25	12,990
1 Government Property Lawyers was established on 1 April 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what specific recent representations have been made to Iran regarding its nuclear programme. [20362]

We have made no specific representations to Iran regarding its nuclear programme, but we have made public our concerns at reports that Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made it clear in his evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 18 January that the US assessment indicating that Iran could possess a nuclear explosive device within seven to 15 years gave serious cause for concern.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements Her Majesty's Government intend to make to permit international safeguards inspectors to verify the United Kingdom's cessation of production of fissile material for explosive uses. [20384]

The announcement that the UK has ceased production of fissile material for explosive purposes was made to show our commitment to the negotiation of a treaty banning such productions. We anticipate that negotiations will begin in June at the conference on disarmament in Geneva. We intend that the treaty should include appropriate verification arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he has to fulfil the commitment made by the European Union

The UK—through the DTI, British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. and the AEA—has been closely involved in international programmes of safeguards collaboration with nuclear authorities and facility operators in both Russia and Kazakhstan. UK efforts initially focused on the provision of training seminars covering a wide range of safeguards issues. Direct collaboration between UK and Russian and Kazakh operators on facility specific safeguards systems is now being developed as a result of these seminars. The Russian Foreign Minister was not in New York at the time of the Foreign Secretary's visit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in establishing Organisation on Security and Co-operation in Europe monitors of the ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute following the decision of the Budapest summit last November; what is the United Kingdom's contribution to it; and if he will make a statement. [20474]

The Budapest summit of the OSCE in December 1994 decided that an agreement between the parties on the cessation of hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict would be a necessary precondition for the deployment of a multi-national peacekeeping operation. Although a ceasefire has now been in place for almost a year, no agreement has yet been reached. The OSCE Minsk group is actively engaged, with our full support, in efforts to promote an agreement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations with Azerbaijan; and what plans he has to visit the country in the near future. [20472]

We enjoy excellent relations with Azerbaijan. Bilateral trade is increasing rapidly. We have provided substantial humanitarian aid and we have a programme of technical assistance through the know-how fund.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs does not at present have plans to visit Azerbaijan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of his speech to the non-proliferation treaty conference in New York on 18 April. [20382]

A copy has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what facilities are provided and arrangements made for the well-being and comfort of staff who (a) smoke and (b) do not wish to be affected by smoking at (i) the work-station and (ii) rest, recreation and refreshment facilities at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, King Charles street, London.

There are designated smoking areas, and smoking is permitted in single-occupancy offices.Smoking is not permitted in shared offices, or at meetings, or in other common areas apart from designated smoking areas.In general, rest, recreation and refreshment facilities either have smoking and no-smoking areas or do not permit any smoking.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the extent of the briefing Foreign Office officials or Ministers provided to the right hon. Member for Sedgefield (Mr. Blair) for this trip to Washington in 1986. [20610]

We have no record of any such briefing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what briefing the United Kingdom ambassador to the United States of America provided to press during the right hon. Member for Sedgefield's visit to Washington in 1986 as to whether the visit was official. [20581]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations with Georgia; and what plans he has to visit the country in the near future. [20471]

We enjoy excellent relations with Georgia. A British embassy will open in Tbilisi later this year; Georgia intends to open an embassy in the UK soon. Head of State Eduard Shevardnadze visited the UK as a guest of Government in February. We have provided substantial humanitarian aid, and are developing a programme of technical assistance through the know-how fund.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs does not at present have plans to visit Georgia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations with Armenia; and what plans he has to visit the country in the near future. [20473]

We enjoy excellent relations with Armenia. A British embassy will open in Yerevan later this year. We have provided substantial humanitarian aid for Armenia, and are developing a programme of technical assistance through the know-how fund.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs does not at present have plans to visit Armenia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's ambassador attended all the official meetings held by the three hon. Members in Washington DC in May 1986 as part of the unitary tax campaign; and what was the purpose of such attendance. [20611]

A visit by parliamentary supporteurs of the unitary tax campaign took place on 19 and 20 June 1986. We no longer have records of which, if any, of the delegation's official meetings the ambassador attended.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he is considering for changing the system of comitology in EU decision making; and if he will make a statement. [20245]

None. Comitology was re-examined as recently as last year. In December, the Council, Commission and European Parliament agreed to a limited EP role in comitology measures stemming from co-decision legislations. It was agreed that the European Parliament should be able to give an opinion on the few measures of general application which are proposed under the Commission's delegated powers in co-decision legislation, when, following a negative opinion, these measures are referred by the relevant comitology committee back to the Council for decision.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department publish (a) annual reports, (b) annual accounts, (c) the minutes of meetings, (d) the agendas of meetings and (e) registers of members' interests; and public bodies sponsored by the FCO, including the whether in each case this is (i) under a statutory Overseas Development Administration, is shown in the requirement or (ii) voluntary. [20497]

Publishes
	Annual Reports	Annual Accounts	Minutes	Agendas	Registers
British Council	Yes (statutory)	Yes (statutory)	No	No	1No
British-Russia Centre	Yes (statutory)	Yes (statutory)	No	No	No
British Association for Central and Eastern Europe	Yes (statutory)	Yes (statutory)	No	No	No
Commonwealth Institutes in London and Edinburgh	Yes (voluntary)	Yes (voluntary)	No	No	No
Great Britain-China Centre	Yes (voluntary)	Yes (statutory)	No	No	No
Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission	Yes (statutory)	Yes (statutory)	No	No	No
Westminster Foundation for Democracy	Yes (statutory)	Yes (statutory)	2No	1No	No
Commonwealth Scholarship Commission	Yes (statutory)	Yes (statutory)	No	No	No
Crown Agents Holding and Realisation Board	Yes (statutory)	Yes (statutory)	No	No	No
1 Available for inspection on request.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department which are subject to (a) investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner, (b) scrutiny by the Audit Commission, (c) scrutiny by the National Audit Office,

Subject to:
	Investigation by Parliamentary Commissioner	Scrutiny by Audit Commission	Scrutiny by HAO	Statutory Provisions for open government	Performance Indicators	Provisions under citizens charter
British Council	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Britain-Russia Centre	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
British Association for Central and Eastern Europe	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
Commonwealth Institutes in London and Edinburgh	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Great Britain-China Centre	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes
Westminster Foundation for Democracy	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
Commonwealth Scholarship Commission	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
Crown Agent's Holding and Realisation Board	No	No	Yes	No	No	No

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last discussed Tibet with the Government of the People's Republic of China; and if he will make a statement on the issues which were discussed. [20798]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs raised Tibet with the Chinese Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister Qian Qichen in New York on 18 April during discussions on a broad range of bilateral and international issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the pay of the most senior ambassadors.

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister told the House on 9 February, Official Report, columns

The answer for non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the FCO, including the Overseas Development Administration, is shown in the table.

The answer for non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the FCO, including the Overseas Development Administration, is shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Kenya about arrests of opposition members of Parliament. [19908]

We have made clear to the Kenyan authorities at the highest level our concerns at the arrest of opposition members of Parliament, and the damage such actions do to Kenya's image in the international community.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will support the representations made to the Government of Kenya by the American ambassador in Nairobi about the arrest of six trustees of the Mzangaza Trust. [19910]

Our high commission in Nairobi contacted the Kenyan authorities at a high level to register our strong concern at these arrests as soon as they heard the news. The six trustees were released shortly thereafter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the views expressed in the Catholic bishops' recent pastoral letter in Kenya are in accord with the reports he receives from the high commission in Nairobi. [19928]

We receive regular reports from our high commission in Nairobi. They cover various issues including those raised in the Catholic bishops' recent pastoral letter. We have noted the concerns expressed by the bishops, many of which are widely shared.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals have been put forward by the United Nation's special envoy to Sierra Leone for making progress to a peaceful settlement. [19912]

None. The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General continues his good offices mission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if it is his policy to support the facilitation by the international community of the establishment of a Government of national unity in Sierra Leone prior to the holding of free and fair elections. [19911]

It is our policy to support efforts to bring about a peaceful solution to the conflict. We also look to the Sierra Leone Government to press ahead with the transition to civilian democratic rule.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the cost to the Thames Valley police force of security provided for Ministers and members of the royal family; and what additional allocation of resources from his Department the Thames Valley police force receives in relation to these responsibilities. [19886]

For security reasons, it is not the practice to disclose the cost to individual police authorities of carrying out protection duties. Thames Valley police's known security commitments were taken into account under the police funding formula for 1995–96.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list separately for each of the last six years for which figures are available the number of police officers in England and Wales who (a) resigned after criminal charges had been preferred against them but before such proceedings were completed, (b) resigned after disciplinary charges had been preferred against them but before such proceedings had been completed, (c) were under suspension at the time of their resignation and (d) resigned while under investigation for disciplinary matters. [20032]

Figures for the number of officers in England and Wales, excluding the Metropolitan police, who resigned after criminal or disciplinary charges were preferred but before such proceedings were completed are set out in the table. Information collected centrally in respect of officers who resigned while under suspension is restricted to those resignations before disciplinary charges were preferred.In 1993, there were 56 officers in England and Wales who resigned while under investigation for disciplinary matters but before disciplinary charges were preferred, including 13 in the Metropolitan police. Figures for earlier years are not available centrally.

Resignations among officers in England and Wales, excluding the Metropolitan police, facing criminal or disciplinary proceedings
	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993
Resignations	25	17	22	21	20	15
after criminal						1(4)
charges
preferred but
before
completed.
Resignations	20	21	32	12	15	18
after						1(10)
disciplinary
charges
preferred but
before
completed.
Resignations	33	37	31	14	24	19
while under						1(3)
suspension, but
before charges
preferred.
1 Figures for the Metropolitan police—only available from 1993.