To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans he has to introduce legislation to require dog breeding establishments to incorporate RSPCA guidelines and to be registered with the Kennel Club. [22057](2) what representations he has received about the conditions and welfare of dogs at breeding establishments, and if he will make a statement. [22056]

My right hon. and learned Friend has no plans for extending the current legal controls over dog breeding establishments.All domestic and captive animals are protected against ill treatment by the Protection of Animals Act 1911. Additionally, establishments where dogs are bred for sale are subject to the controls of the Breeding of Dogs Act 1973, which requires dog breeders to be licensed by the local authority. It is for local authorities, which have extensive powers to check on the standards of health, welfare and accommodation of the dogs, to enforce the legislation. These powers were strengthened by the Breeding of Dogs Act 1991, which allows local authorities to enter under warrant any premises other than domestic dwellings, where it is believed that a dog breeding business is carried out.The Department has received 11 letters from Members of Parliament following an article on dog breeding establishments published by the

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the individual value of each (a) compulsory early retirement and (b) flexible early retirement package received by civil servants leaving his Department on grounds of limited efficiency in each of the last five years. [22084]

This information is not readily available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has made to the Irish Government about anti-Semitic material being distributed within or from the Republic; and if he will make a statement. [22303]

None. The distribution of any such material within the Irish Republic is a matter for the Irish Government. I am not aware of any specific concerns regarding its possible distribution to the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the Prison Service's plans for the period 1995 to 1998. [22402]

The Prison Service's corporate plan for 1995 to 1998, together with its business plan setting out its detailed programme of work for 1995–96, are being published today. Copies are being placed in the Library.The business plan sets as the service's top priority for 1995–96 improvement in performance on security. The other priorities are implementing incentives for good behaviour by prisoners; implementing the controls on temporary release I announced on 18 November 1994, and ensuring that every prison has an effective strategy for detecting and dealing with drug abuse.The business plan also sets out the service's key targets for 1995–96, which are:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when was the last time that he met Dr. Lee Brown, director of the United States Office of National Drug Control Policy; and what was the purpose of the meeting. [22403]

I last met Dr. Brown on 24 April to sign a memorandum of understanding on counter-drug technologies. The memorandum of understanding will promote co-operation between my Department and his on the development of technologies to assist the fight against drugs. Four key areas will initially be covered by the programme of cooperation. These are information technology, treatment and prevention of drug misuse, police communications and surveillance technologies, and systems for detecting illicit goods. The signing of the memorandum of understanding is another example of this country's determination to work with others to tackle the international menace of drugs misuse.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many pregnant women given refusal notices or deported have (a) given birth or (b) had medical difficulties on the aircraft in each of the last five years; [21983](2) how many women, pregnant over 30 weeks, were given refusal notices in each of the last five years and returned to the country from which they departed for the United Kingdom. [21984]

The information requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people lawfully resident in the United Kingdom and without any charges or criminal convictions against them have been deported on grounds of national security in the past five years; and what was their average length of lawful residence in the United Kingdom. [21891]

[holding answer 1 May 1995]: One person without a charge or criminal conviction against him has been removed from the United Kingdom under the deportation process on grounds of national security in the last five years. He had been resident in the United Kingdom for nearly three years at the time of removal. This excludes persons who departed voluntarily after being issued with a notice of intention to deport.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many residents, lawfully in the United Kingdom and without any charges or criminal convictions against them, have been the subject of deportation orders in the last five years; [21591](2) how many people, lawfully resident in the United Kingdom for more than 10 years and without any charges or criminal convictions, have been subject to deportation orders in the last 10 years. [21592]

[holding answer 28 April 1995]: The available information relates to all persons issued with a notice of intention to deport on national security grounds. Identifying and excluding those with a charge or criminal conviction against them would involve disproportionate cost. Some 202 such notices have been issued since 1990, including 176 at the time of the Gulf war. Six persons who have lived in the United Kingdom for more than 10 years have been issued with such a notice since 1985.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made with the Treasury's plans for legislation to enable the formation of open-ended investment companies in the United Kingdom. [22401]

The Treasury has today published a consultation document containing draft regulations to be made, subject to the approval of both Houses, under the European Communities Act 1972. I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Library.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the individual value of each (a) compulsory early retirement and (b) flexible early retirement package received by civil servants leaving his Department on grounds of limited efficiency in each of the last five years.

This information is not held by my Department in a readily accessible form. The information which the hon. Member has requested is being collated and I will provide him with a substantive answer shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many import permits for the convention on international trade in endangered species appendix I species of cranes his Department has issued in 1994 and 1995. [21831]

In 1994 my Department issued nine permits allowing the import of specimens of crane listed in appendix I of CITES. So far, in 1995, one permit has been issued.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the population of (a) pine martens (b) peregrine falcons, (c) hen harriers and (d) sparrowhawks in each year since 1980; and what is his estimate of the amount of damage each species does to game birds. [21850]

My Department's statutory advisors, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, advise that annual population estimates are not available for these species. Specific surveys have been undertaken for each species since 1980 and the most up-to-date figures for England are as follows:

Year	Species	Population
1987–88	Pine marten	100 individuals
1991	Peregrine falcons	308 pairs
1993	Hen harriers	16 pairs
1986	Sparrowhawks	There is no separate figure for England, but the population in Great Britain was last estimated at 32,000 pairs.

There is no reliable information available on whether pine marten, peregrine falcons, hen harriers and sparrowhawks affect game bird populations.

	Annual compensation payment to age 60 (rate pa) £	Superannuation lump sum £	Lump sum Compensation payment £	compensation in lieu of notice (if any) £
1990–91 Compulsory	None	None	None	Not available in the time
Flexible	8,212	24,935	Nil	given
1991–92 Compulsory	None	None	None	Not available in the time
Flexible	10,515	31,543	Nil	given
1992–93 Compulsory	None	None	None	Not available in the time
Flexible	10,138	27,288	Nil	given
1993–94 Compulsory	10,590	30,801	15,103	Not available in the time
Flexible	26,888	80,665	16,611	given
1994–95 Compulsory	None	None	None	Not available in the time
Flexible	None	None	None	given

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce a timetable for the review of metropolitan authority boundaries with

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much was spent on public relations and publicity by the Leeds development corporation in each financial year of its existence. [21610]

Leeds development corporation's expenditure on public relations and publicity, which includes the corporation's promotional and marketing activity was £223,000 in 1988–89, £324,000 in 1989–90, £480,000 in 1990–91, £499,000 in 1991–92, £300,000 in 1992–93, £250,000 in 1993–94 and £228,000 in 1994–95. These payments constitute about 3 per cent. of the corporation's expenditure, which has attracted a total of £357 millions of private sector investment—a public to private leverage ratio of 1 to 6.4.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out the assets transferred from' the Leeds development corporation to Leeds city council, together with their value. [21612]

Amenity and highway land with a nil market value were transferred from Leeds development corporation's ownership to Leeds city council prior to the winding up of the corporation. In addition, an endowment of £200,001 has been paid to the city council to cover maintenance in perpetuity of landscaping works undertaken by the corporation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the individual value of each (a) compulsory early retirement and (b) flexible early retirement package received by civil servants leaving his Department on grounds of limited efficiency in each of the last five years. [22087]

Compensation payments for early retirement on grounds of limited efficiency are age, salary and service related. Details of limited efficiency early retirements for each of the last five financial years are as follows:particular reference to Southport, Merseyside and Lancashire. [22001]

We are considering whether to direct the Local Government Commission to conduct boundary reviews of certain metropolitan areas, and will make an announcement in due course. We expect that any reviews of metropolitan areas will be conducted after the commission has completed the shire district structural reviews, which we hope will be by early 1996.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will make an announcement in response to the final recommendation of the Local Government Commission concerning the move of Billericay from Basildon district council to form Brentwood and Billericay district council. [22002]

Basildon district is to be referred to the Local Government Commission for a further review which will examine the structure of local government in the area. No decision on boundaries can sensibly be taken until the commission has made its recommendations on the wider question of structure.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will report the progress which has been made since last summer with his attempts to use the offices of English Partnership to set up a venture with English Partnerships and VSEL on the Lairds site in Birkenhead. [22213]

English Partnerships and VSEL have been working closely together on proposals for the redevelopment of the Cammell Laird site. One important objective, the continued use of the northern part of the site for ship repair activity, has been secured following the announcement today of the sale of that part of the site to the newly named Cammell Laird Industries. This follows closely on the decision of Mackie Automotive Systems to establish themselves in one of the existing buildings on the southern part of the site.VSEL and English Partnerships intend to continue to work together within a broad framework to achieve development of the rest of the site and build on the increased industrial interest that is being shown; they are discussing the form that arrangement might take.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will change the housing benefit regulations to adopt the definition of reversionary interest in use in Northern Ireland. [20346]

I have been asked to reply.A recent Court of Appeal judgment has held that property in England or Wales which the claimant owns but which is let to tenants is a reversionary interest. This means that in all cases the value of such property has to be disregarded as a capital resource when entitlement to housing benefit is assessed. We propose to bring forward amending regulations to rectify this situation. We are currently considering the form that this amendment should take.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 2 May. [20380]

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 2 May 1995. [20379]

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 what meetings he has had with directors or executives of Barings bank since 1990. [21130]

None. However, directors and executives of Barings bank have been present at a number of functions that I have attended since 1990.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the ownership of (a) top copies of his speeches, (b) treaty agreements signed by him in his capacity as Prime Minister, (c) original copies of letters received by him from her Majesty, (d) original copies of correspondence or other communications received by him from the heads of Government and (e) original copies of correspondence, minutes, records of meetings or other documents and communications with or in relation to or from ministers or public bodies. [22216]

Papers in all the categories listed belong to the Crown, with the exception of top copies of speeches made in a personal capacity or as a constituency Member of Parliament, and correspondence of a purely personal nature.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral answer of 27 April to the right hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Ashdown), Official Report, column 97, if he will place in the Library details of those papers of Sir Winston Churchill being purchased by the national heritage memorial fund. [22215]

This is a matter for the national heritage memorial fund. I have asked the chairman to write to the hon. Member, placing a copy of his letter in the Library of the House.

To ask the Prime Minister (1) what progress has been made within his Department on equal opportunities matters; [21512](2) what progress he hopes to achieve in his Department over the next three months to push forward the declaration signed in October 1994 at the Vienna conference in preparation for the fourth UN conference on women; and if he will agree to incorporate a section on equal opportunities in his Department's annual report; [21514](3) if he will publish the gender assessment being prepared by his Department; [21513](4) which Minister in his Department has responsibility for equal opportunities issues. [21511]

For these purposes, my office is part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the replies given today by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service and Science.

To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions during the last five years (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers in his Department or its agencies have declared conflicts of interest; and how many instructions have been issued about their retention, disposal or management. [21392]

[holding answer 1 May 1995]: For this purpose, my office is part of the Cabinet Office and I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 1 May Official Report, column 77.

To ask the Prime Minister, if he will estimate the cost of employing consultants in connection with market-testing programmes in which his Department has been engaged since their inception. [21381]

[holding answer 1 May 1995]: For this purpose my office is part of the Cabinet Office and I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 1 May Official Report, column 76.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he has received the third annual reports of the recognised supervisory bodies for company auditors under part II of the Companies Act 1989; and if he will make a statement. [22600]

I have received the third annual reports of all the recognised supervisory bodies for company auditors, and have placed copies in the Library of the House. My Department will be discussing the contents of the reports with the bodies.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make it his policy to promote competition in the film distribution industry in the United Kingdom. [21989]

Following the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on the supply of films for exhibition in cinemas in the UK, published on 6 October 1994, the Director General of Fair Trading is currently, at my request, seeking undertakings from nine distributors and six exhibitors named as monopolists in the report to cease the practice of alignment and to restrict minimum exhibition periods. The DOFF will report to me on the outcome of his negotiations by 10 July 1995.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the gross tonnage of merchant ships built in UK yards in each year since 1965; and if he will make a statement. [21868]

The information is in the table:

Merchant ships built in UK yards
Year	1,000 gross tonnes
1965	1,204
1966	1,130
1967	1,192
1968	1,046
1969	814
1970	1,297
1971	1,259
1972	1,208
1973	1,069
1974	1,189
1975	1,203
1976	1,460
1977	1,007
1978	1,135
1979	707
1980	431
1981	217
1982	453
1983	540
1984	411
1985	225
1986	106
1987	247
1988	31
1989	106
1990	134
1991	110
1992	229
1993	288
1994	224

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he intends to lay before Parliament a draft enabling order for contracting out work of the Insolvency Service agency. [21809]

A draft order to enable the contracting out of certain of the Official Receivers' functions was laid before Parliament for the approval of both Houses on Friday 28 April 1995.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what discussions he has had with the nuclear installations inspectorate over the possible awarding of licences for operators; [22062](2) what discussions he has had recently with Her Majesty's chief inspector of nuclear installations. [22064]

I have had no recent discussions with the Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate although my officials have frequent discussions with it on issues relating to its nuclear regulatory activities.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when competition will be introduced to the supply of telephone services in Northern Ireland. [21124]

Competition has existed in the supply of telecommunications services in Northern Ireland for some years, in the form of Mercury and mobile cellular services. Further competition will be introduced by the issue of a local delivery operator licence for cable. Applications for the Northern Ireland LDO franchise are currently under consideration and a franchise will be awarded in due course.

	Annual compensation payment to age 60 (rate pa)	Superannuation lump sum	Lump sum compensation payment	Compensation in lieu of notice (if any)
1990–91
Flexible	0	43,455	0	0

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list by grade and post those who have responsibility for deciding which internal documents held by his Department should be considered for archiving by the Public Record Office. [21991]

The Department follows the Public Record Office's recommended practice of reviewing papers when they are 10 years old and, if retained at that stage, again at 25 years old in order to reach a decision as to whether they are worthy of permanent preservation at the Public Record Office.This two-stage review is carried out by a team of two higher executive officers and 10 executive officers.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the DTI inspectors' report into the share dealing activities of Lord Archer of Weston-super-Mare will be passed to the Public Record Office. [21992]

The Department follows the Public Record Office's recommended practice of reviewing papers when they are 10 years old and, if retained at that stage, again at 25 years old in order to reach a decision as to whether they are worthy of permanent preservation at the Public Record Office.The report by inspectors appointed under section 177 of the Financial Services Act 1986 to investigate dealings in the shares of Anglia Television Group plc will be treated in accordance with the above policy.The disclosure of information obtained by inspectors under section 177 of the Financial Services Act is prohibited by virtue of section 179 of that Act. Section 5(3) of the Public Records Act 1958 provides for public access to records except when the disclosure of those records is subject to a statutory bar on disclosure such as section 179 of the Financial Services Act.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what proposals he has for developing the range and diversity of financial advice for small and medium enterprises. [21824]

To ask the President to the Board of Trade if he will list the individual value of each (a) compulsory early retirement and (b) flexible early retirement package received by civil servants leaving his Department on grounds of limited efficiency in each of the last five years. [22077]

Compensation payments for early retirement on grounds of limited efficiency are age, salary and service related. The Department has had only one such retirement in the last five years. The details are as follows:

The emerging network of business links across England has a vital role to play in advising businesses on the range of financing options open to them, and in advising the providers of finance and finance services of the needs of growing businesses. A task force of senior members of the financial community has made recommendations to me on the specific services which business links should be offering to their customers in this important area. The implementation of those recommendations is currently being discussed with the business link network with the aim of these services being available across the network from early next year.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, what quantities of plutonium fuel rods have been manufactured at AWE Aldermaston for the prototype fast reactor at Dounreay; when these rods were manufactured; and what safeguards arrangements applied to their production and storage. [22031]

A total of 29 clusters of experimental PFR fuel were made in a special facility at Aldermaston between 1962 and 1972. The PFR production fuel elements were later manufactured at Windscale. At the time of this campaign Aldermaston was run by UKAEA. The campaign took place before Euratom safeguards or the UK-Euratrom-IAEA agreement came into effect. The UKAEA exercised stringent nuclear material accountancy controls on all materials, including those in question. The plutonium used was part of a stock assigned to the fast reactor programme. The programme had no links to weapons work at Aldermaston.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what investigations he has carried out into the activities of Mr. Riad Al Taher; [21693](2) what representations he has received from Mr. Riad Al Taher about sanctions against Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [21694]

[holding answers 28 April 1995]: We have not had any representations from Mr. Riad Al Taher and have not carried out any investigations into his activities.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what assistance his Department will give to the Iraqi-British Interests Group on its forthcoming visit to Iraq; [21701](2) if he will make a statement on the relationship between his Department and Mr. Edmund Sykes; [21692](3) if he will make a statement on the forthcoming visit by the Iraqi-British Interests Group to Iraq; [21700](4) what requests for assistance his Department has received from the Iraqi-British Interests Group for its forthcoming visit to Iraq; [21702](5) if he will make a statement on the relationship between his Department and Mr. Stephen Crouch. [21691]

[holding answers 28 April 1995]: The Iraqi-British Interests Group is an independent lobby group which has no official standing. My Department has no details of any specific visit to Iraq to be made by it. It has not made any requests for assistance in connection with such a visit; nor would we be prepared to provide organisational support for it to visit Iraq. Acts calculated to promote the supply of goods to or from Iraq would require a licence from my Department. Applications are dealt with on a case-by-case basis but licences are normally issued only for exports or discussions relating to goods permitted under sanctions—that is, humanitarian goods. Any contacts with Mr. Edmund Sykes and Mr. Stephen Crouch have been those necessary for the exercise of my Department's responsibilities.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are his departmental estimates for the liability for payment by Lloyd's names during the years (a) 1995 and (b) 1996; and what are his estimates of how much can be met without recourse to Lloyd's central funds. [22071]

[holding answer I May 1995]: The Department neither needs nor is required to make such estimates in the exercise of its responsibilities under sections 83 to 86 of the Insurance Companies Act 1982. Any estimate of the amounts to be called from Lloyd's names would be speculative as the cash calls on names have yet to be declared during 1995, and the results to be declared during 1996 cannot be predicted with any precision.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what supervision his Department will make of those Lloyd's names who have become insolvent and whose calls cannot be supported by Lloyd's funds supervised by his Department. [22072]

[holding answer 1 May 1995]: Any Lloyd's name who failed to meet the solvency requirement prescribed in section 83 (4) and (5) of the Insurance Companies Act 1982 would become subject to the Secretary of State's supervisory powers contained in part II of the Act. The particular use of those powers would depend on the circumstances of the case, but would include imposition of such requirements as may be desirable to protect policyholders against the risk that the name's underwriting liabilities would not be met.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimates have been made by his Department for Lloyd's losses (a) for 1992 and (b) for 1993 which are (i) called but unpaid, (ii) declared losses but uncalled and (iii) potential losses expected but as yet undeclared; and what impact these estimates would have on determining the solvency of Lloyd's. [22099]

[holding answer 1 May 1995]: The Department neither needs nor is required to make estimates of the specific figures cited in the question in the exercise of its responsibilities under sections 83 to 86 of the Insurance Companies Act 1982. But in the compilation of the solvency returns all losses, whether or not called and/or paid, will have been brought properly into account in determining the liabilities for solvency purposes, and prudent provision will have been made for losses which have been incurred but not reported.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his estimate of the number of Lloyd's names who could potentially be unable to meet calls on their assets if Lloyd's were unable to stand behind a call. [22073]

[holding answer 1 May 1995]: The Department neither needs nor is required to make such an estimate in the exercise of its responsibilities under sections 83 to 86 of the Insurance Companies Act 1982. Since all the auditors' certificates required under section 83 of the Insurance Companies Act 1982 were furnished in the most recent solvency test, the question did not arise.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade on how many occasions during the last five years (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers in his Department or its agencies have declared conflicts of interest; and how many instructions have been issued about their retention, disposal or management. [21398]

[holding answer 1 May 1995]: Each senior official and special adviser is required to make declaration of their financial interests. This enables the Department to prevent potential conflicts of interest arising. In the case of other officials, conflicts of interest are dealt with by their line management. Records are not kept centrally.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will list those projects in privatised companies which have received European social fund support since privatisation indicating (a) the level of funding and (b) the dates when it was received. [21299](2) if he will list those public projects which received European social fund support and were subsequently privatised over the last 10 years, indicating

[holding answer 1 May 1995]: European social fund grant applications from the following privatised companies within my Department's area of responsibility have been approved. The grants were for vocational training, guidance and counselling, and employment support projects. The information relate to projects approved from 1990. Data for the years before 1990 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

	Grant approved £	Year
Jaguar cars	217,708	1990
British Aerospace Dynamics Ltd.	175,341	1990
British Aerospace (Military Aircraft) Ltd.	23,353	1990
Rolls Royce plc	241,725	1990

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what work he has commissioned from consultants Mason, Pittendrigh; what fees he has agreed in respect of this work; and if he will make a statement on the progress of work to date and the fees paid to date to these consultants. [21253]

My Department has not commissioned any work from Mason Pittendrigh.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which Minister in his Department has responsibility for equal opportunities matters. [21470]

I have overall responsibility for the whole Department which includes equal opportunities issues which are integral to many policies. The Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, North (Mr. Jones), has responsibility for equality issues and the Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Clwyd, North-West (Mr. Richards), has special responsibility for women's issues and issues relating to disability.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what progress he hopes to achieve in his Department over the next three months to push forward the declaration signed in October 1994 at the Vienna conference in preparation for the fourth UN conference on women; and if he will agree to incorporate a section on equal opportunities in his Department's annual report. [21473]

My Department, in line with other Departments, is committed to the principles set out in the regional platform for action agreed at the preparatory conference in Vienna for the fourth UN world conference on women. We have taken these forward through a wide range of programmes and initiatives and will continue to do so.

Housing revenue account subsidy
Local Authority	1992–93 £	1993–94 £	Percentage change 1993–94 over 1992–93	1994–951£	Percentage change 1994–95 over 1993–94 (provisional)
Aberconwy	1,584,274	1,515,817	-4.32	1,524,838	0.60
Alyn and Deeside	2,520,527	2,719,472	7.89	2,751,136	1.16
Arfon	2,942,801	3,116,312	5.90	2,825,706	-9.33
Blaenau Gwent	10,775,958	11,272,511	4.61	11,286,414	0.12

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many local authorities in Wales have put the work of their direct labour organisations out to external competitive tenders; how many and which have not done so; and if he will make a statement. [21573]

All 45 principal authorities in Wales have put out to competitive tender work carried out by their direct labour/service organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for (a) each health authority in Wales and (b) Wales as a whole the total number of asthma cases treated in the last three years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [20547]

Information on the number of individuals treated for asthma in Wales is not available centrally. However, for those treated as in-patients or day cases, the number of completed consultant episodes where asthma was recorded as the principal diagnosis in each of the last three years is given in the following table:

	Completed consultant episodes—asthma ICD 9 (493)
Health authority area of treatment	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94
Clwyd	895	796	872
East Dyfed	397	496	542
Gwent	967	1,099	1,003
Gwynedd	446	316	516
Mid Glamorgan	982	1,138	1,154
Pembrokeshire	265	258	277
Powys	135	139	117
South Glamorgan	1,442	1,213	1,421
West Glamorgan	762	718	296
Wales	6,291	6,173	6,198

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the amount of housing revenue account subsidy for (a) 1992–93, (b) 1993–94 and (c) 1994–95 for each district council in Wales and for Wales as a whole, in each case showing the percentage change. [21049]

Information on the amount of housing revenue account subsidy paid is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the level of notional rent set by his Department for the purpose of calculating housing subsidy for each district council in Wales and for Wales as a whole for (a) 1994–95 and (b), 1995–96. [21050]

Authorities calculate notional rents for subsidy according to a formula in the main housing revenue account subsidy determination for the relevant year, copies of which are available in the Library of the House. The notional rents calculated by each authority for 1994–95 and 1995–96 are given in the following table. The figures shown for Wales have been derived from these figures.

Notional Weekly Rent per Dwelling
Local Authority	1994–95 £ p	1995–96 £ p
Aberconwy	29.06	31.88
Alyn and Deeside	29.46	32.29
Arfon	30,71	33.69
Blaenau Gwent	31.13	32.96
Brecknock	31.23	33.81
Cardiff	36.13	38.96
Carmarthen	32.04	33.87
Ceredigion	31.69	33.87
Colwyn	28.60	31.42
Cynon Valley	29.67	31.50
Delyn	30.27	33.10
Dinefwr	28.33	30.54
Dwyfor	28.88	30.71

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will list the individual value of each (a) compulsory early retirement and (b) flexible early retirement package received by civil servants leaving his Department on grounds of limited efficiency in each of the last five years. [22074]

There were no early retirements on grounds of limited efficiency for the financial years 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93 and 1993–94.There were two early retirements on grounds of limited efficiency in 1994–95, both on flexible terms. Compensation payments are age, salary and service related. Details are as follows:

Annual compensation payments to age 60 (rate pa) £	Enhancement of superannuation lump sum £
14,396	7,334
7,450	3,725

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the population of (a) pine martens, (b) peregrine falcon, (c) hen harrier and (d) sparrowhawk in each year since 1980; and what is his estimate of the amount of damage each species does to game birds. [21849]

Annual population estimates are not available for pine martens, hen harriers, peregrine falcons and sparrowhawks. However, specific surveys have been undertaken for these species since 1980 and the most up to date figures for Wales are as follows:

(a) Pine martens—less than 50 individuals (1987–88).

(b) Peregrines—263 (1991).

(c) Hen Harriers—16 (1993).

(d) Sparrowhawks—no estimate.

There is no reliable information currently available relating to the effect of these species on game birds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what further progress he has to report on the appointment of a director for research and development for the NHS in Wales; and if the post will be established as a civil service or as an academic post. [22333]

I understand that the University of Wales college of medicine will shortly be advertising the post of director of research and development for health and social care in Wales. This is a university post and not a civil service appointment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to have available the full set of data on waiting list figures for those waiting more than six months for their first out-patient appointment and 18 months or more for in-patient treatment for each health authority. [22332]

The latest available information relates to waiting lists at 31 December 1994 and is shown in the following table. Similar information will be available in June for waiting lists at 30 March 1995.

Health authority area1	Number waiting more than six months for out-patient appointment	Number waiting more than 18 months for in-patient or day case treatment
Clwyd	2,234	128
Dyfed	2,968	337
Gwent	4,840	255
Gwynedd	1,222	66
Mid Glamorgan	5,475	347
Powys	636	18
South Glamorgan	9,258	363
West Glamorgan	5,747	145
Wales	32,380	1,659
1Including patients of GP fundholders.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what were the scientific considerations behind his approval of the extraction of an extra 0.36 million tonnes of sand and other materials from the Nash bank before commencement of the Bristol channel study on the impact of dredging on the coastal environment. [22186]

The favourable Government view to extract an additional 360,000 tonnes from the Nash bank was based on an independent scientific analysis of the environmental monitoring data available as a condition of the current licence. This comprises regular bathymetric surveys of the bank and inspections of 12 local beaches to ensure that there are no adverse effects on beach sediment regimes. The assessment indicated that there was no significant risk to the coastline from the extraction proposed. A study which is expected to commence this year will examine the availability of marine aggregate resources in the Bristol channel, and the environmental consequences of and constraints on, their utilisation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he will pay the first instalment of the special grants to new principal councils in Wales. [22519]

My Department will make these payments on or as soon as reasonably practicable after 4 May 1995, in accordance with the provisions of the Special Grant Report (Wales) 1995, approved by the House on 8 February 1995.Parliamentary approval of this new expenditure is being sought in the 1995–96 main supply estimate for the local government, Wales vote, class XV vote 6. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure of £5.85 million on the first instalments of grant to the new principal councils will be met by a repayable advance form the Contingencies Fund.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action Her Majesty's Government are taking (a) directly, (b) through the EU and(c) through other organisations, to supply wheat to be sown by Afghan refugees of displaced persons wishing to return to Afghanistan; and how much wheat is to be supplied to such persons over each of the next three years.[22305]

A joint World Food Programme UNHCR/donors food assessment mission to Pakistan and Afghanistan is reviewing food aid needs. Donors, including the EU, will be briefed on their findings in Islamabad on 8 May. On 27 April 1995 the EU approved provision through the WFP of 20,000 tonnes of cereals, 1,000 tonnes of vegetable oil, 1,900 tonnes of sugar and 2,000 tonnes of pulses for resettling Afghan refugees and displaced persons.We have recently provided wheat supplies at a cost of £1.25 million through CARE for relief programmes inside Afghanistan and will consider further contributions of food aid when needs arise, in consultation with other aid agencies, including the EU.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 24 April, Official Report, column 330, what are the minimum and maximum ages of Afghan refugee children in Pakistan who will receive primary education in future; what is the maximum age of Afghan refugee children who have received secondary education hitherto; and if he will make a statement.[22331]

The minimum age for primary education is five years and children tend to leave at the age of 11 or 12. There is no strict leaving age as some children start school older than five. Secondary school education is divided into two levels. Children leave lower secondary or middle school at 14 or 15—that is, after three years—and most leave higher secondary around 16 or 17, although at both levels some graduate at an older age. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the Government of Pakistan encourage all children to remain at school as long as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received about the causes of the reduction of Pakistan's cotton crop with particular reference to viral infection; what assistance Her Majesty's Government will give in (a) research and (b) direct assistance to combat them; and if he will make a statement.[22326]

We have received reports from both our high commission and scientific staff at the Natural Resources Institute, who are currently working in Pakistan, on all factors affecting the cotton crop in Pakistan. This includes the current problem of leaf curl virus.Through the NRI, ODA has supported a research project on cotton pest management in Pakistan since 1985. The latest phase of this project started in 1992 and is due to end in March 1996. ODA is also funding a study to determine the scope for further assistance in tackling this problem.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will list the individual value of each (a) compulsory early retirement and (b) flexible early retirement package received by civil servants leaving his Department on grounds of limited efficiency in each of the last five years.[22083]

Compensation payments for early retirement on grounds of limited efficiency are age, salary and service related. In the last five financial years, there have been no compulsory early retirements in the departments for which I am responsible. The only case of flexible early retirement was in January 1991 when the officer concerned received a lump sum payment of £15,339.39 and an annual compensation payment of £6,343.87.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs in the United Kingdom are in building societies. [21910]

Information on the number of jobs held in building societies is not separately available. However, there were 171,000 employees in Great Britain in financial institutions other then banking and bill discounting in December 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will investigate the extent to which ageism and age discrimination is acting as a barrier to the 40-plus age group in accessing (a) retraining schemes and (b) United Kingdom and European funding to set up 40-plus employment initiatives; [22054](2) what further steps he is taking to counter ageism and age discrimination in the workplace; and if he will make a statement; [22048](3) if he will investigate the extent to which ageism and age discrimination are contributing towards long-term unemployment among the 40-plus age group; and if he will make a statement; [22050](4) what steps his Department is taking to discourage employers from placing employment advertisements in the national press which specifically request applicants for supervisory, managerial, technical and professional employment from the specific age group 25 to 35 years; and if he will make a statement; [22052](5) which laws in the United Kingdom protect people from ageism in the workplace; and what assessment has he made as to the scope for those persons who feel they have been victims of age discrimination to seek legal redress at appropriate levels; [22053]

The Government are conducting a vigorous campaign, which I lead, urging employers to recruit, train and retain workers on merit, regardless of age. The "Getting On" booklet, published in March 1994, is aimed specifically at employers. We published a further booklet, "Too Old…who says?", in January this year, which offers help and advice to older people seeking work or training. The campaign is supported by an advisory group, which I chair, consisting of people with a wide experience of industry and with the problems of age discrimination in employment.Surveys suggest that ageist practices in recruitment and retention are contributing to the difficulties of older workers. However, there are no barriers preventing the 40-plus age group accessing retraining schemes. The proportion of people aged 51 and over on adult training programmes has steadily increased over the last four years. Training for work, the main training programme, is open to unemployed people up to the age of 63, making it possible for older workers to enhance their skills and make best use of their potential. Access to funding in the UK and through the European social fund for employment initiatives is open to people of all ages with selection on merit. There are several instances where funding has been granted to older workers to set up their own initiatives.My campaign specifically encourages employers to drop the use of age limits in all advertisements and recruitment. Indeed, it is the first step outlined in the

ILO unemployed by age, gender and duration of unemployment
Great Britain	Autumn 1994 Thousands
Age	All ILO unemployed	Less than 6 months	6 months to 1 year	1–2 years	More than 2 years
All persons
35–39	235	85	42	35	74
40–49	408	140	62	78	128
50–59	329	90	48	63	128
60–65	88	17	1—	22	40
Males
35–39	156	43	29	26	58
40–49	255	74	35	50	95
50–59	230	58	34	41	96
60–65	74	13	1—	19	34
Females
35–39	79	42	13	8	15
40–49	153	66	27	27	33
50–59	100	32	14	22	32
60–65	13	1—	1—	1—	1—
Notes:
1 Estimates below 10,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many (a) men and (b) women have been unemployed for (i) less than six months, (ii) more than six months, (iii) more than one year, (iv) more than 18 months and (v) more than two years: and if he will provide a breakdown by the age categories (a) 35 to 40, (b) 40 to 50, (c) 50 to 60 and (D) 60 to 65 years. [22055]

The latest information available from the labour force survey for Great Britain is given in the following table. Information on levels of claimant unemployment by age and duration of unemployment can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the Library for the following age bands: 35 to 39, 40 to 49, 50 to 59, 60 and over.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the individual value of each (a) compulsory early retirement and (b) flexible early retirement package received by civil servants leaving his Department on the grounds of limited efficiency in each of the last five years. [22088]

The Department has no record of any such payments having been made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if the Central London training and enterprise council will pay the debts of South Thames TEC. [22220]

The debts incurred by South Thames training and enterprise council are a matter for the receiver. It is my understanding that there is no obligation whatsoever upon CENTEC to pay the debts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 18 April, Official Report, column 57, if he will set out the manufacturer's instructions for the application of Stapro insecticide. [21170]

[holding answer 1 May 1995]: Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the number of convictions in each region under the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987 and the Asbestos (Licensing Regulations) 1983 in each year since their inception, indicating the penalty in each case. [21286]

[holding answer 1 May 1995]: I have arranged for the information on the number of convictions in each region under the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987 and the Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983 and the penalties for each conviction to be placed in the Library. The information relates to prosecutions by the Health and Safety Executive. It does not include prosecutions by local authority inspectors who have powers under the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 to enforce the regulations. Statistics on the number of convictions under the Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983 are available only from 1986 onwards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of (a) the number of unemployed and (b) the rate of unemployment in the Cleveland rural development area in each of the last 10 years and at the latest available date. [21433]

[holding answer 1 May 1995]: Information is available only on the numbers of claimant unemployed people in rural development areas and this can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the number and percentage of employees who are employed in manufacturing, in each region of the United Kingdom in (a) 1979 and (b) the most recent year for which figures are available. [21796]

[holding answer 1 May 1995]: The information requested is shown in the following table:

Employees in employment in manufacturing industry and as a percentage of all employees in employment
(Thousands)	December 1979		December 1994
	Level	Percentage	Level	Percentage
South East (excluding Greater London)	1,8701	24.8	666	17.5
Greater London	n/a	n/a	332	10.6
East Anglia	210	29.6	161	20.0
South West	440	27.7	308	18.1
West Midlands	977	43.3	572	28.3
East Midlands	605	38.7	454	29.4
Yorkshire and Humberside	699	34.8	430	23.4
North West	955	35.7	517	22.4
North	404	32.5	250	22.9
Wales	314	30.4	226	23.3
Scotland	596	28.5	354	18.0
Northern Ireland	143	26.6	103	18.3
1 Employment figures available only for the whole of the south-east region as Greater London was not separately identifiable. n/a = Not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the cost of answering the questions to his Department tabled by the hon. Member for Makerfield (Mr. McCartney) since the beginning of the current Session. [18572]

[holding answer 5 April 1995]: According to our records, the hon. Member for Makerfield has tabled 180 parliamentary questions to this Department since the beginning of the current parliamentary Session until 4 April 1995. We estimate the total cost of preparing these answers was £17,460.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the reasons for the refusal of temporary visas to Mrs. Rasoul Bibi, Ref. V94/20662, and Miss Riffat Sultana, Ref. V94/20668. [21862]

The reasons for refusal were given in the migration and visa correspondence unit's letters of 28 July 1994 and 18 October 1994 to my hon. Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received concerning the request for temporary visas by Mrs. Rasoul Bibi, Ref. V94/20662, and Miss Riffat Sultana, Ref. V94/20668; and if he will make a statement.[21863]

Representations have been received from a number of people, including my hon. Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the United Kingdom presentation to main committee II of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty conference in New York. [22022]

Yes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many members of the European Union have indicated at the non-proliferation treaty review and extension conference in New York that they seek both an indefinite and unconditional extension to the treaty. [22018]

All of them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response has been made by the United Kingdom delegation to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty conference in New York, to the proposal advanced by Germany that fissionable material from dismantled weaponry should not be used to build new warheads. [22019]

The UK maintains only a minimum deterrent and has no surplus fissile material for explosive purposes. Recycling fissile materials allows us to keep our stockpile of fissile material at the minimum level necessary to meet our operational requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has received on decisions taken at the meeting of the non-aligned movement member states held in Bandung, Indonesia, on 25 to 27 April in regard to the non-proliferation treaty. [22058]

At the end of their meeting in Bandung, the Ministers of the non-aligned states issued a statement. They expressed a number of concerns about the non-proliferation treaty, but accepted that it had played a part in promoting international peace and security. The statement made clear that the NPT will be extended in accordance with article X.2.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy on the adoption by states parties to the non-proliferation treaty, during the treaty's review and extension conference, of a programme of action for achieving complete nuclear disarmament. [21352]