To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the interdisciplinary research centres were last reviewed; and if he will make a stateme nt. [29860]

A list of the interdisciplinary research centres is as shown, indicating when they were last reviewed. Reviews are conducted by the funding research councils, as part of each council's normal funding review programme and according to each council's normal monitoring and evaluation review processes.

Interdisciplinary Research Centres (IRCs) and Their Last Review
Funding body	Title	Location	Last review date
BBSRC	BBSRC IRC for Biochemical Engineering	UCL	March 1995
BBSRC	Centre for Genome Research	Edinburgh	October 1993
BBSRC	Oxford Centre for Molecular Sciences (Joint EPSRC/MRC)	Oxford	October 1992
BBSRC	Sussex Centre for Neuroscience	Sussex	July 1993
MRC	Research Centre in Brain and Behaviour	Oxford	—
MRC	Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology	UCL	—
MRC	Centre for Mechanisms of Human Toxicity	Leicester	—
MRC	Cambridge Centre for Protein Engineering	Cambridge	May 1994
MRC	Institute of Molecular Medicine	Oxford	—
MRC	IRC in Brain Repair	Cambridge	—
NERC	Centre for Population Biology	Imperial	April 1993
EPSRC	Optoelectronics	Southampton	April 1994
EPSRC	Semi-conductor Materials	Imperial/UCL/ Oxford/Sheffield	April 1994
EPSRC	Superconductivity	Cambridge	April 1995
EPSRC	Materials for High Performance Applications	Birmingham/Swansea	April 1994
EPSRC	Surface Science	Liverpool/Manchester	April 1993
EPSRC	Process Systems Engineering	Imperial/UCL	August 1993
EPSRC	Polymer Science and Technology	Leeds/Bradford /Durham	March 1994
ESRC	Research Centre on Micro Social Change in Britain	Essex	May 1993
ESRC	Human Communication Research Centre	Edinburgh/Glasgow	May 1993
ESRC	Centre for Economic Performance	LSE	February 1995

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the interdisciplinary research centres in order of date of establishment; and what plans he has to review or extend them. [29861]

The interdisciplinary research centres are as listed, in order of date of establishment, showing next planned review dates. These reviews, which are part of the research councils' normal evaluation and review processes, include consideration for extending funding.

Interdisciplinary Research Centres (IRCs) and their Next Planned Review Dates
Funding body	Title	Date of establishment	Next planned review date
EPSRC	Superconductivity	1987	—
EPSRC	Surface Science	1988	in progress
BBSRC	Oxford Centre for Molecular Sciences (Joint EPSRC/MRC)	1988	1996–97
EPSRC	Semi-conductor Materials	1988	October 1995
EPSRC	Polymer Science and Technology	1989	1996
ESRC	Human Communication Research Centre	1989	September 1997
ESRC	Research Centre on Micro Social Change in Britain	1989	September 1997
EPSRC	Optoelectronics	1989	1996
EPSRC	Process Systems Engineering	1989	December 1995
EPSRC	Materials for High Performance Applications	1989	1996
NERC	Centre for Population Biology	1989	April 1998
MRC	Institute of Molecular Medicine	1989	October 1995
BBSRC	Centre for Genome Research	1990	1997
ESRC	Centre for Economic Performance	1990	September 1998
MRC	Cambridge Centre for Protein Engineering	1990	1998–99
BBSRC	Sussex Centre for Neuroscience	1991	1997
EPSRC	Biomedical Materials	1991	1996
MRC	Research Centre in Brain and Behaviour	1991	March 1996
BBSRC	BBSRC IRC for Biochemical Engineering	1991	1999
MRC	IRC in Brain Repair	1992	1996–97
MRC	Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology	1993	1995–96
MRC	Centre for Mechanisms of Human Toxicity	1993	1997–98

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to resist the intervention of the European Union directly or indirectly in the military situation in the former Yugoslavia. [29946]

The EU has no military role in the former Yugoslavia. Forces from EU member states are there under UN and not EU mandates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evidence he has to what proportion of atrocities in former Yugoslavia have been committed by each party. [29947]

It is generally regarded, by the UN and other humanitarian organisations, that the Serbs have committed most of the atrocities. However, all parties have been responsible for acts of this kind. We condemn all human rights abuses and atrocities committed in the course of the conflict.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to what extent his policy in the former Yugoslavia has been influenced by religious considerations. [29951]

Not at all.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the United Kingdom is meeting its obligations under the agreement and convention for the suppression of the circulation of obscene publications; and what steps he is taking to ensure future compliance. [30020]

The 1910 agreement requires contracting states to designate an authority to co-ordinate information and communicate it, where appropriate, to the authorities in other countries. In the United Kingdom, the Home Secretary is the designated authority.The 1923 convention encourages signatories to introduce domestic and import legislation to curb the trade in obscene publications. The UK meets its main obligations under the convention through the provisions of the Obscene Publications Acts 1959 and 1964 and the Customs Consolidation Act 1876.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the work of his Department in the field of child abduction over the past year; and what work is planned in the year ahead. [30389]

We provide support to families in 75 cases worldwide. We initiated an EU demarche urging a range of countries to sign up to the Hague and European conventions. We raised child abduction at the 50th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights and in an EU presidency statement to the Commission on Human Rights. We maintained our funding and commitment to Reunite, the national council for abducted children. We held two meetings with the all-party parliamentary group. We work closely with the Lord Chancellor's Department.In the year ahead we shall continue to press foreign Governments to sign the conventions and to support the families of abducted children.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what efforts he is making (a) through the EU and (b) unilaterally to persuade the French Government not to test nuclear weapons in the Pacific; what representations he has received from (i) New Zealand, (ii) Australia, (iii) other Commonwealth countries o this issue; and if he will make a statement. [30175]

We have received representations from a number of Commonwealth Governments, including those of Australia and New Zealand, expressing concern over the French decision to suspend their moratorium on nuclear testing. We understand that concern, but do not believe that a strictly limited programme of tests need affect the prospects for the early conclusion of a comprehensive test ban treaty, which remains our and the international community's main priority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to introduce controls on the production, stockpiling and transfer of anti-personnel mines apart from the recent extension of the moratorium on the export of anti-personnel land mines from the Untied Kingdom. [31032]

We have been working with the Untied States for some time on ideas for regulating the production, stockpiling and transfer of anti-personnel land mines. I am pleased to announce that we and the United States have reached agreement on proposals for a land mine control programme. These will be discussed at an international meeting in Budapest, Hungary, on 29 and 30 June at which a number of European countries and others from key regions will be represented. Our aim is to reduce the dangers to civilians from anti-personnel land mines, by seeking international agreement to effective controls.I shall place a summary of the proposed programme in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what provision has been made to make payments to certain beneficiaries of the Gibraltar social insurance fund. [31078]

Pending agreement with the Government of Gibraltar on distribution of the assets of the fund, provision has been made for further interim payments to the value of £2 million in the current financial year, following the full draw-down of payments made available to the fund in 1989. Provision for these payments has been made within class II, vote 5.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department whether he will make it his policy that the passports of wards of court and other children at risk of child abduction be endorsed with details of relevant court orders. [30393]

Consideration is currently being given by the Lord Chancellor's Department and the Home Office to the question of the endorsement of the passports of children at risk of child abduction. It is not possible at this stage to indicate the likely outcome of this process.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what has been the work of his Department in the field of child abduction over the past year; and what work is anticipated in the year ahead. [30387]

The child abduction unit within my Department carries out work relating to the Hague convention on child abduction and the European custody convention. In 1994 the unit dealt with 323 new cases, an increase of 18 per cent. on those received in 1993. A further rise in work load is anticipated in the year ahead.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many days each of the full-time Liverpool district judges, formerly registrars, have been absent in each of the last 10 years for which the information is available. [28925]

The question concerns a specific operational matter on which the chief executive of the Court Service is best placed to provide an answer and I have accordingly asked the chief executive to reply direct.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) what procedure should be followed by persons who wish the Lord Chancellor to be apprised of matters which are or may be relevant to the exercise of his powers to remove from office or otherwise discipline district judges; [28943](2) what powers the Lord Chancellor has to remove district judges from office or otherwise discipline them. [28940]

Under the provisions of the County Courts Act 1984 the Lord Chancellor has power to remove a district judge from office on account of misbehaviour or on account of the district judge's inability to perform the duties of his or her office. The Lord Chancellor is unable to comment on, or intervene in, judicial decisions or the conduct of legal proceedings by a judge. The appropriate recourse in relation to such matters is through the appellate process provided by statute. Persons wishing to make a complaint about the conduct of any member of the judiciary should write to the Lord Chancellor.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department which full-time Liverpool district judges, formerly registrars, have sat in the Liverpool district of the High Court and Liverpool county court in each of the last 10 years for which information is available. [28934]

The question concerns a specific operational matter on which the chief executive of the Court Service is best placed to provide an answer and I have accordingly asked the chief executive to reply direct.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much remuneration has been paid to each full-time Liverpool district judge, formerly registrar,in each of the last 10 years for which information is available. [28935]

The question concerns a specific operational matter on which the chief executive of the Court Service is best placed to provide an answer and I have accordingly asked the chief executive to reply direct.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much time each full-time Liverpool district judge, formerly registrar, has spent (a) sitting, (b) on other business and (c) in total in his capacity as a district judge in each of the last 10 years for which information is available. [28936]

The question concerns a specific operational matter on which the chief executive of the Court Service is best placed to provide an answer and I have accordingly asked the chief executive to reply direct.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what public expense other than in terms of remuneration has been incurred in respect of maintaining the full-time district judges at Liverpool including the costs or relative proportion thereof (a) buildings, (b) equipment, (c) support staff, (d) pensions and national insurance and (e) other expenses in each of the last 10 years for which information is available. [28937]

The question concerns a specific operational matter on which the chief executive of the Court Service is best placed to provide an answer and I have accordingly asked the chief executive to reply direct.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many complaints have been made about or against full-time Liverpool district judges, formerly registrars, to (i) the Lord Chancellor in person and (ii) the Lord Chancellor's Department in each of the last 10 years for which information is available. [28939]

Records relating to complaints about the conduct of district judges have been kept only since 1992. They are broken down into the following categories: (i) complaints made to the Lord Chancellor via a Member of Parliament and (ii) complaints from all other sources. No complaints are recorded under the first category. Under the second, the figures are as follows:

• 1992: 2
• 1993: 1
• 1994: 5
• 1995 (part): 1

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what documentation or other evidence must be produced by a district judge to the Lord Chancellor's Department to substantiate or justify his absence through illness. [28938]

District judges are expected to notify the Department of any sickness absence within 24 hours of the first day of incapacity and to follow this up with a self-certificate for absences of seven days or less. A doctor's statement is required for absences exceeding seven days.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will give for each year since 1979–80 and by each legal aid group or area the total number of legal aid certificates for civil claims involving (a) personal injury claims and (b) mucous membrane disease. [28927]

The total number of certificates issued in respect of personal injury claims in each year since 1990–91, the first year for which these figures are available, is as follows:

• 1990–91: 61,351
• 1991–92: 82,102
• 1992–93: 92,071
• 1993–94: 81,550
• 1994–95: 87,809

It is not possible to break these figures down by legal aid area, nor is it possible to identify separately certificates issued in respect of mucous membrane disease.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will give for each year since 1979–80 and by each legal aid group or area the total number of appeals against the withdrawal of legal aid certificates for civil claims involving (a) personal injury claims and (b) mucous membrane disease. [28928]

The information requested is not available.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the average cost of civil legal aid excluding matrimonial and family proceedings for personal injury claims and mucous membrane disease for each legal aid group or area. [28929]

The average cost of civil legal aid bills in personal injury cases in 1994–95 by legal aid board area was:

	£
London	4,724.68
South Eastern	3,721.27
Southern	3,923.94
South Western	3,510.97
South Wales	1,971.24
West Midland	2,203.33
East Midland	2,660.46
Eastern	3,441.09
Northern	1,695.75
North Eastern	2,584.09
North Western	2,609.15
Chester and North Wales	2,473.23
Merseyside	1,744.52
All offices	2,712.71

The information requested in respect of mucous membrane disease is not separately identifiable on the legal aid board's computer systems and, therefore, it is not possible to provide separate figures for that category of case.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost to the Exchequer of extending the rent-a-room tax allowance to all tenanted property. [28883]

The rent-a-room scheme was introduced in the Finance (No. 2) Act 1992. It applies to individual owner occupiers and tenants who let furnished accommodation in their only or main home.Under this scheme gross annual rents from this sort of letting which do not exceed £3,250 per annum for one qualifying individual, or £1,625 per annum; for more than one, are exempt from tax altogether. Individuals who receive income which exceeds £3,250, or £1,625, in a year are able to choose between paying tax on it in the ordinary way—that is on the balance of gross receipts after actual expenses—or paying tax only on the amount by which their gross receipts exceed £3,250, or £1,625, without any relief for actual expenses.The annual cost of extending the rent-a-room allowance to all individual landlords of tenanted property would be £250 million, without allowing for any behavioural effects which would increase the cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing the rate of VAT which is chargeable on visitor accommodation in each of the EU member states; and what is his estimate of the net loss to the Treasury if a level of eight per cent. VAT were applicable in the United Kingdom to such accommodation. [29925]

The information requested is in the tables. No figures for VAT from hotels and holiday accommodation are available.

VAT on holiday accommodation in the EC
Country	Rate Per cent.
Austria	20
Belgium	16, 20.5
Denmark	25
Finland	22
France2	5.5
Germany	15
Greece	8
Ireland	12.5
Italy	9,319
Luxembourg	15
Netherlands	6
Portugal4	5,(4)
Spain	7
Sweden	12
United Kingdom	517.5 (5)
Notes:
1 6 per cent. applies to hotels and camp sites.
2 The following rates apply generally in Corsica: 0.9 per cent., 2.1 per cent., 8 per cent., and 13 per cent.
3 The standard rate of 19 per cent. applies to luxury hotels.
4 The rates in brackets apply in the autonomous regions of Madeira and the Azores Archipelagoes.
5 The 5 per cent. in the UK applies to hotel accommodation in the Isle of Man as from 1 October 1994.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the current tax reliefs and exemptions available for company cars; and what was the cost of such reliefs and exemptions in (a) 1994–95 and (b) 1995–96. [30095]

The discounts, for business mileage and for older cars, from the tax charge on the benefit of private use of a company car are regarded as part of the charging structure, rather than as specific exemptions. The exemption for car accessories for the disabled, introduced in the Finance Act 1995, is expected to have negligible cost for 1995–96.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many appeals lodged by business ratepayers are still waiting to be dealt with for each district valuers office in England and Wales. [29903]

The information is given in the following tables:

Number of rating appeals outstanding as at 31 May 1995 National summary
Region	Total
Central	72,674
East	56,734
London	65.565
North	53,724
South	43,612
West (western only)	22,640
Total England	314,949
Wales only	10,690
Total England and Wales	325,639

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Customs and Excise staff were responsible for processing arms exports for each year since 1979. [29333]

[holding answer 19 June 1995]: Customs' control of arms exports is integrated into general export procedures. It is not possible separately to identify numbers of staff engaged in processing any particular type of export consignments.

To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee what steps are being taken to increase the amount of recycling of all types of waste product by the Houses of Parliament.

The policy of the two Houses is to recycle all waste matter which can reasonably be segregated and recycled. The process is audited to ensure compliance with the Palace's waste collection contract. Waste which is unsuitable for recycling is taken to an authorised landfill site for disposal. Further segregation before collection is precluded by space and staffing constraints.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 22 June. [28550]

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 22 June. [28549]

This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

To ask the Prime Minister on what occasions since 1984 the Government have made representations to the Government of Singapore about the activities of a company called Charter Industries of Singapore. [29726]

Chartered Industries of Singapore are part of the Government-owned Singapore technologies group. The British high commission, in the course of its export promotion activities, has regular discussions with the Singapore Ministry of Defence, which may include reference to Chartered Industries of Singapore.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths of children aged under 17 years were caused by asthma in each of the past five years. [29091]

The following is the information deaths coded to Asthma (International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, code 493) as underlying cause to children aged between 28 days¹ and up to 16 years of age, England and Wales 1989–1993.

Numbers
Year	Males	Females	Total
1989	21	11	32
1990	30	12	42
1991	26	14	40
1992	15	9	24
1993	11	11	22
1 For deaths at ages less than 28 days it is not possible to derive an underlying cause of death. However between 1989–93 there were no deaths under 28 days of age with an infant mention of Asthma.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 13 June, Official Report, column 429, if she will list those authorities that were unable to spend 85 per cent. of their special transitional grant for 1993–94 in the independent sector. [29551]

We are not yet able to give a complete list of those authorities which have failed to satisfy the 85 per cent. condition on the special transitional grant for 1993–94. This depends on the resolution of reports raised on the audited returns of a number of local authorities by district auditors. Inquiries are being pursued with the district auditors and the local authorities as appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will (a) publish, or (b) place in the Library the submissions made in early 1992 by Dr. Bolsin expressing concerns about arterial switch operations on paediatric patients at the Bristol Royal infirmary. [29515]

The Department did not receive a submission from Dr. Bolsin in 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what conclusions were drawn by officials from her Department who visited the Bristol Royal infirmary in July 1994 and considered the performance of arterial switch operations on paediatric patients at that hospital. [29517]

An official visited Bristol Royal infirmary in July 1994 but this was on a matter unconnected with arterial switch operations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will (a) publish or (b) place in the Library the report submitted earlier this year by Marc R. De Leval and Stuart Hunter regarding the performance of arterial switch operations on paediatric patients at the Bristol Royal infirmary. [29516]

The report was commissioned by Dr. John Roylance, chief executive of United Bristol hospitals trust. Inquiries regarding the report should be directed to Dr. Roylance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what sources informed her Department's decision to instruct the discontinuation in January of the performance of arterial switch operations on paediatric patients at the Bristol Royal infirmary. [29518]

The Department did not instruct the trust to discontinue arterial switch operations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list those parts of her Department or departmental agencies which were privatised without an in-house bid; if she will indicate the expertise which was absent in her Department or departmental agencies which prevented an in-house bid from taking place; which future parts of her Department or departmental agencies she intends to privatise; and which of them do not have the necessary in-house expertise to mount an in-house bid. [29427]

During the period 1 April 1992 to 31 March 1995, the Department contracted out four activities without in-house bids: the welfare food scheme; the provision of office services at Quarry house, Leeds; security services at Richmond house; and building management for part of the London estate. In the case of the latter, the private sector was better equipped to deliver the service and to advise on the new technology that was required. The decision to contract out the other three activities was taken for management and operational reasons.Contracting out is under consideration in a number of other areas but we have no firm plans as yet.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were in residential and nursing homes in November 1994 whose care was being purchased by the local authority social services department following an assessment of their needs for care. [29345]

The information available centrally relates to the position as at 31 March 1994 and was published in statistical bulletin 1994/13 "Personal Social Services: Residential Accommodation in England 1994", copies of which are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total number of people receiving care in (a) nursing homes and (b) residential homes; and how many are being financed by (i) the local health authority, (ii) benefits, (iii) community care payments by local authorities and (iv) their own resources. [29714]

The available information is summarized in the table. No information is routinely available on numbers of people financed by their own resources or by the local health authority.

Residential and nursing care in England, 1993–94
Numbers in thousands
Type of home	People receiving care	Residents in receipts of income support2 4	Residents supported by local authorities3 4
Nursing care	1441	79	25
Residential care	2913	111	121
1 Number of occupied beds at the date of inspection in nursing homes registered under Section 23 of the registered Homes Act 1984.
Source: Department of Health statistical return KO36.
2 Residents may also receive other benefits apart from Income Support, eg., state pension.
Source of data: Department of Social Security Income Support Statistics Quarterly Enquiry, May 1994.
3 As at 31 March 1994.
Source: Department of Health statistical returns RAC5 and SR1.
4 Sources of financial support are not mutually exclusive. Residents may receive financial support from a number of different sources, including both income support and local authority support, as well as using their own resources.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of beds blocked as a result of hospitals being unable to discharge patients due to the lack of appropriate arrangements being made by social services departments for their care in the community. [29711]

The information is not available in the form requested. The results of a survey of hospital discharge were published in "Community Care Monitoring Report 1994" copies of which are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been treated by dentists (a) within the national health service and (b) privately each year since 1979. [29641]

National health service dental treatment may be provided by the general dental service, Information on the general dental service and the community dental service is shown in table 1. For the general dental service, information is available centrally only about the number of coursed of treatment administered to patients, rather than the number of patients treated. Since October 1990, the majority of treatments for children have been carried out under a capitation scheme. Therefore since 1989–90 the number of courses of treatment recorded for children represents only a partial picture of the number of children receiving treatment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies have been carried out by her Department on the effect on the health of the population of the level of milk consumption. [29616]

No studies have been carried out by the Department of Health on the effect of the level of milk consumption on the health of the population in general.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the value of the independent living transfer element of the community care transfer funding for 1996–97 and future years (a) in total and (b) for each local authority; how it will be identified; and what plans he has to make new arrangements relating to it. [29769]

Final decisions on these matters have yet to be taken. I shall be consulting the local authority associations later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice she gives to the public on the importance of milk and cheese to a balanced diet. [29591]

The Department of Health's nutrition task force, in conjunction with the Health Education Authority and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, published the "National Food Guide, The Balance of Good Health", in July 1994. This shows that milk and dairy foods can make an important contribution to a balanced diet. It advises people to choose lower fat versions whenever they can. Copies of the "National Food Guide" will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 21 April, Official Report, column 310, what plans she has for new research following that completed for the Department in 1988 by Dr. Maria Fitzgerald into whether foetuses feel pain while being aborted. [30021]

The Department recently asked Dr. Maria Fitzgerald to update her original report. A copy of her second report entitled "Foetal Pain: an update of current scientific knowledge" will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of consultants in whole-time equivalents in each of the last five years. [30425]

The information is shown in the table.

Hospital medical consultants: Whole-time equivalents England at 30 September each year
Year	Consultants
1989	13,670
1990	14,190
1991	14,500
1992	14,850
1993	15,210

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average number of hours worked by consultants in any available year in each of the last 10 years. [30427]

This information is not routinely collected by the Department. However, data are available from surveys carried out by the Office of Manpower Economics in 1989—the results were published in the 20th (1990) report of the Doctors and Dentists Review Body—and by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, published in 1994.The OME gave average weekly hours spent on all national health service activities including emergency recall in 1989 as:

Contract type	Hours
Whole time	49.4
Maximum part-time (MPT)	47.7
Other part-time	36.3
Honorary	54.4
Whole time and MPT	48.6

The MMC estimated that mean weekly hours spent by consultants on NHS and private practice work in 1992 were as follows:

Contract type	NHS hours	Private practice hours
Whole time	53	6
Maximum part-time	51	11
Less than maximum part-time	45	16

Consultants on whole-time and maximum part-time contracts are required to devote substantially the whole of their professional time to NHS work. Maximum part-time consultants forgo one eleventh of their salary in return for no limit on private practice earnings.