To ask the Secretary of State for Health what definition of readmission is used when calculating readmission rates. [30421]

There is no nationally agreed definition of readmission, nor is there a central mechanism available for collecting information on readmission rates in England. Work is in progress that will in time enable hospital admissions data to be linked to individual patients.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of food poisoning were reported in each of the last 10 years in (a) York, (b) North Yorkshire, (c) Yorkshire and Humberside and (d) England. [31600]

The information requested is published annually in series MB2 "Communicable disease statistics". The latest available publication is series MB2 no. 19, copies of which are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the annual NHS expenditure on the treatment of asthma; and what proportion of the total budget this represents. [31411]

In 1994 the net ingredient cost of national health service prescriptions for asthma medication was £381 million, some 11 per cent. of the net ingredient cost of all prescriptions. The net ingredient cost is the basic price of a drug before discounts and the addition of dispensing costs or fees. Estimates have been made for the financial year 1989–90 of the cost of other NHS services, excluding community health services. It is estimated that the cost of services for asthma was £72 million, which was 0.6 per cent. of the total cost of these services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many consultants were at the hospitals that make up the royal hospitals two years ago; what is the current figure; and what is the projected number after the reorganisation as a number and as a whole-time equivalent; [31355](2) how many orthopaedic beds were under the control of the Royal Hospital trust before and after the reorganisation; on which site they will be located; and what will be the numbers on each site. [31365]

This information is not available centrally. The right hon. Member may wish to contact Sir Derek Boorman, chairman of the Royal Hospitals NHS trust for details.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is the average cost to her Department of providing a diabetes sufferer with a lifetime of free prescriptions; [31407](2) what is the total annual cost to her Department of providing free prescriptions to sufferers of diabetes; [31405](3) what is the average cost to her Department of prescriptions to diabetics per annum, per patient. [31404]

The available information is shown in the table.

Drugs used in the treatment of diabetes, 1994 (provisional)
England
Ingredient cost/item
Net ingredient cost	£97.3 million
Prescription items	9.4 million
Average net ingredient cost per prescription item	£10.33

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many diabetics there are in Britain. [31406]

An estimated 1.2 per cent. of the British population have clinically diagnosed diabetes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she is taking for the population of the United Kingdom in respect of the World Health Organisation guidance that the people should receive a booster vaccine against diptheria every 10 years; and if she will make a statement. [31503]

We are not aware of any such recommendations by the World Health Organisation. WHO recommends that a primary course of three doses of diphtheria vaccine should be part of the immunisation programme and in the United Kingdom children are offered three doses of diptheria vaccine at two, three and four months of age. A reinforcing booster dose is offered as part of the pre-school booster to four-year-olds and a further low dose booster of tetanus/diphtheria vaccine is offered to teenagers.The chief medical officer has issued advice for boosting requirements for travellers to eastern Europe.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the resignation of three orthopaedic consultants at St Bartholomew's hospital. [31356]

This is a matter for the Royal Hospitals National Health Service trust. The right hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman, Sir Derek Boorman, for details.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the ask-a-nurse service by Access Health United Kingdom; and what plans she has to finance it. [31350]

It is for health authorities, in consultation with clinicians and the public, and bearing in mind the national framework set out in the priorities and planning guidance for the national health service, to decide what treatments and services are required in order to meet local needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what NHS funds have been paid from the NHS to Access Health United Kingdom in each of the last three years. [31349]

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of dysentery were recorded in (a) York, (b) North Yorkshire, (c) Yorkshire and Humberside and (d) England in each year since 1990. [31601]

Information on the number of cases of dysentery are published annually in the MB2 series, "communicable disease statistics," copies of which are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has carried out into an assessment of nasal shape after surgery using Quicktime; what were the findings of that research; and if she will make a statement. [31502]

The Department of Health has conducted no research into this subject.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of births outside marriage were registered by both parents living in the same address in (a) York, (b) North Yorkshire, (c) Yorkshire and Humberside and (d) England in each year since 1979. [31603]

The available information is shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the details of the campaign to be commenced in the autumn on the importance of folic acid taken before conception and then in early pregnancy. [31331]

Plans for a public awareness campaign about folic acid and the prevention of neural tube defects are nearing completion and an announcement will be made shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to make folic acid available free of charge as a pre-pregnancy supplement. [31333]

None. Folic acid is already available on prescription free of charge for women who are pregnant or who are entitled to remission of prescription charges on grounds of low income.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the hospitals which have specialist trauma units. [31504]

Trauma patients are normally taken to hospital accident and emergency departments.In 1988 a Royal College of Surgeons report suggested that outcomes for patients with life-threatening injury might be better if they were treated in regional trauma centres.We set up a pilot trauma centre at the North Staffordshire Hospitals National Health Service trust in 1990. The evaluation of this pilot is now complete and a report is being drafted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the expenditure by each hospital trust in each of the past four years in purchasing health care or facilities in the private sector; and what was the total expenditure for this purpose in each year. [31839]

The financial returns of national health service trusts provide expenditure figures on the purchase of health care from non-NHS bodies, whether in the public or private sectors. The figures for England are £12,204,000 in 1991–92, £45,436,000 in 1992–93, and £50,386,000 in 1993–94. The Government welcome cost-effective co-operation between the NHS and independent sector. This increases the range of options available to patients and health service managers and makes optimum use of available resources.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths have occurred as a result of meconium aspiration in each of the past 10 years; and what action she will take to reduce the number of deaths resulting from meconium aspiration. [30890]

Figures for stillbirths, neonatal deaths— deaths under 28 days—and postneonatal deaths—deaths between 28 days and under one year—with a cause coded to the international classification of diseases, ICD 9th revision code 770.1, massive aspiration syndrome, will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her estimate to date of the number of children born as a result of fertility treatment within the national health service. [30891]

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the effect of the European medical directives on United Kingdom registered medical practitioners who are also United Kingdom citizens, and who obtained their primary medical qualification outside the United Kingdom. [31330]

European legislation deals only with the mutual recognition of medical qualifications issued by member states of the European Economic Area. Each member state may decide for itself whether to recognise medical qualifications gained outside the EEA. The competent authority in each member state must, in considering an application for registration from a person whose qualification has been gained outside the EEA, take account of and give appropriate weight to the fact that an applicant's primary medical qualification has been recognised by another EEA state and the knowledge, experience and qualifications gained by an applicant in an EEA state, subsequent to obtaining his primary medical qualification outside the EEA.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of young people who left care in each of the past five years for which figures are available (a) went into furnished private accommodation, (b) went into furnished local authority accommodation, (c) went in to unfurnished accommodation and (d) went into temporary accommodation; and what percentage is currently homeless. [31616]

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of young people leaving care receive a leaving care grant; what is the average value of the grant; and if she will give a regional breakdown of the amounts given. [31613]

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what new posts have been designated by the National Blood Authority in preparation for possible re organisation; and if she will state the titles of the posts and the names of those provisionally appointed. [31996]

This is a matter for the National Blood Authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to publish her response to the consultation about the delegation of fostering duties to profit-making organisations and the easement of respite care regulations; and if she will make a statement. [32101]

We are considering the responses received to the consultation document.

To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners what action the Commissioners are taking to obtain Government repair grants for damage caused by atmospheric pollutants; and if he will make a statement. [31090]

None, so far as the Commissioners' own property is concerned.

To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners (1) what plans the Commissioners have to establish two pension funds, one for the dignitaries and staff at Church House and No. 1 Millbank and another for the parish clergy; [31992](2) what plans the Commissioners have for a single fund into which they will pay the future contributions of dignitaries while each diocese will be asked to meet the future contributions of the parish clergy. [31993]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer that I gave him on 14 June 1995, Official Report, column 556.One of the proposals of the joint report on pensions by the Central Board of Finance, the Church of England Pensions Board and the Church Commissioners which will be considered by the General Synod in July, is that pensions contributions in respect of future service of the parochial clergy should be raised by dioceses—through parishes—and invested in a separate pensions fund. The Commissioners would make contributions into the same fund in respect of those dignitaries whose stipends they meet in full.The Commissioners will be seeking the power to spend capital to discharge their existing liability for past service pensions. That power could also be used to enable the establishment of a funded scheme for the staff in their employment.

To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners (1) what was the cost of capital losses incurred to purchase £12.9 million temporary income mentioned in the 1994 annual report;(2) what was the total temporary income generated since the Commissioners began the practice of obtaining this income; and what effect this has had on the size of the capital base of the Commissioners' assets.

Temporary income refers to the accounting policy of recording interest on gilt edged securities on a receipts basis rather than on an accruals basis. The temporary income generated up to the end of 1994 was £56.7 million. As explained in appendix 12 of the Social Security Committee's recent report, in so far as the above amounts would otherwise have been treated as capital and retained, the fact that they have been recorded as income and distributed within the Church has led to capital being reduced by the same amount.The Commissioners have repeatedly made it clear that the current level of income distribution as a percentage of their assets remains unsustainably high, despite a reduction to 6 per cent. in 1994. The generation of temporary income is but one element of an investment strategy which is required to produce the level of income needed to meet the Commissioners' current commitments to the financial support of the ministry. The Commissioners are reducing their expenditure and re-balancing their assets at a pace which is feasible for them and manageable for the Church.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to review the provision in the proposed jobseeker's allowance that a claimant has to be available for work for 40 hours per week and still accept any job that is offered, in the light of changing trends in the number of jobs which are part-time. [31660]

None. People claiming jobseeker's allowance should ensure that they are open to a wide range of job opportunities. They should therefore be willing to work for a minimum of 40 hours per week, even if they would prefer to work fewer hours. Jobseekers will not, however, be subject to a sanction for refusing a job offered to them if they can show good cause for that refusal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of young people who left care in each of the past five years for which figures are available are currently (a) on YTS schemes, (b) employed and (c) unemployed. [31620]

The information requested is not available. The labour force survey and the youth cohort study both gather information on the employment status of young people, but neither asks whether respondents have been in care.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress the Employment Service has made in meeting the targets outlined in the 1994–95 annual performance agreement; and if he will list the targets and the outcomes achieved. [32596]

The Employment Service has performed excellently in 1994–95, exceeding all but one of its targets. It placed 1,876,800 unemployed people into jobs, against an annual target of 1.7 million. This represents 236,900 more placings than 1993–94. Performance against all the targets for 1994–95 is set out in the following table:

Employment service performance against target April 1994–March 1995
Annual performance targets	Target levels	Performance
1. To place 1.7 million unemployed people into work at a planned unit cost of £188, assuming 2.4 million vacancies are notified	1.7 million	1,876,800
2. 29.5 per cent. of total unemployed placings achieved to be long-term claimants.	29.5 per cent.	29.7 per cent. (556,600)
3. 26 per cent. of total unemployed placings achieved to be people in inner cities.	26 per cent.	28 per cent. (526,300)
4. 50 per cent. positive outcomes for unemployed claimants invited to a 12 month advisory interview.	50 per cent.	53 per cent.
5. 35 per cent. positive outcomes for unemployed claimants invited to a 24 month advisory interview.	35 per cent.	44 per cent.
6. 92 per cent. of clients due an advisory interview to receive one, assuming 9 million interviews are due.	92 per cent.	95 per cent.
7. 9 per cent. of initial claim enquiries not to be pursued as new claims	9 per cent.	10.3 per cent
8. 135,000 submissions to adjudication where there is an arguable case, with supporting information to show that the claimant is not available for, actively seeking or willing to accept work.	135,000	203,500

Employment service performance against target April 1994–March 1995
Annual performance targets	Target levels	Performance
9. At a planned unit cost per claimant of £14.80 for all benefit claims:
—despatch 75 per cent. of first payments of Unemployment Benefit within 10 days of a claim	75 per cent.	65 per cent.
—97 per cent. of Unemployment Benefit payments by value to be correct.	97 per cent.	96 per cent.
10. 3.3 per cent. of total unemployed placings achieved to be people with disabilities	3.3 per cent.	3.7 per cent. (70,300)
11. 70,000 claims to be withdrawn of those suspected of obtaining benefit by deception following fraud investigation.	70,000	78,200
12. To achieve £25.1 million in efficiency savings.	£25.1 million	£29.09 million

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give a breakdown of the cost involved in the building of the new United Kingdom high commission office in Nairobi, Kenya. [31703]

The building cost to date of the new British high commission in Nairobi totals £5,640,000, comprising land cost of £65,000, consultants' fees of £1,230,000 and construction costs of £4,345,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy on the rights of indigenous peoples. [31847]

We are concerned that the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all people, including indigenous people, should be respected. We believe that indigenous people should participate fully and freely in all aspects of society, in particular in matters of concern to them. We participate in the discussion on indigenous issues within the UN.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to make representations to the French Government about its intention to resume nuclear testing. [31777]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Ynys Môn (Mr. Jones) on 28 June, Official Report, column 636.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to sign the treaty of Rarotonga on a South Pacific nuclear-free zone. [31778]

The treaty of Rarotonga is not open for signature by the United Kingdom. We have no current plans to become a party to any of the protocols to the treaty of Rarotonga.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what policy and procedure exists for dealing with complaints against his Department by members of the public; when the policy was last updated; what time limit and target for dealing with such complaints his Department has; and what follow-up procedure exists where complainants are not satisfied with his Department's response to a complaint. [26220]

The FCO's diplomatic wing policy and procedure for dealing with complaints from members of the public in respect of the legalisation office, consular service and overseas trade services is as follows:

LEGALISATION OFFICE

Complaints dealt with on the spot where possible; target of three workings days where further investigation required.

Complaints procedure published with names and addresses of individuals to whom complaints should be addressed.

Complaints procedure reviewed and updated 1 February 1995.

CONSULAR SERVICE

—Overseas

Target of three working days to respond to complaints.

Each post offering consular services displays procedures for complaints and named individuals to whom complaints should be addressed.

Procedure has not been updated.

—At home

Complaints replied to within seven working days if channelled through an MP; target of twenty working days to reply if complaint made direct.

OVERSEAS TRADE SERVICES

Target of five working days for service provider to respond to complaints. Target of fifteen working days for Customer Services Manager to respond if complaint taken to that level.

Guidelines shortly to be published.

Guidelines reviewed annually but have not been updated.

Complaints on all other matters, including complaints relating to the Overseas Development Administration, sent by a Member of Parliament are dealt with within seven working days. Other written complaints are dealt with within the 20 working day deadline for letters to members of the public.Guidance on complaints procedures advises members of the public to contact their Member of Parliament or the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration— Parliamentary Ombudsman—if they are not satisfied with the way in which their complaint has been handled.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what performance indicators and performance targets there are for measuring the performance of his Department in (a) answering letters from members of the public and (b) answering telephone calls from members of the public; how performance is monitored; and what are the latest figures for performance measured against the target set. [26236]

The FCO has an office-wide target of 20 working days for replying to letters from members of the public. For the diplomatic wing, performance is monitored within each department and central returns submitted. Between 1 April 1994, when the target was introduced, to 31 December 1994, 23,329 letters were received of which 98 per cent. were replied to within the target. In the Overseas Development Administration, 1,477 requests for information were received within the same period, of which 94 per cent. were replied to within the target.The FCO has no set target for answering telephone calls from members of the public.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make arrangements for those representing the United Kingdom at the Beijing conference on women to receive a briefing from those non-governmental organisations and other organisations on the human rights position of women in China. [26900]

We already have close contact with human rights organisations dealing with the Peking conference on women.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Chinese authorities regarding the provision made for non-governmental organisations at the United National conference on women to be held in Beijing. [26898]

We have been associated with European Union representations to the Chinese authorities about provision for non-governmental organisations at the world conference on women.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he had made to the United Nations regarding the practice of using geographical rotation to choose the venue for the United Nations conference on women irrespective of the human rights record of a country. [26899]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent meetings have been held with the Government of Indonesia concerning human rights abuse; and if he will make a statement. [27088]

We continue to take every appropriate opportunity to urge the Indonesian Government to continue to improve their human rights record.The issue was raised by my right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development during her recent visit to Indonesia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Ministers from his Department have visited Bangladesh in each of the last three years. [26992]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs visited Bangladesh in January 1995. I visited in November 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list facility trips abroad which have been granted to British newspaper journalists in the last two years. [25907]

The details are as follows:

Dale of visit	Destination	Number in press party (journalists)
1–4 June 1993	Romania	4
	Bulgaria
	Macedonia
6–8 September 1993	UAE	7
	Saudi Arabia
22–24 October 1993	Syria	6
3–7 January 1994	Lebanon	10
	Israel
	Occupied Territories
	Jordan
	Malta
19–20 January 1994	Turkey	2
4–11 April 1994	Brazil	2
	Falklands
22–24 May 1994	Russia	3
	Ukraine
11–20 September 1994	Thailand	2
	Vietnam
	Hong Kong
	Japan
12–14 October 1994	Kuwait	16
	Bahrain
	Saudi Arabia
	Jordan
	Syria
	Turkey
4 December 1994	Former Yugoslavia	11
3–9 January 1995	Bangladesh	1 (4 others—Lahore/ Islamabad leg only)
	India
	Pakistan
13–14 February 1995	Sweden	1
11–12 April 1995	Slovakia	2
	Poland

In all cases, journalists are charged for air and ground transportation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the burning of the Mosque and village of Charar-e-Sharief in Kashmir on Thursday 11 May. [25447]

We deeply regret the burning of the village of Charar-e-Sharief in Kashmir and its historic shrine. We have urged all sides to exercise restraint. We shall continue to try to promote a peaceful solution in Kashmir.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many households had their water supply disconnected as a result of non-payment of bills in (i) York, (ii) North Yorkshire, (iii) Yorkshire and Humberside and (iv) England in each since 1989. [31583]

Information on disconnections is not available in the form requested. The Director General of Water Services publishes data on disconnections twice a year in Ofwat news releases, by water company area. Copies of Ofwat news releases are in the library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to the environmental case for phasing out the production of chlorinated paraffins. [31875]

The production and use of short-chain chlorinated paraffins are being examined currently by the Department of the Environment in the context of EC regulation No. 793/93 on the evaluation and control of existing substances to determine the extent to which they pose a risk to the environment. The outcome of this examination will be used to determine whether control measures may be necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each local authority the current single regeneration budget in cash terms and per head of the pollution. [31679]

Single regeneration budget resources are not allocated or recorded by references to local authority districts. Many schemes and initiatives supported by the SRB, including the challenge fund element, relate to a range of geographical and administrative areas, and funding is directed to a range of bodies such as training and enterprise councils and voluntary groups in addition to local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list by cash value the education standard spending assessment for 1995–96 for each of the 38 shire counties for (a) primary and (b) secondary education. [31686]

The information requested has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment by what percentage, and by what cash value, the education standard spending assessment for 1995–96 for Cheshire differs from (a) the average such education standard spending assessment and (b) the highest such education standard spending assessment, for (i) all education authorities, (ii) shire counties, (iii) north-west education authorities and (iv) London boroughs. [31687]

The 1995–96 education standard spending assessment for Cheshire is £332.027 million. The figures requested are given in the table:

	Amount £ million	Absolute difference from Cheshire £ million	Percentage difference from Cheshire Per cent.
Average English local education authority	156.184	175.843	113
Average shire county	264.864	67.163	25
Average North West local education authority	135.438	196.589	145
Average London borough	84.888	247.139	291
Highest English local education authority (Kent)	559.063	-227.036	-41
Highest shire county (Kent)	559.063	-227.036	-41
Highest North West local education authority (Lancashire)	483.978	-151.951	-31
Highest London borough (Newham)	123.810	208.217	168

The following table expresses differences from figures for Cheshire in terms of £ per head of resident population, with Cheshire's figure being £341 per head. It therefore takes account of numbers of people resident within each local education authority's area.

	Amount (£ per resident)	Absolute difference from Cheshire (£ per resident)	Percentage difference from Cheshire (Per cent.)
Average for all English local education authorities	351	-10	-3
Average for shire counties	333	9	3
Average for North West	360	-18	-5
Average for London boroughs	404	-63	-16

	Amount (£ per resident)	Absolute difference from Cheshire (£ per resident)	Percentage difference from Cheshire (Per cent.)
Highest English local education authority (Tower Hamlets)	710	-369	-52
Highest shire county (Bedfordshire)	393	-52	-13
Highest North West local education authority (Knowsley)	449	-108	-24
Highest London borough (Tower Hamlets)	710	-369	-52

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will identify and quantify the factors which were taken into account when establishing Cheshire's education standard spending assessment for 1995–96 [31688]

Information on the factors which were taken into account when establishing the education standard spending assessment for 1995–96 for every English local education authority is available in the Local Government Finance Report (England) 1995–96 and "Standard Spending Assessments: Guide to Methodology 1995–96" edition, both of which are available in the Library.Information on the amounts used in establishing the education standard spending assessment for Cheshire county council for 1995–96 was sent to Cheshire county council on 31 January.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what value of area cost adjustment is proposed for 1995–6 for (a) Bedfordshire, (b) Hertfordshire, (c) Leicestershire and (d) Cheshire; and if he will specify in each case how that figure was calculated. [31690]

Full details of the value of the area cost adjustment for all English local authorities which benefited from that adjustment are available in the Library. The information covers the years 1991–92 to 1995–96.The methodology that is used to calculate the area cost adjustment is set out in the departmental publication, "Standard Spending Assessments: Guide to Methodology 1995–96". A copy of this publication has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what conclusions he has reached on the study his Department has been making of fire safety in large single storey buildings. [32591]

In February last year, a deputation of senior fire officers and representatives of building control and the insurance industry, came to see my predecessor, the hon. Member for Banbury (Mr. Baldry), about fire safety in single storey buildings with large undivided spaces. They were concerned about the safety of firefighters, as well as people within such buildings should they catch fire, and also about the possible pollution and large financial loss that might result. Buildings of this type are found throughout the country as supermarkets, factories and warehouses.Recognising that if these buildings are to fulfil their functions properly they should not have to be divided into small fire compartments, the deputation recommended that the guidance issued on how to comply with building regulations should be changed so that when new buildings of these types exceeding 4000 sq m were being designed and constructed, a sprinkler system should be incorporated.Although my Department had reviewed this aspect of the guidance not long before, my predecessor asked that a further study should be made of the fire safety of this type of building taking into account recent fires. This has now been done with the assistance of the Fire Research Station of the Building Research Establishment, the Fire Advisory Panel and the Building Regulations Advisory Committee.This work has shown that while there may be a case for accepting the deputation's proposal in some respects, it is finely balanced and more time is needed to acquire better information on certain important factors before consultation can take place on detailed technical proposals. However, the following general conclusions have been reached:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the (a) monthly and (b) annual change in the numbers of asylum seekers accepted as homeless by local authorities under the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993. [30546]

[holding answer 26 June 1995]: The data collected from local authorities in England on the numbers of households for which they accept responsibility to secure permanent accommodation under the homelessness provisions of the Housing Act 1985 have, since the beginning of 1994, included the numbers accepted after being granted asylum. The available data are as follows:

	Acceptance of former asylum seekers	Percentage change on previous quarter
Quarter 1 1994	300	n/a
Quarter 2 1994	260	-13
Quarter 3 1994	210	-19
Quarter 4 1994	250	+19
Quarter 1 1995	250	0

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the salary of the water regulator for each year since the post was established; and what is the percentage change in his earnings since the post's establishment in (a) cash terms and (b) real terms. [31539]

[holding answer 30 June 1995]: Mr. Ian Byatt was appointed as Director General of Water Services from 1 August 1989 at an initial salary of £59,800 per annum; salary increases since his appointment are listed in the following table:

Director General of Water Services
Year	Salary £	Percentage change Cash terms	Real terms
April 1990	63,390	6.00	-1.9
January 1991	64,300	1.44	-2.5
April 1991	69,120	7.50	+5.2
December 1991	70.400	1.85	-0.1
April 1992	73,216	4.00	+1.7
April 1993	75,328	2.90	+1.6
April 1994	79,396	5.40	+2.8
April 1995	81,381	2.50	-0.8

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action his Department has taken to date in respect of the RM Consultants report published in 1991 in relation to the Dounreay reprocessing plant; and if he will make a statement. [31207]

I have been asked to reply.RM Consultants were commissioned by the then Scottish Development Department to look at a range of engineering options for the management of radioactive wastes in the Dounreay shaft. Following the publication of that report, HM industrial pollution inspectorate required the UK Atomic Energy Authority to carry out further studies aimed at identifying a clear strategy for the long-term management of that waste. Given the novel nature of the problems that had to be addressed these studies have taken some time and the results are not yet available.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department on how many occasions judicial appointments have been vetoed by the Prime Minister in each of the last 10 years. [30761]

Senior judicial appointments at the level of the Court of Appeal and above in England and Wales are made by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 15 June, Official Report, column 606, what assessment he has made of the acceptability of one third of primary legislation readily available to members of the public in its current amended form; and if he will make a statement. [31036]

I have not received any representations from members of the public relating to the availability of primary legislation in its current amended form. Work towards the implementation of the statute law database system at the Statutory Publications Office is now well advanced. This system will provide the opportunity to meet the needs of all who require improved access to primary legislation in its current amended form.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 15 June, Official Report, column 606, if he will set target dates for raising the proportion of primary legislation readily available to hon. Members and the general public in its current amended form above (a) 50 per cent. and (b) 75 per cent. [31035]

No. The editorial task of applying the effects of new legislation to the database will be approached in strict chronological sequence. The target date for completion of the exercise is March 1997.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if proposals to increase the small claims limit will be subject to a full consultation process; and if he will make a statement. [30948]

Lord Woolf consulted widely in the preparation of his interim report. In view of this, the Lord Chancellor does not intend to undertake further public consultation on whether he should implement Lord Woolf's recommendation that the limit for small claims, other than those for personal injury, should be raised to £3,000. The power to make the necessary amendments rests with the county court rule committee who, as part of its consideration of the matter, consults interested parties.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make it his policy that any increase in the small claims court limit will be in line with the rate of inflation since July 1991. [30949]

The present limit of £1,000 does not reflect the value of many cases which would be appropriate for disposal in the small claims forum, including straightforward claims relating to home extensions and improvements, family holidays or major car repairs. In order to make this cheaper and less formal procedure available to litigants with this type of claim it would not be sufficient simply to raise the limit in line with inflation.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much has Government spending changed in 1994–95 as a result of the private finance initiative; what is the estimated effect in 1995–96; how many jobs are to be created by schemes approved to date under the initiative and how many have been lost as a consequence in the public sector; and what is the forecast of transfer of employment from public to private sector over the last five years because of the initiative. [30825]

[holding answer 28 June 1995]: The presence of private finance and management expertise will often allow projects that would not have gone ahead under conventional procurement either to go ahead, or to go ahead earlier. However, many factors were taken into account in determining priorities for public expenditure in 1994–95 and 1995–96, and it is not possible to measure the impact of the initiative in isolation.Records are not kept centrally of the effect of the initiative on patterns of employment, but the number of jobs transferred from public to private sector as a result of the initiative to date is small. As the initiative allows more and better projects to go ahead, it will tend to create jobs, particularly in the private sector.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the responsibilities of J. W. Cassey within Her Majesty's Customs and Excise; and in what capacity he visited the headquarters of Astra plc in April 1990. [31435]

[holding answer 30 June 1995]: Mr. J. W. Cassey was employed in Customs and Excise between February 1972 and January 1990.Any visit made by him to Astra plc in April 1990 would not have been on behalf of Customs and Excise.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list by convenient category the documents removed from Astra plc and its subsidiaries which are retained by his Department. [31436]

[holding answer 30 June 1995]: No. It is not Customs' practice to make public details of documents taken up during the course of inquiries, other than those revealed in the course of legal proceedings, lest such details cause unfairness to individuals or prejudice current or future investigations or proceedings.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the dates and periods of service on behalf of Customs and Excise of Mr. V. W. Cassey. [30090]

Customs and Excise has no record of currently or having previously employed a Mr. V. W. Cassey.A Mr. J. W. Cassey was employed in Customs and Excise between February 1972 and January 1990.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what quantities of CS gas equipment are shown by Customs and Excise records to have been exported to Indonesia in each year since 1985. [31760]

[holding answer 30 June 1995]: Export trade relating specifically to CS gas—o-Chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile—and "CS Gas Equipment", is not identifiable within the trade statistics.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the discussions held at ECOFIN on 19 June. [31609]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave in response to a very similar question from my hon. Friend the Member for Southport (Mr. Banks) on 29 June Official Report, columns 772–73.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the original estimate of the cost of the Inland Revenue's computer contract with EDS; what is the current estimate; and if he will make a statement. [31645]

When the Inland Revenue signed a 10-year outsourcing contract with EDS in May 1994, its estimated value based on the work load identified in the invitation to tender was £1 billion, which represented a potential saving of £225 million over the in-house costs.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the implications of the current difficulties with the Inland Revenue computer project for the timetable for the introduction of self-assessment; and if he will make a statement. [31644]

Self-assessment will be introduced in 1997 as originally planned. The Inland Revenue and its IT services suppliers, EDS, are fully committed to the successful delivery of self-assessment.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions there have been between his Department and the Department of Social Security over the possible merger of the Department of Social Security and Inland Revenue computer systems; and if he will make a statement. [31646]

There are no plans to merge the computer services supporting the operations of the Inland Revenue and Department of Social Security and there have been no discussions on such a merger between the two Departments.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated total market value of the items on the register of conditionally exempted works of art. [31873]

The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if any of the Treasury Solicitors acting or advising in the case against former directors of Astra under the Company Directors Disqualification Act had, in any capacity within legal services of Government, acted or advised in the case of R v. Henderson, Allen and Abraham. [30786]

I have been asked to reply. Mr. Leithead and Mr. Howes of the Treasury Solicitor's Department, who are acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in the case referred to, advised in the case of R v. Henderson, Allen and Abraham.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the previous posts and duties within the Government service of Sir Gerald Hooper, Mr. Leitzead and Mr. Howes of the Treasury Solicitor's Department. [30782]

I have been asked to reply. The question is understood to refer to Sir Gerald Hosker,

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (i) how many bids were made for millennium funding; and what percentage of them were successful (a) in England and (b) in London; [31999](2) in which parliamentary constituency each successful millennium bid is situated; and how much each successful project was awarded. [32000]

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage in what respect the university of Ulster— peaceline campus of the new millennium project did not meet the Millennium Commission criteria. [31317]

These are matters for the Millennium Commission. I shall reply to the hon. Members in my capacity as chairman of the commission and place copies of my replies in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will issue guidance to the Radio Authority that efficient use of the spectrum will be assessed by reference to the potential audience reach of the services involved. [31946]

Section 123 of the Broadcasting Act 1990 requires that the Radio Authority's frequency planning work must be directed towards securing that the frequencies assigned to the authority are used as efficiently as is reasonably practicable. Potential audience demand is one of the factors taken into account by the Radio Authority in discharging this responsibility.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what proposals his Department has on filling the empty plinth in Trafalgar square, London; and if he will make a statement. [31498]

I am aware that Miss Prudence Leith, OBE, chairman elect of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, is putting proposals together for a statue to go on the empty plinth, which she intends to submit to the Department later this year. We shall carefully consider any proposals received. Under the Public Statute Metropolis Act 1854, the Secretary of State must approve the erection of any statute in London.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what representations he has received on allowing ITV companies to negotiate their franchise bids earlier than the Broadcasting Act 1990 currently allows to free money for programming; and what response he has made. [31917]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to privatise the BBC's transmission facilities. [31908]

We are considering the options for the future of the BBC's transmission service and will announce our decision in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) by how much Government spending has changed in 1994–95 as a result of the private finance initiative; what is the estimated effect in 1995–96; how many jobs are to be created by schemes approved to date under the initiative and how many have been lost as a consequence in the public sector; and what is the forecast of transfer of employment from public to private sector over the last five years because of the initiative; [30839](2) how many schemes and to what value have been approved in 1994–95 under the private finance initiative; what are the estimates for the current financial year; how many schemes are currently being considered and at what value; for how long have they been

considered and how many have been in the assessment process for over

[holding answer 28 June J 995]: My Department operates mainly through its many sponsored bodies and agencies and undertakes little expenditure on its own account. Its effort is therefore largely devoted to encouraging those whom it sponsors to exploit to the full in their own capital programmes the opportunities of the private finance initiative. The cost of this effort within the Department is about £65,000 a year.One PFI project has so far required to be approved by my Department—the move of the Royal Armouries from the Tower of London to Leeds. The proposal was submitted in May 1992 and approval was given in December 1993. The total cost of the project is £42.5 million. The public sector contribution comprises: £20 million, financed by the Historic Royal Agency from increased receipts at the Tower of London; £5 million from Leeds development corporation; and £3.5 million from Leeds city council. The effect on public sector manpower is neutral, but the project will increase opportunities for private sector employment.No projects required departmental approval in 1994–95. A number of projects are at various stages of consideration by my Department's sponsored bodies in the current— 1995–96—financial year. Of these, it is not possible to estimate the number that will require departmental approval.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has received concerning the need for greater flexibility in the arable area payments scheme; and if he will make a statement. [31940]

Representations have been received from a wide range of agricultural and environmental bodies concerning proposals issued for consultation on 11 May on exchanges of eligible and ineligible land. These are being considered and details of any arrangements for 1996 will be included in the arable area payments explanatory guide 1995–96 due to be published this summer.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action his Department is taking to achieve provision for swapping of eligible and ineligible land under the terms of the arable area payments scheme; and whether those changes will be in place for 1996 integrated administration and control system claims. [31939]

A consultation document was issued on 11 May 1995 outlining in broad terms proposals for the conditions under which exchanges of eligible for ineligible land might be permitted. Representations are now being considered and I would expect shortly to take a decision on any arrangements for 1996 claims. Details of any changes will be included in the arable area payments explanatory guide for 1995–96, due to be published this summer.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals the European Commission has so far brought forward to ease the setting up of individual base areas in the context of the arable area payments scheme; and if he will summarise them; and what response he has made. [31937]

The European Commission has not put forward any proposals on this subject.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement summarising the decisions taken by the December 1994 meeting of the Agriculture Council in relation to greater flexibility in defining land eligibility under the arable area payments scheme; and what action subsequently has been taken by his Department in relation to those decisions. [31938]

At the December 1993 Agriculture Council that agreement was reached, subject to terms to be determined, on greater flexibility on land eligibility. In August 1994, EC Commission implementing regulations were brought into force establishing eligibility for land growing certain multi-annual crops on 31 December 1991; providing for the declaration of new land as eligible following compulsory purchase; for exchanges of land under certain circumstances and for structure plans in certain other member states.In the light of UK representations, the EC Commission subsequently recognised concerns over conflict between the terms of the Council agreement as laid down in EC Council regulations 1765/92 and the Commission implementing regulations, and indicated that it would consider corrective changes. The Commission determined finally not to take such regulatory action and restricted further amending provisions, which came into force on 22 April 1995, to detailed rules of exchanges of eligible land.Details on the application of these changes, including any arrangements resulting from consultation on a UK plan for exchanges of eligible land, will be contained in the arable area payments explanatory guide for 1995–96 due to be published this summer.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he intends to take to counter the Butter Council's use of European funds to finance advertisements against the margarine industry; and if he will make a statement. [32098]

A final decision on EC funding for the Butter Council's advertising campaign will be taken by the intervention board when the Council completes its contract later this year. The board will take account of the views which have been expressed by the Advertising Standards Authority on the advertisements. In the meantime, with the Government's support, the EC Commission has decided to prohibit negative comparative advertising in future contracts under the EC scheme for promoting the consumption of milk and milk products.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the Metropolitan police committee has now met; what advice it has proffered to him; and what action has been taken in response to its advice. [32002]

The Metropolitan police committee has held five full committee meetings, various meetings of subgroups and a number of meetings with representatives of the Metropolitan police and local bodies. The committee's advice to the Secretary of State is confidential. Since 1 April 1995 the Home Secretary's actions as police authority for the Metropolitan police have been informed by the Metropolitan police committee's advice.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice he has received from serving police officers, including senior officers within the Metropolitan police service, regarding the establishment of an elected police authority for London. [32001]

Any advice that Ministers may have received on this topic would be confidential.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average time and cost to public funds of processing each application for political asylum. [31852]

For applications for asylum received since implementation of the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993 and decided in the last six months the estimated average time to process each application is 7.8 months. The average cost of processing each application in the asylum division was £165.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have sought political asylum in the United Kingdom in each of the last three years; and how many applications have been granted. [31856]

The information requested is published in table 1.1 of Home Office statistical bulletin issue 15/95 "Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 1994", a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will investigate the reasons for the time taken to consider a request by the Dart harbour and navigation authority for an amendment to its byelaws. [31855]

My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister of State has considered the matter, which my hon. Friend raised in his letter to her of 6 June, and has today written to him.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the report on Miss A. O. Bamgbose was sent by Becket house to the entry clearance officer in Lagos, Nigeria. [32210]

On 27 March 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the purpose of the meeting held on 31 October 1994 between his Department's officials from the immigration service, Ms Arnfield, Ms Hutcheson and Mr. McCormack on the one hand and Mr. Bernard Crofton and Mr. K. Ostler of Hackney's tenancy audit team on the other: [32166](2) what was the status of Mr. Bernard Crofton with Hackney council when he met immigration service officials on 31 October 1994; and what information on this status was available to the officials concerned. [32165]

Following the suspension of Mr. Croften from his post of director of housing at Hackney council, Mr. Ostler sought a meeting to establish that the immigration service would continue to co-operate with an investigation by Mr. Ostler's tenancy audit team into the misuse of council property, which had already led to the apprehension of a number of immigration offenders and the return of several properties to the council. The officials confirmed that they would continue to co-operate with the tenancy audit team.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information his Department holds and at what level of detail, on the number of 999 calls received by central fire control headquarters in each authority in England and Wales. [31659]

The information requested is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of people from (a) Sri Lanka, (b) Pakistan, (c) India and (d) Kenya seeking asylum and being held in detention as of 19 June. [31372]

The available information is that as at 28 June 1995, 22 Sri Lankans, 22 Pakistanis, 91 Indians and six Kenyans who had sought asylum were held in detention. These include people awaiting removal following refusal of the application, as well as those whose applications were under consideration or subject to appeal.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many body and cell searches took place in Holloway prison during the week of 19 June. [31276]

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has received from the United States on the effectiveness of boot camps. [30987]

Copies of the readily available published reports have been placed in the Library. I have also received advice from officials.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what have been the findings of his Department about boot camps. [30985]

My right hon. and learned Friend hopes to be able to make an announcement shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has conducted as to the proportion of inmates in youth detention centres in the early 1980s who had been (a) in care and (b) were illiterate; and what are the implications of these findings for boot camps. [30986]

A report, "Tougher Regimes in Detention Centres", was produced in 1984. This report incorporated findings as to the proportion of inmates found to have been in care or illiterate in six detention centres during the period May 1979 to September 1980. In 1991, the national prison survey found that the proportion of young offender population who had spent time in care was very similar to that shown by the 1984 report.A proposal to introduce a new regime for young offenders based on the more positive aspects of American boot camps is under consideration. Any new regime that is introduced will take into account current knowledge about the backgrounds and attainments of young offenders.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made as to the extent to which broadening the range and scope of training for offenders reduces recidivism. [30989]

There have been a number of studies on reconviction rates associated with different sentences, including "Explaining Reconviction Rates: a critical analysis", HORS No 136, although these studies have not specifically assessed the impact of training upon reconviction rates.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the matters discussed and decisions taken at the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council in Luxembourg; and if he will indicate those matters where votes were taken. [31069]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge (Sir M. Shersby) on 22 June, at columns 405–6. The items agreed by the Justice and Home Affairs Council were adopted by unanimity, in accordance with the relevant provisions of title VI of the treaty on European Union.