To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the top 10 suppliers of computer equipment to his Department and its agencies in the last five years, indicating the total value of the contracts received. [34550]

The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy concerning European procurement collaborations. [34543]

The UK actively pursues defence equipment collaboration with our European allies when collaboration offers value for money and satisfies our military requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his special adviser has previous connections with defence companies. [34542]

My special adviser, Alison Broom, has been a public affairs consultant during two phases of her career. Between 1 September 1993 and 20 July 1994 one of her clients was Rolls-Royce plc.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if Mr. David Hart will remain as his independent adviser; and if he will make a statement. [34541]

Yes.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the top 10 suppliers of computer equipment to his Department and its agencies in the last five years, indicating the total value of the contracts received. [34558]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all the applications for export licences for military equipment made by BMARC since 1985 which were examined by his Department in conjunction with the export control office. [30524]

I have been asked to reply.As a matter of course, my Department circulates all export licence applications dealt with under the military list to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and to the Ministry of Defence.BMARC made the following export licence applications from 1985 to 1990. All were dealt with under the military list.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will state for each year the gross Crown court legal aid expenditure by each regional legal aid board for the last five years. [32901]

The information cannot be provided in the form requested because Crown court legal aid expenditure is administered by the Court Service, not by the legal aid board. The table shows gross Crown court legal aid expenditure by administrative circuit for each of the last five years.

The chief executives of the Land Registry and the Public Record Office will respond on behalf of their agencies, which are separate Departments.For my Department, including the Court Service and Public Trust Office agencies, the information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided for all five years only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Prime Minister what precedents he relied on for the creation of a Deputy Prime Minister; which of the previous Deputy Prime Ministers were Ministers without departmental portfolio; how many of these chaired Cabinet committees; and what committees were involved. [34204]

The following are precedents for a Minister acting as Deputy Prime Minister:

To ask the Prime Minister what was the cost to public funds of entertainment or travel expenses incurred in his campaign for the leadership of the Conservative party. [34203]

Any additional costs to the public purse were de minimis and in accordance with long-standing practice; no charge will be levied.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the work his Department has carried out in the last 12 months in making information about his Department available to the public via the Government world wide web server known as "www.open.gov.uk" and his plans and policies to make additional and new information available electronically on the server in the next 12 months. [34683]

I refer to the hon. Member to the reply given today by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

To ask the Prime Minister what annual salary the Prime Minister is currently (a) entitled to and (b) drawing. [34003]

I refer to the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull, North (Mr. McNamara) on 9 June 1995, Official Report, column 345.

To ask the Prime Minister which Government Minister will be responsible for publishing a revised edition of "List of Ministerial Responsibilities" taking into account the recent changes in responsibilities announced in his recent Government reshuffle. [34575]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to her by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster today.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will make a statement on Government sports policy. [34286]

The Government have today published a sports policy statement, "Sport: Raising the Game", which sets out our ideas for a new deal for sports at all levels. All right hon. and hon. Members have been sent a copy and copies are also available in the Vote Office.Sport is important because it is part of our heritage. It teaches us lessons for life such as team spirit and sportsmanship and playing within rules. It is also vital as a means of introducing young people to a healthy way of life.It is, therefore, the Government's objective to expand the opportunities to take part in sport, particularly for the young, and to provide the means for people of all abilities and ages to fulfil their sporting potential. The Government believe the time is right for this initiative because, from 1 January 1996, the new United Kingdom and English sports councils will replace the Great Britain Sports Council to work alongside those which already exist in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and to help to deliver our objectives. British sport will also be one of the biggest winners in the national lottery: 440 sports projects across the UK have already been awarded £74,262,000 of lottery money.I should confirm that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland will be launching today his document entitled "Scotland's Sporting Future: A New Start" setting out proposals geared to raising the profile of sport in schools and beyond in the light of Scotland's needs and circumstances. Copies of his document are being sent to all Scottish Members.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many contracts and for what total sum were let out by her Department and agencies for which it is responsible to (a) Coopers and Lybrand and its subsidiaries, (b) Peat Marwick and its subsidiaries, (c) Ernst and Young and its subsidiaries, (d) Arthur Andersen and its subsidiaries, (e) Price Waterhouse and its subsidiaries, (f) Grant Thornton and its subsidiaries, (g) Stoy Hayward and its subsidiaries, (h) Robson Rhodes and its subsidiaries and (i) Pannell Kerr Forster and its subsidiaries for privatisation, market testing, management advice, accounting, audit, consultancy and other services in 1993–94 and 1994–95. [33913]

Neither my Department nor its agencies have let contracts with Coopers and Lybrand, Arthur Anderson, Grant Thornton, Robson Rhodes or Pannell Kerr Forster in the years 1993–94 and 1994–95. However, contracts with the following companies were let by my Department and its agencies during that period:

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will estimate the cost of employing consultants in connection with privatisation programmes in which her Department has been engaged since 1980. [33467]

My Department commissioned a consultant to examine future options, one of which was privatisation, for the future of the BBC transmission service. The cost of this consultancy was £172,000.Neither of my two agencies has commissioned any consultancy of this nature.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will indicate which five consultancy firms have received most contracts from her Department (a) by number of contracts and (b) monetary value in the last five years of which figures are available. [33448]

My Department was established in April 1992 and took on- responsibility for funding its own consultancies in August 1992. All contracts are awarded on the basis of value for money. To date the five consultancy firms which have received the most contracts from my Department, by number of contracts and monetary value, are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many contracts her Department has had with consultants; and what has been the total cost in each of the last five years. [33566]

My Department was established in April 1992 and took on responsibility for funding its own consultancies in August 1992. Since that time my Department and its two agencies have awarded 166 contracts to consultancy firms. The total cost in each of the years for which figures are available is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage which firms of consultants employed by her Department over the last year have been paid more than £1,000 per day. [33876]

[holding answer 12 July 1995]: During the last year my Department has awarded contracts to several consultancy firms. Only in two instances have we paid more than £1,000 per day for the services of an individual consultant. These particular contracts were with KPMG and Hill Samuel Bank Ltd.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage which firms have won computer consultancy contracts from her Department and its agencies over the last five years; and what is the number of contracts per firm. [33888]

[holding answer 12 July 1995]: My Department was established in April 1992 and took on responsibility for funding its own consultancies in August 1992. The following computer consultants have been engaged by my Department and its agencies since that time.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how much her Department and its agencies have spent on computer consultancy in each of the last five years; and what is the expected expenditure over the next five years. [33858]

[holding answer 12 July 1995]: The Department of National Heritage was established on 13 April 1992. Since that date my Department's expenditure on computer consultancy support has been as follows:

• 1992–93: £201,456
• 1993–94: £38,000
• 1994–95: £231,850
• 1995–96: £219,000

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many staff in her Department or its agencies have (a) declared any company shareholdings they hold or (b) been advised to dispose of shareholdings in the last five years, indicating the companies concerned. [33411]

The Department of National Heritage was created in April 1992. It has two agencies—the Royal Parks Agency, created in April 1993, and the Historic Royal Palaces Agency, created in October 1989. Within those timeframes one member of staff—working in the central Department—has to date declared a shareholding. This is in the Lappa Valley Railway Company, Cornwall. The member of staff has not been advised to dispose of the shares held.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many unfair dismissal cases were brought against his Department during the last 12 months; how many were successful; and what were the total costs including legal fees and compensation. [34620]

Staff who are dismissed and who have more than two years' service can appeal to the Civil Service Appeal Board or to the industrial tribunal or to both.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what review is being considered by his Department on controls to stop the selling of damaged cars with particular reference to cut-and-shut cars; and if he will make a statement. [34341]

The Road Traffic Act 1988 already makes it an offence to sell an unroadworthy vehicle, unroadworthiness being defined in terms of defects which carry potentially serious road safety implications. I am currently considering the specific issue of cut-and-shut vehicles in the context of whether any change in legislation would be justified.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the number of (a) assaults and (b) robberies on each of the London Underground stations on the Northern line in each of the last six months; and if he will make a statement [34501]

This is an operational matter for London Underground.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the percentage change in (a) robbery, (b) pickpocketing, (c) indecent assault, (d) assault on passengers and staff and (e) total crime on London Underground between 1993 and 1994 and between 1994 and 1995 on an annualised basis. [34308]

The figures for 1993–94 and 1994–95, supplied by London Underground Ltd., are set out in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has done on the impact of traffic calming measures on children's outdoor play in the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [34452]

The effects of traffic calming on the way in which pedestrians, including children, use local roads is being investigated as part of our current research programme. Past research has not examined any specific effects that there might be on children's street play.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the estimate (a) of the increase in traffic on the M1 of a 20 per cent. reduction of the midland main line passenger service and (b) of the equivalent reduction of M1 traffic of a 20 per cent. improvement in that service. [34522]

The Department of Transport has employed consultants to study the potential for transferring road traffic on to the midland main line. The consultant's report was published last year. On the basis of these findings, a 20 per cent. increase or decrease in service frequency on the midland main line would, on average, alter the number of cars on the M1 by around one third of 1 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he is making to seek to extend the EUCARIS scheme to the rest of the European Community; and what representations his Department is making to Interpol to extend the scheme further. [34027]

The meeting of the EUCARIS Participants Board held at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency on 13 and 14 June drew up a plan for informing other countries and organisations about the scheme. The agency is playing a full part in taking this plan forward in conjunction with other participating registration authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many tenderers for the CTRL put forward variant bids; [34277](2) how many tenderers for the CTRL produced additional bids which identify essential changes in the reference design as set out in the competition overview. [34273]

All details of all the bids are commercially confidential.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in what year the Government commitment as set out in the draft development agreement for the channel tunnel rail link not to upgrade existing railway lines between London and the channel tunnel to the extent they could be used as high-speed lines lapses. [34275]

I refer the hon. Member to section 8.6.1 of the "Competition Overview". The second indented paragraph states:

"any subsidy or financial assistance provided by the Government in relation to the existing routes between London and the Channel Tunnel would be limited to their repair and refurbishment, and would not encompass any improvement to allow them to be used as high speed lines".

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to what extent the initial bid for the channel tunnel rail link put forward by Eurorail failed to conform with the requirements of the tender document. [34539]

All details of all the bids are commercially confidential.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his latest estimate of the range of public subsidy likely to be required for the construction of the channel tunnel rail link. [34540]

I have nothing to add to my earlier reply to the hon. Member on this point on 6 June 1995, Official Report column 41.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what reports he has received regarding failures to the (a) the signalling system and (b) passenger information system on the northern line of Merseyrail; and if he will make a statement. [35022]

Railtrack has informed me that it has worked steadily to overcome the problems which it has experienced following the installation of the Sandhills system which controls the signalling on the Merseyrail lines. Up to three weeks ago it was achieving 95 per cent. performance targets. Since then performance has been badly affected by a combination of adverse weather and vandalism. Railtrack informs me that it and Merseyrail have kept local news media informed about the causes of the disruption to services.Problems relating to the implementation of new software have delayed the commissioning of the new passenger information system on the northern and Wirral lines. Measures have been put in place to improve the standard of information available to passengers in the absence of passenger information displays and automatic public address systems. Railtrack expects to commission the customer information displays at the end of October and the phased renewal and commissioning of the automatic passenger announcing system by mid-December.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list (a) details of all overseas trips made by him or ministerial colleagues in his Department, paid for wholly or partly from public funds and (b) the purpose, destination and duration of such overseas trips, which officials accompanied him and the total cost in each case, including that of officials to public funds for each year since 1992. [32277]

The following visits were undertaken by Ministers and officials:

To ask the secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 15 June,Official Report, column 661, if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's reply to the letter from the European

A full reply to the points raised in the commossion's letter will be made in due course, and will be placed in the Library of the House. I have, however, already placed a copy of the Department's interim response in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many days were lost in sickness in the last 12 months by employees in his Department (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of the number of days worked; and what was the cost of this absence. [34624]

The latest available information is for the 1994 calendar year. 21,543 days were lost; 4.06 per cent. of the total days worked. The figures are adjusted for weekends and public holidays. Information is not available on the cost of this absence and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the top 10 suppliers of computer equipment to his Department and its agencies in the last five years, indicating the total value of the contracts received. [34565]

The top 10 suppliers of computer equipment to my Department over the last five years were as follows: Ampersand Systems; BISS; Canon; Computercenter; Corporate Software; IBM; ICL; JBA; McDonnell Douglas Information Systems and Siemens Plessey.The total value of the contracts over the period was £7,126,615.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many redundancies occurred in his Department over the last 12 months; how many were voluntary; and what was the total sum spent on redundancy payments. [34625]

Ninety, all of them voluntary. The total cost was £2.568 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many unfair dismissal cases were brought against his Department during the last 12 months; how many were successful; and what were the total costs including legal fees and compensation. [34623]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many unfair dismissal cases were brought against his Department during the last 12 months; how many were successful; and what were the total costs including legal fees and compensation. [34590]

During the past 12 months four cases of unfair dismissal were heard by the Civil Service Appeal Board. The board found for the Department in every case. No compensation was paid and no legal fees were incurred.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many days were lost in sickness in the last 12 months by employees in his Department (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of the number of days worked; and what was the cost of this absence. [34591]

The following provisional information for the calendar year 1994 covers non-industrial staff in my Department, excluding Health and Safety Executive, Ordnance Survey and PSA services. All calculations have been adjusted for weekends and public holidays.

To ask the Attorney-General how many redundancies occurred in his Department over the last 12 months; how many were voluntary; and what was the total sum spent on redundancy payments. [34607]

In the 12 months to the end of June 1995, one redundancy occurred in the Crown Prosecution Service, which was compulsory and involved a payment of £6,997.40There have been no redundancies in the Serious Fraud Office, the Treasury Solicitor's Department, the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers or Government Property Lawyers.

To ask the Attorney-General how many unfair dismissal cases were brought against his Department during the last 12 months; how many were successful; and what were the total costs including legal fees and compensation. [34605]

During the 12 months to the end of June 1995, three claims of unfair dismissal have been brought against the Crown Prosecution Service. The Department successfully defended one case on which costs of £2,951.25 were incurred in legal fees. A settlement of £5,500 was agreed in another case on which legal fees have yet to be determined. The remaining case is still pending.No unfair dismissal claims have been brought against the Serious Fraud Office, the Treasury Solicitor's Department, the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers or Government Property Lawyer.

To ask the Attorney-General how many days were lost in sickness in the last 12 months by employees in his Department (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of the number of days worked; and what was the cost of this absence [34606]

Information for the 12 months to 30 June 1995 is as follows:

To ask the Attorney-General if he will list the top 10 suppliers of computer equipment to his Department and its agencies in the last five years, indicating the total value of the contracts received. [34556]

The main suppliers of computer equipment to each of the Departments for which I am responsible are shown in the table. The figures represent total expenditure during the periods shown.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much have (a) health authorities and (b) trusts spent on auditors' remuneration in each year since 1992, by region. [34164]

Up to and including the 1994–95 financial year, the cost of auditors' remuneration and expenses for health boards and NHS trusts were met centrally. The majority of audits were undertaken by the Scottish Office audit unit whose running costs are contained within the Scottish Office's central services budget and not assigned to individual health authorities. A number of audits were contracted out to the private sector. A summary of the payments in respect of these external audit services is provided in the tables.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many deaths from hypothermia took place among (a) men aged 65 years and over (b) women aged 60 years and over in each year since 1990, by region. [34175]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many redundancies occurred in his Department over the last 12 months; how many were voluntary; and what was the total sum spent on redundancy payments. [34604]

The total number of redundancies in the Home Office, including its agencies, for the period July 1994 to June 1995 was 16. Of those, four were voluntary redundancies. The total cost of redundancy payments during the same period was £1,190,553. This includes payments made in respect of redundancies which occurred before July 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Her Majesty's Government agreed to admit EC nationals to the United Kingdom by means of identity cards; what was the legislative basis for such a decision; and if he will make a statement. [34425]

On the accession of the United Kingdom to the European Economic Community in 1972, the United Kingdom Government were required to comply with existing Community law allowing nationals of the Community to enter the territory of other member states simply on production of a valid national identity card or passport. Previous arrangements for admission on production of identity cards were governed by agreements with the countries concerned.Since 1 January 1994 the same right has been extended to non-European Union nationals of the European economic area—currently, Norway, Ireland, and Liechtenstein—in accordance with the provisions of the European Economic Area agreement which was ratified

[holding answer 13 July 1995]: The information requested is given in the table:by the United Kingdom in November 1993 following enactment of the European Economic Area Act 1993.The right of European economic area nationals to enter the United Kingdom on this basis was implemented administratively prior to formal incorporation in United Kingdom law by the Immigration (European Economic Area) Order 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Her Majesty's Government advised the Economic Union that it would agree to the mutual recognition of visas issued by European Union states; what was the legislative basis for such a commitment; and if he will make a statement. [34426]

A form of mutual recognition of short-stay visas issued by other member states is provided in the draft external frontiers convention, which was agreed in substance in June 1991 but has remained unsigned owing to objections by Spain to its application in Gibraltar. The draft convention was drawn up under the ad-hoc arrangements for co-operation on immigration matters which preceded the treaty on European Union, TEU.Following the entry into force of the treaty, a revised text of the draft convention was published by the Commission in December 1993, the legal basis for which is article K3.2(c) TEU. Discussions on this text are continuing. My right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary has undertaken that the final text of the convention will be brought back before Parliament before it is signed and that the Government will not ratify the convention before the necessary legislation has been enacted by Parliament in accordance with the normal procedures.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek the opinion of the European Court of Justice on the legislative standing of the declaration attached to the Single European Act on British border controls; and if it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government to seek to have the declaration transformed into a treaty clause at the 1996 inter-governmental conference. [34424]

No, but as we have consistently made clear, we will take whatever steps are necessary to maintain our frontier controls.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unfair dismissal cases were brought against his Department during the last 12 months; how many were successful; and what were the total costs including legal fees and compensation. [34602]

In the non-prisons Home Office there were 12 appeals to the Civil Service Appeal Board and industrial tribunals. Of these, three were successful and five decisions are pending. In the Prison Service, there were 25 appeals to the Civil Service Appeal Board, of which four were successful. The total cost of legal fees and compensation in completed cases was £40,909.Information about industrial tribunal cases involving the Prison Service is not readily available. The Director General of the Prison Service will provide these details shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the top 10 suppliers of computer equipment to his Department and its agencies in the last five years, indicating the total value of the contracts received. [34555]

My Department has awarded contracts for computer equipment to the value of £95,438,000 in the last five years. The following table shows the top 10 suppliers:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many days were lost in sickness in the last 12 months by employees in his Department (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of the number of days worked; and what was the cost of this absence. [34603]

Data for the number of days lost through sickness over the last 12 months is not readily available. The total number of working days lost through sickness in 1994 in the Home Office, including its agencies, was 499,242. This was approximately 4.5 per cent. of the total number of days worked. information on the cost of this absence is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civil servants are currently employed in dealing with matters related to the Scott inquiry; and what has been the total cost to date. [34641]

Work on matters related to the Scott inquiry is undertaken by staff in my Department as part of their normal duties. It is not, therefore, possible to estimate the overall cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the operating costs of (a) privately managed prisons and (b) prisons directly managed by the Prison Service. [35207]

Comparison of the costs per prisoner place at privately managed prisons with similar publicly managed ones indicates that costs of the privately managed prisons were 15 to 25 per cent. lower in 1993–94 than their nearest public sector counterparts. This indicates annual savings to the taxpayer of £5 million to £10 million a year for the four privately managed prisons currently operating. Further analyses will be conducted on the basis of more extended private sector experience.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Prison Service prisoners are currently held in police cells. [35180]

I am pleased to announce that since 16 June there have been no Prison Service prisoners in police cells.The necessary use of police cells in the north of England, mainly in the Manchester area, was brought about by population pressures in that area and the lack of appropriate accommodation, The opening of Buckley Hall and the refurbishment of accommodation at Manchester have helped us to cease the use of police cells. Their use in the future cannot be ruled out but every effort will be made to avoid this.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has for changes to mode of trial arrangements in respect of offences triable either way. [35181]

I have today published a consultation document, copies of which have been placed in the Library. The closing date for comments is 2 October 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average and the minimum and maximum length of time which teenagers were held in prison awaiting trial in each of the last five years (a) in London and (b) nationally. [33806]

[holding answer 12 July 1995]: 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 Health if he will make it his policy to provide statutory protection for the title "doctor" as used in the fields of medicine and the professions allied to medicine in order to distinguish between those medical practitioners who are legally entitled to use the term, and those for whom it is an honorific. [33476]

No. I am satisfied that the matter is adequately covered under section 49 of the Medical Act 1983.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has on the number of patients who have asked to be treated in single sex wards in accordance with the January 1995 revised patients charter; and what effect that has had on their waiting time for treatment. [33345]

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish at six monthly intervals total waiting times from general practitioner referral to hospital admission, including and identifying the waiting time from GP referral to first out-patient appointment; and if he will make a statement. [33631]

No. We already publish information on waiting times for in-patient treatment on a summary basis each quarter and for individual trusts every six months. Information on waiting times between general practitioner written referral and first out-patient appointment is published in summary form each quarter and will be published for individual trusts for the fist time shortly and at regular intervals thereafter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure that any patient on a waiting list for any elective surgery who is forced by circumstance to change general practitioners or move to a new district health authority should not have to rejoin the waiting list as a new referral; and if he will make a statement. [33671]

Patients who move house or general practitioner while waiting for hospital admission may choose to stay on their original waiting list. If they choose to be treated at a different hospital the new consultant would need to assess them on an out-patient basis before deciding whether to admit, and if so, placing them on a waiting list. We would expect GPs and health authorities to try to arrange the shortest possible waiting time for such patients taking account both of clinical need and the time they have already waited.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he intends to take in response to the decision of the High Court of the result of the case brought by Manchester local medical committee. [35320]

A recent decision by the High Court ruled that departmental guidance in relation to cash-limited general medical services allocations to health authorities constituted a binding direction. Such sums could therefore be set only on the reimbursement of certain general practitioner expenses. Manchester family health services authority had misapplied some cash limited GMS allocations by using them to support wider primary care developments. The Department is satisfied that Manchester FHSA acted in good faith in an attempt to improve services to patients and the court found no evidence to dispute this. Her Majesty's Treasury has given approval for any such payments to be made on an extra statutory basis and to be noted as such in FHSA accounts. Guidance will soon be issued to all FHSAs following the court's ruling and a copy will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will re-examine the decision by his predecessor announced on 5 April to confirm and accept the regional health authority's endorsement of Barnet district health authority's recommendation to close the accident and emergency department of Edgware general hospital by April 1997; [34086](2) if he will make a statement on the Government's response to the local public petition against the closure of the Edgware general hospital accident and emergency department, delivered to his Department and No. 10 Downing street on Wednesday 5 July. [34085]

No. Consultation was thorough and the changes will improve services for patients.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure that the service volumes and quality standards defined by contracts with health care providers and the standards and rights defined by the patients charter are binding on the providers and commissioners of health services; and if he will make a statement. [33675]

Health authorities and fundholding general practitioners are required to deliver patients charter standards and guarantees through their contracts with providers. National health service contracts should provide for arbitration in cases of non-compliance and this applies equally to service levels and quality standards agreed locally. The NHS and Community Care Act 1990 provides a formal mechanism for disputed cases to be referred to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) hip replacements, (b) pacemaker operations and (c) cataract operations were carried out in Great Britain and Northern Ireland respectively in the last year; and what was the average waiting time for each operation in both Great Britain and Northern Ireland. [33823]

The information for 1993–94 is shown in the table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the progress he has made towards implementing his pledge to introduce direct payments to disabled people to arrange, in appropriate circumstances, their own care. [34303]

We announced in November 1994 our intention to introduce the necessary legislation to allow direct payments as soon as practicable. This remains our intention. There are a number of complex issues to be resolved before legislation can be introduced and my Department has set up a technical advisory group to consider these.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many unfair dismissal cases were brought against his Department during the last 12 months; how many were successful; and what were the total costs including legal fees and compensation. [34599]

In the period 1 July 1994 to 30 June 1995, six cases of unfair dismissal were lodged with the industrial tribunal against the Department of Health. Of these, one case was successful, resulting in compensation of £9,032.88. Of the remaining five cases, one was successfully defended, one application was ruled out of time and three cases are still to be heard by the tribunal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the hospital trusts which levy a charge for car parking at trust units; and if he will list them. [34573]

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many men died from testicular cancer in each year for the last 10 years, by region. [34633]

The information is in the table.Details of legal fees incurred for unfair dismissal cases are not recorded separately.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many days were lost in sickness in the last 12 months by employees in his Department (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of the number of days worked; and what was the cost of this absence. [34600]

The estimated number of days lost through sickness in the Department of Health and its agencies during the 1994–95 financial year was 69,363. This represents 6.23 per cent. of the total working days in that financial year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 10 July at column 440, on tendering, (1) if he will estimate the total value of contracts under (a) market testing and (b) compulsory competitive tendering; [34382](2) how many contracts have been notified under

The total value of the 3,927 NHS service contracts currently logged on the NHS executive market testing database is £964 million. Of these 1,404 contracts were for catering, laundry and domestic services, with a contract value of £694 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 10 July at column 440, on tendering if he will place in the Library a copy of all contracts notified to the NHS executive. [34381]

No. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost, some is commercially sensitive and some could be released only with the permission of the parties concerned.