To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many 41-tonne lorries have been licensed since 1 April. [3369]

The information specifically requested is not available. The closest equivalent information is that a total of 241 lorries with maximum revenue weight over 40 tonnes but not over 44 tonnes have been newly registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, in the period from 1 April to 30 September 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of the use of 41-tonne lorries on road bridges; and how many bridges currently need to be strengthened. [3371]

No assessment has been made of the use of 41-tonne lorries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list for each scheme so far agreed under the private finance initiative the revenue commitment entered into by the Government for each year until the commitment ceases. [3417]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 6 December, column 277.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the policy changes which will arise from the final agreement in respect of each scheme agreed under the private finance initiative. [3418]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list details of the outstanding track access grant applications before him and state in respect of each (a) the date received and (b) when he expects to give his decision. [4076]

There are eight track access grant applications currently under consideration. They were received between November 1994 and July 1995. The details are commercially confidential.We are seeking further material information from the applicants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times mobile telephones used by Ministers in his Department have been cloned during (a) the last six months, (b) the last 12 months and (c) the last 18 months; and which Ministers within his Department have had their mobile telephones cloned. [4246]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many mobile telephones there are available in his Department for the use of Ministers. [4273]

Seven including the mobile telephones fitted in the four official cars used by Ministers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the stations leased by other operators from which North West Regional Railways Ltd. is to buy access, indicating the annual cost. [3951]

North West Regional Railways purchases access from other operators at the following stations:

Station	Operator
Appleby	Regional Railways North-East
Armathwaite	Regional Railways North-East
Bidston	Mersey Electrics
Birmingham International	Inter City West Coast
Birmingham New Street	Railtrack
Carlisle	Inter City West Coast
Crewe	Inter City West Coast
Deighton	Regional Railways North-East
Dent	Regional Railways North-East
Ellesmere Port	Mersey Electrics
Etruria	Regional Railways Central
Garsdale	Regional Railways North-East
Hellifield	Regional Railways North-East
Horton in Ribblesdale	Regional Railways North-East
Huddersfield	Regional Railways North-East
Hunts Cross	Mersey Electrics
Kidsgrove	Regional Railways Central
Kirby	Mersey Electrics
Kirkby Stephen	Regional Railways North-East
Lancaster	Inter City West Coast
Langwathby	Regional Railways North-East
Lazonby	Regional Railways North-East
Littleborough	Regional Railways North-East
Longport	Regional Railways Central
Macclesfield	Inter City West Coast
Manchester Piccadilly	Railtrack
Mirfield	Regional Railways North-East
Ormskirk	Mersey Electrics
Oxenholme	Inter City West Coast
Preston	Inter City West Coast
Ribblehead	Regional Railways North-East
Settle	Regional Railways North-East
Sheffield	Inter City Midland Main Line
Smithy Bridge	Regional Railways North-East
Southport	Mersey Electrics
Stafford	Inter City West Coast
Stockport	Inter City West Coast
Stoke on Trent	Inter City West Coast
Todmorden	Regional Railways North-East
Wakefield Kirkgate	Regional Railways North-East
Wakefield Westgate	Inter City East Coast
Walsden	Regional Railways North-East
Warrington Bank Quay	Inter City West Coast
Wigan North Western	Inter City West Coast
Wolverhampton	Inter City West Coast

Details of individual operators' station leasing charges are commercially confidential.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many complaints he has received against judges (a) in total and (b) for not complying with the charter for court users in the last five years in (i) the north-west as a whole and (ii) in the Merseyside area; and if he will make a statement. [3975]

This information is not available in the form requested. Records relating to complaints received centrally about the personal conduct of judges have been kept only since March 1992. Since that date, 62 such complaints regarding judges sitting on the northern circuit have been received. Information on complaints relating to judicial decisions is held by the Court Service, which has received centrally 297 such complaints since it was established on 1 April 1995. Information on complaints relating to judicial decisions broken down on a regional basis could be provided only at disproportionate cost.The charter for court users, which came into effect on 1 September 1995, sets out the standards court users can expect from the administration of the Court Service. It does not therefore apply to the work of the judiciary.

	November 1992		November 1995
Judiciary	Total number of judiciary	Ethnic minority origin	Total number of judiciary	Ethnic minority origin
Full-time Judiciary
High Court Judges	82	0	95	0
Circuit Judges	480	3	514	5
District Judges	257	0	339	2
Part-time Judiciary
Recorders	784	7	897	13
Assistant Recorders	475	8	341	9
Deputy District Judges	—	—	718	11
Stipendiary Magistrates	—	—	92	1
Acting Stipendiary Magistrates	—	—	87	3
Full-time Chairmen of Industrial Tribunals	—	—	81	2
Part-time Chairmen of Social Security	—	—	178	5
Full-time Chairmen of Social Security Appeals Tribunals	—	—	45	1
Part-time Chairmen of Social Security Appeals Tribunal	—	—	458	10

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the total staff establishment of magistrates courts in England and Wales by grade; and how many (a) in total and (b) in each grade were from an ethnic minority in (i) 1989 and (ii) 1995. [3614]

Total staff by grade by ethnic origin
	Ethnic origin
Grade	White	Ethnic minority	Unknown	Total
Administrative division	4,080	165	200	4,445
Clerical Division	940	79	246	1,265
Committee Secretariat	205	3	12	220
Court Clerks Division	1,370	68	73	1,511
Justices' Clerks	200	0	5	205

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what arrangements are made to ensure that judges comply with the charter for court users. [3976]

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

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many members of the judiciary in England and Wales were from an ethnic minority in (a) 1989 and (b) 1995. [3652]

The ethnic origin of candidates for judicial appointment was not collected prior to autumn 1991, so the available information may not be complete. There are no readily available records for 1989. The earliest readily available and current figures for full-time and part-time judiciary are set out in the table.

Returns from 104 of the 105 magistrates courts committees in England and Wales showed that in 1995 there was a total of 11,083 staff, of whom 436 declared they were from an ethnic minority. A breakdown by grade is in the table.There are no figures available for 1989. There was no requirement to keep such figures at that time.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 7 December. [3228]

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 7 December. [3230]

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

To ask the Prime Minister what representations Her Majesty's Government have received since 1980 for assistance from the Government of Australia or the state government of Western Australia or any of their agencies, in respect of the alleged removal, contrary to Australian law, of aboriginal artifacts from or through the Broome area of Western Australia; what action was subsequently taken in response to each request; and if he will make a statement. [4180]

As far as I am aware, none. Further examination of the government archives could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Prime Minister whether, on what occasion and for what purpose, he or his predecessor Baroness Thatcher has met Dr. Alfred Hartmann. [4528]

I do not recall having met Dr. Hartmann, nor am I aware of any meeting between my predecessor and Dr. Hartmann.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the number of Ministers by rank in each Department of State, excluding law officers; and if he will provide the corresponding figures for the outgoing Government in 1965. [4751]

This is a matter of public record.

To ask the Prime Minister how many Ministers are in the Department of Trade and Industry now and how many were in the then Board of Trade in 1965; what are the numbers of officials in the Department by rank from assistant secretary upwards in 1979 and at the present time; and what plans he has for reducing the number of Ministers in the Department. [4752]

This is a matter of public record. I have no intention of reducing the number of Ministers in the Department of Trade and Industry.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list those occasions on which his predecessor notified the Crown between 1979 and 1990 of her intention to visit Switzerland. [4560]

In accordance with "Questions of Procedures for Ministers", it is normal practice for all Cabinet Ministers to notify the Crown of their intention to make an official foreign visit.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the tax revenues raised in each of the last five years from the illegal sale of cigarettes to children. [3776]

[holding answer 4 December 1995]: Data on smoking prevalence among schoolchildren are available from surveys conducted by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys in four years since 1990. The sample size for each survey is very small, so estimates for individual years are considered unreliable. Combining the results of the four surveys gives a best estimate of the order of £100 million raised per year in excise duty and VAT from sales of cigarettes to children under 16 or smoked by such children but purchased legally by others.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list those (a) consultants, (b) outside organisations and (c) individuals employed by his Department in each year since 1990, indicating the purposes of their employment and the total payments made to them. [3954]

For (a) consultants and (b) outside organisations, those employed by the Department since 1992 with total contract value which are given in a table which I am placing in the Members' Library. To obtain information before 1992 on actual payments made and to give the purpose of employment in each case would entail disproportionate cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultation he plans in respect of his proposed revision of the wording of the technical tax law; and if this review will cover all existing tax laws. [3684]

[holding answer 7 December 1995]: The proposal to rewrite existing tax legislation, which my right hon. and learned Friend announced in his Budget, would proceed on the basis of full consultation with the representative bodies and taxpayers generally. It would cover most of the primary legislation on Inland Revenue taxes.Further details of this rewritten proposal will be given in the Inland Revenue's report under section 160 of the Finance Act 1995, which we hope to lay before Parliament on 12 December 1995, and in its background paper that will be published on the same day.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of workers on adult rates currently earn less than (a) £2.50, (b) £3, (c) £3.50, (d) £4, (e) £4.50 (f) £5, (g) £5.50 and (h) more than £6 per hour, including and excluding overtime in (i) the east midlands and (ii) the United Kingdom. [4072]

[holding answer 6 December 1995]: Information available from the new earnings survey is provided in the table.

Hourly earnings, all employees on adult rates pay not affected by absence: April 1995
Percentage earning
	East Midlands	Great Britain
Including overtime
<£2.50	1.5	1.6
<£3.00	3.6	3.3
<£3.50	10.2	8.7
<£4.00	19.0	15.8
<£4.50	27.5	23.1
<£5.00	35.0	30.4
<£5.50	43.2	37.7
<£6.00	49.1	55.4
Excluding overtime
<£2.50	1.6	1.6
<£3.00	3.8	3.4
<£3.50	10.7	9.1
<£4.00	19.9	16.5
<£4.50	29.0	24.2
<£5.00	36.4	31.4
<£5.50	44.6	38.8
<£6.00	47.7	54.3

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will provide information on who has been consulted about the proposed closure of the valuation office in Stockport; [4286](2) when he expects the consultation on the proposed closure of the valuation office in Stockport to be completed; [4284](3) if he will make available the responses to the consultation on the proposed closure of the valuation office in Stockport. [4285]

[holding answer 6 December 1995]: Consultation has recently commenced with members of staff and their trades unions and will also be conducted with national representatives of the valuation profession and other bodies with an interest in the future of the Valuation Office review.Consultation is expected to be completed by summer 1996 and the outcome announced in due course.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times mobile telephones used by Ministers in his Department have been cloned during (a) the last six months, (b) the last 12 months and (c) the last 18 months; and which Ministers within his Department have had their mobile telephones cloned. [4250]

[holding answer 6 December 1995]: A total of four mobile telephones belonging to Treasury Ministers have been cloned during the past 12 months of which two were cloned within the last six months. No Treasury Ministers' mobile telephones were cloned beyond 12 months ago. The Chief Secretary has had his mobile telephones cloned three times and the Economic Secretary once.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many mobile telephones there are available in his Department for the use of Ministers. [4249]

There are 12 mobile telephones available for use by Treasury Ministers and their private offices.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the policy changes which will arise from the final agreement in respect of each scheme agreed under the private finance initiative. [3422]

The agreement of schemes under the private finance initiative does not result in changes to the policy of the Government on the PFI. Agreed schemes do, however, represent the application of PFI policy and offer us the opportunity to refine further the process of implementation. The lessons so far are most recently set out in the publication "Private Opportunity, Public Benefit". This is published jointly by HM Treasury and the private finance panel, and a copy has been placed in the Members' Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list for each scheme so far agreed under the private finance initiative the revenue commitment entered into by the Government for each year until the commitment ceases. [3421]

Information on forward commitments, including those in respect of schemes under the private finance initiative, is held by Departments. Payments for service procurement through PFI schemes are taken into account as part of Departments' current costs in their overall spending plans; those for the next three years are published in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report, 1996–97", laid before Parliament on 28 November 1995.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the instructions which have been given to Binder Hamlyn on the nature and the manner of the audit it should carry out on the Church Commissioners' accounts. [4589]

The letter of engagement between Binder Hamlyn and the Church Commissioners has not yet been finalised, but I will write to the hon. Member once this has been done and the Treasury has approved the arrangements.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the predicted and actual public sector financial deficit or surplus for each financial year since 1979. [4329]

Forecasts of the public sector financial balances are published in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report". Outturns of the public sector financial balance are available from the Central Statistical Office databank, series AABE.

Forecast and outturn figures for the public sector financial balance
£ billion
Source	Period	Forecast	Outturn
FSBR June 1979	1979–80	–7.2	–8.2
FSBR March 1980	1980–81	–6.9	–11.8
FSBR March 1981	1981–82	–6.3	–5.5
FSBR March 1982	1982–83	–6.6	–8.7
FSBR March 1983	1983–84	–8.9	–11.7
FSBR March 1984	1984–85	–8.5	–13.7
FSBR March 1985	1985–86	–9.8	–8.1
FSBR March 1986	1986–87	–12.2	–8.2
FSBR March 1987	1987–88	–9.4	–1.9
FSBR March 1988	1988–89	–1.4	8.3
FSBR March 1989	1989–90	7.3	2.4
FSBR March 1990	1990–91	2.6	–3.1
FSBR March 1991	1991–92	–11.3	–18.6
FSBR March 1992	1992–93	–30.9	–45.0
FSBR March 1993	1993–94	–55.2	–49.9
FSBR November 1989	1994–95	–41.3	–40.5
FSBR November 1994	1996–96	1–25.6	—
FSBR November 1995	1996–97	–25.4	—
1 Published in the Revised Tables, January 1995, following the decision to leave the rate of VAT on domestic fuel and power at 8 per cent., and the further Budget measures announced on 8 December 1994.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Finance Bill will be published; and if he will make available to hon. Members the customary notes on the Bill's clauses. [5078]

The Finance Bill will be published on Thursday 4 January 1996. The notes on the Bill's clauses will be placed in the Vote Office and the Libraries of the House that day. In addition, the Treasury will be making the notes available to the public.

To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what estimate has been made of the angle at which the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster varies from the perpendicular; and what variation has occurred over the last 20 years. [3797]

The Accommodation and Works Committee has a specialist adviser on geotechnical engineering whose brief includes advising the Committee on the adequacy of London Underground's arrangements to prevent damage to the Palace of Westminster and other parliamentary buildings during the construction of Westminster underground station and the Jubilee line extension. The Parliamentary Works Directorate also employs an independent firm of surveyors to monitor many movements of the Clock Tower.The advice from both these sources is that London Underground Ltd., is taking appropriate and sufficient measures to control any damaging movements caused by excavation work for the Jubilee line extension project. The clock tower currently slopes from the vertical by approximately 1 in 4,000 and is affected by Thames tidal movement and changes in ambient temperature.

To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment has been made or is planned in respect of possible reduction of the costs of overseas 'visits by the Select Committees through the use of video conferenicng. [4179]

Select Committees have used video conferencing as a means of gathering evidence on two occasions on an experimental basis. The matter has already been reported on by the Procedure Committee and the arrangements for, and cost of, video conferencing as a means of taking evidence are currently under review by the Liaison Committee; other domestic Committees may wish to be consulted. It is therefore too early to judge what part video conferencing could play in evidence gathering by Select Committees or any effects which its adoption might have on expenditure on overseas visits.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress has been made with the proposal made at the United Kingdom space policy seminar at Surrey university in September for publication of a space policy document. [4802]

Yesterday I issued a discussion document on United Kingdom space policy and I am inviting comments.The documents examines UK strengths and opportunities in space science, telecommunications, earth observation and launchers. It looks at projects in the European Space Agency and other international organisations. My aim is to bring together the results of this consultation exercise, with more detailed work being carried out at the British national space centre in discussion with industry and the academic world, in the form of a forward plan for UK involvement in space activities by next summer.Copies of the discussion document are being placed in the Library of the House and I am sending a copy to each participant at the Surrey seminar.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list for each scheme so far agreed under the private finance initiative the revenue commitment entered into by the Government for each year until the commitment ceases. [3419]

Although my Department has a number of PFI projects under consideration, none has been finally agreed and no revenue commitments have been made.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the policy changes which will arise from the final agreement in respect of each scheme agreed under the private finance initiative. [3420]

The agreement of schemes under the private finance initiative within my Department will not result in changes to policy on the PFI, which have been set out by the Government. Those schemes that have been agreed, however, represent the application of PFI policy and the lessons learned are set out in the publication "Private Opportunity, Public Benefit". This is published jointly by HM Treasury and the private finance panel, and a copy is available in the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what export control procedures apply to (i) the export of anti-tank mines without self-destruct mechanism or (ii) the export of remote delivery systems for anti-tank mines. [4324]

The export of all anti-tank mines and related equipment and accessories is controlled under the Export of Goods (Control) Order. Such goods cannot be exported without a licence from the Department of Trade and Industry issued after consultation within Government. Any applications for an export licence for such equipment would be considered against strict established criteria on a case-by-case basis in line with our international commitments.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the impact on British (a) trade and (b) industry of the United Nations sanctions against Libya; and if he will place in the Library the information passed by his Department relating to evasion of sanctions by Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, South Korea and Spain. [2890]

[holding answer 6 December 1995]: The United Nations sanctions against Libya are selective. They prohibit in particular supply and export of arms, aviation supplies and certain oil industry equipment in which the United Kingdom is strongly competitive. It is not possible to say what is the precise effect of the sanctions on UK trade and industry, but one sign of the resilience of our trading position is that exports to Libya in 1995 will exceed £200 million.My Department has passed no information to the UN sanctions committee, the body responsible for co-ordinating matters including evasion of sanctions.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many mobile telephones there are available in his Department for the use of Ministers. [4267]

There are 14 mobile telephones available in the DTI for the use of Ministers and their private offices. In addition, each ministerial car is fitted with a cellular telephone.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the policy of his Department in respect of making grants available to companies where directors have had previous bankruptcies. [2304]

[holding answer 27 November 1995]: Where a director of a company applying for a grant from the Department is known to have previously been bankrupt but is now discharged or has been given permission by the bankruptcy court to be a director, this would not automatically rule out acceptance of the grant application but it is a factor that would be taken into account in considering the viability and probity of the applicant company. Where a director was found to be an undischarged bankrupt who was not entitled to be a director of a company, this would be grounds for considering prosecution of the director and would be likely to lead to rejection of the company's grant application.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what was the purpose of the meeting between an official of his Department and Mr. Brad Shephard on 29 October 1993; and if he will make a statement about the outcome of this meeting; [2384]

[holding answer 27 November 1995]: As indicated in my reply of 7 November 1995, Official Report, column 711, the Department is currently conducting inquiries into the circumstances of the regional selective assistance given to the Rom Data Corporation. I will report when these are completed.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the number of new businesses started up by year and region since 1990. [4709]

The best indicator of regional trends in business start-ups is given by figures on VAT registrations. Annual numbers of registrations for 1990 to 1994 are given in the table.

VAT registrations 1990–94
Thousands
Region	1990	11991	1992	21993	21994
South East	95.7	81.9	74.2	79.1	78.9
East Anglia	8.5	7.5	6.4	6.8	6.6
South West	20.2	17.4	15.6	15.9	15.7
West Midlands	19.1	16.6	15.8	15.6	15.5
East Midlands	15.4	13.5	12.1	12.3	12.3
Yorkshire and Humberside	17.1	15.1	13.6	13.6	13.3
North West	24.0	21.0	19.2	17.7	17.4
North	8.3	6.9	6.2	6.3	6.4
Wales	10.2	8.4	7.5	7.2	7.2
Scotland	16.3	13.9	12.7	12.6	12.8
Northern Ireland	4.3	3.7	3.7	4.0	3.9
United Kingdom	239	206	187	191	190

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what inquiry his Department has initiated or plans concerning the activities of any directors of the Ferranti-ISC subsidiary ISCT Ltd.; and what action his Department has taken as a result. [5619]

ISC Technologies Ltd. went into administrative receivership on 1 December 1993. Returns under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 were submitted by the administrative receivers on 25 May 1994.No disqualification proceedings or other action has been taken or is proposed by the Department on present information.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he has taken to initiate disqualification proceedings against former directors of the Ferranti-ISC subsidiary ISCT Ltd. through which the fraud against that parent company was perpetrated; and if he will make a statement. [4358]

[holding answer 6 December 1995]: ISC Technologies Ltd. went into administrative receivership on 1 December 1993. Returns under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 were submitted by the administrative receivers on 25 May 1994.No disqualification proceedings have been taken or are proposed by the Department.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, what inquiries he has initiated regarding the position of beneficiaries of the pension fund of the former Ferranti-ISC fund; what action he has taken to protect the position of the beneficiaries; and if he will make a statement. [4359]

[holding answer 6 December 1995]: The assets of the Ferranti-ISC group of companies are being dealt with by joint administrative receivers, without the involvement of the Department, who report that after payment in full of the preferential creditors and the banks' claims as first ranking secured creditors, a payment to the pension fund on account of its second ranking secured claim for £15 million may be possible. The major part of the pension fund is not affected by the receivership and is protected for its beneficiaries.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations or inquiries he has received from the Government of Australia or any of its agencies, or from any Australian state authority or agency about the activities of the United Kingdom registered company Newerthill or any of its subsidiaries; and if he will make a statement. [4245]

There is no United Kingdom registered company with the name Newerthill. We have received no representation or inquiries about Newerthill or any other similarly named company to which the question might possibly relate.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, what inquiries he has caused to he made into whether the Export Credits Guarantee Department issued guarantees to financial institutions resident in the United Kingdom possibly involved in financial trade with Iraq contrary to the Government's guidelines; what were the results of such inquiries; and what subsequent action he has taken or proposes to take. [4244]

I know of no such cases.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade for what reasons he does not publish figures for United Kingdom share of main manufacturing countries exports in table D1 of the "Monthly Review of External Trade Statistic", and if he will (a) publish up to date figures in the Official Report and (b) include the figures in future editions of the MRETS.

The series were temproarily discontinued when MRETS was suspended, following introduction of Intrastate, during 1993–94. With the rebasing of United Kingdom volume series using 1990 weights it is necessary to rebase the volume of manufactured exports for the main manufacturing countries as a whole. This work is continuing and the series will be reinstated as soon as possible.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his estimate of the share of the domestic market taken by (a) imported manufactured goods and (b) imported services for each year since 1975. [4401]

Consistent information for each year since 1975 is not available. The following estimates are derived from input-output tables which were published every five years prior to 1989.

Imports as a percentage of home demand
Year	Manufacturing industry	Services
1974	23.7	7.2
1979	25.3	6.1
1984	31.7	6.2
1989	36.0	3.9
1990	36.4	3.7
1991	35.8	3.4
1992	37.6	3.3
1993	40.4	3.3

The 1992 standard industrial classification has changed the definition of manufacturing industry. The new definition includes the manufacture of coke ovens, mineral oil processing and nuclear fuel processing and excludes mining and quarrying of materials other than coal. The table takes account of these major changes but there may still be some definitional differences between 1992 and earlier figures.The figures only include direct trade. Services provided locally as a result of overseas direct investment are not included in these figures.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what considerations led him to cease publication of figures for United Kingdom export unit values for manufactures which have been published in table 2.15 of "Economic Trends" after the third quarter of 1994. [4557]

The publication of UK export unit values of manufactures has not been discontinued. Table 2.15 of the November "Economic Trends" contains figures up to the first quarter of 1995, the latest quarter for which unit value indices based on $US denominated exports are available from the International Monetary Fund.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has for redundancies in his Department. [3708]

The outcome of the public expenditure survey for the running costs of my Department means that to help to achieve the required rundown in staff numbers a voluntary early retirement-severance scheme is being launched immediately.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish the (a) written and (b) oral evidence given by Her Majesty's Government to the International Court of Justice in respect of the legality of nuclear weapons. [3986]

The International Court of Justice decided on 30 October that submissions in respect of the nuclear weapons advisory opinions should be open to the public. Accordingly, copies of our written and oral statements have been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council on 4 and 5 December. [5284]

The A points listed in document 12202/95—which will be deposited in the Libraries of the House as soon as it is available—were adopted except for item 24 which was withdrawn by presidency.The Council took note of the European Parliament resolutions in document 11507/95 PE-RE-79. A copy of this document will be deposited in the Libraries of the House as soon as it is available.The Council agreed that the presidency should write to the Prime Minister of Estonia confirming receipt of that country's application for membership of the European Union.The Council discussed preparations for the European Council at Madrid.The Council agreed that the conference on economic assistance to the Palestinians should be postponed to 9 January.The Council discussed the draft MEDA regulation, covering aid to countries in the Mediterranean region.The Commission presented a recommendation for a Council decision on renewal of the San Jose dialogue between the EU and central America. This was remitted to the Committee of Permanent Representatives for further discussion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list for each scheme so far agreed under the private finance initiative the revenue commitment entered into by the Government for each year until the commitment ceases. [3395]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 7 November 1995, Official Report, column 694.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the policy changes which will arise from the final agreement in respect of each scheme agreed under the private finance initiative. [3396]

The agreement of schemes under the private finance initiative does not result in changes to the policy of the Government on the PFI. Agreed schemes do, however, represent the application of PFI policy and offer us the opportunity further to refine the process of implementation. The lessons learned are set out in the publication "Private Opportunity, Public Benefit". This is published jointly by HM Treasury and the private finance panel, and a copy is available in the Members' Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many mobile telephones there are available in his Department for the use of Ministers. [4265]

The Department has four mobile telephones and four car telephones exclusively for the use of Ministers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times mobile telephones used by Ministers in his Department have been cloned during (a) the last six months, (b) the last 12 months and (c) the last 18 months; and which Ministers within his Department have had their mobile telephones cloned. [4266]

The then Minister of State, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Grantham, (Mr. Hogg), has his car telephone cloned twice: in October 1994 and June 1995. New numbers were allocated on both occasions.A programme is under way to replace Ministers' analogue telephones with digital units which will reduce the risk of cloning.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the change in real terms since 1994–95 to his Office's funding to the BBC World Service. [4739]

Foreign and Commonwealth Office funding to the BBC World Service through grant in aid decreased in real terms by 0.67 per cent. between 1994–95 and 1995–96.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what restrictions apply to the award of sponsorship rights to potential participants in any use of the private finance initiative of the BBC World Service; [4756](2) what plans he has to allow the BBC World Service to take

Under the terms of its current licence and agreement, the BBC is prohibited from broadcasting sponsored programmes. It would also need to seek agreement to accept advertising from any source or take finance from overseas Governments or agencies. Subject to the overriding requirements of safeguarding its impartiality, we would look at any proposals the World Service might make constructively, bearing in mind the increasing use of local rebroadcasting partnerships to reach audiences more effectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the BBC World Service's capital budget the reduction in funding announced on 28 November represents. [4755]

The reduction in funding for 1996–97 amounts to 19.3 per cent. of the World Service's capital budget, but this takes no account of the opportunities presented by the private finance initiative.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what discussions he has had with the BBC World Service as to which transmitters will be affected by the reduction in the funding of the BBC World Service; and to what extent; [4763](2) to what extent the private finance initiative can be applied to overseas projects of the BBC World Service; [4759](3) what consultations he has had about the consequences of the reduction in the BBC World Service's budget; [4754](4) what monitoring he has carried out as to the effect on programme services of the reduction in funding to the BBC World Service; with what result; and if he will make a statement; [4762](5) if the private finance initiative will be applied to improvements in existing projects of the BBC World Service; [4758](6) what recommendations he has made to the BBC World Service as to the areas of transmission in which economies should be made. [4760]

We hold regular discussions with the BBC World Service, about its plans and priorities. I shall be meeting the managing director of the World Service shortly. Detailed talks on funding for the next three-year period will start in the New Year.It is for the World Service to judge the best deployment of transmitters. Audibility has been vastly improved as a result of a £166 million investment programme. A further new relay station is being built in Thailand at a cost of £29 million.The private finance initiative offers the World Service opportunity to involve private sector finance and expertise and may, in principle, be applied to projects overseas as well as in the United Kingdom. Projects which are already contractually committed are not affected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the BBC World Service budget for transmitters and satellite distribution is already contractually committed. [4761]

Over 70 per cent. of the BBC World Service's capital budget for 1995–96, and all of the operating budget line, for transmitter and satellite distribution is already contractually committed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy that no training will be offered by the United Kingdom to Guatemalan police officers until the peace process has been fully implemented in Guatemala. [4520]

No. Our limited assistance to the Guatemalan police is designed to encourage high standards, including proper respect for human rights.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Guatemalan Government about the human rights situation in Guatemala with particular reference to the latest report of the United Nations human rights verification mission, MINUGUA. [4521]

As I informed the House on 19 October, Official Report, columns 305–306, the British ambassador in Guatemala takes every appropriate opportunity to express to the authorities our concerns about human rights abuses, including problems identified in MINUGUA's third report to the UN Secretary-General.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Guatemalan Government to ensure that the trial of the Guatemalan soldiers accused of the massacre of former refugees in Xaman on 5 October is carried out in a fair and proper judicial manner. [4522]

In its statement on 12 October the European Union called for the punishment of those guilty of the massacre and expressed support for the measures announced by President de Leon Carpio to deal with the incident. The Guatemalan authorities are well aware of the need for a proper trial of those accused.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current status of the economy of each member state of the EC in relation to each of the convergence criteria for European monetary union in the Maastricht treaty. [160]

I have been asked to reply.The question of which countries fulfil the necessary conditions for adoption of the single currency will be decided by the Council, meeting in the form of Heads of State or of Government. The latest Commission forecasts, released on 22 November 1995, provide information on the current status of each member state. The forecasts are available in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of anti-tank mines (a) possessed by or (b) in the process of being procured by the United Kingdom armed forces have self-destruct mechanisms. [4315]

All anti-tank mines in service with the multiple launch rocket system phase II and JP233 will self-destruct after a pre-set time, once deployed. No other in-service anti-tank mines have self-destruct mechanisms. It is our established policy, for security reasons, not to reveal information relating to stock levels of munitions held.I recently announced on 29 November 1995,

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the UK possess the means remotely to deliver anti-tank mines; and if the MLRS system is equipped remotely to deliver anti-tank mines. [4325]

Yes. Both the multiple launch rocket system phase II and JP233 are capable of delivering anti-tank mines remotely. I recently announced on 29 November 1995, Official Report, column 768, our intention to purchase a vehicle-launched scatterable mine system, which will also be capable of delivering anti-tank mines remotely. All these systems utilise mines which self-destruct after a short laid life.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list for each scheme so far agreed under the private finance initiative (a) capital and (b) revenue costs to public funds (i) under the PFI and (ii) estimated to have been incurred had the scheme been funded wholly within the public sector. [3818]

[holding answer 6 December 1995]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 7 November 1995, Official Report, column 666.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the policy changes which will arise from the final agreement in respect of each scheme agreed under the private finance initiative. [3414]

The Government's defence policy is as stated in the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1995", Cm 2800.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list for each scheme so far agreed under the private finance initiative the revenue commitment entered into by the Government for each year until the commitment ceases. [3413]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on 7 November, Official Report, column 666.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much capital expenditure is forecast to be included in the private finance initiative for the current financial year and the next five financial years. [3823]

[holding answer 6 December 1995]: Capital expenditure on the PFI commitments in 1995–96 is forecast to be nil. Figures for later years are published in table 6.5 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1996–97". Projections are not currently available for years beyond 1998–89.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the name of every merchant vessel and its country of registration chartered by his Department for (a) exercises and (b) military support and re-supply operations since the beginning of 1995. [4579]

The information requested is as follows:

Vessels chartered for exercise
Vessel name	Flag
Arroyofrio Dos	Spanish
Dana Minerva	Danish
Condock V (Twice)	German
King of Scandinavia	Danish
Winston Churchill	Danish
Condock III	German
Wloclawek	Polish
Arcade Eagle (Twice)	Spanish
Parkhaven	Maltese
Dana Corona	Danish
Goya	Spanish
Prince of Scandinavia	Danish
Mercandian Senator	Danish
Norbay	British
Norcape	Dutch
Belvaux	Panamanian
Villars	Swiss
Feederteam	Maltese
Arcade Falcon	Norwegian
Marianne Danica	Danish
Sine Boye	Danish
Lyn	Danish
Italica	Italian

Vessels chartered for support
Vessel Name	Flag
Kapitan Mezentsyev	Ukrainian
NDS Atlantic	Dutch
Neptune Olympic (Twice)	Greek
Mercandian Senator	Danish
Dana Hafnia	Danish
Yuriy Maksaryov	Ukrainian
Petro Mersey (Three times)	British
Petro Fawley (Twice)	British
Rotesand	German
Flex Installer	Bahamian
Dubalti	Latvian
Marine Explorer	British
Fionan of Skellig	Irish
Northella	British
Oil Mariner	British
Stena Constructor	Bahamian
OTS Yeoman	British
Maersk Ascension	British
Kommander Subsea	British
Discovery	British
Aquamarine	Liberian
Ottaviano	Italian
Ravello	Italian
Nordica	Finnish
Anfitrite	Italian
Sidsel Knutsen	Norwegian
Cargo Master	Canadian
Kondor	Ukrainian
St. Brandan	British
Celtic RoRo	Bahamian
Sea Bird	Danish
Pietersgracht	Dutch
Lion	Danish
Condock III	German
Condock V	German
Stevnsland	Antiguan
Rosen	Danish
Arneb	German
Jens Munk	Danish
Arcade Falcon	Norwegian
Maersk Gannet	British

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of members of the Territorial Army who will be called up to serve (a) as part of the implementation force in Bosnia and (b) elsewhere in the next months. [4569]

I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 6 December 1995, Official Report, column 244.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what tasks are to be assigned to members of the Territorial Army as part of the implementation force in Bosnia. [4570]

Most members of the Territorial Army and Army reserve who are being called out to serve with the implementation force will fill war establishment posts in regular army units, primarily headquarters and signal units, military police companies and logistics units.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all his Department's fire training establishments in the United Kingdom; how many (a) military and (b) civilian personnel are currently (i) employed and (ii) being trained at these establishments giving the duration of the training; and what have been (1) the average running costs and (2) the annual maintenance costs of each establishment in each of the last five years. [4170]

The Department's only single role fire training establishment is the MOD fire service central training establishment at RAF Manston, where there are 27 civilian and 23 military established posts. The number of personnel being trained depends on which courses are being run; this year's figures show that there have been 834 civilian and 326 military students, and since the CTE was reorganised in 1991, 3,728 civilians and 1,230 military personnel have attended courses there. The duration will depend on the course, of which there are some 20, covering every aspect of fire training. The MOD FSCTE is a lodger unit at RAF Manston, thus disaggregating the running and maintenance costs for the centre from the overall station costs can be done only at disproportionate cost.The Department also has other training establishments where fire training can be part of the course structure. These are the school of flight deck operations at the royal naval air station Culdrose; the nuclear biological and chemical defence school at HMS Excellent; the Plymouth command NBCD school at HMS Raleigh; and the school of logistics, royal logistics training group at Deepcut. Additionally, some MOD personnel attend specialist fire safety courses at such training centres as the Home Office school at Moreton-in-Marsh.Where active fire cover is provided at MOD establishments, facilities for continuation training are provided. Moreover, the MOD has task training integrated across the board. All military and civilian personnel are given the appropriate fire fighting training as part of the Department's duty of care.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the cost to his Department of theft by (a) military personnel and (b) civilian personnel in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [4564]

The figures are as follows:

Year	Theft by service personnel £000s	Theft by civilians £000s
1985–86	125.2	49.0
1986–87	0.0	0.0
1987–88	24.1	222.1
1988–89	0.0	150.0
1989–90	0.0	19.7
1990–91	2.0	581.8
1991–92	4.3	0.0
1992–93	1.4	39.0
1993–94	183.8	126.7
1994–95	35.5	272.7

These figures are expressed in gross terms and they make no allowance for subsequent recoveries.There are wide fluctuations from year to year and no obvious trend, but we are far from complacent and have taken a range of preventive measures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) military personnel and (b) civilian personnel have been (i) charged and (ii) found guilty of theft in his Department in each of the last five years. [4566]

The information is in the table.

	Service		Civilian
Year	Charged	Guilty	Charged	Guilty
1990–91	10	10	10	10
1991–92	3	3	0	0
1992–93	1	1	9	3
1993–94	11	5	18	11
1994–95	9	7	28	19

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are his proposals for the reform of the court martial system. [5077]

We have undertaken a review of the court martial system as part of our preparations for the Armed Forces Bill which was introduced recently.As a result, we are including in the Bill proposals to reform aspects of the court martial system, while enabling it to continue to meet the armed forces' requirement to administer discipline firmly but fairly. I am today putting a note setting out the detail of these proposals in the Library, and copies will be available in the Vote Office. The main features of the changes are as follows: there will be changes in the formal part played in court martial proceedings by the military chain of command. Its functions, such as settling charges, responsibility for the prosecution and appointing court martial members, will remain in the services but generally be independent of the chain of command; there will be an enhancement of the part played at court martial by the judge advocate, who is similar in many ways to a judge in a civilian court; the right for defendants to choose to have their cases tried by court martial, rather than dealt with summarily by the commanding officer, will be extended; access to the courts martial appeal court, which is composed of senior civilian judges, will be extended, to enable it to hear appeals against sentence as well as against conviction.This last proposal is already included in the Armed Forces Bill. Amendments to the Bill to address the other proposals which require legislation will be tabled shortly.The court martial system has served the services very well over the years. We believe that the proposals represent a major improvement to the present system and will enable it to continue to fulfil its purpose for a long time to come.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the contracts that his Department has with (a) Junghans, (b) Borletti and (c) Raufoss over the last five years; and if these companies are permitted to bid for current procurement contracts. [3865]

[holding answer 5 December 1995]: As my predecessor stated on 23 November 1993, Official Report, column 309, and as has been confirmed on several occasions since, my Department will not be placing any new contracts with the firms concerned until all the facts relating to the Foxley case have been fully investigated. Details of contracts placed with Raufoss and Junghans in the last five years are given below. All these contracts have been completed. No contracts have been placed with Borletti in the last five years, but one contract has been placed with the division of Fiat which acquired Borletti's interests. This contract is due to complete in 1996.

Company	Store	Date	Value(£000s)
Raufoss	27mm Ammo	7 January 1991	233
	25mm Ammo	25 February 1991	24
	12.7mm Ammo	29 October 1991	5
	20mm Ammo	16 July 1992	11
	Rocket Warheads	2 September 1993	1,200
	Ammo Testing	5 October 1992	8
	Rocket Warheads	11 September 1992	342
	Study into Non-ricochet Ammo	27 October 1993	155
Junghans	Fuze L127A3	2 October 1992	589
Fiat (Borletti Division)	Fuze L85A2	20 March 1991	2,088

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of all the submissions received from the Department of Health, NHS executive, health authorities and NHS trusts in response to the "Front Line First" proposed changes to defence medical services. [4462]

Three formal submissions were received from the NHS in response to the defence costs study 15 consultative document. Copies of these submissions will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on negotiations on the sale of Rosyth naval base to Rosyth 2000; and if he will ensure that commercial operations will be in place from 1 January 1996. [3647]

[holding answer 6 December 1995]: Negotiations with the preferred bidder, Rosyth 2000 Ltd., a consortium of leading Scottish businesses, are under way. Commercial operations on a small scale are likely to be developed from 1 January 1996, with an anticipated date of transfer from military to civilian use on 31 March 1996.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what occasions since 1980 Ministers or officials of his Department have met Mr. Fouad Uzzourni since 1980; and what was the purpose of the meetings. [4191]

I am not aware of Ministers or officials in my Department having met a Mr. Fouad Uzzourni.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many mobile telephones there are available in his Department for the use of Ministers. [4274]

There are nine digital global systems for mobile communications mobile telephones in the Ministry of Defence which may be used by Ministers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of (a) the Gurkhas and (b) the Royal Irish Regiment are included in the figure given for the strength of the Army on paragraph 507 of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1995". [4574]

The figure included some 4,000 Gurkhas and 850 general service personnel of the Royal Irish Regiment. It excluded full and part-time soldiers of the Royal Irish Regiment (Home Service).

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the planned establishment in April 1996 of (a) the Gurkhas and (b) the Royal Irish Regiment. [4575]

The planned establishment for the Gurkhas at April 1996 is around 4,000; for the Royal Irish Regiment (General Service) 850, and for the Royal Irish Regiment (Home Service) 3,300 full-time soldiers and 2,400 part-time soldiers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what inoculations against chemical and biological weapons British troops being deployed as part of the implementation force have received; [4578](2) what assessment has been made of the implications for the implementation force of the potential use of chemical and biological weapons in Bosnia; [4576]

My Department has examined all aspects of the potential threat to the implementation force from chemical and biological weapons. All necessary measures are being taken, though it would not be appropriate to go into detail.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the outcome of the replacement order for his Department's ambulances. [4568]

The assessment of the competition to purchase ambulances for the Army is not yet complete. It would, therefore, be inappropriate to make a statement at this stage.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the development of the Starstreak missile for the attack helicopter. [4572]

The United Kingdom is currently participating in the first phase of a United States programme to examine the feasibility of using a variant of the Starstreak high velocity missile, which recently entered service with the British Army in the ground-to-air role as an air-to-air missile fro Apache. This phase will culminate in the middle of next year in trials in the US to demonstrate safe release of Starstreak from a US Army AH-64A aircraft. Subject to the satisfactory outcome of these trials, further phases on a co-operative basis are planned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the companies supplying his Department with 81mm illuminating mortar shells. [4573]

There is no current contract for 81mm illuminating mortar rounds. The most recent contract, for which deliveries ended in December 1993, was with the Italian company, Simmel Difesa.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the decision to place the contract for the helmet and associated avionics for the Army attack helicopter out to tender was taken; what companies are bidding for this contract; what is the total value of this contract; and what plans his Department had made for the manufacture of the helmet prior to that decision. [4580]