To ask the secretary of State for the Home Department What is the daily cost charged by each police authority for the use of police cells to house overspill prisoners; and if he will make a statement. [8758]

No prison Service prisoners have been held in police cells since June 1995 At that time, the national average cost per prisoner was £300 Per night.Police authorities do not have a standard cost for holding prisoners. Each authority submits an invoice to the prison service based on the actual cost of the service provided There are many variables which may affect that cost.Home Office circular 36/1993 gives guidance to police authorities on calculating their costs. The Home Office also monitors the charges made by police forces.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convicted criminals were being held in police station cells at the latest available date; and if he will make a statement. [8759]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total number of port applicants for asylum arriving in the United Kingdom having travelling through one or more other countries in each of the last three years; and what proportion of all port applicants they were. [9621]

The information requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers reside in the parliamentary constituency of Tottenham; and how many of them have been granted (a) refugee status and (b) exceptional leave to remain in the last five years. [9811]

Information on the places of residence of people currently seeking asylum is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the methods by which the right hon. Lord Lloyd of Berwick will gather evidence for his inquiry into the future requirement for legislation against terrorism. [10179]

Advertisements are being placed in the press inviting people to submit views to Lord Lloyd by 15 March. Lord Lloyd is writing, with the same invitation, to a wide range of interested parties throughout the United Kingdom. He will, in the course of his review, seek to elicit the widest possible range of fact and opinion.Any person wishing to offer his views on the law against terrorism should write to Lord Lloyd at the following address:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many public complaints against each police force in England and Wales were made in 1994; and what percentage change this represents over the figure for 1993. [9204]

[holding answer 15 January 1995]: The information requested is given in the table.

Total complaints recorded 1994 Police forces in England and Wales
	Total complaints recorded 1994	Percentage change 1993–1994
Avon and Somerset	992	5
Bedfordshire	249	-2
Cambridgeshire	422	38
Cheshire	454	-10
Cleveland	460	-14
Cumbria	319	-4
Derbyshire	481	20
Devon and Cornwall	935	22
Dorset	147	-18
Durham	214	5
Essex	500	22
Gloucestershire	300	-19
Greater Manchester	2,701	5
Hampshire	685	-20
Hertfordshire	407	-3
Humberside	472	-28
Kent	766	-7
Lancashire	695	9
Leicestershire	305	-19
Lincolnshire	93	12
City of London	89	65
Merseyside	2,146	18
Metropolitan Police1	10,094	na
Norfolk	393	2
Northamptonshire	178	-11
Northumbria	612	-6
North Yorkshire	330	-5
Nottinghamshire	788	17
South Yorkshire	583	-11
Staffordshire	548	1
Suffolk	353	1
Surrey	506	25
Sussex	905	28
Thames Valley	979	11
Warwickshire	136	-17

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the level of recorded crime in the Merseyside police force area (a) in June 1994 and (b) in June 1995; and what are the figures for England and Wales over the same period. [7925]

There were 11,122 offences recorded by the Merseyside police in June 1994 and 12,207 in June 1995. The corresponding figures for England and Wales were 440,245 and 405,035 respectively.

TO ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the change in figures for reported robbery in London in the 12 months to June 1995. [8100]

The available information relates to offences of robbery recorded in the Metropolitan police district. There were 27,712 offences recorded in the 12 months to June 1995, an increase of 10 per cent. over the previous 12 months.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the change in the level of recorded crime in the Humberside police force region since 1987. [8156]

Between 1987 and 1994, recorded crime in Humberside rose by 53 per cent. from 88,570 offences to 135,826 offences.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, answers sent to hon. Members in reply to parliamentary questions by the head of executive agencies in his Department are (a) seen, (b) approved and (c) amended by him before they are sent; and if he will identify such letters to which amendments by him have been made in 1994–95. [7830]

Parliamentary questions are passed to the head of an executive agency when the matter is one delegated to him or her under the agency framework document. It is the usual practice in the Home Office for Ministers to see the proposed replies to such parliamentary questions before they appear in the Official Report, but they would not normally intervene in operational matters. No central record is kept of replies amended at the request of Ministers and this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to ensure adequate legal control over private security forces operating in local communities; and if he will make a statement. [9134]

We are currently reviewing the case for statutory regulation of the private security industry

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases in each of the last five years an application for renewal of exceptional leave to remain in the United Kingdom has been refused; and how many of these refusals were after (a) one year's exceptional leave and (b) four years' exceptional leave. [8977]

The information requested is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the guidelines for the conduct of police interviews with convicted prisoners in the furtherance of their investigations into other crimes; what is the legal status of such guidelines; how long they have been in force; and what changes have occurred to previous practices since 1966. [8720]

Her Majesty's chief inspector of constabulary issued guidance to the police in January 1987 on the interviewing of convicted prisoners about outstanding crime. The guidance, copies of which are available in the Library, is non-statutory but Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary monitors forces' compliance as part of its inspection procedure.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders convicted of child sexual abuse in each of the last five years had previous convictions for the same offence. [8717]

The information requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total amount spent on driver training in each police force area in England and Wales for each year since 1990. [7541]

[holding answer 15 January 1996]: Information collected centrally relates to all aspects of driver and traffic training. Details of the number of days spent on such training are set out in the table, together with information about training costs, which is not complete.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those members of the Nigerian Government who are prohibited from entry to the United Kingdom. [8537]

I have been asked to reply.In accordance with the common position adopted by the European Union on 4 December, all members of the Federal Executive Council, the provisional Ruling Council, serving members of the military and security forces, and their families shall be refused entry to the United Kingdom.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many of the powers to make statutory instruments exercisable by the Lord Chancellor under primary legislation enacted since 1979 are subject to (a) the negative and (b) the affirmative resolution procedure. [9587]

The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department whether the Government intend to bring forward legislation to give effect to the reforms of the law of domicile recommended by the Law Commission in its recent report on this subject (Law Com. No. 168, Scot Law Com. No. 107). [10169]

The Government have decided not to take forward these reforms on the basis that, although they are desirable in themselves, they do not contain sufficient practical benefits to outweigh the risks of proceeding with them and to justify disturbing the present long-established body of case law on this subject.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what response the Government intend to make to the Law Commission report on mental incapacity (Law Com. No. 231). [10170]

The Government have considered the Law Commission report on mental incapacity very carefully and are grateful to the many individuals and organisations that have sent in their views on this subject. The Government appreciate that this is an important and sensitive subject raising moral and ethical issues on which many people will have strong personal views.The Government have decided not to legislate on the basis of the Law Commission's proposals in their current form and have also concluded that it would be inappropriate to make any proposals to Parliament in the absence of full public consultation. The Government propose to issue a consultation paper on mental incapacity in due course.The Government wish to emphasise that they fully support the views of the House of Lords Select Committee on Medical Ethics that euthanasia is unacceptable and

£ thousand
	1992–93		1993–94		1994–95		1995–96
Agency	Budget	Actual	Budget	Actual	Budget	Actual	Budget	Actual
PINS	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.5	0.0	2.4	0.0	2.2
OS	64.0	63.0	72.0	99.0	75.0	68.0	60.0	64.0
QEII	61.2	45.7	59.0	81.8	50.0	45.1	33.7	32.7

1. PINS does not have a specific budget for overseas travel.2. 1995–96 figures are up to December 1995.BRE does not set a budget for overseas travel. The agency is funded through commissions undertaken for its various customers. When these include overseas travel, the cost is recharged directly to customers. The agency does not distinguish in its financial systems between travel within the UK and overseas travel; to provide the information requested could be done only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action heads of his Department's executive agencies are taking to safeguard the provision of pre-retirement courses; and if he will make a statement. [9147]

The Secretary of State has responsibility for four executive agencies—Building Research Establishment, Ordnance Survey, Planning Inspectorate and the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre. The agencies, which have delegated responsibility for these matters, arrange pre-retirement courses as have no plans to change this policy. The Government's consultation will thus not include any proposals on this subject.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the current situation in respect of the ruddy duck; and if he will make a statement. [8457]

We are currently considering the views of the United Kingdom ruddy duck working group and our statutory scientific advisers, English Nature, in developing an appropriate strategy for controlling population levels of this introduced species.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each of his executive agencies for each financial year for the last four years (a) their budget for overseas travel and (b) the actual amount spent. [8710]

The Secretary of State has responsibility for four executive agencies—Building Research Establishment, Ordnance Survey, Planning Inspectorate and the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre.The information requested for OS, PINS and QEII is set out in the table.required. No special action has been taken, or is needed, to safeguard their provision; there is no intention to cease providing such courses.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to receive the report of the inquiry into the possible fifth air terminal at Heathrow airport; and if he will make a statement. [8552]

The public inquiry into the proposed fifth terminal at Heathrow airport is currently scheduled to finish in spring 1997, after which the inspector will prepare his report on the applications before the inquiry. It is too early to say when the report will be received.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research has been commissioned by his Department on the number of (a) men and (b) women, over the age of 60 years, who are homeless and sleeping rough within the Greater London area; and if he will make a statement. [8553]

Information about the extent of rough sleeping is mostly anecdotal or estimated, except for central London, where voluntary sector agencies carry out a twice-yearly count of rough sleepers. The methodology for this arose from an independent evaluation of the rough sleepers initiative, commissioned by my Department. The most recent count, in November 1995, found 272 people sleeping rough in central London, of whom 25 men and seven women were aged 60 years or more.The Government are considering assisting the development of the successful rough sleepers initiative model in areas outside central London where rough sleeping can be demonstrated to be a major problem. A Government consultation paper about the future of the initiative, issued on 3 October, invited local authorities to quantify the extent of rough sleeping in their areas. The responses are now being analysed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will instruct all water companies to stop further implementation of metering water supplies to individual residences, unless specifically asked to by the occupier; and if he will make a statement. [9116]

Neither the Director General of Water Services, Mr. Ian Byatt, nor Ministers have powers to prescribe charging methods or types of tariff. Within the terms of the legislation, it is up to each company to decide which method of charging is most appropriate and cost-effective in its area, subject to the Director General of Water Services being satisfied that the chosen method and the associated tariffs do not give undue preference to, or unduly discriminate against, any group or class of customers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to publish pollution information on the Internet. [8635]

The Department has pages on the CCTA's world wide web site known as hhtp://www.open.go.uk. Currently, the DOE pages include information on the Department's responsibilities for air quality and drinking water, plus the departmental press notices. The Department's air quality information and press notices are updated on a daily basis.The Department will also be putting a selection of information from its digest of environmental statistics publication on the CCTA's world wide web site later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is the average time taken by his Department to decide planning applications which it has called in;. [9507]

The number of planning applications which have been called in from English local planning authorities over the past five years have been:

• 1990–91: 132
• 1991–92: 140
• 1992–93: 101
• 1993–94: 99
• 1994–95: 167

These called-in cases should be seen in the context of nearly half a million planning applications made each year.The Secretary of State does not set overall targets for the determination of called-in applications. These cases are normally discussed at a public inquiry, whose length will depend upon the complexity of the issues and the amount of public interest generated; but the Department does aim to determine 80 per cent. of called-in planning applications within 13 weeks of receipt of the inspector's report and to have determined all cases within 20 weeks of receipt of the report.There is no centrally available information on the average length of time taken to determine all called-in planning applications.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidance he intends to issue to (a) Departments, (b) executive agencies, (c) non-departmental public bodies and (d) outside bodies and arm's-length organisations which he has responsibility for, or an interest in, regarding the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and if he will make a statement. [9223]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for Social Security and Disabled People on Monday 15 January 1996 Official Report, column 417. I will ensure that my Department and any bodies for which it is responsible will be made aware of their responsibilities under the Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) when his Department will complete its analysis of the responses to consultations over the extension of part M of the Building Regulations to residential dwellings;. [9261](2) if he will be seeking advice from the Building Regulations Advisory Committee regarding the extension of part M of the Building Regulations to residential dwellings; and when he intends to do so; [9262]

The analysis of the responses to the Government's consultation on extending part M of the Building Regulations to cover new dwellings is expected to be completed this spring. This will then be considered by the Building Regulations Advisory Committee with the aim of advising me of the best way forward. After considering that advice, I shall make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Easington dated 28 November 1995 concerning the failed bid for rural challenge for Easington colliery. [9671]

I replied to the hon. Member's letter yesterday—Monday 15 January 1996.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the debt level of each local authority in England indicating in each case the debt per head of population. [9807]

I have today placed the information requested in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take any necessary steps to ensure that the payments made to the borough of Gosport are correctly calculated on the basis of the appropriate standard spending assessment with particular reference to taking account of an accurate assessment of the number of armed forces residents. [9806]

We are currently considering all the representations made by authorities on our proposals for the 1996–97 settlement, including those made by the borough council of Gosport on the resident population figures which it is proposed to use to calculate standard spending assessments. We are proposing to use figures of resident population at 30 June 1994, as estimated by the Registrar General. They will take account of representations made to us during the consultation period.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the areas in the United Kingdom which he has designated special areas of conservation; and if he will place maps of these areas in the Library. [9616]

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to my hon. Friend the Member for Taunton (Mr. Nicholson) on 20 June 1995. Official Report, columns 140–43, and my hon. Friend the Member for Hexham (Mr. Atkinson) on 9 January 1996, Official Report, columns 6–8, for lists of the 211 sites in the United Kingdom which have been forwarded to the European Commission as candidate special areas of conservation. Maps of these areas were placed on deposit in the Library last March at the commencement of the public consultation on these areas.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further action he proposes to take on radon in homes; and if he will make a statement. [10247]

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can accumulate in homes and increase the risk of lung cancer.My Department has had a long-established programme to identify those most at risk, and to advise them on what action to take in order to protect their health. In England, 250,000 homes have had their radon levels measured under the Government-funded measurement scheme; cost-effective methods of preventing radon from entering, new and existing homes have been developed by the Building Research Establishment; changes have been made to the building regulations to prevent radon becoming a problem in new homes; and financial assistance is available to enable the most needy householders to take remedial action.The next phase of the radon programme will take place in early February, when 200,000 invitations to have a free radon measurement will be sent to those householders in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Northamptonshire and Derbyshire most likely to have high radon levels in their homes. All householders in these counties have, over the past eight years, been offered free measurements. The results obtained so far have enabled the National Radiological Protection Board to identify with far greater precision the areas within those counties where homes are most likely to have high radon levels. This allows measurement invitations to be targeted more accurately and efficiently. The offer of free measurements will therefore now be based on invitations to individual householders, and the current arrangements for free measurement will be discontinued from 29 February.The NRPB is currently completing a mapping exercise of the whole of England. This will be published later in the year and will indicate more precisely than before those areas with high radon levels.Radon is a serious problem, but one that is amenable to simple, relatively inexpensive solutions, developed primarily by the Department's Building Research Establishment. We shall continue to advise householders in high radon areas what action they should take. Local authorities have discretion to give grants to low-income private owners for radon remedial works.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effectiveness of sprinklers and other fire protection measures in (i) hospitals and (ii) homes for the elderly. [9478]

[holding answer 15 January 1996]: My Department has commissioned a number of studies from the Building Research Establishment on sprinklers and other fire protection measures in connection with hospitals and residential care establishments, including old people's homes. Reports are evaluated by my officials, who make recommendations to Ministers on the work's significance and any practical implications, for example for building regulations, flowing from it.I am sending the hon. Gentleman a list of these studies, some of which have been published.

To ask the Prime Minister how many Conservative hon. Members have received knighthoods since 1979; and if he will list them by name. [9666]

A total of 127 Conservative Members have received knighthoods since 1979. The names of the recipients have been published in the London Gazette.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will define "political services" and "public and political services" in the context of the honours list. [9607]

Political services relate to those who give service to a political party. Political and public service is an appropriate description for those who have some other form of public service to their credit in addition to their political work.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the goal of the Government's economic policy. [9794]

The Government's overall economic objective is to promote sustained economic growth and rising prosperity. We will continue with the policies which have given this country the lowest mortgage rates for 30 years, the lowest basic rate of tax for over 50 years and the longest period of low inflation for 50 years.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will initiate joint action by the relevant Departments of Her Majesty's Government to determine the domicile of those persons, and their dependants, who (a) have refugee status, (b) have been given exceptional leave to remain in the United Kingdom or (c) have outstanding applications for refugee status; and if he will (i) publish and (ii) place in the Library the numbers of (1) such persons and (2) their dependants (x) by local authority area and (y) by parliamentary constituency. [8251]

I have no plans to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister what legal costs arising from the Scott inquiry have been incurred by the Government in relation to (a) himself, (b) his predecessor and (c) his or her officials and advisers. [8743]

[holding answer 15 January 1996]: The Treasury Solicitor provides legal advice to the Prime Minister and his officials on a range of issues as part of his normal duties. The cost of his advice in relation to the Scott inquiry is not quantifiable. No other legal costs have been incurred in connection with the Scott inquiry on behalf of myself, my predecessor or my officials or advisers.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the allocation of the science budget. [10078]

I have discussed the allocations with the Director General of Research Councils and have decided that, subject to parliamentary approval of the Supply estimates in due course, the science budget of £1,312.390 million should be allocated as follows:

Science Budget Allocations and Planning Assumptions
£ million
	Allocation	Planning figures
	1996–97	1997–98	1998–99
BBSRC	176.31	176.89	179.98
ESRC	63.08	63.62	65.64
EPSRC	375.95	373.46	376.78
MRC	281.89	282.96	286.86
NERC	164.65	162.32	167.90
PPARC	191.68	191.73	194.90
International subscriptions reserve	15.04	18.00	18.00
CCLRC	1.45	1.45	1.45
Research Council Pensions Supplement	9.87	11.53	12.97
Royal Society	21.82	22.27	22.62
Royal Academy of Engineering	3.12	3.37	3.44
OST Initiatives	2.53	2.78	2.85
Foresight Challenge	5.00	10.00	13.00
High-performance computing	—	10.00	—
Total	1,312.39	1,330.39	1,346.39

These allocations will enable the research councils and other funded bodies to consolidate and develop the new initiatives announced in February 1994 to take forward the policies set out in the 1993 White Paper "Realising Our Potential: A Strategy for Science, Engineering and Technology". Further details are set out in the paper "Allocation of the Science Budget 1996–97", which I have placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the forthcoming prior options study of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory. [10079]

The Government announced on 29 September 1995 that all public sector research establishments would be subject to prior options reviews.A review of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory has begun. Bearing in mind the extensive studies carried out leading to the decision in 1994 that NWML should remain an executive agency of the DTI, and my right hon. Friend's recently announced decision that it should move to a net expenditure control basis from 1 April 1996, the forthcoming review is likely to draw extensively on this material; the review will also consider NWML's relationship with public sector research establishments.I should welcome comments from interested parties. Comments should be sent by 16 February 1996 to Charles Cruickshank, Department of Trade and Industry, 151 Buckingham Palace road, London SW1W 9SS.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much the Government have paid to trade unions towards the costs of conducting postal ballots under legislation in each year since their introduction. [9812]

The costs of the trade union ballot refunds for the scheme, by calendar year since its inception, are as follows:

• 1980: No applications
• 1981: £12,935
• 1982: £26,149
• 1983: £85,072
• 1984: £72,498
• 1985: £1,392,982
• 1986: £738,301
• 1987: £1,158,801
• 1988: £869,448
• 1989: £1,339,582
• 1990: £2,636,766
• 1991: £4,082,383
• 1992: £4,259,860
• 1993: £3,382,803
• 1994: £1,899,955
• 1995: £1,095,236.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions he has had, and when, with the Building Standards Institute on immediately establishing a British standard for carbon monoxide detectors. [9617]

An official from my Department sits in the relevant British Standards Institution group which has been writing a new standard for carbon monoxide detectors and has been actively involved in this work. I am pleased to say the standard has now been completed and is expected to be published in the spring.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) how NFFO 4—fourth non-fossil fuel renewable order—was modified by the results of any environmental appraisal undertaken by his Department;. [8664]

[holding answers 15 January 1996]: One of the objectives underlying the Government's renewables policy, including the non-fossil fuel obligation in respect of renewables, is a reduction in the emission of pollutants. The environmental aspects of the policy were fully discussed in the White Paper "This Common Inheritance" (Cm 1200, 1990), and in DTI energy papers such as "New and Renewable Energy: Future Prospects in the UK" (DTI: Energy Paper Number 62, 1994). The environmental aspects of particular proposed power stations are handled through the planning process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to delegate further work from the Marine Safety Agency to the private sector; and if he will make a statement. [8229]

The only delegation to the private sector of the work of the Marine Safety Agency currently planned, and which is in addition to the delegation package announced in August 1993, is the eyesight testing of seafarers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons leaseholding operators of motorway service areas are not required to pay annual rent to his Department. [9397]

Originally, operators of motorway service areas paid an annual rent based on turnover. In 1978 the Prior committee report on MSAs concluded that this arrangement was discouraging new investment and the improvement of standards. A new policy was announced in October 1979 under which operators would pay a lump sum at the beginning of their lease term and a peppercorn annual rent thereafter. That arrangement had been adopted for all MSAs, new and existing, by 1982. It continues to apply to the 19 existing MSAs for which the Department currently owns the freehold, pending their sale to the private sector. The provision of MSAs was deregulated in 1992 and the issue of payment of rent to my Department no longer arises with new MSAs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the costs to his Department of acting as a freeholder for motorway service areas in England. [9398]

The costs are minimal and will reduce to nothing as the Department's remaining freehold interests in motorway service areas in England are sold to the private sector.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he intends to issue to(a)Departments,(b)executive agencies, (c) non-departmental public bodies and (d) outside bodies and arm's-length organisations which he has responsibility for, or an interest in, regarding the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and if he will make a statement. [9226]

We will shortly be publishing the first in a series of information bulletins which will report the progress we are making in implementing part V of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. These bulletins will be widely circulated. As the bulletins are published, I will arrange for copies to be placed in the Library.When regulations are made under part V of the Act, we will issue separate detailed guidance to all those affected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent reports he has received in respect of safety failings on the west coast main line; and if he will make a statement. [9291]

My right hon. Friend has received no general reports indicating safety failings on the west coast main line. The Health and Safety Executive has received specific reports on derailments at Camden on 14 December and Euston station on 20 December 1995. These incidents are being investigated by the Health and Safety Executive's railway inspectorate. The inspectorate is also following up a number of claims about the condition of the west coast main line made by individuals.HM railway inspectorate will continue its independent monitoring and investigation of railway safety to ensure that safety standards are maintained on the west coast main line.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to revise the objectives, instructions and guidance issued to the franchising director under section 5 of the Railways Act 1993. [10257]

I have now written to the franchising director clarifying and amplifying the sections of his objectives, instructions and guidance which relate to the setting of passenger service requirements and the evaluation of bids. I have placed a copy of my letter in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment has been made of the impact of the Newbury bypass on habitats of protected species;. [8410]

I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the compulsory purchase order was made to acquire land on which the Newbury bypass is to be built; and when compensation will start being paid to those affected by the order. [9522]

I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the safety of the security bolt seal chosen by Railfreight for channel tunnel operations relative to that of its competitors. [8486]

The bolt seal meets the requirement laid down by the Department that any seal used must be on the Custom and Excise group 1 or 2 list. Railfreight Distribution has asked the Loss Prevention Council to undertake independent tests on the seal in the light of allegations made about it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if Railfreight is required to operate in an open-market, competitive manner in its allocation of contracts. [8487]

As with other public bodies, Railfreight Distribution must operate openly in a competitive market. EC rules require large contracts to be advertised in the Official Journal of the EU and to be available to bidders throughout the EC. I am advised that Railfreight Distribution selected the bolt seal in 1994 following the evaluation of a number of seals. In EC and Railfreight Distribution procurement terms this was a small contract. However, Railfreight Distribution has agreed that the next contract will be put out for full competitive tender.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what considerations led Railfreight to require all users of the channel tunnel to use the same security bolt seal; and what are his powers in this respect. [8488]

This is entirely a management matter for the British Railways Board and Railfreight Distribution. I understand from the BR Board that for managerial and control purposes Railfreight Distribution needed a single, easily recognisable set of seals to permit rapid verification of the integrity of cargoes at depots in all weathers. It concluded that acceptance of more than one manufacturer's product could result in a multiplicity of seals which in Railfreight Distribution's view would have impeded the safe and efficient discharge of its responsibilities. The BR Board has reviewed this decision and agreed that this was correct in the circumstances.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration his safety inspectorate has given to the security seal policy of Railfreight; and what is its judgment thereon. [8489]

Security matters are the responsibility of my Department's transport security division. Its inspectors routinely consider all aspects of channel tunnel security. They do not consider that there are any security problems with the seal system in use by Railfreight Distribution.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has met representatives of the British security seal industry about Railfreight's policy on security seals for the channel tunnel; and if he will make a statement. [8490]

I have had one meeting with Mr. Bill Tait, the former chairman of the Security Seal Industry Association, and I have been in correspondence with the current chairman, Mr. Ken Lloyd. The policy on the use and control of seals is for Railfreight Distribution to determine. The Department's role is to lay down the standard of seal required.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to allow formal local government membership of his London airports surface access study steering group. [8532]

To keep it at a manageable size, the membership of the steering group for the London airports surface access study is restricted to representatives from several Government Departments and from transport and airport operators.During the study, advice and information is being sought from other interested parties, including local authorities and local authority groups, such as the South and West London Transport Conference—Sweltrac—of which Spelthorne borough council is a member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what development opportunities and possible new routes have been discussed by his London airports surface access study steering group. [8533]

The London airports surface access study is examining the opportunities for improving surface access to and between London's main airports—Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and London City airports. As well as considering new links and development opportunities, the study will assess the extent to which such improvements would relieve future congestion on road links to the airports. The LASAS consultants are reviewing a wide range of proposals and schemes and are due to report by the end of June.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he proposes to introduce to (a) discourage the use of the car and (b) encourage the use of alternative forms of transport. [8600]

Measures to discourage the use of the car and encourage alternatives are being promoted by local authorities within the context of the package approach. The need for further measures has been discussed widely as part of the national debate on transport policy, on which the Government intend to produce a further report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action his Department is currently taking to increase the amount of public information available in respect of the environmental effects of car pollution. [8603]

My Department regularly issues advice in official publications to motorists and operators on environmentally conscious driving and, in conjunction with the Department of Environment, is undertaking a number of initiatives to increase the amount of public information available.One recent initiative, under the aegis of the Greener Motoring Forum, was the launch of a pilot information campaign, with garages and dealerships in five cities. This offered motorists a free exhaust emissions test and a booklet, "Running a greener car," explaining what they can do to improve their car's environmental performance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rural bus routes have been (a) withdrawn and (b) curtailed since 1979. [8602]

The Traffic Commissioners' records of bus service registrations, variations and withdrawals do not differentiate between rural and urban routes, and so the information requested cannot be provided. The annual report of the Traffic Commissioners shows the total numbers of services withdrawn or varied for each traffic area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rural train stations have closed since 1979. [8601]

Twenty stations in rural locations have been closed since 1979.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of his Department's transport research budget is devoted to investigating transport by (a) rail and (b) road; and what sums his Department has spent on these areas in the last year for which figures are available. [8604]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 9 January 1996, Official Report, column 49. It is primarily for the rail industry to commission research particular to its needs. In 1994–95 my Department spent £69,000 on research devoted to investigating transport by rail and £33,800,000 on research devoted to investigating transport by road.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has to advance a national integrated transport strategy. [8605]

Decisions on the future direction of transport policy will be taken in the light of the national transport debate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of the powers to make statutory instruments exercisable by the Secretary of State under primary legislation enacted since 1979 are subject to (a) the negative and (b) the affirmative resolution procedure. [9589]

Records of the powers and the parliamentary procedures specified in relation to them are not kept and the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions in the past five years the holder of his office has travelled overseas at public expense without being accompanied by civil servants. [9813]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the environmental organisations he has met over the past year to discuss transport issues. [8599]

Since taking up my position in July, I have had meetings with a number of environmental organisations, including:

• The Cyclists Public Affairs Group
• English Heritage
• English Nature
• The Environmental Transport Association
• The National Trust
• The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution
• The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
• Transport 2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list existing contracts between the Highways Agency and the United Kingdom company Newarthill and its subsidiaries. [9722]

Newarthill is the ultimate parent company of a number of subsidiary firms making up the Sir Robert McAlpine group. The Highways Agency's business contracts are confined to Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd., which is presently undertaking one contract in joint venture with Fitzpatrick Contractors Ltd. The contract is the A406 Silver street to Hall lane, Fore street underpass, which commenced on 24 April 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what levels of noise and settlement in combination with each other will qualify as a serious effect under the Union Railways discretionary purchase scheme published in July 1995 in relation to the channel tunnel rail link. [9088]

[holding answer 15 January 1996]: The discretionary purchase guidelines placed in the Library on 19 July 1995 outline the type of factors that Union Railways Ltd. takes into account when deciding whether the enjoyment of a property is likely to be seriously affected. The factors listed are not exhaustive and other factors and combination of factors will be taken into account when considering individual applications.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response Her Majesty's Government have made to appeals for food aid in response to the famine in North Korea; and if he will make a statement. [9068]

The ODA contributed £150,000 through UN agencies and the International Red Cross to give food and other relief supplies last autumn. We have recently agreed to fund two Save the Children Fund nutritionalists to work with the World Food Programme in North Korea on famine assessment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Sri Lankan Government on providing financial and material help to rebuild Jaffna; and if he will make a statement. [8559]

We have made clear to the Sri Lankan Government on a number of occasions that we are ready to help in assessing the rehabilitation of power supplies in Jaffna as soon as peace has been restored and the relevant Sri Lankan officials are in place.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial assistance he plans to make available to Cyprus when a settlement is agreed; and if he will make a statement. [8551]

The question of any financial assistance to Cyprus in the context of a settlement will be considered at the appropriate time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what public opinion surveys his Department has undertaken on attitudes to aid and development issues. [8875]

As part of a survey on the effectiveness of its external communications, the ODA commissioned National Opinion Poll to conduct a public opinion survey in November 1995 which looked generally at the way the public viewed the aid programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which five recipient countries have received the largest (a) increase and (b) decrease in United Kingdom bilateral aid since 1992. [8871]

Statistics on aid expenditure usually relate to financial years, and in this case cover the changes between 1992–93 and 1994–95, the latest year for which information is available. The table gives the requested information for expenditure on the ODA aid programme, excluding the Commonwealth Development Corporation and expenditure from other Government Departments.