To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made to ensure the withdrawal from Bosnia-Herzegovina of Mujahedden fighters in accordance with the peace accord. [10287]

Under the terms of the Bosnia peace agreement, the deadline for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Bosnia expired on 13 January. NATO has reported general compliance, although some individuals remain in theatre. Efforts to ensure full compliance continue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what protests he has made to the Croatian Government about the expulsion and harassment of ethnic Serbs in the Krajina; what the Croat response has been; and what further communication he has had with the Croatian Government about the situation in the Krajina. [10291]

Following the Croatian offensive in the Krajina in August 1995, we joined EU partners in condemning the action and calling for the refugees who fled to be allowed to return. The EU also suspended negotiations on a trade and co-operation agreement and the PHARE programme. Since then, we have supported the UN Security Council statement condemning continued Croatian human rights abuses in the area. We have made it clear to the Croatian Government that there is no prospect of their developing a close relationship with the EU while the treatment of minorities in Croatia continues to cause concern. My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs made these points personally to President Tudjman during his visit in September.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken by the UN war crimes tribunal to bring to justice Croats alleged to have committed war crimes in the Krajina. [10290]

The tribunal does not comment on operational aspects of its investigations. However, its mandate is to investigate those accused of war crimes in the former Yugoslavia, regardless of ethnic origin.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has in respect of relations between the Muslims and Croats in Bogojono in central Bosnia; and what problems IFOR forces have meet in implementing the peace accord in that area. [10292]

Bugojno is one of the towns included in a small programme agreed at Dayton for the return of a limited number of displaced persons to their places of origin. Two hundred Bosnian Croat families were to return to Bugojno. The majority have yet to do so.IFOR has not reported encountering any serious problems in implementing the peace agreement in the area around Bugojno.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what property belonging to the London residuary body still remains in county hall, London SE1. [8775]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what changes he has made since 1990 to the controls over the import of species deemed by his Department to be unlikely to survive in captivity. [8778]

EC regulations governing the import of endangered species into the Community fully superseded national legislation on completion of the single market in 1993. In June 1995, the Council of Ministers reached political agreement on a new EC wildlife trade regulation which would enable member states collectively to impose restrictions on the import of live specimens of species which have a high mortality rate during shipment or which are unlikely to survive in captivity. Subject to satisfactory completion of its remaining stages, the proposed regulation is expected to come into force on 1 January 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what sum in debt interest was charged by Kent county council in (a) 1993–94 and (b) 1994–95. [10441]

The debt interest paid by Kent county council from the general fund revenue account was £37,170.000 in 1993–94 and £38,492,000 in 1994–95.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to lay the order conferring unitary status on the city of Leicester. [10529]

The Leicestershire (City of Leicester and District of Rutland) (Structural Change) Order 1996 was laid yesterday, Thursday 18 January 1996.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what responses he has received to the consultation document "More Choice in the Social Rented Sector" issued on 13 July 1995; and if he will make a statement. [11312]

The consultation paper set out Government proposals to increase competition in the social rented sector by removing current restrictions on who should be able to compete for Housing Corporation grant or take on transferred local authority housing. It argued that new forms of non-profit landlord should be able to register with the corporation, and that a licensing system should be established to enable profit-making landlords to receive grant and transferred stock. A series of proposals regarding the monitoring and regulation of social housing were put forward, including rent controls and provisions to recoup excessive surpluses. The paper also proposed the establishment of a statutory ombudsman for the independent social rented sector, and sought views on the appropriate approach to determining the standards to which housing schemes must conform.Two hundred and sixty responses were received. A list of respondents has been placed in the Library of the House. Copies of individual responses may be obtained through the Library. In addition, four responses were submitted on a confidential basis.These replies have been considered carefully. The Government have decided to proceed at once with proposals to allow new forms of non-profit landlord, such as local housing companies, to register with the Housing Corporation, and to establish a statutorily independent ombudsman. The necessary provisions are contained in the Housing Bill which was published today. The Bill also provides new powers for the Housing Corporation to protect publicly funded stock and tenants' interests in the event of a landlord becoming insolvent.In order to facilitate further transfers of local authority stock to these and other registered landlords, the Government will adopt a more flexible approach to the size limit for transfers. In future, transfers over the 5,000 dwellings limit will be eligible in exceptional circumstances. My Department intends to issue revised guidance on housing transfers incorporating advice on this and other policy changes.The Government also intend to take forward its proposals to introduce profit-making landlords to the sector, with the associated controls over rents and surpluses. Because of the urgent need to deal with leasehold issues in a Bill of manageable size, legislation to effect this proposal will be deferred. My Department will consult on draft clauses for these provisions, with a view to including them in future legislation. Given the postponement of legislation on opening up competition on housing association grant to profit-making companies, the Government do not intend to abolish tax relief grant at this stage.On scheme development standards, the Housing Corporation will retain the present approach for the time being. The Department of Environment and the Housing Corporation are commissioning a study into the feasibility of developing a series of housing quality indicators. A report is expected in May. A further statement on scheme development standards will be made at that time.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to amend part I of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993. [11313]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 18 January, in answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Gravesham (Mr. Arnold) a number of proposals to strengthen leaseholders' rights against unreasonable behaviour by their landlords. One of these proposals was to bring forward amendments to the Housing Bill, which is published today, to permit collective enfranchisement in properties where flying freeholds have been created.In addition, the Housing Bill contains four provisions, all of a relatively technical nature, to amend the provisions of the 1993 Act relating to leasehold enfranchisement of flats and to the right to buy an extended lease. The provisions are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of private flows from the UK to developing countries went to (a) the least developed third countries and (b) the poorest 50 countries, [8950]

Private flows consist of direct investment, export credit and other flows.The table gives details of direct investment and private export credit flows from the United Kingdom for the latest available years to the low income countries—56 countries whose GNP per capita was $675 or less in 1992—and to the least developed countries—48 countries defined by the UN as least developed, based on certain economic and social criteria. Some 26 per cent. of total UK direct investment went to low-income countries in 1993. Little of this was to the least-developed countries, a category which includes many francophone countries where British business has traditionally played only a small role.Figures on export credits represented net flows—that is, disbursements less repayments. It is not possible to give proportions of the total in this case. Table 2 therefore shows individual country details only.Country breakdowns of other private flows are not available.

Table 1: Direct investment in 1993
Low income countries	£ million
Egypt	13.32
Ghana	35.96
Kenya	35.96
Malawi	4.66
Nigeria	347.65
Tanzania	2.00
Uganda	1.33
Zambia	0.67
Zimbabwe	36.63
Bangladesh	6.66
India	137.86
Pakistan	26.64
Sir Lanka	8.66
China	21.31
Indonesia	15.32
Total	694.63
Total direct investment	2,668
Total as percentage of total direct investment	26 per cent.
LLDCs
Malawi	4.66
Tanzania	2.00
Uganda	1.33
Zambia	0.67
Bangladesh	6.66
Total	15.32
Total direct investment	2,668
Total as percentage to total direct investment	0.6 per cent.

Table 2: Net private export credits 1994
Low income countries	£ million
Egypt	-17.23
Ethiopia	0.13
Ghana	24.07
Ivory Coast	-0.83
Kenya	-30.03
Lesotho	0.11
Malawi	-0.75
Mozambique	-0.12
Tanzania	-0.01
Uganda	-1.20
Zambia	-0.19
Zimbabwe	-8.75
Yemen	-0.09
Bangladesh	-0.91
Bhutan	1.45
India	12.63
Maldives	-0.11
Nepal	-1.38
Pakistan	2.49

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs by what mechanisms British development co-operation policies are co-ordinated at Government level with particular reference to (a) debt and (b) environmental matters. [8951]

Regular consultations take place between Her Majesty's Treasury, the diplomatic and ODA wings of the FCO and the Export Credits Guarantee Department to ensure that the British Government's developmental objectives are fully reflected in its policies on developing country debt.Similarly, interdepartmental groups, including representatives from the Overseas Development Administration and the Department of the Environment meet regularly to consider the important relationship between environment and development issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much United Kingdom aid was spent on humanitarian relief and emergencies in the last year for which figures are available. [9114]

I refer the hon. Member to the information contained in table 10 of the 1995 edition of "British Aid Statistics", a copy of which is in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the programmes within the overseas aid budget which will be affected by real expenditure reductions in 1996–97 and the following two years; and by how much each programme will be reduced. [10308]

Planning figures for the period 1996–97 to 1998–99 are being finalised. As usual, the main details of our planned expenditure for this period will be published in the 1996 FCO departmental report in March.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Government's policy in respect of reaching the agreed UN target for aid as a percentage of GNP. [10561]

We have not set a timetable for reaching the 0.7 per cent. target. Progress towards the target will depend upon our economic circumstances and on other priorities for public expenditure.In 1994, our aid to GNP ratio was 0.31 per cent. above the average for all OECD donors of 0.29 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 16 January 1996, Official Report, column 506, in respect of the ODA's fundamental expenditure review, if he will list those countries deemed to be in transition. [10764]

Following are countries of central and eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union which are not also classified as developing countries:

Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovak Republic and Ukraine.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the projected annual cost of patrolling the Irish box to prevent overfishing; and what estimate he has formed of the proportion of overfishing likely to be committed by each EU member state. [9268]

Fisheries surveillance and enforcement at sea within British fishery limits, including that part of the Irish box falls within UK jurisdiction, is undertaken by the Royal Navy's fishery protection squadron and vessels from the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland at an annual operating cost of some £13 million. No separate estimate is made of the cost of patrolling that part of the Irish box falling within British fishery limits.The measures for regulating fishing effort in western waters, including the Irish box, from 1 January this year, require each member state to monitor the uptake of fishing effort by its vessels over 18m overall length and to take action to prevent fishing activity once any effort allocation for a zone fishery has been exhausted.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the cause of death of the sheep found dead at Dover harbour on 18 December on a truck carrying a consignment of sheep destined for export through Dover; what was done with the carcasses on discovery, and for what reason; what action was taken by his officials in respect of the surviving sheep; where the dead sheep started their journey and what was the final destination stated in the journey plan; if any prosecution is to be brought in respect of the dead animals; and if he will make a statement. [9270]

The two carcasses were found during inspection of the consignment prior to loading on to the vessel at Dover. The driver was directed to proceed to a local premises: the live sheep were unloaded under supervision and behaved normally. Post mortem inspections were carried out on the two dead sheep, which revealed congestion of the lungs. The consignment had set out from Hereford at 09.45 and arrived at Dover at 15.10. The matter has been investigated by the State Veterinary Service and Kent county council but no evidence was found to link the death of the sheep to the conditions of transport. The live sheep were all rested until the following day, when they were re-inspected and allowed to proceed to their final destination in France.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will set out all the information as to the final destination provided in the journey plans submitted in respect of the export of sheep in May 1995 for field slaughter near Paris; what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the destination with the provisions of paragraph 1(b) of article 3 of EC directive 91/628 on the protection of animals during transport; and if he will make a statement. [9351]

[holding answer 16 January 1996]: Sheep shown to have been slaughtered at a religious festival near Paris last May had been consigned in late April from a starting point near Dover to an address in Mitry Mory, Paris. There is no evidence to suggest that irregularities occurred in relation to the provisions of directive 91/628. The animals were slaughtered several days after being delivered to their declared destination: there is no reason why they should not have been moved on from that destination after a suitable period of rest, and provision of food and water.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what statutory provisions prevent the United Kingdom from unilaterally withdrawing from the common agricultural and common fisheries policies without withdrawing from the European Commission. [9581]

The principles and objectives of the common agricultural policy and common fisheries policy are to be found in articles 38 to 46 of the EC treaty. By virtue of article N of the treaty on European Union, amendments to the EC treaty can be made only by unanimity. This effectively prevents the UK unilaterally withdrawing from these policies even if it were in our interests to do so.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action his Department has taken to trace the previous owners of the herd of cattle containing confirmed BSE cases at Old Hall farm, Gargrave, if he will list the names and addresses of the owners; and if he will indicate the date of birth and death of each cow. [10445]

When a case of BSE is detected in an animal on a dealer's premises, MAFF makes every effort possible to trace the vendor of the animal and then confirms BSE on the vendor's premises. The detailed information requested would, however be available only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to advocate a ban on the use of drift nets in European Union waters. [8769]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Glanford and Scunthorpe (Mr. Morley) on 7 December 1995, Official Report, column 372.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the numbers and species of birds and sea mammals trapped and killed in drift nets used in British territorial waters in the last 12-month period for which details are available. [8770]

Drift nets used in British territorial waters do not usually exceed 500 m in length. The Ministry has not made a recent assessment of the numbers and species of birds and sea mammals caught in them. However, some information about by-catches in the English north-east coast salmon drift net fishery was included in the Government's 1991 report on salmon net fisheries. This noted that:

despite frequently being seen around nets, seals were very rarely caught;

harbour porpoises occasionally became entangled in the drift nets but, because the fishermen have to remain with their salmon gear, they were normally able to release them;

guillemots, razorbills and very occasionally puffins were caught but the netsmen endeavoured to remove them alive.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his current estimate of the number of dolphins killed as a result of tuna fishing off the western coasts of Britain during 1995. [8771]

I placed in the Library on 20 December a copy of a report by the sea mammal research unit on cetacean by-catch by UK vessels in the 1995 north-east Atlantic tuna fishery. The report records an observed by-catch of 29 striped dolphins and 17 common dolphins, from which the research unit estimated that the total by-catch by the UK fleet was 104 striped and 61 common dolphins. These figures are a very small proportion of the estimated dolphin population size in the area. I do not have equivalent figures for the dolphins killed by the tuna fishing vessels of other countries.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cattle have been moved from the mainland United Kingdom to Northern Ireland in each month since January 1994 to date. [8781]

[holding answer 15 January 1996]: The information requested is shown in the table. The figures are derived from the ANIMO system and show the number of cattle certified for export from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. They remain provisional and subject to amendment.

	1994	1995
January	677	3,488
February	534	3,317
March	705	2,093
April	961	1,153
May	1,587	1,656
June	0	1,803
July	289	1,084
August	1,202	2,580
September	1,426	2,092
October	3,809	3,579
November	3,729	1,464
December	3,114	1—
1Figures have not yet been collated for December 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the cost-effectiveness of having Home Office controllers at Doncaster prison. [8054]

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 on how many occasions since January 1990 inmates in HMP Holloway have been kept in bodybelts for more than 12 hours. [8420]

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 (1) what plans Her Majesty's Government have to deal with repeat sex offenders; and if he will make a statement; [9678](2) what plans Her Majesty's Government have for the co-ordination on a national level of efforts to apprehend paedophile, child pornographers and those who use child pornography; [9676]3) what plans Her Majesty's Government have for the adoption of a national register of paedophiles; and if he will make a statement; [9679](4) what percentage of people previously convicted of sex offences against children have since November 1993 reoffended after release; and what plans Her Majesty's Government have for monitoring the rate of repeat sex offences against children. [9677]

The Government are considering a range of proposals to deal more effectively with sex offenders. I have already proposed that anyone convicted for the second time of a serious sexual or violent offence should receive an automatic life sentence. They would then only be released when they no longer presented a threat to the public. Full details for these proposals will be set out in a White Paper in the spring.A national police intelligence network on paedophiles already exists and a dedicated paedophile unit within the National Criminal Intelligence Service maintains a database of those who are actively involved in paedophilia. The unit is responsible for developing and disseminating intelligence on those involved in offences of paedophilia both nationally and internationally. Phoenix, the new criminal records database on the police national computer, will give the police instant access to full details of persons convicted of all serious offences, including paedophile and other sex offences.Statistics on the convictions and the reconvictions of sex offenders do not separately identify offences against children. The special information requested is not therefore available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to abolish the year and a day rule in respect of murder. [9834]

A Bill to abolish the rule is now before Parliament, having been introduced by the hon. Member for Warrington, North (Mr. Hoyle) on 13 December 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests have been made in the Metropolitan police area of ticket touts under provisions in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994; and how many prosecutions were subsequently entered into. [8773]

Section 166 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 makes it an offence for an unauthorised person to sell a ticket for a designated football match in a public place or a place to which the public has access or otherwise by way of a trade or business. The offence came into force on 3 November 1994 and since then there have been 189 arrests for this offence in the Metropolitan police area.The number of prosecutions in the latter part of 1994 cannot be separately identified from other summary offences. Information on 1995 court proceedings data will be available this autumn.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions travelling football supporters have been stopped and searched under provisions contained in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. [8774]

The information requested is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimated cost of the computer or computers being purchased for his office's C6 division (probation); and what was the original budget for the acquisition of this equipment. [10144]

Some 63 personal computers are to be installed in C6 division as part of my Department's programme to provide networked office systems to 2,750 staff in the central areas. The total capital costs for this programme, known as POISE—planned office information systems environment—were estimated in the business case to be £7.6 million over a period of seven years. This estimate remains valid and the capital costs of the C6 division installation may be taken to be proportionate at around £174,000.Currently there are 72 personal computers in C6 division which were purchased piecemeal or as part of an earlier version of POISE over several years. The estimated cost is £95,000 in total and the purchases were made from a centralised budget set aside for ad hoc information technology support.In addition, IT equipment is being purchased by the probation services as part of the National Probation Service information systems strategy which covers the needs of the 55 probation services in England and Wales. The estimated capital cost of the national strategy is £31.9 million over five years from 1994–95 to 1998–99. This was the original budget and remains the estimated costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on links between homelessness and offending in the last five years; and what conclusions were reached. [10447]

No such studies have been commissioned to my Department, although a study of young people and crime contains limited data on young runaways. It found that 7 per cent. of a total sample of 1,721 young people in England and Wales aged 14 to 25 reported staying away from home for at least one night without their parents' knowledge prior to the age of 16 and that of these nearly half the females and nearly three quarters of the males had committed at least three offences or one serious offence at some time in their lives.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funds have been transferred from the Department of Social Security to his office as a result of the changes in the regulations relating to housing benefit for prisoners. [10454]

The information is as follows:

• 1995–96: £324,000
• 1996–97: £298,000
• 1997–98: £305,000
• 1998–99: £312,000 and beyond

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was, in the constant prices, investment in new plant and machinery per manufacturing employee in each year since 1973; and what is his estimate of the proportion invested in (a) replacing labour and (b) increased capacity. [9796]

The level of investment in plant and machinery per employee in constant prices for manufacturing industry are shown in the table. Consistent figures for manufacturing employment are not available before 1978. The data do not distinguish the reason for the investment.

Manufacturing investment in plant and machinery per manufacturing employee at 1990 prices
	£
1978	1,395
1979	1,486
1980	1,441
1981	1,278
1982	1,322
1983	1,408
1984	1,694
1985	1,976
1986	2,017
1987	1,869
1988	2,299
1989	2,473
1990	2,437
1991	2,393

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what were the figures for (a) manufacturing employment and (b) manufacturing output in (i) 1974, (ii) 1979, (iii) 1984, (iv) 1989 and (v) 1994; and what are the latest figures available for 1995. [9399]

Figures for manufacturing employees and output are shown in the table.Consistent figures for employees are not available for 1974.

	Manufacturing employees-millions	Manufacturing output 1990 = 100
1974	—	93.4
1979	6.75	90.6
1984	5.05	82.2
1989	4.85	100.2
1994	3.95	99.2
1995 September	3.94	101.1
1995 November	—	101.4

Figures for employees 1979 to 1994 refer to June each year. Standard Industrial Classification 1992 Section D.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what amount of regional development grants ICL Technical Plastics received since 1988; at what cost; and for what purpose. [10194]

For reasons of commercial confidentiality, we do not disclose details of payments of grants to individual companies. Information on individual accepted offers of regional selective assistance over £75,000 is given in the Employment Gazette.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what information is currently collected by his Department in respect of the (a) shortest, (b) longest and (c) average length of a miner's working shift in each of the privatised coal companies since 1993. [9950]

This information is not collected by the Department.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 16 January, Official Report, column 497, if he will ensure that information on the new British Standard for carbon monoxide detectors is included in the gas safety leaflets to be circulated to the public in April. [10554]

Details of the planned British Standard on carbon monoxide detectors will be incorporated in the safety leaflets on the dangers of carbon monoxide to be circulated to the public in April, unless the Department receives information that the publication date of this standard will be significantly delayed.

To ask the President of Board of Trade if he will list for each existing Business Link the members of its board, indicating which firm they work for and how many people that firm employs. [10416]

The information requested is not available. It could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the level of grants under the shipbuilding intervention fund. [11219]

As I announced to the House on 20 December, the EC shipbuilding regime laid down by the seventh directive will continue until the OECD shipbuilding agreement enters into force, or until 30 September 1996 at the latest.Following a decision of the European Commission, I have decided that the maximum level of support for this period from the shipbuilding intervention fund shall continue to be 9 per cent. for large ships. This is inclusive of the shipbuilders' tax relief of 2 per cent.I have similarly decided that the maximum level for small ships from 1 January for this period shall continue to be 4.5 per cent. This is inclusive of shipbuilders' tax relief. These levels are the maximum permitted by the EC shipbuilding regime.The OECD agreement is due to come into force by 15 July 1996. When it comes into force, support from the shipbuilding intervention fund and equivalent support in other signatory countries, will be terminated. Shipbuilders' tax relief in respect of merchant ships will be terminated at the same time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what will be the level of funding of youth work in Northern Ireland next year; what was the expenditure in the current financial year; and if he will make a statement. [8640]

Funding figures for 1996–97 allocations to the youth service in Northern Ireland are subject to parliamentary approval. It is anticipated that there will be a rise in the budget of the Youth Council for Northern Ireland of 2.5 per cent. on the planning figure of £2,161,000 for 1995–96.Funding for the youth service in Northern Ireland is also included within the block grant allocations of the local education and library boards. The determination of the levels of funding and allocation of these funds rests with the individual boards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proposals he has for capital expenditure on further education in Belfast. [8641]

Further education projects such as that planned at the Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education compete with projects in other sectors for a place in the annual capital new starts programme. The 1996–97 programme, which will be announced shortly, will be constructed from schemes with a high priority which are sufficiently advanced in planning within the total education estate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what will be the level of the funding of higher education in Northern Ireland in 1996–97; what was the expenditure in 1995–96; and if he will make a statement on the impact of the settlement on the unit of resource in higher education. [8639]

The Department of Education for Northern Ireland is advised on the funding of the two Northern Ireland universities by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. It will be some weeks yet before HEFCE is in a position to advise the Department on the levels of funding for the 1996–97 academic year. Until the funding allocations are known, it is not possible to assess the impact on the unit of resource.Total recurrent and capital funding to the Northern Ireland universities in the 1995–96 academic year will amount to some £117 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the Royal Ulster Constabulary divisional station in the city of Armagh has been provided with a Union flag; what advice has been issued to the Royal Ulster Constabulary of the days on which the Union flag should be flown; for what reasons the Union flag is not flown on such days at Armagh Royal Ulster Constabulary station; and if arrangements will be made to fly the Union flag at this Royal Ulster Constabulary station. [9208]

The Union flag is flown over all RUC buildings, including Armagh RUC station, in accordance with RUC instructions. These instructions require that the flag be flown from 8 am to sunset on 19 specified occasions throughout the year. Armagh RUC station has been provided with a flag for this purpose.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the target numbers for enrolment at each grant-maintained integrated school in Northern Ireland; and which of these schools have reached their target number. [9306]

Development proposals for new grant-maintained integrated schools are expected to demonstrate the potential for minimum enrolments of 100 pupils in primary schools after about seven years of operation and 300 pupils in secondary schools after about five years of operation. All new schools that have been in existence for these periods have in fact exceeded these minimum figures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what is the present religious composition of pupils in the enrolment at each grant-maintained integrated school in Northern Ireland; [9307](2) on what basis pupils enrolled at grant-maintained integrated schools in Northern Ireland are defined as Protestant or Roman Catholic. [9308]

Parents of pupils attending grant-maintained integrated schools are required to declare the religion of their children to schools. This information is included in the annual school census return.The present religious composition of pupils in the enrolment of each grant maintained integrated school is as follows:

School	Protestant pupils	Roman catholic pupils	Other pupils	Total
Primary
Acorn	45	33	2	80
Braidside	40	31	78	149
Bridge	111	138	8	257
Corran	46	48	6	100
Cranmore	27	34	19	80
Enniskillen	64	96	26	186
Hazelwood IPS	117	149	68	334
Lough View	25	18	8	51
Millstrand	62	51	70	183
Oakgrove IPS	99	141	22	262
Omagh	42	63	19	124
Portadown	50	73	28	151
Saints and Scholars	29	41	4	74
Windmill	59	61	13	133
Secondary
Erne College	15	43	3	61
Hazelwood College	205	370	61	636
Lagan College	417	403	97	917
Oakgrove	87	174	19	280
Shimna College	13	45	2	60

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish details of the total public expenditure to date allocated to grant-maintained integrated schools in Northern Ireland. [9209]

Allocations from 1991–92 to date total £11.8 million for capital expenditure and £36.4 million for recurrent expenditure.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the impact of the national lottery on raising funds to support the development and operation of the hospice movement and hospices; what plans he has to ensure the financial security of hospices; and if he will make a statement. [9283]

We have not made any assessment of the impact of the national lottery on the fund-raising activities of the hospices in Northern Ireland. We understand that the National Council for Hospice and Palliative Care Services is keeping this matter under review. To help ensure the financial security of hospices, health and social services boards have been asked to enter into contracts for the purchase of hospice services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of the electricity needs of Northern Ireland it is expected will be provided by the interconnector with Scotland if it is fully operational. [9374]

Under the terms of the agreement entered into between Northern Ireland Electricity plc and Scottish Power plc approximately 20 per cent. of the demand on the Northern Ireland electricity system will be met by the interconnector, when fully operational.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations have been received about the threat to the proposed electricity interconnector from munitions dumped around Beaufort's dyke. [9375]

None. The Scottish Office Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Departments published on 8 January 1996 an interim report on the recent survey of the Beaufort's dyke munitions disposal site and surrounding areas. Further survey work will be carried out.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) 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; [9229](2) what guidance he intends to issue to local authorities about the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and if he will make a statement; [9247](3) what guidance he intends to issue to health authorities and trusts about the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and if he will make a statement. [9243]

In Northern Ireland, the Training and Employment Agency is currently consulting on a draft code of practice relating to the employment provisions in the Act and statutory guidance related to the definition of disability. Consultation on proposals for regulations under the employment and definition provisions of the Act is also currently underway. The Department of Health and Social Services will be asking the Northern Ireland Disability Council, when it first meets, to produce and consult a code of practice relating to the rights of access to goods and services. The Department of Health and Social Services will also be consulting on associated regulations. All these items will be published in plenty of time to allow employers and service providers in Northern Ireland to prepare themselves for the introduction of the new rights and duties. I will ensure that Northern Ireland Departments and any bodies for which they are responsible will be made aware of their responsibilities under the Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures are in place to ensure that the inaccessibility of school transport is not a restricting factor in integrating disabled children into mainstream schools; and if he will make a statement. [9249]

Where an education and library board maintains a statement of special educational needs in respect of a pupil, the board has the statutory duty under article 31 of the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 to arrange for the special educational provision specified in the statement to be made. Where a board considered that it was necessary to make arrangements for home-to-school transport to enable a pupil to benefit from special educational provision, it would specify these in the statement also. If ordinary bus services were not accessible to the child concerned, alternative suitable arrangements would be made, for example by using taxi services or by securing a place on a specially adapted bus. These arrangements would apply whether the special educational provision were being provided at a special school or a mainstream school.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his Department's policy in relation to the development of sports for disabled people. [9290]

	Estimated population of 12 year olds	Number of schoolchildren1 tested	Number of schooldchildren testing negative2	Number of schoolchildren3 vaccinated	Percentage of schoolchildren3 vaccinated
1980	87,067	83,165	74,147	72,422	97.7
1985	71,924	79,001	71,377	69,562	97.5
1994	65,054	57,725	53,754	51,785	96.3
1Figures may include children other than aged 12 where, for instance, testing focuses on school classes rather than age specifically.
2i.e. without natural immunity.
3Only children testing negative are vaccinated. Figure therefore excludes those who tested positive and who for any other reason, such as parental request, were not vaccinated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what work his Department is currently undertaking on health service clinical outcomes; and what plans he has to publish comparative data on clinical outcomes in each NHS trust and health board area in Scotland. [9202]

A report updating and refining the outcome indicators published in December 1994 will be published next month. A further report containing new indicators is planed for publication later in the year.

To ask the Secretary of state for Scotland if he will publish the target figure in monetary terms for the return on capital for each NHS trust annually since their inception and the actual return

My Department's policy in this regard is based on the 1989 publication, "Building on Ability". The principles of this publication have been enshrined in a policy framework document prepared by the NI Sports Council in 1993 on sport for people with disability.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when the number of BCG vaccinations delivered to school children will, on current trends, reach the level recorded in (a) 1985 and (b) 1980; and if he will make a statement. [7367]

Current practice is to provide tuberculin testing for school children aged around 12. Where the test is negative, BCG vaccination is offered. Figures published by the Registrar General for Scotland show that the number of 12-year-olds declined substantially over the period between 1980 and 1994. In consequence, the number of vaccinations has also decreased and, on current trends, the number of children vaccinated is unlikely, in the foreseeable future, to reach the levels recorded in these earlier years. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which advises Health Ministers on vaccination issues, is reviewing the current arrangements for BCG testing and vaccination in schools and its recommendations, when available, will be carefully considered. Data on population, testing and vaccination in the years 1980, 1985 and 1994 are given in the following table.as capital annually; and how much of the actual surplus was

The information requested is set out in the table and was taken from NHS trust accounts for financial years 1992–93, 1993–94 and 1994–95.

Return on capital for 1992–93
£000
Trust name	Target return	Actual reurn	Retained by trust	Returned
Aberdeen Royal Hospitals NHS Trust	7,503	8,580	2,707	5,873
South Ayrshire Hospitals NHS Trust	2,900	3,011	480	2,531
Total	10,403	11,591	3,187	8,404

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 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. [9140]

The heads of the Scottish Office executive agencies recognise the importance of providing effective support for staff about to retire. The method used to provide that support can vary from agency to agency and is a matter for each chief executive, but many of them use facilities provided through the Scottish Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which capital projects are currently being considered under the private finance initiative; and what is the cost of each project. [9031]

The following projects are the subject of negotiation or are expected to be put out to tender soon:

Project	Estimated capital value (£million)
Highland Regional Council: Fort William/Inverness sewage treatment scheme	45
Edinburgh Healthcare NHS Trust: Ferryfield house: elderly beds	2
Greater Glasgow Community and Mental Health Services Trust: Stobhill Hospital: acute mental health beds	7.4
Hairmyres and Stonehouse NHS Trust: new hospital	70
Law Hospital NHS Trust: health information system	2.5
Perth and Kinross Healthcare NHS Trust: health information system	2.5
Dundee District Council: Baldovie waste to energy facility	40
Grampian Health Board: Stonehaven health services	3.8
Law Hospital NHS Trust: new hospital	120
M6 completion	1110.0
Ayrshire and Arran Community Health Trust: East Ayrshire health services	8.0
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh NHS Trust: new hospital	140.0
Western General Hospital NHS Trust (Edinburgh): new hospital	95.0
1Estimated value of remaining Scottish section.

Six projects are currently in progress, contracts have been let. These are all in the health sector and have a total estimated capital value of £22.9 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the scope of his announcement that local authorities will now be able to bid for Scottish Homes properties which were earmarked for transfer. [9252]

The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities proposal that local authorities should be able to bid more widely for Scottish Homes stock was included in the consultation paper, "Devolution of Power to Councils", which was issued on 29 December and is currently the subject of consultation. Until a decision is taken following the responses to the consultation exercise, the current policy will continue to be applied.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representation he has received concerning the need for an inquiry into the undersea section of the proposed electricity interconnector with Northern Ireland; what response he has given; and if he will make a statement. [9320]

My right hon. Friend has received one such representation. This was passed to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport in view of his responsibilities under section 34 of the Coast Protection Act 1949.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his latest assessment of the impact of local government reorganisation on the provision of services for disabled people; what guidelines he (a) has Issued and (b) intends to issue to unitary authorities on the provision of services for and to disabled people; what arrangements he intends to put in place to ensure the continuation of services which are currently provided across the new local government authority boundaries; and if he will make a statement. [9236]

The new local government arrangements will allow authorities the flexibility to establish procedures and structures to secure the efficient and effective delivery of social work services for people with disabilities in response to local needs and circumstances.The Government have been determined to ensure a smooth transition to the new arrangements. As part of the community care planning process for 1995–98, local authorities were asked to identify both current and planned services within the new local authorities' boundaries. This will ensure that the new authorities have an informed insight on current strategic thinking and the pattern of services in their areas. The recently produced booklet "Managing Social Work Services in the Future", was distributed widely to both old and new authorities to ensure that elected members were fully aware of their authorities' responsibilities for the provision of social work services. The new authorities are also being provided with a complete package of up-dated guidance and directions on the community care arrangements.With regard to the provision of services across the new local authority boundaries, authorities will continue to be able to contract with independent sector providers in other areas. Section 58 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1994 clarified authorities's powers with regard to purchasing services from other authorities.Authorities also already have available procedures to allow them to enter joint arrangements with other authorities or independent sector organisations in consortia to develop specialist services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what measures are in place to ensure that the inaccessibility of school transport is not a restricting factor in integrating disabled children into mainstream schools; and if he will make a statement. [9257]

The provision of school transport is a matter for education authorities who have certain statutory duties, in addition to wide powers, to make appropriate arrangements in respect of disabled children who are attending mainstream schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to ensure that disabled people are represented on the health boards and health councils which he is responsible for appointing; and if he will make a statement. [9361]

A number of disabled people already serve in a non-executive capacity on health boards and NHS trusts and their contribution brings a necessary and important perspective to the boards to which they are appointed. Invitations to serve as non-executives are sought from a wide range of community, voluntary and health groups together with press advertisements to ensure the broadest range of community membership is available for health boards and NHS trusts.Responsibility for appointments to health councils rests with local health boards, who are encouraged to seek a broad representation of members appointed to serve on health councils.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has made representations to the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys concerning a question on the Scots language being included in the 2001 census; and if he will make a statement. [9383]

The Registrar General for Scotland is currently canvassing the views of a number of individuals and organisations with an interest in the Scots language. It will be some time before a decision will be taken on the merits and practicality of including a question on Scots in the census.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his policy on the supply of incontinence pads to those who require them because of disability; what plans he has to review these arrangements; and if he will make a statement. [9213]

In Scotland, general practitioners are able to prescribe incontinence pads. A range of incontinence pads is included in the Scottish drug tariff. There are no current plans to review these arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the services available to (a) children and (b) adults with autism; and what plans he has to enhance these services. [9253]

Local social work, education and health authorities are responsible for determining and responding to the social, educational and health care needs of children with autism. The Scottish Office has commissioned a research project on the incidence of autism among children in Scotland and the current education provision for autistic pupils. The project will draw on experience through the UK in considering which types of educational approaches are most appropriate for children with autism. With regard to adults with autism, under the community care arrangements, local authority social work departments, in conjunction with health and housing authorities, are responsible for assessing the requirement for care services to meet the needs of vulnerable adults living in the community. Local authorities are well funded to meet these responsibilities and must establish their priorities for service development and resource allocation in response to local circumstances.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to ensure that carers are represented on the health boards and health councils which he is responsible for appointing; and if he will make a statement. [9365]

Invitations to serve as non-executives on health boards and NHS trusts are sought from a wide range of community, voluntary and health groups, a number of whom will represent the interests of carers. Invitations are also made by press advertisements to ensure that the broadest range of community membership of health boards and NHS trusts is available.Responsibility for appointments to health councils rests with local health boards, who are similarly encouraged to ensure that a broad representation of community interests is available through the appointment of members.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the impact of the national lottery on raising funds to support the development and operation of the hospice movement and hospices; what plans he has to ensure the financial security of hospices; and if he will make a statement. [9280]

There is as yet no conclusive evidence about the impact of the national lottery on the fund-raising activities of the adult voluntary hospices in Scotland. The Scottish Office will keep in close contact with the Scottish Partnership Agency for Palliative and Cancer Care, which will continue to keep this matter under review. Two hospices have already benefited from the national lottery fund, and we have given an assurance that such funding can be treated independently of the hospices' income from their contracts with health boards.When my right hon. Friend met representatives of the hospice movement on 21 December 1995 to discuss a number of issues, including finance, he reaffirmed his view that hospices should be able to expect to receive around half of their running cost income through their contracts with health boards; and he recognised the benefits of longer contracts in increasing their financial security.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the introduction of the national lottery upon the fund-raising efforts of charities and voluntary organisations in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [9286]

There is, as yet, no conclusive evidence concerning the impact of the national lottery on the fund-raising activities of charities and voluntary organisations. However, the Government have given a commitment to monitor charitable income, and The Scottish Office is associated with a Home Office research project which will analyse and monitor changes in charitable income, following the introduction of the national lottery.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the future of the services provided by Gateside school for the deaf to

(i) Greater Glasgow Health Board: Discharges after Medical Accidents, 1980–19951
	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987
Misadventures to patients during surgical and medical care2	50	38	37	57	47	62	5	11
Drugs, medicaments and biological substances causing adverse effects in therapeutic use3	344	382	380	445	452	503	465	394
Total	394	420	417	502	499	565	470	405

	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	19951
Misadventures to patients during surgical and medical care2	13	7	12	38	76	54	91	87
Drugs, medicaments and biological substances causing adverse effects in therapeutic use3	551	444	454	609	509	549	633	534
Total	564	451	466	647	585	603	724	621
11995 data provisional.
2These figures include: (a) hospital acquired infections but exclude: (b) accidental overdoses of drugs and cases where the wrong drug was given in error (c) surgical and medical procedures as the cause of abnormal reactions by the patient, without mention of misadventure at the time of the procedure.
3These figures include: (a) correct drug properly administered in therapeutic or prophylactic dosage, as the cause of any adverse effect but exclude (b) accidental overdose of drugs and cases where the wrong drug was given in error (c) administration with suicidal or homicidal intent.

(ii) Greater Glasgow Health Board: deaths from medical accidents, 1980–1994
	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987
Misadventures to patients during surgical and medical care1	1	—	—	—	1	1	2	1
Drugs, medicaments and biological substances causing adverse effects in therapeutic use2	2	4	4	2	—	—	4	2
Total	3	4	4	2	1	1	6	3

It will be for the new Renfrewshire council and for the two other councils whose areas are currently served by staff based at Gateside school to determine how to discharge their statutory duties in respect of children belonging to their areas who have special educational needs arising from hearing impairment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the rate of medical accidents and hospital acquired infections, injuries and fatalities in the Greater Glasgow health board area in each year since 1979. [9543]

With the exception of 1979, for which year comparable figures are not available centrally, (i) the number of discharges after medical accidents and (ii) the number of deaths after medical accidents are shown in the tables.