To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what advice he received on his proposal to raise the small claims limit in housing cases other than possession proceedings from £1,000 to £3,000 for representatives of consumers and the legal profession. [10261]

The Lord Chancellor received responses from representatives of housing advice groups, including the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, the Law Centres Federation and Shelter, from consumer groups such as the National Consumer Council, from the legal professions, including the Law Society and the Housing Law Practitioners' Association, and from members of the judiciary.

To ask the Prime Minister if he has now authorised confidential pre-election contacts between senior civil servants and Opposition spokesmen. [12001]

The Leader of the Opposition, the right hon. Member for Sedgefield (Mr. Blair), has now asked me to authorise the conventional pre-election contacts between senior civil servants and Opposition spokesmen and I have done so. The purpose of these contacts is to allow Opposition spokesmen to inform themselves of factual questions of departmental organisation and to inform senior civil servants of any organisational changes stemming from Opposition policies in the event of a change of Government. Such meetings are confidential on both sides.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what have been the running costs relating to the tendering process of the private finance initiative in each year since its introduction (a) in real terms and (b) in cash terms disaggregated by (i) staff costs, (ii) information technology and (iii) other costs; [10977]

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given yesterday by the Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action heads of his Department's executive agencies are taking to safeguard the provision of pre-retirement courses in the event of such agencies seeking to make economies; and if he will make a statement. [9148]

I have asked the chief executives of the National Resources Institute and Wilton Park executive agencies to reply to the hon. Member's question.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what approaches have been made to the Governments of the former Soviet Union, under the principles of the polluter pays, to seek compensation for the effects in the United Kingdom of the Chernobyl explosion. [11154]

Just after the 1986 nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, on 10 July 1986, we notified the Soviet Union that we were reserving the right to file claims for damage which had occurred in the United Kingdom.However, we came to the conclusion that it was unrealistic to expect the Soviet Union to honour such claims.It was not possible to base a claim for compensation against the Soviet Union on relevant international conventions, in particular the 1968 Vienna convention on civil liability for nuclear damage, as it was not a party to these conventions. The Soviet Union now no longer exists. The Russian Federation and Ukraine are considering accession to the 1968 Vienna convention. However, any such accession would not have retrospective effect.We are participating in the work in progress internationally to achieve an enhanced global regime for nuclear liability. We expect that this issue will be discussed during the G7/G8 nuclear safety summit in Moscow in April.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government have made to the Government of Pakistan in respect of the abuse of human rights in Pakistan; and if he will make a statement. [10358]

We regularly raise our concerns about humans rights issues with the Government of Pakistan and will continue to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people have been killed in Karachi and Sindh in Pakistan in the past two years; and if he will make a statement. [10360]

The figures we have from the Pakistani authorities for people killed in the last two years are:

	1994	1995
Sindh (including Karachi)	2,112	2,823
Karachi	919	1,847

We have consistently stressed the importance of respect for human rights and have urged all parties to refrain from violence and to negotiate a sustainable political settlement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent arrest by the Pakistan security forces of the secretary-general of Human Rights International. [10361]

Dr. Halepota, the secretary-general of Human Rights International, who is a dual British-Pakistani national, was detained by the Pakistani police on 28 November 1995. Under international law, we are not entitled to afford protection to a dual national in the country of his or her second nationality. However, on humanitarian grounds our high commission made informal representations to the Pakistani authorities. Dr. Halepota was deported to the UK on 5 January.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the number and proportion of taxpayers aged 65 years or over who complete tax returns. [7648]

It is estimated that in 1995–96 there will be around 10 million people aged 65 or over, about 3 million of whom will pay income tax. It is estimated that around 750,000 or 7.5 per cent. of the total will complete tax returns.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultations he has undertaken with the Plain English Society on the self-assessment tax forms currently being proposed; what has been the response; and if he will place a copy of all correspondence in the Library. [8319]

The Inland Revenue has won several plain English awards for its forms over the years and has been in correspondence with the Plain English Campaign about obtaining a crystal mark accreditation for the new self-assessment tax return. It continues to consult extensively with prospective users about the wording of the return and has invited PEC to contribute to that consultative process.It would not be appropriate for me to place copies of the correspondence on this in the House Library without the consent of the parties to it.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) single persons, (b) married couples and (c) married couples with two children he estimates will benefit by £9 per week net following his Budget; and what considerations underlay his estimate that taxpayers would benefit by this sum. [9779]

As my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer made clear in his Budget statement, a married couple with two children and one earner on average earnings gain around £190 per year from the Budget tax changes, including the effect of changes to indirect tax. Taking higher earnings into account, the same family should be around £450 per year better off next year, after tax and inflation.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the total value of receipts from sales generated through Sunday trading (a) to retailers and (b) to the Treasury; and if he will make a statement. [10431]

No such estimates have been made. It would be extremely difficult to isolate the effects of Sunday trading from the many other factors that influence retail sales and tax revenues. However, it is clear that many people have welcomed the opportunity to shop on Sunday, and that retailers judge it worth their while to trade on Sundays.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the Customs and Excise head office directive on the charging of VAT on computers and printers supplied to registered disabled people. [10918]

I have placed in the Library a copy of the Customs notice, "VAT reliefs for people with disabilities," which is freely available in local VAT offices. Customs head office has not issued any general directive on the liability of computers and printers for disabled people.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the number and percentage of standard rate and higher rate taxpayers in (a) Lancashire and (b) the United Kingdom for the most recent year for which figures are available. [10872]

The table provides estimates for 1993–94, the latest year for which information can be provided:

Basic and higher rate taxpayers 1993–94
	Taxpayers liable at basic rate but not higher rate		Taxpayer liable at higher rate
	Thousands	Percentage1	Thousands	Percentage1
Lancashire	413	73.0	25	4.5
United Kingdom2	18,090	72.3	1,740	7.0
1 Of total number of taxpayers, including those liable only to the lower rate of tax.
2 Includes members of HM forces, the Merchant Navy, civil servants serving overseas and non-residents liable to UK tax who cannot be allocated to regions.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers there are with income tax reliefs and allowances in excess of (a) £7,000, (b) £8,000, (c) £9,000, (d) £10,000, (e) £11,000 and (f) £12,000 (i) including and (ii) excluding profit-related pay. [11191]

Available information was given in my reply to the hon. Member for York (Mr. Bayley) on 9 January 1996, Official Report, column 83.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the percentage of taxation taken as (a) income tax, (b) corporation tax, (c) capital gains tax, (d) VAT and (e) other taxes in 1979–80, 1985–86 and 1995–96. [11125]

The table gives the requested figures. The figures for 1995–96 are Budget forecasts.

Income tax, corporation tax, capital gains tax, VAT and other taxes as a percentage of total taxes and NICs1
Year	Income tax	Corporation tax	Capital gains tax	VAT	Other taxes2
1979–80	28¾	6¾	½	1l¾	52¼
1985–86	24¼	7	½	13¼	54¾
1995–96	27	9¾	¼	16¼	45½
1 Total taxes and NICS includes council tax for 1995–96 for consistency with earlier years.
2 Other taxes include excise duties, stamp duty, council tax and NICs. Totals may not sum to 100 due to rounding.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what new systems he has put in place to ensure that European directives are not gold plated in domestic regulations. [10073]

[holding answer 22 January 1996]: The Treasury's policy continues to be not to gold plate EC directives by the addition of unnecessary burdens when implementing them in the UK. We keep existing legislation under review in the light of this policy. Official guidance on gold plating is currently being reviewed in consultation with other Government Departments.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library copies of the guidance notes, office notes and other relevant documents which relate to his efforts in (a) removing gold plating from existing domestic regulation and (b) ensuring new European directives are not gold plated. [10061]

[holding answer 22 January 1996]: Official guidance on gold plating is currently being reviewed in consultation with other Government Departments.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the national Customs, Inland Revenue and Contributions Agency helpline will be launched; when and where he made announcements about the launch; what will be the start-up costs and running costs; if all the required new technology needed is in place; and what pilot studies have been undertaken indicating (a) the period covered, (b) the cost, (c) the numbers using the helpline and (d) if his Department has evaluated the results. [10535]

[holding answer 22 January 1996]: Our proposals for a national telephone helpline to give advice to employers on PAYE and national insurance contributions issues and to VAT traders were announced by the Deputy Prime Minister at a press conference on 19 September. The conference was held in response to the first report of the deregulation task force, chaired by the right hon. Francis Maude, and coincided with a joint press release from the Inland Revenue, Customs and Excise, the Department of Social Security and the Contributions Agency which gave more detail on the helpline. This confirmed that a helpline would be piloted in Scotland from October 1995, with the aim of extending it to cover the whole country in October 1996. A press conference hosted by officials from Inland Revenue, Customs and Excise and the CA was also held in Glasgow on the same day to give more details on the pilot.The pilot has been running successfully since 2 October and is being closely monitored by all three Departments. The helpline has attracted more than 12,500 calls; the final cost of the pilot will be dependent on the volume of calls received over the year. The final scope and design of the national helpline is not yet settled; decisions will be made in the light of the pilot which, as well as testing systems, is also taking soundings from businesses on how helpful they are finding the service. The final costs and technological requirements will depend on the design chosen.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what alternative courses of action from those detailed in the White Paper, "Better Accounting for the Taxpayer's Money" were considered in the environmental appraisal undertaken by his Department; [10608](2) if the White Paper, "Better Accounting for the Taxpayer's Money" has been subject to an environmental appraisal using the guidance contained in "Policy Appraisal and the Environment", produced by the Department of the Environment; and if he will publish the appraisal; [10607](3) how the White Paper, "Better Accounting for the Taxpayer's Money" was modified by the results of the environmental appraisal undertaken by his Department; [10609](4) what procedures have been put in place by his Department to monitor the environmental impacts arising from the implementation of the White Paper, "Better Accounting for the Taxpayer's Money". [10610]

[holding answer 23 January 1996]: The White Paper, "Better Accounting for the Taxpayer's Money", was not subject to an environmental appraisal. There are no plans to monitor the environmental impact.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take the legislative steps necessary to allow duty-free sales to Eurostar passengers at (a) Waterloo station, (b) Ashford station and (c) on board trains; and if he will make a statement. [11518]

[holding answer 23 January 1996]: No. International convention precludes the sale of duty-free goods on international rail journeys both on trains and at stations. The United Kingdom, and our European Union partners, have accepted recommendations of the Customs Co-operation Council to that effect. There are, for example, no duty-free sales for trains travelling between Dublin and Belfast, or between Paris and Bonn.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will review the Crown Prosecution Service decision in respect of prosecution of the operator of the truck with defective brakes which killed six people at Sowerby bridge in Yorkshire. [11093]

On 1 December 1995, the divisional court refused an application for judicial review of the decision of the Crown Prosecution Service not to prosecute any individual or company for manslaughter arising out of the accident at Sowerby bridge. In doing so, the court commented on the evidence. Once the transcript of the judgment is received a decision can be made on what further action, if any, should be taken.

To ask the Attorney-General if British Bus is the subject of a Serious Fraud Office investigation. [10936]

The Serious Fraud Office is investigating possible offences relating to the conduct of certain directors of British Bus.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received as to employment prospects in the construction industry in 1996. [10276]

I regularly meet senior representatives of the construction industry to discuss a range of issues including their concerns about workload and employment prospects. My Department prepares jointly with the industry a twice yearly "State of the Industry" report which is next due for publication on 29 February.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to reduce pollution in the Greater Manchester area. [10301]

The Government have put in place a number of mechanisms to control pollution which apply throughout the country. The Environment Act 1990 introduced two systems for controlling polluting emissions from industry: integrated pollution control, which limits emissions to all environmental media from large installations; and local authority air pollution control, covering emissions to air from small and medium enterprises. Both these systems apply best available techniques not entailing excessive cost, and authorisations are reviewed periodically. The main control on air pollution from domestic sources is the smoke control areas system, introduced in the Clean Air Act 1956. Emissions from the transport sector are mainly controlled through European Community legislation, and we shall be negotiating new vehicle emission and fuel quality standards for the year 2000 and beyond in the Council of Ministers this year.The Environment Act 1995 introduced a duty on local authorities to assess and review air quality in their areas, and to establish local air quality management areas where standards or objectives are being or arc likely to he breached. In such areas, authorities must draw up action plans to help bring ambient pollution down to acceptable levels. The Government are currently developing guidance for local authorities to help them discharge those duties.As regards water quality, in 1994, for the north-west as a whole, 84 per cent. of river and canal length was classed as good or fair compared to 74 per cent. in 1990. More specifically, the Government have sponsored the Mersey basin campaign, a major initiative to clean up the rivers, canals and estuary of the Mersey basin. Increasingly stringent controls have been applied to both direct industrial and sewage discharges and the pollution load in rivers flowing into the estuary has been reduced by 80 per cent. over the last 25 years.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the house building industry in the Greater Manchester area. [10300]

The value of new orders for house building in the Greater Manchester area in 1994, the last complete year for which statistics are available, was £61 million local authority and housing association and £250 million private. This compares with £24 million and £100 million respectively in the first half of 1995.The value of new orders for private housing in Great Britain in the three months to November 1995 was 1 per cent. higher than in the previous quarter. The Government welcome this small improvement and continue to promote economic policies based on low inflation, sustainable growth and sound public finances which will encourage a return of consumer confidence and help ensure the long-term health of the housing market. The affordability of housing for purchase is excellent, with mortgage rates at their lowest for 30 years.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to monitor the value for money of service charges in the public and private sectors; and if he will make a statement. [10297]

The Government have no plans to monitor the value for money of service charges in the private sector. We have, however, received many representations on the subject and I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment to my hon. Friend the Member for Gravesham (Mr. Arnold) on 18 January 1996, Official Report, column 668.The Department commissioned research into council leaseholders' service charges in 1994 and the findings have been published. This included information about the level of service charges and the attitude of leaseholders to them. We are considering further research.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many full-time equivalent employees there are (a) in total and (b) per head of population in the service of each metropolitan district. [10430]

The available information is as follows. The levels of employment in individual authorities are not directly comparable because of variations in, for example, population structure and social characteristics, the extent of the use of private firms and contractors and the level of work undertaken for other authorities and public bodies on an agency basis.

	Staff at June 1995
	Whole-time equivalents	Staff per thousand population
Barnsley	8,056	35.6
Birmingham	35,755	35.5
Bolton	9,335	35.2
Bradford	16,133	33.5
Bury	5,097	28.0
Calderdale	1—	1—
Coventry	10,953	36.2
Doncaster	9,753	33.3
Dudley	—	—
Gateshead	8,269	40.9
Kirklees	12,530	32.4
Knowsley	5,491	35.7
Leeds	23,964	33.1
Liverpool	—	—
Manchester	20,726	48.1
Newcastle upon Tyne	—	—
North Tyneside	—	—
Oldham	7,435	33.7
Rochdale	7,010	33.8
Rotherham	8,250	32.2
Salford	9,210	39.9
Sandwell	10,543	35.9
Sefton	—	—
Sheffield	17,169	32.4
Solihull	5,536	27.4
South Tyneside	5,828	37.2
St. Helens	5,961	32.9
Stockport	7,588	26.0
Sunderland	11,010	37.0
Tameside	6,963	31.4
Trafford	5,753	26.4
Wakefield	11,822	37.3
Walsall	8,908	33.8
Wigan	8,238	26.6
Wirral	10,121	30.4
Wolverhampton	9,206	37.6
1 Data not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many aquifers currently supplying wholesome water have been sterilised following industrial or agricultural pollution or as a result of a traffic or railway accident in the last 30 years. [10633]

This information is not held centrally. However, relevant National Rivers Authority monitoring data are recorded on public registers in each of the authority's regions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consultation he has recommended (a) Government Departments and (b) local authorities to carry out with organisations representing disabled people regarding (i) the construction of access for disabled people to new buildings and (ii) making access easier for disabled people to older buildings. [10527]

Users and owners of buildings, including Government Departments, normally seek to make them accessible in accordance with recognised standards and guidelines, produced in consultation with organisations representing disabled people. Formal guidance is given in the approved document supporting part M of the Building Regulations 1991 and in the British Standards Institution's code of practice for access for the disabled to buildings, BS 5810, both of which were subject to consultation.Following Department of the Environment circular 10/82, general advice on access issues is also available from local authorities, many of whom have appointed access officers specifically for the purpose. They liaise with access groups representing local disabled people.Regulations and guidance on implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, including access to existing buildings, will be subject to consultation with organisations representing disabled people by the Departments responsible for implementing the various parts of the Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the total value of negative equity in homes in (a) England and (b) the north-west in each year since 1992 at current prices. [10871]

Estimates of negative equity are sensitive to the underlying assumptions made, such as changes in house prices. Using the Department's house price index, adjusted for the mix of different dwelling types, it is estimated that the total value of negative equity in homes in (a) England and (b) the north-west in each year since 1992 at current (1995) prices is as follows:

£ million
	1992	1993	1994
(a) England	4,893	5,230	3,116
(b) North-West	2	29	5

Estimates for 1995 are not yet available.These estimates provide only a very broad idea of the value of negative equity. The suitability of the assumptions used in compiling estimates of negative equity is currently under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many households are currently in negative equity in each London borough. [10885]

Estimates of negative equity are not available for individual London boroughs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average household rent in (a) privately rented, (b) council and (c) housing association dwellings in each London borough. [10889]

The average weekly local authority and housing association rents in London boroughs in March 1994, the latest date for which figures for individual London boroughs are available for both local authorities and housing associations, were as follows:

£ per week
	Local authority	Housing association
Barking and Dagenham	32.27	53.47
Barnet	48.66	42.34
Bexley	43.13	44.60
Brent	50.18	45.36
Bromley	40.47	47.50
Camden	48.35	46.48
City of London	46.57	n/a
Croydon	50.94	53.50
Ealing	63.90	43.86
Enfield	46.75	47.93
Greenwich	41.70	44.08
Hackney	46.42	40.87
Hammersmith and Fulham	46.70	38.76
Haringey	52.49	39.08
Harrow	56.88	43.73
Havering	36.91	42.67
Hillingdon	59.48	44.57
Hounslow	37.59	43.00
Islington	47.07	42.39
Kensington and Chelsea	56.40	37.49
Kingston upon Thames	60.27	46.23
Lambeth	40.71	37.39
Lewisham	41.35	38.71
Merton	49.21	47.80
Newham	37.00	43.45
Redbridge	61.32	45.56
Richmond upon Thames	48.24	47.56
Southwark	44.36	39.92
Sutton	42.28	39.65
Tower Hamlets	35.78	40.13
Waltham Forest	39.89	43.28
Wandsworth	55.64	44.69
Westminster	59.65	42.18
London	45.65	42.74

The average rent figures are not directly comparable as they take no account of differences in the composition of stock, eg. size and type of dwellings, their age and condition.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is (a) the average mortgage level and (b) the number of households with mortgages in each London borough. [10887]

Estimates from the survey of English housing indicate that in London as a whole the average mortgage payment was £330 a month in 1994–95 and that just over 1 million households were buying with a mortgage. These estimates are subject to sampling variability. Estimates are not available for individual boroughs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many repossessions there were in each London borough in each year since 1992. [10886]

Data are not held centrally on the number of repossessions in each London borough.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who are the current members of the producer responsibility group on packaging. [11180]

The producer responsibility group presented its final report to Government in November 1994 and subsequently disbanded. At present, many businesses in the packaging industry are members of the Valpak working representative advisory committee—V-WRAG. Industry has also proposed that a committee be set up to advise the Secretary of State on the drafting and implementation of the regulations on producer responsibility for packaging, and on arrangements for carrying out review of the legal obligation. The Government intend to make an announcement on this shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what sums remain to be distributed by the London residuary body to the London boroughs; and what residual rights and liabilities remain to be transferred. [10164]

[holding answer 22 January 1996]: I understand that the London residuary body intends to distribute in early March some £6.2 million in revenue balances to the London boroughs and to the City of London. We are currently consulting the London boroughs on proposals to wind up the residuary body by 31 March 1996, to transfer responsibility for producing the LRB's final report and accounts to the royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and to transfer all other remaining rights and liabilities to the London borough of Bromley as lead borough. Under these proposals, which would be effected by order, Bromley would be responsible for distributing among the London boroughs and the City any sums received by it as lead borough.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the emoluments paid to each board member of the London residuary body in the year 1995–96 to date; and what plans there are to scale them down. [10158]

[holding answer 22 January 1996]: Between 1 April and 30 September 1995 the chairman of the London residuary body was paid £7,908 and the three other board members were each paid £4,775. The board was reappointed on 1 October and thereafter remuneration has been paid on the basis of one day a month at a rate of £370 per day for the chairman and £225 per day for each board member.Rather than scaling down expenditures, we are consulting the London boroughs on proposals to wind up the residuary body by 31 March 1996.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what new systems he has put in place to ensure that European directives are not gold plated in domestic regulations. [10069]

[holding answer 22 January 1996]: My Department's policy is not to gold plate EC directives by the addition of unnecessary burdens when implementing them in the UK. Officials are required to draw Ministers' attention to any elements of proposed regulations which go further than the EC directive concerned strictly requires, and I am exploring ways of ensuring that implementing regulations clearly explain which elements derive from the directive and, where relevant, why additional elements have been included. The presumption is always against any addition. Official guidance on gold plating is currently being reviewed in consultation with other Government Departments.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library copies of the guidance notes, office notes and other relevant documents which relate to his efforts in (a) removing gold plating from existing domestic regulation and (b) ensuring new European directives are not gold plated. [10051]

[holding answer 22 January 1996]: Official guidance on gold-plating is currently being reviewed in consultation with other Government Departments. In addition, the Health and Safety Executive has already issued an instruction to its staff that other options should always be considered before the possibility of new regulations or approved codes of practice are considered, and that where such regulations or codes are proposed to Ministers they should be accompanied by a memorandum explaining any points where the requirements go beyond any EC directive. A copy of instruction, "General Administrative Procedures (GAP) No. 8—A Short Guide to Regulating in HSE", is being placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of local authorities run their housing rent accounts on a surplus; and if he will list those authorities. [10506]

[holding answer 23 January 1996]: Based on returns submitted to the Department, local authorities' housing revenue account opening balances for 1994–95 totalled £745 million. Their end-year balances totalled £756 million; 46 per cent. of authorities increased their balances during the year. Those authorities are as follows:

• Alnwick
• Arun
• Aylesbury
• Barking and Dagenham
• Barnet
• Basildon
• Bath
• Bedford
• Berwick upon Tweed
• Bexley
• Blaby
• Boston
• Bournemouth
• Bradford
• Braintree
• Bridgnorth
• Brighton
• Broxbourne
• Burnley
• Bury
• Calderdale
• Cannock Chase
• Canterbury
• Caradon
• Carrick
• Castle Morpeth
• Castle Point
• Chelmsford
• Kensington and Chelsea
• Chester
• Chesterfield
• Chester le Street
• Colchester
• Corby
• Craven
• Crewe and Nantwich
• Dacorum
• Derbyshire Dales
• Dudley
• Ealing
• East Hertfordshire
• East Lindsey
• East Staffordshire
• East Yorkshire
• Eden
• Elmbridge
• Enfield
• Epping Forest
• Erewash
• Forest Heath
• Forest of Dean
• Fylde
• Glanford
• Great Yarmouth
• Greenwich
• Harborough
• Haringey
• Harlow
• Harrogate
• Harrow
• Hartlepool
• Hastings
• Havering
• Hillingdon
• Hinckley and Bosworth
• Holderness
• Horsham
• Hounslow
• Huntingdonshire
• Isles of Scilly
• Kettering
• Kings Lynn and West Norfolk
• Kingswood
• Kirklees
• Lambeth
• Lancaster
• Leeds
• Leicester
• Lewes
• Luton
• Macclesfield
• Maidstone
• Manchester
• Melton
• Mid Suffolk
• Middlesbrough
• Milton Keynes
• Newcastle upon Tyne
• Newham
• North Norfolk
• North Wiltshire
• Nuneaton
• Oadby and Wigston
• Oxford
• Penwith
• Plymouth
• Redditch
• Reigate and Banstead
• Richmond upon Thames
• Richmondshire
• Rochdale
• Rochford
• Rossendale
• Rother
• Rugby
• Runnymede
• Rushcliffe
• Rutland
• South Derbyshire
• Salford
• Salisbury
• Sandwell
• Scarborough
• Scunthorpe
• Slough
• Solihull
• South Cambridgeshire
• South Herefordshire
• South Holland
• South Kesteven
• South Lakeland
• South Norfolk
• South Northamptonshire
• Southend-on-Sea
• Southwark
• Spelthorne
• St. Albans
• St. Edmundsbury
• Tameside
• Tandridge
• Teesdale
• Teignbridge
• Test Valley
• Tewkesbury
• Thanet
• Tunbridge Wells
• Tynedale
• Uttlesford
• Wakefield
• Walsall
• Waltham Forest
• Wandsworth
• Wansbeck
• Watford
• Waveney
• Wealden
• West Oxford
• West Wiltshire
• Westminster
• Wigan
• Winchester
• Windsor and Maidenhead
• Worcester
• Worthing

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how he plans to use the regulation-making powers on housing allocations contained in part VI of the Housing Bill. [12185]

I have placed in the Library of the House today a copy of a consultation paper that invites views on the content of regulations about the allocation of housing accommodation by local authorities. The Government are committed to ensuring that social housing goes to those households with the greatest underlying needs, and the paper seeks views on ways to achieve this. It is proposed that the regulations should provide a framework within which each local authority would establish the allocation policy best suited to local needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines he has issued to health authorities or NHS hospital trusts regarding priority treatment to (a) key and (b) other NHS employees. [10255]

Decisions on treatment must be based on clinical need. Guidance was issued to the national health service in June 1991 in executive letter EL(91)84, "Joint Guidance (NHSME/JCC) to hospital consultants on GP Fundholding", and EL(94)19, "Clinical Priority on Waiting Lists", copies of which are available in the Library, underlining the principle.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number of new electrically-powered wheelchairs supplied by the national health service in the Greater Manchester area over the past three years. [11033]

The number of powered wheelchairs issued in the Greater Manchester area in each of the last three years is shown in the table. South Manchester health authority and South Manchester University Hospitals trust are the only Manchester authorities which have issued powered wheelchairs.

		Number
1992–93	South Manchester DHA	467
1993–94	South Manchester DHA	551
1994–95	South Manchester University Hospitals	484

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was allocated to the training of nurses in the Greater Manchester area for the last year for which figures are available. [11034]

Manchester college of midwifery and nursing and the Northern college of nursing, midwifery and health studies are the major establishments training nurses in the Greater Manchester area. The table shows the contracts for the financial year 1995–96 that North-West regional health authority has with these two colleges.

College	Column 1 £	Column 2 £	Column 3 £
Manchester	7,894,967	1,780,789	4,200,000
Northern	7,182,052	1,497,164	3,777,629
Total	15,077,019	3,277,953	7,977,629

Manchester: Manchester college of midwifery and nursing.Northern: Northern college of nursing, midwifery and health studies.The figures in column 1 include the costs relating to:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 7 December 1995, Official Report, column 383, to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central (Mr. Cousins) on mental illness, if he will provide a regional breakdown of the figures. [11094]

Regional information on the number of beds and on finished consultant episodes is contained in "Bed availability for England" and in "Ordinary and day case admissions for England", respectively, copies of which are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what will be the cost to Dorset social services of implementation of the care programme approach for the mentally ill in the next year; and what support it will receive from Government funding. [10737]

The care programme approach is a key element in the delivery of local mental health services. Local agencies should collaborate to ensure its implementation. In the year 1996–97, Dorset social services will receive £93.8 million for personal social services. It will also receive an allocation of mental illness specific grant, from which this year it has received £589,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reports he has received on adverse side effects arising from the new anti-malaria treatment Lariam, also known as Mefloquine; and if he will make a statement. [10664]

From 1990, when Lariam was marketed in the United Kingdom, to 19 January 1996, the Medicines Control Agency has received 605 reports of 1,561 reactions. However, the receipt of a report of a reaction does not necessarily mean that it has been caused by Lariam.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the total budget of each health authority, indicating the percentage devoted to mental health services. [10740]

For details of the planned 1996–97 initial cash limits for the new health authorities, I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave her on 19 December at column 1138. It is for health authorities to purchase health care for their resident population, taking account of local circumstances and characteristics and within the framework of national policies and priorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the number of (a) people and (b) retired people taking out private health insurance in each of the last five years. [10750]

The available information is shown in the table. Separate information on retired people is not available.

Thousands
	United Kingdom
	Subscribers	Numbers covered
1990	3,613	7,558
1991	3,578	7,433
1992	3,527	7,190
1993	3,541	6,757
1994	3,584	6,809

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to produce an educational video to be made available for general practitioners and school teachers to aid the early detection of meningitis. [10890]

The Department, working with the National Meningitis Trust, has produced an information leaflet about meningitis for parents and for young people entering further education. Copies of the leaflet are available through general practitioners surgeries and have been distributed through the college bags which are given to all new students. It is most unlikely that children who are ill with meningitis would be sent to school.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if (a) family health services authorities and (b) health authorities are able to provide information to hon. and right hon. Members on (i) drug budgets by named general practitioner practices, (ii) staff budgets by named general practitioner practices, (iii) development budgets by named general practitioner practices, (iv) computer reimbursement by named general practitioner practices and (v) the amount of funding holding savings; and what they have been spent on by named general practitioner fundholding practice. [10746]

This is a matter for family health services authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in the Greater Manchester area were readmitted to hospital within one month of their discharge in the last three years. [11035]

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide an analysis of final allowed external finance limits compared with actual external finance limits outturn for each NHS trust for each year since 1991–92; [10932]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the health authority planned 1996–97 initial revenue cash limits per head of population by health authority. [10920]

The information will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the types of hepatitis that can be transmitted in blood for which the Blood Transfusion Service (a) tests and (b) does not test. [10753]

The National Blood Service tests donated blood for hepatitis B and C before use. New strains of hepatitis are identified from time to time. An expert advisory committee advises Ministers on whether suitable tests for these are available and should he introduced.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues on the amount of alcohol doctors can drink while on duty. [10743]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of terminally ill patients with cancer in acute hospital beds. [10763]

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS management executive has spent so far on producing the "NHS Magazine"; and how many copies have been produced and distributed. [11105]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Leeds, Central (Mr. Fatchett) on 15 January 1996, Official Report, at columns 344–45 for information on production costs/gross revenues.Information on the number of magazines produced and distributed is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 6 December, Official Report, column 227, if he will set out the differences between NHS guideline HSG(95)44 and guideline HSG(92)21. [11144]

The revised health service guidance, HSG(95)55, devolves responsibility for ensuring the provision of the freephone health information service to the new health authorities with effect from 1 April 1996. This is because of the abolition of regional health authorities, who are currently responsible for the provision of the service.In addition, the guidance sets out a revised core mandatory service specification and performance indicators for the service.Copies of HSG(95)44 will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library copies of all the submissions that he receives in respect of his document, "Employment of Children", at the end of the period for consultation. [11592]

I have no plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he has any plans to amend the Children Act 1989 following the ruling of the House of Lords on the appeal of Nottinghamshire county council; [11022](2) if he will make a statement on the implications for applications for care orders and related issues following the ruling of the House of Lords on the appeal by Nottinghamshire county council; [11023](3) what are the implications for the principle of the paramountcy of the child's welfare, set out in the Children Act 1989 of the decision of the House of Lords on the appeal by Nottinghamshire county council. [11024]

The implications of the judgment are being considered, but preliminary indications are that it will not be necessary to amend the Children Act 1989 and that existing guidance on good practice is not affected by the judgment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 6 December, Official Report, column 228, what is the status of the advice given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to a director of social services in a letter dated 14 November 1995 on action to be taken in respect of poor practice in unregistrable children's homes. [11030]

Common sense.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the percentage of women aged 50 years who have breast screening, broken down by (a) district health authority and (b) regional health authority. [11028]

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his calculation of the numbers of people who are addicted to (a) benzodiazapines, (b) other medicinal drugs, (c) heroin and (d) other illegal drugs. [11255]

It is not possible to measure the exact extent of a covert activity such as drug misuse. The available information is given in the Department of Health's Statistical Bulletin, "Drug Misuse Statistics" and, with respect to heroin, other opiate drugs (some of which are medicinal drugs) and cocaine, in tables 1 and 2 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin, "Statistics of Drug Addicts notified to the Home Office", United Kingdom 1994. Copies of both these publications are held in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the ratio of deaths of those aged 60 years or above, occurring in December to March relative to the average figures for the following and preceding four months, by region, for each of the past five years; and if he will indicate the number of deaths involved in each case. [10552]

[holding answer 23 January 1996]: The information is shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is her latest estimate of when the compilation of the inventory of royal collection of works of art will be completed. [10636]

The royal collection—which is a department of the royal household and is not a responsibility of my Department—is responsible for compiling the inventory of the works of art. However, I understand that the inventory is scheduled for completion by the end of 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) what measures are being taken by her Department to promote tourism in the north-east; [10916](2) what has been the level of funding of the Northumbrian tourist board over the last five years. [10915]

Government support for tourism is channelled through the statutory British Tourist Authority—BTA—and English tourist board, ETB. Through the ETB, support is made available to the 11 non-statutory regional tourist boards, including the Northumbria tourist board, which helps them undertake a variety of marketing and development activities of benefit to the tourism industry in their regions.The total funding made available to the Northumbria tourist board is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what was the value of tourism to the north-east of England in the last five years. [10917]

The estimated value of tourism to the north-east of England in the last five years is:

£ million
	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994
Staying visits:
UK residents	225	255	275	310	355
Overseas residents	79	93	96	134	131
Day visits	176	220	289	305	312
Total	480	568	660	749	798

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will seek powers to enable her to intervene to protect the internal fabric of churches whose construction and decor is of architectural or historical importance. [10905]

Since 1 October 1994, ecclesiastical exemption from statutory listed building and conservation area controls has been confined to specified denominations which have satisfactory internal procedures to protect listed churches and unlisted churches in conservation areas. The Government are monitoring the operation of the procedures and have undertaken to review the position formally after two years. In the meantime, my right hon. Friend retains power to remove the exemption in any in individual case and will consider doing so wherever necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many libraries in the north-west region have been closed since 1987. [11055]

This information is not held centrally. However, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy's public library statistics, copies of which are held in the House Library, provide information about the total number of libraries in each library authority at the end of every financial year. These do not, however, record the opening or closure of library facilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) which official of her Department is responsible for monitoring Oflot's compliance with guidance provided by her Department; [8612](2) which official of Oflot is responsible for ensuring that the Department is informed of any failure to observe guidance provided by the Department. [8611]

[holding answer 16 January 1996]: None. Oflot is an independent, non-ministerial Government Department. As head of the Department, the director-general is responsible for compliance with various central guidance issued to Departments.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what (a) number and (b) species of animals and birds were killed under licence in the royal parks during 1995. [10151]

[holding answer 22 January 1996]: Responsibility for the subject of this question has been delegated to the Royal Parks Agency under its chief executive, Mr. David Welch. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if the forthcoming heritage Green Paper will be subject to an environmental appraisal in accordance with the guidance contained in "Policy Appraisal and the Environment", published by the Department of the Environment; and if she will publish the environmental appraisal. [10611]

[holding answer 23 January 1996]: My right hon. Friend has considered the guidance contained in "Policy Appraisal and the Environment" and is satisfied that an appraisal of the environmental effects in relation to the proposed heritage Green Paper is not appropriate at this time. The main purpose of the Green Paper will be to consult on a range of proposals for improving the statutory protection of the built heritage. We will keep this decision under review as appropriate.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total value of direct sales of postage stamps by the Royal Mail in (a) 1993, (b) 1994 and (c) 1995; and if he will make a statement. [9489]