To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what would be the cost of distributing to each hon. Member a copy of the 1996 edition of his Department's annual progress report on the Trident programme. [11722]

The annual report on the progress of the Trident programme will be published shortly and, as usual, copies will be placed in the Library of the House. The precise cost of distributing the report to all hon. Members is not known, but Would not exceed £1,000. However, it would not be a sensible use of resources to send individual copies to all right hon. and hon. Members as not all may wish to receive one.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the competitiveness of the United Kingdom defence industry. [12102]

Due in part to my Department's procurement policies in recent years, the United Kingdom's defence industry is highly competitive both at home and abroad. Including the UK share of collaborative work, more than 90 per cent. by value of our equipment contracts are placed with UK firms. Our provisional estimate is that UK companies won defence export orders of £5 million in 1995. This represents around 19 per cent. of the world market. Only the USA has a large market share.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those countries whose military forces have received training at the Johore Bahru jungle warfare school during the last three years. [12469]

This is a matter for the Malaysian Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the British armed forces have served in Thailand during the last three years. [12468]

Other than a colonel attached to the British embassy in Bangkok as defence attaché and a colour sergeant to support him, no military personnel have served in Thailand during the last three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will (a) list the countries he visited during his overseas tour in early January giving, in each case, the dates he was in the country and who he met and (b) list those accompanying him on this tour. [12241]

Between 30 December 1995 and 10 January 1996, I visited the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Korea and Japan. On 13 January, I visited Kuwait. The aim of the visits was to promote our bilateral relationships with international partners. I met a number of people in each of the countries visited including the respective Ministers of Defence, some of their ministerial colleagues and senior military and civilian officials. In the Philippines I called on the President and in the Republic of Korea I called on the Prime Minister. I was accompanied throughout by officials from my private office and the Ministry of Defence. My wife accompanied me from 30 December to 10 January at the invitation of the Governments of the Philippines, the Republic of Korea and Japan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the expenditure of his Department, his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies on all forms of overseas travel, overseas accommodation and other associated expenses for (a) 1979–80, (b) 1989–90, (c) 1991–92, (d) 1993–94, (e) 1994–95, (f) 1995–96 and (g) 1996–97. [11421]

The information requested is not held in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.For some details of overseas travel costs for Defence agencies, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Defence Procurement on 29 November 1995,

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of expenditure on all forms of hospitality and entertainment by (a) his Department, (b) his Department's agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies, for (i) 1979–80, (ii) 1989–90, (iii) 1991–92, (iv) 1993–94, (v) 1994–95, (vi) 1995–96 and (v) 1996–97. [11418]

Records of expenditure on hospitality in my Department before 1992–93 can be collated only at disproportionate cost, and estimates for the financial year 1996–97 have yet to be finalised. Total expenditure for the years 1992–93 to 1995–96 is given in the list:

(i) 1992–93: £4.952 million

(ii) 1993–94: £4.577 million

(iii) 1994–95: £4.867 million

(iv) 1995–96: £4.843 million (estimated final spend)

The figures include expenditure incurred by the Ministry of Defence itself, by formations and establishments of the armed forces at home and abroad, and by individual officers occupying command and international appointments for which entertainment allowances are payable. Figures for agencies and non-departmental public bodies are not held separately.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of departmental expenditure on administration for (a) 1979–80, (b) 1989–90, (c) 1991–92, (d) 1993–94, (e) 1994–95, (f) 1995–96 and (g) 1996–97. [11419]

Details of defence operating costs for the years 1989–90 to 1997–98 are contained in table 4 of my Department's most recent departmental report, Cm 2801, of March 1995, copies of which are available in the Library of the House. Figures for 1979–80 are not available in the form requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of his Department's expenditure on newspapers and magazines in (a) 1993–94, (b) 1994–95 and (c) 1995–96, to date; and if he will list the publications purchased for the latest year for which information is available. [11422]

Until April 1995, all books, journals, newspapers and other commercial publications required for the official duties of the Department and the services were purchased by more than 150 purchasing authorities worldwide.The total expenditure on commercial publications in 1993–94 was £6.134 million, of which it is estimated that £3.373 million was spent on scientific and technical journals, and £306,000 was spend on newspapers and weekly publications.In 1994–95, the total spend was £6.626 million, with estimated spends of £3.644 million on scientific and technical journals, and £331,000 on newspapers and weekly publications. In 1995–96, £6.191 million was allocated for the purchase of commercial publications. This sum was disaggregated to the budgets of individual units in April 1995, and the spend to date is £2.257 million.There are no central records of which material was purchased from 1993 to date, and this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the expenditure of his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies on all external consultants including management consultants for each of the years (a) 1979–80, (b) 1989–90, (c) 1991–92, (d) 1993–94, (e) 1994–95 and (f) 1995–96 (i) to date and (ii) as estimated for the whole year; what estimate he has made of such expenditure for 1996–97; and if he will estimate the savings accruing to his Department from the use of consultants in each of these years. [11331]

[holding answer 25 January 1996]: Individual budget holders in my Department have delegated powers to employ external consultants as they think fit within the limit of their resources and consistent with all requirements for propriety and value for money. The information required is currently not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the total expenditure of his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies on publicity for each of the years (a) 1979–80, (b) 1989–90, (c) 1991–92, (d) 1993–94, (e) 1994–95 and (f) 1995–96 (i) to date and (ii) as estimated for the whole year; what estimate he has made of such expenditure for 1996–97; and if he will break these figures down to indicate expenditure on (1) advertising and (2) press and public relations. [11332]

[holding answer 25 January 1996]: This information is not held centrally in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.Details of recent central MOD expenditure on publicity is contained in the MOD departmental report, Cm 2801, and the MOD performance report, Cm 3055, copies of which are in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the annual telephone costs to (a) his Department, (b) his Department's agencies and (c) his Department's non-departmental public bodies staff for each of the years (i) 1979–80, (ii) 1989–90, (iii) 1991–92, (iv) 1993–94, (v) 1994–95, (vi) 1995–96 and (vii) 1996–97; and if internal telephone directories are available to staff in all areas of (a) to (c). [11334]

[holding answer 25 January 1996]: Some information about my Department's telephone costs for the period 1993–94, is contained in the 14th report of the Committee of Public Accounts, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.Details for other years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about defence agency status for the Pay Services Directorate. [12906]

The Pay Services Directorate will become a defence agency of the Ministry of Defence on 1 February 1996 following the restructuring of the Defence Accounts Agency, DAA. The agency, to be known as the Pay and Personnel Agency, PPA, is located in Bath; Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, and Worcester, with a small satellite office in Malta and will have a staff of some 960 MOD civil servants. The agency is responsible for providing pay services and personnel information support services in respect of civilian staff of the MOD and for other public sector customers. Pay services encompass payroll, all aspects of principal civil service pension scheme administration and expenses management. In addition, the agency will provide financial management information to budget holders and other customers.A chief executive has been selected by open competition. He will be required to develop the current organisation's professional expertise and improve the high performance standards to fulfil the agency's aim of providing its customers with an efficient service which offers the best value for money. The chief executive will be set the following key targets: to deliver the range of agency services to the required time scales and to the set standards of accuracy, as published in the pay services customer charter; to achieve annual efficiency savings year on year of 3.5 per cent. of cash allocation through a reduction in operating costs; to obtain quality registration to BS EN ISO 9001 standard in one further sector of the agency by 31 March 1996; to meet the Treasury accounts direction and to install a computerised, full-cost, accruals accounting system by 31 March 1996; to have new business systems hardware—known as POPSI—delivered and installed and the personnel system completed to the specification required to achieve savings, by 31 December 1996; to complete an investigation into the best commercial practices for measuring customer satisfaction with agency services by 31 December 1996; to introduce the new principal civil service pension scheme administration system—known as QUASAR—to the required specification, by 31 March 1997; to obtain quality registration to BS EN ISO 9001 standard in two further sectors of the agency by 31 March 1997; and to set an accruals baseline to permit the use of accruals—based performance targets for the agency accounts, by 31 March 1997.I am arranging for copies of the agency's framework document to be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the annual cost to his Department and his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies of their empty and under-utilised properties for (a) 1979–80, (b) 1989–90, (c) 1991–92, (d) 1993–94, (e) 1994–95 (f) 1995–96 and (g) 1996–97. [11420]

No estimate is made of the cost of empty and under-utilised property and the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the mobile phones which have been supplied to his Department in each of the last four years have been cloned; and on what dates. [11007]

[holding answer 23 January 1996]: During 1995, 24 mobile telephones supplied to the MOD were cloned as follows:

	Number
January	8
February	2
March	11
May	2
June	1

Figures before 1995 are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will instigate an epidemiological study into alleged Gulf war syndrome. [12122]

[holding answer 29 January 1996]: My Department has been conducting a continuing and detailed investigation into the health aspects of service in the Gulf. The medical assessment programme, under which more than 350 individual veterans have been examined, was endorsed by the Royal College of Physicians in a clinical audit last July.The royal college recommended that we contact leading civilian specialists in specific areas of medicine relevant to conditions alleged to have been caused by Gulf service. Separate discussions have since been held with eminent specialists in toxicology, immunology, tropical diseases, epidemiology and birth defects, and a comprehensive medical statistical database has been prepared which will provide the basis for epidemiological studies.As part of this continuing work, the Surgeon General convened a meeting last Thursday with the following leading medical and scientific experts: Professor A. Kay, Imperial college of science, technology and medicine (immunology); Professor L. Borysiewicz, university of Wales (immunology); Professor D. Warrell, John Radcliffe medical school, Oxford (tropical diseases); Professor A. McMichael, London school of hygiene and tropical medicine (epidemiology); Dr. A. Proudfoot, director, Scottish poisons information bureau (toxicology); Professor Sir C. Berry, Royal London hospital (birth defects); and Professor P. Blain, Newcastle upon Tyne medical school (environmental and occupational medicine).Having reviewed the work undertaken to date, the experts fully approved the basis of our approach. They also agreed that there is no evidence at present to indicate the existence of a unique and previously unknown condition or illness associated with service in the Gulf, and noted that this echoed the US experience of its much larger assessment programme of 17,000 veterans.We accept that a number of Gulf veterans are ill, and that there is public concern about the possible effects of Gulf service on the children of veterans who have been born with birth defects. As the next stage of its work, my Department will commission a series of epidemiological studies comparing the health of Gulf veterans with similarly matched control groups of service personnel who did not go to the Gulf. The aim of these studies, some of which will be conducted in-house and some by commissioning external research, will be to establish whether there is any increased prevalence of illness among Gulf veterans or of birth defects among their children.We will also commission research into the alleged causes of Gulf-related illness, including the possibility of interaction between the vaccinations received by service personnel and the nerve agent pretirement sets—NAPS—taken for protection against the very real threat of chemical attack. We shall of course work very closely with the US, but will not duplicate its efforts.The cost of the research will be met by my Department. The Medical Research Council has been invited to oversee and review the conduct of the programme, and the results will be published.We will continue to offer assessment and counselling services under the medical assessment programme, and wish to encourage any serving or ex-service personnel who may be concerned about their health as a result of Gulf service to come forward to the solicitors acting for those who are ill asking them to urge their clients to participate in the programme.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how long, on average, Inland Revenue staff have spent training to deal with self-assessment. [8314]

The Inland Revenue has in place a four-year training programme for staff dealing with self-assessment. The programme started in April 1994 and runs through to October 1998. So far staff have spent, on average, three and a half days in training covering the basic elements of self-assessment.From April this year, the training programme will address the specific needs of different staff groups to equip them with the knowledge and skills required to do their jobs when this is first needed.On average, staff will receive seven days' training during 1996–97, four days in 1997–98 and three days from April to October 1998. The training programme is designed as a staged incremental progress to ensure that staff are able to handle the work as it first arises.On-the-job support, guidance and information to consolidate this learning will be provided by the training organisation and line managers.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of (a) manual part-time workers and (b) non-manual part-time workers, broken down into men and women, work less than (i) eight hours a week and (ii) 16 hours a week in each London borough. [11861]

Estimates available from the labour force survey relating to Greater London as a whole are shown in the table. Equivalent estimates for individual London boroughs are not available.

Part-time manual and non-manual workers by the total number of hours they usually work
Greater London summer 1995, not seasonally adjusted
	Working less than eight hours a week		Working less than 16 hours a week
	Thousands	Per cent.	Thousands	Per cent.
Men
Manual part-time	n/a	n/a	27	41
Non-manual part-time	13	16	34	40
Women
Manual part-time	15	11	57	42
Non-manual part-time	33	11	102	33
n/a Not available, estimate below 10,000.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the number of work days lost, in each of the work categories used by his Department, since May 1979, as a result of (a) the closure or restructuring of firms, (b) the withdrawal of local authority services, (c) the reduction in the size of Government Departments and the armed services and (d) changes in the scope of charitable employment. [11725]

The information is not available in the form requested. The available information closest to that requested is for the net change in jobs for the whole economy in the United Kingdom. There was a net increase of 141,000 jobs between September 1979 and September 1995.Information providing estimates of employment in the public sector for 1979 to 1994 is published in the January 1995 edition of

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much value added tax was paid by further education colleges and sixth form colleges in (a) 1992–93, (b) 1993–94 and (c) 1994–95; and how much he estimates will be paid by these colleges in 1995–96. [11630]

There are no figures available on the amount of VAT paid by colleges.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total cost of mortgage interest tax relief in Scotland in each year since 1993–94; what it is estimated to be for 1996–97; and what the costs would have been in each of these years if relief had been available at 25 per cent. [11930]

The cost of mortgage interest tax relief in Scotland was estimated to be £300 million in 1993–94 and £240 million in 1994–95. In 1994–95 the rate of relief was 20 per cent. If relief had been available at 25 per cent., the cost would have been about £300 million. The estimated cost of the relief for 1993–94 is based on the regional distribution of the cost of mortgage interest relief from analyses of family expenditure surveys up to 1993. The estimate for 1994–95 is a projection based on applying the same regional distribution as in 1993–94 to the total figure for 1994–95. It is not possible to provide reliable estimates for regions for 1995–96 and 1996–97.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of the Secretary of State for Wales of 19 January 1996, Official Report, column 838, what are the reasons for the unavailability of the gross domestic product figures for the years after 1991.[11963]

Gross domestic product figures by county for 1993 would normally have been published in December 1995 in Economic Trends. However, extensive revisions to the figures for earlier years are necessary due to source data on the new standard industrial classification, SIC(92), becoming available. Since these data became available very late, it was not possible to produce county estimates at that time. The county figures will now be published by the end of March 1996.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement regarding reinterpretation of the VAT legislation in relation to VAT exemption on computerised access equipment for blind and partially sighted computer users. [12397]

Customs and Excise has not made any reinterpretation of VAT law. Specialised adaptations specifically for disabled people are relieved from VAT when supplied to a disabled person. General purpose computer equipment is, and always has been, liable to VAT.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of departmental expenditure on administration for (a) 1979–80, (b) 1989–90, (c) 1991–92, (d) 1993–94, (e) 1994–95, (f) 1995–96 and (g) 1996–97. [11449]

Departmental expenditure on administration is included in the running costs published in the departmental report of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's departments.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of his Department's expenditure on newspapers and magazines in (a) 1993–94, (b) 1994–95 and (c) 1995–96, to date; and if he will list the publications purchased for the latest year for which information is available. [11452]

Departmental expenditure on newspapers and magazines is included in the running costs published in the departmental report of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's departments.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the annual telephone costs to (a) his Department, (b) his Department's agencies and (c) his Department's non-departmental public bodies staff for each of the years (i) 1979–80, (ii) 1989–90, (iii) 1991–92, (iv) 1993–94, (v) 1994–95, (vi) 1995–96 and (vii) 1996–97; and if internal telephone directories are available to staff in all areas of (a) to (c). [11370]

[holding answer 25 January 1996]: Expenditure on telephone costs by Her Majesty's Treasury, and agencies and non-departmental public bodies associated with HM Treasury, are included in the running costs published for the Department and each agency.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the total expenditure of his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies on publicity for each of the years (a) 1979–80, (b) 1989–90, (c) 1991–92, (d) 1993–94, (e) 1994–95 and (f) 1995–96 (i) to date and (ii) as estimated for the whole year; what estimate he has made of such expenditure for 1996–97; and if he will break these figures down to indicate expenditure on (1) advertising and (2) press and public relations. [11368]

[holding answer 25 January 1996]: Expenditure on publicity for HM Treasury, and the agencies responsible to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, is included in the running costs published for the Department and each agency.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the recent Council meeting of the Economic and Finance Ministers of the European Union. [12926]

I represented the UK at the Economic and Finance Council of the European Union in Brussels on 22 January.There was a public debate on the incoming Italian presidency's work programme. The Italian programme concentrates on continuing work towards economic and monetary union and fighting unemployment. I agreed with both these priorities and in particular stressed the importance of member states creating the right conditions to stimulate employment. I also encouraged the Council to respect EC budgetary restraints and to make rapid progress in the campaign against fraud and waste within the Community.The Commission presented a proposal for extending the mandate for the European investment bank to lend to Asia and Latin America, which expired at the end of 1995, for one year. There was no discussion and the Council will return to this at a later date.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will list the average (a) weekly earnings, (b) total hours, (c) average hourly earnings and (d) median hourly earnings, including and excluding overtime, for (i) all part-time females and (ii) all part-time males on adult rates in each London borough, broken down to show (A) manual and (B) non-manual workers; [11860](2) what proportion of employees on adult rates earn less than

As the information is contained in a number of tables, I will place a copy in the Library of the House.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what agreements his Department and its executive agencies have with companies for the provision of mobile and car phones; and if he will list the companies having these contracts, the duration of the contracts, the number of phones covered by each agreement and the cost to public funds of each agreement. [9740]

[holding answer 17 January 1996]: Due to the very low demand for mobile and car phones within HM Treasury, the office of the Paymaster General and the Royal Mint, they have been purchased as required.The Central Statistical Office employs an enabling agreement with BT which is renewable annually. This does not involve a commitment to purchase an agreed total. Two car phones have been purchased in the current financial year at a cost of £400 per instrument.The Valuation Office uses Inland Revenue procedures to obtain mobile and car phones. Current agreements are with DVH, FGE, BT and Vodafone. These agreements are short term and are based on best value for money, without a commitment to purchase any specific number of instruments.Information concerning the cost to public funds of these agreements is currently unavailable.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what costs his Department and executive agencies have incurred as a result of withdrawing from contracts under which mobile phones are provided; and if he will list the companies concerned. [9742]

[holding answer 17 January 1996]: HM Treasury, the office of HM Paymaster General, the Central Statistical Office, the Royal Mint and the Valuation Office have not withdrawn from any such contracts.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what procedures were used by his Department in awarding contracts for the supply of mobile and car phones to his Department and its executive agencies; and which companies were involved in tendering for these contracts. [9741]

[holding answer 17 January 1996]: Due to the very low demand for mobile and car phones within HM Treasury, the office of the Paymaster General and the Royal Mint there has been no need to initiate a formal tender.The Central Statistical Office employs an enabling agreement which was concluded after an informal evaluation of the market based on functionality, service and price.The Valuation Office uses Inland Revenue procedures.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of absenteeism rates in days per annum for staff in his Department for each of the years (a) 1979–80, (b) 1989–90, (c) 1991–92, (d) 1993–94, (e) 1994–95 and (f) 1995–96. [11369]

[holding answer 25 January 1996]: Information relating to the years 1979–80, 1989–90 and 1991–92 is not held centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Information relating to the other years requested is as follows:

	1993–94	1994–95	1995–961
Absences (average days per member of staff)	5.8	8.5	7.3
1To date.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 17 January, Official Report, column 610, how many staff are currently employed in maintaining the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood; and how many insignia are accounted for in the 1994–95 costs of £204,000. [11566]

[holding answer 29 January 1996]: The Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood employs 11 staff. In 1994–95, 3,877 insignia were accounted for.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many pages of the Finance Bill were drafted otherwise than by parliamentary counsel; which were the outside agencies employed to draft sections of the Bill; how many pages were drafted by each agency; and how much was paid to each such agency for the pages drafted by it. [11946]

[holding answer 29 January 1996]: The following sections of the Finance Bill were drafted by the private sector:

	Pages
Clauses 6 and 11, legislating two Customs and Excise extra-statutory concessions	1
Mrs. Margaret Leates, a draftsman in private practice
Clauses 21 to 25 and Schedule 2, putting into UK law the second VAT directive	11½
Nabarro Nathanson
Clause 146 and schedule 27, introducing new arrangements for the deduction of tax on foreign dividends by paying and collecting agents	14
Freshfields
Clause 186 and schedule 35, legislating 11 Inland Revenue extra-statutory concessions	6
Members of Pump Court Tax Chambers
Total	132½
1Thirty-one of these pages are in schedules which are set in the Finance Bill with a smaller typeface than the clauses.

The total payment to these draftsmen for work done up to the publication of the Bill is expected to be £130,000. This includes the cost of one page of legislation which Ministers decided, for policy reasons, not to include in this year's Bill.The amount paid to each agency is a matter of commercial confidence.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received regarding the levying of VAT on computer and computer-related equipment purchased by disabled people and charities helping disabled people; if he will place a copy of the directive used by Customs and Excise head office to local offices regarding such imposition; and if he will make a statement. [12412]

[holding answer 29 January 1996]: I have received a number of representations. Customs and Excise has not issued any general directive on the liability of computers supplied to disabled people. General purpose computer equipment is not, and never has been, relieved from VAT when supplied to disabled people. Relief is, however, available for adaptations designed to make it easier for disabled people to use the equipment. 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.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the recent changes in air traffic control procedures at Heathrow airport. [10671]

The Civil Aviation Authority is responsible for the provision of air traffic control at Heathrow airport. My noble Friend the Minister of Aviation and Shipping has asked the chairman of the CAA to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what provisions exist in respect of local authority-owned regional airports from borrowing money for airport development. [11305]

Capital finance for local authority-owned airports in England and Wales is governed by part IV of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. This applies directly in the case of the smaller airports. In the case of the larger airports, which are structured as public airport companies, part IV has been applied by the Public Airport Companies (Capital Finance) Order 1990, as amended. It is open to local authorities to make use of their basic credit approvals or of any other forms of credit cover available to them under the 1989 Act. For public airport companies, this includes in particular their undistributed profits. In addition, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport may issue supplementary credit approvals—SCAs—for specified projects. For Scotland, borrowing consents under section 94 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 may be considered.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to replace the London lorry ban permit scheme. [11224]

I will discuss the next steps with the local authorities and other interested parties once I have received and considered the interim report form the consultants studying the options for improving the enforcement of the ban.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list for his Department and each of the agencies for which he is responsible if it uses the Employment Service's positive about disabled people symbol for (a) external recruitment and (b) internal recruitment and promotion. [11913]

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and the Transport Research Laboratory have been symbol users for some time. The Department is encouraging its other agencies to follow suit while actively working with the Employment Service towards adopting the symbol centrally as a demonstration of on-going commitment towards achieving equality of opportunity for disabled people.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action his Department has taken against Air Ops in respect of its operating passenger-carrying flights from the United Kingdom in 1993 without permits. [12176]

Permits for these flights in the summer of 1993 were issued to Sultan Air on the understanding that Air Operations of Europe—Air Ops—was operating under a wet lease agreement with that airline. It was not until October 1994 that it emerged that the lease agreement might have been terminated before the flights took place. As announced on 10 January, the Department has now reviewed its permit procedures to clarify permit and safety responsibilities as regards applications involving the use of wet-leased aircraft.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in what circumstances airports can be (a) empowered and (b) required to impound aircraft arriving without permits. [12175]

There are powers under article 107 of the Air Navigation (No. 2) Order 1995 enabling the detention of aircraft which are likely to be flown in breach of article 102 of the order. Powers also exist under section 48 of the Aviation and Maritime Security Act 1990 that enable the detention of aircraft which arrive in the UK when they are prohibited from doing so in the circumstances described in the above section of the Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what plans he has to replace auxiliary coastguards with watch assistants; [12193](2) what changes have taken place in the level of coastguard station officers over the last year; and if he will make a statement. [12192]

I have asked the chief executive of the Coastguard agency to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what additional development is projected as a result of the Newbury bypass. [12095]

This is a matter for the local planning authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out all the powers of the rail regulator to compel a change in Railtrack's track access charges before the quinquennial review and to publish the documents in which they are contained. [12014]

The terms on which the regulator can make changes to the charges made to passenger train operating companies are set out in schedule 7 to the track access agreements. These agreements are on the public register of agreements held by the regulator.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contingency plans he has for the modernisation of the west coast main line if the proposed development of a transmission-based signalling system proves not to be viable. [12287]

A major priority of the modernisation of the west coast main line for Railtrack is to maintain and renew the network by using modern technology. During initial studies on the modernisation of the line, more conventional signalling systems were considered alongside the proposed transmission-based signalling system which Railtrack has chosen.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what is his estimate of the cost of resignalling the west coast main line using the proposed transmission-based signalling system; and what are the financial savings anticipated from its introduction; [12286](2) how many companies are included on the shortlist for the development of the transmission-based signalling system proposed for the west coast main line; and if he will list them; [12284](3) by what dates he will require signalling manufacturers, awarded contracts, to develop the transmission-based signalling system proposed for the west coast main line to complete or demonstrate

Railtrack is currently considering bids for the contract to develop the proposed transmission-based signalling system for the west coast main line. The system is expected to reduce maintenance and operating costs and provide improved reliability on the line. The other information requested is commercially confidential to Railtrack.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what plans he has for a transmission-based signalling system to be installed at major rail junctions on the west coast main line; [12280](2) what assessment he has made of the performance record of the transmission-based signalling technology proposed for the west coast main line; where it is in use elsewhere; how many miles of track it controls; and if it is in use at any rail junctions with traffic densities similar to those on the west coast main line. [12285]

Railtrack intends to introduce a transmission-based signalling system to the west coast main line as part of the core modernisation programme for the line. Railtrack informs me that the transmission-based signalling technology is currently employed in differing forms in various parts of the world, but it is not identical to the system planned for the west coast main line. For this reason, Railtrack intends to let development contracts for the signalling system during the first quarter of this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to authorise expenditure on signalling technology for the modernisation of the west coast main line prior to its capability being proven. [12278]

Railtrack will fund the core modernisation programme of the west coast main line, which includes the proposed new signalling system for the line, from the track access charges which it receives from passenger train operators. The level of these charges over the six years from 1995 has been agreed by the regulator.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many signalling manufacturers have expressed reservations to him about the viability of the proposed introduction of a transmission-based signalling system on the west coast main line. [12279]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to expand aerial surveillance of the extended sea limits in respect of pollution control; and if he will make a statement. [12463]

The use of aerial surveillance will continue to be reviewed to ensure that it remains a cost-effective method of enforcing marine pollution regulations within the waters under UK jurisdiction, including any future extension to this jurisdiction.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if all trains are equipped with two-way telephones. [12384]

No. Installation of the line-side transmitter equipment for the national radio network is virtually complete. The planned engineering target is 98 per cent. of the network excluding tunnels and cuttings. Most modern train cabs have also been fitted with the necessary equipment.In the former Network SouthEast area, British Rail has decided to fit the cab secure radio system, so that further modifications will not be necessary when driver-only operation is extended. About 65 per cent. of passenger train miles in the Network SouthEast area already have cab secure radio.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received following the announcement on 19 December 1995 of transport supplementary costs and credit approvals for transport expenditure by local authorities from (a) hon. Members, (b) local authorities and (c) other organisations and individuals. [12387]

I have received 49 representations, including 30 parliamentary questions, from hon. Members following the announcement on 19 December. My officials are in regular correspondence with local authorities and others about transport policies and programme—TPP—submissions and about particular schemes. We have had 22 representations from local authorities and 12 from organisations and individuals, often about specific schemes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the effects of bus deregulation in the Greater Manchester area over the last five years. [12301]

Deregulation has brought great benefits to bus travellers in Greater Manchester as it has elsewhere in the country. There are now more operators running more bus miles at lower cost, with new buses on many routes, and significantly less public subsidy than previously.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 17 January, Official Report, column 615, what were the occupations of the staff who have left London Transport's employment since 12 November 1994; and if he will list them by category. [12759]

This is an operational matter for London Transport.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the average annual and daily mileage travelled by (a) a car commuter and (b) a car shopper. [12699]

The average annual car commuting mileage of a person who normally travels to work in a car was 3,040 miles in 1992–94, consisting of an average of 348 single-way journeys of 8.7 miles mean length. The average annual car shopping mileage of a driver in a car-owning household was 970 miles in 1992–94, consisting of an average of 186 single-way journeys of 5.2 miles mean length.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 24 January, Official Report, columns 270–71, what is his assessment as to the reasons for the increase in arrivals and departures to the Indian sub-continent in the last two years. [12524]

The Department of Transport does not make assessments of the sort requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his estimate of his Department's expenditure on newspapers and magazines in (a) 1993–94, (b) 1994–95 and (c) 1995–96, to date; and if he will list the publications purchased for the latest year for which information is available. [11462]

(a) 1993–94: £375,000

(b) 1994–95: £140,000

(c) 1995–96: £125,000

Newspapers and magazines bought in 1995–96 include:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his estimate of departmental expenditure on administration for (a) 1979–80, (b) 1989–90, (c) 1991–92, (d) 1993–94, (e) 1994–95, (f) 1995–96 and (g) 1996–97. [11459]

Figures of my Department's expenditure on administration for (b) to (g) can be found in the transport report 1995, Cm 2806, which is available in the House of Commons Library. My final outturn figures for (e) and projected outturn figures for (f) will be presented in the transport report 1996, which is due to be published in the latter part of March. My Department's latest budget figure for (g) is £373 million.Running costs figures for Departments were not calculated on the same basis prior to 1989–90, so comparable figures for

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his estimate of expenditure on all forms of hospitality and entertainment by (a) his Department, (b) his Department's agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies, for (i) 1979–80, (ii) 1989–90, (iii) 1991–92, (iv) 1993–94, (v) 1994–95, (vi) 1995–96 and (vii) 1996–97. [11458]

The table represents an estimate of expenditure on hospitality and entertainment by the Department of Transport (central transport group), its agencies, and non-departmental public bodies for the years specified. Figures for 1979–80 and forecasts for 1996–97 are not available. Figures for 1995–96 are forecast outturns based on current expenditure and may include some non-entertainment costs which cannot readily be desegregated.

	1989–90	1991–92	1993–94
Central Transport Group	114,016	170,015	234,986
Agencies	4,586	28,143	40,718
Non-departmental public bodies	5,375	33,542	37,144

	1994–95	1995–96
Central Transport Group	127,248	202,524
Agencies	91,828	97,370
Non Departmental public bodies	25,903	34,768

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his estimate of the expenditure of his Department, his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies on all forms of overseas travel, overseas accommodation and other associated expenses for (a) 1979–80, (b) 1989–90, (c) 1991–92, (d) 1993–94, (e) 1994–95, (f) 1995–96 and (g) 1996–97. [11461]

Information in the form requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his estimate of the annual cost to his Department, his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies of their empty and under-utilised properties for (a) 1979–80, (b) 1989–90, (c) 1991–92, (d) 1993–94, (e)1994–95, (f) 1995–96 and (g) 1996–97. [11460]

Prior to 1990, the civil estate was managed by the Property Service Agency. Its archived records can be accessed only at disproportionate cost.The estimated annual cost of the vacant and under-utilised space on the Department of Transport's civil estate, excluding that for which the Department of the Environment's property holdings division is responsible, is:

Year	Vacant space £	Under-utilised space £
1991–92	1,200	15,000
1993–94	1,289,000	45,000
1994–95	2,037,900	45,000
1995–96	2,657,600	40,000
1996–97	3,674,300	1,185,200

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was (a) the total number of assaults and (b) the number of assaults on women at rail stations in each year since 1990 by local authority area. [10522]

The information requested is not available in the format requested. However, the table details the number of notifiable assaults and assaults by gender at rail stations for 1994 and 1995, broken down by British Transport police areas. Similar information for previous years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Recorded assaults 1994 and 1995
BTP area	1994			1995
	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total
London north	192	36	228	165	25	190
North-east	54	16	70	28	12	40
Scotland	184	41	225	185	49	234
North-west	120	28	148	85	21	106
Midlands	43	12	55	35	2	37
South-west	44	10	54	29	14	43
London south	233	57	290	230	40	270
London Underground	394	119	513	261	65	326
Force total	1,264	319	1,583	1,018	228	1,246

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 9 January, OfficialReport, column 32, about British Rail businesses which have been sold, whether he will give in respect of each business (a) the number of people employed by the business at the time of its sale, (b) the number of employees of the business made redundant by british Rail between 1 January 1993 and the date of its sale, (c) the cost to British Rail of these redundancy payments, (d) the name and address of the businesses' new owner and (e) the sum of money paid by the new owner to acquire the business; and what has been the total sum received to date from the sale of British Rail assets and rail franchises since the Railways Act 1993 received Royal Assent, listing all assets and franchises sold which did not appear in the answer. [11736]

In relation to the three franchises which have been awarded, the details requested in parts (a) to (c) of the question are matters for the British Railways Board. The details requested in part (d) are: the Great Western Trains franchise was awarded to Great Western Holdings Ltd., Milford house, Milford street, Swindon, SN1 1DW; the LTS Rail franchise was awarded to Enterprise Rail of Central house, Clifftown road, Southend-on-Sea, SS1 1AB; and the South West Trains franchise was awarded to Stagecoach Holdings plc of Charlotte house, 20 Charlotte street, Perth, PH1 5LL.In relation to the sales of BR businesses, the details requested in parts

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will publish his response to "Transport and the Environment", the 18th report of the royal commission on environmental pollution; and if he will make a statement. [12401]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen) on 7 November, Official Report, column 755.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take action to ensure leasing arrangements are put into place to enable new rolling stock to be acquired and operated under the west Yorkshire electrification scheme; and if he will make a statement. [12258]

[holding answer 29 January]: The acquisition of new rolling stock is a matter for the train operator, in conjunction with the West Yorkshire passenger train executives, to discuss with rolling stock leasing companies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has called for reports into recent incidents concerning the failure of rolling stock being operated under the west Yorkshire electrification scheme; what subsequent action he has taken; and if he will make a statement. [12257]

[holding answer 29 January]: An incident on 17 November, when there was an electrical explosion on a class 308 electric multiple unit, has been reported to the Health and Safety Executive's railway inspectorate, and an investigation by railway research staff is being monitored by HSE inspectors. All the trains in service have been examined and the inspectorate is satisfied that the necessary measures are in place to allow them to be used safely.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Pakistan concerning child labour. [12299]

We regularly express our concerns to the Government of Pakistan about child labour. We welcome recent steps that they have taken to improve the situation on bonded and child labour, such as widening access to schooling and the setting up of vigilance committees. However, we recognise that much remains to be done to resolve the problem.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he made to the Chinese authorities on his recent visit regarding the future protection of endangered species in Hong Kong. [12335]

The Chinese agreed in December 1991 that the United Nations convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora—CITES—would continue to apply to Hong Kong after the transfer of sovereignty on 1 July 1997. Hong Kong's strict customs controls and legislation on endangered species will also continue to apply. Therefore, no such representations were made, since these would not have added to the strong safeguards that already exist.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his estimate of his Department's expenditure on newspaper and magazines in (a) 1993–94, (b) 1994–95 and (c) 1995–96, to date; and if he will list the publications purchased for the latest year for which information is available. [11442]

Foreign and Commonwealth Office diplomatic wing expenditure in the UK on newspapers and magazines was as follows:

• 1993–94: £95,631
• 1994–95: £101,909
• 1995–96: £77,395 (to the end December)

Additionally, posts overseas spent the following on books, periodicals and newspapers. Figures for 1995–96 will be available only at the end of the financial year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his estimate of his Department's expenditure on administration for (a) 1979–80, (b) 1989–90, (c) 1991–92, (d) 1993–94, (e) 1994–95, (f) 1995–96 and (g) 1996–97. [11439]

I refer the hon. Member to appendix A of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office departmental report for 1995—Cm 2802—and previous years, copies of which can be found in the Library of the House. Our 1996 departmental report will be published in March. Information on expenditure in 1979–80 can be obtained from the FCO diplomatic and aid wings appropriation accounts 1979–80, which is also available in the Library of the House. When comparing expenditure over different periods, it should be noted that there have been a number of structural changes in the FCO since 1979–80 which are explained in the departmental reports and appropriation accounts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his estimate of the annual cost to his Department, his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies of their empty and under-utilised properties for (a) 1979–80, (b) 1989–90, (c) 1991–92, (d) 1993–94, (e) 1994–95, (f) 1995–96 and (g) 1996–97. [11440]

Since 1989–90 the only cost to the FCO diplomatic wing for empty or under-utilised properties in the UK was incurred in 1995–96. Both freehold properties concerned are being sold. Rents—payable to property holdings—amounted to £98,173 with a further £114,444 contribution in lieu of rates. There were offsetting savings of £34,000 from lettings on both sites. Information in respect of 1979–80 is not available.In respect of the overseas estate, the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. It is departmental policy to dispose of vacant or under-utilised elements of the overseas estate as quickly and as cost-effectively as possible.The ODA does not have any empty or under-utilised property.Of the FCO's agencies and non-departmental public bodies, only the Natural Resources Institute has empty or under-utilised property and it will write to the hon. Member with full details. The information requested in respect of the British Council could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he makes of political circumstances, and what weight he attaches to human rights abuses, when deciding whether official trade missions should take place. [12289]

Decisions to send official trade missions are taken in the light of a number of factors, including the political and economic situation of the country concerned, the commercial opportunities for British companies and their interest in the market. Trade missions are briefed by British diplomatic posts on all relevant aspects of the country's political situation including its human rights record.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the (a) costs and (b) the number of science-related posts in the diplomatic service for each year since 1979. [12325]

The costs, including salaries, allowances, travel costs and accommodation, and numbers for science-related posts in the diplomatic service are as follows:

	Numbers	£ cost
1993–94	24.4	2,240,586
1994–95	24.4	2,313,237

Table 1: Staff numbers in EU institutions as amended by successive budgets
	1994	1995	1995	1995	1996
	Total staff	Budget increase	Supplementary budget increase	Total staff	Budget increase
Court of Justice	837	0	113	950	0
Court of Auditors	427	31	45	503	0
Economic and Social Committee and Committee of the Regions	599	62	55	716	0
Council	2,304	75	86	2,465	42
Commission	14,918	650	268	15,836	193

1. Only a part of the 1995 budget increase in staff numbers were in response to enlargement.2. The 1995 supplementary budget staff increases were almost all due to enlargement.3. The increase in Commission staff for 1996 is divided mainly between enlargement (95 staff) and fraud prevention. The Council increase is mostly for enlargement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the planned (a) expenditure on and (b) cost of science-related posts in the diplomatic service over the next three years. [12326]

The forecast total cost and expenditure for science-related posts in the diplomatic service over the next three financial years are as follows:

• 1995–96: £2,174,000
• 1996–97: £2,139,906
• 1997–98: £2,193,404

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes will take place in European Union staff numbers as a result of enlargement; what changes were originally forecast; what is the average length of service of those receiving redundancy; how the cost of redundancy is related to length of service; and what is the average length of service of those receiving redundancy per head in respect of (a) permanent staff, (b) temporary staff, (c) professional staff and (d) clerical and other staff. [10347]

[holding answer 22 January 1996]: On 1 January 1995, the EU enlarged to 15 member states with the accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden. Many of the new posts created as a result have not yet been filled. The final changes as a result of enlargement are therefore not yet known.The forecast staff numbers are agreed by the Council in the budget. The table lists the successive budgets which have increased staff numbers, at least in part as a result of enlargement.redundant. However, the programme is open only to "fonctionnaires"—permanent staff —with more than 10 years' service, and "agents temporaire"—on fixed-term contracts—with more than 15 years' service. The minimum age for fonctionnaires to be eligible for the scheme is 55. For agents temporaire, it is 50.The cost of redundancy is not related to the length of service. Redundant staff receive 70 per cent. of their basic pay until the age of 65, or until they are entitled to receive a full pension, whichever is earlier.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answer of 14 December, Official Report, column 738, what guidelines her Department has issued to placing, assessment and counselling team managers and regional PACT managers on the funding of access to work. [12216]

Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if the funds allocated to (a) access to work schemes and (b) the supported employment schemes are cash limited in (i) the present financial year and (ii) 1996—97 financial year. [11975]

Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when she expects to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for North Devon of 5 October and 9 November 1995 and 3 January 1996 concerning Park school, Barnstaple. [12514]

A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 25 January 1996. We have not received the letter of 3 January 1996.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of secondary school head teachers were women in (a) 1975, (b) 1980, (c) 1985, (d) 1990 and (e) 1995 (i) by local education authority and (ii) nationally. [10518]

The information requested is shown in the table.

Percentage of secondary school headteachers who were women in each local education authority area in England 1975–19951 2
Position in January each year
	1975	1980	1985	1990	1995
Corporation of London	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Camden	n/a	n/a	n/a	73	55
Greenwich	n/a	n/a	n/a	53	47
Hackney	n/a	n/a	n/a	40	70
Hammersmith and Fulham	n/a	n/a	n/a	30	67
Islington	n/a	n/a	n/a	50	67
Kensington and Chelsea	n/a	n/a	n/a	60	75
Lambeth	n/a	n/a	n/a	40	55
Lewisham	n/a	n/a	n/a	29	54
Southwark	n/a	n/a	n/a	44	62
Tower Hamlets	n/a	n/a	n/a	57	40
Wandsworth	n/a	n/a	n/a	45	33
Westminster	n/a	n/a	n/a	63	38
ILEA	41	39	45	n/a	n/a
Barking and Dagenham	18	18	9	0	13
Barnet	25	28	26	33	33
Bexley	26	25	42	41	19
Brent	17	28	17	27	31
Bromley	42	41	35	32	41
Croydon	29	28	17	19	20
Ealing	24	19	20	23	42
Enfield	19	18	25	24	13
Haringey	38	36	20	44	33
Harrow	27	27	45	30	20
Havering	14	14	24	21	28
Hillingdon	14	20	5	17	20
Hounslow	20	29	36	29	36
Kingston upon Thames	42	42	45	50	40
Merton	26	32	42	50	36
Newham	25	19	31	40	71
Redbridge	30	29	25	7	20
Richmond upon Thames	17	33	25	50	38
Sutton	35	33	38	36	43
Waltham Forest	26	25	22	31	38
Birmingham	26	23	20	25	33
Coventry	23	23	19	11	21
Dudley	15	13	12	16	18
Sandwell	20	12	8	9	5
Solihull	12	11	11	21	15
Walsall	4	8	8	9	25
Wolverhampton	17	14	14	20	15
Knowsley	13	10	6	0	9
Liverpool	35	34	33	28	31