To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the level of public funds granted in the last five years in legal aid to (a) people living abroad and (b) foreigners living in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement as to what checks are made by the Legal Aid Board as to the verifying the accuracy of financial statements made by (a) and (b) and their financial position in their own countries. [13499]

Information on legal aid expenditure granted to people living abroad is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Information on the nationality of applicants for legal aid is not separately recorded. It is therefore not possible to say how much legal aid was paid in respect of foreign nationals.Applications from people living abroad and foreigners living in the United Kingdom are subject to the same tests as applications from British citizens resident in England and Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on progress on the community hospital project, to be based at Porthmadog, since the meeting on 26 January between representatives of the Gwynedd community health trust and Welsh Office.officials. [12884]

The trust is finalising its outline business case for the proposed hospital in light of comments made by my officials. Producing a satisfactory business case is a matter for the trust in discussion with its main purchasers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many letters he has received (a) from organizations and individuals in Wales and (b) from hon. Members representing Welsh constituencies concerning adverse effects following on the failure to secure millennium fund backing for the national opera house/Lyric theatre in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [12902]

The numbers of letters received in each category are:

(a) fewer than a dozen;

(b) two.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultation he has had with the chairman of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority concerning changes to the specification of the materials management contract awarded to Exel Logistics in the course of the market testing of the authority, subsequent to the publication of the specification and exclusively for Exel Logistics and without informing other bidders. [13794]

None. There have been no changes to the specification.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 17 January, Official Report, column 624, and the letter to the hon. Member by the chief executive of the Cardiff Bay development corporation of 29 January, under what statutory authority the Land Authority for Wales uses its compulsory purchase powers on behalf of another non-departmental public body. [13907]

The Land Authority for Wales compulsory purchase powers are provided subject to my authorisation, under section 104 of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he proposes to eliminate his predecessor's name and text from the Welsh Office Internet entry; if he will update the contents in the Welsh Office Internet box; and if he will make a statement. [13982]

I have no immediate plans to remove the text of my Department's brochures from the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency's Government information service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) consultants, (b) junior doctors and (c) general practitioners have been suspended on full pay in each of the last three years. [13983]

This information is not available centrally. However, with effect from 1 April 1995 employing authorities/trusts must notify the Department when a consultant has been suspended on full pay for six months. There have been no such notifications since then.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the role of Andrew Green in respect of arms deals with Saudi Arabia during his terms of office there; and if he will make a statement. [13097]

All senior Foreign Office officials are required to promote British exports. Mr. Green was engaged in such work during a posting to Riyadh as deputy head of mission from 1985 to 1988.I am confident that he will continue to uphold British interests admirably during his forthcoming posting as our ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the role of David Gore-Booth in respect of arms deals with Saudi Arabia during his term of office in that country; and if he will make a statement. [13075]

All heads of mission are required to promote British exports. Ambassador Gore-Booth has done so extremely effectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to (a) the Chinese Government and (b) the Dalai Lama on his visit to London in July in respect of the whereabouts of Gedhun Chokyi Nyima. [13171]

My right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary raised a range of human rights issues with the Chinese during his visit to Peking in January. In particular, he expressed our concerns about reports of abuses in Tibet. The whereabouts of Gedhun Chokyi Nyima and his tutor was raised during the recent EU-China human rights dialogue which took place in Peking from 21 to 24 January. The Dalai Lama has also expressed his concerns.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the necessary procedures in respect of ratifying the agreement of, and acceding to, the United Nations law of the sea convention described in his answer of 20 July 1994, Official Report, column 236, will be completed; and when it is Her Majesty's Government's intention to ratify and accede. [13572]

The legislation we intend to have in place before accession will be complete when the orders on privileges and immunities for the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and the International Sea-Bed Authority, and the Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution) Order 1995, have been made. These were approved by Parliament on 24 and 25 January. A number of other necessary procedures are outstanding. Once these are complete, we will be in position to accede to the UN convention on the law of the sea and to ratify the part XI implementation agreement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions Her Majesty's Government have initiated with (a) the European Union, (b) the Commonwealth and (c) the United Nations regarding moves to achieve peace in Sudan. [13632]

Moves to achieve peace in Sudan have centred on the initiative launched in 1994 by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Drought and Development, including Kenya and Uganda, which we have fully supported. The UK has also played an active part in stimulating a critical dialogue between the EU and Sudan. At the UN, the UK has been active in securing the passing of resolutions critical of Sudan's human rights record.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what account is being taken of the situation in Kosovo in determining diplomatic recognition of Serbia by the European Union. [13444]

Member states of the European Union, in considering recognition of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, are taking full account of the situation in Kosovo. The development of good relations between the FRY and the EU and the FRY's position within the international community after recognition would depend, inter alia, on full respect for human rights, including minority rights, and the granting of a large degree of autonomy for Kosvo within the FRY.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on and what is his policy regarding the establishment of an international criminal court. [13631]

We have received a wide range of representations on this subject.Following the ad hoc committee meetings to discuss this issue, a preparatory committee has been set up to undertake work in March and in August on a draft statute for an international criminal court. We have made it clear that our support for the establishment of a court is dependent, among other things, on its being a court of last resort for certain serious crimes where states are unable or unwilling to act and also on its being generally accepted by the international community.The final decision as to whether to become party to the statute establishing such a court will only be taken once we know what the statute will look like.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of current relations between India and Pakistan concerning Kashmir; and if he will make a statement. [12462]

We remain concerned that the issue of Kashmir damages relations between India and Pakistan. We continue to urge both parties to show restraint and resolve their differences through peaceful negotiation. We are disappointed that the talks between India and Pakistan in Islamabad in January 1994 have yet to be continued.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of the 24 January, Official Report, column 227, how many people have been killed in Karachi and Sindh between 1 January and the latest available date. [12485]

The official Pakistani police figures for killings in Sindh and Karachi from 1 January, up to and including 30 January, are:

• Sindh (including Karachi): 178
• Karachi: 86

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the Government of Pakistan about child bonded labour in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [13368]

We regularly express our concerns to the Government of Pakistan about child and bonded labour. We welcome recent steps they have taken to improve the situation, such as widening access to schooling and the establishment of rehabilitation centres. However, we recognise that much remains to be done.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he raised the cases of (a) Wei Jingsheng, (b) Tong Yi and (c) Dai Xuezhong during his visit to China; and if he will make a statement. [13220]

[holding answer 5 February 1996]: My right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary raised our concerns about a range of human rights issues during his recent visit to Peking. In particular, he mentioned the case of Mr. Wei Jingsheng and urged his early release. He also asked for a response to the list of individual cases handed over during Foreign Minister Qian's visit to the UK in October 1995; Tong Yi was included in that list.

To ask the Lord President of the Council what plans he has to review the arrangements for the pay of hon. Members and Ministers. [14237]

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has today written to Sir Michael Perry, the chairman of the Senior Salaries Review Body, in the following terms:

"As you know, changes in the structure of civil servants' pay mean that new arrangements need to be found for determining Members' pay from 1997 onwards.

I would be grateful if you and your colleagues on the Senior Salaries Review Body, under your standing terms of reference, undertake a comprehensive review, with the following remit.

'The Senior Salaries Review Body is asked to undertake a comprehensive review of the level and structure of Parliamentary pay and allowances and to make recommendations for the future. The review should cover each of the following terms:

(i) the salary of Members of the House of Commons;

(ii) the salaries of Ministers and other office-holders;

(iii) all allowances, comprising the Office Costs Allowance, Motor Mileage Allowance, Additional Cost Allowance and the London Supplement;

(iv) the severance pay and pension arrangements for MPs and Ministers;

(v) the rates of Peers' expenses allowances and the Secretarial Allowance for Ministers and other paid office-holders in the House of Lords; and

(iv) a linkage to provide the basis for annual uprating in future years without the need for Parliamentary decision.'

I realise that such a review will be time consuming and needs to be fitted in with your other work. Nonetheless, I would be grateful if it could be completed in time for you to make recommendations, if at all possible, by the end of June."

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much land in Leeds, and Yorkshire and Humberside is currently recorded on the land registers; and how much has been sold since the inception of the land registers (a) in total and (b) on his direction. [10423]

Since October 1989 local authorities and certain other public bodies have been required to compile and maintain registers of unused and underused land in their ownership. Local authorities have been asked to submit annually to the Department aggregated information from their registers.The latest complete information on land held by local authorities in Yorkshire and Humberside is for March 1994. Information on land sold between 1989 and 1994 is incomplete. No directions have been issued over this period.

	Land recorded on land register at 31 March 1994 Hectare	Land sold between October 1989 and 31 March 1994 Hectare
Leeds	241.1	250
Yorkshire and Humberside (including Leeds)	2,799.1	1,030.3

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authority gritting lorries there were in (a) 1992, (b) 1993, (c) 1994 and (d) 1995; and if he will make a statement. [13168]

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list the sewerage undertakers which have decided to exclude plastic as an approved material for waste-water pipework; [13186](2) when he last met the representatives of

The specification for sewerage pipes is a matter for the sewerage undertakers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what talks he has had with his EU counterparts regarding the disintegration of Antarctic ice shelves. [13271]

British Antarctic Survey scientists, reporting recently in the scientific journal Nature, Vol. 379, about the disintegration of Antarctic ice shelves, were unable to determine whether this was a result of global climate change due to greenhouse gases or part of a long-term natural oscillation.The Council of Environment Ministers at their last meeting in December noted that the recent findings of the intergovernmental panel on climate change concerning the threat of damage from climate change underline the necessity for urgent action at the widest possible level. If the disintegration of Antarctic ice shelves should prove to be due to greenhouse gas warming, the Council would need to consider what further action to take.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidance he has given the National Rivers Authority on the review of extant abstraction licences which may affect sites designated as special protection areas under the birds directive or as candidate special areas of conservation under the habitats directive. [13666]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford (Ms Ruddock) on 23 January 1996, Official Report, column 198.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many jobs have been advertised in each grade in his Department during the last three months for which records are available; and how many people have applied for each such job. [13832]

The Department of the Environment, central, has advertised the following permanent administrative and specialist jobs during the last three months:

Type of Posts	Number applied
Senior planning officer x 2	62
Senior professional and technological officer x 3	97
Administrative officer, Hemel Hempstead x 1	26

My Department is currently advertising for two assistant librarians.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the formula used by the water industry regulator to determine how much profit is given as returns to shareholders. [13909]

The price cap system of economic regulation of the water industry places a limit on prices, rather than controlling profits or dividends. The regulator monitors the dividends paid by the regulated businesses to their group companies. It is for the group companies to decide on the level of dividends paid to shareholders.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what response he has made to the Countryside Commission's call of 15 January for a review of planning policy guidance 22 in relation to the location of wind turbines; [13702](2) what representations his Department has received about the proposed location of 16 wind turbines on Gunson Height in Furness, Cumbria. [13703]

My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Construction, Planning and Energy Efficiency has met and written to the chairman of the Countryside Commission explaining how the contents of PPG22 already deal with the environmental concerns raised by the commission in relation to wind turbines.A planning application together with an environmental assessment for 16 wind turbines on Gunson Height has been made to South Lakeland district council, which is carrying out the usual consultations. So far as is known, no representations have been made direct to my Department at this stage.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list (a) the local authorities which will benefit from the area cost adjustment in 1996–97 and (b) the amount by which each such authority will benefit in that year. [13944]

A table listing the contribution to SSAs from the area cost adjustment has been placed in the Library.The contribution of the area cost adjustment is not the same as the amount an authority would gain or lose if there was not an area cost adjustment in the standard spending assessment system. If the area cost adjustment were removed, it would be necessary to revise the analyses on which the SSA formulae are based, and we would wish to consult the local authority associations on what would then be the most appropriate formulae.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is the planned yield from council tax in England for the financial year from 1995–96 to 1998–99 based on the view of local authority behaviour taken in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1996–97" expressed in (a) millions of pounds, (b) in pounds divided by the band D council tax base used for 1995–96 tax setting and (c) in pounds divided by the total number of chargeable dwellings in England in 1995–96; [13972](2) what is

The Government do not set plans for the yield of council tax, which depends upon decisions made by individual authorities. The figures in chapter 4 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report", HC 30, which relate to 1996–97 and preceding years only, show an estimate of the contribution of council tax, net of council tax benefit, to the total of general Government revenues.The costs of council tax benefit fall largely to the Exchequer. In order to reduce the chance that local authorities' budgeting decisions will have an adverse effect on the public finances. Estimates of council tax growth are set on the pessimistic side.The table shows the calculation of gross council tax yield for England consistent with chapter 4 of HC 30. The calculation takes account of estimates of the council tax base, the assumed average level of council taxes and the average council tax collection rate.

	1995–96	1996–97
Estimated council tax base before collection rate adjustment (million band D equivalents)	16.50	16.55
Assumed average band D council tax level, £	609	656
Percentage estimate of assumed collection rate	97.2	97.4
Estimated yield gross of council tax benefit, £ million	9,780	10,574
Estimated increase in gross yield £ million	—	794
Per cent.	—	8.1
Gross yield divided by 1995–96 tax setting tax base, £	—	659
Gross yield divided by 1995–96 chargeable dwellings, £	—	538

No separate estimate is made of the increase in aggregate budgeted local authority revenue expenditure in England.Aggregate external finance has been increased by £549 million (1.6 per cent.) above the 1995–96 level, adjusted for community care special grant and other changes in local authority responsibilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what new discharge authorisations will be required following the separation of Nuclear Electric plc from Nuclear Electric Ltd. from Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution; how many have been granted; and what is the timetable for the remainder. [13292]

[holding answer 2 February 1996]: Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution has received the following applications for new discharge authorisations submitted on behalf of the AGR and PWR Co. Ltd:

		Number of authorisations applied for
Power station	Type	waste gases, miss and dusts	Liquid waste	Combustible wastes
Dungeness B	AGR	1	1	0
Hartlepool	AGR	1	1	1
Heysham 1	AGR	1	1	1
Heysham 2	AGR	1	1	1
Hinkley Point B	AGR	1	1	1
Sizewell B	PWR	1	1	1
AGR=Advanced gas-cooled reactor.
PWR=Pressure water reactor.

None of the authorisations has so far been granted. HMIP aims to publish its decision on each of the applications early in March 1996. Before the decision is published, the applicant has the right to appeal to the Secretary of State for the Environment under section 26 of the Radioactive Substances Act 1993, or request a hearing from the Secretary of State for the Environment and the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food under section 28 of the Act, with respect to a refusal of an authorisation or any limitations and conditions imposed. In addition, such local authorities or other persons whom the Secretary of State and the Minister consider appropriate may be afforded a hearing. No firm timetable for publishing the decision can therefore be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many knives were handed in in (a) the Sheffield area and (b) the Hallam constituency during the recent knives amnesty; and if he will make a statement; [13072](2) how many offences were committed in the Sheffield area for each of the last three years involving knives; and if he will make a statement. [13073]

The running of the recent knives amnesty was an operational responsibility for chief officers of police and the information was collected by police force areas. The number of knives and potentially dangerous weapons handed in in the Sheffield area was 225. The information requested on the numbers of offences involving knives is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the percentage of offenders convicted of offences carrying a discretionary life sentence who are reconvicted of a second offence of similar seriousness; what is the average sentence imposed on those reconvicted of offences carrying a discretionary life sentence; what is the average time served by those reconvicted for (i) all categories of such offences, (ii) manslaughter, (iii) rape, (iv) robbery, (v) buggery, (vi) assault causing grievious bodily harm, (vii) aggravated burglary, (viii) firearms offences carrying life sentence as a maximum penalty and (ix) other offences carrying a maximum life sentence. [12909]

The information requested is not collected routinely. A sample of those convicted of indictable offences in five weeks in 1993–94 included 600 offenders convicted of sexual or violent offences carrying a discretionary life sentence, 198–33 per cent.—of whom had previous convictions for such offences. A total of 169 of the offenders with previous convictions for such offences were given a custodial sentence, five of whom were sentenced to life imprisonment. The table shows the average sentence imposed, excluding life sentences, by offence group. Information is not available on sentences actually served by the offenders included in the sample.

Offence	Number sentenced to immediate custody on second or greater occasion	Average custodial sentence imposed (months)
Manslaughter	5	45
Rape	8	81
Robbery	92	42
Buggery	4	75
Wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm	31	49
Aggravated burglary	3	74
Firearms offences	1	48
Other offences	20	34
Total	164	46

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the average sentence served by (a) burglars and (b) drug dealers imprisoned for a third such sentence; [12911](2) what percentage of

The information requested is not collected routinely. The results from a sample of those convicted of indictable offences in three weeks of 1993 are given in the table which shows the average sentence imposed. Information is not available on sentences actually served by the offenders included in the sample.

Sentencing of burglars and drug dealers1 convicted for the third or greater time
Offence	Number convicted on a third or greater occasion	Percentage sentenced to immediate custody	Average custodial sentence imposed (months)
Burglary	1,135	43	11
Drug dealing1	8	75	30
1 Based on drug trafficking offences monitored and reported in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin "Statistics of Drugs Seizures and Offenders dealt with, United Kingdom, 1994". These are offences of unlawful production of drugs other than cannabis, unlawful supply, possession with intent to supply unlawfully and unlawful import or export.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the (a) capital funding and (b) supplementary credit approvals awarded to police authorities for 1996–97. [12930]

The information is listed in the table.

Police capital programme 1996–97
Police force	Total funding £ million	Supplementary credit approval
Avon and Somerset1	4.610	1.427
Bedfordshire	2.288	0.708
Cambridgeshire	1.233	0.298
Cheshire	1.885	0.584
City of London	0.825	0.255
Cleveland	1.451	0.449
Cumbria	1.147	0.315
Derbyshire	2.200	0.616
Devon and Cornwall	3.739	0.773
Dorset	1.305	0.404
Durham	1.706	0.528
Dyfed Powys	0.936	0.290
Essex	7.310	2.079
Gloucestershire	1.991	0.595
Greater Manchester	8.404	2.602
Gwent	1.334	0.367
Hampshire	5.707	1.530
Hertfordshire	2.697	0.835
Humberside	3.123	0.967
Kent1	8.006	2.495
Lancashire	3.331	1.031
Leicestershire	3.886	1.203
Lincolnshire	2.873	0.890
Merseyside1	6.812	1.981
Norfolk	2.515	0.773
Northamptonshire	1.718	0.532
Northumbria	8.499	2.620
North Wales	2.115	0.559
North Yorkshire1	2.780	0.926
Nottinghamshire	5.965	1.847
South Wales1	7.146	2.146
South Yorkshire	5.472	1.694
Staffordshire	3.505	0.815
Suffolk	1.195	0.337
Surrey	5.923	1.834
Sussex	7.345	2.252
Thames Valley	6.883	2.058
Warwickshire	1.022	0.311
West Mercia	3.993	1.070
West Midlands1	9.409	2.900
West Yorkshire	7.682	2.290
Wiltshire	1.464	0.417
Metropolitan Police	54.410	16.459
Grand total	217.790	65.060
1 Includes allocation for Regional Crime Squads.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what capital expenditure for the financial year 1996–97 for prisons in England and Wales will be dropped or revised as a result of the recent cost reductions; and what proportion this represents of total capital expenditure. [13278]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library copies of all the submissions he has received as a result of his consultation exercise on his document "Prevention of Illegal Working". [13346]

I have made available to the House a list of those who have responded in writing to the consultation document and a summary of the main points made in those responses. It is for those who responded to decide whether to make their submissions public.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of the communications directorate campaign to publicise successful police operations. [13272]

The Department has no specific campaign to publicise successful police operations. Examples of good police work are included in press releases, articles and speeches to demonstrate successes in the fight against crime. The minimal costs involved cannot be identified separately.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what considerations led to Keith Mann being given category A status. [13383]

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

To ask the Secretary of state for the Home Department if he will list the number of staff employed by the police (a) full time and (b) as part of the other duties to train traffic police in (a) tachograph and (b) construction and use regulations relevant to heavy goods vehicles. [13276]

The information requested is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many juveniles were convicted of (a) theft and (b) burglary in the Seaham and Peterlee courts each year since 1991. [13199]

Information regarding cases heard at individual court buildings within a petty sessional division is not collected centrally. Data from 1991 to 1994—latest available—are given for the Easington petty sessional division in the table.

Number of persons aged 10 to under 18 years convicted in the Easington Petty Sessional Division of indictable offences of theft and handling stolen goods and burglary, 1991–1994
Offence	1991	1992	1993	1994
Theft and handling stolen goods	23	31	43	60
Burglary	36	28	39	58

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many legally held firearms are held in the Peterlee sub-division of the Durham constabulary; of which type; and if he will list the figures for each of the last five years. [13229]

Information received from the Durham constabulary indicates that a total of 1,495 firearms were covered by certificates in force on 31 January 1996 in the Peterlee sub-division—356 firearms, which includes rifles, pistols, revolvers, large magazine smooth bore guns and specially dangerous air weapons, and 1,139 shot guns.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to review the law on stalking. [13269]

The Government have recently completed an examination of the anti-stalking laws passed in the United States, Australia and Canada and are currently considering whether workable and effective legislation to combat stalkers can be introduced in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many entry clearance applications have been delayed because papers have been lost in transit between posts abroad and the immigration service in each of the last three years. [13478]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the total staff establishment from ethnic minorities for the police service in England and Wales by each grade or rank in (a) 1989 and (b) 1995; [13462](2) how many police officers in England and Wales were from an ethnic minority in

There were 1,306 police officers from an ethnic minority in England and Wales at the end of 1989. Records of the ranks held by these officers were not kept centrally. On 30 September 1995, there were 2,223 police officers from an ethnic minority in England and Wales, made up of 2,020 constables, 158 sergeants, 36 inspectors, eight chief inspectors and one superintendent.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) pursuant to his answer of 30 January, Official Report, column 708, on how many occasions since the publication of Home Office circular 18/1994, the police have sought the opinion of the Crown Prosecution Service as to whether a prosecution should be brought or a caution given in a particular case; [13429](2) pursuant to his answer of 30 January,

The information requested is not collected.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 30 January, Official Report, column 708, how many times a caution was administered in respect of a most serious offence triable only on indictment in each year since 1992. [13433]

The information is given in the table.

Number of persons cautioned for indictable only (excluding triable either way) offences in the Metropolitan Police Area and England and Wales, 1992–1994.
Area	1992	1993	1994
Metropolitan Polices	186	236	222
England and Wales	1,735	1,599	1,542

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 30 January, Official Report, column 708, what monitoring has been given to the correctness of issuing cautions for less grave offences, in accordance with paragraph 6 of circular 18/1994, since the publication of that circular; and if he will make a statement. [13430]

There are no national arrangements for monitoring decisions to administer a caution, but in the course of examining forces' cautioning policy Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary looks, where appropriate, at sampled cases in order to determine whether the policy is being observed. Moreover, a number of forces have established monitoring arrangements on a local basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 30 January, Official Report, column 708, how many times cautions have been given for crimes of (a) attempted murder and (b) rape, since the publication of circular 18/1994. [13432]

The information is given in the table.

Number of persons cautioned for (a) attempted murder and (b) rape following the publication of the Home Office Circular 18/19941 in England and Wales 1994
Offence	1994 January-March	1994 April-December	Total 1994
Attempted murder	—	1	1
Rape	9	10	19
Man having unlawful intercourse with a woman who is a defective	2	3	5
Substantive rape	7	6	13
Attempted rape	—	1	1
1 The Home Office Circular 18/1994 'The Cautioning of Offenders' was issued on 15 March 1994. Cautioning data held centrally only identify the month of the caution, not the date.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 30 January, Official Report, column 708, (1) what action has been taken since the publication of Home Office circular 18/1994 to reduce the inconsistency between police forces about circumstances in which they consider it appropriate to administer a caution, that is referred to at paragraph 4 of that circular; [13424](2) what action has been taken since the publication of Home Office circular 18/1994 to minimise the differing

perceptions between police forces as to the boundary between

Improving consistency between police forces in their disposal of cases was one of the main purposes of the circular. In March 1995, the Association of Chief Police Officers issued guidelines as to the weight which it was suggested should be attached to a range of offences. The guidance has been adopted by a substantial number of forces. It is too early to determine how far it has helped to improve consistency of decision making.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 30 January, Official Report, column 708, to what extent all cautions are accurately recorded in accordance with paragraph 11 of Home Office circular 18/1994. [13426]

Up to 1 November 1995 records of caution were generally kept only by the force that issued them. Since that date, records of all cautions for reportable offences have been entered by forces on to the Phoenix database of the police national computer.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 30 January, Official Report, column 708, what monitoring of results in accordance with paragraph 4 of circular 18/1994 has been given to caution plus schemes. [13425]

Most of the 24 forces which operate some form of caution plus scheme have established monitoring arrangements. The results are being evaluated as part of a research study which is now in progress.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a list of all the measures approved by Parliament since 1979 on law and order, prison sentences, illegal drugs use and terrorism which were opposed (a) on Second or Third Reading, (b) in Committee and (c) on Report by Her Majesty's Opposition. [13120]

The list of measures which the Opposition have voted against on Second Reading includes:

• 1984 Police and Criminal Evidence Act, which strengthened police powers to stop and search suspects;
• 1986 Public Order Act, which gave the police more powers to deal with street disorder;
• 1988 Criminal Justice Act, which raised the maximum sentences for a number of serious crimes and gave the Attorney-General a right of appeal against over lenient sentences;
• 1991 Criminal Justice Act, which made parents more responsible for their children's actions and ensured that all prisoners serve at least half of their sentence in custody;
• Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993, which introduced new measures to deal with bogus asylum seekers; and
• annual renewal of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act every year since 1983.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information is exchanged between the Governments of all European Union states on asylum seekers; and what rules of confidentiality are applied. [13159]

General information on asylum matters is exchanged through the Centre for Information, Reflection and Exchange on Asylum working group, established by the Council of the European Union. CIREA's discussions are normally confidential and do not include individual cases.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy towards magistrates courts offering discounts for guilty pleas. [13118]

In common with the Crown court, magistrates courts are required by section 48 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to take account, when passing sentence, of the timing and other circumstances of a plea of guilty; and, where a discount is given, to indicate the fact This provision gave statutory force to existing practice; the principle that an early plea of guilty should attract a discount on sentence has long been reflected in the sentencing guidelines issued by the Magistrates Association.The Government hope that this provision will help to make defendants who are guilty aware of the advantages of pleading guilty at an early stage.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licence holders have been prosecuted in the Peterlee and Seaham courts for selling alcoholic liquor to persons who were under age in each year since 1991. [13465]

[holding answer 2 February 1996]: Information regarding cases heard at individual court buildings within a petty sessional division is not collected centrally.Data for the Easington petty sessional division show no prosecutions for the offence of a licence holder selling or supplying intoxicating liquor to persons under 18— section 1 of the Licensing Act 1964—from 1991 to 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the contracts for the secure training centres are being resubmitted to his Department. [13753]

[holding answer 5 January 1996]: Tender proposals for the provision of the first two secure training centres at Gringley, Nottinghamshire and Cookham Wood, Kent, were received on 14 June 1995. Negotiations are continuing with the tenderers and as part of this process tenderers are being asked to revise certain aspects of their bids prior to the final assessment and selection of preferred bidders. Contracts will be signed as soon as possible once the terms of the contractual agreement have been finalised.

To ask the Secretary of State. for the Home Department how many visas were granted to representatives of the army and police of El Salvador to visit the United Kingdom in 1995. [13197]

I have been asked to reply.One.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many workers (a) in total, (b) who are single, (c) who are married and (d) with children do not claim the full value of their tax allowances due to low earnings; and if he will estimate the value of the unclaimed allowances. [9936]

The table shows the number of individuals in 1995–96 with some earnings from employment or self-employment, including individuals under 18 and pensioners, who have no income tax liability. Some of the people in the table have gross earnings in excess of the basic tax allowance but have no tax liability due to tax reliefs and deductions which can be set against taxable income. About 1.8 million of the 2.9 million non-taxpaying married individuals have taxpaying spouses.

Individual's marital status	Number millions
Single with no children	0.8
Single with children	0.3
Married with no children	1.3
Married with children	1.6
Total	4.0

The estimates are based on information projected from the 1993 family expenditure survey and are therefore provisional.It is not possible to provide a meaningful total of unused allowances without a specification of the method to be used for combining allowances available at the marginal tax rate and those available at 15 per cent.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the number and percentage of (a) basic rate and (b) higher rate taxpayers in each English county for the most recent year for which figures are available. [12604]

The table provides estimates for 1993–94, the latest available year for which information can be provided below the United Kingdom level.

Basic and higher rate taxpayers, 1993–94
	Taxpayers liable at basic rate but not higher rate		Taxpayers liable at higher rate
	Thousands	Percentage1	Thousands	Percentage1
Cleveland	155	72.5	11	5.1
Cumbria	146	67.9	13	5.9
Durham	176	73.1	11	4.4
Northumberland	100	70.6	8	5.6
Tyne and Wear	276	68.6	15	3.7
Humberside	265	73.3	17	4.6
North Yorkshire	258	74.5	25	7.2
South Yorkshire	359	73.5	20	4.2
West Yorkshire	614	72.4	41	4.8
Cheshire	302	70.7	36	8.3
Greater Manchester	751	71.3	45	4.3
Lancashire	413	73	25	4.5
Merseyside	356	71.4	22	4.3

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the average (a) weekly earnings, (b) total hours and (c) average hourly pay rates for all part-time (i) male and (ii) female workers in each borough in Lancashire. [12840]

It is not possible to provide data for county boroughs.Earnings for part-time women workers in Lancashire are shown in the table. There are not enough part-time men workers in the sample to provide a reliable estimate.

Part-time women workers on adult rates, pay not affected by absence: April 1995
Lancashire
Average gross weekly earnings	£104.66
Hourly earnings excluding overtime	£5.08
Average total hours worked	19.6

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list on the basis of (i) the Government's unemployment benefit count and (ii) the labour force survey (a) the number in employment in the United Kingdom, (b) the number unemployed, (c) the number economically inactive and (d) the unemployment rates in the United Kingdom, for each quarter between 1979 and the end of 1984. [13076]

Estimates available from the labour force survey are shown in the table.

Economic activity in the United Kingdom
	In Unemployment	Unemployed1	Economically inactive	Unemployment rates (percentage)
Spring 1979	24,765,000	21,490,000	15,924,000	5.7
Spring 1981	24,153,000	22,583,000	16,274,000	9.7
Spring 1983	23,490,000	22,957,000	17,065,000	11.2
Spring 1984	24,019,000	23,030,000	16,794,000	11.2
Spring 19843	—	33,216,000	16,608,000	11.8
1Since 1984 the definitions used in the Labour Force Survey have been fully in line with international recommendations. Prior to 1984 the definition of unemployment was based on a one week job search period and from 1984 was based on a four week job search.
2The Labour Force definition of unemployment is based on a one-week job search period.
3The ILO (International Labour Organisation) definition of unemployment is based on a four week job search period.

Information from the monthly claimant unemployment count on levels and rates of unemployment in the United Kingdom can be obtained from the Nomis database accessed by the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to produce figures on the number of individuals who have been out of work for more than six months, who do not appear in unemployment statistics. [13354]

Analyses of the number of people who have been out of work for more than six months are routinely available for both official measures of unemployment—the claimant count and the internationally standard ILO definition. Copies of the relevant publications can be obtained from the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchquer what projections his Department has made of the impact on employment of entry into economic and monetary union by Britain. [13440]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 25 January 1996, Official Report, columns 312–13.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the estimated number of women by region earning less than (a) £1.75 per hour, (b) £2 per hour, (c) £2.50 per hour and (d) £3 per hour in each year since 1990. [11492]

[holding answer 31 January 1996]: The information requested is set out in the table.