Written Answers

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Written Answers To Questions

Thursday 8 February 1996

Lord Chancellor's Department

Immigration

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will arrange for (a) papers relating to judicial review applications in respect of immigration matters to be lodged at district registries, (b) reference numbers to the applications to be obtained by telephone from the Crown Office by the district registry and (c) the district registry to forward the papers to the Crown Office in London; and if he will make a statement. [14283]

The rules of the Supreme Court do not provide for papers relating to judicial review applications to be lodged at district registries. Applications must be filed at the Crown Office in London. Judicial review is one of the specialist areas being considered by Lord Woolf in the second stage of his review. His final report and proposed new rules are due in July. It would be inappropriate to make significant procedural or rule changes prior to Lord Woolf's recommendations being received.

Duchy Of Lancaster

Fire Safety

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what action he plans to take arising from the consultation on the interdepartmental review of fire safety legislation and enforcement; and if he will make a statement. [13629]

The Government have been considering the findings of the review and the views expressed by interested parties, including the deregulation task force. It has also been further considering the fire safety aspects of the EC framework and workplace directives. An announcement on both will be made soon.

Eu Legislation

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he plans to issue to Government Departments to ensure that fiches d'impact are properly prepared by the Commission in relation to proposals that result in significant burdens on business. [13642]

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster published on 25 January guidance for Government Departments on the preparation of compliance cost assessments for new domestic and EC regulatory proposals. Guidance on the preparation of fiches d'impact by the Commission is contained in this document.

Private Sector Schemes

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what public bodies he has asked to produce schemes for moving into the private sector under the prior options exercise; what was the original time scale for such schemes; what is now the timetable; and if he will make a statement. [14114]

I have not asked any of the public bodies for which my Department is the sponsor to produce schemes for moving into the private sector.

Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs

Departmental Publications

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which of his Department's administrative manuals and internal guidance are now made public; and which remain private. [14032]

The FCO code of management, diplomatic service regulations and home service regulations are available in the House of Commons Library.Diplomatic service procedure includes volumes which are classified. It is currently being revised, and volumes are being declassified where possible, with a view to sending unclassified sections to the House of Commons Library.One-off best practice manuals, covering such subjects as management practices and guidance on the presentation of papers, are unclassified and available on request.

Hong Kong

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what efforts he is making to encourage the Chinese Government to ensure that the proposed electoral college for Hong Kong will be democratically accountable; and if he will make a statement; [13954](2) what discussions he has had with the Chinese Government about the establishment of an electoral college in Hong Kong to oversee the appointment of a chief executive; and if he will make a statement. [13955]

[holding answer 7 February 1996:]: The Sino-British joint declaration on the question of Hong Kong provides for the chief executive of the Hong Kong special administrative region to be selected by election or through consultations held locally, and then appointed by the Chinese Government. When they adopted the Basic Law, Hong Kong's future constitution, the Chinese National People's Congress also decided on special arrangements for choosing the first chief executive by a selection committee consisting of 400 permanent residents of Hong Kong. My right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary recently told Chinese leaders—and Chinese officials have made similar public remarks since—that it will be important for confidence in Hong Kong for the chief executive to command the support and respect of the Hong Kong civil service and of Hong Kong people.

Eu Legislation

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how he ensures that the negotiating brief for his officials discussing EU legislation takes fully into account the need to minimise the burdens on United Kingdom business. [13712]

Guidance on how officials are to apply deregulatory principles when negotiating EC regulations is contained in the DTF' s booklet, "Getting a Good Deal in Europe". This guidance has been supplemented by the recent publication of guidance on the preparation of compliance cost assessments, which stresses that the likely burdens on business highlighted by United Kingdom compliance cost assessments of EC proposals should be integral to the UK's negotiating strategy. Copies of both pieces of guidance are in the Library of the House.

Newly Independent Countries

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish a list of the countries granted independence by the United Kingdom since 1970 showing (a) when a formal decision was taken to proceed towards independence and (b) the actual date of independence day in each case. [14285]

The countries granted independence by the United Kingdom since 1970 are: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Fiji, Grenada, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Zimbabwe.I refer the hon. Member to the "Commonwealth Yearbooks" 1987 and 1993–94 (HMSO, 1987 and 1995) from which the other information may be obtained. Copies of the yearbooks are in the Library.

Environment

Compulsory Competitive Tendering (Luton)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many times Luton borough council has been investigated by his Department for possible transgressions related to compulsory competitive tendering; and what has been the outcome in each case. [13628]

Luton borough council has been the subject of five investigations by the Department. Three of these investigations related to alleged anti-competitive behaviour in the award of refuse collection in 1991, building maintenance in 1993 and grounds maintenance work in 1995, to the council's direct service organisation. In each case, no statutory action was taken after the authority provided my right hon. Friend with an explanation of its conduct.The other investigations relate to the authority's failure in 1992–93 to achieve the statutory financial objective for building maintenance work and other—civic—catering. In both of these cases a notice was served, in 1994, under section 13 of the Local Government Act 1988 requesting the reasons for the failure. Following receipt of this information, a direction was given requiring the authority to achieve the statutory financial objective for other catering in the financial year 1994–95 or close its DSO. The authority's accounts for the year indicate that that objective was achieved, although the external auditor's opinion on these accounts has not yet been received.

Local Authority Investments

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what fiduciary duty councilors have to their council tax payers on decisions concerning (a) the local authority's pension fund and (b) investments in equities. [13941]

The fiduciary duties of a local authority to its council tax payers to exercise prudential care and propriety apply in relation to the exercise of all the authority's functions, including those in respect of superannuation funds and investment in equities. The Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations 1995 require local authorities responsible for managing pension funds to have regard to the need to diversify investments, to consider the suitability of those investments and to seek qualified advice at reasonable intervals.

Scotland

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 24 January, Official Report, column 303–4, if he will give the names of each councillor serving on the non-departmental public bodies. [12433]

The information is as follows:

	Councillor
Highlands and Islands Enterprise	Mrs. Val MacIver
New Town Development Corporations
Cumbernauld Development	Tom Barrie OBE
Corporation	Rosemary McKenna CBE
East Kilbride Development	Stewart Crawford
Corporation	Colin Robb
	David Sanderson
Glenrothes Development	John McDougal
Corporation	Robert Taylor
Irvine Development Corporation	Jack Carson
	Thomas Colyer
Livingston Development	Isobel Brydie
Corporation	Brian Meek OBE
	William Percy
	Joseph Thomas
Scottish Arts Council	Keith Geddes
	Janette Richardson
Scottish Community Education Council	Mrs. Val MacIver

	Councillor
Scottish Environment Protection Agency	Alison Magee
	Corrie McChord
	Jennifer Shaw
Scottish Enterprise	Rosemary McKenna CBE
Scottish Examination Board	Dr. R. Bull
	T. Farrell
	Mrs. Maginnes
	Mrs. J. P. Orskov
	Ms A. J. Smith
	W. A. Smith
Scottish Homes	Daphne Sleigh
Scottish Sports Council	George Urquhart
SCOTVEC	P. Watters
Scottish Water and Sewerage Customers Council	John Connolly
	Lynn Groundwater
	Rhona Kemp
	Alexander Scott
The undernoted councillors are members of Health Boards and NHS Trusts:
Health Boards
Argyll and Clyde HB	John Mullin
Fife HB	Agnes Smith
Forth Valley HB	Keith Harding
Lanarkshire HB	John Thomson
Shetland HB	Mary Colligan
NHS Trusts
Angus NHS Trust	Pamela Bowman
	George Norrie
Argyll and Bute NHS Trust	John Wilson
Borders General NHS Trust	George Finlay
Caithness and Sutherland NHS Trust	Alison Magee
Dumfries and Galloway Acute and Maternity NHS Trust	Ernest Gibson
	George Willacy
Dumfries and Galloway Community Services NHS Trust	Janette Richardson
East and Midlothian NHS Trust	Patricia Fawcett

In-patient and day case discharges with a principal diagnosis of asthma by health board of residence, calendar years 1979–1994
Health board of residence	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986
Argyll and Clyde	291	308	326	351	472	497	489	574
Ayrshire and Arran	241	247	336	364	373	487	503	533
Borders	85	80	90	128	119	172	160	184
Dumfries and Galloway	69	106	120	135	170	143	147	175
Fife	192	292	292	313	374	416	377	424
Forth Valley	138	171	163	171	180	192	225	290
Grampian	334	385	446	499	577	575	604	681
Greater Glasgow	845	951	1,089	1,069	1,235	1,332	1,372	1,366
Highland	113	146	178	189	215	249	222	248
Lanarkshire	253	406	498	447	591	638	686	625
Lothian	908	1,060	1,099	1,077	1,148	1,182	1,298	1,245
Orkney	4	5	5	11	10	13	25	13
Shetland	3	4	8	15	23	22	17	17
Tayside	402	390	459	451	484	533	604	537
Western Isles	15	22	22	20	26	31	21	24
Scotland total	3,893	4,573	5,131	5,240	5,997	6,482	6,750	6,936
Outside Scot/not known/other	62	59	44	72	74	64	95	91
Grand total	3,955	4,832	5,175	5,312	6,071	6,546	6,845	7,027

	Councillor
Hairmyres and Stonehouse NHS Trust	Janet Mitchell
Lanarkshire Health Care NHS Trust	Mary Smith
Law Hospital NHS Trust	Murdo Morrison
Moray Health Services NHS Trust	Margaret Davidson
North Ayrshire and Arran NHS Trust	Angela Dunbar
	Cherry Young
Renfrewshire Healthcare NHS Trust	Jean Goldie
Royal Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust	George Murray
West Lothian NHS Trust	Peter Johnston

Gp Fundholding

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the cost to his Department of the study carried out by the department of general practice at Edinburgh university for his Department into general practitioner fundholding. [1251]

The Scottish Office Department of health funded the research project, which was carried out over a period of three years, at a cost of £436,956.

Asthma

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many cases of asthma have been diagnosed in each health board area in Scotland in each year since 1979. [12512]

Available information relates to in-patient and day case discharges from hospitals and excludes patients treated by general practitioners and in hospital out-patient and accident and emergency departments.Details of numbers of discharges, by health board of residence, with a principal diagnosis of asthma, is shown in the table for calendar years 1979 to 1994. The figures for 1995 are not yet available.

Health board of residence	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994
Argyll and Clyde	580	632	720	807	802	765	855	717
Ayrshire and Arran	683	653	657	648	789	760	832	740
Borders	197	207	227	275	185	174	201	169
Dumfries and Galloway	184	210	189	218	226	242	252	221
Fife	475	532	486	465	475	483	536	445
Forth Valley	362	356	339	411	424	361	452	460
Grampian	912	846	817	1,148	1,017	1,013	1,056	1,009
Greater Glasgow	1,574	1,621	1,582	1,839	1,833	1,988	2,058	1,870
Highland	269	259	242	289	310	270	367	311
Lanarkshire	801	895	976	1,032	1,168	1,074	1,087	979
Lothian	1,477	1,468	1,532	1,579	1,796	1,702	1,759	1,660
Orkney	30	16	17	17	20	19	16	13
Shetland	20	15	25	29	14	14	35	27
Tayside	648	708	705	734	942	834	894	828
Western Isles	14	26	19	30	31	35	38	40
Scotland total	8,226	8,444	8,533	9,521	10,032	9,734	10,438	9,489
Outside Scotland/not known/other	99	133	105	129	129	155	146	137
Grand total	8,325	8,577	8,638	9,650	10,161	9,889	10,584	9,626

Mortgage Arrears

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many households have mortgage payment arrears of more than three months. [14288]

This information is not held centrally.

Murray Green

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to make a decision on the complaint raised on behalf of Murray Green under section 70 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 in May 1994. [13766]

The Secretary of State's decision issued on 6 February 1996.

Education authority primary schools¹
	March 1990			May 1992			May 1994
		With school boards			With school boards			With school boards
	Number of eligible schools	Number	Per cent.	Number of eligible schools	Number	Per cent.	Number of eligible schools	Number	Per cent.
Scotland	2,373	1,901	80.1	2,339	1,789	76.5	2,329	1,723	74.0
Borders	77	53	68.8	76	52	68.4	72	45	62.5
Central	117	90	76.9	116	90	77.6	116	86	74.1
Dumfries and Galloway	116	80	69.0	116	83	71.6	116	86	74.1
Fife	145	116	80.0	145	95	65.5	145	99	68.3
Grampian	274	190	69.3	274	183	66.8	274	175	63.9
Highland	205	140	68.3	197	143	72.6	199	140	70.4
Lothian	243	190	78.2	240	163	67.9	240	154	64.2
Strathclyde	901	820	91.0	884	773	87.4	883	741	83.9
Tayside	190	129	67.9	188	125	66.5	187	119	63.6
Orkney	23	20	87.0	23	19	82.6	24	17	70.8
Shetland	35	28	80.0	35	29	82.9	29	28	96.6
Western Isles	47	45	95.7	45	34	75.6	44	33	75.0
Strathclyde Divisions
Argyll and Bute	77	68	88.3	76	66	86.8	74	65	87.8
Ayr	151	144	95.4	148	133	89.9	150	132	88.0
Dunbarton	117	109	93.2	117	104	88.9	116	99	85.3
Glasgow	232	202	87.1	228	186	81.6	228	161	70.6
Lanark	214	193	90.2	208	183	88.0	208	179	86.1
Renfrew	110	104	94.5	107	101	94.4	107	105	98.1
¹ Includes primary departments of secondary schools.

School Boards

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was, for (a) primary and (b) secondary schools for each education authority area in Scotland and for each sub-division within Strathclyde region (i) the number of schools with school boards, (ii) the total number of schools and (iii) the percentage of schools which had school boards for each year since the establishment of school boards. [13249]

The information held centrally is as follows. It is taken from statistical returns by education authorities to the Scottish Office on the results of the first elections to school boards held in 1988–89 and subsequent biennial elections in 1991–92 and 1993–94:

Education authority secondary schools
	March 1990			May 1992			May 1994
		With school boards			With school boards			With school boards
	Number of eligible schools	Number	Per cent.	Number of eligible schools	Number	Per cent.	Number of eligible schools	Number	Per cent.
Scotland	428	412	96.3	410	389	94.9	406	376	92.6
Borders	9	8	88.9	9	9	100.0	9	9	100.0
Central	19	18	94.7	19	16	84.2	18	17	94.4
Dumfries and Galloway	16	16	100.0	16	16	100.0	16	16	100.0
Fife	19	18	94.7	19	17	89.5	19	16	84.2
Grampian	39	34	87.2	38	31	81.6	38	33	86.8
Highland	27	27	100.0	27	25	92.6	26	23	88.5
Lothian	51	48	94.1	48	47	97.9	46	43	93.5
Strathclyde	185	182	98.4	171	169	98.8	171	160	93.6
Tayside	32	30	93.8	32	31	96.9	32	30	93.8
Orkney	6	6	100.0	6	6	100.0	5	6	100.0
Shetland	9	9	100.0	9	9	100.0	9	9	100.0
Western Isles	16	16	100.0	16	13	81.3	16	14	87.5
Strathclyde Divisions
Argyll and Bute	9	9	100.0	9	9	100.0	9	9	100.0
Ayr	31	31	100.0	30	30	100.0	29	26	89.7
Dunbarton	25	25	100.0	24	23	95.8	24	22	91.7
Glasgow	50	47	94.0	42	42	100.0	43	38	88.4
Lanark	38	38	100.0	37	36	97.3	37	36	97.3
Renfrew	32	32	100.0	29	29	100.0	29	29	100.0

Hip And Femoral Fractures

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) hip fractures and (b) femoral fractures were recorded in 1993–94. [13842]

The numbers of hip fractures and femoral fractures recorded for NHS in-patients and day cases treated in Scotland in the year ending 31 March 1994 are given in the table.

	Recorded in
	Principal¹ position	Other position	All
Hip fracture (ICD=820)	8,354	913	9,267
Femoral fracture (ICD=821)	1,293	284	1,577
¹ The SMRI allows six diagnoses to be recorded. The diagnosis recorded in principal is the main condition. Other diagnoses affecting the treatment of the patient are recorded in the remaining five positions.

Osteoporosis

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the cost (a) of osteoporosis to the Scottish economy, (b) of running a basic diagnosis and prevention service and (c) of hospital treatment (i) per patient and (ii) in total in each health board. [13843]

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of beds in orthopaedic wards have been occupied by osteoporosis fracture patients over the last 12 months. [13844]

The percentage of average staffed beds' occupied by patients with a diagnosis of fracture and osteoporosis2 in the speciality of orthopaedics was 0.2 per cent.—4.1 average occupied beds out of 2,012 average available staffed beds—for the year ending September 1995. The data on occupied beds are provisional.

Source:

¹ DS(S)1 31 March 1995.

² SMRI for the year ending 30 September 1995—ICD codes 733.0 (osteoporosis) in principal position with fracture (800–829) in a se condary position or fracture (800–829) in principal with osteoporosis (733.0) in a secondary position.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people died in 1993–94 as a result of fractures due to osteoporosis. [13846]

The number of people in Scotland who died in 1993 and 1994 as a result of fractures due to osteoporosis' is as follows:

1993: 13
1994: 15

Note:

¹ World Health Organisation International Classification of Diseases (Ninth Revision) code 733.1.

Bone Densitometers

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many bone densitometers are in use in each health board area. [13845]

This information is not held centrally.

Mortgage Repossessions

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the annual number of mortgage repossessions since 1979. [14287]

Figures supplied by the Council of Mortgage Lenders suggest that in 1994, 1,791 properties were taken into possession by mortgage lenders in Scotland. This represents 0.22 per cent. of the total number of properties with mortgages outstanding. The comparable figures for 1993, were 2,330 and 0.29 per cent. respectively. The equivalent figures are not available for the period 1979–1992, and are not yet available for 1995.

Labour Statistics

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people in Scotland were (a) of an economically active age and (b) in employment for each year since 1979. [14289]

The information requested is given in the table.

Thousands
Spring	People of working age¹ in Scotland Total	In employment
1979	3,021	2,187
1980	—	—
1981	3,062	2,066
1982	—	—
1983	3,102	2,043
1984	3,121	1,999
1985	3,131	2,060
1986	3,128	2,027
1987	3,139	2,044
1988	3,134	2,119
1989	3,137	2,207
1990	3,143	2,226
1991	3,143	2,204
1992	3,145	2,235
1993	3,147	2,171
1994	3,149	2,203
1995	3,149	2,225

Source:

Central Statistical Office, Labour Force Survey.

Note:

¹ Aged 16–59 for females, aged 16–64 for males.

Water Authorities

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what will be the opening capital structure of the new Scottish water authorities on 1 April. [14739]

The new water authorities have been set up to enable water and sewerage services to be provided in accordance with commercial principles and disciplines. It is therefore right that the authorities should have a capital structure which reflects these objectives.The opening capital of the new water authorities will mainly take the form of debt to the public Works Loan Board. There is likely in addition to be a small amount of debt to the European investment bank. This debt will represent borrowings for water and sewerage purposes by the current regional and islands councils which is transferable to the water authorities under section 91 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994.The total of such debts at 31 March 1996 is likely to be in the region of £1.7 billion. This is more than will be compatible with the requirement on the authorities, announced on 29 November last year, to earn a real rate of return of 61/2 per cent. on assets amounting in aggregate to £1,000 million. Accordingly my right hon. Friend intends to commute up to £700 million of the transferable debt.The precise amount and details of the commutation have still to be worked out. Discussions will be held with the local authorities and the new water authorities.Commutation is a technical exercise. It will involve no net addition to public expenditure and no increase in the cash available to the water authorities. A reduction will be made in the authorities' external financing limits, previously announced as £274 million, to reflect the reduced debt servicing costs, so that the net effect on the authorities' finances, including their investment and charges will be neutral.

Prime Minister

Pay Review Bodies

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the reports and recommendations of the pay review bodies. [14718]

The 1996 reports of the five pay review bodies have been published today. Copies are available in the Vote Office and the Library of the House. The Government are grateful to the chairmen and members of the review bodies for the time and care that they have put into the preparation of the reports.The Government are concerned that pay settlements for these groups should be consistent with the approach to public sector pay. Under this approach, increases should be offset by efficiencies and other economies to help to deliver improved efficiency across the public sector. Specifically, the cost of pay settlements should be accommodated within the resources allocated to programmes. The Government have had to consider the recommendations of the pay review bodies against that background to determine the appropriate response.The main pay recommendations are as follows.The Armed Forces Pay Review Body has recommended a range of increases in daily rates of 3.2 to 3.8 per cent., plus an increase of 0.5 per cent. in the X factor reflecting the special demands of service life. This gives an average increase of 3.8 per cent. with effect from 1 April. Separately, following a quinquennial review of the value of armed forces pensions, it has recommended a 1 per cent. increase in pay to reflect reduced pension differentials with the private sector, with a further 1 per cent. increase next year.The Doctors and Dentists Review Body has recommended general increases of 3.8 per cent. for doctors and 4.3 per cent. for dentists. It has specifically recommended higher increases for junior hospital doctors of 5.3 per cent. for registrars and 6.8 per cent. for house officers, although the latter figure would be partly offset by a reduction in the rate for additional duty hours.The review body for nursing staff, midwives, health visitors and professions allied to medicine has recommended that pay for these groups should once again be determined locally. The review body also recommended a 2 per cent. increase in the national scales which underpin local negotiations.The School Teachers Review Body has recommended a 3.75 per cent. increase in teachers' pay, and other changes in pay structures.The Senior Salaries Review Body has recommended:

a. values for the pay ranges for the senior civil service in the pay structure set out in January 1995 in the White Paper, "Taking Forward Continuity and Change". Under these arrangements, Departments will determine individual salaries within the ranges and will be able to reward the best performers, with a framework in which the overall pay bill is expected to fall by some 7 per cent. next year as staff numbers are reduced;

b. increases for senior military officers in the range 3.9 to 5.6 per cent. averaging 4.6 per cent. consistent with the AFPRB recommendations;

c. increases of 3.9 per cent. for the judiciary.

This is a complex set of recommendations covering a number of different issues that have been addressed in detail by the review bodies in preparing their reports. The Government have said that they will normally accept review body recommendations, and do not intend to reject them on this occasion. Nevertheless, if this year's

	Main pay recommendations percentage	Pay bill costs £ million	percentage
AFPRB—Armed forces	3.7–4.3¹	211	3.8
DDRB—Doctors and dentists	3.8–6.8	245	4.4
NPRB—Nursing staff, midwives, health visitors and professions Allied to medicine	²	—	—
STRB—School teachers	3.75	421	3.8
SSRB Senior salaries
Senior civil service	3	—	—
Senior military	3.9–5.6	1	4.6
Judiciary	3.9	6	3.9
¹ Includes ½ per cent. increase in the X factor which reflects the special demands of military compared with civilian life. AFPRB has also recommended an additional 1 per cent. on pay as part of a staged pensions-related adjustment.
² To be determined in local pay negotiations but with a guaranteed 2 per cent. increase in national pay rates.
³ Recommendations for the senior civil service affect the pay framework within which Departments will set individual pay rates.

Crime Statistics

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral answer of 1 February, Official Report, column 1120–21, if he will list the years since 1966 when crime fell. [13966]

Between June 1993 and June 1995 there were 572,000 fewer crimes recorded than in the preceding two years—the largest fall since records began last century.Complete year figures are available up to the end of 1994. Since 1966 recorded crime in England and Wales has fallen in the following years: 1973, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1994.

Nuclear Test Veterans

To ask the Prime Minister what action he has taken to pay compensation to (a) British and (b) Australian nuclear test veterans from the 1950s. [14145]

recommendations were implemented as they stand, from the due date, they would represent a marked step up in the level of pay settlements in the public sector, compared with settlements over the past year, and a significant charge on public expenditure programmes.

Accordingly, the Government intend to stage their introduction and propose that in most cases the settlements to be paid with effect from 1 April should be 1 percentage point less than the review body recommendations, the balance to be paid later this year on 1 December. This meets the requirements on affordability and the approach to public sector pay, while retaining the pattern of increases recommended by the review bodies.

Staging arrangements will also extend to the awards that Departments will determine for the senior civil service within the framework set by the SSRB recommendations.

The Government have, however, decided that it would not be appropriate to apply this general arrangement to the recommendations for nurses and other staff covered by the NPRB.

The following table summarises recommendations of the review bodies.

In studies carried out by the National Radiological Protection Board of over 20,000 British nuclear test veterans, the incidence of death and cancer has been less than among the general public in the same age groups, and no higher than among a matched control group These facts do not sustain a case for compensation. The handling of claims in Australia is a matter for the Government of Australia.

Professor Al-Masari

To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library the information (a) made available to the courts about the case of Professor al-Masari and (b) passed to the Government of Dominica about Professor al-Masari; and if he will make a statement. [14130]

No. It is not my normal practice to do so.

Trade And Industry

Executive Pay

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what measures he plans on executive pay. [12641]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucester (Mr. French) by my hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade on 25 January 1996, Official Report, column 317.

British Geological Survey

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what instructions or guidance has been given to the British Geological Survey regarding private sector involvement; when he expects to receive its response; and if he will make a statement. [14115]

No specific instructions regarding private sector involvement have been given to the British Geological Survey which is a component of the Natural Environment Research Council. The BGS has a long and successful tradition of working in partnership with the private sector which I applaud. Standard conditions, for public sector research establishments working with the private sector, apply.

Industrial Tribunals

To ask the President of the Board of Trade in what ways and according to what timetable he intends to bring about the changes in the organisation and procedures of industrial tribunals he announced on 20 November 1995. [13965]

The majority of the changes require primary legislation and, as mentioned in the reply from my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade to my hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes, North-East (Mr. Butler) on 20 November 1995, Official Report, column 20, detailed proposals will be brought forward when a suitable legislative opportunity arises.

Written Questions

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the written questions PQ No. 95/972, PQ No. 95/771, PQ No. 95/770, PQ No. 95/702, PQ No. 95/697, PQ No. 95/692 and PQ No. 95/691 will be answered by his Department. [14236]

PQ No. 95/770 was answered on 24 January 1996. PQ No. 95/692 was answered on 23 January 1996. The remaining questions will be answered as soon as possible.

Directors' Pensions

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to require disclosure of directors' pensions. [12678]

My Department is currently consulting on proposed changes to the requirements of the Companies Act 1985 relating to the disclosure of director's emoluments, including their pension entitlements. A copy of the consultative document is available in the Library of the House. Before finalising the proposed changes, my Department will take into account the results of the current consultation by the Institute of Actuaries and Faculty of Actuaries on the method which should be used to calculate the value of directors' pension entitlements.

Grant Aid (South-West)

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many companies have received grant aid from his Department in the south-west region since January 1990; and how many of those companies are still trading. [10112]

[holding answer 18 January 1996]: The number of businesses in the south-west receiving grants under the principal current regional and technology support schemes in the period is as follows:

	Number
Regional selective assistance	386
Regional enterprise grant	575
Small firms merit award for research and technology	112
Support for products under research	37

As projets are normally monitored for only a limited number of years after final payment of grant, complete information on grant recipients' trading status is not readily available.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the companies in the south-west which have received financial assistance since 1985 from his Department showing (a) the year assistance was given, (b) how much was given and (c) if the company is still trading. [13109]

[holding answer 1 February 1996]: A full answer to the question could be prepared only at disproportionate cost. In summary terms, the number of businesses in the south-west receiving grants under the principal current regional and technology support schemes in the period is as follows:

	Number
Regional selective assistance	514
Regional enterprise grant	639
Small firms merit award for research and technology	112
Support for products under research	37

In addition, around 2,000 payments were made under the regional development grant scheme and over 11,600 businesses received support for business reviews under the enterprise initiative consultancy service.As projects are normally monitored for only a limited number of years after final payment of the grant, complete information on grant recipients' trading status is not readily available.

Overseas Development Administration

British Geological Survey

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all the contracts or work done by the British Geological Survey paid for by the Overseas Development Administration, the nature of work, and the cost in each case; what arrangements need to be made to continue these programmes if the survey is privatised; and if he will make a statement. [14113]

Following are the current contracts that the British Geological Survey has with ODA:

Contract	Country	Value £
Yaoba Oasis Environmental Project (hydrogeological consultants)	China	186,688
Establishment of coastal geology unit (IT training)	Albania	78,525
Water Resources Management, lake Balkhash (environmental impact study)	Kazakhstan	26,046
Primoyre Mineral Waters (water sampling)	Russia	24,973
Environmental Thematic Mapping	Slovakia	36,500
Resource centre scheme with ODA (call down contracts for ad hoc consultancy work)	Global	75,000
Bapedal Groundwater Project (monitoring consultancy)	Indonesia	39,200
World Bank Mining and Environmental Project (geological information mapping programme)	Ecuador	2,319,282
Coal Bed Methane Pre-feasibility study	Bangladesh	44,500
Land-ocean Contaminant study	Mexico/Africa/Indonesia	434,939
Mitigation of mining related mercury pollution hazards	Philippines/Ecuador	268,000
Protecting groundwater beneath wastewater recharge sites	Mexico/Thailand	207,271
Groundwater management in drought prone areas of Africa	Africa	142,527
Developing new well siting techniques	Zimbabwe/Egypt	203,822
Groundwater resources degradation; socio-economic impacts and their mitigation	China/India/Thailand/Mexico/Jersey/Palestinian Territories	94,050 ¹34,000 to BGS)
¹ Joint research project with the Natural Resources Institute

If the BGS is privatised, the arrangements for continuing these programmes would be reviewed at the time. One option would be to transfer the contracts to the new owner.

Social Security

Child Support Agency

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many of the parents with care referred to in his answer of 26 October 1995, Official Report, column 803, lifted off income support following the payment of maintenance assessed by the CSA, were in receipt of mortgage interest payments made in respect of their income support entitlement. [13598]

The information requested is not readily available, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.Although it is possible to give the number of parents with care lifted off income support following the payment of maintenance assessed by the Child Support Agency, it is not possible to identify those who were in receipt of mortgage interest payments as part of their income support entitlement. There is no business need for the Child Support Agency to record this information.

Cold Weather Payments

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people claimed cold weather payments in the area covered by the benefits offices in Greenock and Port Glasgow in late December; on which dates they qualified; and what was the total amount paid to those whose claims were met. [13161]

The administration of the social fund is a matter for Peter Mathison, chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Peter Mathison to Dr. Norman Godman, dated 7 February 1996:

The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people claimed Cold Weather Payments (CWPs) in the area covered by the benefits offices in Greenock and Port Glasgow in late December; on which dates they qualified; and what was the total amount paid to those whose claims were met.

Customers who qualify for CWPs are automatically identified by a scan of the Income Support Computer System. Those customers who are being paid clerically also have their claims examined to identify those who qualify. There is no need, therefore, for a claim to a Cold Weather Payment (CWP) to be made.

Data is not held on the number of people who qualified for a CWP, only on the number of payments made and the amount paid out in the area covered by Greenock and Port Glasgow Benefit Offices. This is because a customer may receive more than one payment in a cold weather period depending on the length of the recorded and/or forecasted period. Two recorded periods of Cold Weather were identified from 19 December 1995 to 1 January 1996 inclusive, and two forecast periods were identified from 23 December 1995 to 5 January 1996 inclusive.

On 30 December 1995, 9,070 payments were issued by the computer system amounting to £77,095. On 6 January 1996, a further 9,085 payments were made amounting to £77,222.50. Statistics are not yet available for any clerical payments which may have been made.

I hope you find this reply helpful.

Disability Living Allowance

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average time taken to process a new claim for disability living allowance. [13173]

This is a matter for Peter Mathison, chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Gerry Steinberg, dated 7 February 1996:

The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what is the average time it takes to process a new claim for Disability Living Allowance. (DLA).

The Secretary of State has set two targets in relation to new DLA claims. These are that 68% of new claims be cleared within 30 working days and that 85% be cleared within 53 working days. As at 31 December 1995, the DLA Unit cleared 70.73% new claims within 30 days and 92.57% within 53 days.

The average time for processing a DLA claim is not a target set by the Secretary of State. However, at 31 December 1995, the average length of time taken to process a new claim to DLA was 27 days.

I hope you find this reply helpful.

Transport

Eu Legislation

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how he ensures that the negotiating brief for his officials discussing EU legislation takes fully into account the need to minimise the burdens on United Kingdom business. [13713]

Guidance on how officials are to apply deregulatory principles when negotiating EC regulations is contained in the booklet, "Getting a Good Deal in Europe". This guidance has been supplemented by the recent publication of guidance on the preparation of compliance cost assessments, which stresses that the likely burdens on business highlighted by UK compliance cost assessments of EC proposals should be integral to the UK's negotiating strategy. Copies of both are in the Library of the House.

Car Phones

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received in respect

Estimated rail privatisation costs at 31 December 1995
£ million
	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94	1994–95	1995–96¹	Total
Consultancy costs
DOT	0.5	5.5	10.5	12.0	12.1	40.6
OPRAF	—	—	1.5	13.1	16.2	30.8
ORR	—	—	0.6	2.9	1.8	5.3
Total	0.5	5.5	12.6	28.0	30.1	76.7
Running costs
DOT	0.5	1.2	1.5	2.2	2.2	7.6
OPRAF	—	—	0.9	3.5	5.1	9.5
ORR	—	—	0.6	4.7	3.8	9.1
Total	0.5	1.2	4.5¹	10.4	11.1	¹27.7
ORR capital costs	—	—	0.2	1.4	0.2	1.8
Grand total	1.0	6.7	17.3	39.8	41.4	106.2
¹ To 31 December.
² Includes £1.5 million contribution by DOT to costs of setting up OPRAF and ORR.

of the use by car drivers of hand-held telephones while driving; and if he will make a statement. [14111]

My Department has received 32 letters and other representations over the past 12 months about this issue, the majority requesting legislation to prohibit the use of in-car telephones while driving. However, I believe that existing legislation provides sufficient powers of prosecution.

Road Safety

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will published the United Kingdom and EU research that he has (a) undertaken, (b) commissioned and (c) evaluated that indicates the scale and direction of the expected changes in death and serious injury from (i) the new eyesight standards for HGV drivers and (ii) the banning of coaches from the third lane of motorways. [14009]

The Department knows of no research, either published or commissioned, which could reliably estimate the effect of changes in eyesight standards for drivers in terms of a reduction in death and serious injury from road accidents. Work has begun on assessing the effect of banning coaches from the third lane of motorways, and the results will be made known when available.

Rail Privatisation

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what have been the costs of railway privatisation to date, broken down into (a) payments to legal, financial and other advisers and (b) administrative costs within (i) BR, (ii) Railtrack, (iii) the Office of the Rail Regulator, (iv) the Franchise Director and (v) within Government departments; and what estimate he has made of total expenditure under the same headings to the end of financial year 1995–96. [9947]

Consultancy and administrative costs incurred to date by the Department, the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising and the Office of the Rail Regulator are as follows:

In addition, the Health and Safety Executive incurred administrative costs of some £2.8 million, of which £2.0 million has be paid by the Department of Transport.

The forecast outturns to the end of the financial year are as follows:

Estimated costs in the last quarter of 1995–96
	£ million
Consultancy costs
DOT	14.8
OPRAF	9.9
ORR	2.0
Total	24.3
Running costs
DOT	0.8
OPRAF	3.3
ORR	2.2
Total	6.3
ORR capital costs	0.4
Grand total	31.0

British Rail and Railtrack have also incurred costs linked to privatisation, covering expenditure on administration, including consultancies, and on assets such as computer equipment and associated systems. Details of these costs are a matter for the industries themselves. However, we understand from BR and Railtrack that they will incur the following costs in the current financial year:

£ million

Railtrack

1. Forecast expenditure to 31 March 1996.

This expenditure has been incurred in support of Railtrack flotation and sales of rail businesses, which have so far yielded proceeds in excess of £2 billion.

Spare Computer Capacity

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list all cases where spare computer capacity has been sold to other Departments since 1987, giving the Department and value of each contract. [14075]

My Department has made no sales of spare computer capacity to other Departments. Processing capacity in excess of departmental requirements is not maintained, and redundant IT equipment is relocated within the Department, traded in part exchange or disposed of to the trade on competitive tendering terms.

Coach Safety (Children)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to introduce regulations to improve the safety of children travelling on coaches and minibuses. [14717]

I have laid regulations before the House today which will require seat belts to be fitted to minibuses and coaches used specifically to transport children. I have also laid regulations ending, where seat belts are fitted, the concession that allows three seated children to count as two passengers.The regulations on seat belt fitting only apply to a vehicle which is undertaking a journey specifically for the purpose of carrying children. The requirements will apply to:

all minibuses used from 10 February 1997;
all coaches used from 10 February 1997, if they are registered from 1 October 1988; and
all coaches used from 10 February 1988, if they are registered before 1 October 1998.

The regulations on the "three for two "Seating concession will take effect from 1 May 1996. They will recognise the incompatibility of the concession with the fitting of seat belts to minibuses and coaches.

I believe that these measures will further improve the good safety record of minibuses and coaches and will go a long way towards reassuring parents who may be concerned for the safety of their children when travelling in these vehicles.

I am pleased that we have been able to introduce these measures independently and ahead of our partners in the European Union.

Meanwhile, I will continue to encourage operators to fit all their vehicles with seat belts voluntarily. We intend to require the mandatory fitting to all new minibuses and coaches as soon as the necessary agreement has been reached in Europe.

Home Department

Delegated Legislation

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the powers to make statutory instruments exercisable by the Secretary of State under primary legislation enacted since 1979 are subject to (a) the negative and (b) the affirmative resolution procedure. [9594]

[holding answer 16 January 1996]: The numbers are as follows:

(a) 71 subject to the negative, and

(b) 49 subject to the affirmative resolution procedure.

Detailed tables of the measures have been placed in the Library.

Immigration (Indian Sub-Continent)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 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. [13345]

The data on arrivals and departures are given in the table. The reasons for the increase in arrivals and departures between 1992 and 1994 are not known, but increases have occurred for all arrivals in and departures from the United Kingdom.

1992

1993

1994

Arrivals in the United Kingdom from the Indian sub-continent of overseas residents

252,000

273,000

313,000

Departures from the United Kingdom to the Indian sub-continent of United Kingdom residents.

372,000

427,000

477,000

Source:

CSO, International Passenger Survey. All figures rounded to three significant figures.

Internet

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 14 December, Official Report, column 735, what progress has been made by the interdepartmental group on obscenity in examining possible measures to control access to material disseminated via the Internet; and if he will make a statement. [13400]

We are discussing with representatives of Internet service providers any concern about the availability of pornographic material on the Internet, and ways of controlling access by children and young people to such material.

Telephone Tapping

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to amend the law regarding telephone tapping; and if he will make a statement. [13198]

While the Government keep the operation of the law regarding interception under review, I have no immediate plans for changes to the law in this area.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on the practice of intercepting private telephone calls; [13355](2) if he will make a statement on the involvement of newspapers in provoking the interception of private telephone calls. [13356]

The unauthorised intentional interception of a communication in the course of its transmission on a public telecommunications system is an offence under section 1 of the Interception of Communications Act 1985. In addition, the unauthorised intentional use of wireless telegraphy apparatus to obtain information as to the contents, sender or addressee of any message, and the disclosure of such information are offences under section 5 of The Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949. Soliciting or inciting a person to commit offences under the 1985 Act and the 1949 Act is itself a criminal offence. It is for the police to investigate allegations of unlawful interception.

Reported Crime Statistics

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will express the number of reported crimes in each police authority area in 1981, 1986, 1991 and each subsequent year as a figure per head of the 18 to 24-year-old males estimated by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys to be resident in each police authority area. [13262]

The available information is for 1991–1994 and is contained in the table. Information for 1981 and 1986 is not available in the form requested.

All offences recorded per head of 18–24 year old males by police force area, 1991–1994
	1991	1992	1993	1994
Avon and Somerset	2.0	2.3	2.4	2.3
Bedfordshire	2.0	2.1	2.2	2.0
Cambridgeshire	1.4	1.6	1.6	1.6
Cheshire	1.4	1.7	1.7	1.7
Cleveland	2.7	3.0	2.8	3.0
Cumbria	1.9	2.0	1.9	2.0
Derbyshire	1.6	1.9	2.0	2.0
Devon and Cornwall	1.4	1.6	1.7	1.6
Dorset	1.7	1.7	1.7	1.9
Durham	2.1	2.2	2.3	2.3
Essex	1.4	1.5	1.5	1.4
Gloucestershire	2.0	2.3	2.4	2.5
Greater Manchester	2.6	2.8	2.7	2.6
Hampshire	1.5	1.6	1.6	1.6
Hertfordshire	1.1	1.2	1.2	1.2
Humberside	2.5	2.8	3.1	3.1
Kent	1.8	2.1	2.2	2.2
Lancashire	1.7	1.9	1.9	1.9
Leicestershire	1.7	1.9	2.0	2.0
Lincolnshire	1.6	1.8	1.9	1.9
Merseyside	1.9	2.0	1.9	1.9
Metropolitan Police¹	2.3	2.5	2.6	2.5
Norfolk	1.7	1.7	1.7	1.6
Northamptonshire	2.0	2.0	2.1	2.1
Northumbria	3.0	3.0	2.9	2.8
North Yorkshire	1.4	1.5	1.7	2.0
Nottinghamshire	2.5	2.9	2.9	2.9
South Yorkshire	1.6	1.9	2.2	2.3
Staffordshire	1.5	1.7	1.8	1.8
Suffolk	1.2	1.4	1.4	1.3
Surrey	1.0	1.1	1.1	1.1
Sussex	1.7	1.9	1.8	1.9
Thames Valley	1.6	1.8	1.9	1.9
Warwickshire	1.7	1.9	1.9	1.9
West Mercia	1.4	1.5	1.6	1.7
West Midlands	2.0	2.2	2.3	2.3
West Yorkshire	2.4	2.6	2.7	2.7
Wiltshire	1.3	1.4	1.4	1.4
Dyfed-Powys	1.2	1.3	1.2	1.0
Gwent	1.7	1.9	1.9	1.9
North Wales	1.4	1.6	1.5	1.4
South Wales	2.2	2.4	2.4	2.4
England and Wales	1.9	2.0	2.1	2.1
¹ Includes the City of London.

Probation Service

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was- the total staff establishment for the probation service in England and Wales by each grade; and how many from each grade were from an ethnic minority in (a) 1989 and (b) 1995; [13460](2) how many probation staff in England and Wales were from an ethnic minority in

(a) 1989 and (b) 1995. [13459]

The information available is given in the tables: they are not directly comparable since staff establishment figures are collected in whole-time equivalent terms and those of ethnic minority origin in terms of staff in post.Information on the ethnic origin of probation staff in 1989 is not available, but figures for 1987 are shown in table B.

Table A: Staff establishment of the probation service, by grade, 31 March 1989 and 31 March 1995
Number of staff, whole time equivalent¹
	31 March 1989	31 March 1995
Probation grade staff
Chief officers²	273	333
Senior officers	1,120	1,282
Main grade officers	5,372	6,289
Total probation grade staff	6,765	7,905
Non-probation grade staff
Probation Services' Officers	1,728	2,077
Clerical/secretarial	3,392	4,090
Administrative and other non-probation grade staff³	659	1,030
Non-probation grade hostel staff	—⁴	928
Total non-probation grade staff	5,779	8,125
Total staff	12,544	16,030
¹ Whole-time staff plus whole-time equivalent of part time staff. Figures rounded to the nearest whole number. Components and totals are rounded independently and so components may not add precisely to totals.
² Includes Chief, Deputy Chief and Assistant Chief Probation Officer.
³ Excludes sessional supervisors.
⁴ Figures not available for 1989.

Table B: Probation staff from ethnic minority groups (full time and part time) in post, by grade
	31 December 1987	31 March 1995
Probation grade staff
Chief officers¹	—	8
Senior officers	3	42
Main grade officers	124	535
Total probation grade staff	127	585
Non-probation grade staff
Probation Services' Officers	62	177
Clerical/Secretarial	144	343
Administrative and other non-probation grade staff²	32	86
Non-probation grade hostel staff	19	112
Total non-probation grade staff	257	718
Total staff	384	1,303
Rate of response (Per cent.)	84.1	94
¹ Includes Chief, Deputy Chief and Assistant Chief Probation Officer.
² Excludes sessional supervisors.

Police Cautions (Burglary)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 30 January, Official Report, column 708, if the 959 people who were cautioned by Metropolitan police for burglary offences during 1994 have been included in the figures for crimes cleared up. [13896]

The numbers of persons cautioned are included within the overall statistics for crimes cleared up.

Licensing Laws

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received following recent relaxation on the licensing laws; and how many have been in favour of the recent changes. [13891]

The Licensing (Sunday Hours) Act 1995, which came into effect on 6 August 1995, relaxed restrictions on the opening hours of licensed premises on Sundays and Good Friday. Since then we have received 14 letters on the subject of Sunday hours, two of which were in favour of this relaxation.

Registered Drug Users (Blackpool And Fylde)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many registered drug users there are in Blackpool and the Fylde; and what estimate he has made of the total number of habitual users of prescribed drugs in Blackpool and the Fylde. [13838]

Analysis of data held on the addicts index at the Home Office shows that in 1995 a total of 385 drug addicts were notified from the Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde area. Of these, 270 were persons who had been previously notified in the preceding 12 months.

Asylum

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many without foundation appeals against a refusal of asylum were determined in (a) 1994 and (b) 1995; and how many of these appeals were (i) allowed, (ii) referred back to the Secretary of State for reconsideration under paragraph 5 of schedule 2 to the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993 and (iii) withdrawn. [13935]

Information regarding the decisions on without foundation appeals for 1995 is given in the table. The equivalent information for 1994 is published in table 8.4 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin "Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 1994", issue 15/95. A copy of this publication is available in the Library.

Outcome of without foundation appeals to the adjudicator, excluding dependants, 1995
	1995 percentage
Total determined¹ of which:	1,115 (100)
Allowed	3
Dismissed	59
Withdrawn	9
Referred to the Secretary of State	29
¹ Figures are provisional and rounded to the nearest 5 or percentage.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for asylum by persons applying (a) at a port of entry to the United Kingdom and (b) after entry were decided in 1995; and how many in each category were granted asylum and exceptional leave to remain. [13989]

The information requested is given in the table.

Decisions³ on applications¹ received for asylum in the United Kingdom¹ excluding dependants, by location of application, January to December 1995
Principal applicants
	Applied at port	Applied in-country	Total
Asylum applications²	14,410	29,555	43,965
Decisions³	10,255	16,755	27,005
Recognised as a refugee and granted asylum	345	950	1,295
Not recognised as a refugee but granted exceptional leave to remain⁴	1,945	2,465	4,410
Total refusals	7,960	13,340	21,300
Refused asylum and ELR after full consideration	6,665	11,040	17,705
Refused on safe third country grounds⁵	1,300	215	1,515
Refused under para 340⁶	—	2,085	2,085
¹ Provisional figures rounded to the nearest 5.
² Figures exclude information on applications made overseas.
³ Decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made in the period.
⁴ Usually granted for a year in the first instance, subject then to further review.
⁵ Refused on the grounds that the applicant had arrived from a safe third country.
⁶ Paragraph 180F prior to 1/10/94. For failure to provide evidence to support the asylum claim within a reasonable period, including failure to respond to invitation to interview to establish identity.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of without foundation asylum appeals were determined within the time scale prescribed by the Asylum Appeals (Procedure) Rules 1993, in 1995. [13934]

In 1995, 12 per cent. of all without foundation appeals were determined within the prescribed time scale.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applications are currently awaiting an initial decision by his Department's asylum division; how many appeals against a refusal of asylum are currently being processed by the asylum division; and how many appeals against a refusal of asylum, which have been processed by the asylum division and despatched to the immigration appellate authority, are awaiting hearings by the authority. [13988]

As at 31 December 1995, 69,650 asylum applications were awaiting initial decisions by the Home Office from people who had been refused asylum and 11,690 such appeals were awaiting hearings by the Immigration Appellate Authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons, having been refused asylum, (a) were removed or (b) made voluntary departures from the United Kingdom in (i) 1994 and (ii) 1995. [13990]

In 1994, there were 2,108 removals, including 566 voluntary departures, of persons refused asylum. The provisional figures for 1995 are 2,629 and 759 respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the average time currently taken by his Department to reach an initial decision on (a) all asylum applicants and (b) asylum applications submitted (i) prior to and (ii) following implementation of the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993; [13937](2) what is the average time taken by his Department's asylum division to process and despatch to the immigration appellate authority an appeal against a refusal of asylum; and what is the average time taken by the authority to hear and determine such an appeal following its receipt from the asylum division. [13936]

Information on the times taken at the various stages of the asylum process are given in the table.

Average times involved in deciding applications for asylum (June—November 1995)
	Months
Time taken for an initial decision to be made (pre-act applications)	40.0
Time taken for an initial decision to be made (post-act applications)	8.9
Time taken by the Home Office to process an appeal	3.7
Time taken by the Immigration Appellate Authority to determine an appeal	6.1

Mohammed Riaz And Quayyum Raja

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Mohammed Riaz and Quayyum Raja are to be informed of the decision concerning their tariff sentences; and if he will make a statement. [13743]

[holding answer 5 February 1996]: These prisoners will be informed of their tariff decisions as soon as current consideration of their cases is completed.

Eu Legislation

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home department how he ensures that the negotiating brief for his officials discussing EU legislation takes fully into account the need to minimise the burdens on United Kingdom business. [13711]

Guidance on how officials are to apply deregulatory principles when negotiating European Community regulations is contained in the booklet "Getting a Good Deal in Europe". This guidance has been supplemented by the recent publication of guidance on the preparation of compliance cost assessments, which stresses that the likely burdens on business highlighted by United Kingdom compliance cost assessments of EC proposals should be integral to the United Kingdom's negotiating strategy. Copies of both pieces of guidance are in the Library.

Policing Of Football Matches

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the latest figures for payments received by the Metropolitan police from London's premier and football league clubs in the present football season in respect of police services. [14213]

I understand from the Metropolitan police that the payments are those given in the table.

Club	Total paid this season¹ (£)
Arsenal	112,233.68
Barnet	18,516.48
Brentford	19,148.18
Charlton	16,162.78
Chelsea	85,180.53
Crystal Palace	81,361.96
Fulham	19,454.48
Leyton Orient	21,483.75
Millwall	51,312.31
Queens Park Rangers	41,298.09
Tottenham Hotspur	65,323.43
West Ham United	63,008.32
Wimbledon	84,739.22
Total	679,223.21
¹ As at 31 January 1996.

In addition, sums of £25,000 and £60,000 have been received respectively from the Leyton Orient and Millwall clubs, in respect of outstanding invoices for previous seasons.

Asylum And Immigration Bill

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from the Glidewell panel on matters related to the Asylum and Immigration Bill; and if he will make a statement. [14240]

I have received no such representations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will arrange for (a) ministerial correspondence and (b) other communications between his Department and members of the Standing Committee on the Asylum and Immigration Bill to be placed in the Library. [14282]

This has been arranged.

Immigration

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have applied to regularise their immigration status; how many such applications were (a) approved and (b) refused; how many are currently awaiting decision in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [14153]

The table gives the readily available information on the numbers of persons accepted for settlement on a discretionary basis in the years 1986 to 1994, after a period of at least 10 years continuous residence in the United Kingdom. The numbers of refusals and the total number of applications made on the basis of long residence are not separately available.

Grants of settlement on the basis of long residence, 1986–94
	Number
1986	1,200
1987	1,300
1988	2,300
1989	3,300
1990	2,550
1991	2,200
1992	2,100
1993	2,050
1994	1,950

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances people who have lived in the United Kingdom for (a) 10 years and (b) 14 years are able to apply to regularise their immigration status; what are the grounds on which the time limits of 10 and 14 years have been set; and if he will make a statement. [14121]

Under the long residence concession, a person who has 10 years or more continuous lawful residence in the United Kingdom, or 14 years continuous residence irrespective of legality, may be granted indefinite leave to remain in the absence of any strong countervailing factors. The grant of indefinite leave to remain under the long residence concession is discretionary and outside the immigration rules.The long residence concession has its origin in the European convention of establishment, article 3(3) of which provides that nationals of any contracting party who have been lawfully residing for more than 10 years in the territory of another party may be expelled only for reasons relating to public order, public health or morality. In operating the concession, however, we do not distinguish between nationals of the contracting parties and other overseas nationals.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people (a) applied, (b) were granted and (c) were refused applications to regularise their immigration status in (i) 1974 and (ii) 1977. [14122]

The concession offered in 1974 to allow Commonwealth citizens who had entered the United Kingdom illegally before 1973 to regularise their stay attracted 2,430 applications, of which 1,810 were granted. This concession was extended in 1977 following further court judgments which widened the scope of illegal entry. A further 640 applications were dealt with, of which 460 were granted.

Bedford Prison

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the practice of dye-stamping the hands of visitors visiting prisoners in Bedford prison started; what is the purpose of this practice; and if he will make a statement. [14125]

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.

Letter from Alastair Papps to Mr. Max Madden, dated 8 February 1996:

The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about Bedford prison.

Dye-stamping the hands of visitors to prisoners was introduced at Bedford in February 1995. It is an additional security measure to reduce the likelihood of the prisoner walking out of the visits area with visitors and escaping.

Asylum Seekers

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the arrangements in each European Union state for asylum seekers (a) to apply for social security benefit and (b) to seek employment; what time limits apply; and if he will make a statement. [14127]

Information about access to social security benefits and employment in other European Union countries is at paragraphs 17 to 19 of the Home Office memorandum on key asylum measures in other European countries, a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy that asylum seekers who are granted exceptional leave to remain in the United Kingdom are able to apply for reunion with their families in less than the four years as required at present. [14129]

Those granted exceptional leave to remain will not necessarily be here on a permanent basis. They will normally be eligible for family reunion only after four years, although this may be granted earlier in cases with wholly exceptional compassionate circumstances.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy in respect of those seeking asylum in the United Kingdom participating in political activities within the United Kingdom; how that policy has changed over the past 10 years; if such involvement by an asylum seeker may be regarded as being supportive of the application; and if he will make a statement. [14123]

All applications for asylum in the United Kingdom are considered in the light of all available information and in accordance with the criteria set out in the 1951 United Nations convention relating to the status of refugees.Those seeking asylum in this country are expected to act within the law. If an asylum seeker undertakes activities in the United Kingdom which are inconsistent with his previous beliefs and behaviour and calculated to create or substantially enhance his claim to refugee status, this may damage the credibility of his claim.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the net expenditure implications of allowing asylum seekers to seek employment from the date their asylum application is lodged; and if he will make a statement. [14126]

The opportunity to seek employment is a major incentive for economic migrants and undeserving asylum applicants. We have no plans to relax employment restrictions for asylum seekers.

Illegal Working

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which organisations supported the proposals outlined in the consultation document on prevention of illegal working; if he will place in the Library responses in those cases where the respondent is willing for their response to be made public; if he will list those respondents who are unwilling for their response to be made public; and if he will make a statement. [14164]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, North (Mr. Henderson) on 6 February at column 109. I will, however, place in the Library in due course an updated list of those who have responded and a revised summary of the main points made in the responses.

Association Of Circus Proprietors

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations take place between his Department and the Association of Circus Proprietors. [14154]

The association was one of a large number of bodies consulted by the Home Office in 1993, in the course of a deregulation review. There have been no other contacts.

Immigration Officers

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigration officers there are in each of the immigration and nationality department's administrative areas. [14235]

The information is provided in the following table. The figures exclude members of the Immigration Service serving at ports of entry, enforcement offices and detention centres.

Division/Directorate	Immigration Officer	Chief Immigration Officer	HM Inspector	Total
Presenting Officer Units	—	10	—	10
Personnel Management Unit¹	18	12	3	33
Immigration Service (Ports)¹	15	15	9	39
Immigration Service (Enforcement)¹	33	15	6	54
Total Staff				136
¹ Includes staff based at Croydon and West London on administrative duties

Human Rights Reports

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those organizations whose reports on human rights internationally are routinely considered by his Department; with special reference to those who consider asylum application procedures. [14119]

The asylum division considers a wide range of material relating to human rights including from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Commission of Jurists, the parliamentary human rights group, the Commonwealth human rights initiative, Human Rights Watch, the Refugee Council, the Minority Rights Group, Asylum Aid, the United States Department of State and the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board. The Department also has access to Council of the European Union Heads of Mission reports and advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on human rights issues. Other non-governmental and media reports are monitored on a regional or country basis.UNHCR, Amnesty International, Asylum Aid, the Refugee Council and, in addition, the Council of Europe are known to have issued documents considering asylum application procedures.

Karamjit Singh Chahal

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will grant temporary release to Karamjit Singh Chahal from Bedford prison; and if he will make a statement. [14124]

My right hon. and learned Friend is satisfied that Mr. Chahal's continued detention is necessary.

Illegal Working

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library copies of correspondence from the Data Protection Registrar seeking clarification of the data protection implications of the use of national insurance numbers as envisaged under the consultation document on prevention of illegal working; and if he will make a statement. [14131]

There has been no such correspondence. However, as I made clear to the hon. Member on 6 February, we are in touch with the Data Protection Registrar on this matter.

Prisoners (Restraints)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the dates and origins of all representations which his Department received before 25 December 1995 concerning the use of restraints on women prisoners attending hospital; and if he will make a statement. [12418]

This information is not recorded centrally and could be supplied in the required form only at disproportionate cost.

Prosecutions (Durham)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases have been referred by Durham police to the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last three years; how many have been prosecuted; and how many have been successful. [13246]

I have been asked to reply.The figures shown in the tables represent the number of cases received from the police and the number of defendants whose case proceeded to a hearing in magistrates courts and in the Crown court during the calendar years 1993, 1994 and 1995, and of those, the proportion who were convicted. Convictions are inclusive of guilty pleas, as well as of contested hearings.

In the magistrates court:

Table 1 shows the number of defendants whose case was received by the CPS, and the number whose case was finalised; of defendants finalised, the number whose case was referred to the CPS for pre-charge advice, and the number of other, non-criminal, proceedings—such as forfeiture proceedings under the Obscene Publications Acts.

Table 2 shows the number of defendants whose case was not proceeded with, divided into cases where the prosecution was dropped and cases which could not proceed—for example because the defendant had died, or could not be traced.

Table 3 shows the number of those cases proceeded with, showing: the number of defendants bound over to keep the peace; the number of defendants' cases heard in the magistrates court; the number of defendants' committed to the Crown court; and the number of defendants' whose case was discharged at committal.

Table 4 shows the outcome of the cases heard in the magistrates court, showing the number of defendants convicted and the number acquitted.

In the Crown court:

Table 5 shows the number of defendants whose case was received and the number finalised. Of the number of defendants cases finalised, the table shows the number of cases which were appeals from the magistrates court or committed to the Crown court from the magistrates court for sentence.

Table 6 shows the number of defendants' cases not proceeded with, divided into those in which no evidence was offered before the jury was sworn, prosecution dropped, and those which could not proceed and were written off—for example, because the defendant had died, could not be traced by the police, or had been found unfit to plead.

Table 7 shows the number of defendants' cases proceeded with divided into the number bound over to keep the peace and the number heard in the Crown court.

Table 8 shows the number of defendants' cases heard in the Crown court which resulted in convictions and the number which resulted in acquittals.

Table 3
	Proceeded with of which…
	Bind over	Per cent.	Hearings in the Magistrates' Court	Per cent.	Committed to Crown Court	Per cent.	Committal discharged	Per cent.
1993	233	1.5	10,027	65.3	1,229	8.00	34	0.2
1994	291	2.1	9,664	71.7	1,245	9.2	25	0.2
1995	344	2.4	9,916	70.7	1,073	7.6	8	0.1

Table 4
	Outcome of which…
	Convicted	Per cent.	Acquitted	Per cent.
1993	9,801	97.7	226	2.3
1994	9,369	96.4	295	3.6
1995	9,709	97.9	207	2.1

Crown Court
Table 5
	of which…
	Receipts	Finalised	Appeals and committals for sentence	Per cent.
1993	6,591	5,138	986	19.1
1994	1,538	1,448	271	18.7
1995	1,402	1,644	309	18.8

Table 6
	Not proceeded with of which…
	Prosecution dropped	Per cent.	Written Off	Per cent.
1993	222	5.3	37	0.9
1994	56	4.7	6	0.5
1995	94	7.0	8	0.6

The Crown court figures for the year 1993 include Northumbria cases as it is not possible to distinguish the Durham cases from the Northumbria cases from the statistics available.

Magistrates Court
Table 1
	Case numbers
	Received	Finalised	of which…
			Pre-charge advice	Per cent.	Other proceedings	Per cent.
1993	16,296	16,381	1,035	6.3	2	0.1
1994	14,963	14,654	1,173	8.0	12	0.1
1995	14,354	15,110	1,074	7.1	18	0.1

Table 2
	Not proceeded with of which…
	Prosecution dropped	Per cent.	Written Off	Per cent.
1993	2,144	13.9	1,677	10.9
1994	1,852	13.7	392	2.9
1995	1,811	12.9	866	6.1

Table 7
	Proceeded with of which…
	Bind over	Percentage	Hearings	Percentage
1993	75	1.8	3,818	91.9
1994	11	0.9	1,104	93 8
1995	21	1.5	1,212	90.7

Table 8
	Outcome of which…
	Convicted	Per cent.	Acquitted	Per cent.
1993	3,494	91.5	324	8.5
1994	1,032	93.4	72	6.6
1995	1,126	92.9	86	7.1

Agriculture, Fisheries And Food

Fishing Vessels

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many vessels are under investigation for failing to comply with their licence conditions in 1995. [13667]

At 31 December 1995, 84 fishing vessels were under investigation by the Ministry for suspected fisheries offences, including breaches of licence conditions.

Genetic Modification

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he has taken to monitor the long-term effects of the sale of genetically modified foods. [14151]

The safety of foods produced using genetic modification is thoroughly assessed by the independent Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes before approval for their use is given. As a condition of this approval applicants are required to monitor routinely the genetic stability of the products that they market and provide this information to the committee.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to set up an ethics committee to examine proposals to develop and market genetically modified plants and animals. [14152]

This matter has already been examined by two Government committees, the Committee on the Ethics of Genetic Modification and Food Use which reported in September 1993, and the Committee to Consider the Ethical Implications of Emerging Technologies in the Breeding of Farm Animals, which reported in February 1995. Both reports are available in the House of Commons Library.

Local Veterinary Inspectors

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the inquiry chaired by Divisional Veterinary Officer Hugh Morris in regard to certification procedures carried out by local veterinary inspectors. [11691]

[holding answer 25 January 1996]: The report of the working party chaired by Mr. Morris, DVO was an internal discussion document not intended for publication. A copy will not, therefore, be placed in the Library.

Education And Employment

Student Loans Company

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many people were employed by the Student Loans Company on 1 January in each of the last five years; what were the grades of those employed; and how many loans were being administered on 1 January in each of the last five years; [13847](2) if she will set out

(a) the number of cases in which the Student Loans Company has issued county court summons against students, (b) the number of cases which have proceeded to a court hearing, (c) the number of cases in which the defendant has been either (i) ordered or (ii) agreed to repay the loan and (d) the

number of cases in which the Student Loans Company has agreed to withdraw a summons, and the reason for that decision. [13848]

These are matters for the Student Loans Company. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member with the information.

Nursery School Inspections

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will place in the Library the names of the nursery schools visited by registered inspectors of education in school year 1994–95 under section 9 of the Education (Schools) Act 1992; and what is the public document which sets down the criteria used for these inspections. [14286]

This is a matter for Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools, who heads the Office for Standards in Education. I have asked Mr. Chris Woodhead to write to the hon. Member.

Nursery Vouchers Scheme

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answer of 2 February, Official Report, column 983, concerning agreements entered into with non-statutory bodies or persons concerning her proposed extension to early years education, on what statutory authority she entered on 22 January into contract No. 0414/118/02 with Capita Managed Services Ltd. relating to the administration of phase 1 of a voucher scheme; how many responses were received to the published advertisements; and what is the value of the contract. [14284]

The Secretary of State entered into the contract on behalf of the Crown in pursuance of the Crown's ordinary common law right to enter into contracts. This right does not depend on statute. One hundred and seventy companies expressed an interest in the contract. The contract was awarded by competitive tender. Its value is commercially confidential.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what budget has been allocated for phase 1 of the nursery voucher scheme in each of the four pilot authorities; and if she will give a breakdown of this budget with respect to (a) funding for new places, (b) publicity, (c) administration and (d) inspection. [14116]

The estimated cost of new places in the phase one authorities is shown in the table. The budget for publicity in phase one is £750,000. The estimated cost of inspection and administration in phase 1 is £5 million, much of this is expected to be accounted for by the preparations for inspection in phase 2.

Local authority	Estimated cost of new places £
Wandsworth	770,000
Westminster	880,000
Kensington and Chelsea	935,000
Norfolk	3,300,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment she has made of the proportion of providers participating in (a) phase 1 and (b) phase 2 of the voucher scheme, capable of meeting the premises' requirements set out in the Children Act 1989 and the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1981. [14117]

It is the responsibility of local education authorities and the governors of grant-maintained schools to ensure that all school premises comply with the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1981. They will also be responsible for ensuring compliance with the revised regulations that we expect to lay before the House later this month.The Children Act 1989 does not prescribe premises standards for registration. Local authority social services departments have regard to the space standards guidance set out in local authority circular LAC(93)1 when registering institutions.

Reception Classes

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the (a) average class size, (b) average pupil-teacher ratio and (c) average pupil-adult ratio of reception classes in England. [14110]

Information about pupils and staff in reception classes is not collected centrally.

Under-Fives Education

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what are the number and percentage of three-year-olds in (a) maintained nursery schools and nursery classes, (b) reception classes in primary schools, (c) private or voluntary sector provision an (d) pre-school provision overall. [14118]

The available information for schools in England is shown in the following table. We have no reliable estimates on three-year olds in voluntary or private provision.

Pupils aged three years of age (1) in schools in England: January 1995
School type	Pupils	Percentage of population²
Maintained nursery schools and nursery classes	277,353	42
Infant classes in primary schools	1,309	—
Independent schools³	22,075	3
All schools⁴	303,467	46
—negligible (i.e. less than 0.5)
¹Full-time and part-time pupils aged three years of age at 31 August 1994.
² Full-time and part-time pupils aged three years of age at 31 August 1994, expressed as a percentage of the population aged three at 31 August 1994
³ Includes pupils in direct grant nursery schools.
⁴ Includes pupils in maintained nursery, primary and special schools, non-maintained special schools and independent schools.

Training And Enterprise Councils

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what progress St. Helen's chamber of commerce, training and enterprise and Greater Peterborough and Kent TECs are making in meeting the criteria for the award of a three-year licence. [14640]

I am pleased to announce the award of three-year licences to St. Helens chamber of commerce, training and enterprise, Greater Peterborough and Kent TECs, which have now completed the process of meeting the rigorous standards that we set.

Northern Ireland

Housing Bill

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reasons the provisions of the Housing Bill do not extend to Northern Ireland [12827]

Provisions on housing benefit in the forthcoming Housing Bill will extend to Northern Ireland. Separate Northern Ireland legislation on homelessness and other related issues is likely to be brought forward in due course in a way which accommodates the particular circumstances of Northern Ireland.

Movilla Cemetery

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the Old Movilla road, Newtownards, is designated as an access to Movilla cemetery, Newtownards; what assessment he has made of the gradient; what research he has evaluated into the impact of snow and frost on the road; if he will make it his policy to implement gritting the Old Movilla road during periods of frost and snow; and if he will make a statement. [12941]

The main entrance to Movilla cemetery is on the Old Movilla road, Newtownards. The 120m section of Old Movilla road between Movilla road and the cemetery's entrance has a very slight gradient; the remaining 390m section has a gradient of approximately 1:8. The impact of snow and ice on this road is not considered to be significantly different from many other comparable minor roads and traffic volumes are not high enough to justify its inclusion in the winter maintenance programme. However, the Department proposes to provide a grit bin along the steepest section of the road.

Strangford Ferry

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many days each of the two car ferries operated on the Portaferry-Strangford route during the month of January 1996: on how many days the passenger ferry operated in that month; what factors led to the absence of a ferry service on Monday 29 January 1996; if he will arrange an internal inquiry about the management of this ferry service; what proposals there are to provide a new ferry boat; and if he will make a statement. [12901]

During January 1996 the MV Strangford was in service for 22 days, while the MV Portaferry was not in service at all as it was, and still is, receiving its annual refit, which is required for marine safety purposes; the passenger vessel, MV Isle O'Valla was in service for six days.No ferry service was in operation on 29 January 1996, when the MV Strangford and the MV Isle O'Valla suffered major mechanical breakdowns.While there are no proposals to carry out an internal inquiry into the management of the ferry service, a report on the recent breakdown is presently being prepared.Last year marine consultants carried out a review of the ferry service and, in the light of that, the Department is exploring the possibility of replacing the MV Portaferry. However, as this proposal will have to compete with other priorities it is not possible to state at this stage when a new vessel could be provided.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the net cost to public funds of the operation of the Strangford ferry, including maintenance and repairs, in the last financial year. [13170]

Approximately £333,000.

Film Posters

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his policy in respect of the

£000
	1990–91	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94	1994–95	1995–96	1996–97	1997–98
a. Not applicable in Northern Ireland
b.	217	474	628	587	528	1,712	4,335	4,381
c.	6,376	6,276	4,749	6,255	6,249	3,960	2,390	1,549
d.	—	—	0	69	113	163	272	324
e.	—	—	—	—	—	0	350	350
f. Not applicable in Northern Ireland
g.	—	—	—	—	—	0	350	350
h.	—	—	—	—	—	0	58	60
i. Not applicable in Northern Ireland

Midwives

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many midwives are employed at each hospital in Northern Ireland in (a) permanent and (b) temporary posts; and how many of those employed in these posts are (i) Roman Catholic, (ii) Protestant and (iii) in non-determined categories; [13938](2) how many midwives were appointed to

(a) permanent posts and (b) temporary posts at each hospital in Northern Ireland to date during 1996; and how many of those appointed were (i) Roman Catholic, (ii) Protestant and (iii) non-determined at each hospital; [13940]

(3) how many midwives were appointed to (a) permanent and (b) temporary posts at each hospital in Northern Ireland during the last 12 months; and how many Roman Catholic, Protestant and non-determined midwives were appointed at each hospital. [12939]

display of posters of an explicit sexual nature at (a) the property of the Department of Environment and (b) the property of Ulsterbus; what posters for the film "Showgirls" are on display at the bus stop at Carryduff; and if he will make a statement on the display of posters in public areas. [12914]

Neither the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland nor Ulsterbus permits the display of posters of an explicit sexual nature at their property; a poster advertising the film "Showgirls" on display at the privately owned bus shelter at Carryduff was removed by the owners in mid-January. The content of advertisements is controlled by a voluntary code of conduct supervised by the Advertising Standards Authority. It is an offence under the Indecent Advertisements Act 1889 to display publicly material which is of an indecent or obscene nature.

Conservation Schemes

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the annual expenditure figures and forecasts for the (a) countryside access scheme, (b) environmentally sensitive areas, (c) farm conservation grant scheme, (d) farm woodland premium scheme, (e) habitat scheme, (f) nitrate sensitive areas, (g) moorland scheme, (h) organic aid scheme and (i) countryside stewardship for each year between 1990–91 and 1997–98. [13637]

[holding answer 5 February 1996]: The information is as follows:

The information requested is not held centrally.

Cookstown Bypass

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to implement the provision of a Cookstown bypass. [12590]

[holding answer 7 February 1996]: A scheme to complete a bypass of Cookstown—the Cookstown eastern distributor road—is included in the Department's six to 15-year major road works programme, but its precise timing will depend on future funding levels.

Omagh Bypass

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to provide the finances necessary to conclude the Omagh bypass. [12591]

[holding answer 7 February 1996]: The final stage of the Omagh throughpass is included in the Department's six to 15-year major works programme, but its precise timing will depend on future funding levels.

Volunteer Drivers

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what consultations his Department carried out with the voluntary sector before announcing the discontinuance of exemptions for public service vehicles and road service licensing of volunteer drivers and their vehicles; and what account was taken of the decision to be in line with the 1993 strategy document of the volunteer activity unit in coming to this decision. [13799]

The health and personal social services executive has had no consultations with the voluntary sector. However, it wrote to voluntary organisations on the 20 December 1995 informing them of the Department of the Environment's intention to withdraw, probably from May 1996, exemptions from public service vehicle and road service licensing requirements for volunteer car services under the Transport Act (Northern Ireland) 1967. The HPSS executive at the same time indicated its intention to discuss ways of facilitating this change with the minimum impact on volunteers. The Department of the Environment is aware of the 1993 strategy document, but it has an overriding duty under section 6(1)(i) of the Transport Act (NI) 1967 to ensure fair competition among persons providing facilities for the carriage of passengers for reward. Volunteer car services which operate for reward are not at present exempt from road service licensing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will specify those current European laws designed to promote fair competition which his Department assesses to be preventing volunteer car services from retaining public service vehicle exemptions; and if he will publish the legal opinion he has obtained on the subject. [13800]

£000
	1979–80	1989–90	1991–92	1993–94	1994–95	¹1995–96	¹1996–97
Northern Ireland Departments and Northern Ireland Office	²372	6,874	6,157	7,184	7,072	7,030	³3,842
Agencies	—	—	1,237	1,959	1,826	1,655	⁴105
¹ Estimated.
² Figures available for DHSS and DENI only.
³ Excludes DED, DOE and DHSS as budgets have not been agreed to this level of detail.
⁴ Figures available for the Valuation Lands Agency only.

These figures include capital expenditure. Figures for the Compensation Agency are included in the departmental returns.Within the Northern Ireland Office, agencies have their own internal directories. The NIO internal directory is available to NIO core staff but not to staff in the agencies.

Mr. Moss: Whether the exemptions from public service vehicle regulations currently granted to volunteer car services conflict with European competition law has not been tested in the courts. However, the Department of the Environment has a duty under section 6(1)(i) of the Transport Act (Northern Ireland) 1967 to ensure fair competition among persons providing facilities for the carriage of passengers for reward.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will amend the Transport Act 1967 formally to exempt volunteer car services from the road service licensing requirements of that Act. [13801]

The Department of the Environment is examining the possibility of amending the Transport Act (Northern Ireland) 1967 with a view to creating special licensing arrangements for volunteer car services while continuing to provide for the proper regulation of public transport services to ensure fair competition among persons providing facilities for the carriage of passengers for reward. The Department does not intend to proceed with plans to phase out the existing concessions until it is known whether suitable arrangements can be made.

Junior Sports Club Scheme

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the cost to the Sports Council of the review by Price Waterhouse of the junior sports club scheme. [13801]

The cost to the Sports Council was £5,500.

Departmental Expenditure

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 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). [11402]

[holding answer 25 January 1996]: The information for the Northern Ireland Office, Northern Ireland Departments and agencies is as follows.Within Northern Ireland Departments, departmental internal telephone directories are available to all staff within those Departments and their agencies. In addition, the Department of Finance and Personnel's Telecoms branch produce a paper network telephone directory for all Northern Ireland civil service buildings connection to the DIAL telecommunications network within Northern Ireland. These directories are distributed at a ratio of one directory per three people. Government telecommunications network directories are also distributed for all buildings in the network.Information on non-departmental public bodies could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Wales

Local Government Finance

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the estimated level of Government financial

Government financial support for unitary authorities
	Central government support at constant 1995–96 prices (£ thousands)¹
	Net of community care			Inclusive of community care
Unitary authority	1995–96²	1996–97³	Percentage change	1995–96²	1996–97³	Percentage change
Anglesey	48,805	47,280	-3.1	51,847	50,792	-2.0
Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire	84,787	84,493	-0.3	90,412	91,115	0.8
Aberconwy and Colwyn	68,819	67,493	-1.9	74,766	73,804	-1.3
Denbighshire	61,226	63,680	4.0	66,039	68,712	4.0
Flintshire	89,704	87,472	-2.5	95,474	93,694	-1.9
Wrexham	78,626	76,836	-2.3	84,010	82,639	-1.6
Powys	92,555	90,351	-2.4	98,001	96,859	-1.2
Cardiganshire	46,862	49,953	6.6	49,926	53,605	7.4
Pembrokeshire	79,745	78,432	-1.6	84,412	83,879	-0.6
Carmarthenshire	120,020	115,764	-3.5	128,068	125,339	-2.1
Swansea	156,525	151,340	-3.3	166,929	163,108	-2.3
Neath and Port Talbot	98,393	99,205	0.8	105,028	106,790	1.7
Bridgend	88,495	85,476	-3.4	93,399	91,705	-1.8
The Vale of Glamorgan	74,708	71,330	-4.5	79,263	76,550	-3.4
Rhondda, Cynon, Taff	172,578	176,136	2.1	182,725	189,516	3.7
Merthyr Tydfil	46,985	46,759	-0.5	49,505	50,081	1.2
Caerphilly	120,393	119,816	-0.5	126,734	127,684	0.7
Blaenau Gwent	54,145	57,144	5.5	57,285	60,801	6.1
Torfaen	64,245	63,311	-1.5	67,720	67,289	-0.6
Monmouthshire	48,917	47,089	-3.7	52,245	50,924	-2.5
Newport	96,171	93,107	-3.2	101,632	99,485	-2.1
Cardiff	197,087	198,101	0.5	208,794	211,832	1.5
Wales	1,989,794	1,970,570	-1.0	2,114,214	2,116,203	0.1

(1) Comprises revenue support grant and the distributable amount from non-domestic rates, and, for 1996–97, grant under the council tax reduction scheme.(2) Derived from indicative unitary authority standard spending assessments issued on 27 October 1995.(3) Estimates derived from the final 1996–97 local government revenue settlement.Provision for reorganisation costs is separate from, and additional to, the revenue settlement. For 1995–96 the Welsh Office has issued supplementary credit approvals—SCAs—of £23.1 million to county and district authorities and unitary authorities and is paying special grant of £17.6 million to the new unitary authorities to cover their running costs. For 1996–97 a further £40.0 million in SCAs is being provided to the new authorities and £2 million in special grant to meet the balance of 1995–96 running costs.The distribution of special grant resources is given in the following table. The distribution of SCAs for 1996–97 will not be known until later in the year.

support for each of the new unitary local authorities and for Wales as a whole in constant prices for (a) 1994–95, (b) 1995–96 and (c) 1996–97, indicating the percentage yearly change in each case and the overall cumulative change (i) net of community care and the estimated cost of local government reorganisation and (ii) including community care and the estimated cost of local government reorganisation. [8885]

[holding answer 18 January 1996]: The figures for 1995–96, redistributed on a unitary authority basis, and final figures for 1996–97 estimated at 1995–96 prices are set out in the following table. No estimates are available for 1994–95.

Special grant paid to unitary authorities
£000
	Grant paid in 1995–96	Balance to be paid in 1996–97¹
Anglesey	717	80
Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire	848	94
Aberconwy and Colwyn	843	94
Denbighshire	782	87
Flintshire	813	90
Wrexham	801	89
Powys	825	92
Cardiganshire	715	79
Pembrokeshire	795	88

Special grant paid to unitary authorities
£000
	Grant paid in 1995–96	Balance to be paid in 1996–97¹
Carmarthenshire	881	98
Swansea	867	96
Neath and Port Talbot	862	96
Bridgend	753	84
Vale of Glamorgan	747	83
Rhondda, Cynon, Taff	921	102
Merthyr Tydfil	711	79
Caerphilly	881	98
Blaenau Gwent	719	80
Torfaen	730	81
Monmouthshire	724	80
Newport	758	84
Cardiff	857	95
Wales	17,550	1,950
¹ Subject to submission of audited claim.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what is the annual increase in the 1996–97 standard spending assessment for each unitary authority excluding funding for the police and community care; [10281](2) if he will list the standard spending assessment for each local authority and for Wales as a whole excluding the amount specifically provided for community care

(a) for 1995–96 and (b) 1996–97. [10282]

[holding answer 18 January 1996]: The information requested is given in the following tables. Table 1 gives the 1995–96 standard spending assessments excluding allocations for community care for counties and districts. Table 2 shows the indicative 1995–96 SSAs for unitary authorities and compares them to the final SSAs for 1996–97—excluding allocations for community care.

Table 1: Standard spending assessments 1995–96 (excluding community care)
£ thousand
Alyn and Deside	10, 296
Colwyn	8,520

Table 2: Standard spending assessments (excluding community care)
(£ thousand)
	1995–96¹	1996–97	Difference	Percentage difference
Anglesey	56,029	57,194	1,164	2.1
Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire	97,151	99,599	2,449	2.5
Aberconwy and Colwyn	81,199	83,563	2,365	2.9
Denbighshire	71,146	73,384	2,238	3.1
Flintshire	104,391	106,166	1,775	1.7
Wrexham	90,503	92,595	2,092	2.3
Powys	105,907	108,961	3,055	2.9
Cardiganshire	54,124	56,162	2,038	3.8
Pembrokeshire	91,748	94,833	3,085	3.4
Carmarthenshire	136,410	138,519	2,109	1.5
Swansea	178,516	181,451	2,935	1.6
Neath and Port Talbot	110,739	112,657	1,917	1.7
Bridgend	100,955	101,186	231	0.2
Vale of Glamorgan	87,991	89,270	1,280	1.5
Rhondda, Cynon, Taff	190,489	193,338	2,850	1.5

Table 1: Standard spending assessments 1995–96 (excluding community care)
£ thousand
Delyn	9,339
Glyndwr	5,473
Rhuddlan	8,900
Wrexham Maelor	16,574
Carmarthen	7,869
Ceredigion	10,446
Dinefwr	6,027
Llanelli	13,294
Preseli Pembrokeshire	11,477
South Pembrokeshire	8,104
Blaenau Gwent	15,568
Islwyn	11,729
Monmouth	9,879
Newport	22,305
Torfaen	13,584
Aberconwy	8,609
Arfon	9,890
Dwyfor	6,035
Meirionnydd	6,187
Ynys Mon	11,242
Cynon Valley	13,659
Merthyr Tydfil	12,135
Ogwr	21,279
Rhondda	17,622
Rhymney Valley	15,879
Taff Ely	14,662
Brecknock	6,631
Montgomeryshire	7,679
Radnorshire	3,486
Cardiff	45,787
Vale of Glamorgan	15,063
Port Talbot	9,004
Lliw Valley	9,039
Neath	10,389
Swansea	32,710
Clwyd	247,421
Dyfed	225,558
Gwent	273,652
Gwynedd	149,413
Mid Glamorgan	345,059
Powys	85,432
South Glamorgan	252,734
West Glamorgan	224,574
Total Districts	466,373
Total counties	1,803,842
Total local authorities	2,270,215

Table 2: Standard spending assessments (excluding community care)
(£ thousand)
	1995–96¹	1996–97	Difference	Percentage difference
Merthyr Tydfil	51,315	52,446	1,131	2.2
Caerphilly	134,227	136,242	2,014	1.5
Blaenau Gwent	59,832	60,738	906	1.5
Torfaen	72,584	73,709	1,125	1.5
Monmouthshire	58,768	60,104	1,335	2.3
Newport	108,999	110,963	1.963	1.8
Cardiff	227,193	230,924	3,731	1.6
Wales	2,270,215	2,314,005	43,790	1.9
¹ Indicative SSAs released on 27 October 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list in (a) cash and (b) real terms the amount available to local authorities in Wales from non-domestic rates in each year from 1990–91 to 1996–97; and what proportion of local government revenue this was in each year. [10286]

[holding answer 18 January 1996]: The information requested is given in the following table.

Distributable non-domestic rates (£ million)
	Cash terms	At 1990–91 prices	As a proportion of local government net revenue expenditure (per cent.)
1990–91	443	443	19.9
1991–92	525	494	21.1
1992–93	536	485	20.2
1993–94	470	413	17.9
1994–95	464	400	16.5

Table 1: Standard spending assessments for Welsh local authorities 1990–91 to 1995–96¹
£ thousand
	1990–91	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94	1994–95	1995–96²
Alyn and Deeside	6,910	7,960	8,882	9,696	10,125	10,296
Colwyn	5,367	6,117	6,704	7,655	8,253	8,520
Delyn	5,796	6,811	7,580	8,615	9,262	9,339
Glyndwr	3,686	4,422	4,829	5,377	5,501	5,473
Rhuddlan	5,807	7,014	7,603	8,458	8,717	8,900
Wrexham Maelor	11,221	13,935	14,864	15,671	16,372	16,574
Carmarthen	5,488	6,421	6,952	7,723	7,762	7,869
Ceredigion	6,581	8,030	8,700	9,684	9,979	10,446
Dinefwr	3,542	4,335	4,977	5,602	5,866	6,027
Llanelli	8,366	10,624	11,581	12,539	12,868	13,294
Preseli Pembrokeshire	7,019	8,624	9,747	10,844	11,273	11,477
South Pembrokeshire	4,675	5,526	6,376	7,342	7,740	8,104
Blaenau Gwent	9,934	12,667	13,843	14,880	15,185	15,568
Islwyn	7,952	9,390	10,231	11,133	11,534	11,729
Monmouth	6,570	7,777	8,574	9,394	9,765	9,879
Newport	16,354	18,905	20,537	22,585	22,472	22,305
Torfaen	9,717	11,769	12,256	13,417	13,702	13,584
Aberconwy	5,341	6,672	7,410	8,488	8,740	8,609
Arfon	6,174	7,963	8,394	9,290	9,826	9,890
Dwyfor	3,734	4,729	5,108	5,882	5,996	6,035
Meirionnydd	3,911	5,099	5,282	5,757	6,068	6,187
Ynys Mon	7,218	8,943	9,539	10,812	11,248	11,242
Cynon Valley	8,517	10,524	11,675	12,966	13,374	13,659
Merthyr Tydfil	8,266	10,192	10,937	11,974	12,226	12,135
Ogwr	14,782	17,218	18,121	20,287	20,598	21,279
Rhondda	11,992	14,739	15,921	17,225	17,746	17,622
Rhymney Valley	10,610	13,426	14,128	15,410	15,882	15,879

Distributable non-domestic rates (£ million)
	Cash terms	At 1990–91 prices	As a proportion of local government net revenue expenditure (per cent.)
1995–96	520	437	17.6
1996–97¹	459	375	n/a
¹Revenue expenditure figures are not available for 1996–97.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list (a) the total standard spending allocated to and (b) the amount spent by each local authority in each year from 1990–91. [10280]

[holding answer 18 January 1996]: Table 1 shows the standard spending assessments for each local authority from 1990–91 to 1995–96, table 2 shows the standard spending assessments for 1996–97 and table 3 shows the net revenue expenditure for authorities over the same period as table 1. No data on expenditure are available for 1996–97.

Table 1: Standard spending assessments for Welsh local authorities 1990–91 to 1995–96¹
£ thousand
	1990–91	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94	1994–95	1995–96²
Taff Ely	9,991	11,701	12,771	14,253	14,644	14,662
Brecknock	4,132	4,904	5,337	5,960	6,257	6,631
Montgomeryshire	4,682	5,420	5,987	6,669	7,132	7,679
Radnorshire	2,074	2,493	2,971	3,281	3,283	3,486
Cardiff	30,461	37,265	41,644	44,209	45,765	45,787
Vale of Glamorgan	10,325	12,086	13,309	15,017	15,257	15,063
Port Talbot	6,348	7,901	8,336	8,790	8,896	9,004
Lliw Valley	5,983	7,322	7,854	8,647	8,827	9,039
Neath	6,991	8,151	9,284	10,088	10,148	10,389
Swansea	23,580	28,427	29,857	32,346	32,781	32,710
Clwyd	225,384	258,105	278,847	266,580	280,306	266,705
Dyfed	202,326	232,562	251,704	242,976	253,355	241,288
Gwent	248,388	286,174	302,433	295,230	306,932	291,717
Gwynedd	142,239	159,307	168,892	162,795	169,002	160,883
Mid Glamorgan	320,076	363,783	381,246	376,664	388,857	366,613
Powys	77,653	87,670	93,187	90,374	93,656	90,776
South Glamorgan	228,696	258,854	273,622	269,164	280,920	268,620
West Glamorgan	205,437	236,544	254,570	243,329	255,622	241,661
Dyfed-Powys Police Authority	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	23,431
Gwent Police Authority	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	25,280
North Wales Police Authority	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	33,329
South Wales Police Authority	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	77,734
Total district councils	310,100	375,500	408,100	447,964	461,071	466,373
Total county councils	1,650,200	1,883,000	2,004,500	1,947,112	2,028,650	1,928,262
Total police authorities	0	0	0	0	0	159,775
Total Wales	1,960,300	2,258,500	2,412,600	2,395,076	2,489,721	2,554,410
¹ No adjustments made for functional changes.
² For years prior to 1995–96, the SSAs for police authorities are included in the amounts for county councils.

Table 2: Standard spending assessments for Welsh local authorities: 1996–97
	£ thousand
Anglesey	60,802
Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire	106,403
Aberconwy and Colwyn	90,048
Denbighshire	78,555
Flintshire	112,559
Wrexham	98,558
Powys	115,649
Cardiganshire	59,915
Pembrokeshire	100,430
Carmarthenshire	148,358
Swansea	193,543
Neath and Port Talbot	120,451
Bridgend	107,587
The Vale of Glamorgan	94,634
Rhondda, Cynon, Taff	207,086

Table 3: Net revenue expenditure for Welsh local authorities 1990–91 to 1995–96
(£ thousand)
	1990–91 outturn	1991–92 outturn	1992–93 outturn	1993–94 outturn	1994–95 revised estimate	1995–96 budget¹
Alyn and Deeside	5,875	9,296	9,750	9,866	10,509	11,807
Colwyn	6,219	7,091	7,179	7,672	8,955	9,070
Delyn	7,530	6,247	8,552	8,473	12,542	11,138
Glyndwr	3,875	4,036	5,275	6,075	5,791	6,815
Rhuddlan	6,964	9,207	9,162	8,786	9,378	9,355
Wrexham Maelor	12,645	13,301	14,880	15,988	16,909	18,061
Carmarthen	4,800	5,019	5,091	6,598	8,690	11,560
Ceredigion	6,546	8,968	9,279	9,693	10,637	11,361

Table 2: Standard spending assessments for Welsh local authorities: 1996–97
	£ thousand
Merthyr Tydfil	55,859
Caerphilly	144,327
Blaenau Gwent	64,496
Torfaen	77,796
Monmouthshire	64,045
Newport	117,516
Cardiff	245,034
Dyfed-Powys Police Authority	24,338
Gwent Police Authority	31,419
North Wales Police Authority	34,659
South Wales Police Authority	75,827
Total unitary authorities	2,463,649
Total police authorities	166,242
Total Wales	2,629,891

Table 3: Net revenue expenditure for Welsh local authorities 1990–91 to 1995–96
(£ thousand)
	1990–91 outturn	1991–92 outturn	1992–93 outturn	1993–94 outturn	1994–95 revised estimate	1995–96 budget¹
Dinefwr	3,332	3,878	4,877	5,667	5,695	6,410
Llanelli	8,795	10,557	11,775	13,054	15,544	17,397
Preseli Pembrokeshire	6,971	6,867	7,275	9,945	12,632	14,854
South Pembrokeshire	2,784	4,346	5,019	6,959	7,299	8,349
Blaenau Gwent	12,336	14,605	16,443	14,913	16,260	17,613
Islwyn	9,496	9,401	10,015	10,079	13,199	16,499
Monmouth	7,516	7,758	8,507	9,181	11,183	11,818
Newport	16,240	20,587	19,444	17,727	22,669	25,038
Torfaen	14,251	14,978	12,688	13,657	14,124	14,669
Aberconwy	6,478	8,450	9,129	9,428	9,087	9,490
Arfon	4,980	7,751	8,672	8,571	10,752	10,978
Dwyfor	5,699	4,692	5,106	5,217	7,138	8,172
Meirionnydd	5,495	6,505	6,257	6,003	6,399	7,075
Ynys Mon	9,688	9,686	10,253	10,735	12,514	14,287
Cynon Valley	8,783	10,334	11,845	12,078	13,027	15,248
Merthyr Tydfil	8,648	10,580	11,404	12,033	12,340	12,240
Ogwr	18,657	17,545	18,747	19,952	20,697	21,697
Rhondda	12,630	12,287	12,911	16,746	19,251	23,543
Rhymney Valley	12,826	13,988	15,202	16,863	16,175	16,178
Taff Ely	9,733	10,429	12,195	15,443	16,938	16,183
Brecknock	4,273	4,698	5,077	5,513	7,502	8,266
Montgomeryshire	4,476	5,341	5,671	6,093	7,683	7,978
Radnorshire	2,095	2,817	2,948	3,310	3,733	3,561
Cardiff	38,739	41,397	41,279	44,737	48,269	48,945
Vale of Glamorgan	8,831	12,057	13,280	15,579	16,593	17,330
Port Talbot	8,042	8,212	6,368	6,282	13,145	13,737
Lliw Valley	4,903	5,506	6,585	7,717	8,432	9,319
Neath	6,753	8,942	9,513	10,699	14,269	15,160
Swansea	31,486	36,201	35,091	32,116	35,300	35,904
Clwyd	241,714	269,547	291,250	261,453	288,281	280,517
Dyfed	210,684	234,897	258,161	253,894	266,584	261,088
Gwent	251,273	283,716	304,684	299,215	313,523	301,405
Gwynedd	144,793	158,369	168,423	164,470	175,719	170,079
Mid Glamorgan	323,255	361,185	378,157	381,519	408,049	391,938
Powys	75,332	86,954	95,386	92,917	97,015	97,284
South Glamorgan	232,522	259,964	272,136	270,076	280,334	274,040
West Glamorgan	219,065	238,965	261,812	252,306	268,065	258,048
Dyfed-Powys Police Authority	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	23,031
Gwent Police Authority	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	25,280
North Wales Police Authority	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	33,328
South Wales Police Authority	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	74,733
Total district councils	349,390	393,560	412,744	439,448	501,260	537,105
Total county councils	1,698,638	1,893,597	2,030,009	1,975,850	2,097,570	2,034,399
Total police authorities	0	0	0	0	0	156,372
Total Wales	2,048,028	2,287,157	2,442,753	2,415,298	2,598,830	2,727,876
¹ Police authority budgets adjusted to exclude police grant. For years prior to 1995–96, the expenditure for police authorities is included in the amounts for county councils.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each unitary authority area and for Wales as a whole in 1996 prices the overall central Government support net of community care costs in (a) 1995–96 and (b) 1996–97. [12431]

The figures for 1995–96, redistributed on a unitary authority basis, and final figures for 1996–97, estimated at 1995–96 prices are set out in the following table.

Government financial support for unitary authorities
	Central government support net of allocations for care in the community at constant 1995–96 prices (£ thousands)¹
Unitary authority	1995–96²	³1996–97
Anglesey	48,805	47,280
Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire Aberconwy and	84,787	84,493

Government financial support for unitary authorities
	Central government support net of allocations for care in the community at constant 1995–96 prices (£ thousands)¹
Unitary authority	1995–96²	³1996–97
Colwyn	68,819	67,493
Denbighshire	61,226	63,680
Flintshire	89,704	87,472
Wrexham	78,626	76,836
Powys	92,555	90,351
Cardiganshire	46,862	49,953
Pembrokeshire	79,745	78,432
Carmarthenshire	120,020	115,764
Swansea	156,525	151,340
Neath and Port Talbot	98,393	99,205
Bridgend	88,495	85,476
The Vale of Glamorgan	74,708	71,330
Rhondda, Cynon, Taff	172,578	176,136
Merthyr Tydfil	46,985	46,759
Caerphilly	120,393	119,816
Blaenau Gwent	54,145	57,144
Torfaen	64,245	63,311
Monmouthshire	48,917	47,089
Newport	96,171	93,107
Cardiff	197,087	198,101
Wales	1,989,794	1,970,570
¹ Comprises revenue support grant and the distributable amount from non-domestic rates, and, for 1996–97, grant under the council tax reduction scheme.
² Derived from indicative unitary authority standard spending assessments issued on 27 October 1995.
³ Estimates derived from the final 1996–97 local government revenue settlement.

Community Care

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each unitary authority area and for Wales as a whole in 1996 prices the budget for community care (a) 1995–96 and (b) 1996–97. [12430]

The information requested is not available. Local authorities' budget returns do not distinguish estimated expenditure on care in the community from expenditure on other social services. Local authorities have not yet set their budgets for 1996–97.

Osteoporosis

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what sums were earmarked for (a) the treatment of, and (b) publicity about, osteoporosis in (i) 1994 and (ii) 1995. [12992]

(a) This information is not available centrally. The responsibility for providing services for osteoporosis is a matter for district health authorities. (b) No Welsh Office funds were earmarked for publicity about osteoporosis in 1994 or 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his policy concerning the identification and treatment of sufferers from osteoporosis. [12994]

The responsibility for the assessment and provision of services for sufferers of osteoporosis is a matter for district health authorities in the light of local priorities and resources.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of (a) the number of sufferers from osteoporosis and (b) the number of people treated for osteoporosis in Wales in each of the last three years. [12995]

The information requested is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what additional promotional measures he plans in connection with osteoporosis. [12991]

The Welsh Office does not at present have any specific plans for promotional measures aimed at reducing the impact of osteoporosis.

School Transport

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which local authorities in Wales provide free transport to schools and colleges for pupils beyond the compulsory school-leaving age. [12894]

The information requested is not available centrally.

Elderly People's Homes

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his policy concerning safety and security and the prevention of accidents in homes for the elderly. [13183]

The Health and Safety Executive is responsible for developing and providing guidance on health and safety standards nationally and for the enforcement of health and safety legislation in all nursing homes and in residential homes owned by local authorities. Local authority environmental health departments are responsible for enforcement in private and voluntary residential homes.Under the Registered Homes Act 1984 local authority social services departments are responsible for the registration of residential homes and health authorities are responsible for the registration of nursing homes.

Baglan Hospital

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much money has so far been expended on the site proposed for the Baglan hospital; and which body is bearing the interest charges for costs incurred. [13733]

West Glamorgan health authority has invested £5.1 million in the acquisition and initial preparation of land at Baglan moors. The funds were allocated as part of the authority's capital allocation and, as such, do not attract interest charges.

Sheep (Radioactivity)

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what considerations have led him to take the view that sheep in the area of north Wales hitherto restricted post-Chernobyl are now fit for human consumption. [13679]

Statutory restrictions are in place to prevent sheepmeat containing levels of radiocaesium in excess of 1,000 Becquerels per kilogram from entering the food chain. A continuing assessment programme enables suitable areas affected by restrictions to be identified for an intensive monitoring survey to determine the level of radiocaesium activity in the sheep grazing there.When it can be shown, following intensive monitoring at the time of year when levels of activity are expected to be at their peak, that residual radioactivity has declined to acceptable levels restrictions may be removed from that area. The latest removal of restrictions form part of the north Wales restricted area follows the successful outcome of such an assessment.

Junior Doctors

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the shortfall of junior doctors in each of the health districts in Wales. [13810]

The Department has been discussing with NHS trusts what action can be taken to address the problems arising from a shortage of junior doctors in some specialities. Information on the extent of the shortfall in each health district in Wales can be provided by individual trusts and is not held centrally.

Spare Computer Capacity

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all cases where spare computer capacity has been sold to other Departments since 1987, giving the Department and value of each contract. [14074]

There are no cases in which the Welsh Office has sold spare computer capacity to other Departments.

Health Service Materials Management

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 2 February, Official Report, column 980, if the sale proceeds of the existing Welsh Health Common Services Authority stores will be available for meeting (a) redundancy costs of existing authority employees in the procurement section, (b) costs of removal of the contracts division from Crickhowell house and (c) other restructuring costs. [14270]

Proceeds from the sale of stores will be available to meet restructuring and redundancy costs associated with the market test of materials management. The location of the contracting staff is a separate matter and is for the authority to decide.

Nhs Estatecare

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 1 February, Official Report, column 898, if he will list the date and means by which his predecessor's decision to privatise the EstateCare group of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority was (a) first formulated and (b) communicated to (i) NHS trusts and (ii) others with an interest; and if he will make a statement. [14272]

My Department wrote to health authorities and NHS trusts on 11 April 1994 letting them know that the privatisation of the EstateCare group was under consideration. Detailed proposals were subsequently drawn up by the Welsh Health Common Services Authority with the involvement of health authorities and NHS trusts.

Health

Nhs Trusts (Statistics)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce into NHS hospital trusts annual information on (a) the percentage for re-admission after treatment, (b) the number of patients who get infections and (c) the number of times the hospital has been closed to emergency admission. [13230]

No.

Nhs Pension Scheme

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will review the policy of payment of NHS pensions to employees who are certified as long-term sick and unable to return to their employment with the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [13564]

The purpose of the national health service pension scheme is to provide pension benefits to employees on retirement. I am satisfied that it should continue to be the case. Where satisfactory independent medical opinion states that he or she is permanently incapable of efficiently discharging the duties of his or her employment an employee shall be entitled to an ill health retirement pension.

Adoption Home Studies

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each English local authority the amount currently charged for inter-country adoption home studies. [13477]

This information is not available centrally.

Fundholding Savings (Ownership Of Assets)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health who legally owns assets bought from fundholding savings; and if he will make a statement. [13720]

It depends on the use to which the savings have been put. For example, if equipment was bought for use in a trust, ownership would probably be with the trust; if the savings were used for developments in the practice, ownership would probably be with the practice.Such expenditure has to be approved by the regional health authority to ensure benefit for patients and value for money.

Oral Cancer

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what are the annual costs to the national health service of surgery for oral cancer; and what assessment he has made of the potential savings from earlier diagnosis of oral cancer; [13768]

(2) what steps are being taken by his Department to (a) set targets for reducing oral cancer incidence and to reduce death rates from oral cancer and (b) launch an extensive nationwide public awareness campaign of oral cancer and its risks factors and a programme for dentists to aid early identification of high-risk individuals. [13807]

Information on the annual cost of oral cancer is not available centrally. There are no plans at present to introduce set targets for reducing oral cancer morbidity or mortality rates. Dentists are trained in the early recognition of abnormalities in the mouth and will refer patients for the appropriate treatment. Oral cancer can result from excessive alcohol and tobacco consumption, the risks of which are widely publicised and recognised. The Chief Dental Officer chairs the National Advisory Group on Screening for Oral Cancer which was set up last October. The group seeks to co-ordinate various strands of work being undertaken in the field of detecting and preventing oral cancers.

	Department of Health		Medicines control agency		NHS estates
Grade (including professional equivalents)	Posts advertised	Number applied	Posts advertised	Number applied	Posts advertised	Number applied
UG2	1	24	—	—	—	—
UG3	3	94	—	—	—	—
UG5	2	90	—	—	—	—
UG6	1	58	—	—	6	258
UG7	4	106	2	104	1	71
NO	5	104	—	—	—	—
SEO	—	—	1	19	5	174
HEO	—	—	2	108	2	18
EO	—	—	—	—	3	220
Unit Manager	1	14	—	—	—	—
Groupworker	6	83	—	—	—	—
AO	7	377	4	58	—	—
AA	—	—	1	12	—	—
PES	—	—	1	27	—	—

City And East London Health Authority

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of the difference between the spending plans of the health service providers in City and East London and the available budget. [13789]

Health authorities and general practitioners fundholders negotiate and fund an agreed level of service provision with national health service trusts. It is for each trust to provide those services using the available resources.

Accident And Emergency Units (Doctors)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total number of doctors from overseas working in the accident and emergency units of NHS hospitals. [14105]

There were 533 overseas-qualified doctors working in accident and emergency in England as at 30 September 1994.

Note: The total includes permanent paid, locums and honorary doctors, ie those in the field of academia and research.

Newham Healthcare Nhs Trust

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure early resumption of routine and clinically urgent operations by Newham Healthcare NHS trust. [13790]

This is a matter for the trust. The hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman, Rosemary Walters, for details.

Job Advertisements

To ask the Secretary of State for Health 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. [13831]

The following posts in the Department of Health and its agencies have been advertised externally since 1 November 1995:

Nhs Charges

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase NHS charges and the value of optical vouchers; and if he will make a statement. [14830]

I shall shortly lay before the House regulations to increase national health service charges in England and Wales from 1 April 1996. The prescription charge will increase by 25p, from £5.25 to £5.50 for each quantity of a drug or appliance dispensed. The fees for prescription prepayment certificates will also rise by £1.30, from £27.20 to £28.50 for a four-month certificate, and by £3.60, from £74.80 to £78.40, for an annual certificate. This will result in savings for those needing more than five items in four months or 14 in one year.Charges for elastic stockings and tights, wigs and most fabric supports supplied through the hospital service will be increased proportionately with the rise in the prescription charge.There will be an increase in the maximum patient charge for a single course of dental treatment begun on or after 1 April 1996. Everyone under 18 will continue to receive free treatment and about 25 per cent. of adult treatments are provided free or at reduced cost. The maximum patient charge will increase from £300 to £325. More than 99 per cent. of courses of dental treatment will not be affected by this change because fewer than three in 1,000 courses of treatment attract the maximum charge.From 1 April 1996, the range of optical vouchers issued under the NHS optical voucher scheme will increase in value by 1 per cent. on average. The old values reflected the application of value added tax to the full cost of finished spectacles. A recent decision means that VAT should not be applied to the part of this cost which relates to dispensing the spectacles.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland will lay regulations to increase charges in Scotland by the same amounts. Similar arrangements will apply in Northern Ireland.Details of the revised charges have been placed in the Library.

Safety Of Medicines

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the occasions on which (a) the Licensing Authority, (b) the Medicines Control Agency and its predecessor division of the DHSS and (c) the Committee on Safety of Medicines have taken legal action with respect to matters relating to the Medicines Act 1968; and what injunctions on what occasions have been sought preventing publication of any material relating to the efficacy or safety of medicines. [12977]

This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Oral Contraceptives

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 19 December 1995 to the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce), Official Report, column 1153, if he will publish the full text of the advice of the Committee on Safety of Medicines to the Licensing Authority. [12979]

Such advice is confidential. The recommendations made by the Committee on Safety of Medicines at the meeting on 13 October 1995 were published in a letter from the chairman dated 18 October 1995 which was sent to doctors and pharmacists. Copies of this letter are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) under what legislative provision the opinion of the committee for proprietary medicinal products on the safety of combined oral contraceptives, which was requested on 11 October 1995, is being obtained; [12976](2) if he will publish the text of the formal referral made on 11 October 1995 by the licensing authority to the committee for proprietary medicinal products; and if he will state the legal basis for that referral. [12973]

The Medicines Control Agency has an obligation to keep other member states informed of issues on the efficacy, quality and safety of medicines. In accordance with these obligations, on 11 October 1995 the MCA requested in writing that the safety of combined oral contraceptives be placed on the agenda of the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products meeting of 17 to 18 October, after important new evidence about this issue became available. It is not normal practice to publish such documentation. The matter was not referred to the Committee for an opinion under article 12 of directive 75/319/EEC.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if those who made arrangements on 11 October 1995 for the meeting of the Committee on Safety of Medicines on 13 October 1995 were made aware of the formal referral regarding safety concerns relating to desogestrel and gestodene to be considered by the pharmacovigilance sub-committee of the Committee on Safety of Medicines; and what factors led to the referral. [12965]

No such referral was made to the pharmacovigilance sub-committee. I presume the hon. Member is referring to the written request made on 11 October 1995 that the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products place the issue on the agenda of its meeting of 17–18 October. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) on 19 December 1995, Official Report, columns 1149–50.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) of 19 December 1995, Official Report, column 1149, if the outside experts who attended the working group of the Committee on Safety of Medicines on 10 October and the meeting of the CSM on 13 October were informed that the proceedings were subject to the Official Secrets Act 1989. [12966]

No. Attendees of the meeting of the Committee on Safety of Medicines on 13 October 1995 and the working group meeting of 10 October 1995 were informed that the papers and proceedings of the meetings were confidential and should not be disclosed. The papers and proceedings are subject to section 118 of the Medicines Act 1968.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what factors precluded consideration between July 1995 and October 1995 of safety concerns relating to desogestrel and gestodene by the pharmacovigilence sub-committee of the Committee on Safety of Medicines. [12967]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) on 19 December 1995 at column 1151.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the licensing authority took prior to issuing the "Dear Doctor" letter of 18 October 1995 to establish the availability of oral contraceptives deemed to be suitable alternatives to those oral contraceptives which had given rise to safety concerns. [12972]

Appropriate steps were taken. The Committee on Safety of Medicines did not advise that all women on oral contraceptives containing gestodene or desogestrel should be switched to alternative preparations immediately. In a press release issued by the Department, women taking these pills were strongly urged to continue taking them, but to see their doctor, preferably before finishing their current cycle, to discuss whether a change of pill was necessary. Women who could not visit their surgery or family planning clinic before the end of their present cycle were advised to start the next pack. Discussions regarding supply were held with pharmaceutical companies. We are not aware of major difficulties in the supply of alternative preparations that arose as a result of the CSM's advice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received relating to safety concerns on combined oral contraceptives containing desogestrel or gestodene; and what steps he has taken in response to any such expressions of concern. [12974]

My Department has received representations from a number of sources, including doctors and other health professionals; bodies representing health professionals; members of the public; the pharmaceutical companies concerned and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry, and has responded to the issues raised.

Medicines Commission

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the chairmen of the Medicines Commission since the inception of the Medicines Commission and give for each chairman the dates on which the chairmanship started and finished, together with the total duration of the chairmanship and if the individual concerned had served as a member of the Medicines Commission other than as chairman. [12921]

The available information is as follows:

	Start and finish date
Sir Derrick Dunlop MD FRCP FRCPed	(Chairman) 1969 to December 1971
Lord Rosenheim KBE MD FRCP	(Member) 1969 to December 1971 (Chairman) January 1972 to December 1972 (1 year)
Professor A. Wilson CBE PhD MD FRCP FPS	(Member) 1969 to October 1974 (Acting Chairman) December 1972 to mid 1973
Sir Ronald Bodley Scott GCVO MA MD	(Chairman) Mid 1973 to December 1975
Professor W. Butterfield OBE MA MD DM FRCP FACP	(Member) January 1975 to December 1975 (1 year) (Chairman) January 1976 to December 1981 (6 years)
Professor Dame Rosalind Hurley DBE LLB MD DUniv(Surrey) FRCPath FFPM(Hon) FRCOG	(Chairman) 1982 to December 1993 (12 years)
Professor D. Lawson CBE MD FRCPEdin FRCPGlasg FFPM	(Chairman) January 1994 to Present (2 years 1 month)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the occasions when the Medicines Commission has exercised its powers under section 3 of the Medicines Act 1968, and for each occasion give the date and nature of the issues examined, at whose request the powers were exercised, and if the results of the deliberations of the commission were published. [12923]

Section 3 of the Medicines Act 1968 sets out all of the general functions assigned to the Medicines Commission by or under the Act. To provide the information in respect of all the matters considered by the commission since it was established in 1969 would incur disproportionate cost. Details of matters considered by the commission are published in annual reports which are laid before the House and copies of which are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the occasions since 1968 when the Medicines Commission reviewed the committees established under section 4 of the Medicines Act 1968. [12975]

Under section 5 of the Medicines Act 1968, all section 4 committees are required to report to the Medicines Commission annually with respect to the performance of their functions. Copies of the reports are placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Clinical Trials

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what clinical trials conducted under a clinical trials exemption certificate were terminated between 1 October 1995 and 30 November 1995 at the request of the licensing authority on grounds of safety; [12922](2) if regulatory action relating to clinical trials involving the use of medicinal products containing

(a) desogestrel and (b) gestodene has now been completed. [12971]

Any company, or investigator, wishing to conduct a clinical trial with third generation progestogens or their metabolites, would have to apply to the Medicines Control Agency in accordance with the Medicines Act 1968 and its secondary legislation, and would have to provide a justification for the use of third generation progestogens taking into account the recent advice of the Committee on Safety of Medicines in its letter dated 18 October 1995. Any regulatory action relating to clinical trials is treated in confidence between the licensing authority and the company or investigator concerned.

Medicines Act

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the sub-committees established under powers conferred by section 1 (c) of schedule 1 to the Medicines Act 1968 or section 6 of the Medicines Commission and Committees Regulations 1970, giving for each sub-committee the date on which ministerial approval was given for the establishing of the sub-committee, which Minister or Ministers gave such approval, the date on which the sub-committee first met and, where applicable, the date of the final meeting of the sub-committee. [12924]

The available information for sub-committees established by powers conferred by section 1(c) of schedule 1 to the Medicines Act 1968 is contained in the annual reports of the section 4 committees of the Medicines Act 1968, copies of which are available in the Library.

Medicines Control Agency

To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date arrangements were made by the Medicines Control Agency for the meetings with Professor Walter Spitzer and colleagues which were held on Monday 9 October 1995 and Tuesday 10 October 1995. [12925]

The arrangements were made in late September 1995.

Committee On Safety Of Medicines

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what written reports from the transnational study were received by the licensing authority before to the meeting of the Committee on Safety of Medicines held on 13 October 1995. [12968]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) on 19 December 1995, Official Report, column 1149.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the scheduled and actual meeting dates between 1 January 1995 and 31 December 1995 of the Committee on Safety of Medicines and its pharmacovigilance sub-committee. [12969]

The scheduled and actual meeting dates of the Committee on Safety of Medicines were as follows:

26 January 1995
23 February 1995
23 March 1995
27 April 1995
25 May 1995
22 June 1995
20 July 1995
21 September 1995
13 October 1995
26 October 1995
23 November 1995
14 December 1995

The scheduled meeting dates of the pharmacovigilance sub-committee were as follows:

3 January 1995
31 January 1995
28 February 1995
28 March 1995
2 May 1995
6 June 1995
4 July 1995
5 September 1995
3 October 1995
31 October 1995
28 November 1995

The meetings scheduled for 31 January 1995 and 28 March 1995 were cancelled.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list travel and subsistence expenses paid to the members of the Committee on Safety of Medicines for journeys in October 1995; and if, for each payment, he will identify the committee members concerned, the starting point, starting date, finishing point and finishing date for each journey, and list separately the sums of travel and subsistence expenses paid; [12920]

(2) if he will list travel and subsistence expenses paid to outside experts who advised the Licensing Authority of the Committee on Safety of Medicines for journeys in October 1995; if he will identify the recipient of each payment, the starting point, starting date, finishing point and finishing date for each journey and if he will identify separately the sums of travel and subsistence expenses paid. [12970]

No. This information cannot be provided for reasons of confidentiality.

Eu Legislation

To ask the Secretary of State for Health on which occasions in the last three years officials have vetoed draft EC legislation on the grounds that a fiche d'impact had not been correctly prepared. [13643]

The correct preparation of fiches d'impact is a very important part of our consideration of proposals for EC legislation. It is one of the factors taken into account when Ministers consider the United Kingdom's negotiating position on a particular proposal.

Renal Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of patients who die each year due to renal failure through the non-availability of dialysis machines to treat them; and if he will make a statement on the remedial measures he is taking. [14061]

This information is not available. It is for individual health authorities to allocate resources to renal services based on an assessment of the needs of their population and taking account of local priorities. Good practice guidance has been issued to help authorities to carry out a proper assessment of need for patients with renal failure. Purchasing guidance will be issued to health authorities shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date he received the national review of renal services; and if he will now publish it. [14062]

My right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State received the report of the national review of renal services in December 1994. We are currently considering a number of issues as to how to take this forward. This includes related guidance on purchasing renal services to be issued to health authorities in time for the next contracting round.

Nhs Finance

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide (a) for each region and (b) for the trusts in each region for each of the last three years (i) the original capital cash limits (ii) the net amount of subsequent transfers or adjustments, (iii) the consequent final cash limits, (iv) receipts from the sale of fixed assets and (v) capital cash payments to acquire assets excluding donated assets. [10933]

National health service trusts do not have capital cash limits. Total cash payments are controlled by external financing limits which represent the difference between trusts' internally generated resources and approved capital spend.

Health authorities and national health service trusts are not required to distinguish between the cash flows for purchased and donated assets in their accounts.

The other information requested will be placed in the Library.

Over the period the number of NHS trusts increased. As a consequence the capital resources available to trusts increased and there was a corresponding reduction in the capital resources available to health authorities.

Nhs Trusts (Return On Capital)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the target figure in cash terms for the return on capital for each NHS trust annually since their inception and the actual return on capital annually; and how much of the actual surplus was (a) retained by the NHS trusts and (b) returned to the Government. [12621]

[holding answer 30 January 1996]: National health service trusts are required to make a six per cent. return on their net relevant assets, not a target figure in cash terms. Tables showing the actual return achieved in percentage terms by each trust, and their retained surplus, for the financial year 1991–92 and 1992–93 will be placed in the Library. The equivalent information for the financial years 1993–94 and 1994–95 is already available in the Library within reports on national health service trusts financial performance. Tables showing amounts paid by national health service trusts to the Consolidated Fund in interest and dividends for each financial year since 1991–92—the first year national health service trusts were established—will also be placed in the Library.

Nhs Trusts (Legal Costs)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions the Department has met the legal costs of workers of the boards of health trusts; which trusts were assisted; what was the cost to the Department in each case; and where provision was made for these costs in his Department's estimates. [13806]

The Department contributed towards the legal costs incurred by the non-executives of Cornwall Healthcare national health service trust in the libel action brought against them by Mrs. Abigail Kirby-Harris the former chairman. The contribution made by the Department towards the legal costs of all the litigants was £250,000 for which provision was taken in the winter supplementary estimates for 1995–96 presented to Parliament on 16 November 1995.This is the only case in which such a payment has been made by the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what rules govern the payment by NHS trusts of legal costs incurred in actions involving members of the boards of trusts; and what sum has been incurred to date in meeting these costs. [13808]

National health service trusts meet their directors' litigation costs where required to do so under the National Health Service Act 1977, or where vicariously liable at common law for the directors' actions, or where—in appropriate cases—they have indemnified the directors against such costs.

No central record is kept of sums paid by NHS trusts towards legal costs.

National Heritage

British Library

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to the letter to the hon. Member for Linlithgow, JH/95/M/688, what actions he is taking to pursue the issue of oral scientific history with the national sound archive of the British library. [8247]

[holding answer 22 January 1996]: I propose to discuss the subject of oral scientific history with the chief executive of the British library.

Built Heritage

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when she expects to publish a Green Paper on possible reforms of legislation to protect the built heritage. [13677]

I hope to do so within the next couple of months.

Job Advertisements

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many jobs have been advertised in each grade in her Department during the last three months for which records are available; and how many people have applied for each such job. [13830]

My Department has not advertised any jobs in the last three months.

Departmental Publications

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage which of her Department's administrative manuals and internal guidance are now made public; and which remain private. [14029]

The following internal Departmental guidance is available to the public on request:

DNH Procedural Note on Open Government
Code of Best Practice for Board Members
DNH Finance Guide
Historic Buildings Conservation Guidance for Government Departments
Guidance for Departments on Disposal of Surplus Historical Buildings
Guidance on the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration
Design Guidelines
Miscellaneous Guidance on Briefing and Drafting
Miscellaneous Guidance on Personnel Policy
Health and Safety Guidance
"Green" Policy Guidance

The following material is not available for public dissemination:

DNH Security Instructions
DNH Bomb and Fire Instructions
DNH IT Security Policy
DNH Guidance on Honours

Spare Computer Capacity

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list all cases where spare computer capacity has been sold to other Departments since 1992, giving the Department and value of each contract. [14085]

The Department of National Heritage has never sold any spare computer capacity to other Departments.

Teletext

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what steps she is taking to ensure that providers of Teletext and other additional services, receive parity of treatment with other public service broadcasters in the allocation of guaranteed increased capacity in the digital environment. [13819]

Teletext, the holder of the public service teletext licence, has been guaranteed sufficient digital capacity to simulcast its existing service. The Secretary of State recently met Teletex to discuss its digital service, and is considering further its request for increased capacity.

Attorney-General

Prosecutions (Police Officers)

To ask the Attorney-General if he will list in each of the last 10 years the cases where the Crown Prosecution Service decided that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute police officers for (a) assault, (b) wrongful imprisonment and (c) malicious prosecution where a private prosecution subsequently produced a conviction; what damages were paid in each such case; and what disciplinary action was taken against each police officer in each of these cases. [13436]

The Crown Prosecution Service came into existence in 1986. It does not maintain statistics of allegations of criminal offences committed by police officers broken down by type of offence. Nor does it collect or maintain statistics about any private prosecution that may follow a decision not to prosecute whether or not that prosecution results in a conviction. Damages are normally only paid in the context of civil rather than criminal proceedings but are, like disciplinary proceedings, matters for the police force concerned and do not involve the Crown Prosecution Service.

Defence

Porton Down Chemical And Biological Defence Establishment

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what have been (a) the nature and (b) the period of the collaboration between the Porton Down Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment and the common cold unit at Harnham Down, Salisbury since 1966; [13000]

(2) what research the Porton Down Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment has carried out into the common cold since 1966; and what were the conclusions of this research; [12998]

(3) what experiments in conjunction with the common cold unit in Salisbury volunteers from the service volunteer programme organised by the Porton Down Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment have taken part in since 1966; what was the purpose of these experiments; how many volunteers were involved in these experiments; and what were the conclusions of these experiments. [12999]

These matters are for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 8 February 1996:

Your Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Defence asking what research the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment has carried out on the common cold; about collaboration between CBDE and the Common Cold Unit at Harnham Down; and about which experiments volunteers from the Service volunteer programme and the Common Cold Unit worked in conjunction, have been passed to me to reply as the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency which includes CBDE. I am answering all three questions in this letter.

CBDE has never carried out research into the common cold. We understand that research on this subject was primarily undertaken by the Common Cold Unit at Harnham, Salisbury which is now closed. That unit was administered by the Medical Research Council and had no connection with CBDE. No collaborative work has been carried out between the two establishments and no experiments were conducted which involved the use of volunteers at CBDE in the work of the Common Cold Unit, nor did volunteers at the Common Cold Unit take part in studies at CBDE.

I hope this information is helpful.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 16 January, Official Report, columns 528–30, if he will give the full title of each research contract and the university department involved for each of the contracts listed. [13105]

This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 8 February 1996:

Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking if he will give the full title of each research contract and the university department involved for each of the contracts listed in my letter to you of 16 January has been passed to me to reply as the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency which includes the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.

As stated in my letter of 16 January nineteen contractors in ten universities have agreed to make their contractual relationships know to the public. The full titles of the agreements and the department in which they are being conducted are given below.

University of Birmingham—three contracts
Gas Phase Ion Molecule Reactions—School of Physics and Space Science
Decontamination of Chemical Warfare Agents with Dendrimers—School of Chemistry
Identification of the Biological Composition of Ambient Aerosols—School of Biological Sciences

University of Bristol—two contracts
Behaviour and Sleep patterns—Department of Psychopharmacology
Ocular Hazards from Microwaves—Department of Ophthalmology
University of Durham—one contract
Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Study of Adsorption Processes—School of Chemistry
University of Hull—two contracts
Chemiluminescence Based Detection Systems for Liquid Chromatography—School of Chemistry
Development of Chemiluminescence Based Detection Systems for Organophosphorus Compounds—School of Chemistry
University of Leeds—one contract
Effect of Infusion Fluids on the Host Defence Mechanisms—School of Medicine
University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne—one contract
Synthesis and Reactions of Therapeutic Nucleophiles—Department of Chemistry
University of Southampton—two contracts
EEG, Drugs, Brain Mapping and Cognition—Clinical and Neurological Sciences Group
Adsorption and Desorption of Methyl Salicylate on Colpro Wall Finishes—Department of Chemistry
University of Warwick—one contract
Structural Studies of Peptides using Mass Spectrometry—Department of Chemistry
University of Manchester Institute of Science & Technology (UMIST)—five contracts—all with the Department of Chemical Engineering
Evaporation of Thickened Agency Simulant Droplets from Porous Surfaces
Field Experiments on Secondary Source Generation by Obstacle Wake Entrainment
Atmospheric Dispersion around Elemental Structures
Wind Flow and Dispersion Model Evaluation
Pressure and Temperature Swing Adsorption Model

I hope this information is helpful.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 11 January, Official Report, column 317, how many times in (a) 1993, (b) 1994 and (c) 1995, the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment placed requirements for volunteers in "Defence Council Instructions"; and if he will place copies of these in the Library. [13092]

This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 8 February 1996:

Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking how many times in 1993, 1994 and 1995, the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment placed requirements for volunteers in Defence Council Instructions; and if he will place copies of these in the Library has been passed to me to reply as the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency which includes CBDE.

Requests for volunteers were published in Joint Service Defence Council Instructions (DCIs) on three occasions in 1995, four occasions in 1994, and twice in 1993. Joint Service Defence Council Instructions are restricted documents and we do not normally release them. I have, however, set out below an example of one of these adverts.

I hope this information is helpful.

76/94 Volunteers for Studies at Chemical & Biological Defence Establishment Porton Down (R)

1. Your attention is drawn to NAGO's Article 1095, AGAI Vol 3 Chapter 117 and RAF GA1 J5051, and the requirement for servicemen and servicewomen to volunteer to take part in studies and tests of Chemical and Biological defence equipment at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment (CBDE) Porton Down. Volunteers could earn additional pay up to £250 (less tax), or in special cases more, for a three week study and proportionately less for the shorter studies. CBDE is well aware of the many pressures on commanding officers and the difficulties of releasing personnel for duties outside the role of their command. However, it is stressed that this Service volunteer scheme plays an essential part in the development of Chemical and Biological defence equipment. Commanding Officers excluding RAF Germany units are therefore asked to give this requirement maximum publicity by repeating it in daily/unit routine orders and to release volunteers whenever possible to take part in these studies.

2. The dates of assembly and dispersal for the formal programme for the period January to April 1995 are shown at the ANNEX. Additional special intakes are sometimes required which are notified by signal giving as much notice as possible.

3. It should be noted that only regular members of HM Forces serving in the UK and BAOR can be accepted as volunteers.

Annex: Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment Programme for the period 9 January-7 April 1995
Duration	Dates	Number required	Special requirements
3 Weeks	9 January–27 January	4	All the same sex
3 Weeks	9 January–27 January	4M
2 Weeks	30 January–10 February	2M
3 Weeks	13 February–3 March	4	All the same sex
3 Weeks	13 February–3 March	4M
2 Weeks	6 March–17 March	2M
1 Week	20 March–24 March	4	All the same sex
2 Weeks	20 March–31 March	5M	5'8"-6' tall (bare feet), no beards
3 Weeks	20 March–7 April	4M
1 Week	27 March–31 March	4	All the same sex

N.B. All volunteers are to be P2 or above and not on any medication.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what restrictions are placed by the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment on the provision to volunteers of copies of the original laboratory reports of the experiments in which they participated; what factors underlie the imposition of these restrictions; and if he will make a statement. [13091]

This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 8 February 1996:

Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking what restrictions are placed by the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment on providing volunteers who took part in the service volunteers' programme with copies of the original laboratory reports of the experiments in which they participated, and what factors underlie these restrictions has been passed to me to reply as the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency which includes CBDE.

It would perhaps be helpful to explain clearly the type of records held by the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment regarding the Service volunteer programme. Records of the volunteers involved in the Service volunteer programme from 1940 to 1990 are held in summary books. These summary books contain the volunteer's name, service number, date of attendance and a brief, often one word, description of the study in which they participated. In some cases this information is all that we have to describe the study. We are able to supply some additional details for most volunteers who took part in studies involving exposure to chemical warfare materials such as mustard gas and nerve agent from exposure record books. These laboratory records, containing some experimental detail, were working papers to be used in the preparation of technical reports.

The technical reports on studies in which volunteers participated are themselves available for some areas of work although a number of these remain classified. These reports do not identify individual volunteers but can povide general background information on the type and nature of the study in which the volunteer took part. Since 1990 and the introduction of formal written volunteer protocols the record books identify the protocol number(s) for the trials in which volunteers participated and a cross reference can be made to copy of the protocol held in the archive to determine the experimental details.

It has long been a policy of CBDE to make available to a volunteer's medical practitioner as much information as possible in order to assist with the medical management of the volunteer's case. It has also been policy to give, when they inquire, a general outline of the studies in which they participated to the individual volunteers.

I hope this information is helpful.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 20 December 1995, Official Report, column 1172, if he will list the titles of each of the unclassified documents published under the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment technical papers series since 1991. [13108]

This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 8 February 1996:

Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking if he will list the titles of each of the unclassified documents published under the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment Technical Paper series since 1991 has been passed to me to reply as the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency which includes CBDE.

As the list of Technical Papers accompanying this letter is too long to be printed in the Official Report, arrangements will be made for a copy to be deposited in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the titles and subject matter of the scientific papers in the Porton technical papers series produced by the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment which bear the numbers 905, 911, 913, 916, 920, 921, 922, 923, 924, 925, 926, 927, 928, 930, 931, 933, 934, 935, 936 and 941. [12997]

This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under hits framework document. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 8 February 1996:

Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the titles and subject matter of the scientific papers in the Porton Technical Papers series produced by the Chemical Defence Establishment bearing the numbers 905, 911, 913, 916, 920, 921, 922, 923, 924, 925, 926, 927, 928, 930, 931, 933, 934, 935, 936 and 941 has been passed to me to reply as the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency which includes CBDE.

All the Porton Technical Papers referred to in your question are available in the Public Records Office at Kew with the exception of Porton Technical Paper 941 which will be released under the 30 year rule in 1997. The title of this paper is "Studies on model compounds related to inhibited cholinesterases". Since it may help your research I have listed below the Public Record Office piece numbers of the Papers that have been released.
PORTON-TECHNICAL-PAPER-0905-WO195/15995
PORTON TECHNICAL-PAPER-0911-WO195/15996
PORTON-TECHNICAL-PAPER-0913-WO195/15984
PORTON-TECHNICAL-PAPER-0916-WO195/16070
PORTON-TECHNICAL-PAPER-0920-WO195/15985
PORTON-TECHNICAL-PAPER-0921-WO195/15989
PORTON-TECHNICAL-PAPER-0922-WO195/15988
PORTON-TECHNICAL-PAPER-0923-WO195/15986
PORTON-TECHNICAL-PAPER-0924-WO195/15987
PORTON-TECHNICAL-PAPER-0925-WO195/15990
PORTON-TECHNIC AL-PAPER-0926-WO195/16031
PORTON-TECHNICAL-PAPER-0927-WO195/16032
PORTON-TECHNICAL-PAPER-0928-WO195/16033
PORTON-TECHNICAL-PAPER-0930-WO195/16085
PORTON-TECHNIC AL-PAPER-0931-WO195/16084
PORTON-TECHNICAL PAPER-0933-WO195/16087
PORTON-TECHNICAL PAPER-0934-WO195/16149
PORTON-TECHNICAL-PAPER-0935-WO195/16150
PORTON-TECHNIC AL-PAPER-0936-WO195/16137

I hope that this information is helpful.

Low Flying

Top ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (i) the categories of (a) aircraft and (b) types of mission for which aircrew are required to book entry into a low-level operational training area and (ii) the controlling authorities for each of the low-level operational training areas. [13206]

Tornado F3 aircraft wishing to conduct intercept training within a low-level operational training area are required to book into that LOTA. LOTAs are solely a management tool for HQ No. 11 group and have no status in terms of airspace reservation or regulation. There are therefore no nominated controlling authorities for any of these areas. Any aircraft using a LOTA but wishing to operate at low level, is still required to book into the UK low flying system in the normal way.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the crew of the Belgium Alpha jet involved in an aircraft proximity incident over East Anglia on 25 August 1994 were found to have breached low flying regulations. [13257]

The Alpha jet entered the UK low flying system without authorisation during a transit flight which was intended to be conducted above 2,000 ft.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information is provided to the civil air traffic control authorities concerning levels of military air activity in low-level training areas; and how civil users of that airspace are informed. [13208]

All intense or unusual military low flying activity is notified to both civil air traffic control authorities and civil airspace users by means of notices to airmen or aeronautical information circulars.In addition, general information on military low flying operations is contained in aeronautical information circulars which are widely available within the civil aviation community.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the United States air force F15 crews involved in a breach of controlled airspace at Newcastle airport on 27 June 1994 had received a briefing on the United kingdom low flying system from RAF personnel before flight; if the sortie involved planned interaction with any British military aircraft at low level and in which areas; and if the F15 crews had obtained authorised bookings into (a) low flying area 16, (b) low flying area 12 and (c) low flying area 11 before the flight. [13256]

My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence will write to the hon. Member.

Job Advertisements

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 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. [13837]

Date	Destination	Aircraft	Charge £	Household
1 July 1995	Northolt	BAe 125	735	HRH the Prince of Wales
1 July 1995	Aberdeen	BAe 125	735	HRH the Prince of Wales
1 July 1995	Kensington palace	Wessex	1,215	HRH the Duke of Edinburgh
1July 1995	Sandringham	Wessex	1,325	HRH the Duke of Edinburgh
3 September 1995	Teeside	BAe 146	1,558	HM the Queen
5 September 1995	Aberdeen	BAe 146	1,558	HM the Queen
10 December 1995	Northolt	BAe 146	1,187	HM the Queen
1 January 1996	Zurich	BAe 146	1,232	HRH the Prince of Wales

F16 Aircraft

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what estimate he has made of the cost of leasing American F16 aircraft; and if he will make a statement; [14147](2) what estimate he has made of the cost of upgrading Tornado F3s; and if he will make a statement; [14146](3) what assessment has he made of the interoperability of American F16 aircraft within the Royal Air Force; [14148](4) what is the cost per flying hour of

(a) a Tornado F3 and (b) an American F16 aircraft. [14150]

As I told the hon. Member in response to his question of 15 January 1996, Official Report, column 430, we are evaluating a proposal to upgrade the Tornado F3's weapons systems, and as a routine part of

I will write to the hon. and learned Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Services Sound And Vision Corporation (Cyprus)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to (a) encrypt the SSVC service in Cyprus and (b) provide decoders for people on the bases; what estimate he has made of the cost; and if he will make a statement. [13497]

[holding answer 6 February 1996]: Encryption of the SSVC TV service in Cyprus is under consideration, as a means of ensuring that transmissions are not received by those who are not entitled to them under existing commercial rights agreements. The estimated cost of encrypting the TV signal and providing decoders to entitled personnel is £600,000. In addition, there would be an annual cost of about £40,000 in issuing, recovering and maintaining the decoders which would remain MOD property. No decisions will be taken about whether to proceed with encryption of the SSVC service until my Department has established if this could be cost-effective.

Royal Flight

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 1 February 1996, Official Report, column 849, if he will list the dates and destinations of the flights, the type of aircraft, the cost of each, if they were single or return journeys and which royal household was charged. [14038]

The information requested is as follows:this process we are examining the comparative costs of alternative options, including leasing F16 aircraft from the United States.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with Air Chief Marshall Sir Michael Graydon concerning the leasing of American F16 aircraft; and if he will make a statement. [14149]

Options for sustaining the effectiveness of our air defences, pending introduction into service of Eurofighter, are one of a number of subjects covered in discussions between my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence and Sir Michael Graydon.

Defence Medical Training Organisation

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about defence agency status for the Defence Medical Training Organisation. [14737]

Following my announcement in the House on 8 December 1994, Official Report, columns 304–5, in which I confirmed the recommendations made by the "Front Line First" medical study, it has been decided that the Defence Medical Training Organisation, is to be considered as a candidate for agency status under next steps procedures. Any interested party should address comments on this proposal to Mr. D. K. Reynolds, Head of Medical Finance and Secretariat, Ministry of Defence, Room 106, Lacon house, Theobalds road, London WC1X 8RY.

Equerries

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 537, if he will list those responsible in each of the services for nominating equerries for members of the royal family. [14209]

The information is as follows:

Royal Navy: the Naval Secretary.
Army: the Military Secretary.
Royal Air Force: the Air Secretary.

Royal Yacht

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost to his Department of the use of the royal yacht at Cowes between 28 July and 2 August 1995; and what use was made of her during this period. [14155]

The estimated total operating costs of HMY Britannia for the financial year 1995–96 are £8,933,000. Information on the marginal costs of individual deployments could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Britannia's attendance at Cowes continues the traditional and popular royal patronage of this event.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 534, what factors led to the presence of the royal yacht in Walvis bay on 14 March 1995. [14210]

While sailing to South Africa, in support of the royal visit by Her Majesty the Queen and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, HMY Britannia stopped in Walvis bay, Namibia, to refuel. The opportunity was taken for the British high commissioner to hold a reception aboard for the Namibian Prime Minister.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 535, what factors led to the presence of the royal yacht in Piraeus on 4 October 1995; what was the purpose of the reception; what were the costs to his Department; and what payments were received from other Government Departments. [14214]

In October 1995, HMY Britannia visited Pireaus in support of the "Britain in Greece" festival, at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Her Majesty's ambassador held a reception aboard Britannia, and British Invisibles held a seminar, lunch and evening reception, to promote British exports and attract inward investment to the UK. There were no additional costs incurred by the Ministry of Defence, over and above normal running costs, and no payments were received from other Government Departments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report,column 534, what amount was received in 1994–95 for the use of the royal yacht Britannia from (a) Government Departments and (b) other organisations. [14211]

Charges for the use of Britannia are not levied on the sponsors of commercial events when she is used to promote British exports and attract inward investment to the UK. There were no additional costs incurred by the Ministry of Defence, over and above normal running costs, and no payments were received from other Government Departments or other organisations.

Unexploded Bombs

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he received in (a) 1994–95 and (b) 1995–96 in respect of unexploded bombs in the Bristol channel obstructing civil engineering operations. [14271]

My Department has received no representations on this matter.

Hms Intrepid

To ask the Secretary' of State for Defence how much has been spent in maintaining HMS Intrepid in her current condition; and what time period would be required to bring the vessel into operational capability in an emergency. [14281]

HMS Intrepid is currently undergoing a maintenance period, the total estimated cost of which is £8 million. Operational readiness states of Her Majesty's ships are classified.

Hms Fearless

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much money has been spent on HMS Fearless to bring her into operational capability; what exercises she will take part in over the next year; and how long she will remain operational. [14280]

HMS Fearless is currently undergoing a routine docking and essential defect maintenance period at Portsmouth to ensure the continuing satisfactory operation of the ship. The total estimated cost of this work is £32 million.After work-up and trials following her present maintenance period, HMS Fearless is scheduled to take part in Exercise Purple Star off the US coast in April, and then in other amphibious exercises in the Caribbean until the end of July. In October and November, she is planned to participate in exercises in the northern fleet exercise areas. She is also scheduled to take part in a series of exercises in the middle and far east during 1997.We are currently negotiating with Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd over the replacement of HMS Fearless and her sister ship HMS Intrepid. Assuming a satisfactory outcome to these negotiations, we would envisage entry into service around the turn of the century. HMS Fearless is planned to remain operational until then.

Nato Air Command And Control

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement concerning the NATO air command and control system program. [14273]

The ACCS programme will provide NATO with a fully integrated air command and control system covering the NATO Europe area and including a deployable capability. The procurement specification for the first phase of the system is being prepared. British industry has been fully informed of progress with the programme and will be invited to bid for a share of the work.

Treasury

Single Currency

12.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Governor of the Bank of England regarding a single currency. [12647]

I meet the Governor regularly to discuss a range of economic and financial issues.

Taxation

15.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the total value to holders of deposit accounts of the proposed 20p tax rate. [12650]

The bulk of the £400 million full year cost of reducing the tax rate on savings is in respect of interest from savings accounts.

Vat (Sanitary Products)

16.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to reduce the rate of VAT on sanitary products. [12651]

None.

Public Sector Borrowing Requirement

17.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the public sector borrowing requirement. [12653]

The 1995 Budget forecast projected a public sector borrowing requirement of £29 billion in 1995–96.

Inflation

18.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest annual rate of inflation. [12654]

Underlying inflation, as measured by the retail prices index excluding mortgage interest payments, was 3 per cent. in December 1995. Inflation has now been below 4 per cent. for 39 months, the longest such period for almost 50 years.

Incomes

19.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the quarterly figures for real personal disposable income for the first three quarters of 1995. [12655]

Latest figures show that the level of real personal disposable income in the first three quarters of 1995 was 2 per cent. higher than in the first three quarters of 1994. The precise figures are published by the. Central Statistical Office in table A.9 of "UK Economic Accounts", No. 12, which is available in the Library of the House.

Budget

20.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many representations he has received on his latest Budget. [12656]

My right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor has received a number of representations, both written and oral, since he made his Budget statement in November.

Taxation (Multinational Companies)

21.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the tax revenues lost in transfer pricing abuses by multinational companies in the past five tax years. [12657]

The Inland Revenue devotes significant resources to ensuring that the transfer pricing legislation is compiled with, and any evidence of non-compliance is carefully investigated. Over the past five tax years, the estimated total tax from inquiries made by the specialist section at the Inland Revenue which deals with the largest cases with international aspects, including transfer pricing, was £793 million. This does not include additional tax arising from work in the Inland Revenue's local offices or at the oil taxation office, separate records of which are not kept but which would significantly increase the total. It is not possible to estimate the amount of tax revenue lost through any failures to follow the transfer pricing legislation of which the Inland Revenue has not become aware.

Company Taxation

22.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he next expects to meet small business men to disclose company taxation; and if he will make a statement. [12658]

The Government attach great importance to the role of small businesses in the economy, and Ministers meet small business men and their representatives regularly to discuss their concerns.As well as the cuts in income tax and the small companies rate of corporation tax, my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor announced in the Budget measures on inheritance tax, capital gains tax, employers' national insurance contributions, business rates, and VAT to help small businesses prosper. Representatives of small businesses continue to be fully involved in consultations on the introduction of self-assessment.

Investments

23.

:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received regarding investment levels. [12659]

Treasury Ministers regularly receive representations on wide-ranging aspects of the economy including, from time to time, investment levels.

Living Standards

24.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely change in living standards in the next year. [12660]

A family on average earnings will be about £450 better off next year after tax and inflation, if prices and earnings rise in line with the assumptions published in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report". This will take the total increase in real take home pay since 1978–79 for this family to over £4,500.

Bank Of England

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors he has taken into consideration in assessing the viability of the Bank of England regional branches; and if he will make a statement. [12643]

Decisions on the Bank of England regional branch network are a matter for the bank. The bank has made it clear that it will maintain and enhance the work of its regional agents in gathering economic and industrial intelligence.

Sanctions (Libya)

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what general estimate he has made of the cost to the Treasury of sanctions against Libya in terms of tax and import duties foregone. [12728]

United Nations Sanctions against Libya impose no restriction on the importation of goods from Libya. It is not possible to estimate the effect on tax and import duties as a result of the United Nations sanctions on Libya.

Regional Statistics

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if official statistics for the regions of England will in future be published on the basis of the Government office areas rather than the standard statistical regions used at present. [14716]

Responsibility for general questions on the presentation of official statistics rests with the Director of the Central Statistical Office in his capacity as the head of the Government statistical service. However, I understand that it is now agreed that Government statistical service publications will use the boundaries of the Government offices for the regions as the primary basis for the presentation of statistics from 1 April 1997. Where possible, however, and if required, data will continue to be made available for the standard statistical regions.

Earnings Statistics

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals are currently (a) earning less than £7,500 per annum and (b) between £7,500 and £10,000 per annum aged (i) 21 to 25, (ii) 26 to 30 and (iii) 31 to 35 years in (1) the east midlands and (2) the west midlands. [13997]

[holding answer 7 February 1996]: Information available from the New Earnings Survey is provided in the following table.

New earnings survey 1995 Full-time employees on adult rates, whose pay was unaffected by absence
Percentage¹ earning:
Area/age group	<£7,500per annum	£7,500–£10,000per annum
West Midlands
21–25	12.3	27.7
26–30	5.2	14.6
31–35	3.9	10.2
East Midlands
21–25	16.4	23.3
26–30	5.7	14.9
31–35	4.8	9.6
¹ Figures are based on gross weekly earnings.

Economic And Monetary Union

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of (a) the benefits and (b) the disbenefits to the United Kingdom of joining the European monetary union. [12672]

At this stage it is not possible to make precise judgments about the benefits and disadvantages of joining a single currency. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has said, we would be operating on hunch rather than facts if we were to make a decision on any assessment now. This is the value of the opt-out. We will only agree to take part in a single currency if it is in our national interest to do so, given the circumstances at the time.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, (1) pursuant to his statement in European Standing Committee B of 12 December 1995, Official Report, column 3, what are the criteria he will use for assessing whether economic convergence has been arrived at to justify entry into economic and monetary union; [13437](2) what are the criteria for the national interest which will be used by the Government to determine a view to recommend to Parliament on whether to opt in or out of economic and monetary union. [13441]

The nominal convergence criteria are set out in the Maastricht treaty. All member states need to concentrate on achieving sustainable recoveries and getting unemployment down. The nominal convergence criteria require Governments to bear down on inflation and reduce fiscal deficits. These policies represent sound economics. As well as the Maastricht criteria, the Government believe that measures to address differences in productivity growth and flexibility of labour markets should also be put in place to help ensure durable convergence. The treaty refers to indicators which reflect these structural differences: trade balances on the current account; the integration of markets; and the development of unit labour costs.Protocol No. 11, annexed to the EC treaty, means that the United Kingdom shall not be obliged or committed to move to the third stage of economic and monetary union without a separate decision to do so by the Government and Parliament. We will agree to take part in a single currency only if it is in our national interest to do so, given the circumstances at the time. Any decision will be based on a hard-headed assessment of British national interest in terms of jobs, capital investment and ability to sell goods and services in world markets.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what have been the costs to Her Majesty's Government of participating in discussions in the European Monetary Institute and at all ministerial and other meetings to discuss economic and monetary union; and if he will list the costs to date and projected costs up to 1999 in each category of expenditure. [13438]

Ministers and officials attend many meetings on economic or monetary affairs, some of which include discussions of economic and monetary union. It is not possible to separate the costs of participating in discussions on EMU.

Volume 271: debated on Thursday 8 February 1996

Written Answers To Questions

Lord Chancellor's Department

Immigration

Duchy Of Lancaster

Fire Safety

Eu Legislation

Private Sector Schemes

Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs

Departmental Publications

Hong Kong

Eu Legislation

Newly Independent Countries

Environment

Compulsory Competitive Tendering (Luton)

Local Authority Investments

Scotland

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Gp Fundholding

Asthma

Mortgage Arrears

Murray Green

School Boards

Hip And Femoral Fractures

Osteoporosis

Bone Densitometers

Mortgage Repossessions

Labour Statistics

Water Authorities

Prime Minister

Pay Review Bodies

Crime Statistics

Nuclear Test Veterans

Professor Al-Masari

Trade And Industry

Executive Pay

British Geological Survey

Industrial Tribunals

Written Questions

Directors' Pensions

Grant Aid (South-West)

Overseas Development Administration

British Geological Survey

Social Security

Child Support Agency

Cold Weather Payments

Disability Living Allowance

Transport

Eu Legislation

Car Phones

Road Safety

Rail Privatisation

Spare Computer Capacity

Coach Safety (Children)

Home Department

Delegated Legislation

Immigration (Indian Sub-Continent)

Internet

Telephone Tapping

Reported Crime Statistics

Probation Service

Police Cautions (Burglary)

Licensing Laws

Registered Drug Users (Blackpool And Fylde)

Asylum

Mohammed Riaz And Quayyum Raja

Eu Legislation

Policing Of Football Matches

Asylum And Immigration Bill

Immigration

Bedford Prison

Asylum Seekers

Illegal Working

Association Of Circus Proprietors

Immigration Officers

Human Rights Reports

Karamjit Singh Chahal

Illegal Working

Prisoners (Restraints)