To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reconsider the VAT treatment of (a) emergency car telephones for the disabled and (b) off-road wheelchairs; and if he will make a statement. [15011]

No. General purpose equipment such as emergency car telephones remains standard-rated because many other people besides the disabled use it as well. Relief is available for equipment which is designed solely for disabled people, and also on the costs of adapting goods to make them usable by the disabled. Zero-rating also applies to invalid wheelchairs other than mechanically propelled vehicles intended or adapted for use on roads. If an off-road vehicle has been designed solely for use by disabled people, it too may qualify for relief.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will institute a review of late payment of bills due to voluntary bodies by Government Departments. [15095]

Government Departments are required to pay all bills promptly, not only those due to voluntary bodies.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the proportion of off-licence beer sales now being lost to personal importation of beer from the continent. [14931]

Data relating solely to the impact on off-licence beer sales of personal importations of beer from the continent are not available. However, for the 12 months ending 30 June 1995, the overall loss to United Kingdom sales of beer, including off-licence sales due to legitimate personal importations from other member states, is estimated by HM Customs and Excise to be equivalent to approximately 0.5 per cent. of UK consumer expenditure on beer.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will list the number and proportion of manual, non-manual and all full-time employees earning less than (a) £161.60, (b) £215.47 and (c) £288.68 per week excluding overtime payments for (i) men, (ii) women and (iii) both sexes for (1) England and (2) Great Britain in April 1995; [14346]

[holding answer 13 February 1996]: Available information from the "New Earnings Survey 1995" is provided in the following table.

New earnings survey—April 1995 (GB) Full time employees on adult rates, whose pay for the survey period was unaffected by absence Average gross pay (excluding overtime)
	Weekly			Hourly
Percentage earning less than:	£161.60	£215.47	£228.68	£4.26	£5.69	£6.03
MALES
Manual
England	12.8	39.9	46.9	16.5	44.8	51.7
Great Britain	13.0	40.4	47.5	16.8	45.2	52.1
Non-manual
England	4.7	13.6	16.0	5.2	14.5	17.2
Great Britain	4.8	13.9	16.3	5.3	14.6	17.4
FEMALES
Manual
England	48.9	79.7	84.2	50.1	80.7	85.3
Great Britain	48.8	79.6	84.3	50.1	80.8	85.3
Non-manual
England	12.5	35.6	40.6	11.4	32.5	38.0
Great Britain	12.9	36.7	41.8	11.7	33.4	39.0
ALL
Manual
England	19.5	47.3	53.8	22.7	51.4	57.9
Great Britain	19.8	47.8	54.5	23.1	51.8	58.3
Non-manual
England	8.3	23.7	27.3	8.0	22.8	26.8
Great Britain	8.6	24.4	28.1	8.3	23.3	27.4

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the United Kingdom work force would be covered by a minimum wage set at (a) £3.50 per hour and (b) £4.15 per hour. [14971]

[holding answer 13 February 1996]: Information from the April 1995 "New Earnings Survey" shows that 9.1 per cent. of employees in Great Britain would be covered by a minimum wage set at £3.50 per hour and 18.9 per cent. would be covered by a minimum wage set at £4.15 per hour.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the promotion of sustainable development will be reflected in the implementation of the proposals contained in the White Paper "Better Accounting for the Taxpayer's Money". [15108]

There will be no direct impact on the promotion of sustainable development in the implementation of the proposals contained in the White Paper "Better Accounting for the Taxpayer's Money".

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the review of the investigative functions and resources of Customs and Excise has been completed; and what conclusions have been reached. [15183]

The final report of the fundamental expenditure review of Customs and Excise investigation and intelligence activity was completed in October 1995 and approved by Ministers in November 1995.The main conclusions of the review were that organisational changes are required to help Customs and Excise tackle more effectively the growing sophistication of commercial drug smuggling and tax fraud. From the 1 April 1996 there will be a single Customs national investigation service, combining regional investigation units and the central division; and a unified national intelligence network, based on an expanded national intelligence division.Although, in common with most other Government Departments, Customs overall resources are set to fall, the creation of the new organisation will mean the deployment of over 200 additional staff in the key areas of intelligence and investigation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list for primary and secondary legislation passed since 5 April 1995 which measures were subject to a compliance cost assessment; and what was the compliance cost in each instance. [13658]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many environmental appraisals were produced by his Department using the guidance contained in the Department of the Environment's "Policy Appraisal and the Environment" in 1995; and if he will place copies in the Library. [15121]

My Department does not keep a central record of environmental appraisals conducted before new or revised policies are adopted. We do, however, take environmental considerations into account in the policy development process using the guidance contained in "Policy Appraisal and the Environment".

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received concerning the service on the Barking to Gospel Oak line; and if he will make a statement. [15184]

In 1995, the Department received five representations concerning the service on the Barking to Gospel Oak line. The representations expressed concern about performance staffing levels and the possibility of line closures. No representations have been received this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans exist to replace rolling stock on the Barking to Gospel Oak line; and if he will make a statement. [15186]

This is a matter for the British Railways Board. It is currently reviewing the rolling stock requirements for this line.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if the franchising process for the (a) south-west and (b) Great Western lines will be reopened in circumstances when a franchisee renegotiates the level of subsidy upwards. [15182]

The circumstances posed in the hon. Member's question have not arisen.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what investigations have so far been carried out into the derailment at Camden on 14 December 1995, and if he will make a statement. [15185]

The railway has carried out an internal investigation. In addition, the Health and Safety Executive's railway inspectorate has conducted an independent investigation into this incident and is now considering whether further action is appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list all reported derailments in 1994–95 and 1995–96 to the latest available date. [15187]

Statistics showing all derailments which operators are required to report under the Railways (Notice of Accidents) Order 1986 are shown in the railway inspectorate's annual report on the safety record of the railways in Great Britain which is published by the Health and Safety Executive. A copy is held in the House of Commons Library. The number of reported train derailments in 1994–95 was:

	Number
Passenger train derailments	28
Freight train derailments	121
Total	149

Figures for 1995–96 are not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the causes of derailments broken down to show (a) track quality, (b) signal failure and (c) operating staff error for (i) 1994–95 and (ii) 1995–96; and if he will make a statement. [15189]

The causes of train derailments are shown in appendix 4 to the railway inspectorate's annual report on the safety record of the railways in Great Britain, published by the Health and Safety Executive. A copy is held in the House of Commons Library. The derailments due to track quality, signal failure and operating staff error in 1994–95 were:

	Number
(a) Track quality	53
(b) Signal failure	1
(c) Operating staff error	53

Other causes of derailments include locomotive and rolling stock defects, traction and braking shocks and malicious damage.Figures for 1995–96 are not yet available.

To ask the Secretary for State for Transport what guidelines he has proposed for local authority involvement in socially necessary railway development; and if he will make a statement. [15188]

The Government recognise the contribution made by local authorities in supporting improvements to their local rail networks and wish to encourage their continued involvement in the role as specifiers and facilitators, rather than providers, of rail services. In addition, the objectives, instructions and guidance to the franchising director state that he should establish effective liaison with local authorities and other bodies involved in the restructured railway industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 8 February 1996, Official Report, column 302, if the assessment of the effect of banning coaches from the third lane of motorways will take account of evidence from before the imposition of the ban. [15129]

Transport Research Laboratory monitoring will include data from before the imposition of the ban.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is (a) the planned start date and (b) the planned construction period for the Al-M1 link road; which contractors have been retained for the project; and if he will make a statement. [15006]

I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with British Rail concerning the inquiry in the ticket fraud involving Enterprise Rail. [15159]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Falmouth and Cambourne (Mr. Coe) on 9 February, Official Report, columns 374–75.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the procedures currently in place to identify (a) fraud and (b) potential fraud in the railway industry. [15160]

The ticketing and settlement agreement, a scheme which is contractually binding on all train operators, provides for extensive independent auditing and monitoring of compliance with its terms. Regular, routine checks are carried out by Rail Settlement Plan, a limited company established under the agreement. Passenger operators are required to allow RSP's representatives access to their premises, personnel and records for the purposes of compliance monitoring. It was through these independent auditing arrangements that recent ticketing irregularities involving LTS Rail were detected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the impact of a single European currency on freight and passenger transport to and from the continent. [14949]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the conduct of the sale of BR's rolling stock heavy maintenance depots, including the Eastleigh depot. [15618]

The British Railways Board sold its six British Rail maintenance depots—BRML—in June 1995. They were the largest sales at that date in the rail privatisation programme and BR prudently decided to commission a study to ensure their soundness. Price Waterhouse was therefore engaged by BR to review the sale of one of the depots, the Eastleigh works.Price Waterhouse concluded that the sale process for Eastleigh was generally robust and that the net proceeds would not have been higher if it had been undertaken differently.However, on reviewing the Price Waterhouse report, the Department of Transport concluded that, while its findings gave reassurance on proceeds, they were incomplete. The Department therefore commissioned Ernst and Young to carry out a further, detailed, investigation of all six BRML sales. Following consultation with the Department, the Ernst and Young team has been accompanied in its investigation by an official from the National Audit Office, which carrying out its own independent and separate examination of the sale.Ernst and Young has concluded that the sale process depended crucially on the fairness and transparency of the competition. The composition of the Eastleigh depot's assets would have been a subsidiary consideration to the strategic value of the business to the eventual purchaser. Having spoken to other bidders for the Eastleigh depot, Ernst and Young is confident that there was a strong and fair competition, and that all the necessary information, including details of the company's cash balances and its future trading prospects, was available to all bidders. Ernst and Young concluded that, whilst there were some procedural weaknesses, they did not affect the sale. Ernst and Young's inquiries also point to the fairness and transparency of all the subsequent BRML sales.The National Audit Office has been kept fully informed throughout by the Department. The BRML sales, like all other sales in the railway privatisation programme, are subject to scrutiny by the NAO on behalf of the Comptroller and Auditor-General.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many sites of special scientific interest Scottish National Heritage reported as damaged in (a) 1992–93, (b) 1993–94 and (c) 1994–95; and what percentage of the total these represent. [14198]

The information requested is set out in the table:

Year	Total number of SSSIs	Number of SSSIs damaged	Percentage of SSSIs damaged
1992–93	1,355	17	1.3
1993–94	1,373	17	1.2
1994–95	1,382	23	1.7

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total cost to public funds of the inquiry conducted by Mr. D. I. K. MacLeod WS into the appointment of officers to North Lanarkshire council. [14333]

Costs have yet to be finalised, but it is estimated that these will be in the region of £28,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 1 February, Official Report, column 893, if the £500,000 for the out-of-school care initiative in 1996–97 is additional to the budgets announced in December 1995 for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. [14460]

Provision has been made within the budgets for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Enterprise announced in December 1995 for the continuation of the out-of-school child care initiative.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many empty buildings his Department currently owns; what is the cost of insuring and securing these buildings; how many were designed as residential properties; and what was the total amount spent by his Department on empty property taxes in each of the last five years. [14569]

Most of the office space provided for Government Departments is part of the Government's common user estate and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment will provide details of empty buildings on the CUE and their respective costs.The Scottish Office and its agencies currently own 60 empty Crown buildings, of which 39 were designed as residential properties. As a general rule, the Government carry their own insurance risk. The cost of securing these buildings cannot be readily quantified and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.The total amount known to have been spent on empty property taxes in each of the years was as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent representations he has received regarding proposed changes in the method of dealing with complaints against general practitioners in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [14624]

None. My officials have, however, had constructive discussions with the professions, management and consumer interests about the detail of the new NHS complaints procedures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received regarding Greater Glasgow health board's plan for a community care facility at Ashfield house in Kirkintilloch; and if he will make a statement. [14610]

Other than the representations dealt with by the office of the Scottish Office inquiry reporter the only representation I have received is the letter of 2 February 1996 from the hon. Member for Strathkelvin and Bearsden.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he will take following the Scottish Special Standing Committee's consideration of the Licensing (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill; and if he will make a statement. [15646]

I welcome the opportunity to congratulate the Special Standing Committee on its work. The Licensing (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill has benefited greatly from the Committee's scrutiny.The Special Standing Committee met on three occasions, in Stirling, Ayr and Inverness, and took evidence from representations of nine bodies, including the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Association of Chief Police Officers (Scotland), the Health Education Board for Scotland, the Scottish Law Society and voluntary organisations involved in the prevention of drug misuse and the rehabilitation of drug addicts. It also took evidence from academics, doctors and Sheriff Neil Gow QC, who conducted the fatal accident inquiry into the deaths of three young men and found that their deaths resulted from the consumption of controlled drugs at dance events held at Hangar 13 in Ayr. My hon. Friend the Minister of State, Scottish Office also gave evidence.The main purpose of the Bill, which is to give licensing boards greater power to regulate licensed premises on which dance events are held so that they are made safer for those attending, was generally supported by those who gave evidence. There was also support for the provisions in the Bill intended to ensure that licensing boards remain of manageable size following local government reorganisation in Scotland.In responding to questions from Committee members, those giving evidence did, however, make a number of criticisms of the form of regulatory arrangements proposed by the Bill. We have given careful consideration to these comments and have decided to bring forward amendments at Commons Standing Committee, with the intention of responding to the suggestions made for improving the Bill. The effect of these amendments will ensure that licensing boards are obliged to attach conditions to liquor licences for premises which are to be used for dance events and to provide boards with as much flexibility as possible to make conditions which are appropriate to local circumstances.The Special Standing Committee arrangements for examining Bills have therefore been valuable in preparing for the entry of the Licensing (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill into Commons Standing Committee. They have enabled the Government to identify possible difficulties in implementing legislative proposals and to prepare amendments for debate at the earliest possible opportunity. They will, I am sure, prove to have been of similar assistance also to all hon. Members involved in scrutinising the Bill at its various stages. I am therefore grateful to the Special Standing Committee for all the work that it has done and to those who took time to give evidence to it.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what legislation enacted in the last parliamentary Session he proposes to repeal by way of deregulation orders. [14753]

None of the proposals which have been put to the Deregulation Committee, or on which the Government have gone out to public consultation, affects legislation laid in the last parliamentary Session.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list for primary and secondary legislation passed since 5 April 1995 which measures were subject to a compliance cost assessment; and what was the compliance cost in each instance. [13661]

Details of compliance cost assessments for primary and secondary legislation passed in the first half of 1995 are included in a Command Paper, Cm 3075, which was presented to Parliament on 25 January 1996. Copies of the compliance cost assessment listed are available in the House Libraries. Further Command Papers listing compliance cost assessments issued in the preceding six-month period will be published at six-monthly intervals.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what criteria are used to define whether a proposal to Cabinet will have significant effects on the environment and therefore should be accompanied by a statement of the likely environmental implications. [15109]

"Questions of Procedure for Ministers" makes it clear that papers for Cabinet or Cabinet Committees should, where appropriate, cover any significant costs or benefits to the environment. The interpretation of this guidance is for the individual Minister preparing the paper. In this the Ministers can refer to the Department of the Environment publication "Policy Appraisal and the Environment", copies of which are widely available in Departments.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many of the injunctions granted in domestic violence cases were subsequently breached in each of the last five years. [14097]

The question concerns a specific operational matter on which the chief executive of the Court Service is best placed to provide an answer and I have accordingly asked the chief executive to reply direct.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many legal aid certificates were issued to take proceedings for domestic violence in each of the last five years; and what was the amount paid under those certificates in the same period. [14095]

The number of legal aid certificates issued to cover domestic violence proceedings in the last five years is as follows:

• Certificates Issued
• 1990–91: 14,189
• 1991–92: 16,819
• 1992–93: 19,242
• 1993–94: 19,590
• 1994–95: 19,209.

It is not possible to identify the net costs of these cases. However, over the same period, the net cost of closed cases involving domestic violence matters is available.

	Number closed	Net cost £
1990–91	14,281	9,789,868
1991–92	16,480	13,722,255
1992–93	17,571	16,078,711
1993–94	20,083	19,592,542
1994–95	19,211	19,306,590

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many injunctions were granted in domestic violence cases in each of the last five years. [14096]

The question concerns a specific operational matter on which the chief executive of the Court Service is best placed to provide an answer and I have accordingly asked the chief executive to reply direct.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department 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. [14086]

My Department has not sold any spare computer capacity to any other Departments since 1987 and has no current plans to do so.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how much finance has been made available to the United Kingdom to date from the Pesca initiative; and how much has been spent; [14608](2) what use of the Pesca funds has been made to assist fishery-dependent areas of the United Kingdom; [14607](3) what plans he has to use Pesca funding for the benefit of British fishermen. [14609]

A total of 37.42 mecu—some £31 million—has been allocated to the United Kingdom for the period 1995 to 1999. Subject to final confirmation from the European Commission, further funding of 5.88 mecu—approximately £5 million—will also be available from the Community initiative reserve.As indicated in the announcement which I made today, applications are now being invited for projects which meet the criteria in the UK's implementation programme, which was approved by the European Commission in June 1995. This places particular emphasis on diversification into non-fishing activities. But funds will also be available for the restructuring of the fisheries sector and for retraining in areas dependent on fishing.No grants have yet been awarded, but I expect the first payments under Pesca to be made in the early part of this year.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list for primary and secondary legislation passed since 5 April 1995 which measures were subject to a compliance cost assessment; and what was the compliance cost in each instance. [13648]

[holding answer 9 February 1996]: I refer to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster today.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many written parliamentary questions were passed for answer to executive agencies and non-governmental departments in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [14990]

The numbers of written questions for which I, or my predecessors, have asked executive agencies to reply to direct are as follows:

• Parliamentary Session
• 1993–94: 6
• 1994–95: 35
• 1995–96: 15 (to date).

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many environmental appraisals were produced by his Department using the guidance contained in the Department of the Environment's "Policy Appraisal and the Environment" in 1995; and if he will place copies in the Library. [15115]

The Department does not keep a central record of environmental appraisals conducted before new or revised policies are adopted. However, officials have been instructed to take environmental considerations into account in the policy development process using the guidance contained in the Department of the Environment's booklet "Policy Appraisal and the Environment".

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to change the statutory infected area for varroa; and if he will make a statement. [15424]

The autumn varroa searched last year revealed a significant number of cases outside the statutory infected area. Having now considered the views of the national beekeeping organisations, and those of the many local associations and individual beekeepers who have written to me and to the Welsh Office, we have agreed from today to extend the boundary of the statutory infected area to include the four English counties of Cheshire, Cleveland, Durham and Merseyside and the whole of Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers the police have to restrain persons from driving vehicles which do not bear a current tax disc; and if he will make a statement on the enforcement of this measure. [15062]

The main responsibility for enforcement action against untaxed vehicles rests with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. The police and traffic wardens assist by sending reports of suspected unlicensed vehicles to the agency. No powers exist for restraining persons from driving untaxed vehicles, but regulations will be introduced shortly which provide powers to wheelclamp and impound unlicensed vehicles parked on the public road. A pilot wheelclamping scheme, starting in London this month, will enable the agency to assess the effectiveness of these powers in combating vehicle excise duty evasion.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) 15, (b) 16 and (c) 17-year-olds have been recorded as self-injuring in prison in each year since 1990, by prison. [15014]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the policy and training of prison officers in control and restraint techniques on pregnant prisoners. [15003]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the option of temporary release for women attending hospital to receive maternity care is available. [14998]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason Bulwood Hall women's prison has stopped prisoners receiving incoming calls during the week beginning 15 January. [15015]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from (a) organisations and (b) individuals on the ability of fire brigades to meet minimum legal standards for rescue and firefighting duties in 1996–97. [14593]

My right hon. and learned Friend has received a number of such representations relating to different fire brigade areas. It is for each fire authority to set a budget which will allow it to comply with its statutory duties under the Fire Services Act 1947 and with the nationally recommended minimum standards of fire cover.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the adequacy of fire service funding for 1996–97 to permit fire brigades to comply with the statutory minimum standards for their (a) rescue, (b) firefighting and (c) emergency roles. [14794]

It is for each fire authority, in the light of the proposed criteria for council tax capping, to set a budget which will allow it to comply with its statutory duties under the Fire Services Act 1947 and with the nationally recommended minimum standards of fire cover. In circumstances where an authority considers that it is necessary to set a budget above the proposed capping limit in order to fulfil its statutory duties, it is open to it to set a budget above the limit and make out a case to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment for redetermination of the cap.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy in respect of groups which (a) incite racial hatred and (b) call for (i) homosexuals, (ii) Hindus and (iii) Jews to be killed. [14648]

The Government find such views repugnant. We have sought to ensure that legal provisions are available to deal with members of such groups who incite violence and racial hatred under either the common law or public order legislation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions (a) have been brought and (b) are currently in progress, on charges of racial hatred since the coming into force of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994; and how many have resulted in conviction. [14654]

Section 155 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 made offences under section 19 of the Public Order Act 1986 arrestable under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 on 3 February 1995. Information on court proceedings data for the 1995 calendar year under this provision will not be available until autumn 1996.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he issues to parishes in rural areas in respect of the cost of parish precepts for (a) neighbourhood watch schemes and (b) special parish constables. [14750]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action is taken by the Metropolitan police to compensate members of the public whose complaint and finding against the police or a police constable has been sustained in respect of suffering serious embarrassment or inconvenience by an inquiry supervised by the Police Complaints Authority. [14659]

It is for the individual complainant to decide whether to make a claim against the Metropolitan police.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the total staff establishment for the Prison 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; [13458](2) how many prison staff in England and Wales were from an ethnic minority in

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will amend the law to allow bingo clubs to advertise their prize money. [13523]

The restrictions on the advertising of bingo and other forms of commercial gambling are currently under review as part of the Government's deregulation initiative. The review is well advanced and we hope to consult on our proposals shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimated figure for serious fraud in large businesses in the United Kingdom for 1995. [13521]

This information is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of the work of the Home Office working party on the personal safety of disabled people. [14139]

The Home Office working party set up in 1993 to help the Suzy Lamplugh Trust produce personal safety advice for disabled people completed its task in May 1995 when a consultative document, together with a leaflet entitled "Out and About"—which offers advice for disabled people when travelling around—was published.I understand that the Suzy Lamplugh Trust has followed up this work with further initiatives, including the provision of training workshops for disabled people and carers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners in Britain have requests for transfer to prisons in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the Republic of Ireland currently under consideration. [14734]

As of 8 February, 24 requests for transfer to Northern Ireland and 65 requests for repatriation to the Republic of Ireland made by prisoners in England and Wales were under consideration. In addition, two requests for transfer to Northern Ireland made by prisoners in Scotland were under consideration. No requests for repatriation to the Republic of Ireland have been made by prisoners in Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the numbers and proportions of arrivals in the United Kingdom in the last two years from the Indian sub-continent of overseas residents who subsequently left the United Kingdom. [15140]

The information requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many families were deported from the United Kingdom under the provisions of the Immigration Act 1971 in each year since 1985. [14922]

The information requested is not available. Information on the total number of persons removed from the United Kingdom under the deportation process since 1985 is given in table 7.3 of "Control of Immigration: Statistics, United Kingdom, 1994", Cm 2935, a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many environmental appraisals were produced by his Department using the guidance contained in the Department of the Environment's "Policy Appraisal and the Environment" in 1995; and if he will place copies in the Library. [15119]

There is currently no formal monitoring system for environmental appraisals carried out by my Department. However, I understand that the Department of the Environment proposes shortly to commission a project to evaluate the effect of its policy appraisal and the environment document on decision making by Government Departments. The project will seek to identify how far environmental impacts are taken into account in policy decisions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 6 February, Official Report, column 107, on the number of burglars convicted on a third or greater occasion, what number and percentage were juvenile offenders, what percentage of them were sentenced to immediate custody, and what was the average custodial sentence imposed on them; what number and percentage were young adults, what percentage of them were sentenced to immediate custody, and what was the average custodial sentence imposed on them; what number and percentage were adults, what percentage of them were sentenced to immediate custody, and what was the average custodial sentence imposed on them. [15190]

The information requested, taken from a sample of those convicted of burglary in three weeks of 1993, is given in the table.

Sentencing of burglars convicted for the third or greater time: by age
Age of offender	Number convicted on third or greater occasion	Percentage of those convicted on a third or greater occasion	Percentage sentenced to immediate custody	Average custodial sentence imposed (months)
All ages	1,135	100	43	11
Under 18 years	142	13	33	5
18–20 years	233	21	52	10
21 years or over	760	67	42	12

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions since 1 January 1995 (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had contact with Lord Howe concerning his correspondence with the Scott inquiry. [14819]

[holding answer 12 February 1996]: Neither I nor my Ministers nor officials have had any such contacts with him.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much aid has been given to Indonesia in each of the last 16 years. [14948]

Bilateral aid to Indonesia over the last 16 years has been as follows (in £000) and in cash prices:

• 1980: 9,555
• 1981: 7,814
• 1982: 11,264
• 1983: 9,515
• 1984: 12,818
• 1985: 31,781
• 1986: 7,463
• 1987: 9,395
• 1987–88: 7,809
• 1988–89: 10,758
• 1989–90: 9,615
• 1990–91: 17,588
• 1991–92: 21,197
• 1992–93: 21,387
• 1993–94: 22,214
• 1994–95: 21,418.