To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the outcome of W. S. Atkins's review of the investment needs of Railtrack. [15168]

W. S. Atkins has assisted Railtrack in the development of its asset maintenance plan for track and route structures to reflect the long-term maintenance that these assets require. The AMP forecasts expenditure requirements in respect of these assets over a 10-year period. An AMP charge representing a proportion of the forecast expenditure was reflected in Railtrack's accounts for 1994–95.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the total cost of operating the royal train in 1995 per mile travelled with a member of the royal family on board. [15954]

The total cost to the Exchequer of royal travel by train in 1994–95 was £2.4 million, including train preparation, maintenance and British Transport police security. That sum includes payments in respect of some journeys made in 1993–94. The total cost for journeys made in 1995 is not yet available. The operating cost of the royal train during 1995, both when a member of the royal family was on board and for positioning journeys to and from the depot in Buckinghamshire, was £21.30 per mile in 1994–95 and a slightly lower rate of £20.36 per mile in 1995–96. This excludes costs of overheads, maintenance and security.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures (1) he intends to introduce on the A121 between Hatfield Peverel and Marks Tey on the Al20 between Braintree and Marks Tey to ensure that traffic is kept freely flowing and safety standards are maintained; [16066](2) what are

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what amount of compensation and in what category has been paid out to tenants since 1990 under section 52 of the Land Compensation Act 1973. [16039]

Where the Highways Agency, or its contractors, has taken entry on to land being compulsorily acquired, the agency has a statutory duty under section 52 of the Land Compensation Act 1973 to make, on receipt of a written application from a person or persons with a qualifying interest in the land, within the period specified in, and subject to the provisions of, that section of the Act, an advance payment equal to 90 per cent. of the agreed, or estimated, compensation payable. Information is not held separately on payments made to tenants under section 52.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many appeals have been made against refusal of compensation claims under the Land Compensation Act 1973 in each of the last five years; and how many were successful. [16041]

This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of compensation claims under section 52 of the Land Compensation Act 1973 have been refused since 1990. [16040]

A decision to refuse advance payment of compensation under section 52 of the Land Compensation Act 1973 may be taken only when the provisions of section 52(6) apply. No separate record is kept of such decisions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to determine the ownership and current registration of the former minelayer, MUL16. [15556]

I have asked the chief executive of the Marine Safety Agency to write to my hon. Friend.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) for what reasons compliance cost assessments are not prepared for regulations which concern the existing requirements of article 119 of the treaty of Rome in respect of equal treatment; [15953](2) if he will make it his policy to prepare a compliance cost assessment for regulations which implement judgments of the European Court of Justice notwithstanding the fact that they concern existing requirements of article 119 of the treaty of Rome; [15952](3) what categories of regulation do not require a compliance cost assessment to be prepared. [15951]

The Government require a compliance cost assessment to be prepared for all regulations that have an impact on business, charities and voluntary organisations including those which concern article 119 of the treaty of Rome. The only circumstances in which an assessment need not be prepared would he if the regulation has no impact on business, charities and voluntary organisations.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to make his observations known on the report on the "Review of Fire Safety Legislation and Enforcement in the United Kingdom". [16036]

The Government have been considering the findings of the review and the views expressed by interested parties, including the deregulation task force.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the EC directives which have been subject to a United Kingdom compliance cost assessment for 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996, together with the date each compliance cost assessment was completed and the date each directive was voted on by the Council of Ministers. [15613]

Details of compliance cost assessments on EC directives, including the date on which each was issued, are set out in the following Command Papers:

• 1 November 1993 to 30 June 1994: Cm 2719
• 1 July 1994 to 31 December 1994: Cm 2881
• 1 January 1995 to 30 June 1995: Cm 3075.

Details of compliance cost assessments issued during the second half of 1995 and during 1996 will be included in further Command Papers which are published at approximately six-monthly intervals.Details of compliance cost assessments issued before November 1993 and information about the date on which each directive was agreed by the Council of Ministers are not centrally held.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many copies of the information pack "Judicial Appointments" have been produced; and what was the total cost of this exercise. [15210]

Some 15,000 copies of the information package have been produced at a total cost for design, production and distribution of £47,869.70

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many judges, recorders and assistant recorders have attended ethnic minority awareness courses organised by his Department; and what has been the cost of these courses. [15211]

To date, 424 judges, 762 recorders and 345 assistant recorders have attended seminars on ethnic minority issues organised by the Judicial Studies Board. The cost of these seminars has been £645,000.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will cause to be printed on the face of statutory instruments in those instances where no compliances cost assessment has been made, the reasons no such assessment has been made. [15581]

I have been asked to reply.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people benefited from the home energy efficiency scheme in each parliamentary constituency or other area by which data are collected for the last years for which figures are available. [15863]

The numbers of grants paid under the home energy efficiency scheme by region of England and in Scotland and Wales for the last three financial years are as follows:

	1993–94	1994–95	1995–96 (Up to 19 February 1996)
East Midlands	33,321	53,399	57,579
London	23,337	52,829	62,668
North East	21,821	36,876	36,807
North West	43,545	80,475	85,025
Yorkshire and Humberside	26,267	41,977	42,236
South East	30,713	60,142	71,764
South West	12,921	25,197	32,316
West Midlands	36,075	54,722	54,943
Scotland	29,566	41,820	45,848
Wales	11,582	22,784	26,319
Total	269,148	470,221	515,505

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 13 February, Official Report, column 479, if he will give the total cost to the common user (office) estate of service, security and other charges associated with empty Government buildings. [16003]

Property Holdings has kept a record of the overall costs of vacant accommodation on the common user estate since 1993–94. The figures are

Estate Action Schemes—Newcastle
		(a) Number of dwelling units			(b) Number of dwellings transferred
Scheme	Year Started	(1) Cleared	(2) Improved	(3) Built	(1) To Housing Association	(1) To Other
Leazes Estate	1987–88	0	30	0	0	0
Rye Hill Central	1987–88	60	70	0	0	0
N. Kenton Ph 3	1988–89	21	21	0	0	0
E. Garth, Newbiggen Hall	1988–89	0	80	0	64	343
Loadman St. Ph 2A	1989–90	0	26	0	0	0
Dorrington Road	1989–90	0	105	0	0	220
Cruddas Park Ph 1	1989–90	0	450	0	0	0
Cruddas Park Ph 2	1989–90	0	414	0	0	0
Buddie Road	1989–90	27	366	0	0	38

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what resources to date have been applied by his Department to (a) the Cowgate estate action scheme, Newcastle, (b) Y. V. Lovell plc, (c) North British Housing, (d) other housing associations in the area and (e) the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. [16084]

Since 1990, the Department has provided resources to a number of bodies involved in the renewal scheme at Cowgate estate, Newcastle upon Tyne as follows:

(a) Estate Action: £4.500 million

(b) Y.V. Lovell plc: £1.300 million (City Grant)

(c) City of Newcastle: £3.200 million (Urban Programme)

In addition, the Housing Corporation has provided the following housing association grant:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the estate action schemes in the city of Newcastle and in the case of each show the (a) number of dwelling units (i) cleared, (ii) improved and (iii) built and (b) number of dwelling units transferred from the ownership of Newcastle upon Tyne city council to (i) housing association ownership and (ii) other owners. [16095]

The information requested is provided in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the city of Newcastle upon Tyne applied under section 195 of the Housing Act 1988 for funds to support the purchase of properties in the Cowgate estate action area; and when he expects to give a decision. [16096]

City of Newcastle upon Tyne council applied to the Secretary of State on 20 December 1995 for consent under section 129 of the Housing Act 1988 to run a cash incentive scheme for current council tenants buying owner-occupied properties on the Cowgate estate. The application is under consideration and a decision will be made shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what sums were spent by Y. V. Lovell plc with estate action fund support on the purchase of land and buildings in the Cowgate estate action area; and how many housing units were so purchased. [16085]

Y. V. Lovell plc received no estate action fund support for the purchase of land and buildings in the Cowgate estate. It did, however, receive city grant of £1.3 million for the improvement of 192 former council houses for sale on the open market. Information about the purchase of land and buildings by Lovell plc from the city council is commercially confidential.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many processes are authorised for integrated pollution control by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution under part A of the Environmental Protection (Prescribed Processes and Substances) Regulations 1991; how many are authorised for local authority air pollution under part B of the regulations; how many authorisations remain to be determined; and what is his estimate of the additional number of processes that will require authorisation under the requirements of the integrated pollution prevention and control directive. [15845]

The number of IPC authorisations under regulation by Her Majesty's inspectorate of prisons under part A of the Environmental Protection (Prescribed Processes and Substances) Regulations 1991 is 1,863, as at 12 February 1996 and 17 part B authorisations are regulated by HMIP.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when his Department will publish the critical load maps for nitrogen deposition in the United Kingdom. [15846]

United Kingdom maps of critical loads for total acidity, to which nitrogen deposition contributes, have been published in the current digest of environmental statistics. Critical loads maps for nutrient nitrogen have been published in the INDITE report—impacts of nitrogen deposition in terrestrial ecosystems—which was published at the request of the Department in October 1994. Copies of both the digest and the INDITE report have been placed in the House of Commons Library. The nutrient nitrogen maps have recently undergone revision and copies are freely available from my Department on request.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will publish a progress report on the United Kingdom climate change programme relating to non-carbon dioxide emissions. [15847]

An update of the United Kingdom climate change programme covering emissions of all greenhouse gases will be published in March 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to lay before the House the orders for structural change for those local authorities for which he has decided to accord unitary status. [16092]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment to the hon. Member for Hereford (Mr. Shepherd) on 13 February, Official Report, columns 482–83.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what are the total amounts of rate support grant, national non-domestic rates and standard spending assessment reduction grant and, as appropriate,

PQ 15676
£ million
	Notional 1995–96			Actual 1996–97
Local authority	RSG	NNDR	1995–96 SSA reduction grant	RSG	NNDR	SSA reduction grant	1996–97 STG
Total inner London boroughs including City	1,899.599	504.815	86.284	1,771.381	566.587	75.189	33.942
Total outer London boroughs	1,861.229	939.168	42.759	1,792.205	1,054,969	20.476	39.273
Total Metropolitan districts	4,767.745	2,334.076	12.087	4,603.092	2,604.277	2.978	103.294
Total Shire counties	6,908.355	5,050.302	—	6,534.490	5,715.567	—	219.448
Total Shire unitary authorities	900.070	585.944	1.162	861.611	656.801	—	22.029
Isles of Scilly	1.805	0.445	—	1.682	0.486	0.023	0.014
Total all education authorities	16,338.804	9,414.750	142.292	15,564.462	10,598.687	98.666	418.000
Total England	18,986.076	11,354.000	261.417	18,001.406	12,736.000	219.756	418.000
1. Notional figures for 1995–96 include as amounts of RSG community care special transitional grant and metropolitan rail grant estimated to be payable for that year. This takes account of changes in functions between years and local government reorganisation.
2. For 1996–97 STG is payable in respect of responsibilities additional to those for which STG was payable for 1995–96.

PQ 15675
£ million
	Notional 1995–96			Actual 1996–97
Local authority	RSG	NNDR	1995–96 SSA reduction grant	RSG	NNDR	1996–97 SSA reduction grant
Bath and North East Somerset	40.650	35.254	—	37.703	39.549	—
Bristol	126.487	85.71	—	118.560	96.151	—
South Gloucestershire	49.897	49.599	0.221	47.755	55.990	—
North Somerset	41.778	39.265	—	39.358	44.003	—
Hartlepool	41.090	19.829	—	39.599	22.212	—
Middlesbrough	72.988	31.440	—	70.689	35.386	—
Redcar and Cleveland	59.989	31.012	—	58.323	34.390	—
Stockton-on-Tees	70.292	38.328	—	67.489	42.907	—
East Riding of Yorkshire	83.357	65.068	—	77.313	73.634	—
Kingston upon Hull	119.690	57.750	0.941	118.575	64.819	—
North East Lincolnshire	61.572	34.924	—	60.160	38.867	—
North Lincolnshire	51.826	32.934	—	49.609	36.892	—
York City	38.424	37.931	—	36.598	41.981	—
North Yorkshire CC	127.422	99.632	—	123.309	113.378	—
Total—new/reorganised authorities	985.463	658.678	1.162	945.040	740.160	—
Total England	18,986.076	11,354.000	261.417	18,001.406	12,736.000	219.756
1. Notional figures for 1995–96 include as amounts of RSG community care special transitional grant and metropolitan rail grant estimated to be payable for that year. This takes account of changes in functions between years and local government reorganisation.
2. For 1996–97 STG is payable in respect of responsibilities additional to those for which STG was payable for 1995–96.

[holding answer 19 February 1996]: The information is shown in the tables.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many incidents of scalding at the Campbells Soups factory in King's Lynn have been reported to the Health and Safety Executive in the last five years. [15360]

[holding answer 19 February 1996]: HSE has obtained Campbells Soups' permission to provide the following date which would not otherwise have been released.Five incidents of scalding at the Campbells Soups factory in King's Lynn have been reported to the Health and Safety Executive in the five-year period between 1 April 1990 and 31 March 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many incidents of scalding at the Campbells Soups factory in Stratford-on-Avon have been reported to the Health and Safety Executive in the last five years. [15361]

[holding answer 19 February 1996]: HSE has obtained Campbells Soups' permission to provide the following data which would not otherwise have been released.One incident of scalding at the Campbells Soups factory in Stratford-upon-Avon has been reported to the Health and Safety Executive between 1 April 1990 and 31 March 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many deaths have been notified to the Health and Safety Executive in respect of persons involved in food manufacturing in plants owned by Campbells Soups in the last five years. [15364]

[holding answer 19 February 1996]: One fatal accident at Campbells Soups has been reported to the Health and Safety Executive in the last five years.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the consequences for the construction industry in the United Kingdom of (a) a minimum wage at a level of £4 an hour and (b) implementation of the social chapter. [15442]

I have been asked to reply.The introduction of a statutory minimum wage and the implementation of the social chapter in the United Kingdom would impose substantial extra costs on British business, which, in turn, would destroy jobs. This would be a double disaster damaging employment and prosperity across the economy, including the construction industry.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the amount of extra tax revenues that Her Majesty's Treasury would have received from North sea oil companies if no changes had been made in 1983 to the tax regime. [14760]

Estimated revenue effects of the changes to petroleum revenue tax in 1983–84 were given in table 4.2 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report" for that year. No separate estimates were made of the impact on North sea companies of the corporation tax changes in that year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department which are subject to(a) investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner,(b) scrutiny by the Audit Commission, (c) scrutiny by the National Audit Office, (d) statutory provisions for open government, (e) performance indicators and (f) provisions under the citizens charter. [16025]

There are no executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the Treasury.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what budgetary allocations he is making for the financial years (a) 1996–97, (b) 1997–98 and(c) 1998–99 for preparations by the Royal Mint to produce coins and banknotes for circulation in the United Kingdom denominated in euros; [16058](2) what expenditure he has approved to date for officials of the Royal Mint to attend meetings of European Commission working parties in Brussels to prepare for the introduction of a single European currency; and if he will continue to approve such expenditures for this purpose in the future. [16059]

No specific provision has been made for expenditure by Her Majesty's Treasury on preparations for single currency coins by the Royal Mint. The Royal Mint operates as a trading fund and takes budgeting decisions on a commercial basis. Preparations for single currency notes are the responsibility of the European Monetary Institute, and involve the national central banks of EU member states, including the Bank of England. The Government are committed to playing a full role in preparations for economic and monetary union, given the implications for the UK—including possible commercial opportunities for the Royal Mint—whether or not we participate in the single currency.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what request Customs and Excise has received from the United States Customs Department since 1989 for assistance in information on involvement of United Kingdom companies with the Atlanta branch of the Banca Nationale del Lavoro in funding arms purchases for Iraq. [16006]

[holding answer 19 February 1996]: Requests from the United States Customs Department to Customs and Excise are made under the basis of a memorandum of understanding dated 6 July 1989. Requests and information provided are confidential exchanges solely for the purpose of mutual assistance set out in the memorandum.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to review Customs and Excise prosecution policy. [15987]

[holding answer 19 February 1996]: In the light of lessons learnt from the super-gun, Matrix Churchill and other cases, Customs and Excise has already made improvements in the way in which it handles major prosecutions. Sir Richard Scott makes several further recommendations for improvement; these will be carefully considered as a part of the Government's response to the report.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much value added tax is collected annually from the national health service. [15907]

[holding answer 20 February 1996]: Assuming that the hon. Lady is referring to the total cost to the NHS of VAT, HM Customs and Excise calculates from the data produced by the Central Statistical Office that it is about £1.5 billion.If the hon. Lady is referring to actual VAT collected from health authorities, output tax in the year ending 31 March 1995 was £69 million. This was offset by repayments of £381 million in respect of input tax and refunds relating to contracted-out services.VAT paid is taken into account in the allocation of funds to NHS trusts.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much value added tax is collected annually from the sale of pharmaceutical products to the national health service. [15902]

[holding answer 20 February 1996]: The information requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on funding of secure accommodation for young offenders; and what plans he has to transfer responsibility for the funding to the Home Office; [15428](2) what is the recidivism rate for young offenders who have been placed in secure accommodation for

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 his Department has completed the review of the conditions being put on children certificates by magistrates; and if he will make a statement. [15717]

We are continuing to monitor the attaching of conditions to children certificates and expect shortly to be in a position to decide what action is required. I regret that it has not proved possible to move as quickly as originally hoped.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the clear-up rate in Nottinghamshire for (a) 1991, (b) 1992, (c) 1993, (d) 1994 and (e) 1995 for (i) burglary, (ii) theft and (iii) crimes of violence. [15720]

The available information is given in the table. Information for 1995 is not yet available.

Clear-up rate for notifiable offences recorded in the Nottinghamshire police force area 1991–1994
Percentages
Year	Burglary	Theft and handling stolen goods	Crimes of Violence1
1991	22	24	71
1992	22	24	68
1993	29	26	68
1994	29	26	67
1 Offences of violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are currently held in detention centres in respect of immigration. [16002]

Information is available on all persons, excluding non-asylum cases in detention for less than a month, held in immigration service detention centres solely under Immigration Act powers. The number of such persons was 295 on 31 January 1996. This figure excludes persons detained in Prison Service establishments or police cells. Information on non-asylum cases in detention for less than a month is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment (a) he and (b) his predecessors made of the evidence of prison officer Kenneth Mann about statements alleged to have been made by Patrick Molloy while awaiting trial for the murder of Carl Bridgewater. [16075]

A statement by this officer is one of a number of statements recording admissions by Mr. Molloy, which were taken into account both in the previous consideration of this case and in reaching the provisional conclusions notified on 7 December 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will disclose to solicitors acting for the men convicted of murdering Carl Bridgewater, the statements of the education officer at HMP Gartree relating to Patrick Molloy. [16076]

A statement made by a former education officer at Gartree prison was disclosed on 9 June 1995 to the convicted men's solicitor.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department between which dates Patrick Molloy was detained at HMP Winson Green while awaiting trial for the murder of Carl Bridgewater. [16074]

The statements of two witnesses indicate that Mr. Molloy was detained in Winson Green prison at some point while awaiting trail, but it has not been possible to find any prison records which confirm this, or to establish the dates.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many political refugees from Nigeria are settled in the United Kingdom at the latest available date; and if he will make a statement. [15688]

The information requested is not available. However, between 1992 and 1994, three Nigerian nationals were granted settlement after having been in the United Kingdom for four years as refugees. During the same period two Nigerian nationals were recognised as refugees and granted asylum. They may apply for settlement after four years.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many political refugees have been accepted into the United Kingdom in each of the last five years at the latest date. [15689]

During 1995, 1,295 asylum seekers were granted refugee status. Information on the number of grants of asylum in earlier years is given in table 3.1 of the Home Office statistical bulletin "Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 1994", issue 15/95, a copy of which is available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what legislative provisions the spouse of a United Kingdom subject working overseas on a permanent basis may satisfy the criteria for eligibility for naturalisation as a British citizen; and if he will make a statement. [15878]

The provisions governing naturalisation of the spouse of a British citizen are set out in sections 6(2) of and schedule 1 to the British Nationality Act 1981. Applicants are required to be:

• aged 18 or over and not of unsound mind;
• of good character;
• married to a British citizen at the time of application;
• free of any time limit on their stay in the United Kingdom under the immigration laws on the date of application;
• and to meet certain conditions regarding residence.

Except where the British citizen is in Crown or designated service, the spouse is required to have lived in the Untied Kingdom during the three years prior to application.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to prevent the closure of the Fire Service College. [15855]

The Fire Service College will continue as a next steps agency operating as a trading fund.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he proposes to take to ensure that fire brigades throughout the country are adequately funded in 1996–97. [15854]

It is up to each fire authority, in the light of the proposed criteria for council tax capping, to set a budget for 1996–97 which will enable it to comply with its statutory duties under the Fire Services Act 1947.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research has been conducted into the relative effectiveness of (a) prison education and (b) behaviour modification courses; and if he will make a statement. [16091]

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 will be the total cost to public funds of the Metropolitan police in 1996–97; and if he will make a statement. [17034]

As police authority for the Metropolitan police district. I have approved estimates which provide for net revenue expenditure of £1,716.995 million in 1996–97.The receiver for the Metropolitan police district is issuing, with my approval, a precept of £49.84 per property in band D of the council tax valuation band for Metropolitan police purposes.I have discussed the estimates for the Metropolitan police expenditure in 1996–97 with representatives of the London local authority associations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what authority records in the Home Office, relating to the case of Mr. Paul Malone between the years of 1982 and 1984, were destroyed; and if he will make a statement. [14770]

[holding answer 12 February 1996]: 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 Health 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. [14994]

Parliamentary questions are not transferred to non-departmental public bodies. The Department's first agency was established on 1 April 1991.No parliamentary questions were referred to agencies in the 1991–92 parliamentary Session. Five were referred in the 1992–93 parliamentary Session, two in the 1993–94 Session and 17 in the 1994–95 Session.Six questions have been referred to date in the 1995–96 Session.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases have been reported in each health authority in each of the last five years of patients dying after hospital admission but before being found a bed. [15895]

The information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will investigate the extent of the practice of NHS trusts and health authorities raising senior management salaries before making them redundant; [15859](2) if he will instruct NHS trusts and health authorities that managers on fixed-term contracts should not be made redundant for the purpose of management savings unless this can be done at nil cost. [15908]

These are local matters. All national health service boards are required to establish a remuneration and terms of service committee to exercise proper control of executive board members' remuneration. Trust boards are accountable for the proper appointment, appraisal and remuneration of their senior executives and, as in all their functions, boards must have regard to the public service values of accountability, probity and openness enshrined in the codes of conduct and accountability issued to all NHS boards in April 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to ensure the cost of management staff reductions at NHS health authorities does not exceed the annual savings. [15872]

It is for individual health authorities to keep their costs within agreed limits and so deliver their contribution to the overall planned savings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines his Department issues to health authorities regarding the transfer for treatment in another area of patients advised against treatment in one authority. [15893]

None. This is a clinical matter and it is for doctors to determine.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will stop payments of salary to NHS trust directors for a calendar month during which they fail to attend any scheduled meetings; [15869](2) what action he plans to take about NHS trust non-executive directors who claim the full salary while attending only a minority of meetings. [15860]

There are no plans to make any change to the circumstances in which remuneration is payable to non-executive directors of national health service trusts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will institute an independent inquiry into the death of Mr. Salya Narcein Bansal in Wythenshawe hospital. [15897]

South Manchester University Hospitals national health service trust has already investigated this case under the standard NHS complaints procedures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he collects centrally on the effects or operation of section 8 orders under the Children Act 1989. [15963]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will call for a report in to the cost to Wansbeck NHS trust of terminating the services of its chief executive. [15864]

This is a matter for Cheviot and Wansbeck national health service trust. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. Baker, chairman of the trust, for details.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent representations he has received on child labour in Britain; and if he will make a statement. [14699]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on illegal child employment in the United Kingdom. [14706]

A variety of views have been expressed in response to our recent consultation on proposals for some changes to the law on children's employment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel (a) have been obliged to retire because of asbestos or allied conditions and (b) have developed asbestosis or allied conditions after leaving the services in the last 10 years. [16225]

Five service personnel—two Army, two Royal Navy and one RAF—have retired in the last 10 years because of asbestosis or allied conditions. Figures for those who have developed asbestosis or allied conditions after leaving the services are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many commanding officers of regiment and battalion sized units in the Territorial Army are (a) territorials and (b) regulars; and if he will break down the figures by (i) regiment, (ii) corps and (iii) officer training corps, indicating the equivalent figures for 1990. [15746]

See following table:

Summary of TA Commanding Officers
Arm or service	Total TA Regt's	TA CO	Reg. CO
RAC
1990	5	3	2
Now (20 February 1996)	7	3	4
RA
1990	6	3	3
Now	6	5	1
RE
1990	8	3	5
Now	9	3	6
R Signals
1990	11	3	8
Now	11	4	7
Infantry
1990	39	10	29
Now	36	4	32
RAMC
1990	8	5	3
Now	8	6	2
RLC
1990	8	2	6
Now	8	3	5
REME
1990	1	—	1
Now	5	2	3

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures have been taken to reduce the annual operating cost of Her Majesty's yacht, Britannia; and if he will make a statement. [16263]

The demands on Britannia, and hence her operating costs, have varied from year to year, depending on the number and location of countries she has been required to visit. A number of measures have, however, been taken to reduce operating costs. Over the last two years these have included a reduction of 5 per cent. in the size of the ship's complement, and the regrading of the commanding officer's post from rear admiral to commodore.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on the timing of the announcement of the contract for type 23 frigates; and if he will make a statement. [15779]

Representations have been received from various Members of Parliament as well as from representatives of the management and the work force of both tenderers. An announcement will be made as soon as the decision has been taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the situation of Rwandan refugees in Zaire. [16169]

We are in regular contact with the Zairean and Rwandan Governments and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees about the situation of the Rwandan refugees. The assessment of UN agencies is that levels of food and other basic requirements for the refugees remain sufficient for the time being. Agencies have also made provision for the large-scale voluntary return of the refugees to Rwanda, which is important for the long-term stability of the Great Lakes region.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made and what discussions he has held with (a) the Zairean Government and (b) the UNHCR about the situation in refugee camps on the border between Rwanda and Zaire. [16170]

Our ambassador in Kinshasa has discussed the situation in the refugee camps with Zairean Ministers, reminding them of our opposition to the forcible repatriation of refugees. The ambassador visited the camps on 16 February, and discussed the situation with the local administration and UNHCR officials. Our mission to the UN in Geneva is also in regular contact with UNHCR headquarters staff about this.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the stocks of arms available to different factions in Burundi. [16172]

We have made no such assessment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions representatives of Her Majesty's Government have had with the Burundian Government. [16191]

The British ambassador in Kigali visited Bujumbura from 24 to 26 January, when she met a number of Minister and political leaders. Baroness Chalker is due to meet the Burundi Minister in London on 22 February.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has held (a) bilaterally and (b) through the European Union regarding the situation in Burundi with (i) the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, (ii) the Secretary-General of the Organisation of African Unity and (iii) the Secretary-General of the United Nations. [16173]

We have maintained close contact with the UN Secretary-General about the situation in Burundi and have played an active part in discussions in the UN Security Council. We have also supported EU efforts, including the appointment of an EU special representative for the Great Lakes region, and a further visit to Burundi by the EU troika on 12 February. Additionally, we have kept in touch with the Organisation of African Unity secretariat, bilaterally and through the EU troika. There have been no recent discussions with the Commonwealth Secretary-General about Burundi, although we are in close touch with a number of Commonwealth leaders in the region who have an important role to play.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of and what steps he has taken to monitor the situation in Burundi. [16171]

We continue to monitor closely the fragile situation in Burundi. We are giving full support to the efforts of the UN, OAU, regional leaders and the EU to promote political progress.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to ensure that the Overseas Development Administration identifies the size of its suppliers by the number of their employees. [15677]

ODA and its procurement agents have instigated arrangements for asking suppliers bidding for work whether they have fewer than 200 employees.

To ask the Lord President of the Council what steps he is taking to eliminate unnecessary complexity in primary and secondary legislation. [15765]

It is the Government's settled policy that neither primary nor secondary legislation should contain unnecessary provisions, and that provisions should be drafted as simply as is consistent with certainty.

To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee if the southern floor of Westminster Hall is sinking; and if he will make a statement. [15405]

Over a period of years there has been some slight movement of the floor at the south end of Westminster Hall. A firm of structural engineers specialising in historic buildings has been appointed to investigate and is expected to produce an interim report in April 1996. Levels and other measurements are monitored regularly. Investigations already made over the Christmas period suggest that major work will not be required.

To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee on what date the security turnstiles were installed at the subway entrance to the House; on how many days since repair and maintenance staff have had to be called to them; and what was the estimated cost to parliamentary funds of that maintenance. [13205]

[holding answer 1 February 1996]: The security turnstiles were installed on 1 September 1993. It is not the practice to publish details of the costs of security measures which have been implemented. Maintenance staff were called out on 66 occasions between November 1993 and December 1995 and the cost of that was borne by the manufacturers of the turnstiles.

To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what has been spent on the provision and maintenance of the turnstiles at the pedestrian entrance by Westminster bridge. [13053]

[holding answer 12 February 1996]: The security turnstiles were installed on 1 September 1993. It is not the practice to publish details of the costs of security measures which have been implemented.

To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what plans there are to restore the Terrace of the Palace of Westminster to its original level. [13048]

[holding answer 12 February 1996]: It would be feasible to restore the Terrace to its original level. When the 10-year rolling programme is next reviewed, the Accommodation and Works Committee will be able to consider whether it would be good value for money to do so.

To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee which company was awarded the roofing contract for the new parliamentary building; and what was the price at which it was awarded. [14673]

[holding answer 14 February 1996]: I am pleased to announce that, after competitive tendering, the contract for the manufacture and erection of the roof has been awarded to Watson Steel Ltd., Bolton, but regret that it is not the practice to divulge commercially sensitive financial information.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will support the setting up of an eminent persons group to seek to discuss a possible settlement to the conflict in Kashmir; and if he will make a settlement. [16035]

I am not aware of any plans to set up an eminent persons group. We continue to believe that the best way forward on Kashmir should involve simultaneous progress on dialogue between India and Pakistan; improvement in human rights in Kashmir and a genuine political process there; and a clear cessation of support for violence in Kashmir.

To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions in 1993 Government Whips submitted written statements or were consulted on individual applications for naturalisation as a British citizen; and if he will make a statement. [15563]

[holding answer 16 February 1996]: In 1993, Home Office Ministers and officials in the immigration and nationality department received 10 letters from six hon. Members who were Government Whips about individual applications for naturalisation as a British citizen, all of which were constituency cases.

To ask the Prime Minister (1) how many civil servants have been assigned to work on the Government's response to the Scott report as of 13 February; [15704](2) if he will list the grades and job titles of all civil servants who have worked on the preparation of the Government's response to the Scott report. [15706]

[holding answer 16 February 1996]: The information is not held centrally and could therefore be assembled only at disproportionate cost. Access to the report itself prior to publication was, however, restricted to a small number of officials in the main Departments concerned.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his written statement and replies to written questions posed by Sir Richard Scott to the inquiry into trade with Iraq. [15694]

[holding answer 16 February 1996]: I understand that Sir Richard Scott will be publishing these documents as soon as practicable.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will now list the titles of each of the papers his office made available to the Scott inquiry. [15701]

[holding answer 16 February 1996]: I understand that Sir Richard Scott will be making available the source documents referred to in his report and responses to requests for written evidence as soon as possible.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the companies or individuals which made the representations referred to in his answer to the hon. Member for Amber Valley (Mr. Oppenheim) on 24 November 1992, Official Report, column 583. [15702]

[holding answer 16 February 1996]: No. The names of companies or individuals who have corresponded with my Department is confidential unless they give their permission for this information to be disclosed.

To ask the Prime Minister what communications (a) he and (b) other Ministers received from Dr. Carlos Cardoen of Chile since 1985 over the procurement of British machine tools for the production of armaments in Chile. [16000]

As far as I am aware, we have no record of any such communications having been received from Dr. Carlos Cardoen.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the cost of compiling the latest United Kingdom submission to the United Nations register of conventional arms transfers; to whom it was circulated; and what responses he has received in respect of the submission. [15961]

We strongly support the UN register of conventional arms which was set up following a personal initiative of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister at the European Council in April 1991, and are committed to its success.No study has ever been made into the cost of compiling the UK submission to the register.The UK's return for each calender year is submitted to the United Nations by 30 April of the following year. Copies are also made available to partners in the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and placed in the Libraries of the House. Members of the public can also request copies of the UK return from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office or the Ministry of Defence.No responses have been received, although independent studies have been made by universities and organisations such as the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the United Kingdom security and intelligence services provided information to their United States counterparts in regard to Iraqi attempts to procure components towards the construction of nuclear weapons between 1987 and 1990. [15978]