To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 18 March, Official Report, column 692, if he will specify the nature and duration of the Wilprint contract. [22132]

The contract referred to in my answer of 18 March is for the provision of judge's stationery and envelopes. The Department places orders with HMSO. HMSO made its contractual arrangements with Wilprint independently of the Department. I have asked HMSO to inform the hon. Member directly of the details of its contract.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list those of his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which (a) the Government are required to consult prior to legislative proposals and (b) the Government are required to publish their response to advice supplied by them. [21860]

Of the Lord Chancellor's Department's advisory bodies, the Insolvency Rules Committee and Land Registration Rule Committee have to be consulted about relevant rules and the Council on Tribunals must be consulted before procedural rules are made for any tribunal specified in schedule 1 to the Tribunals and Inquiries Act 1992 and on procedural rules made by the Chancellor or the Lord Advocate concerning statutory inquiries.The Government are not required to publish their response to advice from these bodies. Although there is no legal requirement to consult the Advisory Council on Public Bodies, it generally is consulted on legislation affecting public records. The County Court Rule Committee, Supreme Court Rule Committee, Family Proceedings Rule Committee and Crown Court Rule Committee actually make rules and the Lord Chancellor is a member of all but the first.

To ask the Attorney-General if a public interest immunity certificate was issued in the case of R. v. Roche at Plymouth Crown Court in July-August 1991. [21692]

So far as I am aware, no public interest immunity certificate was issued in this case.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when his Department first received a recommendation from his statutory advisers for the designation of the Cairngorm plateau as a special protection area under EC directive 79/409; when he expects to designate this area; and what consideration he has made in the intervening period. [20320]

An initial recommendation without supporting data was received from the former Nature Conservancy Council in 1987. SPA classification has significant long-term implications for both nature conservation and other legitimate land use interests. Officials have, therefore, been involved in detailed discussions with Scottish Natural Heritage on the scientific case for classification. SNH will be commencing consultations very shortly with owners and occupiers and other local interests. Subject to the outcome of these, I expect a decision on classification to be taken later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has to reduce the levels of poverty in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [21101]

We shall continue our policies of promoting sustained economic growth and helping those in greatest need.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 28 February, Official Report, column 878, if the women pursuing claims against the Argyll and Clyde health board in respect of the mis-reading of cervical smear slides at the Inverclyde Royal hospital have recourse to the newly instituted complaints procedure; and if he will make a statement. [21691]

The new complaints procedure to which I referred in my answer of 28 February will become operational on 1 April 1996. There will be a transitional period during which existing complaints procedures will run in parallel with the new procedure, and it has been decided that non-clinical complaints, such as those referred to by the hon. Gentleman, received before 1 April 1996 will be dealt with under the old procedures. The women pursuing claims against the Argyll and Clyde health board in respect of the mis-reading of cervical smear slides at the Inverclyde Royal hospital will not therefore have recourse to the new complaints procedure.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many fire brigades failed to meet the statutory minimum standards for their rescue and firefighting role in 1995–96; and if he will make a statement. [21577]

I am satisfied that the fire brigades in Scotland are able to meet the nationally recommended standards of fire cover. Her Majesty's inspectorate of fire services for Scotland draws attention to any localised exceptions in the course of its inspections of brigades. It is for the fire authority concerned to take the appropriate action in any such case.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what measures his Department is taking to ensure that its contractors and suppliers (a) pay their employees a wage which ensures such employees do not need supplementary welfare payments via various state benefits and (b) meet workplace health and safety regulations; and if he will make a statement. [21463]

In procuring goods and services, the Department's prime objective is to obtain value for money from public expenditure. To this end, we encourage and use competition unless there are convincing reasons to the contrary. Terms and conditions of employment, including wages, are a matter between the contractors or suppliers and their employees, subject of course to any relevant legal requirements. In the case of workplace health and safety, compliance with relevant regulations is a legal requirement for contractors or suppliers although in practice the Department draws the regulations to the attention of any contractors or suppliers whose staff will be working on our premises.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the average cost of answering an (a) oral and (b) written parliamentary question from (i) Opposition and (ii) Conservative hon. Members in each Session since 1989–90. [21789]

This Department does not collect the information in the form requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what mechanisms exist in respect of a further education college becoming insolvent. [20589]

Provisions in the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992 allow for my right hon. Friend to make an order for the closure and dissolution of boards of management. Such an order may include provision on the transfer and vesting of property, rights, liabilities and obligations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (a) which principals and (b) which boards of management of further education colleges have met his Department to discuss the finances of their colleges in the current year. [20590]

Officials maintain regular contact with the principals and boards of management of further education colleges on financial and other matters. Meetings took place with North Glasgow and Clydebank colleges in 1995 to discuss their forward development plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which aspects of further education colleges' financial affairs are (a) open and (b) not open to public scrutiny. [20591]

The Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992 requires the agenda, minutes and papers of board of management proceedings to be available for public inspection, except where it appears to the board that matters should be treated as confidential because of their commercial nature or otherwise. Audited annual accounts are publicly available from colleges and annual reports with financial information are published.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which of the national health service bodies sponsored by his Department have a statutory base; and if he will list those bodies which (a) admit members of the public to all board or committee meetings and (b) hold open meetings for the public (i) under a statutory requirement and (ii) voluntarily. [21829]

All national health service bodies in Scotland have a statutory basis. Health boards and special health boards are statutorily required to admit members of the public to their meetings, unless by resolution they exclude the public to all or part of their meetings for a specific reason, such as security considerations. NHS trusts are statutorily required to hold an annual public meeting and many trusts voluntarily admit the public to their board meetings. The Mental Welfare Commission, the Common Services Agency and the National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting for Scotland are not required to hold any board meetings to which the public are admitted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which of the national health service bodies sponsored by his Department publish (a) annual reports, (b) annual accounts, (c) minutes of meetings, (d) agendas of meetings and (e) a register of members' interests (i) under a statutory requirement and (ii) voluntarily. [21835]

There is a statutory obligation on national health service trusts to publish an annual report; all other NHS bodies are required to do so by the codes of conduct and accountability and the code of practice on openness in the NHS in Scotland. There is a statutory obligation on all NHS bodies to publish annual accounts but no obligation on them to publish minutes of their meetings, although many do. Health boards and special health boards are statutorily required to publish the agendas of their meetings. All NHS bodies are required by the codes of conduct and accountability to maintain a register of members' interests.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on what basis the inquiry into the Dunblane shootings will be established; and what will be its terms of reference. [22729]

The inquiry will be established under the Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence) Act 1921. This procedure, which was followed in the case of the Aberfan inquiry, will enable evidence to be taken on oath, as Lord Cullen wishes, and will attract the provisions of the Contempt of Court Act 1981. I propose that the inquiry's terms of reference should be:

"To inquire into the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the events at Dunblane Primary School on Wednesday 13 March 1996, which resulted in the deaths of 18 people; to consider the issues arising therefrom; to make such interim and final recommendations as may seem appropriate; and to report as soon as practicable."

It is important that adequate preparation time is allowed as this will enable the inquiry itself to be shorter and more focused. I anticipate that, after initial procedure, the inquiry will begin to take evidence in public in June with a view to reporting by about the end of September.Meanwhile, work will be carried forward within Government to review relevant aspects of firearms legislation, school security and the supervision of adults working with children so that we will be in a position to respond promptly to recommendations from the inquiry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those rail track renewal and maintenance companies that have been sold to date indicating the sale price, the number of bidders and the successful purchaser. [21221]

The table lists those track renewal and infrastructure maintenance company sales which have been completed, or where sale contracts have been exchanged. It would be contrary to the commercial interests of the British Railways Board and the taxpayer to publish price and bidding details at this stage; this could prejudice sales still in progress.

Company	Purchaser
Scotland Track Renewals Company Ltd.	Relayfast Ltd.
Scotland Infrastructure Maintenance Company Ltd.	Track Action Ltd.
Central Track Renewals Company Ltd.	Tarmac Construction Ltd.
Central Infrastructure Maintenance Company Ltd.	GT Railway Maintenance Ltd.
Western Infrastructure Maintenance Ltd.	Amey Railways Ltd.
Eastern Track Renewals Company Ltd.	Fastline Rail Services Ltd.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list the track renewal and maintenance companies whose sale is currently being negotiated and, in each case, the number of bidders; [21226]

The British Railways Board is pursuing sales of the following businesses and expects to conclude them over the coming months:

• Western Track Renewals Company Ltd.
• Northern Infrastructure Maintenance Company Ltd.
• Northern Track Renewals Company Ltd.
• Eastern Infrastructure Maintenance Company Ltd.
• Southern Track Renewals Company Ltd.
• South West Infrastructure Maintenance Company Ltd.
• South East Infrastructure Maintenance Company Ltd.

It would be contrary to the commercial interests of the British Railways Board and the taxpayer to give the number of bidders for each company at this stage.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 12 March, 1996, Official Report, column 572, on what basis he considers the period of the contract awarded to Wisconsin Central to operate the royal train to be commercially confidential. [21589]

The royal train is operated by Rail Express Systems Ltd. under a contract with Railtrack. Details of all Railtrack's contracts with private sector suppliers are a matter of commercial confidentiality between the parties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons there was no rail service between Doncaster and Selby and Selby and York on the morning of 12 March. [21730]

On the morning of 12 March, the 06.16 service from Selby to Doncaster and the 06.52 service from Selby to York were cancelled due to points failure.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list those areas of executive action where he has discretion to act in respect of an individual without giving reasons for his decision. [20531]

Records are not kept in the form requested.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many contracts for goods or services have been awarded in each of the last three financial years by his Department and its executive agencies after competitive tendering; and what was the total combined value of these contracts. [21027]

The total number of contracts awarded by the Treasury after competitive tender for the years in question are shown in the table. It is Treasury policy that all contracts with a potential value of over £10,000 be the subject of competitive tender. The total value of orders over £10,000 placed in these years is also given. These relate not only to the contracts placed in the same year but to those continuing from previous years.

	1993–94	1994–95	1995–96 (to date)
Total number of contracts subject to competitive tender	36	32	20
Total value of orders of over £10,000 placed excluding VAT (£ million)	6.8	14.0	7.3

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many questions were tabled to his Department in each Session since 1987–88; how many were not answered on the grounds of disproportionate cost; what percentage of the total number of questions this represented; how many were not answered on the grounds that the information was not centrally available; and what percentage of the total number of questions this represented. [21144]

The table gives the number of written and oral questions tabled to Treasury Ministers since 1987–88:

Session	Written	Oral
1987–88	3,244	464
1988–89	2,694	330
1989–90	2,145	338
1990–91	1,465	251
1991–92	859	148
1992–93	2,857	402
1993–94	1,742	217
1994–95	2,031	246
1995–961	677	143
1 To 10 March.

The analyses sought of questions not answered substantively are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on public services in Wales of measures necessary to meet the Budget deficit criteria for membership of the EMU. [19400]

[holding answer 18 March 1996]: I have made no such estimates. The Government's plans for spending on public services in Wales reflect the importance they attach to controlling overall public expenditure while shifting more money towards hospitals, schools and the police. The plans help to keep the budget deficit on a clear downward path, so that the recovery will be sustained.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from Wirral-based housing associations about the Registrar of Friendly Societies having allowed the establishment of new housing associations with similar names to existing housing associations. [21237]

None.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list those of his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which (a) the Government are required to consult prior to legislative proposals and (b) the Government are required to publish their response to advice supplied to them. [21867]

There are none.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchquer if he will make a statement about his plans for the new Office for National Statistics. [22582]

The new Office for National Statistics will be created on 1 April. I am today placing in the Libraries of the House copies of its framework document, its first business plan and policy statements on confidentiality, pricing and dissemination and release of data.The creation of the new office is a significant milestone in the development of official statistics in the United Kingdom. These documents set out its constitution, key policies and future plans, including performance targets for the coming year. They will guide the office in meeting its aims to serve Government and the wider community. I am confident that rapid progress will be made both in the field of national statistics and in the registration activities to be undertaken by the office.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the speed at which cable television will be introduced to Northern Ireland; if telephone services will be available via this cable network; and what assessment he has made of the effect on householders and businesses. [21433]

Cable Tel Northern Ireland Ltd., which was awarded the franchise for the whole of Northern Ireland in May 1995, has committed to offer service to at least 428,000 homes in the province by the end of 2003. The company is expected to build past some 60 per cent. of homes in the franchise by the end of 1999. I am pleased to confirm that telephone services will be available via this cable network, which means that domestic and commercial customers alike will be able to benefit from the choice and competitive prices which are already available to more than 6 million homes in mainland Britain where cable networks pass.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list in the Official Report the names of the business men who accompanied his predecessor to South Africa in July 1994; and if he will list the companies represented by those business men. [21665]

The information requested is as follows:

Delegates accompanying the President of the Board of Trade to South Africa—July 1994
Name	Position	Company/Organisation
Mr. S. Wauchope	Managing Director	Acorn Computers Ltd.
Mr. J. Cheesbrough	Regional Director and General Manager (Africa)	AMEC Process and Energy Ltd.
Mr. C. R. Kemp	Director General	The Association of British Healthcare Industries
Mr. G. Edington	Chairman	BAA International Ltd.
Mr. R. Mabey	Managing Director	Bovis International Ltd.
Mr. J. Weston	Executive Director	British Aerospace plc
Mr. I. Alston	Regional manager	BT (Worldwide) Ltd.
Mr. R. J. Petersen	Chief Executive	Bridon plc
Mr. D. Savage	Director	British Educational Suppliers Association
Mr. J. Carrington	Director of Regional Businesses	Cable and Wireless plc
Mr. J. Caudwell	Chairman	Caudwell Communications Ltd.
Mr. A. Boyd	Advisor to CDC4	Commonwealth Development Corporation
Professor M. Brown	Managing Director	De Montfort University
Mr. D. Probert	Chairman	Crown Agents
Mr. A. Morrison	Chairman	Defence Systems Ltd.
Mr. G. Cowen	Managing Director	Dewplan Ltd.
Mr. P. Daubeney	Chief Executive	Electricity Association Ltd.
Mr. H. J. Pearce	Managing Director	EMS Medical Group
Mr. N. Gutteridge	Marketing Director	Fairey hydraulics Ltd.
Mr. G. F. Page	Chief Executive	Flight Refuelling Ltd.
Mr. J. Cronin	Managing Director	GEC Alsthom
Mr. P. Turner		Goddard Kay Rogers and Associates Ltd.
Mr. B. F. Baldock	Deputy Chairman	Guinness plc
Mr. J. First	Director	Henry Ansbacher and Co. Ltd.
Mr. G. Gonszor	Managing Director	Hill Samuel Bank Ltd.

Delegates accompanying the President of the Board of Trade to South Africa—July 1994
Name	Position	Company/Organisation
Mr. D. Teague	Managing Director	ICL
Mr. G. Cooper	Managing Director	Industrial Control Services plc
Mr. H. A. Lyons	Managing Director	International Hospitals Group Ltd.
Mr. J. Patterson	Managing Director	J C Sales Ltd.
Mr. D. Spencer	Director	John Laing International Ltd.
Mr. D. A. Piesold	Chairman	Knight Piesold and Partners
Mr. S. C. Y. Parker	Director	Kleinwort Benson Ltd.
Mr. P. G. Emmel	Managing Director	Johnson Matthey Ltd.
Mr. B. Kennedy	Deputy Chief Executive	Longwall International Ltd.
Mr. H. Johnston	Managing Director	MIVAN Overseas Ltd.
Mr. M. Kingston	Director	Morgan Grenfell and Co. Ltd.
Mr. D. Mansfield	Chief Executive	Nottingham Group Holdings plc
Mr. R. M. Bostock	Director	Ove Arup Economics and Planning
Mr. S. Lister	Sales Director	Pace Micro Technology Ltd.
Mr. J. Foley	Marketing Director	Philip Harris Education and Scientific
Mr. K. McDonald	Chairman	Polypipe plc
Mr. A. Carnell	Group Commercial Director	Racal Electronics plc
Dr. R. Davies	Managing Director	Rialech International
Dr. T. Harrison	Chief Executive	Rolls-Royce plc
Mr. P. Hills	Managing Director	Samuel Montagu and Co. Ltd.
Mr. A. Platt	Director Group Development	Sedgwick Group plc
Mr. G. Henderson	Senior Partner	Slaughter and May
Mr. T Gould	Chief Executive	Structherm Ltd.
Mr. R. A. Davies	Chief Executive	TecQuipment Ltd.
Mr. B. Myers	Chief Executive	Trafalgar House plc
Mr. J. Smith	Group Chairman	Turner and Townsend Group
Mr. A. Hicks	Chief Executive	United Kingdom Southern Africa Business Association
Mr. D. Henning	Managing Director	Vodafone Group plc
Mr. D. Hastie	Sales Director	Vickers Defence Systems

Delegates accompanying the President of the Board of Trade to South Africa—July 1994
Name	Position	Company/Organisation
Mr. M. D. Willetts	President (Development)	Wade Adams Construction
Mr. T. Quick	Acting Sales and Marketing Director	Westland Group plc
Mr. D. G. Brant	Executive Director	George Wimpey plc

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the average cost of answering an (a) oral and (b) written parliamentary question from (i) Opposition and (ii) Conservative hon. Members in each Session since 1989–90. [21791]

This Department does not collect information in the form requested.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list, with location and dates, all trade delegations which took place in (a) 1994, (b) 1995 and (c) 1996 to date, and those which are planned for the remainder of 1996. [21064]

[holding answer 18 March 1996]: The number of trade delegations supported under the outward mission scheme were 151 in 1994, 184 in 1995 and 49 so far in 1996. In the remainder of 1996, it is anticipated that more than 190 additional supported missions will take place.I have arranged for a full list of the details of these mission giving locations and dates to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what investigative action he has initiated into the collapse of the AST Group of Aylesbury under the Companies Act. [21496]

[holding answer 20 March 1996]: It is not the policy of the Department of Trade and Industry to comment on the affairs of individual companies.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 12 March 1996, Official Report, column 526, (1) what consultations his Department has had with the electrical goods supply industry on the extension of time for the Monopolies and Mergers Commission to report on the supply of certain goods; [21233](2) what were the reasons given by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission for its application for an extension of time to report on the supply of certain electrical goods. [21232]

The Monopolies and Mergers Commission requested an extension because of the complexity of the inquiry. The scale of the exercise is exceptional in terms of the number of referred markets—eight—and interested parties. It is important that all those with a significant interest are given the chance to give evidence to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. Section 55 of the Fair Trading Act 1973 does not require the Secretary of State to consult on extensions given to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission to complete reports and he did not do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many persons in his Department worked in excess of 48 hours per week in any of the last 52 weeks; and what percentage of the staff employed this represents. [21513]

Records of the number of hours worked by each employee are not kept centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those of his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which (a) the Government are required to consult prior to legislative proposals and (b) the Government are required to publish their response to advice supplied by them. [21857]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs through which directorate of the European Commission funds are allocated for the production of "Social Europe Magazine"; how much is spent annually upon this publication; upon what authority that money is allocated; upon what basis Mr. Padraig Flynn was appointed editor; if he is consulted about the content of that magazine; whether the statement in that publication relating to the AIDS campaign mounted by CSV Media constitutes European Union policy; and if he will make it his policy to ensure that in future the European Commission publishes only magazines which are essential to its core purpose. [20506]

[holding answer 12 March 1996]: The Commission is responsible for the preparation and presentation of Community information and communication policy, for which it has a budget of 78 mecu—£65.6 million—in 1996."Social Europe Magazine" is published by Directorate General V of the European Commission. I understand that the hon. Member has asked the European Commission separately about its cost and editorial content, and a reply is in preparation.I can confirm that it is European Union policy to promote AIDS awareness.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those magazines, journals, periodicals, and leaflets which are published by each directorate of the European Commission, indicating for each the size of budget, the proportion of that budget which statistically would be represented by United Kingdom contributions and the specific steps which are taken to ensure that his Department is consulted in advance about the content of such publications. [20509]

[holding answer 12 March 1996]: A list of such publications and their costs will be placed in the Libraries of the House in due course.The Commission is responsible for the preparation and presentation of Community information and communication policy, for which it has a budget of 78 mecu—£65.6 million—in 1996.The UK contribution to the EC Budget is calculated on the basis of the whole of the budget and is not attributed to specific items.The UK gross contribution after abatement to the 1996 EC budget is expected to be 8.8 becu—£7.4 billion. The total 1996 EC budget is 81 becu.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what grants were paid to the Hampstead Garden Suburb Institute in each of the last three financial years. [19653]

Funding of the Garden Suburb Institute by the Further Education Funding Council for the period from April 1993 to July 1995 was as shown in the answer of 2 November 1994, Official Report, column 1160. The institute's recurrent funding for the 1995–96 academic year has yet to be finalised, but core funding is expected to amount to £127,958.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answer of 7 March, Official Report, columns 343–47, on local education authority capital spending, what have been the Government (a) credit approvals and (b) announced total capital allocations to each local education authority in each of the years for which spending figures were given. [20551]

The data are contained in a number of tables, copies of which will be placed in the Library.Table 1(A) gives total education annual capital guidelines for the years 1990–91 to 1995–96 inclusive, while data for 1996–97, when several new local education authorities will exist, are given in table 1(B). Table 2 gives details of supplementary credit approvals from 1993–94 to 1995–96. A sum of approximately £42 million will be distributed as SCAs in 1996–97. Comparable data on SCAs for earlier years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many students sat A-level examinations in the summer terms of 1994 and 1995 in each secondary school and further education college in England. [21524]

The school and college performance tables for the 16 to 18 age group for 1994 and 1995, published by the Department in November 1994 and 1995 respectively, give details of the numbers of students aged 16 to 18 who sat GCE A-AS examinations in each secondary school and further education college in England. They show separately the numbers who sat fewer than two GCE A-AS examinations and those that sat two or more.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list those of her Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which (a) the Government are required to consult prior to legislative proposals and (b) the Government are required to publish their response to advice supplied by them. [21855]

This information is not available centrally other than in the relevant statutory provisions. A comprehensive list cannot, therefore, be assured. The Department is, however, aware of the following.In relation to the national curriculum, section 20 of the Education Reform Act 1988 requires the Secretary of State to refer certain proposals for regulations to the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority, which then reports back to the Secretary of State. That report is published. There is a subsequent statutory consultation on the proposed order or regulations.In relation to certain procedural rules—for instance, for the special educational needs tribunal or appeal committees relating to admission to and exclusion from schools—the Secretary of State is required to consult the Council on Tribunals.Section 3(3) of the Activity Centres (Young Persons Safety) Act 1995 obliges the Secretary of State to consult the Health and Safety Commission in certain circumstances before making regulations.In a number of cases the Secretary of State is under a statutory obligation to consult before making regulations. Such consultation might involve one of the Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies but such consultation is not specified.Under section 80 of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Secretary of State has power to amend certain sections of the Act by order subject to draft affirmative parliamentary procedure. Section 80(2) requires her to consult the Equal Opportunities Commission before laying any such draft order before Parliament.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will publish the results of the recent access audit on mainstream schools. [22530]

Nationally, some 46 per cent. of primary and secondary schools have wheelchair access to more than 50 per cent. of teaching accommodation. The following table shows the proportion of schools in each local education authority which do so. This information will be useful to local education authorities and schools in assessing where there is a particular need for greater access for disabled pupils. A more detailed analysis of the data collected will be placed in the Library.

LEA	Total number of schools	Number with more than 50 per cent. access to teaching accommodation	Percentage with more than 50 per cent. access to teaching accommodation
Corporation of London	1	0	0
Camden	52	5	10
Greenwich	89	31	35
Hackney	71	12	17
Hammersmith	46	12	26
Islington	66	1	2
Kensington	29	7	24
Lewisham	82	36	44
Southwark	80	21	26
Tower Hamlets	89	31	35
Wandsworth	67	15	22
Westminster	49	8	16
Barking	63	41	65
Barnet	108	16	15
Bexley	77	31	40
Brent	69	20	29
Bromley	95	16	17
Croydon	115	50	43
Ealing	74	5	7
Enfield	82	17	21
Haringey	85	4	5
Harrow	63	19	30
Havering	89	35	39
Hillingdon	86	38	44
Hounslow	76	46	61
Kingston upon Thames	45	19	42
Merton	60	20	33
Newham	79	28	35
Redbridge	68	3	4
Richmond upon Thames	47	6	13
Sutton	54	22	41
Waltham Forest	78	45	58
Birmingham	405	141	35
Coventry	108	56	52
Dudley	104	54	52
Sandwell	130	44	34
Solihull	82	49	60
Walsall	121	58	48
Wolverhampton	118	53	45
Knowsley	74	19	26

LEA	Total number of schools	Number with more than 50 per cent. access to teaching accommodation	Percentage with more than 50 per cent. access to teaching accommodation
Liverpool	208	6	3
St. Helens	78	49	63
Sefton	115	56	49
Wirral	125	73	58
Bolton	120	60	50
Bury	84	41	49
Manchester	199	79	40
Oldham	117	77	66
Rochdale	84	45	54
Salford	105	21	20
Stockport	123	69	56
Tameside	98	50	51
Trafford	94	54	57
Wigan	142	99	70
Barnsley	106	40	38
Doncaster	144	102	71
Rotherham	132	36	27
Sheffield	169	60	36
Bradford	244	87	36
Calderdale	100	59	59
Kirklees	188	90	48
Leeds	291	122	42
Wakefield	160	93	58
Gateshead	93	42	45
Newcastle upon Tyne	100	41	41
North Tyneside	80	44	55
South Tyneside	69	40	58
Sunderland	117	51	44
Isles of Scilly	5	0	0
Avon	425	190	45
Bedfordshire	286	175	61
Berkshire	324	166	51
Buckinghamshire	322	138	43
Cambridgeshire	303	182	60
Cheshire	495	218	44
Cleveland	245	109	44
Cornwall	278	156	56
Cumbria	318	133	42
Derbyshire	501	275	55
Devon	495	188	38
Dorset	252	144	57
Durham	338	173	51
East Sussex	253	100	40
Essex	681	385	57
Gloucestershire	299	72	24
Hampshire	646	292	45
Hereford and Worcester	357	239	67
Hertfordshire	505	186	37
Humberside	409	220	54
Isle of Wight	67	45	67
Kent	672	268	40
Lancashire	693	428	62
Leicestershire	406	210	52
Lincolnshire	353	215	61
Norfolk	428	265	62
North Yorkshire	450	226	50
Northamptonshire	322	192	60
Northumberland	204	136	67
Oxfordshire	280	159	57
Shropshire	244	48	20
Somerset	261	70	27
Staffordshire	486	74	15
Suffolk	333	241	72
Surrey	366	75	20
Warwickshire	271	157	58
West Sussex	287	172	60
Wiltshire	322	186	58
Total/average	21,746	10,052	46

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what planning restrictions there are on the number of telecommunications masts erected in a particular area. [21415]

The erection of masts by telecommunications code system operators is subject either to full planning control or the prior approval procedure under part 24 of schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995, depending on the size and location of the mast. There are no specific limits on numbers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations he has received from (a) South Somerset council and (b) Ryedale council in Yorkshire about planning applications for telecommunications masts. [21416]

In the past two years, the Department has received one representation each from South Somerset district council and Ryedale district council.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the impact of (i) telecommunications masts and (ii) wind farms on the number of visitors to rural areas. [21410]

My Department has not commissioned or evaluated research of this nature.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to review the section of planning policy guidance note 8 dealing with the erection of telecommunications masts. [21406]

My Department has no plans for reviewing this guidance. However, we shall shortly be publishing a code of practice on the planning procedures for the erection of masts under permitted development rights. This has been prepared jointly with local authority associations and the major operators who erect masts.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what planning regulations apply to telecommunications masts which are under 15 ft high. [21413]

Part 24 of schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted development) Order 1995 gives permitted development rights for telecommunications code system operators' masts up to 15 m high, except in protected areas such as conservation areas, national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty, where full planning control applies. These rights are subject to a prior approval procedure which enables a local planning authority to give or refuse approval for the siting or appearance of a mast within 28 days of receipt of an application from an operator.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what statutory protection is provided to areas on the outskirts of areas of outstanding natural beauty from (a) telecommunication masts and (b) telecommunications masts less than 100 ft high. [21417]

The erection of masts by telecommunications code system operators in these adjoining areas is subject to either to full planning control or the prior approval procedure under part 24 of schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995, depending on the size and location of the mast. The fact that it is visible from a specially protected area could be a material consideration in a planning decision relating to a mast.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to require companies which erect telecommunications masts to share these masts with other companies. [21405]

My Department already encourages mast sharing in planning policy guidance note 8, "Telecommunications". It is also a condition of the licences granted by the Department of Trade and Industry to mobile operators that the possibility of sharing an existing radio site must be explored.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the extent to which satellite technology will supersede telecommunications masts and over what time scale. [21407]

My Department understands that, because radio frequencies are limited, satellite technology is unsuited to telephone systems which handle a great many calls simultaneously.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many appeals he has considered in each of the last five years under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 against refusals of local authorities to grant consent to fell trees; how many of these appeals he has upheld; and how many of his Department's staff are involved in work on these appeals. [21573]

Separate information on appeals relating to felling only is not readily available. However, the table shows all appeals on tree-related matters considered by the Secretary of State under the 1990 Act in each of the last five financial years, and those upheld by him in the years for which figures are available. Work on these appeals forms a part of the responsibilities of several staff in the Department, and especially in the Government offices for the regions. The total annual staff effort currently involved is about 10 person years.

Year	Appeals considered	Appeals upheld
1995–96 (to date)	396	141
1994–95	401	120
1993–94	383	not applicable
1992–93	349	not applicable
1991–92	331	not applicable

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what joint working groups he has established with the mining and quarrying industries on the subject of mining and quarrying waste. [21735]

There have been two formal joint working groups in the past to look at disposal of quarrying spoil and underground stowage in North-East Leicestershire. Other mining and quarrying issues, including waste, are covered in less formal discussions between the Department, the mining and quarrying industries and other interested parties where necessary as they arise.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the average cost of answering an (a) and (b) written parliamentary question form (i) Opposition and (ii) Conservative hon. Members to each Session since 1989–90. [21813]

This Department does not collect the information in the form requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to enable local authorities to (a) quantify the extent of rough sleeping in their areas, (b) examine the causes of rough sleeping in their areas, (c) analyse the extent to which the needs of the homeless are catered for and (d) review the effectiveness of existing local strategy and the role of the public, private and voluntary sectors. [20874]

It is the responsibility of every local authority to consider the housing needs of all its residents. The current "Housing Strategies" guidance advises local authorities to assess the resources within their area for single homeless people, including authorities' own provision and the contribution being made by others, including the private sector, housing associations, and voluntary sector organisations. The guidance also advises that, to assist this assessment, local authorities may wish to consider undertaking a count of rough sleepers, involving street agencies as appropriate.The strategy paper "Rough Sleepers Initiative: The Next Challenge", issued by the Government on 4 March 1996 announced that the successful rough sleepers initiative would be extended outside central London to Bristol where a recent single night head count had found 84 people sleeping rough. Twenty-three other local authorities were invited to let my Department know if they would like assistance in undertaking a detailed evaluation of the number of people sleeping rough in their area, including an assessment of current services available. These counts will be undertaken in partnership with local agencies wherever possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what was the cost to public funds of (a) South Oxfordshire district council's failed contract for computing services and (b) earlier development work by John McLintock's company; [21106]

These are matters for South Oxfordshire district council to whom these questions should be put in the first instance. If there are doubts about the propriety or value for money for the contract in question they should be raised with the authority's external auditor.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the implications for the privatisation of local government services of the contracting out of computing services by South Oxfordshire district council. [21105]

Authorities are free to contract out elements of their computer services subject to their obligations under EU and domestic legislation. As from 1 April 1999, South Oxfordshire district council will be required to subject part of its information technology services to compulsory competitive tendering.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on linking rateable value of property to changing house prices. [21281]

I take it that the hon. Member is referring to the banding of dwellings for council tax. The bandings reflect the relativities between the values of dwellings, based on 1991 property values. These relativities are not necessarily affected by subsequent changes in absolute house prices, and the Government have no current plans to review the bandings.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from individuals and organisations on the payment of water bills by pensioners and low-income households. [21282]

Over the past 18 months my right hon. Friend has received representations on the payment of water bills by pensioners and low-income families from individuals, consumer groups, charities, pensioners' associations and local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from residents in Conventry concerning Severn Trent Water and the salaries paid to the company directors. [21283]

My right hon. Friend has not received any representations from residents of Coventry about the salaries paid to directors of Severn Trent Water.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with Severn Trent Water regarding the level of salaries of the company's directors. [21284]

My right hon. Friend has not held any discussions with Severn Trent Water about the salary levels of its directors. This is a matter for the company and its shareholders.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give figures for the highest paid employee of Severn Trent Water from 1979 until privatisation (a) in real terms and (b) percentage change from the previous year. [21285]

Information about the salary levels of Severn Trent water authority's board members for the years 1984 to 1989 is given in the annual editions of "Public Bodies", published by the Cabinet Office (Office of Public Service and Science). Salary levels of the authority's chairmen only are given in the 1982 and 1983 editions of this report. Copies of these publications are available in the Library. Comparable information for the period 1979 to 1981 is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much Leicester city council has received towards home improvements for each year since 1986; and how much its bid for each year was since 1986. [22068]

Since 1986–87, Leicester city has received the following housing investment programme allocations to spend on the whole of its housing programme, a substantial amount of which would have been spent on improvements to both the public and private sector stock. These allocations have been supplemented by expenditure from the council's capital receipts.

£ million
	HIP received	HIP bid
1986–87	13.375	47.735
1987–88	12.909	52.091
1988–89	12.407	57.369
1989–90	9.165	62.037
1990–91	18.320	54.392
1991–92	18.300	54.035
1992–93	19.830	49.416
1993–94	21.545	29.393
1994–95	14.998	22.500
1995–96	9.345	17.400

In addition, the city has benefited from the following additional resources to improve housing stock under the following three programmes:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what schemes for home improvements have been in receipt of housing grant in the City of Leicester since 1986. [22067]

It is primarily for the city council to determine what schemes grant resources are spent on and the council should be able to provide full information. In the main, these resources will have funded the repurchase of defective dwellings, enveloping, group repair, homes insulation, environmental and other general improvements to the private sector stock in five housing action areas, 10 general improvement areas, and six renewal areas.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many staff in his Department earn salaries in each band of £10,000 above £40,000 per annum where salary is defined on the same basis as the draft accounts and audit regulations require of local authorities; and if that definition when applied to his Department's staff includes an element for the non-contributory civil service pension. [21880]

The number of staff in my Department—excluding Ordnance Survey, PSA Services and the Health and Safety Executive—in each salary band above £40,00 is as follows:

Salary band	Number of staff
£40,000 to £50,000	252
£50,000 to £60,000	90
£60,000 to £70,000	22
£70,000 to £80,000	5
£80,000 to £90,000	1
£90,000 to £100,000	1

Salaries do not include sums due by way of expense allowances, nor any element for the non-contributory civil service pension.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what amounts of housing grant were received by Leicester city council in each year since 1986 as (a) in cash terms, and (b) in 1986. [22066]

In the four years from 1986–87 to 1989–90 the following housing grant was given at the rates of 75 per cent. or 90 per cent. against loan charges for improvements to private sector dwellings in Leicester:

£ million
	(a) In cash terms	(b) In 1986 terms
1986–87	6.782	6.782
1987–88	7.938	7.536
1988–89	8.954	7.968
1989–90	11.284	9.386

From 1990–91 a new financial control system was introduced under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, and for the first time a separate allocation, known as the SCG or specified capital grant allocation, was given for improvements to private sector dwellings as follows:

£ million
	(a) In cash terms	(b) In 1986 Terms
1990–91	4.502	3,466
1991–92	3.198	2.318
1992–93	4.732	3.296
1993–94	4.300	2.910
1994–95	3.089	2.052
1995–96	2.325	1.503

For the three years 1990–91 to 1992–93 grant was given at the rate of 75 per cent. From 1993–94 the rate has been 60 per cent.In addition, the following city challenge grant was given for the renewal of private sector dwellings in Leicester.

£ million
	(a) In cash terms	(b) In 1986 terms
1993–94	0.328	0.221
1994–95	0.376	0.250
1995–96	0.300	0.193

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those of his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which (a) the Government are required to consult prior to legislative proposals and (b) the Government are required to publish their response to advice supplied by them. [21856]

A list of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by my Department can be found in the Cabinet Office publication "Public Bodies 1995". A copy is available in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has considered the response by the City of Bradford metropolitan council to the notices served upon the authority on 3 October 1995 under section 13 of the Local Government Act 1988; and if he will make a statement. [22703]

My right hon. Friend has considered carefully the responses which the City of Bradford metropolitan council have made to the notice served on the authority for alleged anti-competitive behaviour. He has today given the authority a direction under section 14 of the Local Government Act 1988 for anti-competitive behaviour.After careful consideration, the Secretary of State remains of the opinion that the authority acted in an anti-competitive manner in awarding a contract for other catering work worth £112,516 to its in-house direct labour organisation. He considers that the authority required tenderers to have in place systems based on BS5750. He considers that the authority has not been able to demonstrate satisfactorily that the performance bond level was not too high. He is also of the belief that the authority did not consider a full analysis of the ways the contract could have been packaged and that such an analysis would have demonstrated the varying benefits to the authority from adopting different ways of tendering the work. He also notes that, contrary to the advice in paragraph 9 in the Department's circular 10/93, bidders were not allowed to bid for only parts of the contract.The direction given to the City of Bradford metropolitan council requires the authority to retender the work so that new arrangements are in place by 1 August 1997. The authority will need to obtain the Secretary of State's permission if it is intended to award the work in-house and to consult the British Hospitality Association before drawing up the new contract specification.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to revise the code of practice on the duty of care; and if he will make a statement. [22704]

Following public consultation, my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment, for Wales and for Scotland have today issued a revised duty of care code of practice under section 34 of part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.The code of practice gives practical guidance to all waste holders on how to discharge their responsibilities under the duty of care. It has been revised to take into account changes to waste management legislation since it was first published in 1991 and in order to provide specific guidance to the metal recycling industry.The duty of care applies to any person who produces, imports, carries, keeps, treats or disposes of controlled waste. It obliges waste holders:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the Government will publish their response to the first report by the Environment Committee into the single regeneration budget. [22705]

The Government are today publishing their response. Copies of the response have been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements he is making to enable payment of the first instalments of grant under section 88A of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 to recompense North Lincolnshire district council for the income forgone as a consequence of the transitional reduction of council taxes under the Local Government Changes for England (Council Tax) (Transitional Reduction) Regulations 1996—S.I. 1996 No. 176 as amended by S.I. 1996 No. 333. [22706]

My right hon. Friend has already announced that some £2.182 million is to be paid to North Lincolnshire under section 88A of the Local Government Finance Act 1988. Parliamentary approval of this new expenditure is being sought in the 1996–97 main supply estimates for the local government and planning, England vote, class VI, vote 4. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure of £0.8 million on the first instalments of grant to the new North Lincolnshire district council will be met by a repayable advance from the contingencies fund.

To ask the Lord President of the Council how many hon. Members who claim car mileage allowance as set out in his answer of 17 July 1995, Official Report, column 974, only claim one rate at each of the three dates. [19268]

The Fees Office has advised me that the breakdown of the 478 Members who claimed only one rate at that date is as follows:

a) 11 Members claimed rate 1

b) 150 Members claimed rate 2

c) 317 Members claimed rate 3.

To ask the Lord President of the Council, pursuant to his letter of 9 November, what was the total cost of car travel expenses claimed in 1994–95 by (a) hon. Members claiming only rate 3, (b) hon. Members claiming only rate 2 and (c) hon. Members claiming both rates 2 and 3. [19264]

The Fees Office has advised me that the costs of car travel expenses claimed for standard journeys in 1994–95 are as follows:

(a) £4,207,741

(b) £761.731

(c) £1,169,171.

To ask the Lord President of the Council what is the largest number of votes cast in a Division in the House since 1966. [20071]

This information is not held in the form requested, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will request the chairman of the Senior Salaries Review Body to present an interim report on hon. Members' salaries and pensions by 31 May if the report is to be published after that date. [21247]

The chairman of the Senior Salaries Review Body has been asked to aim to complete the review in time to make recommendations at the end of June. It would not be reasonable to ask the SSRB to produce a report before then.

To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an application for an exhibition of children's art work in London to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall. [22433]

I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from Monday 24 June to Friday 28 June 1996.

To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an application for an exhibition relating to reflections of life to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall. [22440]

I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from Monday 20 May to Friday 2 May 1996.

To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick upon Tweed, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to his answer of 14 March, Official Report, column 692, if Wilprint held the contract for the crested notepaper prior to February 1995; and what was the original agreed duration of the February 1995 contract. [22121]

Wilprint held the contract prior to February 1995; the agreed duration of the current contract is from February 1995 to October 1996.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 March. [20525]

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 March. [20526]

This morning, I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

To ask the Prime Minister which non-ministerial individuals, other than civil servants, attend meetings of the EDCP Cabinet Committee. [21588]

Some officials from Conservative Central Office and parliamentary private secretaries attend at the invitation of the Deputy Prime Minister, as chairman of this committee. They do not take part in any discussions, but are ready to follow up any issues of a party political nature. In this way, the civil servants present are protected from following up matters that do not properly relate to the presentation and co-ordination of Government policy.

To ask the Prime Minister what measures his Department is taking to ensure that its contractors and suppliers (a) pay their employees a wage which ensures such employees do not need supplementary welfare payments via various state benefits and (b) meet workplace health and safety regulations; and if he will make a statement. [21464]

For this purpose my office is part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service, on 20 March 1996, Official Report, columns 194–95.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the average daily attendance at each of his Benefits Agency offices covering the (a) Doncaster and (b) Mexborough area for each year since 1993, and the current year to date; and what were the staffing levels for each benefits Agency office. [19630]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many Child Support Agency clients are paying in maintenance more than (a) £400, (b) £500 and (c) £900 a month. [20887]

The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Miss Ann Chant. She will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to ensure that information currently contained in the pension book will be preserved and improved with the proposed new benefit payment card system with particular reference to (a) a permanent record of pension payments received, (b) details of how the pension is made up, (c) clear information on the amount due and the date available, (d) information on change of circumstances and (e) details of claiming income support. [11750]

[pursuant to his reply, 31 January 1996, c. 947]: I am advised that Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency, is writing again to clarify his reply of 31 January 1996.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many service personnel were awarded war pensions (a) between 1967 and 1987 and (b) since 1987; how many in (a) and (b) were awarded war pensions owing to disabilities or injuries sustained on active service; and how many in (a) and (b) were awarded war pensions for asbestos-related conditions. [21529]

The estimated number of war disablement pensions or lump sum gratuities awarded is as follows:

(a) between 1967 and 1987–76,000

(b) since 1987–297,770.

These figures include awards made to other groups such as civilians and mercantile mariners who sustained qualifying injuries since records of awards made solely to ex-service personnel for disablement due to service in the armed forces are not available.The other information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.