To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 7 February, Official Report, columns 254–55, when the domiciliary visit to assess Mr. John Middleton's war pension appeal took place. [22172]

As arranged with Mr. Middleton earlier this month, the visit took place on 21 March, that being the earliest date at which the medical member was available.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department 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. [21504]

This answer is given on behalf of the Lord Chancellor's Department headquarters, including associated offices, the Court Service and the Public Trust Office.The number of staff recorded as being paid for overtime which took their hours worked to over 48 hours a week are 143, 3,068 and 130 respectively, which represents approximately 15.6 per cent., 29.2 per cent. and 22.7 per cent. of total staff employed in the Lord Chancellor's Department headquarters, the Court Service and the Public Trust Office.No records are held centrally, however, of the hours worked either by senior staff not eligible for paid overtime or by those on flexible working schemes.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department 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. [21467]

Terms and conditions of employment, including wages, are a matter between the contractor or supplier and his employees, subject of course to any relevant legal requirements. For certain contracts, however, the Department requests salary information from contractors and suppliers in support of tenders, as part of its value for money criteria.Compliance with health and safety regulations is a legal requirement for the contractor or supplier.

To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, representing the Church Commissioners, what estimate he has made of the continuing viability of the pension fund. [20674]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 29 January, Official Report, column 492.The commissioners have had detailed discussions with dioceses about how quickly they expect to be able to raise the full costs of pension contributions and the response has been very encouraging. The General Synod has given general approval to draft legislation to give effect to the arrangements. This legislation is now in the revision stage and will come before Parliament in due course in the usual way.

To ask the right hon. member for Selby, representing the Church Commissioners, how many currently beneficed clergy are (a) male and (b) female; and if he will make a statement. [20675]

As at 31 December 1995, 5,835 men and 63 women held benefices. The total numbers of clergy of incumbent status, including priests-in-charge and team vicars, were 7,417 men and 250 women.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment 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. [20542]

Comprehensive records are not kept in the form requested but the following provisions have been identified from readily available sources.

Common lands

Decisions are required from the Secretary of State under public, local and private Acts. Examples of matters involving individuals are applications to the Secretary of State for—

Orders for the exchange of lands under section 147 of the Inclosure Act 1845, applications for consent to the improvement of common land under the Law of Commons Amendment Act 1893, confirmation of regulation of regulations under the Commons Act 1908, imposition of limitations on the public's rights of access to common land under section 193 of the Law of Property Act 1925.

Countryside

Decisions on nature conservation orders, limestones pavement orders, designation of marine nature reserves and orders in respect of moor and heath land in National Parks (under sections 29, 34, 36 and 42 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981).

Wild birds, habitats and animals and plants

Decisions on special protection areas for birds, designation of special areas of conservation, the system for licensing various matters in respect of sale and possession of wild birds (in particular under sections 3, 6, 7 and 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and regulations made thereunder).

Highways

Certain powers with respect to public path extinguishment and diversion orders and temporary stopping up of highways under section 120 of the Highways Act 1980 and section 261 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Trees

The power for the Secretary of State to make tree preservation orders under section 202 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Town and country planning

Various powers relating to the preservation of listed buildings and in particular sections 46 to 48, 54, 55 and 76 to 78 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.

The decision to issue a direction calling in an application for planning permission or hazardous substance consent under section 77 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and section 20 of the Planning (Hazardous Substances) Act 1990.

Building control

The determination of questions referred to the Secretary of State about plans for building work under section 16(10) of the Building Act 1984.

Housing

Decisions as to whether to give assistance in connection with legal proceedings in relation to the right to buy (section 170 of the Housing Act 1985).

Landlord and tenant

Decisions about apportionment of rent under section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1927.

Rentcharges

Decisions relating to redemption and apportionment of rentcharges under sections 3 and 5 of the Rentcharges Act 1977.

Zoos

Decisions on revocation of licences, and on directions on dispensation from the Act under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981.

This list does not include certain provisions which allow the Secretary of State to take decisions which might in theory apply only to a particular individual, such as section 115(9) of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, which confers powers to specify generally or for particular cases purposes for which renovation work may be approved for grant.Under section 10 of the Tribunals and Inquiries Act 1992, Ministers are under a duty to give reasons for decisions in any case in which a person concerned could have required a statutory inquiry or hearing to be held.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which former public sector research establishments in his Department have been privatised since 1979; and which public sector research establishments in his Department are currently undergoing reviews with a view to placing them in the private sector. [21939]

The Hydraulics Research Station was converted to an independent company limited by guarantee in 1982.Prior options reviews of the Building Research Establishment and the Health and Safety Executive's health and safety laboratory have been undertaken and the recommendations of both reviews are being considered. The reviews have addressed the relationship of the establishments to others working in similar or related fields and, among other things, the potential for privatisation or rationalisation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the district auditor's report on Westminster city council will be published. [22061]

The timing of the publication of his report is a matter for the auditor.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent evidence he has evaluated concerning damage to the ozone layer; and if he will make a statement. [22063]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of recent changes in the ozone layer over the British Isles; and if he will make a statement. [22814]

On behalf of the Department, the United Kingdom Meteorological Office makes daily measurements of total ozone levels at two sites in the UK and publishes the information weekly during the sensitive winter and spring period of potentially low ozone. The Government also receive all reports from the World Meteorological Organisation on the state of the global ozone layer and information on the ozone layer over Europe from the European ozone research co-ordinating unit in Cambridge.Statistically significant stratospheric ozone reductions continue everywhere except in equatorial regions, due to the high level of ozone-depleting substances in the atmosphere. Recent levels of ozone over the United Kingdom have been significantly lower on individual days than previously observed due mainly to a particularly cold stratosphere this winter. Some year-to-year variation is to be expected due to fluctuations in meteorological conditions.During the next 50 years, ozone levels are expected to return slowly to normal as a result of actions being taken under the Montreal protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what amounts of money have been paid out by (a) his Department and (b) executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies and other organisations for which he is accountable to Parliament, to how many staff or former staff in respect of (i) alleged equal opportunities breaches that do not proceed to tribunals or courts and (ii) equal opportunities breaches that proceeded to tribunals or courts in (1) the current year and (2) the two previous years. [22519]

No cases have arisen in the current year. Two cases arose during the period 1 April 1993 to 31 March 1995: one in category (a) (ii) amounted to £16,526 and one in category (b) (ii) amounted to £21,500.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the 12 most dangerous persistent organic pollutants which the United Nations Environmental Programme has recommended should be banned; and if he will make a statement. [22227]

The United Nations Environmental Programme has not yet come to a decision on the need to ban any persistent organic pollutants, although it has identified 12 substances that should be assessed for risks posed to human health and the environment. Consideration will then be given to measures necessary to control risks identified. The 12 consist of:

pesticides (aldrin, dieldrin, DDT, endrin, chlordane, hexachlorobenzene, mirex, toxaphene and heptachlor);

industrial chemicals known as polychlorobiphenyls (or PCBs); dioxins and furans.

The UK has played a major role in developing a proposed protocol on persistent organic pollutants under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe convention on long-range transboundary air pollution. The Government support the UNEP initiative to build on this work, and will play an active role in its development.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will call for, and publish, a cost-benefit analysis on the work of the Government office for the south-west. [22355]

The GOSW's programme and running cost expenditure for 1994–95, objectives and achievements, are contained in the office's annual report, which I have arranged to be sent to the hon. Member. For 1995–96, the office's running cost budget is £7.6 million. Details are available in GO-MINIS1, a copy of which is in the Library of this House.The office's annual report for 1995–96 and GO-MINIS2 with details of Government office running costs budgets for 1995–96 will be available in due course. I believe that the Government office, operating within the rigorous framework of the GO-MINIS exercise, provides good value for money.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what new proposals he has for bat conservation measures in (a) urban and (b) rural conservation areas. [22808]

Four species of bat have had a range of measures proposed within biodiversity species action plans, which the Government are currently considering. A response to these proposals is expected this spring.A range of measures within the rural environment to improve habitat identification and management are being considered. English Nature's species recovery programme for the greater horseshoe bat includes the promotion of appropriate land management around maternity roosts.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what new proposals he has to improve the (a) rural and (b) urban habitats for butterfly and moth conservation. [22816]

Preparation of action plans for the large blue and large copper, and the high brown and marsh fritillaries, via English Nature's species action plans is in hand in appropriate habitats.Work continues on five of our most threatened moth species—reddish buff moth, black-veined moth, Sussex emerald moth, barberry carpet moth and fiery clearwing moth. The 1996 programme involves enlarging the areas of available habitat and restoration of other sites in preparation for colonisation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the White Paper on sustainable development and the Government response to the second annual report of the panel on sustainable development will be published; and if he will make a statement. [22995]

We will publish "This Common Inheritance: UK Annual Report 1996" and the "Government Response to the Second Annual Report of the Government's Panel on Sustainable Development" tomorrow. Copies will be placed in the Library.The White Paper reports progress during 1995 in meeting the commitments which we made in previous White Papers and in the UK sustainable development strategy, as well as making commitments for future action. In particular, it highlights our new priorities for the year ahead and bring together the main quantified targets which have been already agreed by Government or which are under consideration.At the strategic level, Government policy is guided by advice from their panel on sustainable development, which issued its second annual report in January of this year, focused on environmental accounting, biotechnology, forestry and the disposal of radioactive waste. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is writing to the convenor of the panel with the Government's response, which is also being issued in the form of a short booklet.The White Paper and the panel reports provided an objective audit of the Government's success in moving towards sustainable development. They complement the recently published "Indicators of Sustainable Development for the United Kingdom", which aims to demonstrate the progress which the country is making towards sustainable development and to show where further action is needed—not just by Government but by business, local authorities and individuals.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce the allocation of resources to local authorities under his Department's housing partnership fund for 1996–97. [23057]

Some 238 schemes in 181 housing authorities will benefit from the £30 million housing partnership fund for 1996–97.The scheme, which brings together the combined skills of the private sector, housing associations and other local organisations, continues to prove a popular and successful one. It demonstrates the Government's commitment to supporting imaginative, high-quality housing projects which will be of long-lasting benefit to local communities.The successful bids involve a wide range of innovative and valuable housing projects, which address local housing needs. This year, we have particularly focused on schemes to bring empty properties back into use.The combination of public sector money means that up to £135 million will be invested to meet local housing need, help stimulate local economic growth and create jobs.A list of the resources being allocated to local authorities under the housing partnership fund for 1996–97 has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an application for an exhibition relating to 50 years of achievement of Manchester airport to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall. [22537]

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 1 July to Friday 5 July 1996.

To ask the Lord President of the Council how many parliamentary questions have been tabled since 6 November with the indication that a relevant registered interest has been declared.

There have been 73 parliamentary questions tabled from 6 November 1995 until 21 March 1996 where a registered interest was declared-56 written, 17 oral. These figures do not include those oral parliamentary questions tabled but not successful in the ballot.

To ask the Attorney-General 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. [21585]

For the departments and agency for which my right hon. and learned Friend is responsible the number of staff recorded as being paid for overtime which took their hours worked to over 48 hours in a week is in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passengers arriving at Heathrow airport were refused admission to the United Kingdom in each of the last five years; and how many were deported immediately. [21079]

The information on passengers refused leave to enter and removed at Heathrow airport is given in the table. The available statistics do not show how many were removed immediately following refusal.

Passengers refused and removed at Heathrow Airport
Year	Number of passengers removed
1991	8,086
1992	6,809
1993	7,155
1994	7,108
1995	7,937

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) which of the 26 police tasks to be reviewed under the police core roles and ancillary tasks report have been identified as being less cost-effective if they were removed from police responsibility; [22083](2) what savings his Department expects as a result of the police core roles and ancillary tasks report; and if he will list the savings he expects to attribute to each of the 26 identified police tasks. [22082]

Work is still in progress on these matters in consultation with the police and other interested parties, as part of the follow-up work to the review. We expect to receive a report on the review's proposals, including an evaluation of savings and other benefits, by the summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost of the Home Office inquiry into police core roles and ancillary tasks, established in 1993 and reporting in 1995. [22081]

The total estimated cost to my Department of conducting the review, including pay costs, travelling and subsistence, and the final costs of printing and distribution, amounted to about £232,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been brought under the provisions of the Computer Misuse Act 1990; and how many of these have resulted in convictions. [22249]

The information is given in the table.

Number of prosecutions at magistrates1 courts and convictions at all courts for offences1 under the Computer Misuse Act 19902 1990–94
England and Wales
Year	Prosecutions	Convictions3
Indictable offences
1990	—	—
1991	4	2
1992	7	10
1993	8	5
1994	4	3
1 Data for summary offences committed under Section 1 of the Act cannot be separately identified from other summary non-motoring offences.
2 Came into force 29 August 1990.
3 Includes persons proceeded against in earlier years or initially for other offences.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of concerted indiscipline at Buckley Hall prison have been reported to the Prison Service headquarters since the prison first opened; and what is the average figure over the same period of time for male category C training prisons. [22760]

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 evaluation his Department has made of the domestic violence matters project based at Islington police station. [22542]

The Islington domestic violence matters project was funded by the Home Office programme development unit from 1992 to September 1995. The work was independently evaluated by the university of North London and the final evaluation is close to completion.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what decisions have been taken by the parole board in relation to Irish prisoners who completed 20-year sentences last July; and if he will make a statement. [22417]

[holding answer 22 March 1996]: Discretionary lifer panels of the parole board heard the cases of Sean Kinsella, Stephen Nordone, Noel Gibson, Paul Norney and Brendan Dowd on 12, 13 and 14 December 1995.Noel Gibson, Sean Kinsella and Stephen Nordone were directed to be released. Such a direction is binding on the Secretary of State and they were released on 26 January. The discretionary lifer panels did not direct the release of Paul Norney and Brendan Dowd.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Sir David Ramsbotham last visited Holloway prison. [21750]

Sir David Ramsbotham, GCB, CBE visited Holloway prison on 13 and 14 December last year as part of an unannounced inspection of the establishment.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his Department's policy on boot camps for young offenders; and what progress is being made in its implementation. [21752]

Our policy is to pilot two tough, disciplined and demanding new regimes for young offenders which are intended to break the cycle of reoffending.Last September, my right hon. and learned Friend announced details of the first of these pilots, the high-intensity training regime at Thorn Cross young offender institution in Cheshire which will take its first inmates in the summer.High-intensity training will provide the discipline which young offenders need. It will also equip them with skills they must have for the world of work, and it will tackle their anti-social attitudes by making them face up to what they have done and accept responsibility for it.I hope shortly to make an announcement about a second pilot regime.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisons in England and Wales Sir David Ramsbotham has visited since his appointment; and how many reports, following those visits, have been submitted to the Home Office. [21751]

Since his appointment on 1 December 1995, Sir David Ramsbotham, GCB, CBE has visited 22 Prison Service establishments. Seven visits were as part of an inspection and inspection reports on these establishments will be submitted to my right hon. and learned Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 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. [21143]

The number of questions tabled to the Home Office in each Session since 1987–88 is:

	Written	Oral (including supplementaries)	Total
1987–88	3,846	414	4,260
1988–89	3,549	274	3,823
1989–90	3,252	212	3,464
1990–91	2,245	238	2,483
1991–92	1,351	134	1,485
1992–93	4,345	361	4,706
1993–94	3,348	267	3,615
1994–95	3,187	278	3,465
1995–96	1,310	98	1,408

The remainder of the information requested by the hon. Member could itself be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last visited India; at what cost to public funds; which places he visited in India and for what reasons; and if he will list the names of officials who accompanied him. [18575]

I visited India and Pakistan between 29 December 1995 and 9 January 1996 at a total cost of £34,201. The officers who accompanied me were my private secretary, a press officer and the head of the immigration policy division. The guidelines in "Questions of Procedure for Ministers" were followed. The necessary approval was sought in advance of the visit and full official programmes were followed which had been drawn up with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.In India, I visited Jodhpur, at the invitation of the Indian high commissioner for Great Britain, Delhi, Bombay and Amritsar. In Pakistan, I visited Lahore, Peshawar and Islamabad.The purpose of my visit was to visit the entry clearance operations run by the Home Office in these countries, to discuss drugs issues with both Governments, to further my understanding of community relations issues and to help improve relations between countries.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Government Departments have (a) gun clubs and (b) shooting ranges on the premises. [21988]

Four Government Departments in Great Britain have gun clubs approved by the Secretary of State under section 15 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 in which members may use firearms for target practice without holding a firearm certificate. Information is not held centrally on gun clubs which do not fall under the section 15 scheme. Information about the number of shooting ranges on Government premises could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what consideration the Law Commission has given to the introduction of prison sentences for involuntary manslaughter; [21878](2) what action he intends to take following the publication of the Law Commission report into involuntary manslaughter. [21771]

The Law Commission's final report on involuntary manslaughter was published on 5 March. It recommends reform of the existing law by the creation of two new offences of unintentional killing by individuals, for which a penalty of imprisonment would continue to be available, and a new offence of corporate killing for which a penalty of imprisonment would not be available. We are grateful to the Law Commission for the work which it has carried out in this complex area of the law. We will consider carefully the recommendations contained in its report.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total amount spent by the Metropolitan police on driver training in 1995; and what is the projected budget for 1996. [22405]

Driver training costs incurred by the Metropolitan police in 1995 were £5,410,352. I understand from the Commissioner that projected costs for 1996 are £5,629,832.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what records are kept of individuals' criminal convictions. [22157]

Information about criminal convictions for reportable offences, including all imprisonable and specified other offences, is held on the police national computer and in the record library of the national identification service. Local police forces may also keep this information together with information about convictions for non-reportable offences.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners over the last 12 months have tested positive as a result of mandatory drug testing; and if he will make a statement. [22395]

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 how many prisoners in Welsh prisons over the last 12 months have tested positive as a result of mandatory drug testing; and if he will make a statement. [22396]

[holding answer 21 March 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 the Home Department 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. [21507]

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 the Home Department 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. [21469]

Terms and conditions of employment, including wages, are a matter between the contractor or supplier and his employees, subject of course to any relevant legal requirements. Compliance with health and safety regulations is a legal requirement for the contractor or supplier.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the British police standard of stab-proof ballistic material for soft body armour. [21532]

Standards are set out in publications by the Home Office police scientific development branch entitled "PSDB Ballistic Body Armour Standard (1993)" and "PSDB Stab Resistant Body Armour Test Procedure (1993)". Copies have been placed in the Library. These standards have been agreed by the Association of Chief Police Officers and are made freely available to manufacturers and other interested bodies.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to support the application by Taiwan to join the United Nations organisation and to seek support from Commonwealth and EU partners for it. [22219]

No. Membership of the United Nations is open only to states. Her Majesty's Government do not recognise Taiwan as a state.

To ask the Prime Minister what reply he gave to Rathbone Community Furniture, Liverpool, in response to its recent letter to him; and if he will make a statement. [22156]

My office has forwarded the letter to the Department for Education and Employment which will respond in due course.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral answer of 19 March 1996, Official Report, columns 167–68, to the hon. Member for Easington (Mr. Cummings) if he will list the advantages which will be given to the area by virtue of the creation of an enterprise zone; and how long it has taken from the first proposal for such a zone to the date of coming into effect of such a status. [22382]

[holding answer 22 March 1996]: The benefits available to businesses during the 10-year life of an enterprise zone are the following: 100 per cent. allowances for corporation tax purposes for capital expenditure on industrial and commercial buildings: exemption from the national non-domestic rate on industrial and commercial property; a simplified planning regime; speedier administration of residual statutory planning controls; exemption from industrial training levies and from the requirements to supply information to industrial training boards; processing applications for certain customs facilities as a priority, and the relaxation of certain criteria; and the reduction of government requests for statistical information. Enterprise zones can effect economic activity over a wide area through displacement effects and are not the appropriate regeneration measure in most circumstances.The Government announced that they would consider the case for new enterprise zones at Easington in County Durham on 29 March 1993; zones in that area were designated on 29 November 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he has to reduce the tension between Taiwan and China. [22411]

We have repeatedly urged China to show restraint and have called for an early resumption of the cross-straits dialogue. We have made these points to the Chinese directly at prime ministerial level and through the EU. We remain fully supportive of the actions taken by the United States to defuse the situation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what amounts of money have been paid out by (a) his Department and (b) executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies and other organisations for which he is accountable to Parliament, to how many staff or former staff in respect of (i) alleged equal opportunities breaches which do not proceed to tribunals or courts and (ii) equal opportunities breaches which proceeded to tribunals or courts in (1) the current year and (2) the two previous years. [22520]

We have made the following settlements, without prejudice, in respect of alleged equal opportunities breaches:

(i) in 1995 £5,000 was paid to a former employee. The case did not proceed to a tribunal or court.

(ii) in 1994 an out-of-court settlement of £25,000 was paid to a former employee. Industrial tribunal proceedings had been initiated.

In respect of other organisations, a without prejudice settlement for £20,875 was paid in 1995 to a former employee. The case did not proceed to a tribunal or court.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 18 March, Official Report, column 11, what rents were paid for the various buildings rented by the European Parliament in (a) Strasbourg, (b) Brussels and (c) Luxembourg; and if he will indicate the floor areas of the buildings, the purposes for which they are used, and the nature of any applicable rent reviews. [22360]

The information requested is as follows:

	1996 rent (£)	Floor area
Luxembourg		2140,000m
BAK building	8,593,930
NHE building	679,884
Schuman building	3,158,223
Senningerberg building	287,417
Tower building	1,504,316
Strasbourg		2120,000
Palais de L'Europe	664,084
IPE O, IPE I and IPE II	7,042,439
IPE III	4,016,552

	1996 rent (£)	Floor area
Brussels		2175,000m
Belliard I building	4,771,102
Belliard II building	1,210,748
Belliard III/IV building	4,328,590
Eastman building	270,054
Remorqueur building	251,708
Remard building	1,019,901
Van Maerlant building	3,232,279
D2 building	11,143,704

The Palais de 1'Europe in Strasbourg and the D2 building in Brussels contain debating chambers for plenary sessions of the European Parliament. Other buildings contain offices and meeting rooms.The figures for rent also include property tax. The rentals are calculated over 12 months on the basis of existing leases. They are not subject to periodic review, but the leases provide for indexing to the cost of living, or to construction costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will conduct a review of the presentation of Government policy on the European Union. [20683]

We have no such plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what television satellite services are available in St. Helena; at what cost to the consumer; and if he will make a statement. [22037]

Cable and Wireless receives and re-broadcasts the CNN international satellite television channel. The cost to the consumer consists of an installation charge, which varies according to consumers' particular requirements, and a service charge of £5 per month.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people in St. Helena are (a) employed in the private sector, (b) employed by the Government, (c) unemployed and (d) working on community projects. [22041]

There are (a) 786 people employed in the private sector, (b) 1,282 employed by the Government, (c) 254 unemployed and (d) 122 working on community projects.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which British Ministers have visited St. Helena in each of the past 22 years; and on what dates. [22033]

There has been one visit at ministerial level: the late Neil Marten represented the Minister for Overseas Development in January 1984.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the trades, businesses, professions and vocations approved by the governor of St. Helena since 1994 which are new to St. Helena, are likely to be continued in St. Helena and which have taken advantage of tax holidays. [22034]

Coffee production—one. Cabinet making—one. They have both taken advantage of tax holidays.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what banking licences have been granted on St. Helena in the past five years. [22038]

No banking licences have been granted on St. Helena in the past five years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what activities on St. Helena have been privatised in the past five years; and if he will make a statement. [22040]

No activities have been privatised in the past five years. However, the St. Helena Government have recently embarked on a public sector reform programme which they anticipate could lead to the privatisation of various activities and services in due course.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 6 March, Official Report, column 229, when he intends to announce the Government's decision on the introduction of a telecommunications key escrow. [22204]

As I made clear in my previous answer on 6 March, discussions on this important issue are continuing. It would be inappropriate to establish at this stage any artificial time constraints.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of satellite dish sales in (a) Wales, (b) England, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland in the last five years. [22235]

Estimated sales of satellite dishes in United Kingdom for each year from 1991 to 1995 are:

• 1991: 710,000
• 1992: 710,000
• 1993: 740,000
• 1994: 750,000
• 1995: 760,000

I am not aware of any statistics separately available for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what entitlements to paid leave for (a) part-time employees and (b) full-time employees are specified within the working time directive. [22267]

The directive specifies that every worker should be entitled to paid annual leave of the least four weeks a year in accordance with conditions for entitlement laid down by national legislation or practice. Member states may reduce this to three weeks for a transitional period of three years. The directive does not distinguish between part-time and full-time employees.

To ask the president of the Board of Trade what plans he has to investigate the effect of employment insecurity on productivity in relation to (a) small and medium-sized enterprises and (b) the economy. [22290]

The Department has no plans for research into this topic.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if in considering the Office of Fair Trading review of resale price maintenance on non-prescription medicines, he will take account of the viability of community pharmacies. [22199]

The Secretary of State has no statutory role or discretion in relation to the review being undertaken by the Office of Fair Trading. Representations concerning the viability of community pharmacies and other aspects of the review should be made direct to the Director General of Fair Trading.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what discussions he has had with the glass industry in developing more end-use markets and products for recycled glass; [21738](2) what recent discussions his Department has had with the bottling industry regarding the use of recycled glass. [21743]

My Department has funded an environmental technology innovation scheme project with British Glass to develop alternative uses for green waste glass—cullet. A number of interesting applications have been identified, such as foam glass building blocks, coffee tables, floor tiles and "glasphalt", and British Glass is now pursuing some of the more promising ideas under its own auspices. The environmental technology best practice programme will promote the results of projects aiming to increase the proportion of cullet used in UK glass industry. The Government frequently meet representatives of the glass container-making and using industries in the course of discussions on producer responsibility for packaging waste.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what studies his Department has commissioned to evaluate the enterprise potential of the manufacture of products from recycled material; [21741](2) what research his Department has initiated into the feasibility of expanding markets for products manufactured from recycled material. [21740]

My Department periodically commissions the recycling advisory unit of the national environmental technology centre to carry out and publish studies into the market prospects for a number of recycled materials, including paper, plastics, metals, glass and wood. These studies, which include an assessment of the technical and market barriers to increasing the use of material for recycling, are in the process of being brought up to date, and copies will be placed in the Library of the House when they are finalised.A number of projects under our ETIS and Euroenviron schemes of assistance had as their objective the development of new products using recycled materials, and the current environmental technology best practice programme will promote the results of projects aimed at increasing the use of waste paper and glass.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) how many companies are being considered for the purchase of British Coal Enterprise subsidiaries; and what criteria will be used against which to judge the suitability of the bids; [21742](2) what steps his Department is taking to ensure that workspace is sold to an appropriate purchaser with knowledge of and commitment to the regeneration of former coalfield communities through training and regeneration. [21812]

The sale of British Coal Enterprise is a matter for British Coal. When launching the sales process, British Coal indicated that it would be considering proposals for BCE in the light of its statutory duties and the importance of ensuring continuation of effective assistance to coalfield communities.The corporation has announced that two management buy-out teams have been identified as preferred bidders for the business funding and outplacement arms of BCE, and that Birkby plc has been identified as preferred bidder for BCE's workplace portfolio.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what recent discussions he has held about the disposal of British Coal Enterprise's property portfolio; who is to acquire it; from what date; what steps have been taken to ensure that the new owners continue to meet the needs of coalfield communities; and if he will make a statement. [22605]

The sale of British Coal Enterprise is a matter for British Coal. When launching the sales process, British Coal indicated that it would be considering proposals for BCE in the light of its statutory duties and the importance of ensuring continuation of effective assistance to coalfield communities.The corporation has announced that Birkby plc has been identified as preferred bidder for BCE's workspace activities. The corporation expects that the sales process will be concluded at or shortly after the end of March 1996.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade which former public sector research establishments in his Department have been privatised since 1979; and which public sector research establishments in his Department are currently undergoing reviews with a view to placing them in the private sector. [21947]

The National Engineering Laboratory was privatised by trade sale in October 1995. The National Measurement Accreditation Service—NAMAS—formerly part of the National Physical Laboratory, was merged with the National Accreditation Council for Certification Bodies—NACCB—formerly part of the British Standards Institution, in August 1995 to form the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, which was established as a non-profit distribution company limited by guarantee. The National Maritime Institute—formerly part of the National Physical Laboratory--was also privatised as a company limited by guarantee in October 1982, changing its name to NMI Ltd. The operation of the National Physical Laboratory was contracted-out in October 1995. Negotiations are currently under way with a preferred bidder for a trade sale of the Laboratory of the Government Chemist.No research establishments which fall within the area of responsibility of the research councils for which DTI is responsible have been privatised since 1979. The plant breeding activities of the former plant breeding institute were privatised by trade sale in October 1987, but the establishment itself remains in the pubic sector as part of the Institute of Plant Science Research.Commercially oriented research activity has formed. and will continue to form, part of the work of AEA Technology, which is also due to be privatised. This includes the rationalised activities of the Warren Spring Laboratory which were absorbed by AEA Technology in spring 1994.In terms of those research establishments currently under review, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Taunton (Mr. Nicholson) on 26 January 1996,

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to receive the annul report for the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service. [22983]

I am laying the ACAS report for 1995, before both Houses of Parliament today. Copies are available from the Vote Office.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to ensure that Ministers are aware of the views of the vice-chancellor concerning the use of selective quotations taken from the vice-chancellor's answers given at the press conference on 15 February. [17697]

The inquiry itself made it clear that Sir Richard Scott's views about selective quotation from his report applied to any summary of his report, whether by Government, Opposition or the media.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what study he has made as to the changes in employment levels in the last year in respect of businesses employing (a) over 20 people and (b) fewer than this figure; and if he will make a statement. [20697]

Estimates of the changes in employment levels during 1995 for businesses of different sizes are not available but it will be possible to derive such figures in future years from information held on the Central Statistical Office's interdepartmental business register.Some information is available from the labour force survey, but with respect to workplaces rather than businesses. Changes in employment levels between autumn 1994 and autumn 1995, in workplaces with

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the privatisation of the Insolvency Service. [20684]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Spelthorne (Mr. Wilshire) on 28 February 1996, Official Report, column 589.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals the Government have to increase the proportion of bilateral aid spent on meeting basic needs for poor people in poor countries. [20712]

We are committed to the goal of poverty eradication in poor countries but we do not set rigid targets about the quantity of aid going to the poor; we are instead most concerned to provide quality, effective aid which makes a lasting impact on basic needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in how many instances since 1979 aid has ceased because the country was judged no longer to need it. [20713]

We have ceased normal bilateral programmes in a number of better-off developing countries such as Korea and Singapore. ODA policy is to continue to concentrate aid further on the poorest countries where it is most needed, and can be used effectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the criteria used to allocate overseas aid. [20708]

The main criteria for allocating bilateral aid are the needs of the country concerned and the effectiveness with which aid can be used. A number of other factors, including good government, the commitment of recipients to political and economic reform and traditional ties with Britain, are also taken into account. There are also our obligations to multilateral organisations of which we are a member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current level of aid to Rwanda; what were the equivalent figures in the last financial year; what is proposed for the next financial year; and if he will make a statement. [20714]

In 1994–95, the United Kingdom spent more than £45 million in bilateral emergency aid in Rwanda. In 1995–96 we have committed more than £7 million in bilateral emergency and rehabilitation assistance. In addition, we have contributed £41.5 million to EU actions since April 1994. Future pledges will reflect needs and the capacity of the Government and implementing partners to deliver assistance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the level of aid devoted to sub-Saharan Africa in 1995–96. [20715]

Gross public expenditure on bilateral aid to sub-Saharan Africa in 1995–96 is expected to total nearly £347 million. Africa is also a major recipient of multilateral assistance, to which Britain makes significant contribution—estimated at over £355 million in 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the visit to the office of the Minister for Overseas Development of the right hon. Member for Tonbridge and Malling (Sir J. Stanley) and the hon. Member for Linlithgow about aid to Nepal, following the Inter-Parliamentary Union visit, what decisions he has arrived at regarding the Lumle agricultural research station. [20851]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on 29 January, Official Report, column 506, and to the letter he received from my right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development dated 8 February 1996.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list, by value of assistance, the fishing projects being supported by the St. Helena Development Agency. [22035]

No fishing projects are being supported by the St. Helena development agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what have been the costs to public funds of supporting the operation of RMS St. Helena in each of the past five years. [22043]

The cost of the shipping subsidy and associated costs in each of the last five financial years is:

• 1991–92: £0.920 million
• 1992–93: £1.389 million
• 1993–94: £1.071 million
• 1994–95: £1.152 million
• 1995–96: £1.346 million (estimate)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how many (a) females and (b) males normally resident in St. Helena have commenced higher education courses (i) on the island and (ii) overseas in each academic year since 1990; [22030](2) how many

All higher education courses have commenced in the United Kingdom. The numbers are:

Academic year	Male	Female
1990–91	1	8
1991–92	—	5
1992–93	7	7
1993–94	4	5
1994–95	1	9
1995–96	2	5

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what constraints have been removed on fisheries under the St. Helena five-year development plan. [22032]

The principal constraints to the development of an economically viable local fishery at St. Helena are related to its isolated location and to the limited natural resource base available for exploitation. St. Helena's geographical isolation does not permit easy or rapid access to markets, and the lack of a safe haven with associated vessel maintenance facilities precludes the operation of larger locally based fishing vessels. The Overseas Development Administration has worked closely with the Government of St. Helena, the St. Helena Fisheries Corporation and the island's fishing community to promote the development of a viable small-scale commercial fishery. To this end, the Administration, since 1978, has invested more than £3 million in a series of technical assistance and development aid projects. The Fisheries Corporation is now considering how best to expand throughput to meet demand and to develop its export marketing strategy further.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the staff employed by the St. Helena development agency who have previously worked with British development agencies, indicating for how long each employee worked for the relevant agency. [22036]

No staff employed by the St. Helena development agency have previously worked with British development agencies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the expert staff for key posts on St. Helena who are provided by the British Government. [22042]

The key posts provided by the British Government are:

• Mr. David Smaliman: Governor
• Mr. John G. Penott: Chief Secretary
• Mr. Robert J. Penott: Financial Secretary
• Mr. David Jeremiah: Attorney General
• Mr. Kenneth Jones: Chief Auditor
• Mr. Chris Lomas: Chief Agricultural and Forestry Officer
• Dr. John Sharpe: Chief Medical Officer
• Mr. Keith Jones: Chief Engineer

ODA is also funding the costs of an additional 13 expatriates working within St. Helena Government Departments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what budgetary aid by category he is providing to St. Helena during the current financial year. [22044]

The budgetary aid provision for St. Helena in 1995–96 is £3.56 million. This is a single grant in aid intended to supplement the St. Helena Government's overall public expenditure budget.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what non-governmental organisations have been established on St. Helena for electricity and water supplies. [22039]

None. However, the St. Helena Government are currently considering a consultancy report which may lead to a restructuring of the electricity and water undertakings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the procedure for processing complaints from members of the public about procurator fiscal offices. [21215]

My noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate informs me that the Crown Office has recently completed a review of its complaints system. The revised system, which is about to be implemented, involves the introduction of a standard form for noting complaints. This will form the basis of a central record of the types of complaints received by the Department and the outcome of inquiries into those complaints.The Crown Office has also produced a leaflet which will be available to members of the public and which will describe the procedure for making complaints and the way in which they will be handled. Complaints will be investigated by or under the supervision of procurators fiscal, regional procurators fiscal or the Crown agent as appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions disciplinary action was taken against employees of the procurator fiscal service as a result of complaints from members of the public in each of the last five years. [21217]

The Crown Office has no record of disciplinary action being taken against any member of staff in the last five years as a result of complaints from members of the public.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many complaints about the operation of the Glasgow procurator fiscal office he has received from members of the public in each of the last five years; [21216](2) how many complaints against the operation of procurator fiscal offices in Scotland he received in each of the past five years. [21214]

My noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate informs me that this information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost as there is no central record of the number of complaints made about the operation of procurator fiscal offices. The procurator fiscal at Glasgow has checked his records for 1995 and 1996 to date. During that period only one written complaint was received from a member of the public about the actions of a member of his staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the work of the procurator fiscal service in respect of on-going staff training and development. [21218]

My noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate informs me that the Crown Office and procurator fiscal service committed to the principles of "Investors in People" in December 1994. A departmental training and development group works with regional groups to take forward the training and development of staff in accordance with a training strategy agreed by senior management which addressed induction, core and development needs of each staff group. The group is currently revising competences which will form the basis of performance appraisal and be a foundation for future training. The link between competences and vocational qualifications is under consideration. The training strategy reflects the overall objectives, values and business requirements of the organisation and includes an objective to provide training on a complaints system which is about to be implemented.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many cases have come before the sheriff courts in each sheriffdom under the small claims procedures in the last three years. [22442]

The information requested in relation to small claims initiated is shown in the table.

Sheriffdom	1993	1994	1995
Glasgow and Strathkelvin	11,322	10,401	10,240
Grampian, Highland and Islands	12,175	11,024	9,149
Lothian and Borders	12,733	12,116	11,584
North Strathclyde	11,430	8,646	8,306
South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway	12,026	9,966	8,917
Tayside, Central and Fife	13,028	11,849	11,481
Total	72,714	64,002	59,677

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people have been deregistered from their dentist since 1992 in each health board area; and if he will make a statement. [20875]

Information supplied by health boards about deregistration is listed in the table:

Number of patients deregistered from April 1992 to February 1996 by Health Board
Health Board	Number of patients de-registered1
Argyll and Clyde	2,349
Ayrshire and Arran	1,817
Borders	2,156
Dumfries and Galloway	7,033
Fife	1,535
Forth Valley	576
Grampian	3,302
Greater Glasgow	2,231
Highland	1,448
Lanarkshire	903
Lothian	4,127
Orkney	—
Shetland	—
Tayside	21,677
Western Isles	53
Total	29,207
1 The total is the number deregistered by dentists for reasons other than the dentist moving, relocating, non-payment of bills etc or because a patient has entered into a private contract with the dentist. The information was supplied for management purposes only and is not statistically validated.
2 From July 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 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. [21512]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list projects in which Amey Construction Ltd. were employed by the Scottish Office as contractors, by subject and by value, in the financial years 1994–95 and 1995–96. [22028]

Amey Construction Ltd. is currently employed by the Scottish Office on only one project, a joint venture with Miller Construction to upgrade the A 1 trunk road between Haddington and Tranent.The contract was let during financial year 1994–95 and is worth £26.61 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what assessment she has made of the impact of redundancy costs on the Royal Opera House. [18226]

Central Government support for the arts in England is channelled through the Arts Council of England. The council works closely with its client bodies, including the Royal Opera House, in assessing the artistic, financial and management implications of forecast budgets and other plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many human embryos have to date been licensed for creation and storage by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority; in how many of those cases the period of maximum storage for which consent was given was less than five years; in how many of those cases in which the authorised storage period has passed the embryos have been (a) implanted, (b) destroyed, (c) used for research purposes and (d) experienced other outcomes; and if he will make a statement on the action the authority takes to ensure that maximum storage periods are not exceeded and that embryos which reach the end of the authorised storage period die in a manner consistent with their status. [19654]

The records of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority show that the number of embryos created in IVF treatment in the period 1 August 1991 to 1994 inclusive—latest available figures—was 302,156. Of these, the number of embryos placed in store during the same period was 64,161. Information on the number of people who consented to a storage period of fewer than five years and the purpose for which consent was given is not held centrally. This information is contained on the consent forms which are held by patients and the licensed centres.The HFEA's code of practice sets out the action necessary in licensed centres to sustain appropriate standards in the storage of embryos. Copies of the code of practice are available in the Library. Licensed centres are held to account for compliance with the code of practice when the HFEA carried out its annual inspection of centres.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 4 March, Official Report, column 67, how many live babies were born from the human embryos frozen between 1991 and 1994; and what percentage of the number of embryos frozen this represents. [20385]

The number of embryos used in treatment cycles during the period 1 August 1991 to 1994 inclusive includes embryos frozen prior to 1991. The number of babies born from frozen embryos during the period 1 August 1991 to 1994 inclusive was 1,339.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women had embryos implanted from 1991 to 1994 under the terms of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990; and how much was paid in fees for treatment by these women over the same period. [20386]

The number of women who had embryos transferred to the uterus in the period 1 August 1991 to 1994 inclusive was 36,867. The Department of Health does not collect information about fees paid for treatment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many human embryos have been frozen in each year since the practice was first sanctioned by law. [18317]

[pursuant to his reply, 4 March 1996, c. 67]: I regret that there was an error in the information provided. The correct reply should read as follows.As recorded in the records of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the number of embryos placed in store following in-vitro fertilisation treatment in each year was as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many frozen human embryos have been experimented on and then destroyed since the practice was first sanctioned by law; [18318](2) how many unfrozen human embryos have been experimented on and then destroyed since the practice was first sanctioned by law. [18319]

[pursuant to his reply, 4 March 1996, c. 67]: I regret that there were two errors in the information provided.The total number of embryos created in in-vitro fertilisation treatment from 1 August 1991 to 1994 inclusive was 302,156, not 498,493. Of these, the number donated for research during the same period was 27,524, not 27,493, as previously stated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many human embryos were used in treatment cycles from 1991 to 1994. [19787]

[pursuant to his reply, 8 March 1996, c. 386]: I regret that there was an error in the information provided.As recorded in the records of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the number of embryos used in treatment cycles between 1 August 1991 and 1994 inclusive was 139,973, not 140,410, as stated previously. This includes fresh and frozen embryos.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many human embryos were destroyed between 1991 and 1994 at the request of their parents. [19788]