To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what assessment he has made of the advantages of establishing a standby military headquarters unit within the UN department of peacekeeping operations in New York; [30732](2) what is his policy in respect of developing and strengthening the ability of the United Nations to undertake effective and detailed military planning; and if he will make a statement; [30733](3) what proposals he has in respect of the development of

The proposal to establish a standby headquarters unit is a natural extension of earlier work by the Secretary-General which identified the need to strengthen the UN's capacity to conduct and plan peacekeeping operations and which the UK has fully supported. The Secretary-General has already taken important steps to improve the UN's capabilities, in particular by the development of a mission planning service. Increasing the operational effectiveness of the UN is one of the Government's principal foreign policy objectives and both the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are involved in discussions aimed at continuing to take these initiatives forward. To give practical help, we currently attach nine military officers and one civil servant to the department of peacekeeping operations, and we continue to co-operate fully with the UN standby forces planning team.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what targets he has set for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency in 1996–97.[31518]

The targets set for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency in 1996–97 are as follows:

(a) Consistent with achieving an average of at least 6 per cent. return on capital employed over a period of three years, the target for 1996–97 is 4 per cent.

(b) Increase DERA overall utilisation target from 57 per cent. in 1995–96 to 62.4 per cent. in 1996–97.

(c) Increase DERA overall milestone delivery target from 84 per cent. in 1995–96 to 89 per cent. in 1996–97.

(d) Increase DERA overall customer satisfaction as measured by the annual survey from 27 percentile points above average in 1995–96 to 30 percentile points in 1996–97.

(e) To establish an effective capability measurement system through technical assessment and to measure an improvement in the DRA sectors and two protection and life sciences division sectors.

(f) To have met by 31 March 1997 all the 1996–97 rationalisation project milestones.

(g) To achieve a non-MOD income of £117 million.

(h) To achieve formal quality certification to ISO 9000 for all DRA and DERA support services division sectors, plus the centre for defence analysis and the chemical and electronics sector and centre for human sciences sectors of PLSD.

(i) All division except the defence test and evaluation organisation to demonstrate an improvement in staff satisfaction, and to demonstrate improvements in the working environment, career development and training, and reward and recognition. DTEO to participate to form a baseline.

(j) To establish a methodology for measuring technology transfer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 16 May, Official Report, column 560, if he will list the minor defects identified on the merchant vessel Kapitan Mezentsyev [30731]

The following defects were identified: A fractured starboard fibreglass lifeboat; inoperable davit switches; badly maintained winch falls and davit; a repair required on a fire station in the after steering compartment and an inoperable watertight door.All these were remedied at once, and the vessel inspected to the satisfaction of the US authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will issue a further consultative document on the Defence police and guarding structure.[31598]

This consultative document was issued on 29 May. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the scientific information that has been made available to the Committee on Safety of Medicines since November 1995; and on what dates the committee considered that evidence. [31287]

Proceedings of meetings of the committee are confidential.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what dates the National Audit Office most recently examined the Medicines Control Agency; and what assessment the National Audit Office made of expenditure relating to the sub-committees of the Committee on Safety of Medicines. [31288]

The National Audit Office audit of the Medicines Control Agency's 1995–96 accounts is currently in progress. The audit of the 1994–95 account was completed in May 1995. In the course of that audit the National Audit Office reviewed MCA expenditure generally. No comment was received with regard to expenditure relating to the sub-committees of the Committee on Safety of Medicines.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what level of general practitioner fundholders saving in each region has been spent other than by fundholders themselves, in each of the last four years. [29666]

[holding answer 16 May 1996]: Fundholders may choose to return savings for wider use in the national health service. Information about savings returned in this way will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 11 December 1995, Official Report column 521, which advisers were given the elements of the data on desogestrel and gestodene; and on which dates. [31289]

Communications between the Licensing Authority and its independent safety advisers are confidential.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 11 December 1995, Official Report, column 521, on what dates in 1989, 1991 and 1995 the Committee on Safety of Medicines reviewed the safety of oral contraceptives containing desogestrel and gestodene. [31286]

The safety of oral contraceptives containing gestodene or desogestrel was reviewed in March 1989, February 1991, May 1995 and October 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the estimates made by the Medicines Control Agency of the incidence of venous thromboembolism associated with, (a) desogestrel, (b) gestodene and (c) levonorgestrel both in June 1995 and on 13 October 1995. [31276]

In June 1995, information on the incidence of venous thromboembolism with specific combined oral contraceptives preparations was not available. By 13 October 1995 new information had become available which provided the following estimates of the incidence of venous thromboembolism: for oral contraceptives containing levonorgestrel approximately 15 cases per 100,000 women each year, for oral contraceptives containing gestodene or desogestrel approximately 30 cases per 100,000 women each year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health from what location the 190,000 letters relating to oral contraceptives containing desogestrel or gestodene were dispatched. [31277]

Horndean, Hampshire.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his officials made prior to despatch of the "Dear Doctor" letter of 18 October 1995 relating to oral contraceptives of the proportion of letters that would be received by doctors prior to the public announcement scheduled for the afternoon of Thursday 19 October 1995. [31278]

I refer the hon. Member to the statement my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made on 23 October 1995 at columns 701–2. The letters were posted by first class post on Wednesday 18 October 1995. Officials expected that most doctors would receive a copy of the letter, by means of at least one of the three mechanisms of communication used, prior to the public announcement scheduled for Thursday 19 October 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the dates on which Ministers received updates regarding the analysis of the World Health Organisation study; and whether Ministers asked the Medicines Control Agency to seek the advice from the Committee on Safety of Medicines on 13 October 1995. [31279]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 7 March at column 321. Ministers were not updated regarding the analysis of the World Health Organisation's study between July and October since there was no material change in the findings of the study.It is normal practice for the Medicines Control Agency to seek the committee's advice on all safety issues with medicines which have important public health implications. Ministers did not ask the MCA to seek the advice of the Committee on Safety of Medicines on this issue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date, and at what time, the press conference as originally scheduled was made known to the media; and on what date and at what time the revised timing of the public announcement was made available to the media. [31280]

The public announcement last year about the safety of certain oral contraceptives was originally planned as a press notice, to be issued in the afternoon of 19 October, having allowed time for doctors and pharmacists to receive the information already sent to them. As a result of inquiries from the electronic media, which were received from 9 am that day, it was decided to bring the announcement forward to 12 noon so that it could inform lunchtime news coverage on radio and television. The Department does not keep records showing the precise times at which the media are informed of forthcoming press conferences.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) of 19 December 1995, Official Report, column 1153, what steps his officials took to establish that data collection for the transnational study had been completed and if the stage in the recruitment process was communicated to the Committee on Safety of Medicines prior to or during its meeting on 13 October 1995.[31281]

Officials from the Medicines Control Agency asked the investigators of the transnational study what stage had been reached in recruitment for their study. They were informed that the data on venous thromboembolism were complete but identification of cases of myocardial infarction was still in progress and it was understood that substantive data would not be available for one to two years. The Committee on Safety of Medicines were informed of this at the meeting on 13 October 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his officials contributed to the drafting of a letter attributed to the chairman of the Committee on Safety of Medicines which was published in the British Medical Journal of 4 November 1995. [31282]

The letter was written by the chairman of the Committee on Safety of Medicines, who discussed its contents with officials before finalising it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) of 19 December 1955, Official Report, column 1149, if he will list the United Kingdom representatives on the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products in October 1995. [31283]

The two members of the Committee representing the United Kingdom competent authority are Dr. Susan Wood and Dr. David Jefferys.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) of 19 December 1995, Official Report, column 1149, which of the United Kingdom representatives on the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products made the formal request that the safety of oral contraceptives containing desogestrel and gestodene be placed on the agenda for the meeting of the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products on 17 and 18 October 1995. [31284]

Dr. Susan Wood, representing the United Kingdom competent authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 11 December 1995, Official Report, column 522, if Professor John Guillebaud attended the meeting on 10 October 1995 relating to desogestrel and gestodene. [31285]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) on19 December 1995 at column 1151.

To ask the Prime Minister what proposals there are to change the 1996–97 cash limit or running costs limit for the Cabinet Office other services vote. [31583]

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for the Cabinet Office other services, class XVIII, vote 1, will be increased by £741,000 from £36,941,000 to £37,682,000 and the running costs limit will be increased by £741,000 from £39,845,000 to £40,586,000.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proposals there are to change the 1996–97 cash limit or running costs limit for the Office of Public Service and Her Majesty's Stationery Office.[31597]

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary and revised estimates, the cash limit for the Office of Public Service, class XVII, vote 1, will be increased by £434,000 from £173,540,000 to £173,974,000 and the gross running cost limit will be decreased by £14,411,000 from £88,512,000 to £74,101,000. The cash limit for stationery and printing payments to Her Majesty's Stationery Office, class XVII, vote 4, will be reduced by £1,091,000 from £2,282,000 to £1,191,000. The changes reflect the transfer from HMSO to the Office of Public Service, from the expected date of its sale, of the subsidy to public libraries on Government and other publications, and the supply of publications to United Kingdom members of the European Parliament together with the costs of the HMSO residual body; the transfer of provision for central services to the Cabinet Office: other services, class XVIII, vote 1; and the transfer of the Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency and Occupational Health and Safety Agency from gross to net running costs. The increase in the cash limit for the Office of Public Service will be offset by a transfer and will not, therefore, add to the planned total of public expenditure.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes are proposed to the Treasury's running costs and cash limits in 1996–97. [31737]

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary revised estimate, the running costs limit for class XVI, vote 1 will be reduced by £804,000 from £58,122,000 to £57,318,000. The cash limit remains unchanged. The reduction reflects savings which will meet the cost of advisers fees in connection with the privatisation of certain Paymaster functions, which is still subject to ministerial decision.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes are proposed to the Registry of Friendly Societies' cash and running costs limits in 1996–97. [31738]

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class XVI, vote 9, the Registry of Friendly Societies will be increased by £1,330,000 from £6,340,000 to £7,670,000. The increase is required for additional capital expenditure in respect of the registry's relocation to Victory house in 1996–97.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what targets he has set for the Buying Agency. [31592]

Following the transfer of the agency from the Department of the Environment on 1 January, I have set targets for 1996 as follows:

• Financial
• 1. To generate a return on capital employed of 8 per cent.—this was applied to the last six months of 1995 and was achieved.
• 2. To achieve a growth in sales of the core business of 20 per cent.—the outturn for 1995 was £137 million.
• Productivity
• 3. To reduce the basic cost per £ of core business sales to 2.6p—the outturn for 1995 was 2.8p, additional development costs in 1996 will not be included in this target.
• 4. To retain all existing utilities business and achieve a 4 per cent. increase in the number of customers—this is a new target.
• Customer satisfaction
• 5. To deliver 93 per cent. of all direct orders by the due date—the outturn for 1995 was 92 per cent.
• 6. To resolve 95 per cent. of all customer complaints in one month and the rest within three months—the outturn for 1995 was 94 per cent.
• Internal quality
• 7. To gain accreditation as "Investors in People"—this is a new target.
• Environmental
• 8. To create an environmental effects register of TBA's activities as described in the BS 7750 standard—this is a new target.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of mortgage interest tax relief would have been in each year since 1994–95 if relief had been available at 25 per cent. [30193]

The total cost of mortgage interest relief and the estimated cost if relief was available at 25 per cent., for the years 1994–95 to 1996–97 for the UK as a whole, are as follows:

		£ million
	Cost of mortgage interest relief	Cost of relief if available at 25 per cent.
1994–95	3,500	4,400
1995–96	2,700	4,500
1996–971	2,500	4,200
1 Estimates for 1996–97 are provisional. They are based on the assumption, by convention, of no change from the current estimated average building society interest rate of 7.03 per cent.

The rate of relief in 1994–95 was 20 per cent. From 1995–96 onwards it has been 15 per cent.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons the medical aid recombinant factor 8 is not zero-rated; and if he will now zero rate it. [31088]

In 1977 the then Government agreed with other member states, under the terms of the EC sixth VAT directive, not to extend the scope of our existing VAT zero rates and so it is not now possible to zero rate these products.Human blood and substances derived from it, including plasma-derived factor 8, are exempt from VAT under items 6 and 7 of group 7 of schedule 9 to the Value Added Tax Act 1994. However, recombinant factor 8, being synthetic and not derived from human blood, does not fall within this exemption and so is subject to VAT at the standard rate.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the number of people who pay income tax on invalid care allowance; and how much was received in tax on invalid care allowance in 1995–96. [30713]

[holding answer 4 June 1996]: The estimated revenue yield for 1995–96 is about £5 million. This is an estimate of the income tax attributable on the benefit, by applying the recipients' average rate of income tax on the whole of their income to the amount of benefit received. About 100,000 individuals who receive invalid care allowance were liable to income tax.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Chipping Barnet (Sir S. Chapman) of 15 May, Official Report, column 489 on the future of the Commission for the New Towns, what representations he has received on the need for an overarching body to control the sale of assets by (a) his Department, (b) the Ministry of Defence and (c) other Departments of State, with particular reference to the impact of sales of land on land values in new town areas. [31016]

We see no case for setting up an overarching body. The announcement on 15 May concerned the assets, rights and liabilities of new towns, urban development corporations and housing action trusts only. We believe that this proposal provides the best way of maximising returns to the Exchequer from sales of land in new town areas and for handling residual matters from the urban development corporations and housing action trusts effectively and economically. The general policy on disposing of Government land is a matter for my right hon. Friend and the learned Chancellor of the Exchequer.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements he is putting in place for the consideration of further changes to the system of development plans prepared under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. [31792]

On 13 March I published proposals to amend the code of practice on development plans and the development plan regulations in order to help speed up the process of adoption by local authorities of area-wide local plans and unitary development plans. The changes proposed in those documents have been broadly welcomed and, subject to consideration of the detailed comments received, will be implemented as soon as possible. I also indicated that I had not ruled out further changes, if these were wanted by the users of the development plan system. Meetings are now being held with a range of organisations representing those with an interest in the operation of the system, including the local authorities, developers and environmental groups. Suggestions for change can also be submitted in writing to: The Secretary, Development plans review, room C13/20, 2 Marsham street, London SW1P 3EB, to arrive not later than 30 June. If it is decided to bring forward further firm proposals for changes to the system, these will be subject to consultation in the usual way.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the interdepartmental working group on blight will issue a paper summarising the main issues for consideration. [31793]

A paper has been published today, and copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House. The paper, which covers the whole of Great Britain, seeks views on whether any practical changes can be made to the existing arrangements for property purchase and compensation, bearing in mind the particular concerns of the Select Committee on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Bill about those whose properties decline in value because of the perception of potential purchases rather than because of any physical effects.Comments are invited by 31 July from all those with an interest in generalised blight.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to change his Department's cash and running costs limits for 1996–97. [31802]

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary revised and summer supplementary estimates, the following cash limit changes will be made.The cash limit for class VI, vote 1—housing and construction, England—covering sections A, D to G and J to L of that vote, will be decreased by £10,950,000 from £341,518,000 to £330,568,000. This change reflects transfers of £2,000,000 to provide for a new asylum seekers' special housing grant which will not be cash limited; £5,200,000 to class VI, vote 2—regeneration, countryside and wildlife—and a transfer of £4,300,000 within the rough sleepers initiative from current to capital expenditure, the latter of which falls within the DOE/HC non-voted cash limit. The decreases are partially offset by an increase of £550,000 in Housing Corporation administration provision.The DOE/HC—Housing Corporation—cash limit will be increased by £4,300,000 from £1,030,199,000 to £1,034,499,000 because of the transfer of provision for the rough sleepers initiative from current to capital expenditure.The cash limit for class VI, vote 2—regeneration, countryside and wildlife—will be increased by £6,656,000 from £1,452,787,00 to £1,459,443,000. This reflects a transfer of £5,200,000 from class VI, vote 1—housing and construction—to the Docklands light railway and the London docklands development corporation to cover repair costs following the bombing at south quay in February 1996. An increase of £1,456,000 is also required to pay European regional development fund claims not accepted for payment by the European Community. The increase will be met by a transfer from the DOE/ERDF non-voted cash limit and will therefore not add to the planned control total of public expenditure.The DOE/RCW—regeneration, countryside and wildlife—non-voted cash limit will also be increased by £6,656,000 from £1,434,387,000 to £1,441,043,000 for the reasons given in paragraph 4.The DOE/ERDF—European regional development fund—non-voted cash limit will be reduced by £1,440,000 from £184,222,000 to £182,782,000. This reflects a transfer of £16,000 from the Department of Health for the St. Gabriel's church scheme and a transfer of £1,456,000 to DOE/RCW for the new ERDF sections to cover gross payments in place of European Community receipts.The external financing limit for urban development corporations will be increased by £5,200,000 to £207,050,000 to cover repair costs for Docklands light railway and London docklands development corporation following the bombing at south quays. The external financing limit for the Urban Regeneration Agency, English Partnerships, will be increased by £13,652,000 for provision for current spending which was incorrectly omitted from the introduction to the 1996–97 supply estimates.The cash limit for class VI, vote 4—local government and planning, England—covering sections A to F of that vote, will be reduced by £80,000 from £31,128,167,000 to £31,128,087,000 to reflect reductions in the payments made to the Valuation Office Agency in section A valuation services. The savings will be used within vote 4, to cover a payment in South Yorkshire fire and civil defence authority under the Bellwin scheme in section H, other grants, which is outside the cash limit on the vote.All the increases will be offset either by savings or transfers from other Government Departments and will not, therefore, add to the planned total of public expenditure.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what comparative studies he had initiated of the policies and principles informing the time scale for full dismantling of nuclear power generating plants in (a) the USA, (b) France and (c) Germany; and if he will make a statement. [31084]

None.All UK nuclear power generating plants but one are gas cooled, whereas almost all the plants in the three countries identified are water cooled. There would, therefore, be little purpose in conducting such studies.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the advertising budget for nuclear privatisation in the current year; and what it has been in each of the last two years. [31142]

[holding answer 4 June 1996]: There was no expenditure on advertising for the privatisation of the nuclear industry in the year 1994–95. Actual expenditure on privatisation of the nuclear industry, including advertising, will be reported to Parliament in the normal way.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what changes will be made to his Department's cash and running costs limits for 1996–97. [31801]

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary revised estimate, the cash limit for class IV, vote 1—programmes and administration—will be reduced by £8,416,000 from £1,310,071,000 to £1,301,655,000. This net reduction results from:

(i) the transfer on to the vote of the external financing limit of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (-£5,600,000);

(ii) a reduction of expenditure on both international subscriptions (-£2,461,000) and consultancy (-£210,000) the sum of which will be used to find a non-voted increase in the external financing limit of Companies House; and

(iii) the transfer of responsibility for Southampton buildings to the Department of National Heritage (-£145,000).

Within this total, the gross running cost limit for the Department of Trade and Industry is being increased by £4,800,000 from £3,359,237,000 to £364,037,000. This change comprises:

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what targets he has set his Department's Radiocommunications Agency for 1996–97. [31799]

I have set my Department's Radiocommunications Agency the following quality of service targets for 1996–97 in respect of its licensing work and enforcement activities. These are in addition to achieving an overall efficiency improvement of 6 per cent. over 1995–96 and to continue to recover the full costs of its activities from customers.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will report on the consultation exercise recently undertaken by his Department in relation to the European Commission's communication on worker information and consultation. [31803]

I have today placed a summary of the responses to the consultation in the Library of the House, together with a copy of the Government's response to the European Commission's communication.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what targets he has set his Department's National Weights and Measures Laboratory for 1996–97. [31800]

I have set National Weights and Measures Laboratory the following targets for 1996–97:

• to ensure that external fee-earning activities remain self-financing;
• to reduce the real cost of a programme hour by 1 per cent.;
• to complete 85 per cent. of European type approvals within 10 weeks;
• to complete 95 per cent. of all calibration jobs—including preparation of certificates—within 18 working days.

On moving to net running costs control, I expect NWML to meet its net vote target in 1996–97.In addition, I expect the chief executive of NWML to continue to reply within 10 working days to all letters from Members of Parliament delegated to him for reply.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to visit the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; and if he will make a statement. [30259]

[holding answer 22 May 1996]: Diary commitments preclude my visiting the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the foreseeable future.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the operation of the two pilot schemes running in Manchester and Harlow under the information society initiative. [30728]

[holding answer 4 June 1996]: The information society initiative pilot local support centres at Manchester and Harlow are both open. The Manchester centre, based at the national computing centre, was formally opened on 13 February and the Harlow centre, which is based at the Harlow information and technology training centre, ITEC, was opened on 19 March 1996.Both have facilities for businesses to get "hand-on" experience of using the Internet, world wide web, etcetera for commercial purposes, to encourage electronic commerce, and provide advice sessions and training courses for small businesses. Both are working with local business link partnerships in the development of services. The Manchester centre has been running training course for business link advisers and counsellors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the gross annual cost of increasing the basic state pension by (a) £5, (b) £10 and (c) £20 a week; what would be (x) the annual savings in means-tested benefits and (y) increased Treasury receipts from income tax if the basic state pension was increased by (i) £5, (ii) £10 and (iii) £20 a week; and what increase in national insurance contributions would be needed to meet the net cost from increasing the basic state pension by (1) £5, (2) £10 and (3) £20 a week. [30165]

The information is in the tables:

Cost and benefit effects of increases to basic state pension 1996–97 prices
£ billion
	Gross cost to national insurance fund	Saving in income related benefits	Increase in treasury income tax receipts
Basic retirement pension increased by £5	2.7	0.7	0.2
Basic retirement pension increased by £10	5.4	1.5	0.5
Basic retirement pension increased by £20	10.8	2.9	1.1

1. Estimates of cost to the national insurance fund are supplied by the Government Actuary's department.2. Calculations are based on increasing basic retirement pension only and assume that increases are applied to all recipients of any basic RP.3. Savings in income-related benefits are calculated using the policy simulation model 1996–97, based on the family expenditure surveys 1991, 1992 and 1993.4. Income tax effects have been calculated by the Inland Revenue using a projection of the 1994 family expenditure survey and are provisional.5. All cost are rounded to the nearest £100 million, 1996£97 prices.

Effects of increasing basic state pension on class 1 national insurance contribution rates
		Percentage
	Employee main rate	Employer main rate
Current rates	10.0	10.2
Basic retirement pension increased by £5	10.8	10.7
Basic retirement pension increased by £10	11.6	11.3
Basic retirement pension increased by £20	13.4	12.4

1. Rates are rounded to the nearest 0.1 per cent.2. The new contribution rates are derived by maintaining equity between the burden of extra contributions borne by the employee and the employer for an employee on average earnings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the types of non-advanced courses which are recognised for the purpose of claiming child benefit for a child aged between 16 and 19 years. [30240]

The administration of child benefit 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 what monitoring the Child Support Agency undertakes (a) of the number of its clients who become insolvent following its intervention and (b) of the change in the number of clients becoming insolvent; and what procedures the agency adopts to avoid a client becoming insolvent following its intervention. [30692]

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 if he will list (a) the number of (i) male and (ii) female employees, (b) the number of officials employed at each of the principal grades and the numbers and percentages of women employed at each of these grades and (c) the number of staff employed at administrative grades and the numbers and percentage of these staff who are women in his Department on 1 April. [30555]

The information is set out in the tables:

Permanent staff in post at l April 1996
	Number
Male	31,709
Female	65,797

Principal grades
Grade	Total staff	Total women	Percentage women
1–4	29	8	27.6
5	105	25	23.8
6	434	130	30.0
7	641	165	25.7
Senior Executive Officer	1,256	381	30.3
Higher Executive Officer	5,204	2,394	46.0
Executive Officer	26,314	16,513	62.8
Total	33,983	19,616	57.7

Administrative grades
Grade	Total staff	Total women	Percentage women
Administrative Officer	48.982	36,409	74.3
Administrative Assistant	11,452	7,876	68.8
Total	60,434	44,285	73.2

Staff numbers in grades not regarded as either principal or administrative, e.g. support grade bands 1 and 2
Total staff	Total women	Percentage women
3,089	1,896	61.4

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many registered disabled people are employed by his Department; and what percentage this is of the total figures. [30772]

The Department employs 1,675 registered disabled people. This represents 1.8 per cent. of the total number of staff employed by this Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the savings to the Benefits Agency of the arrangements whereby mail hand-delivered to the agency in Stockport is re-delivered to that agency by the Royal Mail via Crewe. [31054]

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, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Southport (Mr. Banks) of 15 May, Official Report column 451 (1) how many home visits were made by Benefits Agency staff for the periods (a) April 1980 to April 1984, (b) April 1985 to April 1989, (c) April 1990 to April 1991 and (d) April 1992 to April 1994; [31089](2) if he will make a statement on the discrepancy between the figures quoted in the answer and the answer given to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Garscadden (Mr. Dewar) on 19 July 1995,

The information is not available in the format requested as figures on some areas of work are not collated nationally. Such information as is available is set out in the table:The error in the written answer given to the hon. Member for Garscadden related to the number of effective supplementary benefit visits for April 1979 to March 1980. This was due to a clerical error and resulted from double counting of data.The table also includes data on effective contributory benefit visits in 1979–80 and 1984–85 which were erroneously omitted from my written answer of 15 May to the hon. Member for Southport (Mr. Banks).

	Effective supplementary benefit/income support visits	Effective contributory benefit visits
18 April 1979–15 April 1980	—	428,784
16 April 1980–14 April 1981	3,490,320	309,094
15 April 1981–13 April 1982	3,554,302	220,495
14 April 1982–12 April 1983	3,385,476	180,068
13 April 1983–10 April 1984	3,515,234	128,778
11 April 1984–9 April 1985	—	129,627
10 April 1985–8 April 1986	2,356,203	129,664
9 April 1986–7 April 1987	1,578,038	352,728
8 April 1987–8 April 1988	1,228,694	174,653
11 April 1988–31 March 1989	960,746	n/a

	Effective supplementary benefit/income support visits	Effective contributory benefit visits
April 1990–March 1991	580,900	n/a
April 1992–March 1993	509,722	n/a
April 1993–March 1994	505,507	n/a

1. The table includes supplementary benefit and income support visits for all the periods requested and contributory benefits visits for April 1980 to April 1988.2. The contributory benefits figures include visits made to employers in relation to national insurance contributions.3. Information is not available for contributory benefits for 1988–89, 1990–91, 1992–93 and 1993–94 as there were no figures collated for this period.4. Data in respect of periods prior to 1989 may not be directly these comparable with one in respect of later periods as the Benefits Agency no longer holds detailed guidance on interpretation of the earlier data.5. Contributory benefit data were not collected for the period April 1990 to March 1994.6. Data are provisional and subject to amendment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he plans to make a statement on the review of the role of the Access Committee for England. [31735]

I am pleased that the review acknowledged the valuable work undertaken by the Access Committee for England in providing a forum for discussion that involves all interested parties and in fostering local access groups. The review also found that the committee's ministerial advisory role had worked less well. This finding, allied with the setting up of the National Disability Council to advise the Government on issues relating to discrimination against disabled people, has persuaded me and my hon. Friends the Minister for Construction, Planning and Energy Efficiency and the Under-Secretary for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Mr. Bowis), that this aspect of ACE' s work should cease. We have therefore agreed to offer funding for the committee for two years from April 1996 to allow time for it to continue to develop those areas where it has proved most effective. These arrangements will be reviewed before the end of that period.This revised remit will enable ACE to focus more clearly on promoting the accessibility to disabled people of buildings and of indoor and outdoor environments—including housing—by:

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he proposes to implement the measure he announced in November 1995 to terminate payment of family credit when the last remaining dependent child in a family leaves full-time education. [31736]

I am today laying before the House the Family Credit (General) Amendment Regulations 1996, which will give effect to that measure, and the associated report of the Social Security Committee with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's response to it. The regulations, subject to negative resolution, will come into effect from 2 July 1996.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will publish the Social Security Advisory Committee's report about his proposals to restructure benefits for lone parents and his response to it. [31796]

I am today publishing the committee's report and my response to it, together with draft regulations. From April 1997, the lone parent premium in the income-related benefits will be replaced by an additional element to be incorporated into the family premium. One parent benefit will be replaced by an additional element to be incorporated into the main child benefit rates. The benefits system is relatively more generous to lone parents than to couples. The regulations will provide a more flexible mechanism for adjusting the relative level of support provided to these different types of households. I intend, over time, and without cash losses to individuals, to narrow the gap between benefits that go to lone parents and those that go to couples.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will publish a response to the third report of the Social Security Committee of Session 1995–96 on housing benefit fraud HC 90. [31797]

I have today laid copies of the Government's response to the Social Security Select Committee's report "Housing Benefit Fraud" before the House and copies have been placed in the Library. I am also announcing two new measures to reinforce our anti-fraud initiatives. First, we will be setting up a ministerial group on countering benefit fraud, which will focus on cross-Government action and include all Departments with a role in tackling benefit fraud.Secondly, there will be an improved flow of information from Inland Revenue to DSS officials under section 122 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992. The development of data matching to combat serious social security fraud means that the undertaking to limit the transfer of information, given on 22 April 1986,

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have been successfully prosecuted for fraudulent claims relating to housing benefit in each year since 1991; what assessment he has made of the correlation between the number of criminal prosecutions for fraudulent claims of housing benefit and the total amount of housing benefit fraud; and what joint initiatives he has undertaken with the Department of Social Security on the matter. [29970]

It is not possible from the information held centrally by my Department to identify offences relating to fraudulent claims of housing benefit from other summary offences.There are no joint initiatives between the Home Office and the Department of Social Security on this matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence he has evaluated of links between organised crime and systematic abuse of the housing benefit system. [30450]

Organised criminals have been involved in serious fraud against the benefit system, including housing benefit. The National Criminal Intelligence Service and the police are working closely with other agencies to identify and tackle this type of crime.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to improve the morale of Britain's police officers. [30451]

Morale is high, and will continue to improve as a consequence of the Government's effective policies to combat crime and deter criminals, and the continued significant investment in the police service.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the clear-up rate of recorded domestic burglaries in (a) Coventry and (b) the west midlands for each year since 1990; and for each year what was the percentage change on (i) the previous year and (ii) 1990. [30647]

Information for Coventry is not collected centrally. Figures for the west midlands are given in the table.

Clear-up rate for offences of burglary in a dwelling recorded by the police in the west midlands
Year	Clear-up rate (percentage)	Percentage point change on previous year	Percentage point change over 1990
1990	39	1—	1—
1991	31	-8	-8
1992	24	-7	-15
1993	31	+7	-8
1994	32	+1	-7
1995	38	+6	-1
1Not applicable.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average value of items stolen in recorded domestic house break-ins in 1995 in (a) Coventry and (b) the west midlands. [30648]

Information for Coventry is not collected centrally. The available information for the west midlands is for 1994. For offences of burglary in a dwelling where property was stolen, the average value was £1,054.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded domestic burglaries there were in (a) Coventry and (b) the west midlands in each year since 1990; and for each year, what was the percentage change on (i) the previous year and (ii) 1990. [30659]

Information for Coventry is not collected centrally. The available information for the west midlands is given in the table.

Offences of burglary in a dwelling recorded by the police in the west midlands
Year	Number of offences	Percentage change on previous year	Percentage change over 1990
1990	35,613	1—	1—
1991	41,624	+17	+17
1992	52,202	+25	+47
1993	51,815	-1	+45
1994	48,241	-7	+35
1995	46,368	-4	+30
2 Not applicable.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what use his Department has made of private detective agencies or investigators during 1995–96 and 1994–95; what agencies have been employed; for what purposes; and at what cost to his Department. [30561]

The Home Office and its agencies did not employ private detective agencies or investigators for detective or investigative work during 1995–96 and 1994–95. However, during 1995–96, three companies were employed by the Prison Service to carry out pre-occupation searches of establishments following construction work etc. It is understood that these companies carry out private investigative work for other organisations.The companies in question are:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the clear-up rate for recorded car theft in (a) Coventry and (b) the west midlands in each year since 1990; and for each year, what was the percentage change on (i) the previous year and (ii) 1990. [30655]

Information for Coventry is not collected centrally. The available information for West Midlands is given in the table.

Clear-up rate for offences of theft of a vehicle recorded by the police in the west midlands
Year	Clear up rate (percentage)	Percentage point change on previous year	Percentage point change over 1990
1990	35	1—	1—
1991	30	-5	-5
1992	25	-5	-10
1993	25	—	-10
1994	21	-4	-14
1995	20	-1	-15
1 Not applicable.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cars were recorded as stolen in (a) Coventry and (b) the west midlands in each year since 1990; and for each year, what was the percentage change on (i) the previous year and (ii) 1990. [30654]

Information for Coventry is not collected centrally. The available information for the west midlands is given in the table.

Offences of theft of a vehicle recorded by the police in the west midlands
Year	Number of offences	Percentage change on previous year	Percentage change over 1990
1990	34,236	1—	1—
1991	41,415	+21	+21
1992	39,632	-4	+16
1993	40,184	+1	+17
1994	40,347	—	+18
1995	45,102	+12	+32

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many car break-ins were recorded in (a) Coventry and (b) the west midlands in each year since 1990; and for each year, what was the percentage change on (i) the previous year and (ii) 1990. [30656]

Information for Coventry is not collected centrally. The available information relates to offences of theft of and from a motor vehicle and figures for the west midlands are given in the table.

Offences of theft of and from a vehicle recorded by the police in the west midlands
Year	Number of offences	Percentage change on previous year	Percentage change over 1990
1990	84,321	1—	—
1991	95,775	+	+14
1992	95,881	—	+14
1993	94,925	-1	+13
1994	90,061	-5	+7
1995	95,596	+6	+13
1 Not applicable.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average value of items recorded as stolen from cars in (a) Coventry and (b) the west midlands for the latest available year. [30658]

Information for Coventry is not collected centrally. The available information for the west midlands is for 1994. For offences of theft from a motor vehicle where property was stolen, the average value was £279.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average age of people convicted of (a) car theft and (b) burglary in the west midlands in the latest year for which statistics are available. [30649]

Information for 1994 on the number of offenders convicted at all courts in the West Midlands police force area by age is given in the table.Data for 1995 will not be available until the autumn.

Number of persons convicted at all courts of (a) car theft and (b) burglary offences in the West Midlands police force area by age, 1994
Age	Car theft1	Domestic burglary	Burglary Non-domestic burglary	Total burglary
10	—	—	—	—
11	1	5	2	7
12	9	4	10	14
13	25	18	19	37
14	73	32	29	61
15	99	70	61	131
16	127	79	73	152
17	157	129	99	228
18	172	93	104	197
19	101	91	117	208
20	105	68	90	158
21 and under 25	235	194	258	452
25 and under 30	294	125	175	300
30 and under 40	62	81	127	208
40 and under 50	21	18	24	42
50 and under 60	3	2	9	11
60 and over	1	—	—	—
All ages	1,280	1,009	1,197	2,206
1 Car theft includes the indictable offences of aggravated vehicle taking—injury to person, damage to property of car; theft from vehicles; theft or unauthorised taking of motor vehicle car and the summary offences of stealing and unauthorised taking of a conveyance and aggravated vehicle taking where criminal damage of £2,000 or under.
2 Includes persons, convicted of summary offences, given the default age of 25 where the exact age was not known.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the clear-up rate of recorded car break-ins in (a) Coventry and (b) the west midlands in each year since 1990; and for each year, what was the percentage change on (i) the previous year and (ii) 1990. [30657]

Information for Coventry is not collected centrally. The available information relates to offences of theft of and from a motor vehicle and figures for the west midlands are given in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total number of recorded crimes in (a) Coventry and (b) the west midlands in 1979. [30650]

Information for Coventry is not collected centrally. There were 156,671 recorded offences in the west midlands in 1979.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total number of recorded crimes in each year since 1990; and for each year what was the percentage change on (a) the previous year and (b) 1990. [30651]

The information requested is given in the table.

Notifiable offences recorded by the police in England and Wales
Year	Number of offences	Percentage change on previous year	Percentage change over 1990
1990	4,543,611	1—	1—
1991	5,276,173	+16	+16
1992	5,591,717	+6	+23
1993	5,526,255	-1	+22
1994	5,249,478	-5	+16
1995	5,123,638	-2	+13
1 Not applicable.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff have left the employment of Group 4 at Buckley Hall since the prison opened. [30677]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will request (a) the Metropolitan police and (b) Buckingham palace authorities to move the trooping of the colour ceremony on 15 June to 16 June to avoid a clash with the England v Scotland Euro 96 cup match at Wembley. [31026]

Arrangements for both events, including appropriate security measures, are far advanced and I am confident that the Metropolitan Police Commissioner will allocate resources in the most appropriate way in order to ensure that any problems of crime and disorder in London will be dealt with.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) escapes and (b) attempted escapes there have been at each male category C prison since 14 December 1994. [30807]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the total expenditure in 1996–97 approved as eligible for civil defence grant aid for (a) London FCDA, (b) Hounslow London borough, (c) Newham London borough, (d) Hull unitary authority, (e) North Lincoln unitary authority, (f) North East Lincoln unitary authority and (g) East Riding of Yorkshire unitary authority. [31087]

The information is as follows:

	£
London fire and civil defence authority	388,000
Hounslow London borough council	35,000
Newham London borough council	35,000
East Riding unitary authority	266,000
Hull unitary authority	East Riding acts as host authority
North Lincolnshire	East Riding acts as host authority
North East Lincolnshire	East Riding acts as host authority

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of prisoners convicted of sexual offences against children were re-convicted for a sexual offence against a child within two years of their discharge from prison in each year since 1980 for which figures are available. [30783]

Offenders who are convicted of sexual offences against a child can be charged with any one of a number of offences. The legal categories of sexual offence do not always differentiate between child and adult victims. This means that the information requested is not centrally available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average fine levied for drivers in the last year who (a) do not have insurance and (b) have not stopped after an accident; what assessment he has made of the desirability of a review of the penalties for such offences; and if he will make a statement. [31163]

The average fine imposed for the offence of using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks at all courts in England and Wales in 1994—the latest year for which figures are available—was £209. For the offence of failing to stop after an accident it was £133.For both offences the maximum fine is £5,000, accompanied by obligatory licence endorsement and discretionary disqualification. In addition, for failing to stop after an accident, a sentence of up to six months' imprisonment can be imposed. The Government are satisfied that these penalties adequately reflect the seriousness of the two offences, but remain committed to keeping all penalties under review to ensure that they remain appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases in each of the last five years there have been where a motorist is found not to have the legal insurance required. [31164]

The available information relates to the number of findings of guilt for using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks in England and Wales, and is as follows:

Findings of guilt for using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks in England and Wales
Year	Number
1990	209,463
1991	225,910
1992	246,054
1993	281,136
1994	286,252
Figures for 1995 are not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has for changes to the 1996–97 cash and running costs limits within his responsibilities. [31593]

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary revised and supplementary estimates, the cash limit for class VII, vote 1—Home Office administration, police, probation, immigration and other services, England and Wales—will be decreased by £14,447,000 from £4,611,752,000 to £4,597,305,000 and the cash limit on class VII, vote 2—prisons, England and Wales2—will be increased by £589,000 from £1,521,081,000 to £1,521,670,000. This decrease in the cash limit for vote 1 is the net effect of transfers to the Department for National Heritage, the Cabinet Office and the Prison Service Agency, class VII, vote 2. The increase in provision for vote 2 is the net effect of the delegation from Home Office central services, class VII, vote 1, of office support services, reclassification of some refunds of value added tax for business activity and of the running cost element of the Parole Board's costs when it becomes an executive non-departmental body.The Home Office running cost limit will be decreased by £584,000 from £1,802,065,000 to £1,801,481,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the United Kingdom Passport Agency performed against its targets in 199–6; and what performance targets he has set for the agency in 1996–97. [27769]

[pursuant to his reply, 30 April 1996, column 431]: I am pleased to say that the United Kingdom Passport Agency achieved all its targets in 1995–96. The targets for processing properly completed straightforward applications were met despite a 20 per cent. increase in demand for passport services with an average turnround time for the whole year of 6.1 working days, well within the average target of seven working days. The Passport Agency's financial target was to reduce its unit cost by 5 per cent. in real terms. The latest indications are that the agency has achieved a 7.25 per cent. real terms reduction in its unit cost. Another notable achievement was the re-award of the Chartermark in December 1995.During 1996–97, I shall expect the Passport Agency to continue to improve its standard of service to the public, while seeking further efficiency savings in its operations.I have set the agency the following key targets:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 20 May, Official Report, column 20, how many (a) unconditional on-demand bonds, (b) performance bonds, (c) parent company guarantees, (d) advance payment bonds and (e) retention bonds were required by his Department in the last five years. [31235]

[holding answer 4 June 1996]: The information required to answer this question is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the cost to the Metropolitan police of kennelling dogs detained under the terms of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each year since 1991. [31075]

[holding answer 4 June 1996]: The following is the information requested:

				£
	1992–93	1993–94	1994–95	1995–96
Kennelling	1,263,763	773,469	443,646	368,000
Veterinary	66,075	77,418	57,829	47,000
Total	1,329,838	850,887	501,475	1415,000
1 Estimated costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what discussions her Department had with the Chinese Minister for the State Family Planning Commission during her visit to Britain on 17 and 18 May on (a) the male to female birth ratio and (b) covert abortions and sterilisations in China; [30758](2) what assurances were sought from the Chinese Minister for the State Family Planning Commission during her recent visit to Britain that there would be a halt to coercive birth control policies in Tibet and China. [31092]

In her meeting with Mrs. Peng Peiyun, Chinese State Councillor with responsibilities that include family planning, Baroness Chalker of Wallasey discussed UK concerns about human rights abuses, such as forced sterilisations and abortions, in the implementation of Chinese family planning policy. In order that such informal contacts continue to be constructive, ODA believes that it is not appropriate to release details of these discussions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which United Kingdom based non-governmental organisations have been allocated funding for HIV and AIDS programmes for (a) 1993–94, (b) 1994–95 and (c) 1995–96. [30229]

UK-based NGOs receiving funding for specified HIV/AIDS programmes in developing countries 1993–94 to 1995–96 are as follows:

• 1993–94
• Agency for Cooperation and Research in Development (ACORD)
• Action Aid
• Appropriate Health Resources and Technology Action Group (AHRTAG)
• African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF)
• Associated Country Women of the World
• Catholic Fund for Overseas Development
• CARE—UK
• Christian Aid
• Health Aid Moyo
• International HIV/AIDS Alliance
• International Planned Parenthood Federation
• Marie Stopes International
• Oxfam
• Panos Institute
• Plan International
• Save the Children Fund
• United Kingdom Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific
• 1994–95
• Action Aid
• Appropriate Health Resources and Technology Action Group (AHRTAG)
• African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF)
• Associated Country Women of the World
• Catholic Fund for Overseas Development
• CARE-UK
• Christian Aid
• Concern
• Concern Universal
• International Childcare Trust
• International Children's Trust
• International Family Health
• International HIV/AIDS Alliance
• International Planned Parenthood Federation
• Marie Stopes International
• National Network of Body Positive Groups
• Oxfam
• Panos Institute
• Plan International
• Save the Children Fund
• Tear Fund
• United Kingdom Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific
• 1995–96
• Action Aid
• Appropriate Health Resources and Technology Action Group(AHRTAG)
• African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF)
• Associated Country Women of the World
• CARE
• Catholic Fund for Overseas Development
• Christian Aid
• Concern
• Concern Universal
• International Childcare Trust
• International Children's Trust
• International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS
• International Family Health
• International HIV/AIDS Alliance
• International Planned Parenthood Federation
• Medicines Sans Frontieres-UK
• Marie Stopes International
• Oxfam
• Plan International
• Population Concern
• Save the Children Fund
• Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF)
• Tear Fund
• Uganda AIDS Action Fund
• Urban Aid
• World Vision

Many other UK NGOs receive funds to implement community development and health programmes which will influence the well-being of people exposed to or affected by HIV.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the £39.3 million allocated specifically for HIV/AIDS in 1995–96 was distributed through (a) multilateral agencies, (b) bilateral agencies and (c) non-governmental organisations. [30230]

The table gives a breakdown of the £39.3 million allocated to HIV/AIDS—related activities in 1995–96 by spending channel.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the value of (a) exports from and (b) imports to Northern Ireland in each of the last five years for which figures are complete. [30828]