To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what use his Department and its executive agencies have made of executive search agencies or employment companies in filling vacancies within his Department or executive agencies administered by his Department during the financial years 1994–95 and 1995–96; what agencies were employed; what was the cost in each case; how many staff were recruited in each case; and what was the total cost in each financial year of these contracts. [31408]

Saxton Bampfylde International plc, an executive search agency, was employed in 1994–95 to assist with the recruitment of the chief planning inspector at a cost of £33,000. No other agencies were employed in that year or in 1995–96.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in what circumstances his Department or its executive agencies uses an executive search or employment agency to recruit staff in preference to using personnel staff within his own Department or its executive agencies. [31521]

Where it is necessary to procure high-level advice in search and selection not available within my Department, and where it represents good value for money to procure processing capacity to handle occasional recruitment exercises, in all cases within the requirements of the civil service commissioners.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much his Department spent during the financial years 1994–95 and 1995–96 on sending civil servants accompanying Ministers from his Department on official duties abroad. [32409]

This information is not available centrally as costs of private office staff accompanying Ministers are included with costs for Ministers, while records for other officials are held with their corresponding divisions in the Department. This information would, therefore, be available only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his powers to stop local authorities from acting in an anti-competitive way in respect of compulsory competitive tendering, with reference to his powers to compel local authorities to re-tender work where they have failed to ensure competition. [31976]

Section 19A of the Local Government Planning and Land Act 1980 and section 13 of the Local Government Act 1988 give my right hon. Friend the power to serve a notice on an authority which it appears to him has acted anti-competitively in deciding to undertake certain work. If, after the authority has responded to the notice, it still appears to him that the authority has acted in this way, he can give a direction under section 19B of the 1980 Act or section 14 of the 1988 Act. The direction may be a complete or partial bar on the authority's power to carry out the work or require the authority to fulfil conditions including retendering the work, before it has the power to continue to carry out all or part of the work. My right hon. Friend judges each case on its merits, but does so against the background of statutory guidance issued under section 9 of the Local Government Act 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the progress made with and the expected time for completion of the Heathrow Terminal 5 inquiry. [30623]

The public inquiry into the proposed terminal 5 at Heathrow airport, which began on 16 May 1995, is running close to its timetable. The timing and conduct of the inquiry is a matter for the inspector. On present estimates, it is expected that the inquiry will close in summer 1997, subject to an additional time which may be required to deal with recently published highway orders for links to the M25 and M4.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what arrangements he is making for the disposal of surplus stocks of animal feed containing mammalian meat and bone meal following the recent ban on feeding mammalian meat and bone meal to farm livestock. [32479]

The Government have today sent a letter to all livestock farmers, feed merchants and feed compounders in the United Kingdom offering to fund the collection and disposal of any residual stocks of MBM or feed containing MBM. Thereafter, after consultation with the appropriate organisations, an order will be laid to make it illegal to have MBM, or feed containing MBM, on farms or in the premises of feed merchants or at feed mills.Parliamentary approval of this new service will be sought in a supplementary estimate for class III, vote 2—Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: operational expenditure, agencies and departmental administration. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £6 million will be met by repayable advances from the contingencies fund.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assistance his Department provides towards payment of fees to veterinary surgeons for treatment of injured wildlife. [30792]

No direct help is given towards payment of fees to veterinary surgeons for treatment of injured wildlife. The Pesticides Safety Directorate under the wildlife incident investigation scheme does arrange for disease incidents where pesticides may be involved to be investigated at no additional cost to the veterinary surgeon involved.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 23 April, Official Report, columns 139–40, when the inquiry into the performance of Mr. Jonathan Stirling as a licensed veterinary inspector was completed; and if he will make a statement on the conclusions. [31204]

The investigations into the allegations made on the "Dispatches" programme have not yet been concluded.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many local veterinary inspector-certified consignments of animals were exported through the port of Brightlingsea during 1995; and what proportion of consignments were certified by Mr. Jonathan Stirling. [31208]

Some 1,048 consignments of animals certified by LVIs were exported through the port of Brightlingsea during 1995 of which 29 consignments were certified by Mr. Jonathan Stirling.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 23 April, Official Report, columns 139–40, in respect of which consignments certified by Mr. Jonathan Stirling for export animals were subsequently rejected by Ministry officials including and excluding animals rejected as unfit to travel under the Welfare of Animals During Transport Order 1994; and when such consignments arrived at Brightlingsea wharf (a) during 1995 and (b) from 1 January to 8 March. [31206]

The answer is as follows:

(a) During 1995 of 29 consignments of animals certified for export by Mr. Jonathan Stirling, through the port of Brightlingsea, Ministry officials rejected as unfit to travel, one animal from one consignment on 13 February 1995 and two animals from one consignment on 21 June 1995.

(b) No animals have been exported from Brightlingsea so far during 1996.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the annual cost to public funds in maintaining the six-month quarantine system. [31318]

The annual cost was approximately £435,000 in the financial year 1995–96. This figure includes the cost of policy and administrative work on rabies in the industry's animal health group, some of which is not directly concerned with maintaining the six-month quarantine system, but this cannot be separately distinguished.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he intends to reply to the written questions regarding quarantine tabled on 25 April. [32195]

I answered one of the hon. Member's questions on 1 May 1996, Official Report, column 571, and the others have been answered today.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in what circumstances the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has access to animals in quarantine kennels; what plans he has to review these procedures; and if he will make a statement. [26651]

[holding answer 25 April 1996]: The RSPCA is not able to enter quarantine premises as of right. However, anyone can go into quarantine premises with the permission of the premises owner. Additionally, licensed quarantine premises, all of which are privately owned, are inspected quarterly by MAFF veterinary officers who have the right to be accompanied by another person authorised by them and assisting them in their duties. I have no plans to change these procedures at present.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been (a) the total number of animals accepted by each quarantine kennel since 1990 and (b) the total number of animal deaths at each quarantine kennel since 1990. [26652]

[holding answer 25 April 1996]: The number of animals licensed to enter quarantine in Great Britain from 1990 to 1995 was:

Year	Dogs	Cats	Other mammals
1990	5,999	3,687	150,631
1991	5,290	3,289	63,674
1992	5,175	3,190	61,320
1993	5,738	3,633	35,515
1994	5,554	3,863	31,620
1995	5,394	4,126	81,054

The number of animals which are recorded as having died in quarantine during the same period is:

Year	Dogs	Cats	Other mammals
1990	79	52	3
1991	49	34	20
1992	71	67	1
1993	72	93	5
1994	61	65	4
1995	61	56	4

Information concerning individual quarantine kennels is considered commercially confidential.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met with the Quarantine Kennel Owners Association; what matters were discussed; and if he will make a statement. [26654]

[holding answer 25 April 1996]: I met members of both the Quarantine Kennel Owners Association and the Quarantine Kennel Professional Associates on 13 May 1996 to discuss animal welfare standards in quarantine kennels.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total revenue received by the Government from quarantine kennels in each of the last five financial years. [26656]

[holding answer 25 April 1996]: The only revenue which the Government receive from quarantine kennels is that which comes from their ordinary payment of taxes. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food does not receive any direct revenue from quarantine kennels.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many animals have been imported into the United Kingdom through quarantine, by country, since 1991. [26650]

[holding answer 25 April 1996]: Prior to April 1995, when a computerised licensing system was set up, quarantine records were filed under a manual system. Therefore, the historic information sought cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost. I can, however, tell the hon. Member that, since that date, licences have been issued for the import of animals from 122 different countries. These are:

Country	Number of animals for which licenses have been issued
Abu Dhabi	6
Algeria	2
Anguilla	1
Antiqua	5
Argentina	6
Armenia	1
Australia	355
Austria	26
Azerbaijan	2
Bahamas	5
Bahrain	47
Bangladesh	1
Barbados	12
Belarus	5
Belgium	137
Belize	1
Bermuda	21
Bolivia	1
Botswana	14
Brazil	17
Brunei	7
Bulgaria	5
Cameroon	4
Canada	383
Canary Islands	35
Chile	4
China	27
Columbia	5
Croatia	1
Cuba	2
Cyprus	211
Czech Republic	17
Denmark	15
Dominican Republic	1
Dubai	20
Egypt	28
Ethopia	4
Falkland Islands	2
Finland	67

Country	Number of animals for which licenses have been issued
France	1,528
Gambia	2
Germany	984
Ghana	9
Gibraltar	15
Greece	118
Guyana	4
Hawaii	1
Honduras	1
Hong Kong	165
Hungary	18
India	8
Indonesia	92
Israel	299
Italy	95
Jamaica	1
Japan	275
Jordan	2
Kazakhstan	1
Kenya	19
Korea	4
Kuwait	19
Latvia	2
Lesotho	3
Libya	1
Luxembourg	5
Malawi	15
Malaysia	46
Malta	26
Mauritius	735
Mexico	4
Monaco	2
Montserrat	3
Morocco	2
Mozambique	2
Namibia	5
Nepal	3
Netherlands	207
New Zealand	61
Nigeria	11
Northern Cyprus	5
Norway	42
Oman	28
Pakistan	11
Peru	1
Phillippines	430
Poland	8
Portugal	64
Qatar	18
Romania	2
Russia	34
Saudi Arabia	69
Serbia	1
Seychelles	2
Singapore	67
Slovakia	2
South Africa	389
Spain	293
Sri Lanka	3
St. Helena	1
Sweden	175
Switzerland	5,923
Syria	1
Tahiti	1
Taiwan	10
Tanzania	6
Thailand	11
Trinidad and Tobago	1
Tunisia	3

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how regularly quarantine kennels are required to be inspected by MAFF vets; under which legislation; and how many inspections of quarantine kennels by MAFF vets have taken place since April 1995. [26653]

[holding answer 25 April 1996]: All 79 quarantine kennels authorised to operate in Great Britain must be inspected by MAFF veterinary staff at three monthly intervals to ensure that the standards required under the Rabies (Importation of Dogs, Cats and Other Mammals) Order 1974 are being maintained. Additional ad hoc inspections may also take place if the Ministry's local divisional veterinary manager considers them necessary. It would not be possible to quantify the total number of routine and ad hoc visits which had taken place since April 1995 without incurring disproportionate costs.

	January 19951		April 19951		January 19961
Country	Value (£000)	Tonnes	Value (£000)	Tonnes	Value (£000)	Tonnes
Belgium-Luxembourg	237	68	376	117	368	134
Denmark	242	117	65	33	165	83
Finland	—	—	60	40	0	0
France	2,191	1,332	2,089	950	1,433	803
Germany	239	169	167	72	132	70
Irish Republic	8,779	3,786	8,814	3,094	7,223	2,107
Italy	—	—	26	10	52	20
Netherlands	1,805	575	1,376	407	1,130	335
Spain	386	135	96	34	32	17
Sweden	—	—	—	—	2	1
Argentina	790	161	1,891	566	1,362	463
Australia	1,690	479	1,395	409	2,151	808
Botswana	—	—	514	160	2,073	798
Brazil	141	34	1,479	400	598	169
Namibia	422	134	912	299	623	212
New Zealand	—	—	533	281	361	160
Paraguay	—	—	59	26	—	—
Swaziland	—	—	31	23	219	82
USA.	168	70	277	116	520	256
Uruguay	1,897	591	2,241	886	1,632	587
Zimbabwe	1,102	255	2,793	878	2,199	253
Total	20,089	7,906	25,192	8,801	22,274	7,358
1 Provisional

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he plans to implement a statutory code of practice on animal welfare for quarantine kennels; and if he will make a statement. [26655]

[holding answer 25 April 1996]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for North Thanet (Mr. Gale) on 26 March, official Report, column 528.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 27 March, Official Report, column 640, how much his Department estimated it would have cost to provide the information requested. [31455]

More than £450, the current threshold above which answers are deemed to incur disproportionate cost.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what instructions were issued to his Department's offices and agencies in respect of flying the European Union flag on 8 May; and if he will make a statement. [31497]

None.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish a breakdown by country of imports of beef under heading 011 in (a) April 1995 and (b) April 1996. [31766]

The latest month for which detailed official trade statistics are available is January 1996. The table shows imports of beef, under heading 011, for January 1995, April 1995 and January 1996, by country:

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the exemptions he makes from his general policy of requiring the destruction of carcases of cattle over the age of 30 months; and what controls he has introduced to monitor such disposals. [31579]

No such exemptions are made as the EC regulation (716/96) governing the over 30 months scheme requires destruction of the carcases.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to investigate allegations of abuse of the cattle disposal scheme with special reference to giving preference to dealers or farmers for improper reasons; and if he will make a statement. [31627]

We have made it clear that abuses of the scheme will not be tolerated. Collection centres found to be breaching scheme rules will be removed from the scheme. No allegation of abuse of the kind referred to by the hon. Member has been substantiated. Anyone with a complaint about infringement of the rules has been invited to make it either to the Intervention Board or to the office of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he collates in respect of the 8,855 animals which were rejected as unfit to travel prior to export from the United Kingdom in 1995; and if he will make a statement. [32102]

There is a considerable variety of circumstances in which animals may be rejected as unfit for an export journey. Central records are kept only of the numbers rejected.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 13 May, Official Report, column 380, what were the ages of the 1,313 bovines and the 668 bovines exported from Great Britain to the Irish Republic in 1994 and 1995 and the 18,340 and 25,044 bovines exported from Great Britain in Northern Ireland in 1994 and 1995. [31785]

[holding answer 7 June 1996]: The number of bovines exported to the Irish Republic were as recorded in the overseas trade statistics. These provide statistics on the exports from the United Kingdom as a whole and not just Great Britain.The ages of bovines exported is not recorded within the overseas trade statistics, nor within the Animo system. However, so far as exports to the Republic of Ireland are concerned, Community rules in force since 1990 have prohibited the export from the UK to any member state of bovine animals over six months old.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy on the use of avoparcin with particular reference to his assessment of the available data for the European Commission's Scientific Committee for Animal Nutrition. [31947]

[holding answer 7 June 1996]: Avoparcin is authorised for use throughout the Community as an additive in animal feeds under directive 70/524/EEC. No feed additive is permitted unless it satisfies the criteria set out in the directive, including a requirement that, at the level permitted in feeding stuffs, it does not adversely affect human or animal health or the environment.In July 1995, as a result of concerns expressed by Denmark, the Council of Ministers decided not to support the continued authorisation of avoparcin for use in feed for dairy cows. The Scientific Committee for Animal Nutrition has recently considered data presented by the Danish authorities and their report is expected to be made available to member states shortly.The Government will continue to argue that any future decisions on the authorisation of avoparcin must be taken on the basis of good scientific evidence.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the interested parties who were consulted in drawing up the guidelines which will accompany the consolidated food labelling regulations which will come into force on 1 July. [31572]

[holding answer 7 June 1996]: Six hundred and sixty-four interested parties representing manufacturers, retailers, consumers, individuals and enforcement authorities have been consulted on the draft guidance notes. Seventy-one detailed responses were received and have been taken into account in preparing the final version.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice and recommendations she has received from the British Veterinary Association regarding the steps needed to eradicate BSE from British herds. [31040]

[holding answer 4 June 1996]: Ministers and officials regularly meet with representatives of the British Veterinary Association to discuss, amongst other things, BSE. Their advice and recommendations concerning proposals for the eradication of BSE are carefully considered and, where appropriate, reflected in the control measures.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what instructions were issued to his Department's offices and agencies in respect of flying the European Union flag on 8 May; and if he will make a statement. [31500]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend, the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 6 June 1996, Official Report, column 518.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 26 March, Official Report, column 495 (1) how much his Department estimated it would have cost to provide the information requested; [31461](2) pursuant to his answer of 25 March,

More than £450, the current threshold above which answers are deemed to incur disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement concerning the case of Karamanjit Singh Chahal. [31437]

Mr. Chahal's case was heard by the European Court of Human Rights on 25 March. No judgment has yet been given.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases during 1995 it was claimed his Department's presenting officers had misled immigration appeal adjudicators; and if he will make a statement. [31949]

None of which I am aware. Presenting officers do not knowingly mislead adjudicators.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he received a letter from the hon. Member for Bradford, West, dated 10 May, concerning the case of Mr. Sodagar Hussain who has applied to join his wife and children in the United Kingdom; if he will authorise a visa to be issued to Mr. Hussain on the basis of the job awaiting him in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [31950]

The letter was received on 15 May and I will reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what use his Department and its executive agencies have made of executive search agencies or employment companies in filling vacancies within his Department or executive agencies administered by his Department during the financial years 1994–95 and 1995–96; what agencies were employed; what was the cost in each case; how many staff were recruited in each case; and what was the total cost in each financial year of these contracts. [31406]

The following table gives information about the use of executive search or employment agencies in 1994–95 and 1995–96 for centrally managed recruitment schemes.

Supplier	1994–95	Number of staff recruited	1995–96	Number of staff recruited
RAS	*	49	*	97
Coopers and Lybrand	*	2	*	5
GKRS	*	2	*	2
Korn Ferry	—	—	*	—
St. James's Management Recruitment	—	—	*	1
Saxton Bampfylde	—	—	*	1
PJR	—	—	*	—
Bakers	—	—	*	4
Love Pirbhai Prichard	—	—	*	1
Jones Resourcing	—	—	*	1
Total	—	53	—	112

Information is not readily available about the use of employment agencies whether recruitment was conducted locally.For reasons of commercial confidentiality, it is not our practice to disclose the size of the contracts awarded to individual agencies. However, the combined value of these contracts was £350,326 excluding value added tax in 1994–95 and £611,309 excluding value added tax in 1995–96.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances his Department or its executive agencies uses an executive search on employment agency to recruit staff in preference to using personnel staff within his own Department or its executive agencies. [31519]

Executive search or employment agencies are used in making appointments to the Home Office and its executive agencies where it is thought that they will be able to supplement usefully the field of applicants.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many complaints have been received by the Data Protection Registrar relating to the Child Support Agency; [31999](2) what action is being taken by the Data Protection Registrar in respect of breaches of the Data Protection Act 1984 by the Child Support Agency; and if he will make a statement. [32000]

The Data Protection Registrar has received 457 letters of complaint about the Child Support Agency since it began operation in April 1993. Three hundred and thirty-two were investigated because they raised issues relating to compliance with the Data Protection Act 1984. In cases where the registrar felt there was a possibility of the 1984 Act being breached, she negotiated with the agency, which has subsequently altered its practices regarding disclosure of information. The registrar will make a statement on the current position in her next annual report to Parliament, which is due in July.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what administrative reforms would be required if the six-month quarantine system for pets were replaced by a vaccine-based system; and if he will make a statement. [31312]

I have been asked to reply.The present rules on quarantining of pet animals are set out in the Rabies (Importation of Dogs, Cats and Other Mammals) Order 1974. Any changes would require amendment to that order. Any vaccine-based scheme would need to be founded on proper vaccination before exposure to rabies infection, satisfying a blood test, conclusive identification and evidence of residency. A new system for processing applications as well as inspection arrangements to ensure that the rules were properly complied with would need to be put in place.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what instructions were issued to his Department's offices and agencies in respect of flying the European Union flag on 8 May; and if he will make a statement. [31512]

No specific instructions were issued in respect of flying the European flag on 8 May. It is not our general practice to fly the European flag from Government buildings. On appropriate occasions, such as the UK's presidency of the European Community in 1992, it has, however, been flown.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the annual profit of (a) British Gas, (b) Central Electricity Generating Board, (c) each of the previously publicly owned water companies and (d) British Telecom in each year since 1979. [31760]

The information requested is published in the accounts of the nationalised utilities and in the annual reports of the privatised utility companies. Information on the water companies is published in the Office of Water Services' "1994–95 Report on the Financial Performance and Capital Investment of the Water Companies in England and Wales". Copies of all of these publications are available in the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the Government have yet decided how encryption services may be provided for business and commerce. [32544]

Following the discussion between Departments to which I referred in my replies to the hon. Member for Brigg and Cleethorpes (Mr. Brown) of 6 March 1996, Official Report, column 229, and 25 March 1996, Official Report, column 411, I am today publishing a paper outlining the Government's policy on the provision of encryption services on public networks. Copies of the paper are available in the Library of both Houses.The Government aim to facilitate the development of electronic commerce on the emerging global information infrastructure. This is of significant importance in maintaining the UK's competitiveness and is a component of the Department's information society initiative. There is a growing demand for encryption services to safeguard the integrity and confidentiality of electronic information transmitted on public telecommunications networks. The Government therefore propose to make arrangements for licensing trusted third parties who would provide such services. These TTPs would offer digital signature, data integrity and retrieval, key management and other services for which there is a commercial demand. The licensing policy will aim to protect consumers as well as to preserve the ability of the intelligence and law enforcement agencies to fight serious crime and terrorism by establishing procedures for disclosure to them of the encryption keys, under safeguards similar to those which already exist for warranted interception under the Interception of Communications Act 1985.Officials within my Department have held preliminary discussions with industry groups on the concepts set out in the paper. The Government intend to bring forward proposals for legislation following consultation by the Department of Trade and Industry on detailed policy proposals.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about the objectives he has set for Magnox Electric plc. [32545]

Yes. The Government wish Magnox Electric plc to be a robust public sector entity which will enhance competition in the electricity market and secure the best possible value for the tax payer from its operations. The company must operate in a commercial manner, judging any investment by commercial rates of return. In doing so, it must:

1. demonstrate in all its activities that safety is the foundation of its business;

2. have full regard to the environmental impact of all its operations;

3. maximise net revenue from electricity sales by operating its generating plant as fully, and for as long, as is consistent with safety requirements;

4. meet all its nuclear liabilities as cost effectively as possible;

5. maintain and develop its core skills and capabilities to meet its current and future operational needs. Magnox may exploit these skills and capabilities in appropriate new business areas, as agreed with the Government; and

6. seek a basis for integration with British Nuclear Fuels which will provide the combined company with a clear incentive to maximise the net revenues from magnox generation and to minimise all Magnox-related reprocessing and other back end costs.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to extend the powers of the insurance ombudsman to cover insurance policies taken out by commercial concerns. [32160]

None. The insurance ombudsman bureau is a voluntary body established and paid for by the insurance industry. Any changes to the scheme would therefore be a matter for the industry to decide.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many cases of alleged insider dealing have been (a) reported for investigation, (b) referred for prosecution and (c) prosecuted before the courts since the coming into force of the Criminal Justice Act 1993. [32056]

Since the coming into force on 1 March 1994 of the Criminal Justice Act 1993, 52 cases of possible insider dealing have been reported to my Department, leading to the appointment of inspectors in 25 instances, of which inquiries in respect of 14 are still continuing. In this period, four prosecutions, involving five defendants, have been commenced of which one is under the new legislation.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many cases of alleged insider dealing have been (a) referred for prosecution and (b) the subject of conviction since 1980. [32057]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Member for Brecon and Radnor (Mr. Evans) on 21 March 1995, Official Report, column 183. The report, "Companies in 1994–95", has now been published and a copy is available in the Library of the House.Since 1 April 1995, a further 32 referrals have been made from the London stock exchange leading to 16 appointments of inspectors. There has been one conviction.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make it his policy to institute a national database of British exporters. [31910]

The Government have no plans to provide a national database of exporters. This kind of professional information gathering is best left to the private sector and the UK already leads the world with a number of companies producing excellent commercial database. My Department is currently looking at ways of helping the private sector to set up trade directions on the Internet.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the total of patents registered in (a) the United Kingdom Patent Office and (b) the European Patent Office in each of the past five years. [32096]

The total number of patents granted in each of the last five years at the United Kingdom Patent Office and the European Patent office is shown:

Year	UK Patent Office	European Patent Office
1995	9,475	41,609
1994	9,530	42,001
1993	8,330	36,664
1992	9,421	30,409
1991	9,346	26,642

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what evidence he has that counterfeit merchandise for Euro 96 is being imported into the United Kingdom. [31830]

I understand from HM customs that two seizures of goods which infringe UEFA's registered trade mark have been made.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the estimated annual saving to business from the Deregulation (Rag Flock and Other Filling Materials) Order 1996. [31385]

The burdens by this order fall both on suppliers of fillings for beds, furniture and toys and on the manufacturers of such items. In view of the diversity of these industries, it has not been possible to construct reliable estimates of the total direct and indirect cost savings the order will achieve. However, one firm, which is the biggest single producer of fillings in the UK, estimates that the cost of testing alone to demonstrate compliance with the rag flock legislation is in its case £4,000 each year. Despite the difficulties associated with determining total figures for the whole industry, informal inquiries have suggested that direct cost savings could be, for the fillings industry alone, over £100,000, for each year after the burdens are removed. Total savings to suppliers and manufacturers should therefore be well in excess of this figure.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what work has been done by his Department to evaluate the Danish broker model within business links and training and enterprise councils. [31891]

A business networking project based on the Danish broker model has already been piloted in the south-west. Business networking was one of three key areas identified for support under the second competitive White Paper, Cm 2867. As such, it figures prominently amongst the projects being developed throughout the country by TECs and business link partnerships.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what percentage of British companies are so far included in business links databases. [31909]

The latest management information returns, which cover about two thirds of the country, indicate that some 617,000 businesses are registered on business link databases. This represents approximately 47 per cent. of the 1.32 million value added tax registered businesses in England. The requirement is for business links to record on their databases details of businesses with 10 or more employees, but many business links include other businesses.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade to which Government Department he expects business links to answer primarily. [31908]

Although business links receive considerable financial and other support from the Government, they are not Government agencies. As such they do not "answer" to any particular Government Department. They are, however, required to show the Departments which provide financial support that public funds have been used for the purposes intended. In addition, business links must meet the accreditation and branding requirements specified by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade as agreed with national business link partners.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to ensure that business links databases are integrated into a national database of exporters. [31904]

All business links are required to collect common core information for all businesses with 10 employees or more, including whether companies are exporters and, if so, the percentage of sales that are exported, and be able to output this information in a common form.Business links are private companies. Decisions on whether to integrate this information into national databases is a matter for them to consider on a commercial basis.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what guidance his Department issues to business links regarding the largest companies which should receive their services. [31906]

Each business link is expected to provide a service to firms of widely differing sizes. The business link prospectus suggested a need to concentrate its services on businesses with between 10 and 200 employees. In developing business links, however, it has become clear that the real target is firms with the potential to grow, not firms of a particular size.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many firms with under (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 50 and (d) 100 employees have attained Internation Standard Organisation 9000 status. [31948]

My Department does not hold comprehensive information concerning the size of firms assessed to ISO 9000. The 1996 edition of the DTI QA register, "The United Kingdom Register of Quality Assessed Companies", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House, lists some 51,500 organisations which have attained accredited certification to ISO 9000. Entries in the register are voluntary and there is no breakdown by size of organisation.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will make a statement on warnings given by the nuclear installations inspectorate concerning the failure of maintenance requirements of Torness power station to match the safety case with particular reference to the shortage of suitably qualified and experienced personnel at Torness and safety problems arising from the employment of outside contractors; [31624]

[holding answers 7 June 1996]: Scottish Nuclear put forward a safety case to the nuclear installations inspectorate on proposals to make modifications to the maintenance regime of Torness power station. The NII raised some apparent discrepancies with Scottish Nuclear about what was written in the safety case and what was actually in place. Scottish Nuclear reacted promptly and effectively to those concerns. The NII is satisfied with the range of improvements which Scottish Nuclear implemented to its procedures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the British Government plan to take through bilateral and international aid programmes to improve hospital bed availability in the west bank and Gaza strip. [31868]

The Overseas Development Administration is helping the Palestinian Ministry of Health to strengthen its management capacity through a three-year project. The project's goals include improved planning and management of hospital services, and increased utilisation rates and hospital bed availability. The team of ODA-funded health consultants led by Sir Duncan Nicholl is working alongside a World Bank-funded programme which constitutes a part of its $20 million education and health rehabilitation credit.The EU is financing the construction of a 232-bed general hospital near Gaza city. Construction began in October 1993, commissioning will begin in the early autumn, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency which administers the hospital expects it to be fully operational by March 1997. The UK share of the £18 million cost will be over £3 million. There has also been substantial UK involvement in the hospital's design and construction.UNRWA, to whose core budget the UK makes annual contributions, is upgrading a small cottage hospital in the west bank.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the annual amount spent by the United Kingdom Government through bilateral and international aid programmes on the provision of health care in the west bank and Gaza strip for the period 1970 to 1996. [31870]

The ODA's record of expenditure on assistance to the health sector in the west bank and Gaza strip does not date back to 1970. The following table shows UK bilateral aid, and assistance through the EC and UNRWA, since 1978–98. Assistance from the World bank for the west bank and Gaza is only just starting: it has recently declared a $20 million education and health rehabilitation credit effective.

UK aid flows to occupied territories/west bank Gaza strip health sector 1987–88 to 1995–96
UK financial year	ODA bilateral1	EC2	UNRWA3	Total £'000s
1987–88	137	74	—	211
1988–89	148	81	—	229
1989–90	198	211	—	419
1990–91	247	240	—	487
1991–92	534	1,782	—	2,316
1992–93	565	987	—	1,552
1993–94	510	1,120	—	1,630
1994–95	420	776	—	1,296
1995–96	636	2,300	45	2,981

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what existing measures the British Government support through bilateral and international aid programmes which assist polytechnic education to train technical and managerial workers in the west bank and Gaza strip; and what is the United Kingdom financial contribution to such programmes; [31871](2) what was the annual amount spent by the United Kingdom Government through bilateral and international aid programmes on the provision of polytechnic education in the west bank and Gaza strip for the period 1970 to 1996; [31867](3) what future steps the British Government plan to take through bilateral and international aid programmes to assist the development of polytechnical education to train technical and managerial workers in the west bank and Gaza strip. [31869]

The United Kingdom bilateral aid programme for west bank and Gaza does not fund tertiary level education projects.The European Union is providing running cost support in 1996 for nine universities and 12 community colleges. Four of the community colleges—the term polytechnic is rarely used in west bank and Gaza—are technical or management colleges. Their share of the support will total 1.96 million ecu—£1.64 million—of which about 16 per cent. can be attributed to the UK.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a further statement about the International Monetary Fund's enhanced structural adjustment facility for Kenya. [30596]

A three-year programme under the enhanced structural adjustment facility worth SDR 149.55 million, was approved by the IMF board on 26 April.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the cost of the conditional exempt works of art inheritance tax rules to the Inland Revenue at constant values in (a) 1980, (b) 1985, (c) 1990 and (d) 1995. [31209]

The estimated cost to the Exchequer of granting conditional exemption from inheritance tax and capital transfer tax to works of art and chattels is:

Year	£ million at 1994–95 prices1
1984–85	64 million
1989–90	123 million
1994–95	55 million
1 Converted using the GDP market deflator.

A comparable figure for 1979–80 is not available. The exemption is conditional, not absolute. Its broad effect is to defer payment of tax on the qualifying items for so long as the conditions of the exemption are met.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many abortions (a) in total and (b) per 1,000 women were carried out in England and Wales in 1995. [31316]

The information requested is not yet available. Abortion data for the first three quarters of 1995 have been published in Office of Population Censuses and Surveys/Office of National Statistics monitors AB96/1, AB96/2, AB9/3 and are available in the House of Commons Library. The December quarter monitor is expected to be published on 27 June 1996. The 1995 annual monitors are expected to be published in September 1996.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what instructions were issued to his Department's offices and agencies in respect of flying the European Union flag on 8 May; and if he will make a statement. [31501]

No European Union flags were flown by the Treasury or the Chancellor's agencies on 8 May 1996.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 21 March, Official Report, column 257, how much his Department estimated it would have cost to provide the information requested. [31444]

More than £450, the current threshold above which answers are deemed to incur disproportionate cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of (a) the cost to a family of four of the common agricultural policy and (b) the pecuniary benefit which such a family derives from United Kingdom membership of the EEC. [31761]

The common agricultural policy imposes costs on consumers estimated for 1993 at some £3 per week per person. A note setting out the calculations of the costs to United Kingdom taxpayers and consumers has been placed in Library of the House.However, while such an assessment of the costs of the CAP can be made, to carry out an assessment of the pecuniary and wider benefits of UK membership of the European Union for a family of four would be time consuming and expensive. It would not be possible to disentangle the direct impact of EU membership over more than two decades from changes which are due to other factors.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact on exports of changes in the strength of the pound against other currencies since January 1996. [31932]

The latest trade data, to March, show that the volume of United Kingdom exports of goods—excluding oil and erratics—increased by over three per cent. in the first quarter of 1996 compared with the previous quarter. However, exports depend on a wide range of factors, of which the exchange rate is only one, and it is difficult to disentangle the various influences. In any case, the sterling effective exchange rate index changed little between January and April 1996.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people over 60 years have assets of £50,000 or more at the latest available date; and how many such people there were five years ago and 10 years ago. [31548]

The available information is as follows. I regret that separate estimates for people over 60 years are not available.

Adults in the United Kingdom with net marketable wealth1of £50,000 or more
Year	Estimated number
1983	3 million
1988	6 million
1993	10 million
1 Includes all assets held by individuals for which a value can be immediately realised, net of liabilities, but excludes the values of accrued pension rights.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the total number of (a) live births, (b) stillbirths and (c) maternities which occurred in England and Wales in 1995 and the number of each which occurred in (i) NHS hospitals without consultant obstetric units, (ii) NHS hospitals with obstetric units, (iii) other hospitals, (iv) at home and (v) elsewhere. [31855]

Available data requested are shown in the table.

Births and maternities in England and Wales by place of confinement, 1995
	Live births	Stillbirths	Maternities
NHS hospitals	632,378	3,530	626,633
Non-NHS hospitals	2,689	14	2,667
At home	12,464	41	12,487
Elsewhere	607	15	617
Total	648,138	3,600	642,404

Separate figures for different kinds of NHS hospital have not been collected centrally since 1992, when 98.6 per cent. of all maternities in NHS hospitals occurred in hospitals with consultant obstetric units.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will list the number and proportion of manual, non-manual and part-time employees on adult rates earning less than (a) £3.95, (b) £5.26 and (c) £5.52 per hour, excluding overtime payments, in total and for (i) men and (ii) women and by (1) standard economic region, (2) each county in England and Wales, (3) each London borough and Greater London as a whole, (4) each regional authority and borough in Scotland and (5) Great Britain as a whole for April 1992; [31175](2) if he will list the number and proportion of manual, non-manual and all full-time employees on adult rates earning less than

I am placing the available information from the "New Earnings Survey" in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated annual saving to business from the Deregulation (Bills of Exchange) Order 1996. [31384]

The Association for Payment Clearing Services has estimated that savings to the banking industry will be in the region of £30 million a year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will publish his consultation document on extending the scope of the Financial Services Act 1986 to cover regulation of custody services. [32549]

I have today published the consultation document. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House. Comments are invited by the end of August.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many registered disabled people are employed by his Department; and what percentage this is of the total figures. [30778]

At 1 May 1996 there 1,120 staff in the Northern Ireland Civil Service—3.96 per cent. of the service—who self-reported a disability. Of these 450–1.6 per cent. of the service—were, or had been, registered as disabled. In addition, 71 registered disabled people are working in the Northern Ireland civil service under the employment support programme.Of the home civil service staff in the Northern Ireland Office two are known to be registered disabled–0.9 per cent. of the work force.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applicants for postal or proxy votes for the election to be held on 30 May, have been refused by the chief electoral officer because they stated that they would be on holiday; what plans he has to take steps to reverse this ruling; and if he will advise the chief electoral officer to amend the existing application form so that applicants know to state where they will be on holiday. [30832]

A total of 56 applications for a postal or proxy vote were refused to individuals who cited leave or holiday as the reason for recruiting an absent vote for the 30 May election. The precise reasons for the refusals in these cases are, however, a matter for the chief electoral officer alone to consider. The application form that is used by those wishing to apply for a one-off postal or proxy vote at a particular election already advises in the notes on the reverse of the form that the applicant should indicate where he or she will be on holiday.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much Pesca funding is available for fishery projects in Northern Ireland in 1996–97; how much was paid in 1995–96; and if he will list those projects funded and the amount each project received. [32192]

The financial information for the Pesca programme is available only on the basis of calendar year and not financial year as requested.The funding available for measure 3 fisheries projects in 1996 and 1997 is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimates he has made of the value of (a) land, (b) property and (c) rolling stock and other railway assets in the ownership of British Rail. [30616]

British Rail's 1994–95 annual report and accounts show that the total value of BR's fixed assets was £2,748 million at 31 March 1995. The annual report and accounts for year end 1995–96 are being audited and will be published in July.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of his travel on official business has been undertaken by rail in the last year. [30620]

I travel regularly to work by rail and, during the last year, I travelled by train on approximately 75 per cent. of official visits in the UK outside London. On Friday, I travelled on seven separate trains.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to increase public transport use; and if he will make a statement. [30628]

We aim to increase the attractions of public transport through targeted public investment and through greater involvement of the private sector in offering the services people want.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to respond to the Second report of the Transport Committee on United Kingdom airport capacity, HC67, Session 1995–96. [30629]

I received the report towards the end of last month and aim to respond as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to review the economic impact of the introduction of bus lanes in London; and if he will make a statement. [30630]

We are currently updating our guidance note "Keeping Buses Moving". However, I have no doubt that bus priority measures in London are delivering real benefit, and this is reflected in our commitment to complete the bus priority network by 2003.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken to examine misuse of the orange badge parking concession scheme; and what plans he has to curb such abuse. [31873]

Following a comprehensive review of the working of the scheme new regulations were introduced in 1992 which, among other things, sought to reduce abuse of the scheme by making enforcement easier. We are seeking a legislative opportunity for the creation of new powers which will allow traffic wardens and parking attendants to inspect orange badges on demand.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures his Department has implemented during the last 12 months, to encourage the promotion of women into senior positions with his Department and its executive agencies; and what progress his Department has made in encouraging the promotion of women over the last five years. [31536]

The Department advertises all promotions, internal vacancies and open competitions on an equal opportunity basis. During the last 12 months, women have been among those particularly encouraged to apply. Over the last five years, the Department has run courses designed to specifically develop the potential of women in management positions. The Department is actively involved in Opportunity 2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his assessment of the future of the national rail network; and if he will make a statement. [30615]

The future of the national rail network is more assured than ever as a result of our privatisation programme. Railtrack, now in the private sector, has published a 10-year plan to spend well over £ 1 billion per annum on the network. Passenger services are being transferred to the private sector, with, for the first time, key services and network benefits legally guaranteed through franchise contracts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what instructions were issued to his Department's offices and agencies in respect of flying the European Union flag on 8 May; and if he will make a statement. [31513]

	CTG	DSA	DVLA	VCA	TCA	HA	MSA	VIEA	TRL	Totals
April 1994—April 1995
Number of permanent staff recruited (FTA 1 incl.)	30	62	45	3	29	7	23	36	63	298
April 1994—April 1995
Cost	£269,182	£34,000	nil	£4,983	£26,352	£36,450	£17,102	£54,000	£75,000	£517,069
April 1995—April 1996
Number of permanent staff recruited (FTA 1 incl.)	37	240	97	1	45	27	23	68	114	652

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 6 June, Official Report, column 518, by the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Boothferry (Mr. Davis).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what use his Department and its executive agencies have made of executive search agencies or employment companies in filling vacancies within his Department or executive agencies administered by his Department during the financial years 1994–95 and 1995–96; what agencies were employed; what was the cost in each case; how many staff were recruited in each case; and what was the total cost in each financial year of these contracts. [31415]

My Department has used Recruitment and Assessment Services and other specialist recruitment agencies for external recruitment. The total number of staff recruited using these services was 19, for the 1994–95 financial year, and 223 for 1995–96. The overall estimated recruitment costs including agency costs—which are not separately identified—in each financial year was in the order of £300,000. The following agencies were employed in the period in question:

• Recruitment and Assessment Services
• Link-up Recruitment
• Murray and Co.
• Harrison and Willis
• Saxton Bampfylde International plc
• NB Selection Ltd.
• Sanders and Sidney Outplacement Consultant Beechwood Executive Search
• Prospect Recruitment Ltd.
• Comtex Solutions
• Principal People
• PTC

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent in recruiting staff to his Department and its executive agencies during the 1994–95 and 1995–96 financial years; and how many staff were recruited in each of these years. [31400]

The figures requested for recruitment in my Department are contained in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in what circumstances his Department or its executive agencies uses an executive search or employment agency to recruit staff in preference to using personnel staff within his own Department or its executive agencies. [31528]

The Department and its executive agencies use executive search or employment agencies where it is felt that this provides a better and more cost-effective service than the normal recruitment methods.