To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18 June. [32060]

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18 June. [32061]

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

To ask the Prime Minister what changes have taken place in respect of Government policy relating to responsibility for the bombing of United States soldiers in 1986 in Berlin; what measures were taken to secure further information relating to Libyan involvement; and if he will make a statement. [32819]

None. The investigation of the 5 April 1986 bombing in Berlin is a matter for the German authorities.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will raise at the next meeting of the European Council the refusal of the United States Government to provide to the German prosecution authorities communication intercepts which the US authorities stated provide proof of the Libyan involvement in the Berlin Bombing in 1986; if he will raise the issue as being of community competence; and if he will make a statement. [32967]

No. This is a matter for the United States authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he received the board of visitors' first annual report for Buckley Hall prison; and on what date it will be published. [30683]

The board of visitors' first annual report for Buckley Hall covering 1995 was received by my right hon. and learned Friend on 26 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 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. [31507]

I gave instructions that, as in previous years, the European Union flag should not be flown from Home Office buildings on 8 May.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the present plans to refurbish A and B wings of Wandsworth prison; what is the estimated cost of such work; when is it proposed that this work will commence; and if he will make a statement. [32467]

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 what was the average cost of a place in each prison for the financial year 1995–96. [32353]

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 place in the Library an index of all Home Office circulars since 1967 relevant to the administration of the Firearms Acts 1968, 1992 and 1994, giving the number of circular, dated of issue and title. [32870]

I have today placed an index of such circulars in the Library as requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when is the next scheduled meeting of the ministerial group on domestic violence. [32697]

I expect the group to meet again soon, once a range of work that has already been commissioned for it has been completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons it is not possible for his Department to identify separately offences of domestic violence within the regular recorded crimes series collected centrally by the Home Office; and what plans he has to collate such statistics. [32698]

There is currently no specific legislation which defines offences of "domestic violence" and therefore such incidents cannot be separately identified in the recorded crime data collection."Domestic violence" incidents could be recorded within one of several recorded crime classifications, that is public order offences, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm, indecent assault, rape or attempted rape, threats to kill, attempted murder homicide.In terms of the recorded crime series, police forces are required to supply information by offence type rather than by victim and no data on the relationship of victim and suspect are routinely collected.The ministerial group on domestic violence is currently considering ways of improving the statistical knowledge of the nature and extent of domestic violence.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many semi-automatic and pump action shotguns have been certified as shotguns after being modified from section 1 firearms classification under the terms of the Firearms Act 1988 in each year since the Act came into operation. [32882]

Since the provisions of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 came into force, I understand that the proof houses at London and Birmingham have certified a total of 61,169 shotguns as modified in this manner. An annual breakdown of this figure is available only at disproportionate costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the clear-up rate of (a) threats or conspiracies to murder, (b) rape, (c) attempted rape, (d) attempted murders and (e) woundings with intent in the west midlands for each year since 1990; and he will express the figures as a percentage change from 1990. [32878]

The available information is given in the tables. The clear-up rate for offences of attempted rape is included within the clear-up rate for the substantive offence and is not separately identifiable.

Table I: Clear-up rates for offences of threat or conspiracy to murder and rape recorded by the police in the West Midlands
	Threat or conspiracy to murder		Rape
Year	Clear-up rate percentage	Percentage point change over 1990	Clear-up rate percentage	Percentage point change over 1990
1990	97	n/a	77	n/a
1991	97	0	86	+9
1992	92	-5	73	-4
1993	87	-10	69	-8
1994	95	-2	77	0
1995	93	-4	68	-9
n/a = not applicable.

Table 2: Clear-up rates for offences of attempted murder and wounding recorded by the police in the West Midlands
	Attempted murder		Wounding
Year	Clear-up rate per cent.	Percentage point change over 1990	Clear-up rate per cent.	Percentage point change over 1990
1990	96	n/a	76	n/a
1991	1104	+8	76	0
1992	94	-2	73	-3
1993	88	-8	71	-5
1994	100	+4	69	-7
1995	88	-8	65	-11
1Offences cleared up in current year may have been recorded in an earlier year.
n/a = not applicable.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total number of crimes involving serious physical violence or immediate danger to life per 100,000 population in the west midlands for each year since 1990; if he will express the figures as a percentage change from 1990; and if he will give comparable figures for France, Germany and the Netherlands. [32880]

The available information relates to offences of violence against the person and is given in the table. Comparable figures for France, Germany and the Netherlands are not available.

Notifiable offences of violence against the person per 100,000 population in the west midlands
	Rate per 100,000 population	Percentage change over 1990
1990	390	n/a
1991	407	+4
1992	443	+14
1993	417	+7
1994	395	+1
1995	328	-16
n/a = not applicable.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of (a) rapes, (b) attempted rapes, (c) attempted murders, (d) woundings with intent to do grievous bodily harm and (e) threats or conspiracies to murder in the west midlands for each year since 1990; and if he will express the figures as a percentage change from 1990. [32879]

The available information is given in the tables. Figures for the number of attempted rapes are included with the substantive offence and are not separately identifiable.

Table 1: Notifiable offences of rape and attempted murder recorded by the police in the west midlands
	Rape		Attempted murder
Year	Number of offences	Percentage change over 1990	Number of offences	Percentage change over 1990
1990	170	n/a	25	n/a
1991	214	+26	27	+8
1992	207	+22	33	+32
1993	204	+20	43	+72
1994	211	+24	38	+52
1995	237	+39	50	+100
n/a = not acceptable.

Table 2: Notifiable offences of wounding or threat or conspiracy to murder recorded by the police in the west midlands
	Wounding		Threat or conspiracy to murder
Year	Number of offences	Percentage change over 1990	Number of offences	Percentage change over 1990
1990	9,952	n/a	168	n/a
1991	10,330	+4	178	+6
1992	11,269	+13	232	+38
1993	10,674	+7	180	+7
1994	10,149	+2	152	-10
1995	8,377	-16	127	-u24
n/a = not acceptable.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list (a) the customer charters which are currently in use within his Department and its executive agencies and (b) the charters which have been withdrawn. [32838]

The UK Passport Agency, the Fire Service College and the Prison Service all have charter standard statements. I have today published a new charter for victims of crime, superseding the charter issued in 1990. No charters, or charter standard statements, have been withdrawn.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to publish the Coopers and Lybrand report into the comparative costs of publicly and privately run prisons. [33086]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. Pawsey) on 13 June, column 232.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 17 April, Official Report, column 524, if he will list the local authorities engaged in crime prevention partnership as endorsed in the Morgan report broken down by political control. [32883]

The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the present number of secure establishments for young people in England and Wales in which a person can be held while awaiting trial or sentence; and where these establishments are sited. [32877]

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 make a statement on the outcome of the Justice and Home Affairs Council held on 4 June. [33615]

I represented the United Kingdom at the Council in Luxembourg. In accordance with the policy outlined in my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's statement to the House on 21 May, Official Report, columns 99–101, I was unable to agree to any decisions requiring unanimity in the Council other than those which were purely formal or procedural.Eleven agenda items, listed in the table, were blocked as a result of the Government's policy of non-co-operation in the European Union. However, I participated fully in negotiations on the substantive issues covered by the agenda. The main matters dealt with at the Council were as follows.The presidency reported progress in negotiations on the draft external frontiers convention and noted that two major political problems—a role for the European Court of Justice and territorial application of the convention—were outstanding.The Council examined the three draft directives proposed by the Commission for abolishing frontier controls and giving third country nationals a right to travel in member states, known as the "Monti Package". In addition to the United Kingdom's reserve of substance on these proposals, a number of issues of concern to other member states remain to be settled. The presidency undertook to consider whether negotiation on these instruments should be primarily a matter for the Internal Market Council or the Justice and Home Affairs Council.The Council agreed that officials should continue work on developing Eurodac, a project to establish a database of asylum seekers' fingerprints.The Council considered a compromise proposal for conferring on the European Court of Justice optional jurisdiction to interpret the Europol convention. The presidency concluded that this matter would be studied again at the European Council in Florence.The Council approved a report on the implementation of the Europol drugs unit budget in 1995, and deferred a decision on the development of a computer system for Europol.The Council considered the question of participation by the European Union in the International Law Enforcement academy in Budapest (ILEA), which is managed jointly by Hungary and the USA. The presidency concluded that, in the light of opposition by France to European Union involvement in the academy, this matter required further thought.The Council noted progress in the structured dialogue with the central and eastern European states, and a report outlining continuing action by the European Union against drugs in Latin America and the Caribbean.The Council discussed a number of outstanding issues arising from negotiations on the draft Convention on improved extradition procedures, and concluded that further work was required on these points by officials.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to receive the conclusions of Lord Lloyd's review of anti-terrorist legislation. [32923]

I understand that Lord Lloyd expects to submit his report by the autumn.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what Home Office approval of licensing arrangements exist in the case of testing (1) of milk for the purposes of Crentzfeldt-Jakob disease or bovine spongiform encephalopathy research; [32924](2) of urine for the purposes of CJD or BSE research. [32925]

Any testing which might cause harm or suffering to animals, including the inoculation of tissues and fluids into laboratory animals, would need authorisation under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue guidelines to electoral registration officers encouraging the registration of those with no fixed abode at an accommodation address in circumstances where the requirements of permanence and the qualifying date for registration are met; and if he will make a statement. [32968]

No; accommodation addresses are not permitted under current legislation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken concerning electoral registration arrangements for homeless persons following the decision in the case of Lippiatt v. the Electoral Registration Officer, Penwith district council. [32969]

We aim to issue guidance in time for this year's electoral registration canvass.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the relative cost of custodial and non-custodial sentences for similar offences; and if he will make a statement. [33128]

The target annual unit costs for 1996–97 for the principal disposals available to the courts are:

• Prison place: £24,388
• Probation order: £2,510
• Community service order: £1,840

The decision whether to impose a custodial or non-custodial sentence is a matter for the courts, within the statutory limits taking into account all the circumstances of the offence and the offender. It is not determined by the costs of these disposals.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has evaluated which identifies a relationship between marginal increases in the prison population and marginal decreases in crime rates; and if he will make a statement. [33129]

The Home Office research and statistics directorate continuously monitors research in this area. Its most recent evaluation of such research is contained within "Analysing Offending: Data. Models and Interpretations" by Roger Tarling (HMSO. 1993).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has published to encourage judges to give shorter average sentences; and if he will make a statement. [33184]

The Government have no plans to encourage judges to pass sentences which would mean offenders spending less time in prison. The proposals for mandatory minimum sentences for persistent burglars and drug dealers set out in the White Paper "Protecting the Public" would mean many offenders receiving significantly longer sentences than they do at present.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a breakdown of the prison population for (a) the last date for which figures are available, (b) five years before that date, (c) 10 years before that date, (d) 15 years before that date and (e) 20 years before that date, by those imprisoned for (i) non-violent property crime, (ii) violent property crime, (iii) violent crimes against the person, excluding murder and manslaughter, (iv) murder and manslaughter, (v) illegal drug possession, (vi) illegal drug trafficking and (vii) other offences; what percentage of each were men under the age of 25 years; and if he will make a statement. [33130]

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 what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on relative conviction rates across European countries; and if he will make a statement. [33131]

No information is currently collected centrally on conviction rates across all European countries. My Department is participating in a Council of Europe initiative to collect such information and other crime and criminal justice statistics for all member states. The first limited results from this study have been made available in the "Draft Sourcebook on Crime and Criminal Justice Statistics" published earlier this year, a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the electronic tagging pilot scheme. [33183]

The electronic monitoring equipment continues to work well in all three trial areas; and the participating courts are making increased use of the curfew order. As of 13 June, 71 orders have been made since the trials began, with over 50 of these being made in the last six months.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which a crime is considered cleared up for official purposes. [33186]

An offence is deemed to be cleared up if any of the following conditions are met:

1. a person has been charged or summonsed for the offence (irrespective of any subsequent acquittal);

2. the offence has been taken into consideration by the court or if the unequivocal consent of the offender is obtained by way of statement of admission and desire to have further offences taken into consideration;

3. the offender has been proceeded against in another police force area for the offence;

4. the offender dies before proceedings could be initiated or completed;

5. the offender has been cautioned by the police;

6. the offender is ill and is unlikely to recover or is too senile or too mentally disturbed for proceedings to be taken;

7. the complainant or an essential witness is dead and the proceedings cannot be pursued;

8. the guilt of the offender is clear but the victim refuses, or is permanently unable, or if a juvenile is not permitted, to give evidence;

9. the offender admits the offence but it is decided that no useful purpose would be served by proceeding with the charge;

10. it is ascertained that an offence has been committed by a child under the age of criminal responsibility;

11. an offence is admitted by a juvenile of the age of criminal responsibility and police take no action other than reporting the particulars to a local authority for action under the Children and Young Persons Act 1969;

12. There is sufficient evidence to charge the offender but

(a) The police prosecuting department, the Crown Prosecution Service or a senior police officer decide that no useful purpose would be served by proceeding with the charge; or

(b) for summary offences of unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle or criminal damage value over £20 the time limit of six months for commencing prosecution has been exceeded.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) pursuant to his answer of 21 May, Official Report, column 96, about WPC Fletcher, when he expects the review of the contents of the television programme to be complete; [31915]

[holding answer 7 June 1996]: I understand from the Metropolitan police that they hope to have reached their conclusions on these matters in the near future.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from, or on behalf of, the Suffolk constabulary concerning the definition of the powers of the American visiting forces outside USAF Mildenhall. [31952]

[holding answer 10 June 1996]: None.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what requests he has received from the British high commission in Islamabad to undertake inquiries into the application by Mr. Gultasab Hussain (ref: HO C8645) to join his wife in the United Kingdom; on what date the request was received; what information has been requested; and when the inquiries will be completed. [32957]

[holding answer 17 June 1996]: The entry clearance officer in Islamabad wrote to the Home Office on 20 June 1995 asking for some inquiries to be made. These were completed and a report was sent to the entry clearance officer in October 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions were brought by the police relating to animal welfare; how many were successful in the last available year; and if he will make a statement. [32810]

[holding answer 17 June 1996]: Information for 1994 is given in the table. The 1995 data will not be available until autumn 1996.

Number of prosecutions brought by the police for offences relating to animal welfare by result England and Wales 1994
Offence	Police prosecutions	Convictions
Cruelty to animals	284	204
Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, Sec. 22(3), 23 and 25(3).	2	2
Protection of Animals Act, 1911 (as amended).	217	160
Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981, Sec 8.	—	—
Performing Animals (Regulation) Act 1925	—	—
Protection of Animals Act, 1934.	1	1
Pet Animals Act, 1951.	2	1
Protection of Animals (Amendment) Act, 1954.	11	9
Animal Health Act, 1981, Secs 40–42, 46, 49 and Orders under Sees 8, 9, 37,38,39 and 43.	5	1
Slaughterhouses Act 1974.	—	—

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to introduce plastic banknotes. [31821]

There are no current plans to introduce plastic banknotes, but the Bank of England keeps all aspects of banknote production under constant review.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which statistics his Department has discontinued (a) the collection and (b) the publication of since 1989. [32869]

Numerous changes in the basis of compilation, presentation and publication of statistics occur in response to the requirements of Government, business and the wider community, including international organisations, for statistical information. Other changes reflect changes in administrative systems on which some series are based, the development of new statistical techniques and technological developments affecting the compilation and dissemination of statistical data.When such changes are made, they are fully documented in the relevant statistical publications. Also, for example, the published annual reports of the former Central Statistical Office since 1991–92 have listed all the surveys of businesses carried out. To bring together all the relevant information on statistics collected and published would involve disproportionate cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies in Northern Ireland have set up and operated (a) profit-related pay schemes, (b) employee share ownership plans and (c) approved employee share schemes in each of the past five years; and what has been the estimated tax saving in each of those five years. [32179]

I regret that the information is not available centrally, since the registered addresses of companies—which could, in principle, be analysed—may differ from the regions in which their employees work.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the next contribution of financial services excluding investment income to the United Kingdom balance of payments in each year since 1992. [32343]

The net contribution of financial services—excluding investment income—to the UK balance of payments, in each year from 1992, was as follows:

£ million
1992	4,713
1993	5,286
1994	5,572
1995	5,528

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on postage in the financial years 1994–95 and 1995–96; and how many items were posted during these periods. [32854]

The information requested is:

	1994–95	1995–96
Expenditure on postage	£70,938	£70,166
Number of items (1st, 2nd, parcel post	356,962	337,290

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the budget and staffing level, for the investigation of tax fraud in the last financial year; and what amounts were detected or reclaimed as a direct result of these investigations. [32903]

It is not possible to isolate the resources and yield which relate to fraud investigations from other tax investigation work. But I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave to the hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn) on 26 October 1995, Official Report, columns 727–28, and 3 November 1995, Official Report, column 503. Later figures are not yet available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what were the unemployment rates in November 1995 in the constituencies of (a) Bassetlaw, (b) Rotherham, (c) Barnsley, Central, (d) Barnsley, East, (e) Donacaster and (f) Easington; [32756]

[holding answer 13 June 1996]: Information on percentage rates of claimant unemployment is not available by parliamentary constituency. However, information on numbers of people claimant unemployed are published in "Labour Market Trends", and on the Nomis database, available in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what sums and what proportion of gross domestic product was devoted to (a) social security, (b) benefits for the unemployed, (c) housing benefit, (d) social housing, (e) the national health service and (f) public transport in each since 1979. [32104]

[holding answer 17 June 1996]: A functional breakdown of general government expenditure from 1978–79 to 1995–96 is given in cash, in real terms and as a percentage of gross domestic product in tables 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4 respectively of the "Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 1996–97", Cm 3201. A more detailed breakdown of the general government expenditure can be found in table 1.5 of the same publication for the 1990–91 to 1995–96 years. Figures for other functional headings are available only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which statistics his Department has discontinued (a) the collection and (b) the publication of since 1989. [32856]

The Overseas Development Administration collects and reports aid statistics in accordance with internationally agreed directives, which have changed little since 1989; and publishes a selection to meet the needs of customers, including Parliament and others with an interest in the UK aid programme. Some statistics on numbers of experts, students and trainees funded by UK aid are not presently published, pending system reorganising.The FCO diplomatic wing collects a range of statistical information for internal management purposes. The nature of this has evolved to support more efficient management of resources. However, no central record is kept of which statistics are discontinued.In the past few years, the volume of information published has increased considerably, in line with open government policy. In particular the FCO's departmental report, a copy of which is in the Library of the House, contains a wealth of statistical material.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress towards securing compensation for those British citizens held hostage by Iraq during the Gulf war. [33058]

The governing council of the UN Compensation Commission—UNCC—last met in Geneva on 28 and 29 May and approved the second instalment of 62,122 category 'C' claims—which include compensation for having been held hostage. Some 235 British claimants in this instalment have been awarded a total of $4.6 million.Payment of compensation will not be possible until UN Security Council resolution 986—oil for food—is implemented and sufficient money has accumulated in the compensation fund.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the European initiatives which have been blocked by the United Kingdom Government since the current policy of non-co-operation commenced. [33033]

As a consequence of the policy of non-cooperation, we blocked the following measures in the period 21 May to 14 June:

Measures on which the UK has withheld agreement to date for BSE reasons
Date	Forum for agreement	Measure
22 May 96	IGC Working Group	Request for extra briefing meeting with EP
22 May 96	CFSP—Coreu	Presidency initiative on Mongolian election observers
	CFSP—Coreu	Presidency proposal for EU statement on detention of pro-democracy activists in Burma
23 May 96		Signature of Insolvency Convention
23 May 96	Civil Protection Council	Community action programme
23 May 96	Civil Protection Council	Council Resolution on research
23 May 96	Civil Protection Council	Council Resolution on co-operation with CEEs
28 May 96	Development Council	Council Conclusions on emergency aid, rehabilitation and long term development
28 May 96	Development Council	Council Conclusions on operational co-ordination
28 May 96	Development Council	Council Conclusions on decentralised co-operation
28 May 96	Development Council	Council Conclusions on migration and development
28 May 96	Development Council	Council Resolution on environmental impact of development projects
28 May 96	Development Council	Council Decision on financial measures for Centre for Development of Industry

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the date of implementation of (a) the EU ban on imports of United States beef and (b) the United States ban on imports of British beef. [31764]

I have been asked to reply.There is no EU ban on imports of United States beef. The United States of America appears on the list of countries approved for the export of bovine animal and meat, amongst other products, to the EU. However, Council directive 88/146/EEC prohibits the importation from third countries of animals and meat from animals which have been administered hormones as growth promoters. The use of such hormones is permitted in the United States and the US authorities are challenging the EU import restriction through World Trade Organisation procedures.The UK has not received any formal notification from the United States Department of Agriculture of a ban on imports of British beef. However, the United States has not accepted imports of British bone-in beef since 1989. In view of the clear unwillingness of the US authorities to accept such imports, subsequent negotiations have concentrated on securing access to the American market for boneless beef. These were successfully concluded in July 1994 when health certification for the import of British boneless beef was agreed with the USA.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those countries that are currently classified by his Department as developing nations and are receiving Government aid. [33273]

The 27 members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development are generally regarded as the world's developed or industrialised countries. Countries in the rest of the world are broadly divided into two categories—the developing countries and "transition" countries. The latter category comprises Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Slovak Republic, Poland, Czech Republic, Russia, Estonia, Belarus, Hungary, Moldova, Bulgaria and Romania. The Government give aid to around 160 developing and transition countries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those countries that have been classified as developing nations since 1966 indicating the total amount each country has received in aid. [33272]

The ODA publication, "British Aid Statistics"—published annually since 1965—provides comprehensive information on UK aid flows. Information on aid flows to and from other countries is contained in the World Bank's "World Development" report—it includes aid receipts by all countries—and in the OECD's publication "Geographical Distribution of Financial Flows to Aid Recipients". Historical data in these publications date back to the late 1960s only. All three publications are held in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria determine the eligibility of a country to qualify as a developing nation for ODA aid; and which body determines which countries are eligible. [33274]

The OECD's Development Assistance Committee maintains a list of countries to which donors give aid. Part 1 of the DAC list is made up of developing countries. Help to these countries counts as official development assistance. Part 2 of the list is made up of transition countries, plus six graduated countries—Bahamas, Brunei, Kuwait, Qatar, Singapore and United Arab Emirates.Governments are free to give aid to whichever countries they wish, but only aid to part 1 countries on the DAC lists counts as "official development assistance".

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will meet the Environmental Industries Commission for the purpose of reviewing the VOC pollution deadlines; and if he will make a statement; [32598](2) if he will now meet the Environmental Industries Commission for the purpose of reviewing the VOC pollution deadlines; and if he will make a statement. [32595]

My right hon. Friend is meeting my hon. Friends the Members for Bromsgrove (Mr. Thomason) and for Wyre (Mr. Mans), together with representatives of the Environmental Industries Commission, on 9 July, when any such matters can be discussed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will commission a further report on the costs of reducing VOC emissions with the remit to consider definitive cost estimates for individual sectors. [32593]

My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade published a detailed study of costs of reducing VOC emissions from industry on 3 May. A copy is in the Library of the House. My Department will shortly be publishing a study of the costs of implementing the proposed EC solvents directive in relation to three industry sectors. My Department has no current plans for any further studies, but we will keep the position under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what were the aims of the three-year energy advice centres pilot study. [32945]

The study aimed to test the cost-effectiveness of the provision of free, impartial advice on energy efficiency.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what plans he has to fund the energy advice centres after March 1997; [32949](2) what future funding plans he has made for the energy advice centres. [32948]

The Government passed control of the local energy advice centre pilot study to the Energy Saving Trust at the beginning of April. It is preparing proposals for the future and will pass them on to my Department for consideration shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 10 top performing local energy advice centres in order of achievement of their targets; and what percentage of their targets they (a) achieved and (b) exceeded. [32947]

The following 10 LEACs were the top performers in order of achievement of their targets:

• Tyneside
• Cardiff
• Bristol
• Swansea
• Greenwich
• Plymouth
• Tayside
• Lothian and Edinburgh
• Aberdeen
• Belfast

All 10 LEACs achieved and exceeded their targets.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the energy advice centre pilot scheme; and if he will make a statement. [32950]

The Government passed control of the local energy advice centre pilot study to the Energy Saving Trust at the beginning of April 1996. The trust is assessing the pilot study, which will be completed at the end of September.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of the energy advice centres have (a) achieved and (b) exceeded their targets. [32946]

Some 24 of the 33 local energy advice centres achieved and exceeded their targets.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is taking to ensure that dairy farmers in the counties of Yorkshire will have a constant supply of mains water, with particular reference to those whose mains supply is also connected to other domestic households in the vicinity. [32907]

Save for small areas at the borders of the counties, Yorkshire Water Services Ltd. and The York Waterworks plc are the appointed water undertakers serving the counties of Yorkshire. These and all water undertakers have the statutory duty to maintain supplies to all existing consumers and I expect them to take all the measures necessary to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total number of housing starts in England in the first quarter of 1996; and what percentage change this was over the equivalent period in 1995. [32956]

It is estimated that in England during the first quarter of 1996 there were 31,800 new dwellings started. This represents a fall of 12 per cent. compared to the first quarter of 1995 when 36,100 starts were reported.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the level of heavy metals in cemfuel when tested at Ribblesdale, Clithero, in October 1994. [32823]

Coal only November 1994
Substance	Stack cone mg/m3 STP	Stack cone mg/m3 actual	Mass flow mg/s	MGLC µ/m3 (x1000)	EQS or EAL µ/m3	EQ (air) (x100)
NOx	1216	665	119,737	836	83.3	1.0038
SO2	1274	697	125,448	876	80	1.0950
particulate	47	25.7	4,628	32	80	0.0404
HF	0.19	0.1	18.7	0.1306	6.5	0.002
HCl	76	41.6	7484	52.26	7	0.7466
CO	247	135.1	24322	169.8	550	0.0309
NH3	3.83	2.1	377	2.634	170	0.0015
Pb	0.221	0.12	21.8	0.152	2	0.0076
Cr(III)	0.085	0.047	8.37	0.0584	5	0.0012
Cr(VI)	0.000255	0.0001	0.02	0.0001	0.01	0.00010
Mn	0.018	0.01	1.76	0.0123	50	0.0000
Ni	0.038	0.02	3.74	0.0261	10	0.0003
EQ(air)x100	—	—	—	—	—	2.9293
EQ(air)	—	—	—	—	—	0.0293

Table 6.3: Cemfuelµ November 1994
Substance	Stack cone mg/m3STP	Stack cone mg/m3actual	Mass flow mg/s	MGLC µ/m3(x1000)	EQS or EAL µ/m3	EQ (air) (x100)
NOx	1212	662	119,147	832	83.3	0.9988
SO2	1311	717	129,092	901	80	1.1269
particulate	72	39.4	7,090	50	80	0.0619
HF	0.15	0.082	14.8	0.1	6.5	0.0016
HCl	26	14.2	2,560	18	7	0.2554
CO	459	251.1	45,197	316	550	0.0574
NH3	6.7	3.7	660	4.6	170	0.0027
Pb	0.340	0.19	33.48	0.23	2	0.0117
Cr(III)	0.539	0.3	53.10	0.37	5	0.0074
Cr(IV)	0.0016	0.001	0.18	0.001	0.1	0.0010
Co	0.01	0.006	1.08	0.008	0.2	0.0040
Cu	0.008	0.004	0.72	0.005	2	0.0003
Mn	0.062	0.034	6.12	0.043	50	0.0001
Ni	0.348	0.19	34.2	0.24	10	0.0024

The concentrations of heavy metals in two samples taken during these trials are on the public register and were as follows.

Metal	Sample M1348, mg/kg	Sample 1349, mg/kg
Cadmium	4.3	4.57
Thallium	0.05	0.05
Mercury	0.05	0.05
Antimony	20	16.7
Arsenic	1.02	0.05
Chromium	55	39
Cobalt	2.11	2.66
Copper	48	46
Lead	186	157
Manganese	28	18.2
Nickel	7.3	2.19
Tin	0.05	0.05
Vanadium	4.22	2.6

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what were the environmental values given to each of the individual emissions from burning cemfuel at Castle Cement, Clitheroe; and which increased as compared to burning coal. [32835]

The attached tables show the emissions when burning coal or coal plus cemfuel, the environmental assessment level values and the calculated environmental quotient.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which statistics his Department has discontinued (a) the collection and (b) the publication of since 1989. [32860]

The main statistical series discontinued since 1989 are as follows:

• (a) Collections
• Housing
• Local authority housing schemes
• Proposals to acquire land
• Tender stage—new build; environmental improvement; renovation above/below threshold
• Practical completions—new build; renovation above threshold.
• Tenders accepted for local authority housebuilding/renovation of local authority stock condition.
• General improvement areas (GIA)
• Housing action areas (HAA)
• Declaration of GIA or HAA
• Right to repair
• Housebuilding by police authority
• Homes Insulation scheme
• Local authority insulation activity
• Old style home improvement grants
• Land use
• Land use change statistics for Wales and Scotland
• (b) Publication
• Housing
• Loans for house purchase made by insurance companies (no longer collected independently)
• Land Use
• In this year's publication programme the following district level series will be dropped (still available at regional and national level).
• Section 78 planning appeals against refusal
• Appeal against enforcement notices by district planning authorities
• Listed building and conservation area consent enforcement appeals by region.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) when he will complete the consultation over the revision to water byelaws; and when he plans to put draft regulations to replace water byelaws before the House; [33376]

My Department issued a consultation document on the general arrangements for replacement of the water byelaws in January 1995. In the light of the comments received, I announced on 26 March the establishment of a Water Regulations Advisory Committee, whose membership 1 hope to announce shortly.Regulations to replace the water byelaws will deal with the prevention of contamination, waste, undue consumption and misuse of water in premises. They are expected to include requirements on water usage by fittings and appliances.There will be a further consultation on draft proposals, the timing of which will be determined in the light of advice from WRAC, which will also be asked to advise on the extension of the current water byelaws.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 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. [31510]

I asked officials to make sure that the European flag did not fly on 8 May.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the amount spent by each development corporation in Scotland in supporting housing associations or co-operatives within their areas in each of the last three years; and if he will list the bodies and the amounts they have received. [32229]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 July 1995, Official Report, columns 1525–26, which provides the only information held centrally on the expenditure incurred by the former development corporations in East Kilbride and Glenrothes.The up-to-date information for the other corporations still in existence is set out in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the terms of the financial settlement

	Aberdeen		Dundee		Glasgow		Inverness		Edinburgh
	Indoor	Indoor/outdoor	Indoor	Indoor/outdoor	Indoor	Indoor/outdoor	Indoor	Indoor/outdoor	Indoor	Indoor/outdoor	Total indoor	Total in/outdoor
1992–93	88	0	46	2	211	35	0	0	55	29	400	66
1993–94	60	30	39	33	376	206	7	15	61	27	543	311
1994–95	58	46	89	62	460	438	26	14	89	29	722	589

In the last three years, special funding totalling £2,775,000 has been made available for the provision of powered indoor/outdoor wheelchairs. The scheme has been extended and from 1 April 1996 funding is included in allocations to health boards.