To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make statement on his objectives in the renegotiation of the US-UK air service agreements (Bermuda II).[7120]

The Secretary of State's objective is to secure a liberal aviation agreement with the USA, to the benefit of the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 25 November, Official Report, column 59, if he will list the cost of overtime hours worked in the traffic areas. [6973]

Staff submit their overtime claims weekly, and overtime is paid monthly in arrears. Therefore, the full overtime costs for staff in the north eastern and north western traffic areas have not yet appeared on the Department's staff payroll. During September and October 1996, overtime payments in the two offices were £1,830. It is estimated, however, that the total cost of the hours worked will be approximately £9,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what direct payment will be required to be made by Her Majesty's Government to their landlords to relinquish the lease of the north west traffic area office, Portcullis house.[7668]

The Department has exercised a break clause in the current lease for Portcullis house, which means that the only payment to be made to the landlord under the terms of the lease will be to cover dilapidations. The amount to be paid is still the subject of negotiation between the landlord and the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what have been the three largest new roads projects within his investment programme for the provision and maintenance of the national road transport system in each year since 1992–93. [6741]

I have listed the three largest new road projects in terms of cost, started in each year since 1992–93.

• 1992–93
• Second Severn crossing¹
• Second Severn approach roads
• A46 Leicester western bypass
• 1993–94
• M66 Denton—Middleton contract 4
• M65 Blackburn southern bypass
• A50 Blythe Bridge-Queensway phase 1, Stoke on Trent
• 1994–95
• A564 Derby southern bypass and Derby spur
• M25 J8–10 widening
• M6 J20–21A bridge renewal
• 1995–96
• M66 Denton—Middleton contract 1
• Al(M) Alconbury to Peterborough DBF0² project
• M1–A1 Yorkshire link DBF0² project
• 1996–97
• A34 Newbury bypass
• A13 west of Heathway—Thames avenue improvement (LB Barking and Dagenham)
• A30/A35 Exeter to Bere Regis DBFO+ project (including A35 Honiton to Exeter improvement and A35 Tolpuddle to Puddletown bypass)
• ¹Privately financed.
• ¹Design, build, finance and operate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the status of the proposed A38 second Tamar crossing; and if he will make a statement. [8091]

In the light of a recently completed economic study on the impact of the second Tamar crossing on Plymouth and south-east Cornwall, I have decided to abandon the proposed scheme announced in May 1994.This will remove the present uncertainty about the proposals and lift the planning blight from this area of Saltash. A number of properties have been acquired under the blight provisions, and these will be put back on the market as soon as possible.The study report has concluded that the effects would be mixed, but that there was no clear case for a second crossing. A copy of the report has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if all necessary statutory marine notice and logging requirements were properly completed for a sailing of the MV Cap Afrique from Dover on 30 November. [7717]

I have asked the chief executive of Marine Safety Agency to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce a decision on the Manchester airport—Wythenshawe loop of Metrolink; and if he will make a statement. [7673]

We hope to announce a decision shortly.

To ask the Prime Minister when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Derbyshire, North-East reference GK/HB/311096, which was acknowledged on 4 November. [7512]

The letter will be replied to shortly.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 5 December. [6334]

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 5 December. [6335]

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

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the (a) planned expenditure in 1996–97 following the 1995 public expenditure settlement, (b) estimated outturn expenditure in 1996–97 and (c) planned expenditure in 1997–98 on the (i) moorland scheme, (ii) countryside access scheme, (iii) habitat scheme, (iv) organic aid scheme, (v) countryside stewardship scheme, (vi) nitrate sensitive areas, (vii) farm and conservation grant scheme and (viii) farm woodland premium scheme. [7688]

Details are contained in the table, which relates to payments to land managers in England.

Scheme	1996 –97 planned estimated expenditure	1996 –97 current (1996 PES provision)	1997 –98 planned (1996 PES provision)
Moorland scheme	0.35	0.10	0.25
Countryside access scheme	2.50	0.08	0.12
Habitat scheme	2.00	1.42	1.82
Organic aid scheme	0.46	0.41	0.85
Countryside stewardship scheme	12.22	12.20	17.65
Nitrate sensitive areas	6.10	3.65	4.74
Farm and conservation grant scheme	4.00	8.89	2.43
Farm woodland premium scheme1	6.16	4.23	5.55
1Includes payments on the farm woodland scheme.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are his plans for converting the directorate of fisheries research into an agency. [8176]

Work is in hand for the management and organisational changes to convert the directorate of fisheries research into an agency of the Ministry with effect from 1 April 1997. In anticipation of the changes of status, and to reflect more fully the range of work done, the directorate will be known as the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science —CEFAS —with effect from 13 January 1997.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what arrangements are in place in the Intervention Board executive agency for recruitment; on what basis these are drawn; how many staff have been appointed at each level during 1995 –96; if he will indicate the proportion of (a) women, (b) members of ethnic minorities and (c) disabled people successful at each level; and what exceptions were made to the recruitment rules to allow appointments to be made. [8177]

I can confirm that there are systems in place in the Intervention Board to ensure that recruitment is carried out on the basis of fair and open competition and selection on merit, in accordance with the recruitment code laid down by the civil service commissioners, and that these systems are subject to internal check.During the 1995–96 financial year, the Intervention Board conducted three recruitment campaigns to appoint staff at administrative assistant, administrative officer, and higher executive officer (auditor) levels. These exercises were conducted on the basis of fair and open recruitment and selections were made on merit in each case. The following statistical information on the competitions may help to put the exercise into context:

Administrative assistant competition
	There were 37 applicants of which:
	Applicants	Interviewees	Successful candidates
Gender
Male	21 (57 per cent.)	20 (67 per cent.)	16 (69 per cent.)
Female	16 (43 per cent.)	10 (33 per cent.)	7 (31 per cent.)
Totals	37 (100 per cent.)	30 (100 per cent.)	23 (100 per cent.)
Ethnic origin
White	31 (84 per cent.)	25 (83 per cent.)	19 (83 per cent.)
Black	1 (3 per cent.)	1 (3 per cent.)	1 (4 per cent.)
Asian	2 (5 per cent.)	2 (7 per cent.)	2 (9 per cent.)
Unknown	3 (8 per cent.)	2 (7 per cent.)	1 (4 per cent.)
Totals	37 (100 per cent.)	30 (100 per cent.)	23 (100 per cent.)

There were no disabled applicants for this competition.Also, from the successful candidates, eventually only eight accepted appointments of which one was a part-time appointment. Of these six were male and two female, and of this group, seven classified themselves as white and one as black.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much spreadable butter was imported in 1995; and from which countries. [7231]

Official UK statistics on imports of butter in 1995 do not distinguish between spreadable and other types of butter. Total UK imports of butter, including spreadable butter, 1995 were 104,762 (provisional).

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if the ear tag UK YK 0737 has been used on more than one ovine animal destined for export; [7732]

UK YK 0737 is the country and flockmark part of the identification mark and, as such, has been used on more than one animal. The ear tag applied to exported sheep also included an individual animal identification number.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the ear tags on sheep identify the place of final loading on to a vehicle as the holding of origin.[7731]

Not necessarily: the Sheep and Goats (Records, Identification and Movement) Order 1996 provides, where sheep are to be consigned for export, for an ear tag or tattoo to show the flockmark either of the consignor of the sheep for export or of a previous keeper of the animal. The tag or tattoo must also show the individual identification number of the animal as shown by its accompanying health certificate.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in what circumstances a local veterinary inspector may sign an export health certificate when he has not visited the premises at which the sheep are inspected.[7733]

Veterinary surgeons should certify only those matters which are within their own knowledge, can be ascertained by them personally or are the subject of a supporting certificate from another veterinarian who does have personal knowledge of the matters in question and is authorised to provide such a supporting document. It would therefore be permitted for a local veterinary inspector to sign an export health certificate when he or she had not inspected an export consignment, provided that he or she signed the certificate on the basis of an attestation provided by a local veterinary inspector who had inspected the consignment.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 25 November, Official Report, column 102, concerning consignments of sheep, where the supervision of the loading of 16 consignments took place, and by whom it was supervised. [7736]

The 16 supervised loadings referred to in the answer of 25 November were carried out by Ministry staff at various locations in Sussex, Devon, Essex, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 21 November, Official Report, column 708, what assessment he has made of the practice of not recording communications between inspectors at the port and headquarters at Tolworth and of its implications for accountability. [7720]

There is no need to record every one of the many communications between Dover and Tolworth, but significant matters are recorded.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if his Department is able to trace every ovine animal back to the holding on which the animal was born. [7738]

The Sheep and Goats (Records, Identification and Movement) Order 1996 provides for a system of identification and movement records to assist the tracing of sheep.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 25 November, Official Report, column 103, what steps his Department will take to settle the claim by Hedley Lomas (Ireland) Ltd. [7734]

In advance of a formal claim, I cannot speculate what action might occur.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the inspector at Dover who telephoned the State Veterinary Service and the animal health and welfare sections at Tolworth on 6 November expressed concern regarding the MV Cap Afrique sailing in rough weather carrying livestock.[7718]

No.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if (a) the necessary journey plans had been approved,(b) export health certificates had been issued for the four consignments of livestock that boarded the MV Cap Afrique on 30 November and (c) the four consignments of sheep had benefited from at least 10 hours rest and had been fed and watered before being loaded at the point of departure. [7722]

We have no evidence to suggest that there were any infringements of the Welfare of Animals during Transport Order 1994, as amended.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 19 November, Official Report, column 474, if the inspector who boarded the MV Cap Afrique registered concern to the master of the vessel about the sailing on 6 November. [7719]

No. The purpose of boarding the vessel was to ascertain if the master had exercised his judgment in accordance with article 11 of the Welfare of Animals during Transport Order 1994, as amended.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of whether the sailing of the MV Cap Afrique on 6 November was likely to cause unnecessary suffering, injury or death to the animals on board the vessel, owing to the weather and sea conditions at the time of sailing. [7721]

I have no reason to believe that the Department's inspectors did not exercise their judgment properly.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the incidence of (a) E. coli 0157 and (b)campylobacter in animals in England in each year sine 1990 and from 1 January to date.[7211]

[holding answer 2 December 1996]:Escherichia coli 0157 is not associated with disease in livestock and there is therefore no definitive information on the number of cases each year. However since 1990 staff at veterinary investigation centres of the Veterinary Laboratories Agency have taken samples from various livestock species during on-farm investigations following the identification of disease in humans that has been associated with individual farms. Some samples, mainly from cattle, have proved positive for E. coli 0157, but insufficient samples have been examined to give meaningful figures for the prevalence of E. coli 0157 infection in these herds. A survey of bovine faeces samples routinely submitted to VICs in England and Wales in 1995 found E. coli 0157 in 0.86 per cent. of 6,495 samples.Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli, the campylobacters most commonly associated with human food poisoning, are commonly found inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tract of a wide variety of animals and birds and are rarely associated with disease in animals. Because they are not significant animal pathogens, they are rarely looked for during animal disease investigations. The prevalence of the organisms within flocks and herds is very variable with, on occasions, all animals in individual flocks or herds carrying the organism.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what mechanisms the unclassified versions of the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee's substantive reports are made public; and if he will assess the advantages of making public the annual reports and minutes of the independent ethics committee of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment, Porton Down, in the same way. [6929]

My Department's chief scientific adviser awaits the initial report from the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, which is expected to be delivered before the end of the year. The precise mechanism by which this will subsequently be published has not yet been decided. As regards the publication of the annual reports and minutes of the ethics committee for Porton Down, the position remains as given in my reply to the hon. Member of 18 July 1995, Official Report, column 1162.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the cost to date of the "Competing for Quality" market test exercise at RAF St. Athan. [7435]

The cost to the Ministry of Defence to date of the "Competing for Quality" market test exercise at RAF St. Athan is £2.78 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contacts he has had with officers of the (a) Greek Cypriot defence forces and (b) Turkish Cypriot defence forces since 1 January. [7655]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received about the future use of RAF Scampton; when arrangements will be made for it to be placed on the market; and if he will make a statement. [7265]

There have been 17 inquiries concerning alternative non-defence uses for this station all of which have been taken into account in the preparation of a planning brief for the site in conjunction with the local authority. Subject to the adoption of this brief, which will be considered by the local planning authority in early 1997, it is intended to commence marketing the site during the summer of 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what costs were incurred by his Department in respect of events associated with the return of the Stone of Destiny to Scotland. [7714]

The return of the Stone of Destiny to Scotland was an accepted task under state ceremonial and routine public duties, the costs of which were absorbed within existing budgets. Additional costs relating to the ceremony on 30 November will be met by the Scottish Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how many days during July, August, September and October the MV Cap Afrique was contracted by the Ministry of Defence. [7716]

The MV Cap Afrique was chartered twice in July 1996 for a total of six days: from 9 July to 11 July inclusive and 23 July to 25 July inclusive. On both occasions she was employed to transport military vehicles and stores equipment between Marchwood military port and Antwerp. Those were the only occasions on which she was chartered by the Ministry of Defence since 1 July 1996.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total value of contracts placed by his Department with (a) subsidiaries of foreign companies and (b) British companies working in partnership with foreign companies in each of the last five years. [7740]

The management data held centrally covering MOD headquarters contracts do not provide details about whether the contractor is a subsidiary of a foreign company or a British company working in partnership with a foreign company. Consequently, with some 8,000 to 10,000 businesses receiving contracts each year, research to answer such a general question could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is her Department's procedure for advising hon. Members of ministerial visits to their constituencies.[3977]

My office is instructed to write notifying right hon. and hon. Members of all official visits to their constituencies.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list each official visit which she has made to the London borough of Southwark since her appointment and the date in each case of the notification of the visit to the hon. Member whose constituency she visited. [2921]

[holding answer] 1 November 1996: Official visits to the London borough of Southwark since my appointment include:

29 August 1995: A rehearsal for British Youth Opera at South Bank university

27 September 1995: A site visit to Bankside, Summer street

3 October 1995: A visit to GMTV Studios, London TV Centre, South Bank

26 October 1995: A visit to South Bank Centre, Royal Festival Hall

26 October 1995: Attend the launch of "Centenary of Cinema", at the Museum of the Moving Image, South Bank

9 November 1995: Visit to the Globe theatre, Bankside and the Rose theatre site

8 January 1996: Attend AA and Power Exhibition, at the Hayward gallery, South Bank

12 March 1996: Open the headquarters of Groundwork Southwark, and visit Burgess Park

30 July 1996: Attend the Arts Review launch at the Royal Festival Hall

31 July 1996: Visit Butler's Wharf Chef School

19 September 1996: Attend a lunch to launch stage 2 of "Making more of music", at The Warehouse, Theed street

23 October 1996: Open "Charlotte Perriand: Modernist Pioneer" Exhibition, at the Design museum

30 October 1996: Launch of The Human Resources Document at Butler's Wharf Chef School

21 November 1996: Launch of English Heritage annual report at the Oxo tower

It was not previously the practice in my Department routinely to maintain records of notification of visits. However, details exist of letters of 16 July, 29 October and 18 November to the office of the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) regarding the events on 30 July, 30 October and 21 November respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when she next plans to visit the London borough of Southwark to discuss the operation of the national lottery. [4298]

[holding answerl8 November 1996]: I have no immediate plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is the Government's response to the report of Sir Peter Middleton's advisory committee on film finance. [8044]

I have today announced the Government's response to the report of the advisory committee on film finance. Copies of the press release have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.The Government are grateful to Sir Peter Middleton and his committee for their expert analysis of the obstacles to raising investment finance of British film making and for their recommendations on how these obstacles might be overcome.The Government have accepted most of the committee's recommendations. Specifically:the Government intend to work with the film industry and financial sector to establish a new forum to promote better understanding of each other's activities. The new body, which will be chaired by Sir Peter Middleton, will be called the Film Finance Forum;the Government will consult the film industry and other interested parties on the statutory definition of a British film and will consider, in the light of comments received, whether changes to the existing definition are necessary;the Government welcome the announcement by the Arts Council of England that it intends to apply national lottery money more strategically to the film industry to help create the market-focused film making structures recommended in the report;the Government will continue to negotiate in Brussels for a European audiovisual guarantee fund which is entirely commercial in its approach and private sector led from the outset.The Government did not accept the recommendations made by the committee regarding improvements to the tax regime for the film industry or staying in the Council of Europe's Eurimages co-production programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what proposals she has to extend the provisions of the Broadcasting (Channel 3 Transmission and Shared Distribution Costs) Order 1991. [8045]

The Broadcasting (Channel 3 Transmission and Shared Distribution Costs) Order 1991 expires on 31 December 1996. I intend shortly to lay a statutory instrument under section 66 of the Broadcasting Act 1990 to extend the provisions of the 1991 order until 31 December 2002. The Government will review the provision of transmission facilities to the channel 3 network in the course of 2000 and decide at that point whether the order should be further renewed beyond 2002.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many civil servants are undertaking the recently introduced master of business administration course for public servants; and what are (a) the grades and (b) the respective Departments of those undertaking the course. [7041]

There are currently 45 civil servants undertaking the public sector MBA course on full and part-time programmes. A further 16 civil servants finished full-time programmes in September 1996. This total of 61 are distributed between Departments as detailed in the table. A number of students will begin part-time programmes in January 1997. Information on the grades of participating students is not held centrally, and has not been collected on the grounds that the variation in grading systems across Departments and agencies makes such data of limited value.

Department	Full-time 1995 –96	Part-time 1995 –97	Full-time 1996 –97	Total
MAFF	2	—	1	3
Cabinet Office	—	—	1	1
Central Statistical Office	—	1	—	1
Crown Prosecution
Service	—	1	—	1
HM Customs and Excise	—	1	1	2
Ministry of Defence	1	2	6	9
Department for Education and Employment	3	4	—	7
Department of the Environment	—	2	1	3
Foreign and Commonwealth Office	1	—	1	2
GCHQ	—	—	2	2
Department of Health	3	—	1	4
Health and Safety
Executive	—	1	—	1
Home Office	—	3	2	5
Inland Revenue	—	2	—	2
Overseas Development
Administration	1	—	—	1
Department of Social Security	—	4	—	4
OFSTED	—	1	—	1
Scottish Office	—	1	—	1
Department of Trade and Industry	2	—	3	5
Department of Transport	1	1	2	4
Her Majesty's Treasury	2	—	—	2
Total	16	24	21	61

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the measures he has taken to encourage the Turkish Government to honour their international human rights obligations. [7680]

We regularly raise our concerns over Turkey's human rights record in our bilateral contacts with the Turks at all levels. My right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary did so when he met the Turkish Foreign Minister in September and the subject will of course be on the agenda at their next meeting on 5 December. We also take action with our partners through the European Union and in international forums such as the UN Commission on Human Rights in November.

To ask the Secretary of State of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what type of visa is required by Japanese citizens intending to study at British boarding schools between the ages of 11 and 18 years. [7279]

I have been asked to reply.A national of Japan does not need to obtain a visa before travelling to the United Kingdom as a student. However, he may apply for an entry certificate should he wish to do so. The criteria for entry as a student are set out in paragraph 57 of the "Statement of Changes in the Immigration Rules", HC 395, as amended, a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many representations he has received regarding the delay in implementing section 13 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990. [6792]

According to our records, six representations have been received by Ministers, two in the form of parliamentary questions and four letters from Members of Parliament. In addition, in the course of work on revising the administration order procedure and assessing the feasibility of implementing section 13, views have been sought and received from many bodies and organisations.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the section 13 monitoring group last met; and what issues were discussed. [6793]

The monitoring group last met on 29 November 1993. It discussed the objectives of the administration order procedure, secured and unsecured debts, and non-payment under an administration order.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of changes in the (a) source and (b) quantities of nitrates in the River Thames over the last six years; and if he will make a statement.[6815]

Nitrate concentrations in surface waters, including the River Thames, and in groundwaters are monitored by the Environment Agency as required by various European directives. The resulting data enable us to identify, and review as necessary, when action is needed to comply with the requirements of these directives in relation to nitrate pollution. For example, in the context of the nitrate directive, assessment of 1992 data on nitrate concentrations in surface waters led to the designation of nitrate vulnerable zones covering nine river catchments. The River Thames did not meet the criteria for designation in the first round. We shall be reviewing the vulnerable zone designations in 1997, as required by the directive, based on monitoring data currently being collected by the agency and available on their public registers in the usual way. The latest data on trends in river nitrate concentrations in the Thames region and in other parts of Great Britain are presented in the Department's 1996 Digest of Environmental Statistics, No. 18.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the likely benefits to be received by the seven new areas challenged to join the city pride initiative. [7176]

Ministers have had a number of discussions with the partners involved to date in city pride. Birmingham, London and Manchester, the three cities invited to pilot the city pride initiative in November 1993, have demonstrated the benefits by forging partnerships and, after extensive local consultation, producing detailed prospectuses setting out clear and deliverable visions for the future of their cities. The pilot cities are now implementing the proposals set out in these prospectuses. The seven new areas challenged to join the city pride initiative have an opportunity to demonstrate they can achieve the same excellent results.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many applications for city challenge funding in the last financial year were unsuccessful; and what estimate he has made of the cost of submitting the bids. [7175]

There were no applications for city challenge funding in the last financial year; 329 final bids were received in respect of the second round of the single regeneration budget challenge fund, for which the deadline was 18 September 1995. Some 172 bids were successful—over 52 per cent. of the total of final bids received. The Government have made no estimate of the cost of submitting bids. We have, however, commissioned independent research from the department of land economy, Cambridge university, into the single regeneration budget challenge fund. As part of that research, a report in the form of a working paper has been prepared on a sample of 10 unsuccessful SRB challenge fund bids. Copies of this paper have been placed in the Library of the House. This working paper estimated on page 28 that the cost of preparing unsuccessful bids varied from £10,000 to £23,000. The evidence from the unsuccessful bids studied in the report suggested that the challenge fund programme strengthened the formation and effectiveness of local partnerships, and that inter-agency co-operation had been enhanced. The report also concluded that there was no suggestion that the costs of preparing SRB bids were necessarily greater than preparing proposals under other funding regimes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library copies of all reports prepared by Government laboratories or consultants to his Department on the monitoring of pollution arising from offshore oil installations since 1979. [7021]

The directorate of fisheries research of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food regularly produces reports in the aquatic environment monitoring reports series on this subject, which are placed in the Library. Similar reports are produced by the Scottish Office. My Department has commissioned no recent reports from consultants for this purpose.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his Department's proposals for the use of the private finance initiative in respect of local government expenditure. [7306]

On 31 October we relaxed the capital finance rules to promote the private finance initiative in local government. We also issued guidance on those relaxations and associated arrangements for revenue support for PFI projects.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions in the past five years schemes have been brought forward by the Government for the introduction of taxes on development land values; in what years those schemes were brought forward; in what years they were abolished and for what reasons; and if he will make a statement. [7713]

The Government have brought forward no such schemes in the past five years.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the advantages of imposing new taxes on the development for residential purposes of green-field sites; and if he will make a statement. [7712]

I have not proposed such taxes, and have no intention of doing so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to give local authorities guidance on the private sector housing renewal provision in part I of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996.[8088]

DOE circular 17/96 "Private Sector Renewal: A Strategic Approach" is being sent to local authorities today. I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Library of each House.The circular takes account of changes to the system of house renovation grants made by part I of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 which will come into force on 17 December. The circular updates and consolidates in one document all previous guidance on private sector renewal and emphasises the need for local authorities to develop strategies to make the best use of the powers and resources that they will have for promoting private sector renewal. The guidance was prepared with the help of an advisory group of local authority practitioners and has been subject to consultation with the local authority associations and other interested organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to report on progress in implementation of the national forest. [8090]

I have today arranged for copies of the National Forests Company's 1996 annual report and accounts to be available in the House Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the forthcoming finance, management and policy review of the valuation tribunal service. [8089]

As part of the Government's programme of regular five-yearly finance, management and policy reviews of non-departmental public bodies, my Department will conduct a thorough review of the valuation tribunal service beginning on 5 December. The first stage of the review will take the form of a prior options study. This will assess the extent to which the functions that the valuation tribunal service performs are necessary for the achievement of the Government's policies, and whether there is scope for privatising, contracting out or transferring all, or part, of its functions to another body.The progress made by the valuation tribunal service since the previous review in 1992 will be examined and the results of that examination and of the prior options study will inform a detailed review of the service's policy and financial management systems. To minimise the uncertainty that the prior options study will cause, I expect this part of the review to be completed within six months. The time required for the more detailed review cannot be foreseen, but I would expect it also to last no longer than six months.In carrying out the study, my Department will consult widely with all parties with an interest in the work of the valuation tribunal service.

To ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to his answer of 25 November, Official Report, column 82, regarding examples of improving efficiency through environmental auditing, if he will list the occasions on which environmental considerations have been taken into account in respect of procurement and accommodation management matters. [7198]

All four Law Officers' Departments keep environmental aspects of their accommodation and procurement activities under regular review. Examples of action already taken in one or more of the Departments are: the fitting of new controls on heating and air conditioning plant to reduce energy consumption; the use of energy efficient lamping; the installation of modern flushing systems and rapid response arrangements for reported leaks; furniture purchase contracts which specify that wood should be from sustainable resources; and the stipulation in cleaning contracts that only environmentally friendly cleaning products should be used.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many national vocational qualifications awarded by the end of December 1995 were achieved by (a) private sector and (b) public sector employees. [6942]

Data are not available on the number of national vocational qualifications awarded to private sector and public sector employees.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans she has to introduce a right for students of the Open university to have their examination papers re-marked on appeal. [7420]

It is for the Open university, as an autonomous higher education institution, to establish its own procedures for marking examination papers and to set up appropriate appeals procedures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what amounts have been requested by way of capital spending in 1997–98 by each local education authority; and what has been the total amount requested in England. [7473]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the schools capital expenditure annual capital grants bid for each local education authority for 1997–98.[7711]

Each year we invite LEAs to submit their plans for education capital expenditure so that we can determine the level of their annual capital guidelines. The following table shows the total of each LEA's planned expenditure for 1997–98, as submitted to the Department in October.

Lea	Total planned expenditure (£000)
Barking and Dagenham	3,584
Barnet	8,143
Barnsley	5,361
Bath and North-east Somerset	4,382
Bedfordshire	9,897
Berkshire	5,892
Bexley	7,787
Birmingham	53,490
Bolton	5,872
Bournemouth	7,179
Bradford	63,643
Brent	10,278

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the level of United Kingdom gross domestic product for each year since 1970 at (a) current prices and (b) 1996 prices; what has been the annual percentage change in United Kingdom gross domestic product at constant prices for each of these years; what was the Government take of gross domestic product in each of these years at (a) current prices and (b) 1996 prices; and what was the annual percentage change in this Government share of gross domestic product at constant prices in each of these years. [5570]

Figures for GDP at current and constant prices are published in table 1.1 of the "United Kingdom National Accounts —The Blue Book".

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to measure and evaluate the effect of his Department's policies on women. [5478]

In July this year the model guidance on policy appraisal for equal treatment was revised and circulated at Cabinet level for Departments to adapt to their own circumstances. A copy was placed in the Library of the House. Advice based on this model will be circulated to officials in the Treasury.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has drawn up in regard to recital 13 of the European Commission's draft regulation on surveillance and co-ordination of budgetary positions of European Union member states in respect of the Maastricht treaty articles on economic and monetary union. [6790]

The text of the draft regulation remains to be negotiated by the Council of Ministers in due course. I now expect these negotiations to start early next year. Under the treaty provisions negotiated at Maastricht, no new economic policy obligations can be imposed on the UK unless we decide to join the single currency.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the implications of the stability pact to be established as part of the preparations for economic and monetary union for levels of employment and security of employment. [6808]

I refer the hon. Member to the statements that I made to the House on 25 November, Official Report, columns 21–43, and on 3 December, Official Report, columns 797–813. By helping to ensure a stable macroeconomic environment in the third stage of EMU, a credible and effective stability pact would help provide a strong foundation for employment-creating growth. Negotiations on the details of a pact which might prove credible and effective are continuing.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he plans to put forward in respect of article 109j(3) of the Maastricht treaty. [6830]

The Council of Economic and Finance Ministers agreed at its meeting on 11 November, under article 109j(2) of the EC treaty, that there is not at present a majority of countries which fulfil the conditions for the adoption of the single currency and that stage 3 of economic and monetary union will not therefore start in 1997. It has recommended its finding to the Council, meeting as Heads of State and Government, for a final decision under article 109j(3) in Dublin on 13 and 14 December. This recommendation has been submitted for scrutiny in the usual way.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what response he has made in respect of the European Commission proposals for (a) council regulation on the strengthening of the surveillance and co-ordination of budgetary positions, and (b) council regulation on speeding up and clarifying the implementation of the excessive deficit procedure, COM (96) 496 final of 16 October; and if he will place copies in the Library. [6789]

I submitted to Parliament an explanatory memorandum on the Commission's published proposals on 31 October 1996 and subsequently made statements to the House on 25 November Official Report, columns 21–43, and on 3 December Official Report, columns 797–813, clarifying the Government's position and approach to the draft stability pact regulations. I also wrote to all Members of Parliament on 22 November 1996 on this same subject, arranging for copies of the letter to be deposited in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the implications of Britain's opt-out from the final stage of EMU for the application of provisions of the stability pact to Britain while the opt-out is maintained. [5443]

[holding answer 21 November 19961: The Commission's draft regulations on the stability pact imply no sanctions or new policy obligations that can be imposed on those member states that do not participate in a single currency. The UK's opt-out will remain effective for as long as we choose to maintain it.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the loss in tobacco tax revenue for (a) 1995–96 and (b)1996–97 arising from (i) legal and (ii) illegal imports. [6899]

Customs' latest estimate of total tax revenue—excise duty and VAT—lost from legitimate personal imports of tobacco products purchased duty paid in other EU member states is £80 million for the calendar year 1995. Customs estimate that total tax revenue of £70 million was lost from this activity in calendar year 1994.Customs' current estimate of revenue evaded by smuggling of tobacco products is £560 million per year. This figure does not include any amount for commercial fraud. The actual loss to the Exchequer could be less than the amount evaded if some smuggling represents additional consumption rather than substituting for similar goods bought in the UK. Customs have no official estimate of the extent of such additional consumption, if any. There was no previous official estimate of revenue evaded by smuggling.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the levels of real interest rates for each year since 1976 and for each quarter since the first quarter of 1992. [7387]

Data on short-term interest rates and inflation can be found in "Financial Statistics" table 7.10 and "Economic Trends" table 1.1, respectively. Both publications are available from the House Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many private finance initiative contracts have been let in each quarter by the Departments of (a) Health, (b) Education and Employment and (c) Transport since the introduction of the private finance initiative. [7724]

Information at that level of detail is not held centrally. Questions about PFI in particular Departments are a matter for the Departments concerned.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the Government's initial forecast for private finance initiative uptake by November; and what figures were achieved. [7723]

No target was set for November 1996. By April 1996, £4.8 billion of PFI deals had been agreed, against a target of £5 billion; £7 billion of PFI deals have now been agreed and we remain on course to meet the target of £14 billion of agreed PFI deals by the end of 1998–99.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Finance Bill will be published; and if he will make notes on clauses available to hon. Members as usual. [8046]

The Finance Bill will be published on Friday 3 January 1997. Explanatory notes on the Bill's clauses will be placed in the Vote Office and the Library of the House that day. In addition, the public will be able to obtain copies of the explanatory notes from the Treasury. They will also be available on the Internet at http://www.hm treasury.gov.uk. The explanatory notes build on the information previously provided in the notes on clauses by containing fuller explanatory material for each clause and schedule in the Bill, and aim to provide Parliament with a better understanding of the purpose and effect of the Government's proposals.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the outcome of the European Union Budget Council held on 19 November. [8174]

Sir Stephen Wall, United Kingdom representative to the European Union, represented the United Kingdom at the Budget Council on 19 November. The Council considered the European Parliament's proposed changes to the draft budget which the Council established in July—see Official Report, 12 November 1996, columns 161–62—and established a second reading draft budget for 1997.The Council's second reading draft budget totals 88,759 million ecu or £69,425 million in commitment appropriations and 81,877 million ecu or £64,042 million in payment appropriations. The second reading draft budget is 1,470 million ecu or £1,150 million in commitments and 3,930 million ecu or £3,074 million in payments below the financial perspective ceilings and at 1.16 per cent. of Community gross national product is substantially within the new own resources ceiling of 1.24 per cent. The following table compares the outcome of the Budget Council with the proposals in the Commission's preliminary draft budget and with the proposals in the European Parliament's draft budget, with reference to the financial perspective ceilings.The European Parliament will consider the draft budget for 1997 at its plenary session in December. The 1996 Community budget is expected to be adopted by the Parliament on 12 December, to take effect from 1 January 1997.

£1.2785 ecu
	Financial perspective ceilings1		Preliminary draft budget		European Parliament first reading draft budget		Budget council second
	mecu	£ million	mecu	£ million	mecu	£ million	Reading mecu	Draft budget £million
Commitment appropriations
1. EAGGF guarantee	41,805	32,698	41,805	32,698	40,805	31,916	40,805	31,916
2. Structural operations	31,477	24,620	31,477	24,620	31,477	24,620	31,477	24,620
3. Internal policies	5,603	4,382	5,523	4,320	5,529	4,325	5,462	4,272
4. External action	5,622	4,397	5,528	4,324	5,495	4,298	5,400	4,224
5. Administration	4,352	3,404	4,369	3,418	4,284	3,350	4,245	3,320
6. Reserves	1,158	906	1,58	906	1,158	906	1,158	906
7. Compensation	212	166	212	166	212	166	212	166
Union priorities	—	—	—	—	300	235	—	—
Negative reserve	—	—	—	—	73	57	—	—
Total: Commitment appropriations	90,229	70,574	90,072	70,452	89,187	69,759	88,759	69,425
Total: Payment appropriations	85,807	67,115	84,521	66,110	82,515	64,541	81,877	64,042
1Throughout this reply the rate of £1=1.2785 ecu has been used (the rate notified in the Official Journal as prevailing on the last working day of the last month (31 October).

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made with proposals for open-ended investment companies. [8175]

Regulations under the European Communities Act 1972, permitting the formation in Great Britain of the first stage of open-ended investment companies, those which fall within the scope of the undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities directive, were made on 11 November and come into force on 6 January 1997.The Treasury is publishing today a consultation document outlining proposals to enable the formation of a second stage of open-ended investment companies, which would also be regulated by the Securities and Investments Board, with a wider range of investment powers. I am placing copies of the document in the Library of the House. Subject to the outcome of the consultations, which will continue until 24 January 1997, I hope to lay an order under the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994 to bring this about. I look forward to receiving the views of the investment funds industry and other interested parties on these proposals which will bring the investment opportunities for open-ended investment companies into line with those for authorised unit trusts.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will express in real terms, and where the year of privatisation equals 100, the utility component of the retail prices index including VAT in (a) the latest available period and (b) 1979 for (i) gas prices, (ii) electricity prices, (iii) electricity and gas prices, (iv) water prices and (v) electricity, gas and water prices. [5302]

[holding answer 25 November 1996]: The information requested is given in the table. As the table shows, even including the introduction of VAT for electricity and gas, prices have rise more slowly than overall retail prices since privatisation. Water price changes reflect the large-scale capital investment and environmental programmes to which the privatised utilities are committed.

	Gas1	Electricity1	Electricity and gas2	Water1	Electricity, gas and water2
Year of privatisation	1986	1990	1990	1989	1990
1979	76	98	93	73	91
October 1996	80	98	96	146	103
1Source ONS.
2Using 1990 weights.

The components of the retail prices index for electricity and gas, and for electricity, gas and water assume a privatisation year of 1990—the year that the electricity utilities were fully privatised. These figures have been deflated by the RPI, and include VAT for electricity and gas.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the licensing of air weapons. [6160]

High-powered air weapons already require a firearms certificate in the same way as other firearms. Low-powered air weapons do not, but there are restrictions on their possession and use by young people under 17.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases in respect of shoplifting, electronic tagging has been used in place of a custodial sentence. [6161]