To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the outcome of the consultation on further deregulation of the pools industry. [11055]

On 16 August last, I issued a consultation paper with proposals for further deregulation of the pools industry. The consultation period ended on 31 October 1996.I have carefully considered the views expressed in response to our consultation document and am now in a position to report our conclusions and the way forward.As a first step, I laid yesterday the draft Deregulation (Football Pools) Order to facilitate midweek football pools competitions. The order removes the requirement that football pools competitions retailed through premises must be based on forecasts of matches played on weekends and public holidays. The draft order is now subject to the scrutiny of the Deregulation Committees in both Houses.I also yesterday relaxed the rules on rollover of prizes in pool competitions. When rollover was first introduced in November 1994, rollover in the pools had to follow rollover in the national lottery. This restriction has now been removed. Rollover will now be subject only to the requirement that the top prize must not be rolled more than three weeks in succession and subject to an overall annual limit of nine rollovers in each series of pool competitions. I have placed a copy of the direction in the Library.In addition, I am considering proposals to allow the payment of football pools winnings in retail outlets and plan to bring forward a further deregulation order as soon as possible.I have also reached conclusions on the wider proposals contained in the consultation document. The following proposals were put forward for consideration:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce planning policy guidance notes to encourage the development of the holiday caravan park industry. [10468]

PPG21 already provides guidance on the improvement and extension of holiday caravan parks, together with more general guidance about the location and development of tourist accommodation and facilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what assessment he has made of the extent to which local authorities are (a) extending the season for holiday caravan parks and (b) removing the distinction between touring caravans and tents in response to planning policy guidance 21; [10467](2) what assessment he has made of the implementation of PPG21 by local authorities in respect of allowing improvements of, and extensions to, holiday caravan parks. [10466]

I am aware of concerns expressed by the British Holiday Homes and Parks Association, put to me in a recent meeting. I am currently considering these.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will promote the provision of necessary staff residential accommodation within holiday caravan parks in planning policy guidance. [10469]

Development proposals for on-site residential accommodation for site managers are considered within the framework of Government policy as set out in planning policy guidance notes. PPG7—"The Countryside and the Rural Economy"—restricts the provision of new dwellings in the open countryside in order to protect the rural landscapes and the character of

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the transitional funding allocated to future unitary local authorities includes the cost of staff dedicated to supporting and researching PFI projects. [10408]

Staff supporting and researching PFI are not unique to future unitary local authorities and all sensible authorities will be giving serious consideration to PFI possibilities. The cost of staff dedicated to supporting and researching PFI projects is treated as an on-going cost and not eligible for transitional funding under the local government reorganisation costs scheme. Through the scheme, resources are made available to meet the one-off indirect costs of reorganisation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the existing law on the picking of wild mushrooms for financial reward. [9116]

Wild mushrooms are not currently shown to be adversely affected by picking. We are therefore content that the current level of legislative protection is adequate.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy on the display of commercial corporate logos on road signs. [9117]

Whether or not to allow advertising on street signs in their areas is a matter for individual local authorities to decide. For road traffic signs, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport has no plans to allow corporate commercial logos.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the United Kingdom Government will meet the deadlines set by the EU urban waste water treatment directive for actions to be taken by (a) 1998, (b) 2000 and (c) 2005. [9118]

The article 17 report to the European Commission on the implementation programme for the urban waste water treatment directive prepared in November 1994 gave no reason to think that the deadlines in the directive will not be met. An updated report is to be prepared shortly. The directive provides for the Commission to grant a limited extension of time in certain circumstances, but no application has yet been made by the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will review the areas designated as

The Environment Agency is currently reviewing the areas designated as high natural dispersion areas under the Urban Waste Water Treatment (England and Wales) Regulations 1994 (SI 1994 No. 2841) and is expected to make recommendations to the Secretary of State in the summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to improve the town and country planning system. [11190]

I am publishing today two consultation papers setting out proposals for changes to existing procedures to make the planning system more efficient and effective. Copies have been placed in the Library. First, I propose to restructure the procedures under which local authorities prepare and adopt district-wide local and unitary development plans including:

the adoption of more statutory time limits;

revised consultation and deposit arrangements;

the replacement of the right for objections to be heard at an inquiry with a right for objections to be considered (initially by written representation);

replacing the inquiry, in whole or in part, with an examination in public process;

reducing the scope for the authority to ignore the Inspector's recommendations; and simplified adoption procedures.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what meetings her Department has held regarding proposals to privatise the Historic Royal Palaces agency. [10532]

None. The royal palaces are owned by the sovereign in right of the Crown. The Government have no plans to change this position. Discussions have been held, and will continue, on whether there are options, other than agency status, which could offer improvements for the management of the historic royal palaces.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will make a statement on progress on the Government's sportsmark and sportsmark gold award scheme. [10961]

The sportsmark and sportsmark gold award scheme was launched in secondary schools in October 1996. The scheme recognises schools which provide a quality physical education and sports programme. It is a key element of the Government's strategy, as set out in the sports policy statement, "Sport: Raising the Game", to put sport back at the heart of weekly life in all schools. The sportsmark gold award recognises those schools which show exceptional achievement, highly innovative schemes or outstanding progress in meeting their sporting aims.The closing date for applications for the sportsmark and sportsmark gold awards was 13 December 1996 and 604 applications have been received by the English Sports Council. Of that number, 471 are for the sportsmark award and 133 for the sportsmark gold award. The assessment of these applications is now underway, and the first awards will be announced in April.Primary schools are currently being consulted on a similar scheme which we aim to launch in October with the first awards being made in April 1998.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the Fisheries Council held in Brussels on 19 and 20 December. [11025]

I represented the United Kingdom at the meeting of the Fisheries Council in Brussels on 19 and 20 December, together with my hon Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Scotland and my noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.The Council agreed by qualified majority, with Belgium and Sweden voting against, the total allowable catches and quotas to apply in 1997 in Community waters. The agreement fulfilled the Government's objective of securing the best possible deal for British fishermen consistent with the scientific advice and the conservation of stocks for the future. In the final package the total UK quotas agreed for the stocks of most importance to our fishermen were some 23,000 tonnes higher in cod equivalent terms than the quotas being discussed at the start of the negotiations. This increase is worth approximately £16 million to the industry and leaves our total quotas in cod equivalent terms for these stocks just one half of 1 per cent. below the 1996 level.I invoked the Hague preference on all the stocks where it was necessary to do so. Quota swaps were agreed immediately after the Council to mitigate the impact arising from use of the Hague preference by the Republic of Ireland, in particular on stocks of importance to the Northern Ireland industry.The Council agreed unanimously to access and quota arrangements for 1997 with neighbouring non-member states. The United Kingdom has large cod and haddock quotas at north Norway and these were increased by 16 per cent. and 13 per cent. respectively. We have retained our quotas in Faroese, Greenland and Iceland waters at the same levels as in 1996. The Council also agreed unanimously to the allocation of the Community's 1997 quotas in the waters covered by the North-West

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recommendations resulted from the meeting in March 1995 between Dr. Venturini, Ministry officials and officials from West Sussex county council. [8878]

[holding answer 13 December 1966]: None. However, a meeting earlier in March between Ministry officials and the French authorities led to arrangements being put in hand to ensure that the number of calves on each voyage did not exceed the capacity of the lairage in the port of Dieppe.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many consignments of sheep were imported into the United Kingdom (i) in November and (ii) in December to date; how many sheep were included in each consignment; what was the place of departure on the continent for each consignment; and what was the total time for each journey. [9661]

[holding answer on 17 December 1996]: No consignments of sheep were imported from the continent during November. In December two consignments were imported through Dover and 2 and 5 December. They originated from points of departure in south eastern France, and travelled via a lairage in Belgium. These consignments contained 299 and 285 animals respectively. We have no information on the total time for these journeys.

To ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to his oral statement on 18 December, Official Report, columns 949–50, if he will indicate how the law relating to PII certificates in Great Britain will differ from that in Northern Ireland. [10821]

The law on public interest immunity has been developed by the courts in each of the jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. This will continue to be the case in both civil and criminal proceedings,

To ask the Prime if he will list his official engagements for 14 January. [9230]

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 14 January. [9228]

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is returning from an official visit to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many (a) permanent and (b) non-permanent staff there have been in (i) his Department and (ii) executive agencies of his Department in each year since 1992. [9631]

Details of the numbers of permanent and casual staff employed by the Department and its agencies are available from the staff numbers table, pages 120 and 121, of the Department's expenditure plans report, Cm 3205, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. The staff numbers for the Insolvency Service executive agency are not shown separately in the report but are included with the numbers for the gross control area of the Department.The information for the Insolvency Service is as follows:

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to make a decision on the proposed takeover of Mid Kent Water by General Utilities and SAUR Water Services. [9952]

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he plans to make a decision on the takeover proposal for Mid Kent Water by General Utilities and SAUR Water Services. [10344]

My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade is currently considering the Monopolies and Mergers Commission's report. It will be published as quickly as practicable.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about the recent meeting of the World Trade Organisation with particular reference to child labour. [10302]

The recent World Trade Organisation ministerial conference in Singapore agreed that the International Labour Organisation was the competent body set up to deal with internationally recognised core labour standards, including those related to child labour. Ministers agreed that economic growth and development fostered by trade and further trade liberalisation contributed to the promotion of these standards.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the impact of the equal initiative on the overall research council budgets. [9888]

[holding answer 13 January 1997]: The equal initiative has had no impact on the overall Research Council budgets, but it is influencing councils' prioritisation. Government funding for research is to support excellence and to refocus and reorientate effort into areas relevant to the well-being of the nation in order to get the best value for every pound invested. Foresight is an important input into the councils' priority setting and equal is an excellent example of Foresight in action. Examples of projects supported that are relevant to equal include: research into ways of detecting and preventing Alzheimer's disease, the influence of diet on health, medical engineering, robotics, and research into the design and utility of technologies for maintaining personal independence.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will place in the Library copies of the instructions from the Office of Science and Technology to the research councils on the implementation of the equal initiative. [9887]

[holding answer 13 January 1996]: No specific instructions have been issued to the research councils on the implementation of the equal initiative. However, equal is an integration of a very large number of individual priorities identified by the technology foresight sector panels. Research councils already support a number of activities relevant to the equal initiative and we are in the process of developing a more well-defined research agenda involving the research councils, other Government Departments, charities and industry. I addressed a seminar on 25 November 1996 which contributed to refining this process.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much energy was consumed in generating each unit of gross domestic product, on a standard basis, in 1980, 1990 and 1996 in (a) the UK, (b) Germany, (c) France, (d) Italy, (e) the United States of America, (f) Japan and (g) Sweden. [10759]

[holding answer 13 January 1997]: The available figures for total primary energy supply per unit of gross domestic product are as follows:

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the actions his Department has taken on each of the recommendations contained in the Cabinet Office report "The Government's Use of External Consultants". [10183]

[holding answer 13 January 1997]: My Department has implemented 28 of the 34 recommendations in the Cabinet Office report, "The Government's Use of External Consultants".Recommendations 14 and 15 were rejected on the grounds that business opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises would be reduced.It was not possible to implement recommendation 10, 21 and 34 due to a decision to replace the proposed national consultancy database with regional lists serving the needs of local industry.Action on recommendation 19 was for the Treasury.I have asked the chief executives of the Patent Office and the Radiocommunications Agency to reply separately to the question, as they have produced independent action plans.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the discussions at the World Trade Organisation meeting in Singapore on the relationship between trade and the environment. [10796]

[holding answer 13 January 1997]: There was no substantive discussion at the World Trade Organisation ministerial conference in Singapore on the relationship between trade and the environment. In the conference declaration, Ministers reaffirmed the importance of the work of the Trade and Environment Committee and confirmed that it should be established on a permanent basis to carry that work forward.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will set out the procedures followed by his Department to ensure that the subsequent use of defence equipment is consistent with the Government's policy on arms sales and with export licences. [9988]

[holding answer 13 January 1997]: My Department does not operate as a matter of routine any procedures to check the actual end use of defence equipment exported from the UK under licence. Any information received by my Department that gave reason to believe that exported goods had gone to an end-use for which a licence would not have been issued, would be passed to the commissioners of HM Customs and Excise, who are responsible for enforcement of export controls. It would then be for the Commissioners of HM Customs and Excise to determine on the basis of the information available what, if any, further investigation was appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aircraft he has chartered in each of the last 12 months; which airlines he has chartered them from; and what was the (a) purpose, (b) destination and (c) cost in each case. [9869]

The following aircraft have been chartered in the last 12 months by the Department on the Secretary of State's behalf.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements have been made for the transfer of outstanding business from the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Court of Final Appeal on 1 July 1997. [11006]

The jurisdiction of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council will automatically lapse with Britain's administration of Hong Kong as from 1 July 1997.The Judicial Committee will make every effort to ensure that outstanding Hong Kong business is dealt with before 1 July. It is nevertheless clear that there will come a point after which it will become unlikely for practical purposes that the committee will be able to accept new business with a reasonable expectation of being able to dispose of it before the handover. That point is likely to be 1 March. Hong Kong's court of final appeal ordinance provides that any appeal in respect of which the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council or the Hong Kong Court of Appeal has granted conditional, final or special leave to appeal to the committee and the appeal has not finally been disposed of on or before 30 June 1997 shall proceed in the court of final appeal.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what promotional and public information campaigns his Department is (a) currently running and (b) planning to run during the next six months; and for each campaign (i) how much it will cost (1) in total and (2) to his Department, (ii) what agencies or bodies are undertaking the work and (iii) what is its planned duration. [7417]

The Treasury is not currently running, or planning to run, any such promotional and public information campaigns.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on promotional or public information campaigns in each of the last five

The Treasury has not run promotional or public information campaigns in the last five years except in the sale of shares of BT2, BT3 and GENCO2. The costs of these campaigns are as follows: BT2 (1991) £14.7 million, BT3 (1993) £12 million and GENCO2 (1995) £8 million. These campaigns have now concluded.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for each year since 1979 what proportion of United Kingdom demand for manufactured goods was met through imports. [7828]

[holding answer 6 December 1996]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the chief executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) permanent and (b) non-permanent staff there have been in (i) his Department and (ii) executive agencies of his Department in each year since 1992. [9628]

[holding answer 18 December 1996]: The information requested is contained in civil service staff in post summary tables, copies of which are available in the Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for

[holding answer 18th December 1996]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the chief executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time equivalents staff were employed by (a) Inland Revenue and (b) HM Customs and Excise on tax evasion investigations in each year from 1990–91. [9984]

[holding answer 13 January 1997]: Approximate figures as shown in the table.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases of evasion of payments of taxes administered by HM Customs and Excise have been discovered in each year since 1990; and what has been the yield. [9985]

[holding answer 13 January 1997]: The following table shows the number of cases involving evasion of value added tax in each year since 1990. The figures represent the number of criminal cases reported to

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the increase in tax revenue resulting from the increase in the standard rate of value added tax from 15 per cent. to 17.5 per cent. in each year from 1991–92 to 1999–2000. [10700]

[holding answer 13 January 1997]: The estimated increase in net VAT receipts in each year is as follows:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements have been made in the United Kingdom to appoint a national supervisory authority to monitor the data protection provisions of the convention concerning the use of information technology for customs purposes that was agreed at the Cannes European Council in June 1995. [11024]

With her agreement, the Government are appointing the Data Protection Registrar to be the designated national supervisory authority within the United Kingdom for the purposes of the convention concerning the use of information technology for customs purposes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will place in the Library the legal advice referred to in paragraph 31, page 9 of the National Audit Office report, "Aid to Indonesia", which satisfied the Government that all the projects referred to were within the terms of the Overseas Development and Co-operation Act 1980; [10716](2) if he will place in the Library a copy of the legal advice received by his Department in relation to the regional physical planning programme for transmigration, the national overview of land resources and the regional physical map improvement and training projects in Indonesia to the effect that

I will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what United Kingdom goods were purchased by the Indonesian authorities in relation to the national police management training project. [10705]

Goods purchased in connection with the project were limited to training materials, such as books, and were funded by the ODA from the project budget.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to paragraph 36 of the National Audit Office report, "Aid to Indonesia", if he will place in the Library the legal advice to the effect that he does not recognise the primacy of international law. [10713]

The reference in paragraph 36 of the report to non-recognition of the primacy of international law was incorrectly attributed to legal advice given to the Overseas Development Administration. No such advice was given. Unfortunately, this was overlooked when the draft text was checked for factual accuracy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library copies of (a) the project completion reports in relation to (i) the radio studios rehabilitation project and (ii) the regional physical map improvement and training project in Indonesia and (b) the project monitoring reports in relation to the regional physical map improvement and training project in Indonesia. [10710]

Copies of the project completion reports for the radio studios rehabilitation and regional physical map improvement projects were placed in the Libraries of both

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the developmental benefits of the radio studios rehabilitation project in Indonesia; what assessment he has made of the independence of Radio Republic Indonesia from the Indonesian Government; and what proportion of the output of Radio Republic Indonesia is educational. [10718]

The developmental benefits of the project were seen to be the improvement of broadcasting standards and the enhancement of a primary means of communication and education, particularly for rural communities, in a country whose population is very widely dispersed.The benefits of the project were not considered to be dependent upon the status of Radio Republic Indonesia, which is a state-owned corporation reporting to the directorate general of radio, television and film in the Ministry of Information.The most recent data—March 1996—indicate that educational programmes account for 17 per cent. of broadcasting time, with news and information and culture and entertainment account for 25 and 43 per cent. respectively. Specific target groups include schools, farmers and women. There is also an open university service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library copies of the project monitoring reports in relation to the police management training projects in Indonesia. [10704]

I will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library (a) the evidence available to his Department on the observance of human rights in Indonesia, referred to in the National Audit Office report, "Aid to Indonesia," which prompted his Department to decide to continue to provide aid to Indonesia, (b) the advice given by the embassy in Jakarta, referred to in the report, relating to the human rights situation in Indonesia and (c) a copy of the project memorandum agreed with Indonesia. [10714]

The Overseas Development Administration receives continuing information and advice from the embassy in Jakarta, from the diplomatic wing of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and from external sources about the human rights situation in Indonesia. I will write to the hon. Member about the request for disclosure of internal correspondence.Subject to the agreement of the Indonesian Government, which is being sought, I will place in the Library copies of the project memoranda relating to the national police management training project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons his Department excluded (a) references to human rights from the project memorandum agreed with Indonesia regarding the national police management training project and

Although human rights issues were not referred to specifically in the project memorandum or included in the training programme, one of the wider objectives of the project was to promote the concept of a community-based approach to policing, as practised in the United Kingdom, which emphasises the need for police and community to work together and respect for the rights of the individual.Approval for the project was given by the head of the Overseas Development Administration's eastern Asia department, prior approval in principle having been obtained from Ministers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons his Department decided not to support the third phase of the national police management training project in Indonesia. [10712]

When the case for a further phase of assistance was considered in mid-1994, the view was taken, in view of the substantial assistance already provided to the police, that a one-year extension of the second phase, to 31 March 1996, would be sufficient to consolidate the assistance already provided and to secure the anticipated benefits of the project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library copies of the audience surveys used by his Department to appraise and evaluate the shortwave radio transmitters project and the radio studios rehabilitation project in Indonesia. [10721]

None was conducted. The appraisals concentrated on technical competencies, broadcasting standards, programme content and the likely size and types of audience. Given the diverse and widely-dispersed nature of radio audiences, it is unlikely that worthwhile audience surveys could have been conducted in the time available for appraisal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what dates his Department decided to (a) change the emphasis of phase 1 of the national police management training project in Indonesia from the training at Bramshill police college to in-country training in Indonesia, (b) let the contract for in-country training to a consultancy firm comprising former Bramshill staff; and what was the name of the consultancy firm. [10706]

The change of approach to delivery of police management training was explored at a meeting of officials in November 1985. The decision to proceed with a programme of in-country training was taken in August 1986 and a contract was awarded, initially to Bramshill staff college, in June 1987. A new contract was awarded in 1989 to consultants Johnston and Ladd International when one of the two consultants, both of whom had been closely involved in the development of the Bramshill programme, retired from the police service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the National Audit Office report, "Aid to Indonesia", what are the

The strategic plans have been produced by the Indonesian police authorities on the basis of training provided under the national police management training project. The plans deal with levels of service to the public and with development of standards required to achieve them. It is not certain whether plans have yet been produced for all of the 45 regional commands, including the command covering East Timor, but we understand that the intention is to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will name each person seconded to the Crown Agents in each year since 1979 indicating the company involved. [10669]

For particular projects, Crown Agents make use of staff seconded from Government Departments such as HM Customs and Excise and, less often, from firms in the private sector. However, I am advised by the Crown Agents that information is not available in a form to answer the hon. Lady's general question. If there is a specific question about particular projects or firms, the Crown Agents will do their best to answer it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which performance targets the managing director of the Crown Agents met in 1995; what performance related bonus he received; and what factors underlay the payment or non-payment of performance-related pay. [10668]

In 1995, the managing director of the Crown Agents was eligible for a performance-related salary bonus based on criteria related to levels of profitability, cost control and the ratio of costs to fee income for the year. In the event, no bonus was payable for 1995; the main factor underlying this was a lower than budgeted profit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who represents the Crown Agents in (a) Iran, (b) the Gulf States and (c) Oman; what criteria were used in their selection; and what services they offer. [10670]

The Crown Agents' local agents in the countries named are listed in its report and accounts for 1995, copies of which are in the Library. The Crown Agents have since also appointed Transgulf Shipping as an agent in the United Arab Emirates. The representative services provided include inspection, shipping, freight forwarding, cargo handling and courier services in relation to Crown Agents' services in the region. The firms concerned were selected by Crown Agents on the basis of their capabilities in the relevant services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give a progress report on actions taken since the oral answer of

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in implementing the plans announced on 27 February 1995, to provide Government funding over a period of five years for the non-governmental organisations' consortium on street children. [10701]

The statement to which the hon. Member for Swansea, East (Mr. Anderson) refers was an unfortunate error. The director of the Consortium for Street Children UK has already been informed of this. We cannot make multi-year commitments, nor can we provide the consortium with core support. However, we remain happy to consider specific project proposals. Since February 1995 we have provided a total of £46,700.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the total subsidy provided by passenger transport authorities to private bus operators in (a) England and (b) West Yorkshire in the last year for which figures are available. [10258]

The provisional estimate for 1995–96 of subsidy of local bus services by passenger transport authorities in England, excluding the cost of concessionary fares schemes, is £105 million. The statistics collected do not distinguish between support given to services run by private operators and those run by the relatively small number of operators which remain in the public sector. The figures for 1995–96 for West Yorkshire is approximately £22 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the advantages of using Portree sheriff court for the purposes of hearing Skye bridge toll non-payment cases; and if he will make a statement. [10840]Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The prosecution of offences is a matter for my noble and learned friend the Lord Advocate. Persons charged with the non-payment of tolls on the Skye bridge commit an offence within the jurisdiction of Dingwall sheriff court. These offences are therefore prosecuted in that court. Section 4 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 provides that where an offence is alleged to have been committed in one district in a sheriffdom, it is competent to try that offence in a sheriff court in any other district in that sheriffdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will estimate the additional cost per week of extending sitting days at Dingwall sheriff court from three to five for the purposes of accommodating the extra demands of Skye bridge toll non-payment cases; and if he will make a statement; [10842](2) what estimate he has made of the impact upon progress on other court cases of the Skye bridge toll non-payment hearings at Dingwall sheriff court; and if he will make a statement. [10843]Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The marginal cost of providing additional sitting days at Dingwall sheriff court is expenditure on temporary shrieval assistance, amounting to some £600 for two additional sitting days. At present, there has been no appreciable impact on progress of other business at the court. The position will be kept under review by the regional procurator fiscal and regional sheriff clerk in consultation with the sheriff principal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the forthcoming prior options review of the Scottish Office Pensions Agency [11026]

In accordance with the Government's policy on periodic reviews of executive agencies my Department will commence this month a thorough review of the Scottish Office Pensions Agency. The remit for this review will be as follows:

To carry out prior options review of the Scottish Office Pensions Agency in accordance with Cabinet Office—OPS—guidance and the agreed timetable, by

(a) re-examining the status options considered before the agency was created, in the light of experience and of any changes in internal or external circumstances;

(b) testing rigorously whether the agency function is required at all, and the scope for privatising, contracting out (which could include market testing), transferring functions to another body, continuation of agency status or returning the functions to the Scottish Office;

(c) consulting widely amongst the key players in the agency (management and staff), the Scottish Office, HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office, as well as customers and other interested bodies and other suppliers of similar services;

(d) assessing each option in terms of practicability and value for money; and

(e) making recommendations accordingly to the Secretary of State for Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the organisation of training for the judiciary. [11027]

I have decided to establish a judicial studies committee to promote training for the judiciary both in the supreme court and in the sheriff court. The right hon. Lord Ross, who has recently retired as Lord Justice Clerk, has agreed to chair this committee which will comprise members from:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how much has been spent to date on the prior options review of the Scottish Crop Research Institute; and from which budget these sums were paid; [10010](2) how much has been spent to date on the prior options review of the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute; and from which budget these sums were paid; [10018](3) how much has been spent to date on the prior options review of the Rowett Research Institute; and from which budget these sums were paid; [10078](4) how much has been spent to date on the prior options review of the Hannah Research Institute; and from which budget these sums were paid; [10114](5) how much has been spent to date on the prior options review of the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency; and from which budget these sums were paid. [10014]

[holding answer 13 January 1997]: Work on the prior options reviews of the five Scottish agricultural and biological research institutes and of the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency was undertaken mainly by Scottish Office staff. The cost to my Department of each review was approximately £20,000. This excludes the cost of other Government Department and research council input on the interdepartmental steering committees which oversaw the reviews of the institutes and of other public sector research establishments in the same groupings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many (a) United Kingdom, (b) European and (c) international committees include employees of the Scottish Crop Research Institute as representatives of United Kingdom interests; and how many of these employees are leading the United Kingdom team on their committee; [10012](2) how many

[holding answer 13 January 1997]: Based on records provided by the Scottish agricultural and biological research institutes—SABRIs—the number of committees on which employees of the SABRIs represent UK interests is set out in the table. The records do not identify which employees are leading the respective UK teams.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) United Kingdom, (b) European and (c) international committees include employees of the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency as representatives of United Kingdom interests; and how many of these employees are leading the United Kingdom team on their committee. [10016]

[holding answer 13 January 1997]: The information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) United Kingdom, (b) European and (c) international committees include employees of the Fisheries Research Services as representatives of United Kingdom interests; and how many of these employees are leading the United Kingdom team on their committee. [10024]

[holding answer 13 January 1997]: The information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what estimate he has made of the future costs of the prior options review of the Scottish Crop Research Institute; and from which budget these sums will be paid; [10011](2) what estimate he has made of the future costs for the prior options review of the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute; and from which budget these sums will be paid; [10019]

[holding answer 13 January 1997]: Prior options reviews of the five Scottish agricultural and biological research institutes and of the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency have been completed. The Government are considering the follow-up to the reviews, but at this stage no future costs have been identified.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many (a) United Kingdom, (b) European and (c) international committees are chaired by employees of the Scottish Crop Research Institute; [10013](2) how many

[holding answer 13 January 1997]: Based on records provided by the Scottish agricultural and biological research institutes the information is set out in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) United Kingdom, (b) European and (c) international committees are chaired by employees of the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency. [10017]

[holding answer 13 January 1997]: The information is as follows:

• United Kingdom: 3
• European: 1
• International: 1

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) United Kingdom, (b) European and (c) international committees are chaired by employees of Fisheries Research Services. [10025]

[holding answer 13 January 1997]: The information is as follows:

• United Kingdom: 5
• European:—
• International: 11

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the amount spent on external consultants by his Department's non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years. [10186]

[holding answer 13 January 1997]: I have made no such estimate; this is a matter for the bodies themselves.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the actions his Department has taken on each of the recommendations contained in the Cabinet Office report, "The Government's Use of External Consultants". [10187]

[holding answer 13 January 1997]: The Scottish Office has implemented an action plan to meet all the recommendations in the report. A copy is available on request.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what grants have been made from public funds for the repair and maintenance of Yester house and Yester chapel; what public access conditions apply to those grants; and what steps he is taking to ensure that those conditions are fulfilled. [10299]

[holding answer 13 January 1997]: Between 1977 and 1982 grant of £203,690 was awarded under the historic buildings repair grant scheme in respect of Yester house. The condition of grant giving a public right of access to Yester house ceased to have effect following a change of ownership in 1986.Between 1990 and 1995 grant of £161,700 under the same scheme was awarded for repairs to Yester chapel. This building, although in the grounds of Yester house, is in entirely separate ownership. A condition of the grant to the chapel's trustees was that there should be public access by appointment. It is for the chapel's trustees in the first instance to ensure that all conditions under which they accepted grant are fulfilled.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list for the Royal Victoria Infirmary NHS trust staffing levels on (a) 1 April 1993, (b) 1 April 1994, (c) 1 April 1995, (d) 1 April 1996 and (e) 30 November 1996 for (i) building engineering and maintenance, (ii) ground maintenance, (iii) capital project management, (iv) catering, (v) cleaning, (vi) fire detection and control equipment, (vii) laundry,

[holding answer 13 January 1997]: The information requested is not available centrally. I have asked the chief executive of Victoria Infirmary NHS Trust in Glasgow, who is in a position to provide the detailed figures requested, to reply to the hon. Gentleman direct.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what information on the savings accruing to public funds from his Department's anti-fraud measures was collected between his predecessor's statement of 6 May 1981, Official Report, column 79, and 1986–87. [8085]

The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what has been the number of new benefits claimants in each month since April 1992. [9031]

The available information has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will estimate the cost to his Department's budget of awarding the mobility component of the disability living allowance to those aged over 65 years; [9600](2) how many people he estimates would be able to claim the mobility component of the disability living allowance if it were awarded to those over 65 years. [9597]

It is estimated that an extra 2.3 million people would receive the mobility component of disability living allowance if it were to be awarded to disabled people over the age of 65, at an estimated additional cost of £3.9 billion for 1996–97.

Notes:

1. Estimates are for the full year 1996–97 and are in 1996–97 prices.

2. Figures are based on disability living allowance (DLA) caseload statistics and the disability survey 1985 and are rounded to the nearest 100,000 people and £0.1 billion.

3. All figures are subject to error.

4. Estimates do not take into account changes to the payment of the DLA mobility component to people in hospital which took effect in July 1996, or the effect on other social security benefits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants there are in the current year and there were in each of the previous four years for (a) disability living allowance and (b) attendance allowance. [9598]

The information is in the table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the total cost to his Department in awarding the mobility component of the disability living allowance for (a) last year and (b) each of the previous years since its introduction. [9596]

The information is set out in the table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what has been the total cost to his Department for paying attendance allowance in the current year and in each of the previous four years. [9599]

The information is set out in the table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list for each of the Ministers in his Department how many official ministerial visits they have undertaken since 1 January; and how many of these have been abroad. [9388]

The information is set out in the table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what methodology his Department is using to monitor the effects of the housing benefit changes for single people implemented on 7 October; what initial report he has received; and if he will make a statement. [9417]

The Department has asked a representative sample of local authorities to provide it with data specifically related to claims made by single claimants under the age of 25 years, on a quarterly basis. Information relating to the October to December quarter will be processed and analysed when received, and will be published in the usual way. This data together with data from other sources, for example, the rent officers statistics, will be used to assess the impact of the changes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will meet the chief executive of the Benefits Agency to discuss the time taken to assess the incapacity benefit claim by Mrs. Jean Cavanagh of 71 Thorns road, Astley Bridge, Bolton; and if he will make a statement. [9750]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to meet the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He is aware of the delays that have occurred in this case and the chief executive will write to the hon. Gentleman separately.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the target time for handling departure applications from the time of the initial inquiry to the revised maintenance level being implemented; and what proportion of departure applications he estimates will meet this target in 1997. [9953]

Consideration is being given to the nature and value of target times for activity on departures in the light of live running of the new scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will extend the provision enabling child support liability orders to be entered on the register of county court judgments. [10960]

Since 20 May 1996, the Child Support Agency has had the power to enter liability orders made in magistrates courts in the register of county court judgments. To date, only new orders have been entered. From today however, the agency will also be able to enter liability orders made before 20 May. Those absent parents affected by the change will be given an opportunity to reach an agreement to repay arrears of child support before the liability order is registered.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in what circumstances his Department acts on behalf of those individuals living in the United Kingdom who are known to have served in Nazi armies in respect of overseas pensions; and if he will make a statement. [9954]

The Department of Social Security will act for any citizen from any member state of the European economic area in accordance with the law. This includes application of EC regulations on social security for migrant workers—regulations 1408/71 and 572/72—where the person concerned has been insured in two or more states of the European economic area. The scope of these regulations includes contributory old-age, survivors and invalidity pensions. It does not, however, extend to war pensions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if a person unable to claim incapacity benefit as a result of the all-work test will be able to claim the jobseeker's allowance for the first 13 weeks without pursuing employment opportunities away from their recognised past employment; and if he will make a statement. [10257]

A person claiming jobseeker's allowance after being found capable of work under the all-work test is subject to the same conditions of entitlement as other jobseekers. A person may restrict his availability to his usual occupation for a "permitted period" of up to 13 weeks. Whether he has a usual occupation is a question of fact which may have to be determined by an independent adjudication officer. If he is no longer capable of carrying out that previous

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 6 December, Official Report, columns 820–21, on the largest annual NHS payments to dentists, in which town is the dental practice listed in each of the years given. [9075]

In 1995–96 the highest earning dentist practices were listed in Norfolk and Essex. In 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94 and 1994–95 the highest earning dentists' practices were listed in London.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general medical services practice nurses there were (a) in each family health services authority and (b) in each region in each year from 1985 to 1996. [9767]

The available information will be placed in the Library.I regret that my previous reply on 15 July 1996 at column 391 for Bolton family health services authority in 1995 was incorrect in respect of practice nurse data. I am placing the correct information in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 25 November, Official Report, column 114, how many and what percentage of national health service trusts in England failed at the end of the 1995–96 financial year (a) to break even, (b) to achieve their target rate of return on relevant net assets, (c) to stay within their external financing limit and (d) to meet one or more of these targets. [10805]

The information requested has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to introduce measures to phase out the use of CFCs in aerosols for medical use. [10410]