To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the suppliers of the six greyhounds used in scientific procedures during 1995. [11298]

[holding answer 17 January 1997]: The establishment concerned purchased the greyhounds from racing kennels and from show breeding kennels.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many project licences issued since 1 June 1994 under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 are still valid for the use of non-purpose-bred greyhounds in research. [11299]

[holding answer 17 January 1997]: One—for the study of osteoarthritis in greyhounds. The six dogs were purchased by the establishment concerned to form a control group and were used solely for blood sampling purposes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many exemptions have been granted under article 10(3) of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to allow the use of non-purpose-bred greyhounds in research since 1 June 1994. [11300]

[holding answer 17 January 1997]: One.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the greyhounds used in scientific procedures in 1995 were former National Greyhound Racing Club registered greyhounds. [11301]

[holding answer 17 January 1997]: I will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the average number of convicted paedophiles released in each of the last three years, by category of conviction; and what proportion of each category have received treatment (a) prior to and (b) after release. [11711]

From information available centrally on the release and treatment of sex offenders, separate estimates of paedophiles cannot be made with any accuracy.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions have been obtained in each of the last 10 years for (a) enticing children into prostitution and (b) living off the earnings of child prostitution. [11779]

Court proceedings data collected centrally on the number of offenders convicted of living on immoral earnings do not identify the age of the prostitute.Available information on the number of convictions for enticing children into prostitution is given in the table:

Number of persons convicted at all courts for an offence under the Sexual Offences Act 1956 section 281 1985–1995
England and Wales
	Convictions
1985	—
1986	3
1987	3
1988	1
1989	1
1990	2
1991	2
1992	—
1993	1
1994	—
1995	3

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of convictions for paedophile offenders have related to offenders with previous convictions in the last three years. [11712]

Estimates are available centrally from samples of offenders^1,2convicted in 1994 and 1996. These are given in the table. However, estimates for these two years are not directly comparable^1,3. In particular, improvements in offence recording since 1994 have made it possible to include offenders convicted of rape or buggery with a child victim in the 1996 estimates, whereas these are excluded from the 1994 figures.

Percentage of offenders convicted of a sexual offence with a child victim who had a previous conviction, by type of previous conviction and year
Type of previous conviction	Percentage of offenders1,2convicted of a sexual offence with a child victim in:
	1994	1996
All offences2	54	52
Any sexual offence	15	18
Sexual offence with a child victim3	10	12
Notes:
1 Figures are based on a sample, from the Home Office offenders index, of those sentenced in each year. For 1994, the sample comprised the court disposals in three weeks. In 1996, two weeks were selected.
2 Convictions prior to the setting up of the offenders index in 1963 are not included, but only a small number of offenders with convictions in 1994 or later are likely to have a last previous relevant conviction in 1962 or earlier. The offences covered by the offenders index are those on the "standard list". This includes all indictable offences, including those triable either way, and some more serious summary offences.
3 Prior to 1995, statistics supplied to the Home Office for the offences of rape and buggery did not generally indicate the age of the victim. Since 1995, this has been the case for a more limited range of offences.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police authorities in England and Wales have specific units dealing with (a) child pornography and (b) child prostitution. [11778]

This specific information is not held centrally. Forty two police forces in England and Wales have units dedicated to work on child/family protection. Many forces also have specialised units to deal with all forms of pornography and prostitution. All forces have officers specifically trained to deal with all these issues. The allocation of staff and resources for tackling child pornography and child prostitution is an operational matter for each chief officer.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his Department's latest evaluation of the success of treatment programmes for convicted paedophiles (a) in prison, (b) in residential treatment centres and (c) in day centre treatment centres. [11702]

The Prison Service has commissioned an evaluation of sex offender treatment programmes delivered in prison. The findings are due to be reported in June this year.

Number of persons prosecuted at magistrates courts and convicted' at all courts for offences of living on immoral earnings by type of offence 1985–95
England and Wales
	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995
Living on earnings of prostitution or exercising control over prostitute (Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sections 30 and 31)
Prosecutions	124	99	84	110	117	93	106	110	72	98	67
Convictions1	122	105	83	83	118	76	79	70	49	70	51
Man or woman living wholly or in part on the earnings of male prostitution (Sexual Offences Act 1967 Section 5(1))
Prosecutions	9	2	4	4	1	1	1	—	1	1	4
Convictions	6	9	4	7	3	2	—	—	1	—	1
1 Will include persons proceeded against in earlier years or for a different principal offence when committed for trial by a magistrates court.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from the Data Protection Registrar concerning the protection for individuals in the provisions of the Police Bill; and if he will make a statement. [11346]

The Data Protection Registrar commented on the Government's proposals for access to criminal records for employment and other purposes which were set out in the White Paper, "On the Record", and which are now being taken forward in part V of the Police Bill. She welcomed the Government's intention to put arrangements for access to criminal records for employment related purposes on a statutory footing, commented that the proposed arrangements go a long way towards setting up a framework acceptable from a data protection perspective and noted that appropriate action should be taken to discourage or prevent enforced subject access to criminal records. As indicated during Report state of the Police Bill, the Government intend to consider whether it might be possible to amend the Police Bill to prevent this practice. The Registrar has also written to the Home Office about the future role of the National Criminal Intelligence Service as our national unit for liaising with Europol.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints have been investigated

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many convictions there have been for living on immoral earnings in each of the last 10 years; [11780](2) how many successful prosecutions were made against those accused of living of immoral earnings in each of the last 10 years. [11781]

Available information is given in the table.by the Interception of Communications Tribunal; how many of these investigations detected a breach of the Interception of Communications Act 1985; how much compensation has been paid; and how many staff are employed by the Interception of Communications Tribunal. [12021]

The tribunal has investigated 486 complaints since the Interception of Communications Act 1985 came into force on 10 April 1986. On no occasion has the tribunal concluded that there has been a contravention of the Act; the question of compensation has not therefore arisen. The Interception of Communications Tribunal is supported by one member of staff on a part-time basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the increase in police numbers in England and Wales in 1996–97; and if he will make a statement. [12540]

It is for chief constables to decide on the allocation of their resources and the recruitment of officers. On the basis of estimates, chief constables have said that they expect police numbers to increase by around 1,000 in England and Wales in the 12 months ending March 1997. This would deliver a total of about 128,000 officers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the numbers of police officers released for operational duties in England and Wales in 1996–97 following civilianisation. [12585]

Chief constables have estimated that between 1 April 1996 and 31 March 1997 an additional 1,151 police officer posts will have been civilianised, enabling those officers to be released for operational duties.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many different types of business licence currently exist; and if he will list them. [11809]

A total of 365 types of business licences, licensing regimes and registrations are being looked at as part of the Government's review of business licensing. I have placed in the Library of the House a full list of these licences.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what child care facilities are supported by his Department; and who is entitled to use them. [11589]

The child care facilities available within the Departments and agencies, and those entitled to use them, are as follows:

	Facilities	Available
Cabinet Office (OPS)	The Westminster holiday play scheme	All staff
Civil Service College	Workplace nursery	Permanent staff, students and private customers
Central Computer and Telecommunication Agency	None	—
Central Office of Information	The Westminster holiday play scheme	All staff
Property Advisors to the Civil Estate	Nursery placement	All staff
Security Facilities Executive	None	—
The Buying Agency	None	—

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what are the public relations budgets for each Government Department for 1996–97; and what were the equivalent figures in 1993 and 1988. [11502]

The information requested is not held centrally.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many salaried positions are currently within the gift of the Prime Minister and Ministers of the Crown. [11503]

Information is not held centrally in the form requested. However, "Public Bodies 1996", published by the Cabinet Office, Office of Public Service, shows that as at 1 September 1996, out of a total of 40,056 public appointments, 34,864 were made by HM the Queen or her Ministers. Entries for individual sponsor Departments show which public appointments are remunerated.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on progress on the Government's response to the recommendations made by Sir Richard Scott following his inquiry into the export of arms and arms-related goods to Iraq. [12443]

Consideration of the Government's response to all recommendations in Sir Richard Scott's report is virtually complete. A summary of the responses is set out in the table.

Issue	Scott Report section	Action
(a) Inquiry Procedures	K1	Completed—The Government referred Sir Richard Scott's recommendations on public inquiries to the independent Council on Tribunals, following a period of public consultation. The Lord Chancellor, in a statement to the House on 21 November [WA 149] accepted the Council's advice and said that it will be of considerable value when setting up inquiries. Copies of the advice were placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
(b) Export Controls and Licensing Procedures	K2 and K3	Continuing—The President of the Board of Trade issued a public consultation document on the power of Government to control strategic exports and licensing procedures on 24 July. It was announced by way of a written Parliamentary answer [WA 4811, and copies of the consultation document were placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The closing date for receipt of comments was the end of October. The responses are currently being considered and will form part of the wider consideration by the Government of the way ahead on strategic export controls. The Foreign Secretary announced to the House on 21 January [WA 536-537] the conclusions and recommendations of the Inter-departmental review into the supply of arms of Rwanda. This work will also be taken into account in the further consideration being given to strategic exports controls. The Government is likely to need to undertake further more detailed consultation with directly interested parties as detailed proposals are developed.
(c) Role of Customs and Exercise in Export Control	K4	Completed—The Government agreed to increased supervision by the Attorney General of certain Customs and Excise export prosecutions. Details were announced in a written Parliamentary Answer on 17 June [WA 337] and a paper placed in the Libraries of both Houses. On recommendations relating to Customs and Excise legislation and procedures, the Government has accepted these as they stand, or in a few cases, will meet the concerns reflected in an alternative manner. This was announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in a written Parliamentary

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will make it her policy to establish a national disaster fund from the proceeds of the national lottery. [11723]

The National Lottery etc. Act 1993 established five areas to benefit equally from the lottery: sport, the arts, the heritage, charities and a millennium fund to mark the year 2000 and the beginning of the third millenium. There are no plans to establish a national disaster fund from the proceeds of the national lottery.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list those full-time judges now aged over 70 years still sitting on the bench, together with the date by which they must retire. [11072]

The information requested is as follows:

	Retirement date
The Right Honourable The Lord Goff of Chieveley	12 November 2001
The Right Honourable Sir Stephen Brown President of the Family Division	3 October 1999
The Right Honourable Lord Justice Beldam	29 March 2000
The Right Honourable Lord Justice Hirst	31 July 2000
The Honourable Mr. Justice French	14 October 2000
The Honourable Mr. Justice Owen	22 November 2000
His Honour Judge David QC DL	30 April 1997
His Honour Judge Sir Lawrence Verney TD DL Recorder of London	1 June 1998
His Honour Judge Halnan	8 June 1997
His Honour Judge Edwards QC	22 July 1997
His Honour Judge Ian Davidson QC	23 September 1997
His Honour Judge Atkinson	7 October 1997
His Honour Judge Baker DL	29 March 1998
His Honour Judge Sir David Hughes-Morgan CBE	15 May 1998
His Honour Judge Gerald Coombe	29 May 1998
His Honour Judge Esyr Lewis QC	27 September 1998
His Honour Judge Harrison-Hall DL	28 September 1998
His Honour Judge Morgan Hughes	9 November 1998
His Honour Judge Robert Smyth	9 December 1998
His Honour Judge Paiba	19 December 1998
His Honour Judge Tibber	5 January 1999
Her Honour Judge Viner CBE QC	16 January 1999
His Honour Judge Watts	2 March 1999
His Honour Judge Wickham Recorder of Liverpool	2 September 1999
His Honour Judge Goldstone	26 September 1999
His Honour Judge Harry Walker	29 November 1999
District Judge HG Hughes	31 December 1997
District Judge Lambert	31 December 1997
District Judge Wood	30 November 1998
District Judge Goodman	19 June 1999
District Judge Kendrick	31 October 1999

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department on how many occasions in each of the last five years legal aid certificates have been discharged by the Legal Aid Committee or legal aid department of the Law Society of Northern Ireland when evidence that incorrect information was supplied by claimants for the purpose of legal aid was established. [10955]

Since 1 April 1994, 13 legal aid certificates have been revoked on account of false statements being made on applications. One was revoked in 1994–95, 11 in 1995–96 and one in the current financial year.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many prosecutions having been initiated against persons who succeeded in obtaining legal aid certificates were later discharged when it was established that the award was based on incorrect information supplied by applicants, in each of the last five years in Northern Ireland. [10956]

Records relating to the requested information have been maintained by the legal aid authorities since 1 April 1994. Since that time, there has been one case in which a legal aid certificate was revoked and the application for legal aid was referred for investigation by the police. The case is under investigation.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much has been paid by the legal aid fund during the last three years and so far this year to help in respect of cases under the Asylum and Immigration Acts. [11215]

The information requested is not available since the data gathered by the Legal Aid Board does not identify separately cases brought under the Asylum and Immigration Acts.Assistance for people in immigration and nationality matters is provided through the legal aid scheme in two ways. First, advice and assistance is available through the green form scheme and secondly through the civil legal aid scheme by way of a judicial review of an administrative decision.Figures for the number of claims for green form advice and assistance paid by the Legal Aid Board over the last three financial years are as follows:

Year	Amount (£000)
1993–94	11,295
1994–95	14,572
1995–96	23,929
1996–97 to January 1997	20,039

It is not possible to give figures for civil legal aid expenditure relating to immigration and nationality matters since the Legal Aid Board does not record judicial review cases by category of proceedings.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of income was paid in tax, including national insurance and VAT, by a family with two children earning (a) £10,000, (b) £15,000 (c) £20,000 and (d) £45,000 in each of the last five years. [10817]

The table provides figures for the percentage of earnings paid in tax by a one-earner couple with two children earning (a) £10,000, (b) £15,000, (c) £20,000 and (d) £45,000 in cash in each of the years 1991–92 to 1997–98.Estimates of indirect taxes are very approximate. The margin of error is particularly high outside the central range of earnings so even illustrative estimates cannot be made at the top and bottom of the range.

Proportion of earnings paid in tax by one-earner family with two dependent children
Percentage of earnings paid in
Annual earnings£	Direct taxes1	VAT	Other indirect taxes
1991–92
10,000	11.2	—	—
15,000	18.8	5.2	7.7
20,000	22.6	5.6	6.8
45,000	29.4	—	—
1992–93
10,000	9.1	—	—
15,000	17.4	5.3	7.6
20,000	21.5	5.7	6.7
45,000	29.1	—	—
1993–94
10,000	8.4	—	—
15,000	16.9	5.1	7.8
20,000	21.2	5.5	6.9
45,000	29.1	—	—
1994–95
10,000	9.5	—	—
15,000	18.0	5.5	8.8
20,000	22.2	5.5	7.4
45,000	30.3	—	—
1995–96
10,000	9.8	—	—
15,000	18.2	5.4	9.5
20,000	22.4	5.4	8.0
45,000	30.2	—	—
1996–97
10,000	8.0	—	—
15,000	16.7	5.6	10.1
20,000	21.0	5.6	8.5
45,000	29.1	—	—
1997–98
10,000	6.7	—	—
15,000	15.5	5.6	10.8
20,000	19.9	5.7	9.0
45,000	28.1	—	—
1 Income tax and NICs.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter of 12 November from the hon. Member for Walsall, North regarding a constituent. [10997]

[holding answer 16 January 1997]: A reply was sent on 21 January.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect on revenue from inheritance tax of treating assets giving rise to schedule A income as assets comprised in a business carried on by the owner of those assets qualifying for business property relief. [11825]

The full year cost of extending inheritance tax business property relief to assets giving rise to schedule A income is tentatively estimated at £100 million.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect on (a) revenues from capital gains tax and (b) revenues from corporation tax on capital gains of treating assets giving rise to income taxable under schedule A as assets occupied and used for the purposes of a trade carried on by the recipient of the schedule A income. [11827]

The full year cost of treating assets giving rise to schedule A income as business assets qualifying for relief from capital gains tax and corporation tax on gains is tentatively estimated at £150 million.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect on (a) revenues from income tax and (b) revenues from corporation tax of taxing income currently taxed under schedule A as trading income taxed under case 1 of schedule D instead. [11826]

The estimated full year cost of taxing schedule A income as schedule D case 1 trading income is £50 million in respect of revenues from income tax and £250 million in respect of revenues from corporation tax charged on company incomes.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for changes in relation to the tax position on weekly covenanted charity donations; and if he will make a statement. [11940]

The strict application of the provisions governing lower rate taxpayers making covenants on which charities can claim relief at the basic rate from the Inland Revenue could mean that more tax may be due from taxpayers whose marginal rate is the lower rate. In practice, however, the Revenue exercises its judgment in determining what priority should go to recovering relatively minor amounts where such a shortfall arises, and the covenantor will often not be asked for the difference. I have no plans to change procedures.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his policy regarding central bank independence for the United Kingdom. [12013]

The Government currently have no plans to make the Bank of England independent.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the change in manufacturing investment in each G7 country in the last year. [12025]

[holding answer 21 January 1997]: Figures for investment growth in 1996 compared with 1995 are not yet available for any G7 country.The latest available international comparisons of investment do not cover manufacturing but rather investment by institutional sector and by type of capital good. Figures for each G7 country for 1995 can be found in the OECD publication, "Quarterly National Accounts", which is available in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the annual revenue which would be raised from introducing an excise duty of (a) I per cent., (b) 5 per cent. and (c) 10 per cent. on pesticides; and if he will make a statement; [10540](2) what estimate he has made of the annual revenue which would be raised from introducing an excise duty of

No estimates have been made recently of revenue which might be raised by introducing excise duty on pesticides and/or fertilisers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 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. [9385]

The number of visits made by Scottish Office Ministers during 1996 is as follows:

	Number
Secretary of State	255, including four overseas visits
Minister of State	134
Mr. George Kynoch	118
Mr. Raymond Robertson	134, including 10 overseas visits
The Earl of Lindsay	188, including 10 overseas visits

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many personalised number plates there are in the ownership of the executive agencies operated by his Department; and if he will list them. [11423]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects consideration of the objections lodged against the draft road orders for the Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston bypass to have been completed; and when he expects that these proposals will be included in the Scottish Office's trunk road programme. [11329]Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Consideration of objections lodged against the draft road orders is expected to be completed within the next three months. During that time objectors will be contacted by officials from the Scottish Office to determine what can be done to alleviate their concerns. The timing of construction will depend on the satisfactory completion of the statutory procedures and the relative priority of the scheme against competing demands for available resources when decisions on future starts are made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what savings he estimates have been made as a result of local government reorganisation; and how these figures were calculated (a) in total and (b) for the financial year 1997–98. [11435]

The Government's view of the costs and savings associated with local government reorganisation are based on the report, "The Structure of Local Government in Scotland: Financial and Qualitative Appraisal of Options for Change" by Touche Ross, published in October 1994. Provision has been made, and is planned to be made, in the relevant local government finance settlements as shown in the table. It is too soon to estimate actual savings which will depend on decisions made by individual councils regarding their management and staffing structures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the cost involved in renaming the M74 the M6. [11860]Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The A74, A74(M), M74 route will be renamed the M6 on completion of its upgrading to full motorway status. A detailed cost estimate for the necessary signposting changes is not as yet available. Costs will, however, be kept to a minimum by overplating of existing signs wherever practicable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects the construction of the M74 to begin from the Scottish borders to junction 44 on the M6; and if he will make a statement. [11774]

The orders for the A74 Carlisle to Guardsmill improvement scheme are now being prepared for making. Once statutory procedures have been completed, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport will decide on the future programme for this scheme, taking into account the merits of including it in the M6 design, build, finance and operate contract.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the number of employees, by category, in each local authority in Scotland and the totals at the latest available date. [11869]

I refer the hon. Member to table 8 of the press release "Joint Staffing Watch—July 1996 Return—Scotland", which shows the total full-time equivalent number of local authority employees by category of service in each local authority in July 1996. Tables 13(a) to 13(k) show, for each authority the total full-time equivalent number of employees by category of service by salary band. A copy of the press release is in the Library. Information on the number of employees in September 1996 will be published shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the number of (i) male and (ii) female pensioners resident in the city of Glasgow. [11863]

The Registrar General's latest—mid-1995—population estimates show that there were (i) 35,912 men aged 65 and over, and (ii) 77,138 women aged 60 and over in the city of Glasgow council area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the forecast (a) income and (b) expenditure at the end of the 1996–97 financial year for each health board. [12046]

The table shows the forecast income and expenditure for hospital and community health services for each health board as at the end of the 1996–97 financial year.

£000
Health boards	Forecast income 1996–97	Forecast expenditure 1996–97
Argyll and Clyde	279,496	279,496
Ayrshire and Arran	219,868	219,868
Borders	74,821	74,606
Dumfries and Galloway	102,605	102,128
Fife	207,541	207,541
Forth Valley	163,514	162,807
Grampian	334,136	332,860
Greater Glasgow	649,003	644,084
Highland	138,048	138,048
Lanarkshire	322,072	322,072
Lothian	480,269	480,269
Orkney	14,845	14,845
Shetland	16,886	16,886
Tayside	293,271	290,771
Western Isles	27,893	27,893
Total	3,324,268	3,314,174

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what financial assistance has been provided to Marshall Food Group Ltd. in each of the last 10 years in relation to their production plant at Coatbridge; on what terms; and if he will make a statement. [11848]

The following financial assistance has been provided by the Department:Since 1987, a total of £2,857,500 has been paid under the regional selective assistance scheme. These payments related to offers made in 1987 and 1990 and the last payment of grant was made in 1993. Additionally, regional development grant of £679,942, offered in 1987, was paid in association with the RSA offers, the last payment being made in 1991.The purpose of these offers was to assist the company in undertaking a capital investment programme at Coatbridge involving the safeguarding and creation of jobs at that location. The company has met its obligations under the terms of the offers.The above grants represent all but a small part of the assistance provided in relation to this company's Coatbridge plant. Additional support has been provided by the Scottish Enterprise network in recent years; I will ask the chairman of that organisation to write to the hon. Member with details of this as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many admissions were made to intensive care beds in Scotland in 1978–79 or the most recent year thereafter for which figures are available. [11332]

The number of patients discharged from intensive care beds in the year ending 31 March 1979 was 8,137.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many admissions were made to intensive care beds in each health board area in Scotland during 1995–96. [11333]

The information is set out in the table.

The number of intensive care discharges at year ending 31 March 1996
Health board	Discharges
Argyll and Clyde	1,193
Ayrshire and Arran	803
Borders	215
Dumfries and Galloway	1,569
Fife	365
Forth Valley	506
Grampian	562
Greater Glasgow	7,211
Highland	900
Lanarkshire	3,465
Lothian	4,260
Orkney	—
Shetland	—
Tayside	2,740
Western Isles	—
Scotland	23,789

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what period of notice was given to general practitioners in Scotland in respect of the deadline for comments on the recent list of drugs to be removed from GP prescription; how many representations were received; and what discussions his officials have had with the British Medical Association about the period of notice. [11319]

On 25 November 1996, the Department of Health, on behalf of the UK health departments, issued a press release announcing consultation on recommended changes to the list of products which GPs may not prescribe on the NHS. Comments were invited by 9 January 1997. About 200 representations have been received in response. There have been no discussions with the BMA about the period of notice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list by category the estimated total number of jobs located within the city of Glasgow and the estimated number of vacancies in each category. [11868]

The table sets out the latest estimate of the number of employees in employment in the former City of Glasgow district council area and vacancies registered with the Employment Service.

Industry 1992 standard industrial classification	1995 Annual employment survey— employees in employment	Vacancies registered with employment service October 1996
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	300	9
Energy and water	3,000	3
Manufacturing	37,600	1,273
Construction	18,400	1,223
Distribution, hotels and restaurants	67,500	4,113
Transport and communications	22,500	519
Banking, finance and insurance	67,600	2,183
Public administration	97,000	2,099
Other services	16,800	1,603
Total	330,600	13,025

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the annual salary and employment costs for the communications manager recently appointed by Ayrshire and Arran health board. [11920]

This information is not held centrally. Health boards have delegated responsibility for recruitment and for terms and conditions of their staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 5 December, Official Report, column 731, relating to costs in connection with the return of the Stone of Destiny, when he expects to have collated the costs; and if he will notify the hon. Member for East Lothian of the figures as soon as they are available. [9968]

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to have finalised the collation of all of the costs involved in relation to the return of the Stone of Destiny; if he will send details of the costs to all hon. Members representing Scottish constituencies; and under which budget heads the costs will be covered. [10660]

[holding answers 22 and 13 January 1997]: The Scottish Office has already indicated that the costs incurred were expected to be in excess of £50,000. The cost of the ceremonies marking the return amounts to £34,434.15. In addition, the Scottish Office will meet £27,708.50 incurred by the armed services. All these costs will be met, as planned, from the Scottish Office administration budget.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his discussions with the Indian Prime Minister in respect of the Scotch whisky industry. [12144]

Although the Scotch whisky industry was not discussed during my meeting with the Indian Prime Minister, it was covered in the meetings between the Indian Finance Minister and my right hon. Friend, the President of the Board of Trade, at one of which representatives of the Scotch whisky industry were present. The Indian Minister indicated that whisky would be involved in a wider programme of liberalising imports of consumer goods into India, although the timing was not yet clear. The Government will continue to press for improved access for Scotch whisky to this potentially very important market.

To ask the Prime Minister which Government Minister will be attending the United Nations General Assembly special session on the environment in June. [12442]

I shall be attending the United Nations General Assembly special session in June.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs at what stage of the special procedure which was used in respect of the sale of police and security requirements an export licence application was made; by whom the application was made; and at what stage of the procedure the decision to grant a licence was decided. [11834]

Where the export of goods is prohibited without an export licence, such a licence must be obtained from the Department of Trade and Industry before the goods may be exported.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will review the procedure by which the Bahrain Public Security Directorate was able to buy a proportion of its police and security requirements through the Crown Agents; and on how many occasions similar procedures have been used in respect of other countries. [11804]

The functions of the Crown Agents when acting as agents for the procurement of goods and services are set out in the Crown Agents Act 1979. The Government have laid down no special procedures for purchases for Bahrain. Crown Agents have operating procedures which apply to all their work as agents. An indication of the extent of this work and the clients involved is given in the Crown Agents' annual report and accounts, copies of which are in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list (a) the police and security requirements provided to Bahrain through the Crown Agents and (b) the British companies which supplied the goods and services. [11833]

The Crown Agents provide services to the Government of Bahrain on commercial terms; provision of information about specific goods and services is a matter for the Crown Agents' clients.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assurances were (a) asked for by the UK Government and (b) given by the Government of Bahrain that the equipment supplied through the special purchase procedure will not be used for internal repression. [11806]

The Crown Agents' functions when acting as agents for procurement of goods and services are set out in the Crown Agents Act 1979. Where the export of goods is prohibited without an export licence, the Government would not licence equipment assessed as likely to be used for internal repression.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the procedure which enabled the Bahrain Public Security Directorate to buy police and security equipment through the Crown Agents began; and if the arrangement still exists. [11805]

The British Government have specified no special procedure for purchases for Bahrain. The Crown Agents have always acted as procurement agents for overseas principals. Their powers to do so are currently set out in the Crown Agents Act 1979; that Act is still in force.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which police, security and paramilitary bodies have enjoyed similar arrangements in the last 10 years with Crown Agents to that enjoyed by the Government of Bahrain; and which bodies continue to enjoy such arrangements. [11835]

A list of Crown Agents' clients is published each year in the Crown Agents' annual report and accounts, copies of which are in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what requests the United Kingdom Government have received from (a) the Yemen Government, (b) the Aden port authority and (c) other organisations (i) to tender for projects and (ii) to assist (1) financially and (2) technically with the Aden port redevelopment programme; and if he will make a statement. [11684]

The United Kingdom Government have received no requests to tender for projects. All requests for technical assistance are channelled through the Government of Yemen.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the United Kingdom aid programmes to Yemen during the current financial year for (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral aid indicating the amount of funding; and if he will make a statement. [11685]

Figures are not yet available for expenditure in this financial year, but the outturn is expected to be similar to 1995–96.The bilateral programme is funding the Liverpool Port Consultancy Portia to undertake an impact study and preparation of programme specification on Aden port. Other activities this year include British partnership scheme funded projects. These range from support for the electronic engineering faculty at Hadramawt university and for the Central Statistical Office to English tuition at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ODA also commissioned an appraisal of the Al Gamhouria hospital in Aden. This assignment was completed in the first half of 1996. The balance of the budget for this year is meeting the cost of continuing postgraduate education commitments in the UK. Following very heavy flooding in eastern Yemen in May and June, the ODA funded nearly £500,000 of emergency assistance which was delivered through the Red Crescent and other non-governmental organisations.Figures are not available for multilateral aid expenditure in this financial year. In the past six years, approximately £22 million—UK share £5 million—has been committed by the EC in the form of economic and development assistance to Yemen. It is expected that commitments and disbursements should continue at roughly the same level and pace over the next two years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list for each year since 1991 the total aid support for Yemen, indicating the amount spent on (a) bilateral aid, (b) emergency aid, (c) pensions and (d) the United Kingdom contribution to multilateral aid programmes. [11683]

Aid to Yemen since 1991 has been as follows:

Total aid to Yemen 1990–91—1995–96
£ thousand
	1990–91	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94	1994–95	1995–96
Total Bilateral aid1	5,296	4,984	7,707	4,053	4,410	1,477
of which:
Emergency aid	—	—	74	89	672	—
Pensions	488	461	434	518	371	887
1Source: British Aid Statistics 1996 edition.

£ million
	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994
Total multilateral aid1	2	3	3.3	2.7	2.4
of which:
EC	0.2	0.2	1.0	0.6	0.4
UN	0.5	0.5	0.7	0.3	0.5
1Source: Multilateral share exercise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Ministers are entitled to use child care facilities supported by his Department. [11593]

Yes, although we are not aware of any Minister ever having made a call upon this service for his or her children.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those European Union countries that have refused to accept Gibraltar-issued identification cards as valid travel documents between EU countries. [11817]

Spain is the only EU member state to have notified the United Kingdom formally of its refusal to accept Gibraltar identity cards as travel documents within the EU-EEA.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response the Spanish Government have made to his Department about the validity of British dependent territories passports used by Gibraltar citizens for travel between Gibraltar and Spain. [11816]

The Spanish Government's response to our request for clarification of their position does not meet our concerns. My right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary will therefore be raising this issue when he meets the Spanish Foreign Minister in Madrid on 22 January, and he will be looking for a cast-iron assurance that the Spanish Government will continue to accept British passports issued in Gibraltar.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what will be on the agenda for the meeting between himself and the Foreign Minister of Spain on 22 January, under the provisions of the 1984 Brussels agreement. [11818]

The issue of passports will be high on the agenda. My right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary will be looking for a cast-iron assurance that the Spanish Government will continue to accept British passports issued in Gibraltar. We also expect the scope for greater cross-border co-operation to be discussed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what conclusions were reached in respect of the Council of Europe at the Dublin EU summit. [11823]

Part VII of the "Presidency Conclusions" (document ref. SN 401/96) which was placed in the House Library on 15 December, records the views of European Council on the Council of Europe as follows:

"The European Council believes that the Council of Europe has a crucial role in upholding human rights standards and supporting pluralist democracy.

It sees advantage in using to the fullest, in co-operation with other international institutions, and expertise and mechanisms of the Council of Europe to advance these objectives. The summit meeting of the Organization, in 1997, will provide a significant opportunity to review the progress made in these areas."

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he estimates the UK will ratify the EU-Israel trade agreement. [11704]

The Order in Council is currently being drafted, and we expect the agreement to be laid before Parliament shortly and debated next month.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many entry certificate officers were employed in British high commission offices in (a) Pakistan, (b) Sri Lanka, (c) India and (d) Bangladesh, on 1 January. [11677]

The post by post breakdown of the entry clearance officers in the four countries is:

Post	Number of officers
Karachi	5
Islamabad	26
Colombo	4
Bombay	10
Calcutta	1
Madras	3
New Delhi	12
Dhaka	12

In addition, Karachi and Colombo each have one entry clearance manager, Bombay, Dhaka and New Delhi two and Islamabad four.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) men and (b) women, were waiting for interview at British high commission offices in (i) Pakistan, (ii) Sri Lanka, (iii) India, and (iv) Bangladesh, to join husbands or wives resident in the United Kingdom, on 1 January. [11695]

The post-by-post breakdown of applicants awaiting interview in the four countries is as follows:

Post	Men	Women
Bombay	101	211
Calcutta	0	5
Colombo	4	27
Dhaka	540	147
Islamabad	1,024	772
Karachi	32	48
New Delhi	19	99
Total	1,720	1,309

Statistics for Madras are still being prepared. I shall write to the hon. Member shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the longest period of time a person had been waiting for an interview to join (a) their husband and (b) their wife, in the United Kingdom at high commission offices in (i) Pakistan, (ii) Sri Lanka, (iii) India and (iv) Bangladesh on 1 January; and if he will make a statement. [11678]

The post-by-post breakdown of longest waiting times in the four countries is:

Post	Husbands	Wives
Bombay	6 months	6 months
Calcutta	21 days	Nil
Colombo	1 month	1 month
Dhaka	6 months	6 months
Islamabad	6 months	4 months
Karachi	19 weeks	19 weeks
New Delhi	2 months	2 months

Statistics for Madras are still being prepared. However, in 1995, the longest waiting time was six weeks for both husbands and wives.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the average time a person has waited for an interview in respect of an application to join (a) a husband and (b) a wife (i) in the United Kingdom and (ii) at British high commission offices in (1) Pakistan, (2) Sri Lanka, (3) India and (4) Bangladesh in the last year. [11694]

The post-by-post breakdown of average waiting times in the four countries is as follows:

Post	Husbands	Wives
Bombay	3 months	3 months
Calcutta	10 days	Nil
Colombo	10 weeks	10 weeks
Dhaka	6 months	6 months
Islamabad	3.5 months	3.5 months
Karachi	18.5 weeks	18 weeks
New Delhi	2.5 months	2.5 months

Statistics for Madras are still being prepared. However, in 1995, the average waiting time was six weeks.It is not possible to prepare equivalent figures for applicants already in the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the future of Pillar point refugee centre in Hong Kong and its residents. [11824]

The Pillar Point refugee centre in Hong Kong is funded and managed by the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. It was opened in 1989 and there are no plans to close it.Some 620 Vietnamese refugees and 540 non-refugees are accommodated in the centre. UNHCR continue to seek resettlement places for the refugees. The non-refugees' closest links remain with Vietnam and we are seeking to negotiate with the Vietnamese authorities for their repatriation, in accordance with the comprehensive plan of action.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the (a) companies and (b) universities assessed by his Department to be assisting planning in (i) education and (ii) research in the far east; and if he will make a statement. [12023]

Neither this nor any other Department carries out such assessments. We do, however, welcome the involvement of British companies and universities in this kind of work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many calls have been made on the benefit fraud hotline to date; how many of those have been found to provide information that was substantiated; and if he will separately distinguish the figures between England and Wales. [9690]

The national benefit fraud hotline has received in excess of 125,000 calls up to 12 December 1996.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what representations his Department has made to the Home Office to resolve difficulties concerning the prompt payment of benefit to eligible asylum seekers arising from the absence in form IS96 of a sign as to whether a claim for asylum has been made; and if he will make a statement; [10790](2) what steps his Department is taking to resolve problems in the Benefits Agency concerning delays in the issuing of benefit payments to eligible asylum seekers arising from the fact that form IS96 does not show that a claim for asylum has been made. [10791]

Form IS96 is issued to any person from abroad granted temporary admission under the written authority of an immigration officer. Officials from this Department and from the Home Office have met to discuss this issue and have concluded that it is not appropriate to annotate form IS96 issued to an asylum seeker because it is not a secure document and does not lend itself to be adapted for that purpose.An adjudication officer must be satisfied as to the true identity of a claimant before a benefit claim can be actioned. The bearer of form IS96: may not be an asylum seeker; may have been issued with more than one IS96 at different times, or may already have been refused leave to enter this country and granted temporary admission pending removal. Therefore, form IS96, annotated or otherwise, is unsuitable for use as a trigger for the payment of a social security benefit.Departmental officials are in regular discussion with officials from the Home Office to improve the exchange of information between the two departments, to enable adjudication officers to verify the circumstances of asylum seekers' claims promptly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensions are currently being paid to war widows; and how many of these relate to service up to (a) 30 September 1921 and (b) 31 December 1945. [11075]

The information is not available in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Such information as is available is as follows:A war widow's pension may be awarded where the death of the husband is due to service in the armed forces at any time. The number of war widows pensions in payment at 31 December 1996, the latest date for which figures are available, is 59,611. At 31 December 1995, a total of 1,544 awards were in respect of service up to 30 September 1921.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many cold weather payments were made in (a) December 1996 and (b) January 1997 to date. [11607]

An estimated 1,410,720 payments were made in December. The number of payments so far in January, up to and including 17 January, is estimated to be 3,687,380.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security which of the weather stations triggered cold weather payments in December 1996 and January 1997 to date; and how often each station triggered payments during this period. [11859]

The information is as follows:

Triggers
Weather station	December	January
Abbotsinch (Glasgow Airport)	—	2
Aberporth	—	1
Aviemore	2	2
Bedford	2	—
Bingley	—	1
Boltshope Park	2	1
Boscombe Down	1	1
Bracknell	1	1
Braemar	2	2
Brize Norton	2	—
Capel Curig	1	1
Cardinham	1	1
Carlisle	—	1
Chivenor	—	1
Coltishall	—	2
Crosby	—	1
Culdrose	—	1
Dumfries	1	—
Dunkeswell	2	1
Elmdon (Birmingham Airport)	2	—
Eskdalemuir	2	1
Eskmeals	—	1
Flyingdales	—	1
Gatwick	1	1
Great Malvern	—	2
Heathrow	—	2
Herstmonceux	2	—
Hum (Bournemouth Airport)	1	1
Kinloss	1	2
Linton on Ouse	1	1
Liscombe	2	1
Loch Glascarnoch	2	1
Lyneham	2	1
Manston	1	1
Marham	1	2
Mumbles Head	—	2
Nottingham	—	2
Plymouth	—	1

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average size of area covered by the weather stations responsible for triggering cold weather payments. [11858]

The average size of area covered by the 70 weather stations used in the cold weather payments scheme this winter is about 1,250 sq miles per station.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will arrange for the entitlement for cold weather payments in the Caernarfon constituency to be triggered by the temperature readings in the village of Deiniolen rather than at RAF Valley; and if he will make a statement. [11961]

No. Only weather stations which meet Meteorological Office requirements are suitable for the cold weather payments scheme. There are no such facilities at Deiniolen of which the Meteorological Office is aware or which meet its requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many personalised number plates there are in the ownership of the executive agencies operated by his Department; and if he will list them. [11419]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if Ministers are entitled to use child care facilities supported by his Department. [11591]

Yes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many small employers reclaimed money under the small firms relief scheme for statutory maternity leave in 1995–96; [11810](2) how much money was reclaimed by small employers over each of the last five years under the small employers relief fund for statutory maternity pay. [11813]

The statutory maternity pay small employers' relief scheme was introduced from 4 September 1994 when the reimbursement rate for SMP was changed to 92 per cent. The scheme allows small businesses paying £20,000 or less annually in national insurance contributions to continue to receive full reimbursement of their SMP costs.Employers are not required to distinguish in their end-of-year returns between reimbursement under small employers' relief and the 92 per cent. rate. In 1994–95, £443 million was reclaimed by all employers this includes 100 per cent. reimbursement for all employers for the first six months.Information about employers' payments for 1995–96 will be available from May 1997 when employers' end-of-year returns have been assessed. It is estimated that around 38 per cent. of firms paying SMP were able to recover payments in full in 1995–96.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security which former hon. Members are now members of social security appeal tribunals or disability appeal tribunals. [12145]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what is the nature of the design faults in his Department's national computer which necessitate its being closed down when a claimant's partner's claim is being considered; [10917](2) who was responsible for the design of the computer system operated by his Department; and who operates it; [10918](3) when the faults in his Department's computer system will be rectified. [10919]