To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list the total aggregate attendances for all competitive fixtures played by each Premier and

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what representations she has received from the Newcastle upon Tyne area in respect of the future of the D'Oyly Carte opera company. [14053]

In addition to the letters I have received from my hon. Friend himself, and the three extremely helpful meetings I have recently had with him, I have received many representations from the Tyneside area about the future of the D'Oyly Carte opera company. Decisions about its future are a matter for the company itself, in the light of the available options. I informed the House on 28 January, Official Report, columns 148–50, that the Arts Council of England had decided to offer the D'Oyly Carte company a grant of £100,000 to enable it to review its operation and to build on relationships with venues and funding partners. Such relationships play an important part for any company in considering its future.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list each voluntary group part or wholly funded by her Department in the last two years for which the information is available and the amount of money received by each group in that year period. [14145]

The total of grants made by the Department of National Heritage direct to voluntary organisations during 1994–95 was £18,056,840, and during 1995–96 was £18,034,500. This excludes grants to

The table shows the total attendances for the Premier and football leagues and domestic cup competitions, the number of arrests, and arrests as a percentage of total attendance for the same period. The table shows that the number of arrests as a proportion of attendances has fallen by 20 per cent. from the 1993–94 season, which was the last season before clubs in the top two divisions went all-seater. A breakdown of arrests at club level could be done only at a disproportionate cost, and club attendance figures are not held centrally. Ejection figures are not available as most ejections are now undertaken by club stewards and it is not possible for the police to record this information.non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the Department, where the grant is largely used to make grants to voluntary organisations; and grants made through the voluntary and community division, which joined the Department in May 1996. Details of each of the voluntary groups funded by the Department during 1994–95 and 1995–96 and the amount of money received have been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage on how many occasions in each of the last five years computer systems have been illegally accessed by computer hackers in her Department. [14542]

The Department of National Heritage, since it was established on 13 April 1992, has no evidence that any computer systems have been illegally accessed by computer hackers in the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many cases of computer hacking, fraud and theft, including theft of computer chips, her Department has recorded in the last five years. [14543]

The Department of National Heritage, since it was established on 13 April 1992, has had one case of theft and recorded no cases of computer fraud or hacking.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list each national lottery award made to each constituency in Yorkshire since the awards were first made. [13838]

[holding answer 3 February 1997]: As at 31 January 1997, there have been 747 awards totalling more than £173 million made to projects in Yorkshire. I have arranged for a full list to be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when she proposes to announce proposals relating to the millennium exhibition regional celebration. [12227]

[holding answer 3 February 1997]: On 30 December, I announced that the Millennium Commission would be consulting on ideas for the millennium festival events throughout the UK. The deadline for responses is 21 February. The commission aims to seek applications for schemes for the millennium festival in the summer. In addition, the millennium exhibition operating company will make an announcement later this year about its national programme, which will take place throughout the UK during 1998 and 1999 in the lead-up to the opening of the exhibition at Greenwich.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 31 January, Official Report, column 425–26, if he will provide a breakdown of the £3.5 million spent on the refurbishment of 1, Carlton Gardens. [14648]

In my answer of 31 January to the hon. Member's question about 1 Carlton Gardens, the figure of £3.5 million was inadvertently given as the cost of refurbishment. The actual cost was about £1.5 million. I apologise for this error.Major costs comprised:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will provide a breakdown of the spending by his Department on external advice in relation to the Scott inquiry, indicating how much has been spent on legal advice and from whom it was obtained. [14537]

The amount spent by this Department on legal advice in relation to giving evidence to the Scott inquiry and the preparation of the Government's response to it was £414,567.03. This figure includes £228,446.03, representing the value of legal services charged by the Treasury Solicitor's Department. External legal advice was obtained from Messrs Smith Bernal Reporting Ltd., Messrs Barlow Lyde and Gilbert, and Messrs Allen and Overy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Minister of State, the right hon. Member for Richmond and Barnes (Mr. Hanley) will meet a group of hon. Members to discuss compensation for former POWs of the Japanese. [14394]

Yes. As I have made clear to colleagues in the House, I would be happy to meet a group of hon. Members to discuss this general issue, and intend to do so on 13 February.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects a decision will be taken on the application to the post in Islamabad by Mrs. Yasmin Akhtar Sarfraz (Ref. Imm/D5213) to join her husband in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [14636]

It is policy, on grounds of confidentiality, for Ministers not to comment publicly on individual applications for entry clearance. I will therefore write separately to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 31 January, Official Report, columns 425–26, if he will list the members of the management board of the Chevening Trust; and if he will make a statement. [14650]

The board of trustees of the Chevening Trust is as follows:

• The Lord Privy Seal: Chairman
• The right hon. Lord Cornwallis: Appointed by the Prime Minister; Deputy Chairman
• The right hon. Lord Kingsdown: Appointed by the Prime Minister
• Mr. W. L. Banks: Appointed by the Secretary of State for the Environment
• Mr. Alan Borg: Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum
• Mr. D. A. Innes: Local Farmer co-opted in 1983, renewed 1994
• Mr. W. W. A. Wells: Curator of Leeds Castle co-opted in 1992
• Mr. J. Warde: Local Farmer co-opted in 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 31 January, Official Report, column 425–26, which organisations have held meetings and conferences at Chevening in each of the last two years; and if he will make a statement. [14649]

A list of meetings follows. This does not include the trustees' meetings or garden openings. I visit Chevening for about one weekend a month.CHEVENING HOUSE

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 31 January, Official Report, columns 425–26, if he will list the tax exemptions applicable to the Chevening Trust. [14651]

The Chevening Estate Act 1959 gives the full details of the tax exemptions applicable to the Chevening Trust. In brief, exemption is given from income tax, capital gains tax, capital transfer tax and development land tax.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to what use Chevening has been put in the days he has not been in residence; and if he will make a statement. [14647]

Chevening house and the pleasure gardens are the only parts of the estate used by the nominated person. The estate remains under the ownership of the trustees, and is managed by them. I have agreed with the trustees that the house may be used by them, when I am not in residence, for meetings of senior Government officials. All meetings are co-ordinated through the protocol department of the Foreign Office. The trustees allow the gardens to be opened for charitable purposes three or four times a year. In addition, the trustees hold some of their meetings in the house.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions in each of the last five years computer systems have been illegally accessed by computer hackers in his Department. [14558]

None as far as we are aware.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many cases of computer hacking, fraud and theft, including theft of computer chips, his Department has recorded in the last five years. [14559]

We believe there have been no instances of computer hacking or fraud but 10 cases of theft of computer equipment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Mr. Ghafoor Ahmed who has applied to join his wife in the United Kingdom (Ref: IMM/B/6851) will be interviewed by the post in Islamabad; when a decision will be taken on his application; and if he will make a statement. [14637]

It is policy, on grounds of confidentiality, for Ministers not to comment publicly on individual applications for entry clearance. I will therefore write separately to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth affairs what was the total cost of salaries since 1992 paid to persons in his Department employed on a part-time or full-time basis in any capacity relating to the Scott inquiry. [14536]

The direct salary cost of officials within this Department wholly employed on matters relating to the Scott inquiry since 1992 is approximately £241,500. Other officials were inevitably involved from time to time; their direct salary costs are unquantifiable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the level of consumption of primary fuels and equivalents for energy use in Wales for each year since 1990. [13318]

Information on energy consumption in Wales was published in table 5.18 of the "Digest of Welsh Statistics 1996" and tables 8.9 to 8.13 of Welsh Economic Trends, No. 16 1995. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the extra duties given to councils since 1979. [13877]

Over the period involved, local government has assumed additional responsibilities in areas such as community care and children's services and relinquished them in others, for example, further education. Also, and at their own initiative, local authorities have developed existing services and promoted new ones, particularly in areas such as leisure and recreation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures he plans to take to assist hearing-impaired people into work; and if he will make a statement. [14048]

The Employment Service, through its network of placing, assessment and counselling teams, provides a wide range of specialist services for people with health problems and disabilities, including those with impaired hearing. This includes supported employment programmes and the access to work scheme, which are aimed at helping people with disabilities into jobs or training. In addition, disabled persons have priority in accessing employment and training programmes for which they are eligible and suitable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on how many occasions in each of the last five years computer systems have been illegally accessed by computer hacker in his Department. [14548]

On no occasions to my knowledge.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many cases of computer hacking, fraud and theft, including theft of computer chips, his Department has recorded in the last five years. [14549]

There have been no incidents of computer hacking, fraud or theft of computer chips to my knowledge. In separate incidents over the past five years, the Department has recorded the loss of a printer, a PC and three laptop systems, one of which was later recovered by the police.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to meet the members of the councils of Wales to discuss the education revenue budget; and if he will make a statement. [14491]

My right hon. Friend met Welsh local authority representatives, in the forum of the Welsh consultative council on local government finance, on 16 December to hear their views on his proposals for the 1997–98 Welsh local government revenue settlement.My right hon. Friend's final decisions on the settlement were debated and approved by Parliament on 4 February. It will be for each local authority to decide how much of its total resources to allocate to individual services, including education, taking account of its statutory responsibilities and its perception of local needs and priorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list (a) his Department's budgeted expenditure on (i) advertising, (ii) publicity and (iii) public information campaigns for the period January to March 1997 and (b) the actual expenditure on (1) advertising, (2) publicity and (3) public information campaigns in the period January to March in each of the past five years. [13457]

My Department's budgeted expenditure on publicity for the period January to March 1997 is £3,316,860. Of this total, £1,301,920 is budgeted for the advertising element of public information campaigns and the remaining £2,014,940 is for publications, posters, exhibitions and videos which give the public further information and advice. The total 1996–97 budgeted expenditure for advertising and other public information and advice is £8,854,000.The figures for each of the past five years are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answers of 13 January, Official Report, columns 48–52, and 15 January, Official Report, columns 265–68, if he will re-calculate the figures based on the final local government finance and final police grant settlements for 1997–98. [13901]

The figures given in my reply to the hon. Member of 13 January, Official Report, columns 48–52, have not changed. Revised figures, previously given in my reply to the hon. Member on 15 January, Official Report, columns 265–68, are set out in the table. The figures provided earlier were based on the provisional settlement which has now been finalised following consultation with police and local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the levels of revenue and capital settlements for Welsh police forces for 1997–98 and the levels requested by those police forces. [14133]

The settlement for police revenue expenditure means that Welsh police authorities can increase their budgets by 3.8 per cent. in 1997–98. The four Welsh police authorities asked for a 6 per cent. increase in resources in 1997–98.Provision for major capital building projects in 1997–98 has been maintained at current price levels. In addition, the four Welsh police authorities received a total of £5.119 million for general capital needs against a total bid of £20.29 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the application of additional rule 1 to each Welsh police force for the revenue and capital settlements for (a) 1997–98 and (b) future years. [14137]

We introduced additional rule 1 to ensure that each police authority and the receiver for the Metropolitan police could benefit in 1997–98 from revenue funding which represents an increase of 2 per cent. or more on the equivalent figure for 1996–97. Funding for the purposes of this comparison comprises

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each police force area in England and Wales (a) the total police revenue grant from his Department, (b) the total capital grant from his Department, (c) the total revenue grant from the Department of the Environment-Welsh Office, (d) other grants to police authorities from central funds and (e) the total of all capital and revenue grants from central funds for each of the years 1995–96,1996–97 and 1997–98. [13948]

[holding answer 3 February 1997]: The information requested is set out in the tables.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account his Department took of the police pension scheme in the revenue and capital settlements for Welsh police forces in 1997–98; and if he will make a statement. [14136]

For 1997–98, on the basis of advice from the Government Actuary's Department, we have increased the allowance made for police pensions needs in the police funding formula. The pensions indicator will account for 12.9 per cent. of total formula funding in England and Wales. The total pensions indicator for Welsh forces will amount to around £43 million, before the application of additional rule 1.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will name the asylum seekers who are currently on hunger strike at Her Majesty's prison Rochester and their countries of origin. [14231]

The Government's normal practice is not to disclose the details of individual detainees.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in each of the last five years computer systems have been illegally accessed by computer hackers in his Department. [14564]

Over the past five years, there have been 16 recorded cases of hacking.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of computer hacking, fraud and theft, including theft of computer chips, his Department has recorded in the past five years. [14565]

A total of 78 cases have been recorded over the past five years.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what arrangements have been made to provide hon. Members with information about the amendments contained in the resolution tabled on Friday 31 January updating schedule 1 to the House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975. [15117]

A detailed explanatory note on the resolution tabled on Friday 31 January is available from the Vote Office.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the current annual budget of the public appointments unit. [14512]

The public appointments unit's budget for 1996–97 is £215,000.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many names are currently held on the public appointments unit register; and what were the figures (a) one year, (b) two years and (c) five years ago. [14511]

The information requested is as follows:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on how many occasions in each of the last five years computer systems have been illegally accessed by computer hackers in his Department. [14568]

None.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many cases of computer hacking, fraud and theft, including theft of computer chips, his department has recorded in the last five years. [14569]

Over the last five years, there have been no cases of computer hacking or fraud in the Office of Public Service and its agencies, there have been 31 thefts of computers or computer chips as follows:

• 1992–93: 6
• 1993–94: 1
• 1994–95: 5
• 1995–96: 13
• 1996–97: 6.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will provide a breakdown of the spending by the Deputy Prime Minister's Office on external advice in relation to the Scott inquiry, indicating how much has been spent on legal advice and from whom it was obtained. [14535]

No payments have been made in relation to my private office or the Office of Public Service, for external advice, including legal advice, in relation to the Scott inquiry.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what was the total cost of salaries since 1992 paid to persons in the Deputy Prime Minister's Office and the Office of Public Service employed on a part-time or full-time basis in any capacity relating to the Scott inquiry. [14534]

No full-time or part-time officials in my private office or the Office of Public Service were wholly employed on matters relating to the Scott inquiry. Some officials have inevitably been involved from time to time as part of their normal duties but the direct salary cost is unquantifiable.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research has been sponsored by his Department into the use of reed beds for the biological treatment and decontamination of contaminated mine water. [13849]

My Department has not sponsored any such projects. However, the Environment Agency, which is responsible for the monitoring and regulation of mine water discharges, is involved in two projects. First, it has set up a pilot project for the biological treatment, including reed beds, of mine water at the former Wheal Jane tin mine in Cornwall; secondly, it is collaborating with other parties on a wetland system to treat discharges into the River Pelenna, which is being partially funded by the EC LIFE programme. The data and experience obtained from these two projects will be valuable in the determination of treatment options for other sites.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list (a) the total external support including revenue support and non-domestic rates and (b) the allowable budget requirement for the London borough of Hounslow in (i) 1997–98, (ii) 1996–97 and (iii) 1995–96; and if he will indicate for each the changes between 1995–96 and 1996–97; and the changes between 1996–97 and 1997–98, in cash and percentage terms allowing for proper year-on-year, like-for-like comparisons, and allowing for the transfer of responsibility for care in the community from central Government to local authorities. [14271]

The available information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people employed by his Department to provide advice on the application of equal opportunities; and at what cost in the last year for which figures are available. [14474]