To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the Government will make additional funds available to local authorities in South Yorkshire to help them to meet the debts and liabilities associated with the south Yorkshire supertram. [16141]

The Government are well aware of the exceptional problems facing the South Yorkshire districts and the South Yorkshire passenger transport authority as a result of the loss-making supertram project. We have looked very carefully at this problem and discussed it with representatives of the South Yorkshire districts. We have decided to issue a further £20 million in credit approvals for 1997–98. We are also prepared to issue capitalisation directions if these would help authorities to meet the costs of supertram in 1997–98.If the districts set budgets above their provisional cap, I will look carefully at all their circumstances before determining a final cap which is reasonable and achievable.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the latest figures for vacant local authority dwellings in England. [16265]

At 1 April 1996, a total of 79,600 council homes in England were empty, 2.3 per cent. of local authorities' stock. The 1995 figure was 71,800; most of the increase was in "management vacants"—dwellings available for letting immediately or after minor repairs—which account for 60 per cent. of all vacant local authority homes.I am placing in the Library of the House of Commons a list of local authorities in England ranked on the basis of their management vacants at 1 April 1996.The Government want to see the best use made of local authorities' housing stock and I look to authorities to continue their efforts to keep their own empty dwellings to a minimum. Most authorities have a good record on filling their vacant dwellings, but there is still room for improvement. The achievements of past years must not be wasted.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the contracts awarded to (a) EDS, (b) Andersens, (c) BMI, (d) Capita and (e) Sema since 1992, (i) the broad function to be carried out by the contractor, (ii) the value of the contract and (iii) the Department with which the contract was made in each case. [15413]

The total values of contracts placed with the named firms since 1 April 1993 by the Cabinet Office, Office of Public Service and its agencies—the Civil Service College, CCTA, Security and Facilities Executive, Property Advisers Civil Estate and the Buying Agency—are listed.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 6 February, Official Report, columns 719–20, concerning genetic engineering, if he will list the (a) representatives of the animal feed trade, (b) food manufacturers, (c) retailers and (d) consumer organisations involved in the series of meetings on 7 January. [15635]

On 7 January I met representatives from the National Farmers Union, the Grain and Feed Trade Association, the United Kingdom Agricultural Supply Trade Association, the Pet Food Manufacturers Association, Ciba-Geigy, the British Retail Consortium, the Institute of Grocery Distribution, the Food and Drink Federation, the National Association of Master Bakers, ASDA, Marks and Spencer, Safeway, Somerfield, Waitrose, the Consumers Association, the Consumers in Europe Group/National Federation of Consumers Groups, the General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland and the National Food Alliance.A number of other consumer organisations were also invited but were unable to attend.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 6 February, Official Report, column 720, if he will identify the risk associated with the use of Ciba-Geigy's genetically modified maize in an unprocessed form. [15634]

The Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes considered that the presence of an antibiotic resistance marker gene with bacterial regulatory sequences in Ciba-Geigy's GM maize presented a small but finite risk of transfer of antibiotic resistance to bacteria in the rumen or gut of animals fed on the unprocessed material. The committee advised that, if transfer were to take place, it could compromise the use of ampicillin and related antibiotics in clinical and veterinary medicine. The three EC scientific committees discussed the ACNFP's concerns at length before concluding that the risk of transfer occurring was too small to justify banning imports of the GM maize into the Community.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 6 February, Official Report, column 719–20, concerning genetic engineering, if he will list the organisations which participated in the consultation meeting on 22 January. [15633]

The consultation meeting to discuss the aspects of biotechnology relating to agriculture and food production, which was chaired by the Earl of Selborne, was attended by the 38 delegates listed, as well as a small number of Government officials. Several other organisations, including the Food and Drink Federation and the National Consumer Council, were also invited but unable to attend.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consultation he has had with the veterinary profession on possible changes to the United Kingdom's rabies control arrangements; and if he will make a statement. [15939]

None, since the Government's internal consideration of our rabies control policy is still in progress.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are 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. [14478]

In the financial year ending 31 March 1996, 36 staff, equivalent to 15.8 full-time posts, were employed within the Home Office and its agencies specifically to provide advice on the application of equal opportunities at a total salary cost of £463,253. These figures do not include staff, such as legal advisers, who advise on the application of equal opportunities as part of their duties and in relation to whom information is not readily available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the effect of his Department's policies on the residents of Bournemouth since 1992, with special reference to the effects of changes in the resources provided in real terms. [14950]

Since 1979, spending on Dorset police has increased by 112 per cent. in real terms. Next year, 1997–98, Dorset police will be able to increase its spending by 3.9 per cent.—£2.7 million. Spending would then be over 16 per cent. higher in real terms than it was in 1992–93. By March 1997, it is estimated that there will be 142 more police officers in Dorset than there were in May 1979–19 of whom will have been recruited in 1996–97. Last year, two schemes in Bournemouth won money in the Government's closed circuit television challenge competition: Westbourne core shopping centre, £59,000, and Moordown St. John's Church of England primary school, £5,328. There are now 58 special constables in Bournemouth.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what use his Department and its agencies make of postcode areas for the collection of data and in formulas for the distribution of grants and awards; and when such usages were last reviewed. [14801]

My Department and its agencies by and large do not make regular use of postcodes in the areas of interest. The postcode address file is used as the basis for social and criminal research as and when the need arises. Resource allocation formulae generally use census data at a high level of geographic aggregation and are not dependent on postcode areas. However, some use of the ACORN—a classification of residential neighbourhoods—classification, for which postcodes form the base, is used in the police funding formula which is reviewed regularly. Use has also been made in research of postcodes to convert 1981 census enumeration districts to 1991 census enumeration districts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many claimants in (a) each standard region and (b) Great Britain as a whole in each quarter since 1990 were (i) signing on for unemployment-related benefits, (ii) signing on for national insurance credits, (iii) signing on by post for unemployment-related benefits and (iv) signing on by post for national insurance credits. [13588]

[holding answer 30 January 1997]: The information requested is shown in the following tables.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to the answer of 4 December, Official Report, column 719, to the hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) what estimate she has made of the number of people who could gain from abolishing the 16 guided learning hours limit for those receiving the jobseeker's allowance across the range of the estimates of £500 million to £1,250 million. [15414]

We estimate that between about 200,000 and 400,000 additional people could receive jobseeker's allowance. This does take account of behavioural effects which might result from the change.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade 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. [14531]

[holding answer 6 February 1997]: The amount spent by my Department on external advice in relation to giving evidence to the Scott inquiry and the preparation of the Government's response to it is £771,974. The whole of this amount was for legal advice and included £80,307 representing the value of legal services charged by the Treasury Solicitor's Department. It also includes £127,870 for the costs of legal advice for independent witnesses which were paid for by Sir Richard Scott's inquiry and therefore fell to this Department. External legal advice was obtained from Alistair Thompson and Partners, Barnett Alexander Chart, Beechcroft Stanleys, Blythe Liggins, Hamilton Burns and Moore, Harris Rosenblatt and Kramer, Herbert Smith, Irwin Mitchell, Mr. Gordon Jackson, Kingsley Napley, Mr. S. Richards and Russell Jones and Walker.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade 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. [14530]

[holding answer 6 February 1997]: The direct salary cost of officials within DTI wholly employed on matters relating to the Scott inquiry since 1992 was approximately £324,000. Other officials were involved from time to time; their direct salary cost is unquantifiable. This figure does not include the salary cost of those involved in taking forward the Department's review of strategic export controls since the end of August.The direct salary cost since 1992 of Sir Richard Scott's inquiry team, which also fell to my Department was approximately £852,000.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what was the total cost of (a) the production and (b) the distribution of his departmental document "Privatisation: Setting Enterprise Free". [15569]

My Department has printed 3,000 copies of the booklet "Privatisation: Setting Enterprise Free". These cost £2,900 to produce and £707 to distribute.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) of 28 January, Official Report, column 161, how he will monitor the performance of the children's services strategy group; how long the group has been in existence; how often it meets and under whose chairmanship; and what guidelines have been issued to Government Departments on the status of the group's advice. [15710]

The children's services strategy group first met in September 1996. It is likely to meet four to five times a year and its next meeting is scheduled for March. The group is chaired by Department of Health officials who lead on policy for children's services. There are no plans to monitor the group formally, although Department of Health Ministers will be taking a close interest in its work. The group has not issued guidelines to other Government Departments. It is there not to issue formal advice but to co-ordinate and inform the development of policy relating to children in all areas represented by its membership.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what use his Department and its agencies make of postcode areas for the collection of data and in formulas for the distribution of grants and awards; and when such usages were last reviewed. [14798]

Postcode areas are used for a number of purposes:

• —By the Further Education Funding Council in part of its methodology for funding further education institutions.
• —To select houses to be monitored as part of a research to assess radon levels in houses in Wales.
• —For the 1996 Welsh house condition survey, which is one of the components in the housing capital allocation formula—As the basic sampling frame for both the 1992 Welsh social security survey and the 1997 household interview survey.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what funding he has allocated to improve the physical environment of Deeside, indicating the location of each project. [15143]

Details of Welsh Office funding allocated in 1996–97 and 1997–98 for schemes to improve the physical environment of Deeside, and comparable Welsh development agency schemes for 1996–97, are contained in the following table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will issue planning guidance to future applicants to build power stations to take account of (a) vapour clouds and (b) dust particles. [15147]

The Government's planning policies are set out in Wales, in "Planning Guidance (Wales) Planning Policy" and in a series of technical advice notes currently in preparation.Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the control of emissions from power stations is the responsibility of the Environment Agency. The system of integrated pollution control introduced by the Act requires prior authorisation by the agency. Authorisation will not be granted unless the agency is satisfied that the process in question will not have a harmful effect on the environment. The authorisation process is backed up by a system of regular monitoring.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the (a) availability and (b) distribution of child care facilities in Wales. [15065]

Summaries of the data for Wales and for old county councils on facilities for full day care, including childminding, and for sessional day care are

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many councils have spent above the capping limit; and if he will make a statement.[15142]

Legally no local authority can set a budget above its cap. However, an authority can set a budget above the level of its provisional cap. Only one authority has done this. Aberconwy borough council set a budget for 1993– its provisional cap, but because of the exceptional expenditure arising from the flooding in Llandudno in June 1993, it was designated at the level of the budget it had set. An authority's budget for capping purposes excludes some types of spending.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many deaths from (a) influenza, (b) pneumonia and (c) bronchitis occurred during January 1997; and what were the equivalent figures for January (i) 1994, (ii) 1995 and (iii) 1996. [15214]

Figures from the Office for National Statistics of the number of deaths among residents of Wales where the underlying cause was influenza, pneumonia or bronchitis are shown in the following table:published in the latest in the series of Welsh Office statistical publication, "Activities of Social Services Departments", for the year ended 31 March 1994.Information on child care facilities in Wales is contained in the Chwarae Teg 1996 audit of child care.The child care database, compiled by Chwarae Teg and the Wales information network, provide comprehensive information on availability and distribution of childcare facilities in Wales. It can be accessed at a number of sources, including Chwarae Teg, public libraries and jobcentres.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what decisions he has reached following the financial management and policy review of the Wales Youth Agency. [16399]

As recommended by the review, we have taken the decision to change the status of the Wales Youth Agency from an executive non-departmental public body to a grant-aided organisation.The agency will continue to be funded by the Welsh Office for its important work in helping to raise and maintain standards in youth work in Wales. From 1 April 1997 this will include the disbursement of grant to national voluntary youth organisations, amounting to £361,000 in 1997–98.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list the new measures in sport which (a) her Department, (b) her Department in conjunction with other Government Departments, (c) sports councils and (d) other relevant bodies have instigated since the last general election. [6894]

Since the last general election, the Government have developed a radical strategy of profound changes in policy for the way in which the Government, and Government-sponsored agencies, deal with sport in this country. It is not too much to say that these new policies amount to a revolution in sport.The main elements of this radical strategy stretch across a very wide range of sporting areas: from putting sport back at the heart of weekly school life— particular, but not exclusive, emphasis on traditional, competitive, team games—through constructing much closer links between local schools and local sports clubs, to setting up, for elite athletes, a British academy of sport, a network of regional institutes of sport, academies of individual sports, and a multi-million pound sports scholarship scheme for thousands of individual elite athletes.In support of this radical strategy, the Government have first, completely reorganised the sports council structure, abolishing the old Great Britain Sports Council, and the old regional councils for sports and recreation, and setting

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport under what statutory authority powers the two United Kingdom assessors into the loss of the MV Derbyshire were appointed; and by whom. [15566]

No statutory powers were required for the appointment of the technical assessors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list (a) the annual percentage change and (b) the increase in fares on (i) London Buses, (ii) London Underground, (iii) all London Transport, (iv) Network SouthEast and (v) British Rail in each year since 1984–85, taking 1984–85 as the base, showing the increase in both actual and real terms; and what was the annual rate of inflation for each of those years. [15940]

Available information is shown in the tables.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list (a) the annual percentage change and (b) the increase in child fares on London Transport in each year since 1984–85, taking 1984–85 as the base, showing the increase in both actual and real terms. [15941]

Available data from London Transport are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the occasions when British representatives have met Mr. Krishna Maharaj. [15679]

Consular officers visited Mr. Maharaj on:

• 3 January 1989
• 22 August 1989
• 12 February 1991
• 19 December 1991
• 11 June 1992
• 9 December 1992
• 22 November 1993
• 27 March 1995 and
• 4 April 1996.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the law office of the capital collateral representative has indicated it has the resources to pay for the legal preparation of Mr. Krishna Maharaj's application for a retrial in Florida. [15675]

The Florida state capital collateral representative is not responsible for the preparation of Mr. Maharaj's application for a retrial. If his current legal representative withdraws from the case the public defender's office will appoint the capital collateral representative to represent him. The question of resources is for the Florida state authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the financial resources needed by Mr. Krishna Maharaj to put his case for a retrial. [15676]

That is a matter for Mr. Maharaj and his lawyers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if his Department's Ministers have met the family or legal representatives of Mr. Krishna Maharaj. [15678]

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the payments made by the capital collateral representative to condemned convicts normally meet the costs of their legal representation in cases where a retrial is sought. [15677]

The capital collateral representative is appointed to represent prisoners sentenced to death in Florida who have no funds to retain counsel in post-conviction proceedings. The CCR does not make payments to condemned convicts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the high commissioner for Pakistan about the destruction of homes and churches in the village of Shanti Nagar, near Khanewal on 6 February; and if he will make a statement. [15602]

We are deeply concerned about the attacks on Christians and churches in Khanewal. We have not made representations to the Pakistan high commissioner, since I intend to discuss the matter when I visit Pakistan later this month. In the meantime, I understand that the governor of Punjab has promised compensation to those affected and has ordered an enquiry. I expressed general concern about the treatment of religious minorities to the Minister of Human Rights when I called on him in October.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy towards the independence movements in (a) Chechnya, (b) Abkhazia, (c) Nagorno-Kharabakh and Trans-dnestr; and if he will make a statement. [15603]

We subscribe fully to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe principle that frontiers are inviolable and can only be changed peacefully and by agreement. Any change in the status of the four regions mentioned would have to be mutually agreed with the authorities of the countries concerned. We do not believe that the right to self-determination equates automatically to a right to secession.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list (a) the countries and other bodies which have bought arms from the United Kingdom in the last 10 years under the export credits guarantee scheme and defaulted on their payments and (b) the sums of money involved in each case. [14007]

I have been asked to reply.I am not currently able to provide the requested information. A review of what information can be made available is taking place and a fuller reply will be given in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department provides to schools wishing to develop links with schools in other countries (a) within and (b) outside the British Commonwealth, and if he will make a statement. [15275]

I am replying, since the Department for Education and Employment has responsibility for international school links.The Department contributes to the funding of a number of organisations responsible for implementing the Government's education interchange programmes so far as schools are concerned. These include the Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges, which is primarily concerned with developing school links with Europe and the United States, and the League for the Exchange of Commonwealth Teachers. Grant in aid figures (England and Wales) for 1996–97 are: CBEVE—£3.9 million; LECT—£0.5 million. Under its development programme, the Overseas Development Administration also gave a grant of £50,000 in 1996–97 to Education Partners Overseas, which is an organisation set up to organise and supervise twinning between British schools and schools in developing countries. No distinction is made by the EPO between Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth countries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) radioactive ship and submarine hulks remain at Rosyth and Devonport and (b) spent reactors remain at each site; and what is the amount of medium and high level radioactive waste at each. [16000]

There are three decommissioned nuclear submarines at Devonport and five at Rosyth, containing only intermediate and low-level waste. A further two nuclear submarines at Rosyth and one submarine at Devonport are to undergo defuelling, de-equipping, and lay-up preparations prior to long-term storage pending disposal. Immediately after, there are 75 tonnes of intermediate-level waste and 140 tonnes of low-level waste within each submarine, which will decay in time. The actual level of radioactivity for each submarine, bearing in mind the differing operating profiles, lifetimes and decommissioning dates, can be provided only at disproportionate cost.There is currently one spent reactor core at each of the dockyards pending removal to the storage facility at British Nuclear Fuels, Sellafield. I am withholding information relating to the radioactivity levels within the spent reactor cores under exemption 1 of the code of practice on access to Government information relating to national security and defence. Storage of used submarine fuel at both dockyards fully meets the site licence requirements as authorised by the Health and Safety Executive nuclear installation inspectorate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Tomahawk-fitted submarines to enter operational service. [15705]

Tomahawk is expected to enter service in Royal Navy submarines in late 1998.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people are claiming family credit in the Scunthorpe travel-to-work area. [15499]

The administration of family credit is a matter for Peter Mathison, chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of (a) the cost and (b) the numbers gaining if the disability test used at renewal stage were added to the list of qualifying benefits for new claims for disability working allowance. [15415]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Manchester, Withington (Mr. Bradley) on 30 April 1996, Official Report, column 476.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current percentage of public spending taken up by social security; what was the equivalent figure in (a) 1979, (b) 1987 and (c) 1992; and what has been the percentage increase since 1979. [15426]

The information is set out in the table: Grand total of social security expenditure expressed as a percentage of General Government Expenditure (X) (GGE (X))

• 1979–80: 23 per cent.
• 1987–88: 28 per cent.
• 1992–93: 30 per cent.
• 1996–97: 31 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his latest estimate of (a) the numbers gaining and (b) the cost of extending payments of income support for four weeks to people who (i) are unemployed, (ii) have been unemployed for two years or more and (iii) are claimants in receipt of a disability premium. [15427]

The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is set out in the table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 21 January, Official Report, column 566, how many of the gainers from a reduction in the family credit taper to (a) 60 per cent. and (b) 50 per cent. would be (i) employed lone parents, (ii) employed couples, (iii) self-employed lone parents and (iv) self-employed couples. [15428]

The information is set out in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people on (a) incapacity benefit and (b) severe disablement allowance have applied to undertake exempt work since April 1995; how many have subsequently undertaken work; and how many have been refused by reason for refusal. [15429]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the cost of raising the earnings disregard to £25 for each individual adult in a benefit unit claiming (a) income support, (b) housing benefit and (c) council tax benefit, for 1997–98 and 1998–99; and what is his estimate of (i) the cost and (ii) the numbers gaining for each benefit. [15430]

The information is set out in the table.