To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the random drug tests carried out in prisons in England and Wales were positive in (a) April to June 1996, (b) July to September 1996 and (c) October to December 1996. [19037]

[holding answer 11 March 1997]: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central (Mr. Cousins) of 4 February, Official Report, columns 552–53, what was the number and rate per 100,000 prisoners of self-inflicted deaths at prison establishments (a) in 1992–93 and (b) for the first nine months of 1996–97 at an estimated annualised rate. [19038]

[holding answer 11 March 1997]: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of the causes of the disturbance at Full Sutton prison in January 1997; and if he will make a statement. [19039]

[holding answer 11 March 1997]: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list (a) the changes in the membership of the prisons board and (b) the changes in job titles and main responsibilities, with dates of the changes, since 1 April 1993. [19040]

[holding answer 11 March 1997]: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to announce the membership of the proposed Prison Service advisory board.[19041]

[holding answer 11 March 1997]: Plans for the advisory board are well advanced, but my right hon. and learned Friend has decided to defer the establishment of the board until the outcome of the director general's review of the organisation and management of the Prison Service is known.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Long Lartin prison was opened as a dispersal prison; and how many escapes have taken place from Long Lartin since then. [19042]

[holding answer 11 March 1997]: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from the German Government relating to the granting of bail to Roisin McAliskey; through what channels; and when they were received. [19045]

[holding answer 11 March 1997]: None, other than the original request for Roisin McAliskey's detention and extradition, which was received through diplomatic channels on 17 December 1996. It is the responsibility of the Crown Prosecution Service to represent the case for extradition and bail before the courts on behalf of the German prosecutor, and there has been no change in the position on bail, which is, ultimately, a matter for the courts.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from Sudan have applied for asylum in each of the past five years; and how many have been (a) granted asylum, (b) given leave to remain and (c) removed from the United Kingdom. [19602]

During 1996, 280 applications for asylum in the United Kingdom were lodged by nationals of Sudan. During the same time period, 55 Sudanese nationals were granted asylum and 10 were refused asylum but granted exceptional leave. Information on those granted leave to remain in the United Kingdom under a different section of the immigration rules, after having previously applied for asylum, is not available. Provisional information shows that seven Sudanese asylum seekers were removed, or departed voluntarily, from the United Kingdom during 1996.Information on asylum applications lodged in the United Kingdom during earlier years is given in table 2.1 of the Home Office statistical bulletin "Asylum Statistics United Kingdom, 1995", issue 9/96, a copy of which is available in the Library. Historical information on those granted asylum or exceptional leave, and on those asylum seekers removed, is given in tables 3.1, 3.2 and 10.1 of the same publication.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many answers to parliamentary questions by Ministers in his Department in the last 12 months have exceeded the advisory cost limit; and if he will make a statement. [19342]

[holding answer 10 March 1997]:Where the cost of answering a particular parliamentary question is estimated to exceed £450, it is the general practice for Departments to make it clear that the question could be answered only by incurring disproportionate cost. Given the large numbers of questions tabled, it would be unreasonable for my Department to calculate systematically the exact cost of answering every single parliamentary question.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to make a decision on the reconstituting of the Bookmakers Committee to the Levy Board. [19915]

We are currently considering the responses to our earlier consultation exercise and hope to make an announcement shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will place in the Library a memorandum concerning the prior options review of the Police Scientific Development Branch. [20347]

I have today placed in the Library a memorandum setting out the rationale underlying the decision I announced on 29 January, that the Police Scientific Development Branch should remain in the public sector as an integral part of the Home Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on how the memory for the automatic record facility on the 20 to 30 second replay prior to the perimeter fence alarm activation had been completely cleared. [16863]

At the time of the escape from Her Majesty's prison Whitemoor on 9 September 1994, once an activation of the perimeter fence alarm had been responded to by an operator in the emergency control room, the alarm system was wiped clear. This included the memory of the images received by the nearest camera connected to the alarm system in the 20 to 30 second period before the alarm was activated.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to this answer of 26 February, Official Report, column 212, relating to the purchase of a prison ship, what assessment he has made of (a) the safety of its moorings, (b) security arrangements to avoid prisoners fleeing (i) by land and (ii) by sea and (c) problems faced by prisoners suffering ill health exacerbated by being on board ship; and what local representations he has received. [19112]

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will establish a public inquiry into the location of the proposed prison ship; and if he will make a statement. [19113]

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he issues to constabularies in respect of requirements on those issued with a fixed penalty notice to provide information on their ethnic origin; what assessment he has made of the relevance of such information to the police; and if he will make a statement. [19087]

The police service has, since 1 April 1993, been required to record the ethnic appearance of those stopped and searched under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. That was extended to arrests, cautions, and the victims and suspects in homicide cases, from 1 April 1996. This information will be published in the autumn. There are presently no plans to extend further the ethnic monitoring of police activity. Forces which wish to gather information in further areas of activity, however, are free to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department established its Internet site; what representations he has received and what data he has collated on the use and utility of the site; and what steps he is taking to increase the amount of information via the site. [19144]

My Department established an Internet site for its research and statistical department in March 1995, and a home page for the Department generally in March 1996. Home Office press notices, and those of the National Criminal Intelligence Service and the Police Complaints Authority, became available on a linked server provided by the Central Office of Information in April 1995.Feedback is received by those responsible for the content of the site through electronic mail, and taken into account when updating or developing the site. The Central Computing and Telecommunications Agency extracts data on the use made of the site from the server log weekly, and sends it to my Department where it is collated and analysed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department and its executive agencies have spent drafting, publishing and circulating each of their customer charters and customer standard documents; and how many copies of each document have been issued. [19386]

The available information about costs specifically attributable to customer charters and standards is as follows:

Home Office Department	Document	Cost	Number of copies
Prison Service	Citizens Charter statement of standards 1993	No separate record of costs of publication/circulation or number of copies produced
United Kingdom Passport Agency	Charter Standard Statement issued 1994, revised 1995 and 1996	1£5,892 over 3 years	15,000 copies over 3 years
	Citizens Charter Noticeboard 1994, 1995, 1996	1£3,214 over 3 years	Six (one in each Passport Office)
Immigration and Nationality Directorate	Statement of Principles and Service	1£438	150 posters
Immigration Ports Directorate
Immigration and Nationality Directorate Finance and Services Directorate	Leaflet: The work of Immigration and Nationality Directorate1	£12,945	50,000 leaflets
Procedures and Victims Unit	Victims Charter 1996	£87,000	94,000 copies
TOTAL		£109,489
Quantifiable
Costs
1 Costs of design, printing and distribution. Costs of drafting not separately identifiable.

Charters and service standards are often reproduced in annual reports and various other documents, but the costs of doing so are not separately identifiable.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications by spouses to enter the United Kingdom have been refused under the primary purpose rule in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [19500]

The latest available information for the Indian sub-continent is given in the table. Corresponding information for non-ISC posts is not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Initial refusals of entry clearance on primary purpose grounds for spouses in the Indian sub-continent, 1993–95
Numbers1
	Husbands		Wives
	Solely on primary purpose grounds	Partly on primary purpose grounds	Solely on primary purpose grounds	Partly on primary purpose grounds
1993	800	970	180	130
1994	750	940	270	180
1995	640	1,130	240	300
1 All figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider using his powers under the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 to declare Albania a country in which there has been a fundamental change of circumstances. [19592]

My right hon. and learned Friend has no present plans to declare that Albania has undergone a major upheaval such that we would not seek to return people there for the time being. Most of Albania remains unaffected by the disturbances, which are mainly confined to its southern towns.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidance to Metropolitan police officers on the use of CS spray; and if he will ensure that future revisions of the guidance are placed in the Library as a matter of course. [19651]

The Metropolitan police use guidelines issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers. Copies of the guidelines were placed in the Library in response to a question from the hon. Member for Huddersfield (Mr. Sheerman) on 17 April 1996, Official Report, column 513.I will arrange for revisions to the guidelines to be placed in the Library as and when they are made.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the longest period of time for which any of the hunger strikers currently detained in Rochester prison has been on hunger strike; and if he will make a statement; [19899](2) how many people are currently being held in Rochester prison who are seeking asylum in the United Kingdom; of these how many are at present on hunger strike; and if he will make a statement. [19898]

On Friday 7 March, a total of 195 persons were detained at Her Majesty's prison Rochester solely under Immigration Act powers. Of these, 152 had, at some time, claimed asylum. There were no immigration detainees refusing prison prepared meals.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have exercised their right to appeal to the Home Secretary against disciplinary penalties imposed by their chief constables during each of the last 10 years; and with what result. [19650]

This information is published in the annual Home Office statistical bulletin entitled "Police Complaints and Discipline England and Wales". The statistics before 1990 were published in Her Majesty's chief inspector of constabulary's annual reports. Copies of both publications are available in the Library.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the next steps review. [20266]

The Government have today published the 1996 next steps review, Cm 3579, which has been laid in both Houses. This review, the seventh in the series, brings together performance and trend information on 109 executives agencies and the executive units of HM Customs and Excise and the Inland Revenue operating in 1995–96 and details of next steps developments up to the end of 1996.The publication sets out some impressive results flowing from the Government's managerial reforms of the civil service. It also shows that there is scope for further improvement and describes the Government's approach for bringing this about, through better assessment and benchmarking of the performance of agencies and their targets, the identification and spread of best managerial practice, including that in the private sector, and action on the areas needing attention.The 1996 next steps review opens up for scrutiny a wealth of data and comment on the executive work of the civil service and provides a valuable source document and commentary on management issues.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) how many solicitors now have rights of audience in the higher courts; [18903](2) how many solicitors have applied for rights of audience in the higher courts since the coming into force of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990. [18913]

I am informed by the Law Society that, out of a total of 803 solicitors who have so far applied, 438 have been awarded higher courts qualifications and 239 are in the process of having their applications determined.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the proposals to establish fixed-price contract systems for the provision of legal services, will take effect. [18909]

Pilots for family mediation and civil and criminal advice and assistance will start later this year. But to provide the majority of legally aided services almost exclusively through fixed-price contracts will require legislation. In addition the Government are committed to piloting the proposals and proceeding with caution to ensure that the contracting system works. We would expect fixed-price contracts to cover the majority of legally aided services in three to four years time.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what advice members of his Department received from representatives of the Spangenberg group on a contract system based on fixed-price contracts during their visit to north America. [18910]

Officials from my Department have visited the Spangenberg Group, a private consultancy, among other sources of advice on contracting legally aided services. The Spangenberg Group has wide knowledge and experience of ways of maintaining quality while controlling cost in the delivery of criminal defence services. It has passed a great deal of information to my Department on the subject.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what representations he has received on the impact of the County Court Fees (Amendment) Order 1996 (SI 1996 No. 3189) on those in debt. [18873]

According to our records 53 representations have been received by Ministers specifically relating to the County Court Fees (Amendment) Order 1996, two in the form of parliamentary questions and 51 letters from Members of Parliament.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on the status of the Birmingham, Coventry and Solihull magistrates courts committees. [20348]

Whilst my right hon. and noble Friend the Lord Chancellor and I continue to support the policy of amalgamating magistrates courts committees, where to do so would be likely to contribute to an overall increase in administrative efficiency for committees concerned, a number of points have been raised in the recent consultation exercise which require further consideration. In order for full consideration to be given to these matters my right hon. and noble Friend and I have decided that it would be appropriate to direct the chief inspector of Her Majesty's magistrates court service inspectorate to report, by the end of July 1997, on whether the proposed amalgamation of Birmingham, Coventry and Solihull magistrates courts committees, in accordance with the proposals set out in the consultation document, and in the light of the comments made in consultation, would be likely to contribute to an overall increase in the efficiency of the administration of magistrates courts for the area. In the circumstances, it is not appropriate that an immediate decision is reached at this time and the timetable proposed in the draft amalgamation order is therefore no longer appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) when she plans to announce changes in the requirements for television licences for caravans; [18762](2) when she plans to announce changes to the television licence rules in respect of the sheltered housing schemes which fail to qualify for television licence concessions because some units within the scheme were purchased under the right-to-buy provision before the accommodation was designated as sheltered housing. [18764]

I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's reply of 12 February 1997, Official Report, columns 188–89, to my hon. Friend the Member for Spelthorne (Mr. Wilshire).

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how much her Department estimates it cost to establish each executive agency associated with her Department. [16966]

[pursuant to his reply 25 February 1997, Official Report, column 146]: Regrettably, the reply was incorrect. The correct information is as follows: Although the Historic Royal Palaces agency is now associated with my Department, it was set up by the Department of the Environment prior to the establishment of the Department of National Heritage in April 1992. My Department established The Royal parks agency on 1 April 1993, continuing the earlier work undertaken by the Department of the Environment. Some administrative costs were incurred by my Department between April 1992 and 1 April 1993 but I regret detailed information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if Channel 5 will be able to be received throughout Pendle; and if she will make a statement. [19579]

Copies of maps showing the predicted initial coverage of Channel 5 broadcasts from terrestrial transmitters were placed in the Libraries of both Houses on 23 October 1996. The closest transmitter to the hon. Member's constituency which will transmit Channel 5 is Winter Hill. It is estimated that this transmitter will not provide a service throughout the Pendle constituency. However, some residents in the south-west of the constituency who are on the edge of the predicted coverage area may receive an acceptable service.The Government have always acknowledged that viewers in several parts of the country will not be able to receive Channel 5. It is, however, open to Channel 5 Broadcasting Ltd. to enhance its coverage in future by other delivery means, including cable, satellite and digital terrestrial transmissions.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will make a statement in respect of the moratorium imposed by the Football Trust on grant aid to football clubs arising out of the Taylor report; and if she will make a statement. [19519]

I have recently met representatives of the Football Trust to discuss its future funding programme. I am hopeful that a solution will be found soon that will enable the trust's grants programme to be resumed. The Government remain committed to delivering on schedule the essential football ground safety improvements agreed following the Taylor report.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when she will next visit the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee. [20264]

I am visiting the International Olympic Committee on 13 March at the invitation of its President, Mr. Samaranch. My main aim is to ensure that the case for British sport and our commitment to attracting major international events, not least the Olympic games, is fully understood at the highest levels of major international sports organisations. I shall also be using the opportunity to stress the whole range of radical sporting initiatives which this Government have taken, including: the proposed British Academy of Sport; national lottery revenue support to develop sporting excellence and capital support for updating facilities, including the proposed new English national stadium at Wembley and facilities in Manchester for the 2002 Commonwealth games. To underline the importance of this visit, Mr. Craig Reedie, chairman of the British Olympic Association, and a member of the United Kingdom Sports Council, will accompany me.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many churches and cathedrals have received funding from the national lottery; and what is the total amount of such funding. [18291]

[holding answer 4 March 1997]: Seventy awards totalling £11,561,976 have been announced for the restoration and refurbishment of churches and cathedrals.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list the total amount paid out in national lottery awards to projects and charities in the constituency of Crewe and Nantwich since the inception of the national lottery indicating what percentage of the total amount awarded this represents. [18637]

[holding answer 4 March 1997]: A total of £969,320 has been paid out to projects in Crewe and Nantwich. This represents 62 per cent. of the total awards of £1,556,221 announced for the constituency.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what percentage of bills to her Department were paid (a) in accordance with agreed contractual conditions and (b) within 30 days of receiving goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice where no contractual conditions applied in the last year for which figures are available. [18815]

[holding answer 6 March 1997]: My Department has signed up to the CBI prompt payment code and is committed to the payment of invoices within agreed contractual provisions or within 30 days of the presentation of a valid invoice or delivery, if later. Whilst the information requested is not available, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost, on the basis of a sample of invoices received by the Department of National Heritage during the 1995–96 financial year, 91 per cent. were paid within the contract terms or 30 days.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what consultations she has had with (a) Independent Television Commission and (b) the Broadcasting Standards Commission concerning the levels of violence on television following the killings at Dumblane. [19098]

The Government have long been concerned about violence on television and the protection of young people from unsuitable material. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State regularly meets the ITC and the Broadcasting Standards Council and has frequently highlighted public concerns on this issue. Last autumn, she asked both bodies, together with the BBC, to report action taken on violence and future proposals, and in December she met the bodies' chairmen to review their reports and agree further initiatives.The ITC, BSC and BBC are establishing an industry working party to implement plans, following those initiatives, to improve the information available to the public and to review and publicise guidelines to be applied in dealing with the portrayal of violence. On 5 March this year my right hon. Friend opened a conference for broadcasters on violence, hosted by the BSC, at which there was detailed discussion of the issues to be covered as this work progresses.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many answers to parliamentary questions by Ministers in her Department in the last 12 months have exceeded the advisory cost limit; and if she will make a statement. [19341]

[holding answer 10 March 1997]: Where the cost of answering a particular parliamentary question is estimated to exceed £450, it is the general practice for Departments to make clear that the question could be answered only by incurring disproportionate cost. Given the large numbers of questions tabled, it would be unreasonable for my Department to systematically calculate the exact cost of answering every single parliamentary question.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list, in rank order, for each county or region an amount per head of population spent (a) weekly, (b) monthly, (c) annually and (d) in total on the national lottery. [19554]

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is the current amount of interest earned by Camelot in relation to the prize shortfall mechanism as set out in section 5 of the licence; and if he will make a statement. [19069]

[holding answer 10 March 1997]: These are operational matter for Camelot Group plc. I have, therefore, asked the director general of the national lottery, who is responsible for regulating the operation of the lottery, to write to the hon. Members, placing copies of his response in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidelines his Department gives in respect of the construction standards for sheltered housing; and what funding his Department provides for the refurbishment of sheltered housing. [19218]

My Department issues no guidelines in respect of the construction standards for sheltered housing. Guidelines for provision for elderly people are however included in the scheme development standards which the Housing Corporation requires as a condition of social housing grant. For local authorities, funds for the refurbishment of sheltered housing are included within their annual capital guideline but the proportion spent on these works cannot be separately identified. Housing Associations are primarily responsible for meeting the costs of refurbishment of their sheltered housing, however, in 1995–96, £7.4 million was allocated by the Housing Corporation for the re-improvement of properties of this type.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the number of households where (a) one and (b) two of the gas, electricity and water utilities, is currently disconnected. [19636]

The Office of Water Services collects and publishes data on total water supply disconnections in England and Wales twice yearly, covering the periods from 1 April–30 September and 1 October–31 March. At 30 September 1996, 449 properties disconnected during the preceding six months remained disconnected. Thirty-six properties disconnected during this period are known to have been empty.Information on numbers of households remaining disconnected from gas and electricity services is not centrally available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much his Department and its executive agencies have spent drafting, publishing and circulating each of their customer charters and customer standard documents; and how many copies of each document have been issued. [19394]

The Department of the Environment is mainly a policy Department, which provides few services direct to the public. We have issued only a small number of customer charters and standard statements. The information requested in respect of these is as follows:

	Estimated total costs (£)	Approximate number of copies issued
Council tenants charter	274,500	935,000
Planning charter standards	55,000	60,000
Charter standard statement for geographical information	24,000	11,000

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many accidents were recorded at the Royal Seaforth container terminal and Royal Seaforth forest products terminal in (a) 1995 and (b) 1996. [19436]

The number of accidents recorded by the Health and Safety Executive as occurring at the Royal Seaforth container terminal and Royal Seaforth forest products terminal in 1995–96 was one and in 1996–97 there were eight.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to extend the period within which applications for antennae for mobile telephone transmission are considered; and if he will make a statement. [19840]

Outside the national parks and other protected areas, the erection of masts of up to 15 m high by licensed telecommunications operators is permitted by the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995, subject to the operator applying for the local planning authority's determination as to whether its prior approval to the siting and appearance of the proposed development will be required. We are not currently considering any change to the 28-day period within which the authority should notify the operator of its determination and either give or refuse approval.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will review planning guidance in respect of applications for sites and antennae required for mobile telephone use; and if he will make a statement. [19838]

Planning policy guidance note 8—revised December 1992—sets out policy guidance on planning for telecommunications development, including radio masts and towers and antennas required for mobile telephone systems. We have no immediate plans to amend planning policy guidance note 8 but have supplemented the guidance with a code of best practice on planning procedures for telecommunications masts, published in March 1996.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will publish the final national air quality strategy; and if he will make a statement. [20066]

Following extensive consultation on proposals for a UK national air quality strategy, and careful consideration of the responses, the Government have decided to press ahead with steps to achieve by 2005 major reductions in the principal air pollutants which threaten health in the UK.During a three-month consultation period, the Government received around 450 responses, 210 of them from local authorities. Most offered broad support for the general principles and approach proposed by the Government. They recognised the need for a strategic, integrated approach which is health-based and objective-led. While some responses urged even tighter objectives, and others raised concerns about the impact of costs on industry, a clear majority endorsed them and accepted that the target of achievement by 2005 was appropriate.The strategy sets out standards and objectives for the control and reduction of the eight main health-threatening air pollutants in the UK—nitrogen dioxide, particles, ozone, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, lead, benzene and 1.3 butadiene. The standards are health-based, on recommendations either by a panel of independent medical and scientific experts, or the World Health Organisation. Achievement of the objectives set out in the strategy should minimise the impact for air pollutants on human health in the UK.The strategy is the first of its kind in Europe. It will offer everyone, even those most sensitive to air pollution, a very high level of protection. The objectives are ambitious and in some cases go beyond what is likely to be achieved by measures currently in place. However, the Government believe that protection of human health should be paramount and it will introduce further measures if necessary to achieve its pollution control objectives.Air quality in the UK has improved considerably since the 1950s and 1960s. However, advances in scientific knowledge since then have led to a better understanding of the health effects of major air pollutants, and provided new technologies to tackle these. The Government have committed themselves, therefore, through the strategy, to the improvement of localised areas of poor air quality, to the reduction of any remaining significant risks to health, and to ensuring consistently good air quality throughout the country by 2005.The strategy sets out the contribution key sectors, including industry, transport and local government will need to make towards the achievement of the objectives. It brings together the existing systems for controlling pollution and introduces a new system of local air quality management to complement them, and help clear up pollution "hot-spots". Because of remaining uncertainties over the exact reductions in emissions needed or achievable, for some pollutants, some of the objectives remain provisional. The strategy will be subject to periodic reviews, the first in 1999, to assess progress towards meeting the objectives and ensure their continuing relevance and the cost effective of the proposed measures.The improvements we seek will not come without cost. We are committed to achieving our objectives through the application of the principles of BATNEEC—best available techniques not entailing excessive cost—and BPEO— best practicable environment option. The costs are likely to fall on industry, business, motorist and consumers alike. The Government will ensure, therefore, that the right balance is struck and that pollution control measures are proportionate and represent the most-effective solutions available.Some contributions to air pollutants in the UK come from outside our borders and their control necessitates common action with our partners in Europe. The strategy is designed to be consistent with forthcoming EC requirements on air quality—and we will continue to work closely with the EU countries to tackle transboundary air pollutants, especially ground-level ozone.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 11 February, Official Report, column 100, which formulae for the distribution of grants rely on postcodes. [19631]

The information requested is not held centrally. A comprehensive answer could be provided only at a disproportionate cost. Information available on the revenue support grant, which may not be comprehensive, is given in the table. A wide range of data are used in the formulae determining the distribution of the revenue support grant. Some data which are collected by other Government Departments use postcodes. These data are aggregated to local authority level before being used in the formulae.

Source data which uses postcodes	Element of Standard Spending Assessment (SSA) formulae in which it is used	Data provided by
Income support	Education SSA Social Services SSA	Department of Social Security
Unemployment	Police SSA All other services SSA	Office for National Statistics
New earnings survey	Area cost adjustment used in all SSA service blocks except capital financing	Office for National Statistics

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will publish his Department's research on mapping local authority estates using the index of local conditions. [20304]

The report was published today and copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House. The desk research had two objectives: to explore the relationship between tenure and social and economic deprivation; and to identify and map the most deprived local authority estates according to the index of local conditions. My Department has commissioned a validation exercise on the results of the desk exercise.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals have been put by the United Kingdom to the intersessional meeting of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and the first preparatory conference for the special session of the UN General Assembly; and if he will place in the Library copies of the documentation discussed at this PrepCom which is relevant to the United Kingdom. [19421]

The United Kingdom's general approach to the special session and its preparatory meetings was set out in the consultation paper of 30 December, copies of which were placed in the Library. As a member of the European Union, the United Kingdom contributes actively to the common position of the Union, which enables us to have a significantly greater influence in UN decision making. I have placed copies in the Library of the main statements made by the presidency of the Union, at the recent preparatory meeting, on behalf of the member states, along with the co-chairman's report of the meeting. The UK has increasingly been among the leaders in the EU on environmental matters—not least on biodiversity, climate change, forest protection, and action on the marine environment.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the Government's borrowing programme for 1997–98.[20265]

The Government today published the "Debt Management Report" for 1997–98. This report, the third of the series, includes details of the 1997–98 borrowing programme and the Government's remits to the Bank of England and to National Savings for 1997–98. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many children were excluded from schools in the London borough of Wandsworth in each of the last three years. [19488]

A total of 90 pupils were permanently excluded from schools in Wandsworth during the school year 1994–95. Details of exclusions in 1995–96 are currently being collected and will be available later in the year. Information on exclusions in previous years within each local education authority area is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the total number of (a) males and (b) females in the teaching profession in schools in each of the last five years. [19657]

Information on teachers employed in maintained schools in England is shown in the following table.

Qualified teachers1 employed in maintained schools in schools in England: 1992 to 1996
Position as at January
	Males		Females
	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time	Part-time
1992	121,896	9,354	224,664	57,059
1993	121,249	9,031	227,200	56,733
1994	120,070	9,567	229,664	57,931
1995	119,859	9,876	233,858	59,339
1996	117,997	10,324	235,041	60,316
1 Figures exclude sixth form colleges which ceased to be classified as schools from April 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the legal basis of the development by the Funding Agency for Schools of a sixth form at Riddlesdown high school in Croydon; and what were the costs. [19904]

The sixth form education in question is provided by de Stafford college, Surrey on the premises of the Riddlesdown high school, the pupils being registered as pupils of de Stafford. The costs in financial year 1996–97 were £91,830.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what changes have been made recently in the powers which she has to determine primary and secondary school budgets; and if she will make a statement. [19708]

None. The budgets of local education authority maintained primary and secondary schools continue to be determined by the LEA in accordance with the provisions of schemes for the local management of schools approved by the Secretary of State. Grant-maintained primary and secondary school budgets continue to be determined by the Funding Agency for Schools in accordance with the Education (Grant-maintained and Grant-maintained Special Schools) Regulations which are laid before Parliament annually.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the total amount of spending on education which has been allocated to Essex county council for the forthcoming year; what was the total for the previous year; and what was the percentage change in (a) Essex and (b) England. [19709]

Essex's 1997–98 education standard spending assessment is £571.764 million. Its 1996–97 education SSA was £566.981 million. After adjustment to take account of the nursery voucher scheme, this represents a year-on-year increase of 3 per cent. The average comparable year-on-year increase in 1997–98 education SSAs in England is 3.4 per cent. It is for local authorities to decide how much to spend on education and other services within the resources that are at their disposal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate she has made of the expected change in the numbers of school pupils in Essex in the forthcoming year; and what allowance has been made in the spending assessments for education in Essex to take account of any such changes. [19710]

Forecast changes in pupil numbers at national aggregate level are taken into account in setting education standard spending. The distribution of ESS among local authorities as education standard spending assessments is based, however, on latest available actual pupil numbers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what legal provisions are made available to county councils to seek a review of their standard spending assessments on education; what is the qualifying date for such appeals; and if Essex county council took advantage of these appeal arrangements. [19711]

Provisional education standard spending assessments for 1997–98 were announced as part of the local government finance settlement last November. Authorities had the opportunity to make representations about their provisional education SSAs, and in particular the data used to calculate them, up to 3 January 1997. Essex county council made one representation about its pupil numbers which was accepted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the projects funded in Guatemala in 1994–95, 1995–96 and 1996–97 through (a) aid for co-operation, (b) programme aid and (c) the commonwealth Development Corporation. [19700]

Projects funded in Guatemala in 1994–95, 1995–96 and 1996–97 are as follows:

• 1994–95
• (a) Technical Co-operation
• Technical Co-0peration Training Programme
• Heads of Mission Gift Scheme

Joint Funding Scheme
Agency	Project title
Health Unlimited	Relief and training programme in Totonicapan
Womenaid	Education programme in community business management
Christian Aid	Training, development and human rights
Christian Aid	Dispersed/returning refugees
Christian Aid	Human rights accompaniment
Christian Aid	Returning refugees
CAFOD	Community development
CAFOD	Popular education
CAFOD	Radio education
OXFAM	Land for returnees
OXFAM	Women trade unionists
OXFAM	Legal training
OXFAM	Rural electricity supply
OXFAM	Education for Mayan communities
OXFAM	Education programme for grassroots social organisations
OXFAM	Gender education and publications
OXFAM	Gender health and rights
OXFAM	Gender democracy education
OXFAM	Education and training/indigenous rights for Mayans
OXFAM	Educational awareness of peace process
OXFAM	Production and marketing training in indigenous communities
OXFAM	Training for indigenous women
OXFAM	Pig breeding and handicrafts
OXFAM	Land for returnees

• (b) Programme Aid
• Nil
• (c) Commonwealth Development Corporation investments
• Corporacion Bananera SA
• 1995–96
• (a) Technical Co-operation
• Technical Co-operation Training Programme
• Heads of Mission Gift Scheme

Joint Funding Scheme
Agency	Project title
Health Unlimited	Relief and training programme in Totonicapan
CARE	Strengthening of family planning services in Mayan community
Christian Aid	Training, development and human rights
Christian Aid	Primary health care training
Christian Aid	Refugee training programme
Christian Aid	Human rights accompaniment
Christian Aid	Returning refugees
Christian Aid	Health and ecology training

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the present political situation in the Ivory Coast; and what action his Department is taking to ensure that the human rights of the students of the FESCI Union are not being abused. [19609]

Cote d'lvoire is a politically stable democracy with a multi-party national assembly.President Bedie recently signed a decree releasing all students detained during recent disturbances and announced the creation of a committee to oversee discussions with the student body.The British embassy in Abidjan closely monitors human rights.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received regarding the detection of Mu'allim Ibrahim Al-Zakzaky in Nigeria. [19608]

We have received representations about the detention of Mu'allim Ibrahim A1-Zakzaky in Nigeria. Our high commission in Lagos is monitoring his case. We have urged the Nigerian authorities, at the highest level, to release all those detained without charge and have made clear that such detentions are totally unacceptable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the British Government have taken to encourage the respecting of human rights in Ethiopia. [19674]

The Ethiopian Government have signed up to the main UN human rights instruments. We look to them to live up to their obligations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Ethiopia about human rights [19673]

Good governance issues, including human rights, represent part of our on-going policy dialogue with the Government of Ethiopia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the current human rights situation in Ethiopia. [19672]

We are concerned about the human rights situation in Ethiopia and take every opportunity to stress to the Government, at the highest levels, the importance of making real progress in this area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aid arrangements are being made for assistance to reach opposition controlled areas of Sudan; and if he will make a statement. [19601]

The UK bilateral Government-to-Government aid programme to Sudan was suspended in 1991. Since then the United Kingdom has provided over £100 million of emergency assistance bilaterally and through the EU to the Sudanese people, including refugees. £28 million of this was committed to vulnerable groups in the south affected by the civil war. The provision of emergency assistance is determined by need, access and security. It is not subject to political ethnic or commercial considerations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total budget of his Department for the current year for land mine clearance; and if he will make a statement. [19563]

We have committed over £3.9 million to new mine clearance activities since 1 April 1996. Final outturn for the financial year 1996–97 will be available in June. Additionally, the UK share of European Community commitments for the calendar year 1996 is nearly £7.5 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those countries whose police officers took part in study tours to the United Kingdom in 1991. [19683]

In 1991, the FCO diplomatic wing and the ODA did not keep centrally a record of police officers who took part in study tours. It would involve a disproportionate cost to now collate this information for all such projects.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to place a contract for two auxiliary oilers; and if he will make a statement. [20345]

We will be placing a contract today with VSEL for the design and build of two fast fleet tankers, known as "Auxiliary Oilers (AO)", to replace the ageing "O" class fuel replenishment ships Olna and Olwen. The new ships will be called RFA Wave Knight and RFA Wave Ruler, and both are expected to enter service early in the next century. The vessels will be built at VSEL's shipyard in Barrow.The order was won by VSEL in close competition with BAeSEMA, and the decision was based on what would provide the best value for money for the taxpayer. The new vessels will form part of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, manned by civilian crews, whose role is to support the Royal Navy in its operations world-wide. Their primary role will be to replenish the fleet at sea with petroleum, oils and lubricants, with secondary roles including disaster relief and replenishment of solid stores.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many naval personnel serving on board nuclear submarines have been retired from the service after developing cancer since 1967; and what percentage this constitutes of the total complement of personnel. [19581]

Information is not available in the form requested. However, an examination of the mortality of Royal Naval submariners 1960–89 has been undertaken by the Environmental epidemiology unit of the University of Southampton, under the auspices of the Medical Research Council. This focused particularly on cancer mortality, and concluded that working in submarines was not associated with any increased cancer mortality.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the strength of the Territorial Army on 18 January 1997; and what it will be following his announcement of a reduction in strength in February 1997. [19680]

Figures for strength of the Territorial Army are available only for the first of each month. The total strength at 1 January 1997 was 55,899. In order to maintain the reduced requirement for trained personnel this could fall to 54,000 against an unchanged peacetime establishment of 59,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the Territorial Army's R8 readiness of six months is compatible with the reduction in funding for units committed to supplying personnel to meet shortfalls in regular airborne strengths. [19689]

No Territorial Army units are specifically committed to providing personnel to meet shortfalls in regular airborne units. However, soldiers from TA airborne units are frequently attached to their regular counterparts. There has been no reduction in funding or readiness for any of these TA units.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the Military Provost Guard Service will be subject to the recommendations of the Bett review on remuneration. [19728]

Members of the Military Provost Guard Service are service personnel and as such they will be subject to the recommendations of the Bett review on remuneration, where appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total amount of income received by testing and firing ranges at Shoeburyness in the most recent annual period for which figures are available; and if he will provide a similar figures for other testing and firing ranges under the control of Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. [19712]

This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency and I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the facilities for the testing and firing of ammunition which can be provided in the Shoeburyness ranges and which cannot be provided in any other United Kingdom range; and if he will make a statement on the significance of the uniqueness of those facilities. [19713]

This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency and I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the likely date of recommendations from DERA about the future of testing and firing ranges; and if he will list his own powers to review such recommendations. [19714]

I hope to be in a position to approve the issue of a consultation document on the way ahead regarding DERA's land ranges within a matter of weeks. On behalf of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence, I shall be reviewing the recommendations which emerge from the consultation process in the light of what is operationally necessary for the Department and provides the best value for money to the taxpayer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many compulsory redundancies there have been in each of the three services in each of the last seven years. [19754]

The number of redundancies in each of the armed services for each financial year since 1990–91 are as follows:

Year	RN	Army	RAF	Total
1990–91	0	0	0	0
1991–92	0	0	0	0
1992–93	400	3,338	219	3,957
1993–94	1,272	6,460	1,310	9,042
1994–95	2,440	7,015	1,639	11,094
1995–96	520	87	2,832	3,439
1996–97	1,880	183	15,414	7,477
1 This is a provisional figure.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the radiation level records of British service personnel compiled during Britain's nuclear test programme on Christmas Island are currently located; if, and on whose authority, any have been destroyed; and what reason was given to the European Commission on Human Rights for not making these records available to them in respect of the recent cases referred to the court regarding radiological exposure of British service personnel. [19889]

Records in respect of personnel who had received radiation doses in excess of threshold are held at AWE Aldermaston. As far as can be established, these records are complete, and are available to the individuals concerned. Quite separate from the personnel records, predictions of radiation fields were made prior to each trial. Post trials reports, primarily concerned with device functioning but which also recorded radiation outputs, were also made. Because these reports include information on device design and performance, they remain classified and are retained under section 3(4) of the Public Records Act 1958.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what current procurement contracts Mr. David Hart provides advice. [19753]

Mr. Hart is currently providing advice to me on the following projects:

• ASTOR
• Bowman
• EF 2000.

To ask the Attorney-General how much money was paid in fees to barristers for prosecuting cases in crown courts in England and Wales in the last year for which figures are available. [18907]

In 1995–96, the Crown Prosecution Service paid barristers a total of £67,357,000 for prosecuting cases in crown courts in England and Wales. The nearest equivalent figure for the Serious Fraud Office is £3,125,000 but this includes work at all stages of its cases except on appeal.

To ask the Attorney-General how much was paid as salaries to Crown prosecutors for presenting cases in magistrates courts in England and Wales in the last year for which figures are available. [18905]

The prosecution process is an integrated process embracing case review, preparation for the court hearing and advocacy. Crown prosecutors carry out the full range of these functions. The total salary costs for Crown prosecutors in 1995–96 was £76,497,201.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when his Department established its Internet site; what representations he has received and what date he has collated on the use and utility of the site; and what steps he is taking to increase the amount of information available via the site. [19152]

The Scottish Office internet site was established in August 1995. Comments on the site were invited for the first six months, and most were favourable. Automatic logging figures indicate that, to date, 34,400 separate accesses have been made, and 252,300 pages have been read. Plans are in had to enhance the Department's Internet site, to give more complete information on the business of the office, including named contacts, publications and press releases with full text access. The site will also include charter standards, complaints procedures, and regulatory forms and guidance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there have been in Cupar sheriff court for contraventions of section 68 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976 in each year from 1979 to date. [19675]

Information for the period 1979–1994 is set out in the table. Data for 1995 is not yet available.

Year	Persons proceeded against	Persons with charge proved
1979	—	—
1980	—	—
1981	1	1
1982	—	—
1983	—	—
1984	—	—
1985	—	—
1986	4	2
1987	3	2
1988	1	1
1989	2	1
1990	—	—
1991	—	—
1992	—	—
1993	3	3
1994	1	1

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has for the regulation of community care services in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [20346]

The Government are today publishing a White Paper on Social Services in England and Wales. I propose to take action in parallel in a number of areas.Social work services in Scotland represent a large and growing part of the Government's support for people requiring support and care. Next year Government supported expenditure by local authorities on social work in Scotland will rise above £1 billion for the first time. It is important that these substantial resources are spent well, and that the services they support are of good quality. I therefore intend to strengthen the regulation of community care services and to ensure that local authorities make the most cost effective use of the considerable new resources which have been made available to them since the implementation of the NHS and Community Care Act 1990.The Government take very seriously the need to regulate care services given to vulnerable people. To that end, it set up in 1995 a working group to make recommendations on improving the regulatory system. I will be issuing for consultation later this month draft revised guidance on registration procedures for residential care homes, which gives effect to some of the recommendations of the working group. The Government will aim to take forward other recommendations in legislation at the next opportunity. We intend that local authorities' own residential care homes should be subject to the same regulatory regime as at present applies to homes in the independent sector in order that there may be even-handedness between the statutory, private and voluntary sectors. We also intend to review the regulations affecting tribunals which hear appeals against deregistration. The Government accept the need for the effective and economic regulation of domiciliary care provision, and will include the necessary statutory provisions in its intended social services legislation. The Government will also consider the need for regulation of the services made available in supported housing provision.The Government are announcing today their intention to require health and local authorities in England and Wales to form joint statutory bodies to carry out regulation and arrange for inspection of residential care homes and nursing homes within a single regulatory framework. I share the objective sought by joint regulation and will consider the best means of achieving that aim in Scotland.Our aim is that residential care should provide the highest standards of care, good value for money, and offer a choice of accommodation to people who need it. I have today issued a direction on information, following consultation, which will aim to make clear to the decision-making committees of local authorities the costs of purchasing care from the local authority, private and voluntary sectors. This will help ensure that the full range of local provision is considered by committees.The proposals in the English White Paper for the protection and support of children cover similar ground to the main provisions of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, which will come into force on 1 April. My officials will be working closely with local authorities in monitoring the implementation and progress in developing services. The Government are also announcing today a new initiative to ensure that the necessary specialist training is available for social workers practising in complex areas of child care and this will be taken forward on a UK basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list (i) the consultancy fees, (ii) the lawyers' fees and (iii) other advisory fees associated with (a) the establishment of the Scottish water boards, (b) the investigation of the future of CalMac services, (c) the investigation of the future of the Forestry Commission and other forestry holdings and (d) the investigation of other potential or actual privatisations undertaken by the Scottish Office, in each year since 1992. [19158]

[holding answer 10 March 1997]: In connection with establishing the Scottish water authorities, consultancy fees of £101,600, £38,600 and £9,300 were paid in 1992–93, 1994–95 and 1995–96 respectively. These figures do not include the consultancy fees associated with the transfer of assets from the local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 20 February, Official Report, column 689, where the figures for grants and payments made by the European Union to the United Kingdom Government on account of Wales are set out in "Government Expenditure and Revenue, Wales, 1994–95". [18601]

General Government expenditure as used in "Government Expenditure and Revenue, Wales 1994–95", includes all total estimated spending on behalf of Wales, including that part of expenditure supported by receipts from European Community institutions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will enlarge Welsh representations on the European Commission committee of the regions. [19206]

The level of UK representation on the committee of the regions is governed by the treaty on European Union. The Government have no plans at present to review the distribution of representation within the UK.