To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the health needs of those with Gulf War Syndrome. [608]

The Government are committed to discharging their responsibilities to those who served their country in the Gulf and are now suffering ill health. They are, accordingly, determined to make a fresh start in ensuring that the health needs of Gulf veterans are met. In order better to understand their concerns, I have invited Gulf veteran's representatives into the Ministry of Defence for a meeting on 29 May.In the meantime, I have already announced a range of measures to improve my Department's response to their concerns. I have directed that additional resources be made available to clear the backlog of patients waiting to be seen by my Department's Medical Assessment Programme. This aims to provide all those who believe that they are ill as a result of their service in the Gulf with a clinical diagnosis of their medical condition so that appropriate treatment can be recommended to their doctor. This will ensure that my Department more urgently responds to the health needs of Gulf veterans.In addition, I have announced that research will be undertaken into the possible interaction between the vaccinations and Nerve Agent Pre-Treatment Sets given to our troops to protect against the very real threat of biological or chemical attack. This, together with the two epidemiological studies into the prevalence of ill health amongst Gulf veterans which my Department is already funding, will allow us better to understand the health needs of Gulf veterans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civil servants at each grade within his Department were of Asian origin on 5 May. [237]

The number of permanent civilian staff in my Department and its agencies who have recorded their ethnicity as being of Asian origin in the MOD's ethnic origin survey is shown in the table:

Permanent civilian staff of Asian origin by graded equivalence as at 1 April 1997
	Number
Grade 1 to 5	6
Grade 6	4
Grade 7	41
SEO	73
HEO	101
EO	118
AO	165

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals he has to increase the number of employees from ethnic minorities within his Department. [238]

As part of its overall commitment to equal opportunities my Department has in place a substantial range of measures aimed at increasing the proportion of civilian staff employed from ethnic minorities. These include: outreach work by recruitment staffs among the ethnic communities; contact with them through careers fairs and schools; targeted job advertising; the inclusion of welcoming statements in job adverts; ethnicity monitoring and numerical targets in the Departmental Management Plan. In addition, my Department has sponsored a number of Windsor Fellows in recent years and is a member of the "Race for. Opportunity" campaign. Future proposals for action in respect of civilian employees will emerge from work currently being undertaken to take forward the implementation of the recommendations of a recent study into MOD's ethnic minority employment initiatives.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to erect a memorial to Britain's post-1945 National Servicemen. [174]

The Ministry of Defence has no plans to erect a memorial to Britain's post-war National Servicemen.It has been a long-standing policy of successive Governments that the cost of memorials is usually met not from public funds but from private donations or public subscription.In the event that such funding were to be found, my Department would be happy to assist in identifying a suitable site and to provide representation at any dedication ceremony.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's policy on the limited use of nuclear weapons to warn an aggressor. [257]

The Government fully support NATO policy on the continuing requirement for a sub-strategic capability as a crucial element of credible deterrence. In extreme circumstances of self-defence such a capability would allow the limited use of nuclear weapons to send an aggressor a political message of the Alliance's resolve to defend itself.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department or its agents or consultants have had with Tilshead Parish Council on the (a) choice of route, (b) construction and (c) management of the southern range road in Salisbury Plain Training Area. [92]

All Parish Councils affected by the Southern Range Road, including Tilshead, were informed about the proposals and the consultation process in April 1996. Following this, the Works Project Sponsor and his consultant visited representatives of Tilshead Parish Council on 13 May 1996 to discuss route selection and answer queries on other aspects of the proposal. The Project Sponsor and his consultant visited representatives of Tilshead Parish Council again on 18 December 1996, the date on which my Department submitted a Notice of Planned Development to the three District Councils involved, to inform them of the chosen route and to answer any further queries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the authorities, agencies, organisations, companies and individuals who have had (a) correspondence and (b) meetings with his officials or agents to discuss the future use of the Chilmark section of the former RAF Chilmark. [93]

The following authorities have all been involved in discussions over the future of the Chilmark section of RAF Chilmark: Wiltshire County Council, Chilmark Parish Council, Dinton Parish Council, Sutton Mandeville Parish Council, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, the Rural Development Commission, English Nature, English Heritage and the Environment Agency. I am withholding information on the companies and individuals who have expressed an interest in the site for reasons of commercial confidentiality under exemption 7 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ensure the fullest possible consultation with elected representatives and other authorities prior to any decisions being taken on the future of the Broughton Moor former RNAD dump. [586]

A decision on the method of disposal is not anticipated for some time. Full consultations with elected representatives and other authorities will be undertaken on the future of the former RNAD Broughton Moor before any decision is taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the principal steps taken by his Department to clarify responsibility for registering the death of Rudolf Hess and for providing proper certification of it. [759]

Following an approach by the Hess family in 1995, it was found that the record of Rudolf Hess's death had been incorrectly passed to the General Register Office under a statute which was not applicable. The registration, which had not previously been questioned, was therefore cancelled by the Registrar General after consulting my Department and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. This decision does not, however, affect the validity of the death certificate, which was issued as the result of an autopsy conducted under arrangements agreed by the Four Powers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements were in force under the relevant quadripartite agreements to carry out (a) an autopsy and (b) certification of cause of death as regards deaths of prisoners in Spandau prison at the time of the death of Rudolf Hess. [761]

Under arrangements agreed in 1983, by which time Hess was the only remaining prisoner in Spandau prison, an autopsy was conducted by a British pathologist at the British Military Hospital in Berlin in the presence of observers representing the Four Powers. Responsibility for certifying the cause of death lay with the pathologist.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the quadripartite agreement of 20 March 1952 governing deaths of prisoners in Spandau prison (HCOM/P(152)17) was still in force at the time of the death of Rudolf Hess. [760]

We are aware of a document with the reference HICOM/P(52)17. This was not a quadripartite agreement but a discussion paper drawn up by the Law Committee of the Allied High Commission Germany. As such, it was not in force at any time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) service and (b) Ministry of Defence civilian personnel were employed at bases and establishments in Yorkshire and Humberside (i) in 1979, (ii) in 1992 and (iii) at the latest date for which figures are available. [599]

The strengths of service and Ministry of Defence permanent civilian personnel employed at bases and establishments in Yorkshire and Humberside at the given dates are as follows:

(i)1979—13,900 service; 10,300 civilian.

(ii)1992—15,800 service; 5,500 civilian.

(iii)1996—12,200 service; 3,300 civilian.

The strengths refer to situation date 1 July except for 1979 civilian strength which refer to 1 January. 1 July 1996 is the latest date available. Civilian numbers are full-time equivalents. In 1979 and 1992 part timers were counted as half of full time. In 1996 they were counted by the proportion of conditioned hours worked.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what action he proposes to take to ensure that schools under special measures make rapid progress in improving the standard of education they offer. [999]

I have today written to the Chair of Governors at eighteen schools which have been under special measures for an extended period, and which are making only limited progress. I am proposing additional support for these schools. First, my Department will fund consultancy help from a team of headteachers and others with direct experience of improving weak schools. Second, my colleagues and I will discuss with the LEAs responsible for these schools, and with the Funding Agency for Schools, what further action they could take to promote rapid recovery. The list of schools is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will publish for each local education authority the number of classes at key stage 1 which have 31 or more pupils. [72]

The information requested is shown in the following table.

Numbers of Key Stage 1 classes1 taught by one teacher with 31 or more pupils in maintained primary schools in each local education authority area in England
January 1996	Number
Corporation of London	n/a
Camden	4
Greenwich	15
Hackney	13
Hammersmith	10
Islington	14
Kensington and Chelsea	2
Lambeth	12
Lewisham	18
Southwark	22
Tower Hamlets	11
Wandsworth	35
Westminster	7
Barking	23
Barnet	23
Bexley	123
Brent	24
Bromley	159
Croydon	109
Ealing	78
Enfield	113
Haringey	18
Harrow	60
Havering	76
Hillingdon	43
Hounslow	72
Kingston upon Thames	100

Numbers of Key Stage 1 classes1 taught by one teacher with 31 or more pupils in maintained primary schools in each local education authority area in England
January 1996	Number
Merton	58
Newham	23
Redbridge	99
Richmond upon Thames	44
Sutton	32
Waltham Forest	32
Birmingham	329
Coventry	109
Dudley	88
Sandwell	130
Solihull	117
Walsall	73
Wolverhampton	96
Knowsley	49
Liverpool	139
St. Helens	64
Sefton	137
Wirral	72
Bolton	143
Bury	88
Manchester	93
Oldham	105
Rochdale	93
Salford	89
Stockport	95
Tameside	131
Trafford	95
Wigan	131
Barnsley	70
Doncaster	108
Rotherham	45
Sheffield	97
Bradford	165
Calderdale	76
Kirklees	134
Leeds	264
Wakefield	82
Gateshead	22
Newcastle upon Tyne	79
North Tyneside	69
South Tyneside	40
Sunderland	39
Isles of Scilly	0
Avon	312
Bedfordshire	174
Berkshire	151
Buckinghamshire	220
Cambridgeshire	164
Cheshire	308
Cleveland	92
Cornwall	135
Cumbria	138
Derbyshire	363
Devon	233
Dorset	253
Durham	181
East Sussex	277
Essex	311
Gloucestershire	157
Hampshire	532
Hereford and Worcester	137
Hertfordshire	261
Humberside	272
Isle of Wight	28
Kent	461
Lancashire	610
Leicestershire	184
Lincolnshire	126
Norfolk	127
North Yorkshire	142
Northamptonshire	149

Numbers of Key Stage 1 classes1 taught by one teacher with 31 or more pupils in maintained primary schools in each local education authority area in England
January 1996	Number
Northumberland	121
Nottinghamshire	197
Oxfordshire	72
Shropshire	111
Somerset	132
Staffordshire	374
Suffolk	93
Surrey	213
Warwickshire	214
West Sussex	123
Wiltshire	126
England	13502

n/a = not applicable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many civil servants at each grade within his Department were of Asian origin on 5 May. [241]

The numbers of Asian staff at each grade within the Department on 5 May are shown in the following table. For convenience the figures have been grouped into grade equivalents.

Grade level	Number of Asian staff
Permanent Secretary	0
Director/Director general	1—
Grade 6	0
Grade 7	6
SEO	0
HEO	8
EO	29
AO	42
AA	17
1 The number of Asian staff at Divisional Manager is less than 6 and is therefore not shown, in accordance with the Department's agreed code of conduct on the use of ethnic monitoring data.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what proposals he has to increase the number of employees from ethnic minorities within his Department. [242]

In recruiting staff, DFEE aims to ensure that vacancies are brought to the attention of all groups in the community, including people from ethnic minorities. To achieve this, the Department has used a range of methods including advertising vacancies in publications which are widely read by people from ethnic minorities; direct recruitment in universities with high numbers of students from ethnic minorities; and asking Job Centres recruiting on its behalf to use outreach methods to make all groups aware of vacancies, for example through local community organisations and educational institutions. The Department will continue to make appropriate use of such methods, and to monitor their effectiveness.As a Champion of the Race for Opportunity campaign sponsored by Business in the Community, over the next year the Department will be carrying out an audit of its employment practices, including recruitment and selection procedures, to ensure that they do not create barriers for people from ethnic minorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the average annual cost of educating (a) a primary pupil and (b) a secondary pupil in England.

In 1995–96, the latest year for which data are available, the net institutional expenditure per pre-primary and primary pupil in England was 1,687 and per secondary pupil was £2,286. [645]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list by local education authority the average annual cost of (a) a primary school place and (b) a secondary school place for the last year for which figures are available. [504]

The following table sets out for each LEA in England net expenditure per pupil within LEA maintained primary and pre-primary schools and secondary schools for 1995–96, the latest year for which figures are available.

LEA maintained schools Net institutional expenditure per pupil 1995–96
	Pre-primary and primary £	Secondary £
Corporation of London	3,823	0
Camden	2,278	2,888
Greenwich	2,201	2,768
Hackney	2,138	2,963
Hammersmith and Fulham	2,370	3,328
Islington	2,234	2,941
Kensington and Chelsea	2,618	3,602
Lambeth	2,629	3,859
Lewisham	2,108	2,765
Southwark	2,147	2,840
Tower Hamlets	2,461	3,206
Wandsworth	2,237	2,953
City of Westminster	2,466	2,863
Barking and Dagenham	1,921	2,473
Barnet	1,811	2,533
Bexley	1,536	2,291
Brent	1,793	2,418
Bromley	1,664	1,851
Croydon	1,919	2,543
Ealing	1,974	2,477
Enfield	1,792	2,367
Haringey	2,317	3,018
Harrow	2,095	2,660
Havering	1,704	2,622
Hillingdon	1,813	2,624
Hounslow	1,952	2,535
Kingston upon Thames	1,754	2,374
Merton	1,862	2,593
Newham	1,739	2,546
Redbridge	1,763	2,510
Richmond upon Thames	1,874	2,431
Sutton	1,813	2,480
Waltham Forest	2,104	2,736
Birmingham	1,912	2,555
Coventry	1,770	2,477
Dudley	1,529	2,175
Sandwell	1,733	2,362
Solihull	1,606	2,241
Walsall	1,576	2,158
Wolverhampton	1,680	2,460

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when the consultation on teachers' pensions will be completed; and when the Government's decision will be published. [573]

The consultation period ends on 9 June. My right hon. Friend will take and announce decisions after that date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he plans to meet the teacher unions to discuss reform of the teachers' superannuation scheme. [572]

I plan to meet the teacher unions shortly to discuss a variety of subjects. My right hon. Friend will decide in due course on a timetable for the review of the teachers' superannuation scheme and on how and when to seek the views of the teacher unions on that particular topic.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government concerning changes in the voting system at the International Labour Organisation; and if he will make a statement. [500]

The Government are not aware that there are any proposals to change the voting system at the ILO. Any proposals to change the system would need to be considered by the ILO's Governing Body.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list those schools which currently have assisted places indicating the number of places currently held by assisted places pupils. [506]

I am placing in the Library of the House a list of the 355 schools in England participating in the assisted places scheme in the current academic year 1996–97 showing the number of assisted place holders at each school.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list those schools which will be offering assisted places from 1 September indicating the number of places being offered. [508]

I am placing in the Library of the House a list of the 481 schools in England which will be offering assisted places from 1 September 1997 showing the number of entry places available at each school.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the estimated cost to public funds of the assisted places scheme for the financial year 1997–98. [509]

Planned expenditure on the scheme in England in financial year 1997–98 is £140 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list those schools currently participating in the music and ballet assisted places scheme, indicating the number of places currently held by pupils under the scheme. [507]

The information requested is given in the following table:

Music and ballet aided pupil scheme: Academic year 1996–97
Name of school	Number of aided pupils
Chetham's School of Music, Manchester	257
The Purcell School of Music, Harrow	95
Wells Cathedral School, Somerset	70
Yehudi Menuhin School, Cobham	34
The Royal Ballet School, London	173
Elmhurst Ballet School, Camberley	10
Arts Educational School, Tring	5

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is his Department's estimate of the annual cost to the Property Services Agency of renting Archway tower, Junction road, London N19; and what plans he has to reduce this cost. [510]

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated under the terms of its framework document to the Property Advisers to the Civil Estate (PACE) under its Chief Executive, Mr. Malcolm Bowles. The Agency is therefore responding to this question.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what action he proposes to take in respect of Professor Philip James' report into the establishment of an independent food standards agency; and if he will make a statement. [955]

Professor James' report was published on 8 May, and welcomed by the Prime Minister as an excellent foundation upon which the Government could build. The Prime Minister added that we need to create a structure that is open and transparent, and which acts-and is seen to act-in the interests of consumers.The Prime Minister has established a new Ministerial Group on Food Safety, which I will chair, to take forward Professor James' proposals. Members will include Ministers from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Department of Health, the Cabinet Office, the Scottish Office, the Welsh Office and the Northern Ireland Office. As a first step the Government are consulting widely on Professor James' Report. Consultees have been invited to send their comments to the Cabinet Office by 20 June.Copies of the Report have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food will be responsible for preparing a White Paper and the necessary legislation. He will be doing this in close consultation with the Secretary of State for Health and in accordance with the conclusions of the Ministerial Committee. The Minister has already taken steps to ensure greater openness in the working practices of MAFF and more responsiveness to the needs of the public.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people held under immigration law at HMP Winson Green began a hunger strike on 7 May; and how many are still refusing food. [166]

Two immigration detainees refused food at Her Majesty's Prison Winson Green on 7 May and were joined by a further nine on 8 May. Eight detainees were still refusing prison prepared meals at 10: 00 hrs on 19 May, although all are taking fluids. I am told that none of them is giving the prison medical officer cause for concern.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what new appointments have been made to the Police Complaints Authority. [956]

Mrs. Linda Allan and Ms Lorna Whyte have accepted invitations to serve as Members of the Police Complaints Authority made in late 1996 by my predecessor as Secretary of State, the right hon. and learned Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Mr. Howard). Mrs. Allan previously served as Head of Networks and Faculty Support with the Royal College of General Practitioners. Ms Whyte was formerly a community relations consultant with the Home Office. They both took up their posts on 6 May. The term of the appointments is three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received regarding resources available to the Criminal Cases Review Commission; and if he will consider increasing the number of members appointed to serve on its board. [153]

[holding answer 19 May 1997]: My Department has had extensive discussions with the Criminal Cases Review Commission on a range of issues relating to its establishment, including the resources it needs. There are no plans at present to increase the number of members appointed to the Commission, but this will be considered if it seems desirable in the light of experience.We have previously expressed considerable concern at the delay in setting up the Commission and hope the Commission itself will wish to inject a greater sense of urgency into the review of these cases and will keep the work of the Commission under close scrutiny.

To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to visit India, Pakistan and Bangladesh to commemorate 50 years of their independence from Britain. [714]

Her Majesty, The Queen, and His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh, will pay State Visits to India and Pakistan in October, and the Prince of Wales visited Bangladesh in February. I hope to visit South Asia before too long.

To ask the Prime Minister what representations he has received from (a) the Government of the Irish Republic and (b) others about the continuing detention at HMP Holloway of Ms Roisin McAliskey; and if he will make a statement. [155]

[holding answer 19 May 1997]: As far as I am aware, I have received no representations from the Government of the Irish Republic. There have been nine representations from members of the public and others about Ms McAliskey.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the feasibility and scope of possible market testing of the Treasury's forecasting function. [954]

The Government support market testing as one means to secure better value for money in the provision of public services.Initial steps in the market testing process are to identify the feasibility and scope of services subject to market testing, and to check whether the potential value for money gains are sufficient to outweigh the costs of testing the market. In line with this procedure, consultants KPMG Management Consulting were appointed earlier this year to advise on the feasibility and scope, including value for money, of a market test of all, or some part of, the Treasury's macro-economic and public finances forecasting and monitoring function.KPMG have now delivered their report, and I have considered it carefully. The touchstone must be value for money, that is achieving the most efficient and cost-effective method of delivering the forecast.After extensive consultations, both inside and outside the Treasury, KPMG have noted that the quality of Treasury forecast output is generally perceived to be high, and that a decision to opt for an outside provider is unlikely to turn on this issue. In considering whether the market test would yield better value for money, KPMG have advised that the balance of potential resource savings and costs would not justify a market test. A copy of the KPMG report will be placed in the Library.In the interests of securing best value for money, I am content to accept the KPMG advice, on merit, that the Treasury's forecasting function should not be subject to market testing, because in this case market testing would not lead to savings. I am concerned, however, to ensure that the forecasting function remains of high quality, and that it is carried out with the greatest efficiency. I intend to set rigorous targets for achieving that. With this in mind, I have noted that KPMG outlined possible internal reforms designed to use Treasury forecasting staff more flexibly and broaden their experience. I have asked my officials to pursue these suggestions.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the level of interest rates needed now to create price stability in two years' time. [286]

The Chancellor judged it necessary to raise interest rates on 6 May by a percentage point, to 6i per cent., in order to put us back on track to achieve the Government's inflation target. He also decided to give operational responsibility to the Bank of England to set interest rates at the level necessary to meet the Government's inflation target.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his definition of price stability. [302]

The Government are committed to meeting the previous target for low and stable inflation of 2.; per cent. or less.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the names and addresses of those landfill operators who are currently paying landfill tax to HM Customs and Excise. [68]

The information requested will shortly be published by HM Customs and Excise. Copies will be placed in the Library of the House as soon as they are available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to collect information on the number of members of the public who have exercised their right to require owners of chattels conditionally exempt from inheritance tax to allow viewing of these objects. [282]

I have noted the suggestion. The current arrangements are designed to ensure that qualifying chattels are preserved by their own owners and that these chattels are available for viewing by members of the public who wish to exercise their right of access under the law.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total level of tax per head of population for each EU country taking into account all sources of revenue. [295]

The information requested is provided in the table.

EU member state	Tax revenue per capita
Austria	6,863
Belgium	6,818
Denmark	9,390
Finland	5,877
France	6,577
Germany	7,920
Greece	2,058
Republic of Ireland	3,540
Italy	4,816
Luxembourg	10,566
Netherlands	6,482
Portugal	1,884
Spain	2,864
Sweden	7,455
United Kingdom	3,875

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors the Monetary Policy Committee will take into account when setting interest rates other than those relating to the meeting of the Government's inflation target. [138]

[holding answer 19 May 1997): The Monetary Policy Committee will be responsible for delivering price stability as defined by the Government's inflation target and, without prejudice to this objective, will support the Government's economic policy, including their objectives for growth and employment.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate she has made of the cost of rejoining UNESCO; and from what budget it will be met. [122]

We plan to rejoin UNESCO with effect from 1 July. Our contribution for 1997 will cover the period 1 July-31 December 1997 at a cost of about 5 million. This will be met from the contingency reserve in the development budget.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what plans she has for further bilateral assistance to flood victims in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea; [280](2) what plans Her Majesty's Government have to contribute to international and multilateral donations of food and medical goods to flood victims in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. [281]

We have provided over £968,000 in emergency grants since September 1995 to assist flood victims in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Funds have been channelled through international appeals by the United Nations and the International Federation of the Red Cross.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will place a full transcript of the second Whitemoor escape trial in the Library. [158]

The question concerns a matter which has been assigned to the Court Service under the terms of its framework document. I have therefore asked the chief executive to write to my hon. Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will visit Deeside College of Further Education. [632]

I intend to visit a number of further education institutions in Wales this year but I have yet to finalise my programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to promote (a) the return of democracy and (b) respect for human rights in Nigeria; and if he will make a statement. [517]

We intend to make the protection and promotion of human rights a central part of our foreign policy. I am therefore extremely concerned by the lack of accountable democratic government and continuing human rights violations in Nigeria. We are actively considering what further measures we can take with EU, Commonwealth and other partners.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he proposes to make to the Government of Bahrain concerning abuses of human rights. [518]

We intend to have a close and frank relationship with Bahrain. On 15 May, I had a useful discussion with the Bahraini ambassador on human rights and other issues. The Government of Bahrain is well aware of our concerns about the human rights situation there.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to ensure agreement is reached amongst Antarctic treaty countries to enable a secretariat to be established. [175]

We intend to review our policy on the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat after the forthcoming Antarctic treaty consultative meeting in Christchurch, New Zealand.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the cost to public funds of the press conference held in the Locarno room on Monday 12 May, at which the Foreign Secretary outlined his mission statement, separately indicating the cost of the film background. [121]

The cost of public funds of the 12 May press conference was £19,000. The rostrum structure will remain in service. An additional sum of 7,000 was necessary for the hire of the video wall.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who made the videotape used at the official launch of his mission statement; who supervised the making of the videotape; and what was the cost to public funds. [307]

The video which had its first showing at my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's press conference was an abridged and re-edited version of a film originally made for the Hanover Fair. The video was produced in-house by this Department, and drew on our own television archive, thereby limiting the cost to £28,000. The video will be shown in coming months at other events.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the cost to public funds of the official launch of his mission statement. [178]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today to the right hon. and learned Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham (Mr. Hogg).

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the cost of producing, launching, distributing and publicising his Department's mission statement. [757]

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave today to the right hon. and learned Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham and the hon. Member for Spelthorne (Mr. Wilshire)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government on the application for membership by the Republic of Yemen at the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. [288]

The Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Edinburgh will consider a report on Commonwealth membership criteria. The Commonwealth Secretary-General has advised Yemen that no applications for membership will be considered until that has taken place. We welcome the fact that the Commonwealth is attracting interest from potential new members, but will emphasise the importance of full compliance with the Harare declaration, which sets the Commonwealth political and human rights standards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit the Republic of yemen. [290]

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary looks forward to visiting Yemen in due course, although he has no plans to do so in the immediate future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the recent elections in the Republic of Yemen. [291]

We welcome the successful completion of parliamentary elections in Yemen last month. They marked a further step in Yemen's recovery since the damaging civil war of 1994. Yemen's democracy is young, and although there were some irregularities, the international observers concluded that, on balance, the elections were "reasonably free and fair". We welcome this, and look forward to future co-operation with the new Yemeni Government and Parliament.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many civil servants at each grade within his Department were of Asian origin on 5 May. [247]

Staff within this Department are not obliged to report their ethnic origins. The information in the table is based on voluntary returns to a survey into ethnic origins carried out in 1989 to which 89 per cent. of staff responded. We have since invited all new entrants to complete the questionnaire, and those that have done so are also included.

Officers of Asian origin by grade (including those of part-Asian origin) as at 1 April 1997
	Number
DS5S/HCS6	1
DS5/HCS7	2
DS7D/8/HEO (D)	4
DS7M/HEO	7
DS9/E0	20
DS10/EAJA0	47
AA/SGB2	9
Total	90

These figures do not include officers on unpaid leave.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth affairs if he will make a statement on current Anglo-Yemeni relations. [289]

We enjoy good relations with Yemen. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has recently written to the Foreign Minister of Yemen, stressing our wish to strengthen co-operation between our two countries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Commonwealth Governments are being invited to the Hong Kong handover ceremony; and at what level. [268]

The handover ceremony will be a joint occasion, invitations to which will be issued jointly on behalf of Britain and China. We have agreed with China to invite countries and international organisations with the strongest links to Hong Kong, such as all European Union and Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation member states, plus a small number of other countries with special links with Hong Kong, including several members of the Commonwealth. Invited countries will generally be represented by their Foreign Ministers. We will announce the list of countries in due course. Copies will be placed in the Libraries of the House. I can, however, say that we and China have agreed to invite the Commonwealth Secretary-General. We are delighted that he has accepted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he has to increase the number of employees from ethnic minorities within his Department. [248]

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary regards increasing the number of employees from ethnic minorities in this Department as a priority. My noble Friend Baroness Symons has been asked to give careful and swift consideration to ways of improving the policies already in place in this Department. When proposals have been agreed, my noble Friend will write to the hon. Member and copies will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what powers the United Kingdom will have to amend or improve social and employment laws in the United Kingdom without the consent of the EC once it has signed the social chapter. [303]

Accepting the social chapter will not affect the UK's power to alter our own social and employment legislation except in so far as UK legislation will have to comply with measures adopted under these Treaty provisions in the same way that it already has to comply with other aspects of Community law.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many payments were made and what was the total amount paid under the arable area payments scheme in 1996–97. [124]

[holding answer 19 May 1997]: In 1996–97, 3,372 payments were made and the total amount paid was £8,807,000.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when she plans to lead a trade mission to India within the framework of the Indo-British Partnership initiative. [278]

At present, I have no firm plans to lead a UK trade mission to India. Such a mission accompanied my predecessor to India as recently as January 1997. I am, however, aware of the outstanding success of the Indo-British Partnership and will be giving it my fullest support.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to introduce further regulation of one-day sales. [265]

I am aware that some one-day sales have raised concerns about exploitation of consumers and strongly support the action some trading standards departments have taken to warn consumers of their dangers. I have instituted an urgent review of this and will consider the need for further regulation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will make a statement about the rules affecting single people and housing benefit. [37]

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has to implement proposals to set housing benefit for single people under 60 years by reference to rent levels for shared accommodation; and if she will make a statement. [607]

We are currently reviewing the rules affecting single people and housing benefit. We will make an announcement in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is her estimate of the shortfall between the total amount of housing benefit paid and the net amount paid by tenants for housing for each year since 1992. [172]

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

Estimated housing benefit expenditure (Great Britain)
£ millions
	Contractual rent of tenants on housing benefit	Housing benefit paid	Shortfall
1992–93	9,154	7,901	1,253
1993–94	10,483	9,213	1,270
1994–95	11,527	10,120	1,407
1995–96	12,667	10,885	1,782

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is her estimate of the income levels of the poorest 10 per cent. of pensioners in the current year. [167]

The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is as follows.It is estimated that in 1994–95, the latest date for which information is available, the median average net income before housing costs for the bottom decile of the all pensioner units income distribution was £65.20

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if (a) maedi-visna, (b) caprine arthritis and (c) encephalitis have been identified in cattle. [292]

My veterinary staff are not aware of maedi-visna, caprine arthritis or encephalitis ever having been identified in cattle in Great Britain.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will review quarantine arrangements for dogs and cats entering the United Kingdom. [585]

Yes.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will meet representatives of McDonald's Restaurants Ltd. to discuss consumption of British beef. [584]

At present there is no firm arrangement to meet McDonald's Restaurants Ltd. However, we are aware of the company's position in the market and expect to arrange a meeting in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on Government policy on planning considerations for opencast mining; and if he will advise the reporter at the public inquiry into plans for Tynemount at Ormiston of the implications of any proposed changes to planning guidelines. [132]

Government planning policy in Scotland in relation to opencast mining is set out in National Planning Policy Guideline 4: Land for Mineral Working. Good practice advice in relation to the environmental effects of such development is contained in Planning Advice Note 50: Controlling The Environmental Effects of Surface Mineral Workings. Both publications are available in the House of Commons Library.While consideration is being given to current policy on opencast mineral extraction to ascertain whether some change is needed, the inquiry into the Tynemount, Ormiston opencast proposal ended on 15 May. In the event that a new policy was to be introduced prior to a decision being taken on the appeal, which was relevant for the decision, the hon. Member can be assured that the final decision would be taken in the light of that policy and in accordance with the Inquiries Procedure Rules.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the progress of plans to dual the Al trunk road between Haddington and Dunbar. [133]

The Scottish Office published a revised draft enabling compulsory purchase orders on 28 June and 25 October which attracted a number of objections. These were considered at a Public Local Inquiry in Haddington between 11 and 13 February 1997. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland is awaiting the findings and recommendations of the Reporter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he intends to meet Glasgow City Council to discuss the problems facing the city; and if he will make a statement. [582]

[holding answer 19 May 1997]: I hope to visit Glasgow soon in my capacity as Minister for Local Government, and will naturally be happy to meet the City Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what parts of the Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Act 1997 he intends to implement; and when he intends to lay the necessary orders. [85]

[holding answer 19 May 1997]: Sections 45 and 46 of the Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Act 1997 came into force on Royal Assent (21 March 1997). We are considering whether and when to implement the remaining provisions, and will announce our decisions in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of capital receipts from the sale of local authority houses in Scotland he will require to be applied towards the reduction of local authority housing debt; and if he will make a statement. [86]

[holding answer 19 May 1997]: Scottish local authorities are required to set aside 75 per cent. of their receipts from house sales in order to reduce debt levels. We are reviewing that requirement and will announce our conclusion in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many payments were made and what was the total amount paid under the arable area payments scheme in 1996–97. [126]

[holding answer 19 May 1997]: During 1996–97 the Scottish Office Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department dealt with 9,532 claims under the Arable Area Payments Scheme and the total amount paid was –146,685,005.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to discuss the Elgin Marbles with the Greek authorities. [259]

I have no plans to discuss the Parthenon Sculptures with the Greek government.