To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will give details of the training and equipment assistance provided to the Chinese police; how much has been spent on it so far; and what future cost commitments there are. [16042]

DFID assistance is limited to a £1 million contribution, approved in September 1996, to a United Nations project (managed by the UN Drug Control Programme) in Yunnan Province. The purpose of the project is to strengthen the drugs law enforcement capability of customs and police officials. Activities include training, development of guidelines for prosecution of traffickers and provision of vehicles and communications equipment to assist drug control operations in the mountainous border region between Yunnan and Burma.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will set out the recent changes in ministerial responsibilities for the World Bank Group and indicate how these will impact on the role of officials.[17259]

I am pleased to inform the House that the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for International Development have agreed that, following the creation of the Department for International Development, the Secretary of State for International Development should become the United Kingdom Governor of the World Bank Group. The Chancellor has taken over the role of United Kingdom Alternate Governor of the World Bank Group. He and the Secretary of State for International Development attended the meeting of the Development Committee in Hong Kong in September, followed by the Annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank.The division of responsibilities at official level in our Delegation to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington remains as before. The United Kingdom has one Executive Director for the World Bank and IMF who is a Treasury official appointed after consultation with the Department for International Development. On World Bank work, the Executive Director is assisted by an Alternate appointed by the Department for International Development.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she has taken to protect the human rights of women in Afghanistan; and if she will make a statement.[16039]

UK assistance in Afghanistan is guided by a common position agreed with other aid donors. This calls on all parties to recognise, protect and promote the equal rights and dignity of men and women, including access to education, employment outside the home, personal security and freedom from intimidation and harassment, and to support only aid programmes which actively attempt to promote the equitable participation of both men and women.In repeated representations to the Taliban and other factions, we have urged respect for women's human rights, for example in urging them to relax their restrictions on women's work and education. We are also supporting Oxfam to research gender issues and advocate for women's rights in Kabul.My Department has recently appointed a field manager for Afghanistan to monitor our programme and its relation to human rights more effectively. A team from my Department is currently in Afghanistan looking into these issues amongst others.We will continue to give a high priority to measures aimed at protecting human rights in Afghanistan in the UN, the Afghanistan Donor Support Group and other fora.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action she has taken to implement her undertaking not to support any new programmes by the Government of Indonesia covering East Timor. [16040]

We are not supporting any projects through the Government of Indonesia which cover East Timor.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the compliance of the European Union's three-year programme of aid to East Timor with the European Union's objectives in respect of strengthening respect for human rights.[16041]

The European Commission are still developing their proposals. My officials are maintaining contacts with their counterparts in the Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what human rights projects she intends to support in East Timor.[16044]

We are actively investigating the best means of addressing human rights issues in East Timor (including economic and social rights) in consultation with NGOs and other interested parties.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance she has offered in respect of the recent floods in Somalia; and if she will make a statement. [16129]

1,000 may have died. Access is difficult. My Department has provided £0.5 million bilaterally to help SCF and World Vision reach 50,000 people with supplies. The EU has earmarked about £1.6 million (UK contribution—£228,000) for logistics and supplies. We are in close touch with UN agencies and NGOs and will consider new needs as they emerge.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance she has offered to Vietnam following the recent hurricane; and if she will make a statement.[16126]

We offered a grant of £50,000 on 8 November through the British Embassy, Hanoi for the provision of immediate relief items. Most of this is being distributed by Oxfam to beneficiaries in the severely affected provinces of Tra vinh and Ca Mau. We are continuing to review the relief effort.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will place the consultation documents obtained during the review of the Millennium Dome Exhibition in the Library. [12998]

I do not intend at this juncture to disclose the detailed review of the Exhibition which took place immediately after the General Election. As I explained in my letter to the hon. Gentleman of 9 September, my decision to invoke the exemption relating to internal discussion and advice under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information was taken so as not to prejudice sensitive discussions between the New Millennium Company and contractors and sponsors. With the hon. Gentleman's agreement, I have made available in the Library of the House a copy of my letter of 9 September and of my letter of 10 September to him in my capacity as Chairman of the Millennium Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what was the date of the meeting of the Millennium Commission which approved funding for the Millennium Dome Exhibition of an additional £250 million.[12993]

At its meeting of 9 July 1997, the Millennium Commission, of which I am Chairman, approved an offer of grant to the New Millennium Experience Company of up to a maximum of £449 million (gross) by December 1999 and £399 (net), inclusive of grant already paid under the interim agreement signed on 27 March 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if Sir Richard Eyre's appointment to chair the review group on the future of the London Coliseum and the Royal Opera House was conditional on his support for the basic principle of merger; and if he will make a statement. [15606]

The text of my letter to Sir Richard Eyre has already been placed in the Libraries of the House. It says:

"I shall be happy to receive the Working Group's recommendations, and I encourage you to think freely and creatively about the options".

I am not aware of any suggestion of a merger of any kind between the Royal Opera House companies and English National Opera.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is the estimated number of blind people who receive a discount for their television licence; when the amount was last reviewed; and if he will make it his policy to increase the discount for blind people.[16123]

Approximately 34,400 registered blind people received a reduction in their television licence fee in the year to August 1997. The concessionary scheme, including this reduction, was reviewed within Government in 1985, but that review did not lead to the discount for the blind being increased.The Government have no plans at present to increase the level of the reduction for blind people. However, the current Agreement between the Secretary of State and the BBC provides for a review of the television licence fee as the mechanism for funding the BBC after 2002. We shall conduct such a review before that date, and it will include a detailed consideration of the concessionary arrangements, including those for blind people.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what plans he has to prevent radio rights from being sold to non-radio broadcasters; and if he will make a statement;[16193](2) what measures he is taking to safeguard local radio live sports coverage; and if he will make a statement.[16194]

Radio coverage of major sports events is included in the voluntary code signed by sports rights holders under the umbrella of the Central Council for Physical Recreation. This code appears to be working well. The current review of listed sports events will, however, allow the question of live radio broadcast rights to be considered further.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will introduce a statutory code on news access to sports coverage; and if he will make a statement.[16192]

News access to major sports events is protected under the fair dealing provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. A voluntary code of practice signed by a number of broadcasters also exists and this appears to be working well.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the ITC review into bundling and competition in the pay television market will be completed.[16693]

[holding answer 18 November 1997]: The closing date for responses to the Independent Television Commission's consultation document "Competition Investigation into Bundling in the Pay TV Market: Second Phase", was 30 September. I understand that the Commission are currently considering the responses and have not put any timescale on an announcement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many consultant posts in the Scottish Health Service are unfilled at present; where the unfilled posts are located; and what was the equivalent position 12 months ago.[16169]

The information requested is shown in the table.

Hospital medical and dental consultant vacancies as at 30 September
	1996		1997
Trust/Health Board	Total vacancies	Posts vacant more than six months	Total vacancies	Posts vacant more than six months
Aberdeen Royal Hospitals NHS Trust	10	5	5	4
Angus NHS Trust	—	—	3	—
Argyll and Bute NHS Trust	1	1	2	1
Ayrshire and Arran Community Health Care NHS Trust	5	5	5	5
Borders Community Health Services NHS Trust	—	—	1	—
Borders General Hospital NHS Trust	6	1	2	2
Caithness and Sutherland NHS Trust	—	I	3	—
Central Scotland Healthcare NHS Trust	5	1	2	1
Dumfries and Galloway Acute and Maternity Hospitals NHS Trust	5	5	6	5
Dumfries and Galloway Community Health NHS Trust	1	1	1	1
Dundee Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	2	—	2	1
Dundee Healthcare NHS Trust	—	—	—	—
East and Midlothian NHS Trust	—	—	—	—

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on Scottish river and coastal water quality.[17260]

The report on the Water Quality Survey of Scotland 1995 is being published today, and a copy has been placed in the House Library. I am pleased that the results confirm that the majority of Scottish rivers, lochs, estuaries and coastal waters are of a high quality.However, I intend that progress will continue to improve further the Scottish water environment. For very large discharges (that is those serving more than 150,000 population equivalent), Article 8(5) of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive allows for primary treatment only to be provided, where it can be demonstrated that there would be no environmental benefit from secondary treatment. I have decided that only in very exceptional circumstances will we allow waste water discharges from major conurbations into coastal waters to be provided with anything less than secondary treatment. Following advice from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) it is clear that the discharge from the Aberdeen Waste Water Treatment Works, which discharges directly to the open North Sea via a 2.5km long outfall, is exceptional in that it far exceeds the criteria established to judge such cases. The North of Scotland Water Authority's plans to invest in primary treatment will significantly improve the discharge, but I have accepted SEPA's advice that providing secondary treatment would not lead to any additional environmental benefit. The Government therefore have proposed to the European Commission that Article 8(5) of the Directive should be applied to the Aberdeen case.Having also carefully considered SEPA's recommendations following comprehensive studies at Edinburgh and Levenmouth, I have decided that secondary treatment should be provided at those two sites. I do not envisage that the Government will wish to put forward to the Commission any further cases for relaxations under Article 8(5) for discharges from large sewage works into other Scottish waters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the report commissioned from Mr. Roger Kent on safeguards for children living away from home.[17261]

In July last year, Roger Kent was invited to look at the measures in place for the protection of children living away from home and to assess their effectiveness. I have now received Mr. Kent's report. It identifies the risks that exist for this group of vulnerable children, the safeguards which apply at present and makes a number of recommendations—61 in total—on how those safeguards could be improved. The recommendations are wide-ranging, addressing the needs of children living in residential and foster care, children in boarding schools and children otherwise living away from home.I welcome the report as a further step in ensuring that children living away from home can do so in safety and security. Because the report raises a number of important issues spanning a range of interests, I have asked for it to be published. A consultation exercise on the report's recommendations will be undertaken before final decisions are taken on the recommendations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many elective finished consultant episodes took place in the NHS in 1996–97;[15672](2) how many emergency patients the NHS received in 1996–97.[15670]

The number of general and acute elective finished consultant episodes commissioned by health authorities in England in 1996–97 was 5.0 million. The number of non-elective finished consultant episodes was 4.3 million. These data are drawn from the quarterly monitoring of health authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans the Government have to sustain rural employment and local communities which depend upon such employment; and if he will make a statement.[16496]

The proportion of people in employment in rural areas is generally much higher than in urban areas. However, the figures can mask pockets of deprivation in the most remote areas.The Government are taking forward a number of initiatives to sustain rural employment. The New Deal will help all young people, including those living in rural areas, to make the transition from welfare to work. In order to ensure diversity of opportunity in all parts of the country, we have invited local organisations and providers to participate in consortia to deliver the programme. I am delighted that Eastbourne has been selected as one of the New Deal "Pathfinder" areas in which the programme will start to operate from 5 January.The Government's Local Competitiveness Challenge Fund can be particularly helpful for rural firms. The hon. Member may be familiar with the "Wired County" project in Sussex, which is developing local multimedia and on-line service industries. In addition, Single Regeneration Budget money is being used by the Salsey Regeneration Group to develop integrated public access systems for local businesses and individuals seeking training and employment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to ensure that higher education establishments review their arrangements for handling complaints from students.[16554]

Universities and colleges of higher education are independent, autonomous bodies responsible for their own academic and administrative affairs, including arrangements for handling complaints from students. The Government have no powers to intervene directly. However, the Department is discussing with higher education representative bodies the recommendation from the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education (the Dearing Committee) that institutions should, over the next two years, review and, if necessary, amend their arrangements. I understand also that the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals have been reviewing appeal arrangements for students and they expect to publish their final report and recommendations shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he intends to take to ensure that confidentiality clauses in the contracts of staff working in higher education institutions are restricted to cases of clear commercial confidentiality; and if he will make a statement.[16555]

Higher education institutions are autonomous, private corporations and as such are responsible for the terms and conditions of contracts of employment of their staff. Ministers have no powers to intervene.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Youth Council on 28 October. [17246]

I attended a useful Council discussion about the prospects for Community action on youth beyond 1999. Debate focused on a Commission non-paper suggesting that there should be a single programme integrating the best elements of Youth for Europe III and the European Voluntary Service for Young People. The latter has yet to be adopted but is being "trialled" in what the Commission have described as a pilot programme in 1996 and 1997. Member States confirmed their attachment to an active youth policy at Community level.The Commission's proposal to establish a European Voluntary Service for Young People from 1998 was also discussed. The UK maintained a Parliamentary scrutiny reserve but there was broad concensus on the text of the proposal. The budget had been a particular area of difficulty for the UK. Although we firmly support the concept of a voluntary service for young people, we considered that expenditure at the level that had been proposed (60 million ecu over two years) would be excessive in the early stages of an activity that is relatively undeveloped in some Member States. After discussion agreement to a figure of 35 million ecu over two years was secured. Subject to the UK scrutiny reserve being lifted, the common position reached at Council will be formally adopted and conveyed to the European Parliament as part of the co-decision process.The Council also adopted a statement in the context of the European Year Against Racism, stressing the importance of informal education to promote the principles of tolerance and respect for other people; and welcoming initiatives by the member states and the Commission to enable young people and those working with them to counter racism.Finally, the Council adopted a statement expressing concern about the difficult situation of many young Europeans in the context of high unemployment; welcoming the emphasis on the fight against youth unemployment; and calling for the adoption of concrete and effective measures in favour of young Europeans at the European Council on 21 November.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what guidance he proposes to issue to the Civil Service relating to the European Court of Justice's ruling on positive discrimination in favour of women.[16419]

[holding answer 17 November 1997]: I have been asked to reply.The issues raised by the European Court of Justice's judgment in the case of Marschall

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the policy areas which will be the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly; and if he will make a statement.[15746]

A list is in paragraph 1.7 of the White Paper 'A Voice for Wales' (Cm 3718). The details of the functions to be exercised by the Assembly will be set out in the Bill that establishes the Assembly and the transfer order which will be made under it in due course.

Welsh TEC reserve levels March 1997 to March 1998
£000s
TEC	Reserve Level	Fixed Assets	Long Terms Loans	Working Capital2	Amount available for discretionary spend
1996–97 End of year position
CELTEC1	5,032	440	824	2,733	1,035
Gwent	5,193	359	0	2,836	1,998
Mid Glamorgan	2,682	229	0	1,807	646
Powys	869	47	0	511	311
South Glamorgan	4,326	125	175	1,625	2,401
West Wales	6,352	427	0	3,368	2,557
All TECs	24,454	1,627	999	12,880	8,948

:to Ask the secretary of state for wales if he will take action to prevent the reactivation of a dormant quarry planning permission near the village of Llanfyaydd, Flintshire. [16107]

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much money each training and enterprise council in Wales has accumulated as reserves.[16138]

The information requested is contained in the following table. The figures show that the reserves consist of funds which have already been used to acquire assets, or funds required to meet day-to-day needs, or funds which were committed to be spent over a reasonable period. The balance available for discretionary spending at 31 March 1997 (£8.9 million) represents funds which have been earmarked by the TECs for planned expenditure during 1997–98 and for longer term projects.Reserve levels in Wales are projected to fall to £18.217 million by March 1998. Officials in the Welsh Office continue to monitor closely the level of TEC reserves in order to ensure that they are clearly related to demonstrable working capital needs or reinvestment plans. Further discussions are to be held with the TECs shortly to asses the extent to which TECs might be able to re-direct their reserves towards other objectives within the Government's strategic agenda and to provide an indication of when this could be done.

The Environment Act 1995 prevents the reactivation of a dormant site with an old planning permission for mineral working unless full modern planning conditions have been imposed. Advice on the procedures is provided in Mineral Planning Guidance note 14 "Environment Act 1995: Review of Mineral Planning Permissions". Cae Rheinallt Quarry near Llanfynydd has been duly registered with Flintshire County Council under the provisions of the Act as a dormant site, and the principle of the existence of permission to quarry is not in question. To date, no application to determine conditions to control any future working have been received by the local authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to legislate to prevent the reactivation of dormant quarry planning permissions; and if he will make a statement.[16108]

My right hon. Friend has no plans to legislate on this matter. The Planning and Compensation Act 1991 and the Environment Act 1995 introduced new requirements for initial and periodic reviews of old mineral permissions. The principle of their existence is not an issue, but provisions in the existing legislation will ensure that dormant quarry permissions cannot be reactivated without full modern planning conditions attached to protect the environment and amenity, and to ensure that suitable restoration and aftercare takes place.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his policy in respect of the faxing of press releases on the day of release to Opposition party spokesmen; what changes have been introduced since 1 May; and if he will make a statement.[16299]

There is no formal arrangement for faxing departmental press releases to Opposition party spokesmen on the day of release, but they are supplied on request. No changes have been made since 1 May.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will collate the information on the planning and management of cycleways, currently held by the new unitary authorities in Wales.[16510]

I am keen to encourage the development of cycleways throughout Wales, but wish to await the outcome of the Government's consultation on integrated transport before re-assessing Welsh Office responsibilities in this area.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade which Minister briefed the Financial Times in respect of its September story on British entry into monetary union.[140051

To my knowledge, none.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to ensure that gas appliances are safe and regularly maintained.[15160]

A carbon monoxide safety awareness campaign is currently under way to warn as many households as possible in the country about the dangers of carbon monoxide, including the need to make sure that heating systems are serviced once a year by a qualified engineer.Gas appliances made or sold in the UK including imports must comply with the Gas Appliances (Safety) Regulations 1995, which implement into UK law the Gas Appliances Directive, and this Department is in the process of considering the results of a formal consultation on proposed regulations to control the safety of second-hand gas appliances.Gas safety legislation requires landlords to maintain in a safe condition, gas appliances that they own in let property. Failure to do so can result in unlimited fines and up to two years imprisonment.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade which Ministers responsible for firework safety have visited (a) Liverpool, (b) Manchester, (c) Newcastle, (d) Glasgow, (e) Birmingham and (f) Leeds since 1979 to promote firework safety.[15615]

I understand that since 1993 no Minister responsible for firework safety has visited these cities to promote firework safety. I undertook to visit all these cities prior to this bonfire night to promote safety awareness.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on her policy on the length of the firework season (a) in terms of retail availability of fireworks and (b) in terms of a possible permissible period for letting them off.[16340]

The policy remains the same as that of my predecessor. However, a range of measures has been implemented to assist in tackling more dangerous fireworks and those used by hooligans. Details of these are in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will publish the job specification for the Chairman of Action 2000.[16136]

The statement of his particular responsibilities is reproduced below:

"(a) To appoint the other members of the Advisory Board. The choice of members will be your decision, but you will consider including representatives of:

• CBI
• FEI
• CSSA
• BBA
• NCC
• IEE
• and Business Links

and you will consult the organisations concerned. In addition you may appoint up to seven additional members, drawn mainly from the private sector. Before you make any appointments you should consult the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade on how many occasions mergers and acquisitions of (a) funeral directors, (b) crematoria and (c) funeral directors and crematoria have been referred to and investigated by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission; in how many cases the Monopolies and Mergers Commission has recommended divestment; and if she will list the firms concerned.[16703]

Two mergers involving funeral directors have been referred to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission (MMC).The acquisition by The Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd. (CWS) of the Scottish funerals business of House of Fraser PLC was referred to the MMC on 4 June 1987. The MMC recommended divestment of four funeral undertaking businesses (in Aberdeen, Falkirk, Crieff and Perth) or divestment of all the businesses acquired from House of Fraser.The acquisition by Service Corporation International (SCI) of Planstbrook Group plc. was referred to the MMC on 20 December 1994. The MMC's report was published on 25 May 1995. The MMC recommended divestment of individual funeral directors' businesses in ten specified areas.No acquisitions of crematoria, or of funeral directors and crematoria, have been referred to the MMC.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what contacts she has had with the Monopolies and Mergers Commission regarding the marketing and selling of pre-purchase funeral plans.[16706]

My right hon. Friend has had no contact with the Monopolies and Mergers Commission regarding pre-paid funeral plans, nor a request from the MMC to discuss this.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consultations she has had with the Director General of Fair Trading regarding the marketing and selling of pre-purchase funeral plans.[16707]

I have had a number of meetings with the Director General of Fair Trading regarding pre-paid funerals and have sought his views on a number of possible options for consumer protection. I share the Director General's concern to protect consumers who purchase their funerals in advance. I am discussing with my colleagues in the Treasury what speedy action might be taken to further protect consumers.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations she has received regarding the maintenance of fair trade practices in the marketing and selling of pre-purchase funeral plans.[16708]

I have had a number of representations on fair trade practices in the marketing and selling of pre-paid funeral plans. I am considering these, and working on proposals with my Treasury colleagues to protect those consumers who purchase their funerals in advance.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations she has received on the potential for trading links (a) between insurance companies and providers of funeral services and (b) between providers of funeral services and trading companies that are subsidiaries of registered charities to operate against the public interest and to the detriment of consumers.[16705]

A number of representations have been received about the links between providers of funeral services and trading companies that are subsidiaries of registered charities. These have been passed to the Charity Commission. No representations have been received on links between insurance companies and providers of funeral services.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations she has received from NHS hospitals on the contracting cost of bereavement and mortuary services to the private sector.[16712]

No NHS hospital has made representations on this subject.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what guidance she has provided on fair trade practices to NHS hospitals which (a) have contracted out and (b) have expressed an interest in seeking to contract out bereavement and mortuary services.[16709]

This department has no responsibility for NHS hospitals, and no guidance has been sought.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many jobs have been created via inward investment in each of the last five years; and if she will give a breakdown of the number of jobs created in each county or equivalent area.[16166]

This information is available only on a regional basis. According to figures notified to my Department's Invest in Britain Bureau, the number of new jobs associated with inward investment in each of the last five years by each region as follows:

Inward investment into the United Kingdom
Year/Region	Total number of new jobs
1992–93
East	363
East Midlands	183
North-east	2,312
Northern Ireland	2,742
North-west	1,012
Scotland	4,497
South-east	1,212
South-west	285
Wales	2,382
West Midlands	1,568
Yorkshire and Humberside	1,286
Total for the year	17,842
1993–94
East	482
East Midlands	3,218
North-east	2,256
Northern Ireland	3,030
North-west	2,427
Scotland	7,635
South-east	916
South-west	1,065
Wales	3,913
West Midlands	3,370
Yorkshire and Humberside	2,329
Total for the year	30,641
1994–95
East	842
East Midlands	3,028
London	27
North-east	5,780
Northern Ireland	3,251
North-west	1,986
Scotland	7,678
South-east	3,273
South-west	1,386
Wales	3,151
West Midlands	4,797
Yorkshire and Humberside	3,152
Total for the year	38,351
1995–96
Region not identified	0
East	372
East Midlands	1,437
London1	2,588
North-East	6,075
Northern Ireland	3,741
North-West	3,592
Scotland	9,092
South-East	5,385
South-West	1,468
United Kingdom	0
West of England2	250
Wales	4,429
West Midlands	7,034
Yorkshire and Humberside	2,004
Total for the year	47,467

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the policy of her Department in respect of the membership of trade unions for those in employment; and if he will make a statement.[14342]

[holding answer 13 November 1997]: The Government considers that employees should be free to belong, or not to belong, to trade unions and, where a majority of a relevant workforce vote for it in a ballot, unions should be recognised for collective bargaining purposes. My Department will be publishing a White Paper on fairness at work, and principally on union recognition, in the first part of next year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 27 October 1997, Official Report, columns 722–23, on the Weald and Downland DBFO, if the outcome of the roads review will provide clear guidance on the future of the individual schemes which make up the Weald and Downland DBFO.[14969]

We intend that the output of the Roads Review should include a forward programme of high priority projects and work to develop strategies for transport problems from which investment programmes will emerge. This applies equally to the schemes that were included in the Weald and Downland DBFO as to other schemes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has made to the Canadian Government concerning their policies towards global climate change. [15627]

We have discussed climate change with Canada in a number of fora, including most recently at the Ministerial meeting of key developed countries in Tokyo on 8 November, chaired by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, where Canada indicated that they would shortly be proposing a greenhouse gas emissions target.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the Government's attempts to reduce the incidence of (a) child and (b) total pedestrian fatalities.[15645]

Measures to reduce the incidence of pedestrian and child pedestrian accidents focus on both engineering and enforcement, supported by education (including publicity).Traffic calming and 20 mph zones have proved successful in slowing traffic, with a consequential reduction in the number and severity of accidents to all pedestrians. Effective enforcement is also necessary generally to reduce speed, and we are considering ways of making better use of speed cameras to help achieve this. These measures are reinforced by publicity campaigns, and my noble Friend the Minister for Roads launched the current "Kill Your Speed" campaign on 16 September.While seeking to reduce the risks to all pedestrians, we also educate children, in particular, to develop the skills they need to cope with the risks they face. We support road safety practitioners by providing resources such as `Kerbcrafe (launched in September), which promotes practical child pedestrian training. A new child safety campaign is planned for January.Measures further to improve safety for child and adult pedestrians will be a priority aim of the road safety strategy announced by my noble Friend the Minister for Roads on 15 October.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what guidance his Department offers in respect of publicity for telecommunication developments with reference to (a) site notices, (b) notifications to town or parish councils and (c) notification to local residents; and if he will make a statement;[15664]

Where telecommunications development is subject to a planning application, the local planning authority is required by law to publicise the application. This will be either by a site notice or by neighbour notification, and may also include a newspaper advertisement. Departmental guidance on this is given in Circular 15/92: "Publicity for Planning Applications". There is a statutory requirement for local planning authorities to consult the relevant parish council, at the council's request, of planning applications. Where development is subject to a prior approval determination under Part 24 of Schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995, Appendix E to Circular 9/95 encourages publicity so that people likely to be affected by the proposed development can make their views known to the local planning authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact of the 28 day prior notification limit for telecommunications developments on (i) consultation with parish or town councils and councillors, (ii) opportunities for comment from local residents and (iii) the opportunities to negotiate and amend proposed schemes; and if he will make a statement.[16188]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 17 November 1997, Official Report, column 3

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will enable local planning authorities to extend the 28 day limit in their determination of applications for telecommunications developments; and if he will make a statement.[16187]

This is an issue on which I expect the Working Group reviewing the Code of Best Practice on telecommunications prior approval procedures as applied to mast/tower development will make representations to me. I will reflect on their conclusion in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the safety of car airbag systems.[16132]

We continue to collect detailed information on a sample of road accident injuries as part of the Department's research programme, and this allows us to monitor effects such as airbags in cars. To date, we are not aware of any cases of airbags having caused serious injuries in the UK.In 1993 the Department commissioned TRL to investigate airbag effectiveness. This was largely a review of published research on both airbag testing and airbag performance in the field. By necessity, this review was mainly based on the experience in the USA where airbags, which are required by law, are far more prevalent than in Europe.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the amounts raised from tolls, and the cost involved in collecting the tolls, for (a) the original Severn Bridge and (b) the second Severn Bridge in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.[15963]

The accounts for Severn River Crossing plc show that in the year ending 31 December 1996 they had a turnover from toll revenue of £47.2 million. Separate figures for the toll revenue from each crossing are not available but 75–80 per cent. of the traffic uses the new bridge. Toll operating costs and maintenance are not dis-aggregated but, with administrative expenses, total running costs amounted to £7.6 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) how many planning applications he has called in since 1 May; [16465](2) how many planning applications he has determined since 1 May.[16466]

Since 1 May this year, 95 planning applications have been called in and 60 called-in applications have been determined.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list those London boroughs which have introduced ethnic monitoring of planning applications.[16482]

The Department does not collect information on local planning authorities' monitoring of the ethnic background of applicants for planning permission. The Local Government Association has commissioned research on "Race and the built environment". The resulting good practice guide will be published in the New Year and will contain information on the extent of ethnic monitoring of planning applications by local planning authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to enhance the role of water companies in the water planning process.[16402]

Under section 37 of the Water Industry Act 1991, water companies already have the duty to develop and maintain an efficient and economical system of water supply in their areas. In revising current planning policy guidance for local authorities we will consider how increased emphasis may be given to the impact of proposed development on water supply provision.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will create forums to include water companies and all of the planning authorities in an area to discuss resource issues. [16403]

The Department's current policy guidance requires local authorities to consult with all infrastructure providers, including water supply companies, when preparing their development plans. The creation of discussion fora is a matter for local government.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will increase the resources devoted to controlling fly tipping.[16394]

The responsibility for monitoring illegal fly tipping, clearance of the wastes involved and pursuing offenders lies with a number of organisations including local authorities, the Police and the Environment Agency. My Department has no conclusive evidence that fly tipping in England is increasing. However the Environment Agency is continuing to monitor the situation closely and is working with the other bodies to implement a three-part strategy: First, to enhance co-operation with local authorities to monitor and control fly tipping and prosecute offenders—an emergency hotline number has been established and widely published for information on vehicles and individuals involved on fly tipping to be given; secondly, to gather the more reliable information needed, the Agency is working with the Tidy Britain Group to produce a comprehensive study of the incidence of fly tipping before and after the introduction of the Landfill Tax. It is intended that this report will be published in Spring 1998. It should assist the Agency and others, particularly local authorities, to respond to fly tipping in a co-ordinated, proportionate and effective manner; thirdly, the Agency continues to work with a broad range of partners including trade associations, landowners and local government to encourage good waste management practice.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the conclusions of the Environment Council meeting of 16 October. [16322]

With Lord Sewel, I represented the United Kingdom at the Environment Council which took place in Luxembourg on 16 October.The Council reached political agreement on the proposal for a new Drinking Water Directive. This sets new standards in line with current scientific thinking for the quality of drinking water; these will provide additional protection for human health. The text also provides for much greater subsidiarity and flexibility for Member States. It will now go forward for the opinion of the European Parliament. The Council further developed the Community's negotiating position for the Third Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Kyoto, Japan, in December this year.In the debate on the landfill directive, I indicated our strong support for the tight regulation of all landfills but that greater flexibility was needed on the requirements for biodegradable waste going to landfill. In the discussion of the Strategy prepared by the Commission to reduce the problems of acid rain in the Community I made it clear that the UK strongly supported action on this, though more technical work was needed to clarify the benefits and costs—a view shared by the majority who spoke.The Council also noted the progress of discussions on the directive tightening emissions from light commercial vehicles and on the Water Framework Directive. The Commission made a presentation on its Communication on Environmental Taxes and Charges which was not discussed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the resources made available to the Energy Saving Trust in each of the last five years; and what is next year's budget. [16173]

My Department has provided funding for the Energy Saving Trust since 1995–96 as follows:

1995–96: £500,000

1996–97: £25,000,000.

Funding of up to £19,000,000 has been made available for 1997–98. The budget for 1998–99 has not yet been finalised.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the work of the Energy saving Trust's energy efficiency programme. [16174]

The Energy Saving Trust's "Energy Efficiency" programme has our full support. It aims to promote energy efficiency to domestic consumers so that they can save money and help the environment. The Trust's October campaign of promotional activities under the programme has just been completed. culminating in "Energy Efficiency Week" between 20 and 27 October.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to make a statement on the outcome of the consultation on last year's Green Paper on Household Growth. [16400]

The Government are considering the question of household growth not just in isolation but within the wider context of policies to promote sustainable development, including integrated transport policy and regional planning. We will make a statement in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress has been made by his officials in relation to discussions with wheelchair manufacturers on establishing a marking protocol to indicate the suitability of manual and powered wheelchairs for use on public transport. [16443]

Officials from my Department have established a working group with representatives of the wheelchair manufacturing industry and the Medical Devices Agency. The purpose of the working group is twofold: to develop a testing protocol for new wheelchairs to assess their suitability for use in vehicles and secondly, to work towards a marking system that indicates the transport "compatibility" of manual and powered wheelchairs.The work is progressing well. As a first step towards the marking protocol, the Group is drawing up an information leaflet for wheelchair users and those advising on wheelchair choice, which will help them to choose an appropriate wheelchair for their lifestyle. We hope that the leaflet will be finalised by the beginning of next year.On the testing protocol, the Group has agreed to use as a base the proposed requirement in a draft International Standards Organisation standard for new products. The Group will be producing a leaflet to inform wheelchair users and transport operators about the testing protocol and the role of wheelchair tie downs and occupant restraints in vehicles. Again, we hope that that leaflet will be available early in the new year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his policy in respect of the faxing of press releases on the day of release to Opposition party spokesmen; what changes have been introduced since 1 May; and if he will make a statement. [16311]

My Department will provide press releases to Opposition party spokesman by fax on the day of release if requested to do so. This standardises the policy of the former Departments of the Environment and of Transport, which operated different systems prior to the Election and before their subsequent merger. The Department also issues press releases on the day of release via the Internet at address http://www.detr./gov.uk/. and copies are placed in the Library of the House of Commons.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the air quality in the United Kingdom's main urban centres on (a) 31 October and (b) 4 November; and what warnings were given to the public concerning air quality on those days. [16413]

On 31 October 1997 air quality in a number of UK urban centres was poor. High concentrations of nitrogen dioxide were measured in Birmingham, Bristol, London, Lincoln and Reading. Nitrogen dioxide levels were highest on 31 October, peaking at 257 parts per billion at Camden Roadside. A table summarising the highest hourly nitrogen dioxide concentrations that occurred on that day is shown below. On 4 November 1997 there were no occurrences of poor or very poor air quality at any national UK monitoring site.

Monitoring site location	Maximum hourly NO2 levels (parts per billion)
Bromley Roadside	110
Camden Roadside	257
Southwark Roadside	185
Sutton Roadside	172
Tower Hamlets Roadside	110
West London	213
London A3 Roadside	117
London Bridge Place	194
London Eltham	124
London Hackney	100
London Lewisham	131
London Marylebone Road	153
London North Kensington	142
London Southwark	237
London Teddington	114
London Wandsworth	216
Birmingham Centre	151
Birmingham East	115
Bristol Old Market	102
Lincoln Roadside	170
Reading	105

On both 31 October and 4 November hourly air pollution information and air quality forecasts were available on CEEFAX (pages 410–417), TELETEXT (page 106), the Department's free phone information line (0800 556677) and through the Department's Internet site. In addition, air quality forecasts and information on pollutant levels were sent to national and regional newspapers, television, radio stations, Government agencies, local authorities and environmental groups.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions pursuant to his answer of 31 July 1997, Official Report, column 548, if he will list the percentages of management and maintenance allowances for council-owned homes for 1990–91 to 1997–98 inclusive. [16476]

I have placed in the House of Commons Library a list showing for each local authority the percentage increase in their HRS Subsidy Management and Maintenance Allowance year by year from 1990–91 to 1997–98.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list those landfill sites which are unlined and permitted to receive low-level radioactive waste. [16453]

The Environment Agency advise that disposal of low-level radioactive waste is authorized under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 at the following sites in England and Wales:

Landfill site	Operator and location	Engineered containment status
Arpley Quarry	3C Waste Ltd., Arpley, Warrington	Engineered containment
Lamby Way	Cardiff County Council	Clay based engineered containment
Milton Landfill	Milton Cambridgeshire	Clay based engineered containment
Cowpen Bewley	ICI Ltd., Billingham, Cleveland	No engineered containment
Clifton Marsh	Lancashire Waste Services, Preston Lancashire	Current phase unlined, next phase will include an engineered containment
Stanford Quarry	Oxfordshire County Council, Stanford in the Vale	No engineered containment
Beighton Tip	Sheffield Waste Disposal Authority	No engineered containment, closure early 1998
Asham Quarry	East Sussex County Council, Beddingham, East Sussex	Opened 1979, old phases unlined. From 1995, fully engineered lining for new phase
Hilts Quarry	Rolls Royce Ltd., Crich, Derbyshire	No engineered containment
Magnesium Elektron Swinton	Magnesium Elektron, Swinton, Greater Manchester	No engineered containment
Millennium Inorganic Chemicals Ltd.	Millennium Inorganic Chemicals, Grimsby, Humberside	No engineered containment
Cilgwyn Quarry	Cwmni Gwastraf Mon Arfon cyf, Caernorfon, Gwynedd	No engineered containment

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency advise that disposal of low radioactive waste is authorized under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 at the following sites in Scotland:

Landfill Site	Operator and location	Engineered containment status
Black Devon	Operated by local authority, Clackmannanshire	Unlined
Balbarton	Operated by local authority, Fife	Unlined
Braehead Quarry	Operated by local authority, Edinburgh	Unlined
Riveside	Operated by local authority, Dundee	Unlined

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many people died as a result of (a) mesothelioma and (b) asbestos induced lung cancer in (i) 1995 and (ii) 1996 broken down by (1) parliamentary constituency and (2) local authority unit.[16479]

The numbers of mesothelioma deaths in 1995 by local authority are shown in Table 1. Information on mesothelioma deaths is not yet available for 1996. Information for parliamentary constituencies is not collected. The total number of lung cancers caused by asbestos is estimated to be at least equal to the number of mesothelioma cases, and may be greater, but it is not possible to give a more precise figure as they are not distinguishable from the much larger number due to other causes such as smoking.