To ask the Attorney-General if he will update the information contained in tables 1, 2, and 3 of his Department's answer of 10 March 1997, Official Report, columns 81–82, to include (a) the year ending March 1997, (b) the calendar year 1997 and (c) the most recent months for which figures are available; if such figures are now maintained in relation to each of the new Crown Prosecution Service areas; if he will publish in the Official Report, such figures as are available for the period since 1 April 1997; and if he will make a statement. [32568]

Table 1 shows the number of defendants whose case was received from the police during the year ending March 1997, the year ending December 1997, and the quarter ending December 1997. The figures are inclusive of non-criminal proceedings and of cases in which the Service advised the police pre-charge.Table 2 shows the number of cases completed by the Service in magistrates' courts for these periods, and the way in which they were finalised. Pre-charge advice cases and non-criminal proceedings are identified separately. The remainder of finalised cases are divided into those discontinued before the first court hearing; discontinuances at the first hearing and subsequent to the first hearing, but before trial; cases written off; those resulting in a bind over to keep the peace; committals to the Crown Court; proceedings discharged at a committal hearing; and cases heard in magistrates' courts. Hearings are inclusive of guilty pleas as well as cases proceeding to a contested hearing after a plea of not guilty.Table 3 shows the number of proportion of hearings resulting in conviction and in dismissal in magistrates' courts.Tables, 4, 5 and 6 show the same information for each of the 42 proposed new Crown Prosecution Service Areas for the period April-December 1997. This information is provisional until such time as the new structure of the Crown Prosecution Service becomes operational.The number of cases handled by the Service has increased slightly over the last year for which figures are available: during the year ending December 1997, receipts increased by 3% and finalisations increased by 3.9%.During 1997, a total of 161,461 cases were discontinued. This amounted to 12.2% of completed cases, compared with 12% during 1996. The overall level of discontinuance fell from 13.3% in 1992, and has remained little changed at around 12% for the last four years. The scope for further falls is dependent of the police not beginning cases where the evidence is incomplete.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement as to the nature of the statistics compiled in relation to cases referred to the Crown Prosecution Service since 1 April 1996 in relation to each of the new Crown Prosecution Service areas. [32570]

The information systems maintained by the Crown Prosecution Service are sufficiently flexible to provide in relation to the new areas information on case numbers and outcomes from April 1996 equivalent to that presently available in relation to the 13 existing areas.

To ask the Attorney-General what is his latest estimate of the costs of millennium compliance for (a) the Crown Prosecution Service, (b) the Serious Fraud Office, (c) the Treasury Solicitor's Department and (d) the Government Property Lawyers; and by what date compliance testing will be completed within (a) to (d). [32567]

The position is as follows:

(a) the latest estimate of the costs of millennium compliance for the Crown Prosecution Service is £663,000 with compliance testing expected to be complete by the end of May 1998.

(b) The latest estimate of the cost of millennium compliance for the Serious Fraud Office is £300,000 with compliance testing expected to be complete by the end of the year.

(c) and (d) I would refer to the information place in the library of the House by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 3 March.

To ask the Attorney-General how many and what percentage of cases in England forwarded by the police to the Crown Prosecution Service for prosecuting were discontinued in each year from 1994 to 1997. [33020]

The number and percentage of defendants whose cases were discontinued are as follows:

Year	Discontinuances	as % of completed cases in magistrates' courts
1994	149,014	11.8
1995	145,472	11.9
1996	141,420	11.9
1997	148,852	12.1

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what notification her Department has received from the European Commission about the consultation process relating to the future of the Phare and Tacis Democracy Programmes; and if she has responded to that consultation process. [33311]

The European Commission has tabled a draft Council Regulation for discussion in the Development Co-operation Working Group, covering the European Community's human rights and democratisation programmes worldwide (including Phare and Tacis countries). The Department will be contributing fully to the Working Group Discussion. We have not otherwise been invited to participate in consultations on the Phare and Tacis Democracy Programmes.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department will contribute to the Phare and Tacis Democracy Programmes in the current year. [33309]

The budget for the Phare and Tacis Democracy Programmes in 1998 is 25 mecu. The UK share of the programmes will be approximately 15% (i.e. about £2.5 million).

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she has received concerning the European Commission's review of the Phare and Tacis Democracy Programmes. [33310]

We received no representations concerning the review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of housing has been built on (a) recycled and (b) green field land in each of the last 12 years by county and region in Scotland. [32427]

While this information is not held centrally at present, research will be commissioned shortly to advise on how best it might be collected for current local authority areas in Scotland.

	Derelict Land			Vacant Land			Total Vacant and Derelict
Authority	Area (ha)	% of area	No. of Sites	Area (ha)	% of area	No. of Sites	Area (ha)	% of area	No. of Sites
Aberdeen City	5	2	8	15	4	22	20	3	30
Aberdeenshire1	7	2	13	2	1	4	9	1	17
Angus	2	1	5	5	1	3	8	1	8
Argyll and Bute	1	0	1	11	3	11	12	2	12
Clackmananshire	0	0	1	1	0	2	1	0	3
Dundee City1	16	5	19	36	9	47	52	8	66
East Dunbartonshire	0	0	0	5	1	7	5	1	7
East Lothian	2	1	3	2	1	3	4	1	6
East Renfrewshire	1	0	2	9	2	15	10	1	17
Edinburgh, City of	3	1	4	33	8	20	36	5	24
Falkirk	4	1	7	36	9	27	41	6	34
Fife	8	3	14	2	1	8	10	1	22
Glasgow City	48	16	25	81	21	75	129	19	100
Inverclyde	0	0	1	7	2	16	7	1	17
Moray	3	1	4	2	1	4	5	1	8
North Ayrshire	4	1	4	8	2	8	12	2	12
North Lanarkshire	110	38	48	36	9	18	146	21	66
Perthshire and Kinross	4	1	2	1	0	1	5	1	3
Scottish Border1	4	1	11	9	2	12	13	2	23
Renfrewshire	0	0	1	23	6	29	24	3	30
Shetland Islands	2	1	2	0	0	0	2	0	2
South Ayshire	3	1	2	15	4	10	17	2	12
South Lanarkshire	58	20	29	26	7	35	84	12	64
Stirling	2	1	2	3	1	3	4	1	5
West Dunbartonshire	7	2	7	19	5	7	26	4	14
Western Isles1	0	0	0	10	3	4	10	1	4
Scotland	293	100	215	395	100	391	688	100	606
1The figures for Scottish Borders, Aberdeenshire, Dundee and the Western Isles are since the 1994 survey, as they contain district areas that did not participate in the 1995 survey.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will ensure that enough funds are obtained to achieve the restoration of the Phoebe Traquair murals in the Mansfield Place Church, Edinburgh, and its opening to the public. [32541]

The repair and restoration of Mansfield Place Church, Edinburgh is the responsibility of the owners. As the church is a category A-listed building of outstanding architectural and historic interest, it is open to the owners to apply for financial assistance under the Historic Buildings Repair Grants Scheme administered by Historic Scotland, as well as from other sources. In determining an application, the Agency would take due account of the urgency of the repair work, the extent to which public access would be provided, the other demands on its budget and the views of the Historic Buildings Council for Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of (a) the percentage and surface area of recycled land by county and region in Scotland and (b) the percentage and surface area of this land which requires decontamination. [32424]

Information is not held centrally on all land that is recycled. However, the table provides information from the Scottish Vacant and Derelict land Survey 1996 on vacant and derelict land which was brought back into use since the 1995 survey.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what grants are available to assist with the cost of decontaminating recycled land in Scotland; and what grants have been available in each of the last 12 years. [32425]

Scottish Enterprise, which came into being on 1 April 1991, has comprehensive discretionary powers under Section 4 of the Enterprise and New Towns (Scotland) Act 1990 to undertake or assist the undertaking of the development, re-development and improvement of the environment. Scottish Enterprises's predecessor body, the Scottish Development Agency, had broadly similar powers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to ensure that teachers have the time, materials and resources requested by teachers' organisations to implement in full the Higher Still programme by August 1999. [32540]

Within months of taking office, we allowed an extra year for teachers to prepare for Higher Still. This has been widely welcomed.By the time Higher Still classes commence in schools in 1999, around £20m will have been invested in the reforms by The Scottish Office, with further substantial sums invested by other key partners. This investment will ensure that teachers in S5 and S6 are better supported than ever before. The Higher Still Development Unit has provided local authorities and colleges with detailed plans of what will be provided, and when. These timelines cover the period from now to implementation in 1999, to the Advanced Higher in 2000 and beyond.The most significant initiatives in support of teachers are: the National Staff Development Programme, offering all principal teachers and subject leaders in-depth training; the support materials strategy, offering teaching support materials; the National Assessment Bank, offering nationally validated tests for teachers; and IT based guidance materials.In the run up to introduction of the reforms, a programme of implementation studies will assist authorities in considering priorities and managing implementation within available resources. Field Officers have been assigned to work with each authority on implementation planning.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent response he has made to the concerns expressed by teachers of English about the content of the Higher Still English syllabus. [32542]

Additional seminars and advice have been provided to English teachers about the new course. The Higher Still assessment arrangements are broadly comparable to those of the existing Higher. I recognise, however, that the workload associated with assessment in English has been an issue for English teachers for some time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the money allocated for tourism per head in Scotland for the years 1995 to 1998. [32261]

The Grant-in-Aid allocated to the Scottish Tourist Board expressed per head of population in Scotland is as follows:

Year	£
1995–96	3.43
1996–97	3.54
1997–98	3.79
1998–99	3.79

These figures exclude the residual impact of Section 4 grants, to support tourism business development. The Section 4 scheme in Scotland was suspended in 1993.The tourism industry in Scotland also benefits from the support and activities of other public agencies, including Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (which provide support for business development), the British Tourist Authority, Scottish Natural Heritage, Historic Scotland and local authorities. It is not possible to quantify the total spend directly attributable to activities in support of tourism in Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which authority has regulatory responsibility for the waste disposal shaft and other repositories of waste at Dounreay. [32797]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: The regulatory responsibilities on nuclear licensed sites such as Dounreay are differentiated according to the activities being carried out, not specifically according to the facility. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) regulates primarily the disposal of radioactive waste on or from the site and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regulates primarily hazards both to workers and to members of the public from any work carried out on the site, including the accumulation and storage of radioactive waste. The waste disposal shaft, which has not been used since 1977, is a disposal facility for Intermediate Level Waste. Accordingly, SEPA regulates aspects relating to disposal of waste and HSE regulates aspects relating to work on the shaft. A similar split of responsibilities relates to the pits where Low Level Waste is disposed. Radioactive waste is also stored in a number of facilities at Dounreay. HSE regulates the accumulation and storage of the waste while SEPA regulates any discharge from these stores. SEPA and HSE co-operate to ensure effective and comprehensive regulation of the site.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the Government will support proposals for a programme of work on protected areas at the Fourth Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity. [31540]

The Fourth Meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity has a number of issues on its agenda. In formulating our position for the meeting, the Government will be considering the case for an initiative on protected areas.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he intends to announce his decision in relation to the planning application relating to Sainsbury's at Cockermouth. [31727]

I expect to announce a decision shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the Government's policy regarding toll roads. [31667]

The Government are currently reviewing all aspects of transport policy as part of their commitment towards developing an integrated transport policy. One issue being addressed is whether to make greater use of the price mechanism, for instance through road user charging, to influence travel choice. The forthcoming Transport White Paper will set out our conclusions on this issue in the context of our overall objectives towards a sustainable transport system.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the maintenance and investment budget for rolling stock, signalling and track in each of the last 10 years for the Northern Line of London Underground. [32634]

Information in the format is readily available only since 1994/95, when responsibility for maintenance of equipment and infrastructure assets was devolved to individual lines.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the maintenance and investment budget for London Underground's Northern Line stations in each of the last 10 years. [32635]

This information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on (a) train, (b) signal and (c) track failures in each of the last 10 years for the Northern Line of London Underground. [32636]

Information in the format requested is readily available only since 1994–95, when responsibility for maintenance of equipment and infrastructure assets was devolved to individual lines.

Year	Trains	Signal	Track
1994–95	3,044	179	150
1995–96	4,888	234	130
1996–97	3,536	194	40
1997–98	3,846	191	15

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what percentage of housing has been built on (a) recycled land and (b) greenfield land in each of the last 12 years by county and region in England. [32419]

There is no specific definition of 'recycled' land but it is usually taken to mean land previously developed for urban uses. These uses include residential, transport and utilities, industry and commerce, community services, previously developed vacant land and derelict land. The Department's Land Use Statistics for England provide information on the percentage of new dwellings (excluding conversions) built on land previously developed for urban uses since 1989. Table 1 gives estimates for the number of new dwellings built on previously developed land, by Government Office Region for the period 1989 to 1993 (the most recent available). Figures are not available at county level. Table 2 shows the proportion of land for new housing that was previously developed over the same period, by Government Office Region.There is no specific definition of 'greenfield' land, but it could be interpreted as 'land not previously developed'. The proportion of housing built on 'greenfield' land would then simply be the difference between 100 (per cent) and the figures in the Tables.

Table 1: Proportion of new dwellings1 built on previously developed land: Government Office Region
percentage
Region	1989	1990	1991	1992	21993
North East	43	42	47	55	41
North West and Merseyside	49	55	55	62	62
North West	47	55	55	60	57
Merseyside	61	52	53	71	80
Yorkshire and Humberside	43	44	42	47	51
East Midlands	40	38	35	36	33
West Midlands	44	47	48	52	56
Eastern	51	52	46	48	51
London	87	83	84	89	87
South East	55	54	53	50	52
South West	44	42	34	40	36
England	51	50	49	53	53
1Excludes conversions
2Provisional estimate

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of (a) the percentage and surface area of recycled land by county and region in England and (b) the percentage and surface area of this land which requires decontamination. [32416]

There is no specific definition of 'recycled' land, but it is generally taken to mean land previously developed for urban uses. These uses include residential, transport and utilities, industry and commerce, community services, previously developed vacant land and derelict land. Figures on the total stock of previously developed land available for recycling are not held centrally. However, my Department is currently working with the Local Government Management Board, local authorities, English Partnerships, and others to establish a National Land Use Database that will provide, as a priority, a consistent assessment of previously developed land available for housing.Estimates of the amount of derelict land—defined as

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what grants are available to assist with the cost of decontaminating recycled land in England; and what grants have been available in each of the past 12 years. [32417]

Both English Partnership and the Single Regeneration Budget Challenge Fund can support projects which include land reclamation. Applications to English Partnerships are handled within the framework provided by its overall development programme (Investment Fund), largely as part of its Land Reclamation and Partnership Investment Programmes. The operation of this Fund emphases flexible partnerships and funding mechanisms and on maximising private investment. The Challenge Fund operates in a similar manner. Money from the European Structural funds can also be used for land reclamation as part of a wider project.My Department ceased to accept further applications for Derelict Land Grant (DLG) in March 1994 when the programme ended. Since April 1994, transitional arrangements have been in place whereby English Partnerships make payments to local authorities on behalf

of the Secretary of State for all DLG projects which had been approved at that time. Annual payments have, inevitably, decreased, with an annual breakdown as follows:

Year	£ million
1986–87	61.9
1987–88	66.9
1988–89	57.8
1989–90	52.4
1990–91	67.1
1991–92	81.5
1992–93	105.4
1993–94	103.8
1994–95	84.6
1995–96	65.5
1996–97	25.0
1997–98	18.0

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what percentage and surface area of recycled land has been decontaminated

Table 1: Derelict land reclaimed annually between 1 April 1988 and 31 March 1993: by standard region
hectares
Standard region	1 April 1988 to 31 March 1989	1 April 1989 to 31 March 1990	1 April 1990 to 31 March 1991	1 April 1991 to 31 March 1992	1 April 1992 to 31 March 1993
North	337	340	431	272	180
North West	274	392	314	208	527
Yorkshire and Humberside	170	327	269	261	429
West Midlands	393	287	182	304	301
East Midlands	601	203	143	420	463
East Anglia	16	8	37	49	37
South West	79	136	103	111	147
South East (excluding Greater London)	108	60	46	157	114
Greater London	52	30	53	27	90
England	2,030	1,783	1,576	1,808	2,286

Estimates of the amount of derelict land reclaimed, and the amount of this land that was used for housing are available from the "Survey of Derelict Land 1993". Derelict land is defined as "land so damaged by industrial or other development that it is incapable of beneficial use without treatment". Table 1 shows, for the period 1988 to 1993 (the most recently available), the amount of derelict land reclaimed annually, by Standard Region. Figures to county level are shown in Table 14 of "Survey of Derelict Land in England 1993 Volume 2—Reference Tables", a copy of which is in the Library. Table 2 shows the amount of that land that was used for residential purposes, by Standard Region. Information on the end use of derelict land is not available at county level.Figures on the total stock of previously developed land available for recycling are not held centrally. However, the Department is currently working with the Local Government Management Board, local authorities, English Partnerships, and others to establish a National Land Use Database that will provide, as a priority, a consistent assessment of previously developed land available for housing.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the number of hectares of contaminated land in each of the last 12 years in each county and region. [33035]

The information requested is not currently collected.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to introduce additional charges for non-residential car parking spaces; and what estimates he has made of the revenue which will be so raised from Government Departments. [32221]

[holding answer 2 March 1998]: The Government are currently looking at the potential costs and benefits of a levy on non-residential parking places. They will set out their conclusions on whether to legislate to introduce such a levy in the forthcoming transport White Paper. No separate assessment has been made of the financial implications for Government Departments of this policy option.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the experiment of fitting cameras to buses to record the identity of other vehicles misusing bus lanes; and if he will make a statement. [31495]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: The Traffic Director for London is running a pilot project in North London to test the technology to be used for bus lane enforcement. The results will be made public shortly.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many cases have been tried at Swadlincote magistrates' court in each of the last five years. [32101]

The Lord Chancellor's Department does not collect statistics at this level of detail. Swadlincote forms part of the Derby and South Derbyshire Petty Sessional Division, where 11,599; 12,184; 12,804; 12,456 and 12,862 cases were completed in 1993–1997 respectively.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what guidance he has issued to county magistrates' committees on the allocation of cases where the nearest convenient magistrates' court for a locality is in another county. [32180]

No guidance has been issued.The magistrates' courts have statutory jurisdiction to try indictable offences triable either way and to deal with preliminary matters relating to indictable-only offences, wherever committed, by virtue of the Magistrates' Court Act 1980.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department on how many occasions police witnesses have been called at Swadlincote Magistrates' Court in each of the last five years. [32179]

These figures are not collected centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what guidelines are available to county magistrates' committees to define the appropriate geographical distance and elapsed travel time from an individual's locality to the magistrates' court at which his case is to be heard. [32178]

No formal guidelines are issued by the Department. Decisions on accessibility of magistrates' courts are a matter for each magistrates' courts committee (MCC) to determine in conjunction with their paying authority.However, distance and travelling time between one court and another is one of the geographical factors that is taken into account when the Lord Chancellor considers an appeal against the proposed closure of a magistrates' court in accordance with section 56 of the Justices of the Peace Act 1997.Also, when assessing the need for new buildings with a Private Finance Initiative provider, the Department suggests that courthouses should be within 10–15 minutes' walk of more than one form of public transport. The Department does not provide guidance on total travel distance or time.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the reasons which have led to the transfer of cases to other courts from Swadlincote Magistrates' Court over the last five years; and if he will estimate the number of cases transferred on account of each reason. [32177]