To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Green Paper on Welfare Reform, if the Government's definition of universal national benefits would cover disability living allowance (a) subject to taxation and (b) means-tested. [38867]

[holding answer 20 April 1998]: The Welfare Reform Green Paper sets the framework for the review of disability living allowance, rather than offer detailed proposals for reform. However it makes it clear that disability living allowance will remain a universal, national benefit and as such will not be subject to a means test.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will express the Bank of England's inflation target in terms of the harmonised index of consumer prices. [39571]

The Government's inflation target of 2½ per cent. was confirmed in the March Budget. It is defined as the 12-month increase in the Retail Prices Index excluding mortgage interest payments (RPIX).

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance he has issued to the Monetary Policy Committee on the account it should take of trends in the harmonised index of consumer prices where they differ from the RPI trend. [39575]

The Chancellor's guidance to the Monetary Policy Committee is set out in his remit letter of 12 June 1997.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research he has commissioned on the accuracy of the RPI as a measure of inflation. [39570]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the principal factors which underlie differences in trends of (a) the RPI and (b) the harmonised indices of consumer prices. [39566]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated financial impact of reductions in the number of Inland Revenue staff in 1998–99; what consultation with trades unions took place on this matter; and what assessment he has made of the impact of staff reductions on the Revenue's capacity to deal with self-assessment of taxation. [38068]

The Inland Revenue has no plans to reduce staff numbers during 1998–99. Existing staffing plans, drawn up before the Budget, indicate that employee numbers will remain broadly level, at just under 50,000, over the course of the year. This has been discussed with union representatives. Adequate numbers of trained people are in place to deal with Self Assessment.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for the payment of tuition fees to be set against income for tax purposes. [39028]

Tax relief is already available for certain payments made for vocational training. Details of the relief are given in the Inland Revenue leaflet IR119 "Tax relief for vocational training". While we have no plans to introduce an expensive general tax relief for tuition fees, the hon. Gentleman should be aware from our recent consultation paper on the Learning Age (Cm 3790) that we are considering targeted public support to encourage people to open individual learning accounts which might involve tax incentives.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will allow the payment of tuition fees for full-time undergraduates to be set against income for personal taxation purposes.[39030]

Help is already available to those who need it most. It would not be appropriate to give tax relief to those able to afford the fees.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what basis he set an inflation target of 2.5 per cent. for the Bank of England, Monetary Policy Committee; what plans he has to review that target rate; and what assessment he has made of the effect of that rate on the exchange rate. [39572]

The Chancellor set out the basis of the 2½ per cent. inflation target in his remit for the Monetary Policy Committee and the Mansion House speech on 12 June 1997. He noted that the inflation target will be confirmed in each Budget. The UK's inflation rate relative to that in other countries is only one of a range of factors that influence the exchange rate.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he proposes that the Bank of England Act 1998 should come into force. [40074]

An order has been made today bringing into force all the provisions of the Act on 1 June 1998.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will ensure that registration records over 75 years old are made easily and cheaply available by means of microfilmed copies. [39648]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what were the perceived sources by country of origin and method of procurement of weapons thought to have been used by Republican and Loyalist paramilitaries in each fatal and non-fatal shooting incident forensically investigated by the security forces since 1982. [37808]

The information sought is not available and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the number of homophobic incidents recorded by the RUC in each of the last five years; what estimate she has made of the under-reporting of homophobic crime; and what proposals she has to increase the confidence of homosexual people in reporting crimes against them to the police. [39208]

[holding answer 22 April 1998]: The statistical information requested is not currently available. The crime-recording database maintained by the RUC is based on Home Office "counting rules". It is not programmable to elicit the requested information.The RUC is engaged in discussion with representative groupings throughout Northern Ireland to foster better relationships and encourage the homosexual community to report offending against them on the understanding that such reports will be investigated in the impartial and professional manner in which the RUC investigates all reported offending.The RUC is also currently reviewing policy in this area. to take account of recent Association of Chief Police Officers' Guidelines (December 1997) for dealing with incidents involving the gay and lesbian community.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list by category of offence, the type of offences reported or recorded as homophobic crime. [39215]

[holding answer 22 April 1998]: The information requested is not currently available. The crime-recording database maintained by the RUC is based upon Home Office "counting rules". It is not programmable to elicit the requested information.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what decision has been taken about Sir Herman Ouseley's continuation as Chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality. [40005]

I am very glad to announce that Sir Herman has agreed to continue in his present position and that I have re-appointed him for a further term of office up to 18 April 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) legal practitioners and (b) victims have taken part in the inter-departmental review of vulnerable and intimidated witnesses announced on 13 June 1997. [39382]

The working group on vulnerable or intimidated witnesses included a representative from Victim Support as well as representatives from the Lord Chancellor's Department and the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers. The working group received about fifty written contributions from a wide range of organisations and individuals, including the Law Society, the Criminal Bar Association and organisations representing victims. Two special conferences were held towards the end of last year to test out some of the ideas being considered by the working group. These were attended by individuals concerned with these important issues including members of the judiciary and the legal profession and non-governmental organisations representing victims. The working group found this to be an extremely valuable exercise which greatly assisted their work.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there were in each police force, on 31 March; if he will list the change in numbers in each force and in total from (a) 30 September 1997 and (b) 31 March 1997; and if he will make a statement. [39477]

Information on police numbers at 31 March 1998 is not yet available. The table sets out police numbers in each force at 31 March and 30 September 1997 along with the change during that period.Ministers have no direct control over police numbers. Under legislation passed by the previous Government in 1994, it is for individual chief constables to determine the number of police officers in their force area, within the resources available to them.

Police strength for ordinary duty
Police force	Total ranks as at 30 september 19971	Total ranks as at 31 March 19971	Change in numbers
Avon and Somerset	2,973	2,989	-16
Bedfordshire	1,081	1,094	-13
Cambridgeshire	1,292	1,302	-10
Cheshire	2,029	2,046	-16
City of London	836	859	-23
Cleveland	1,481	1,459	21
Cumbria	1,162	1,144	19
Derbyshire	1,757	1,791	-34
Devon and Cornwall	2,910	2,865	46
Dorset	1,279	1,284	-5
Durham	1,479	1,461	18
Dyfed Powys	1,008	1,005	4
Essex	2,944	2,961	-16
Gloucestershire	1,107	1,133	-25
Greater Manchester	6,908	6,922	-14
Gwent	1,229	1,243	-14
Hampshire	3,481	3,452	29
Hertfordshire	1,738	1,759	-14
Humberside	2,030	2,045	-15

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many entries on the Sex Offenders Register have been found to be inaccurate. [39645]

Ensuring that the data on the Register are accurate and up-to-date is a key concern of the police both at national and local level. Police forces have in place local arrangements for validating and auditing the data on a regular basis. This includes checking the whereabouts of convicted paedophiles to ensure that they are correctly registered. A number of national checks of data have also been run to identify any anomalies (such as registrations from those not required to register under the Act) which are then referred back to local forces for action.Statistics about the accuracy of the Register in general terms are not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for Solihull will receive a reply to his letter to him dated 10 February and his further letter on the same subject dated 15 April. [39583]

I wrote to the hon. Member on 7 April in response to his letter to me of 10 February. We have not yet received a letter dated 15 April from the hon. Member but will reply to any additional points raised in it as soon as possible after receipt.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of prisoners currently serving sentences for drug-related offences in (a) HMP Risley and (b) the North-West Region. [39368]

[holding answer 23 April 1998]: Provisional information shows that there were 130 persons sentenced for drug offences in Her Majesty's Prison Risley on 31 March 1998. This compares with 1,520 persons in the North West region (including those in Her Majesty's Prison Risley) which includes the Prison Service Areas of Mersey, Manchester and the North West.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his Department's policy in relation to the local provision of probation services. [39500]

We see it as important that the probation service should operate effectively at local level, which includes co-operating effectively on crime reduction and community safety strategies with local authorities and other agencies. What this means in terms of the future organisation, structure and funding of the service is a

Annual budget allocation
£
Establishment	1998–99	1997–98	1996–971995–96	1994–95
Feltham	16,042,210	16,165,897	15,595,945	15,536,387	16,089,614
Dover	5,517,990	5,507,813	5,623,501	5,663,100	5,723,758
Rochester	7,821,366	7,943,709	8,024,739	7,857,789	7,601,974
East Sutton Park	1,691,063	1,680,767	1,705,875	1,680,606	1,751,577
Chelmsford	8,554,320	8,553,137	8,938,337	8,408,845	8,294,729
Bullwood Hall	3,659,040	3,881,069	3,722,832	3,711,636	3,721,190
Reading	5,247,400	4,956,465	5,055,179	5,237,792	5,400,991

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many 15 and 16 year old young offenders were on remand in Feltham Young Offenders Institution for (a) two to three months, (b) three to six months and (c) over six months prior to conviction or acquittal during each of the last three years for which figures are available; and how many currently on remand have spent more than three months awaiting conviction or acquittal. [39300]

The information requested is given in the tables.

Table 1 Population of untried prisoners aged 15 and 16 years in Feltham Young Offender Institution by length of time since first reception11995–1997
	Length of time since first reception into a Prison Service establishment
Date	2–3 months	3–6 months	over 6 months
31 March 1995	4	3	-
31 March 1996	7	5	2
31 March 1997	9	5	2
1 Time since first reception on remand into a Prison Service establishment. This includes any intervening time spent on bail but excludes time spent in police cells beforehand.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department has issued on the size of population centre in respect of which individual probation offices should be maintained. [39501]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many warrants issued by magistrates courts for breach of a probation, community service or combination order are currently outstanding; what was the average period taken by the police to enforce such a warrant in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.[38659]

I regret that this information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the budgets given to the governors of each young offender institution in (a) London and (b) the South East for each of the last five years for which figures are available. [39298]

The information is given in the table.

Table 2 Population of untried prisoners aged 15 and 16 years in Feltham Young Offender Institution by length of time since first reception1on 31 March 1998
Date	Length of time since first reception into a Prison Service establishment Over 3 months
31 March 1998	11
1 Time since first reception on remand into a Prison Service establishment. This includes any intervening time spent on bail but excludes time spent in police cells beforehand.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average time young offenders spend on remand in young offenders units prior to conviction or acquittal.[39299]

The information requested is given in the table.

Estimated average time spent in custody for untried young offenders in 1997
Type of Custody	Average number of days in custody
Untried	140
1 Time spent in Prison Service establishments before conviction, acquittal etc.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the terms of reference of the spending review relating to the asylum process. [39389]

A copy of the terms of reference for the inter-departmental study of the asylum process has now been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he will take to bring the London Underground East London line into use for rail passenger services; and if he will make a statement. [39677]

My right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport officially re-opened the East London Line on 24 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will estimate the latest punctuality figures for Great Western Trains in terms of the percentage of passengers whose trains arrive on time. [39699]

Latest punctuality figures for Great Western Trains will be published in the Franchising Director's next network performance bulletin in May. Punctuality figures for the year up to 7 December 1997 were published in the bulletin dated 15 January 1998, copies of which are in the Library of the House. Punctuality data are collected in terms of the percentage of scheduled services which arrive on time (within 9 minutes 59 seconds of the scheduled journey time), Monday-Saturday, not the percentage of passengers whose trains arrive on time.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the average level of rent paid by local authority tenants in (a) Greater London and (b) England in each year since 1989. [39339]

The average weekly rents for local authority tenants for the financial years since 1989–90 are as follows:

£
	England1	Greater London1
1989–90	20.86	24.65
1990–91	23.92	29.10
1991–92	27.59	36.76
1992–93	30.84	41.77
1993–94	33.70	45.72
1994–95	35.79	47.05
1995–96	38.41	50.76
1996–97	40.17	53.11
1997–98	41.18	54.20
1 Provisional

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the average level of rent paid by tenants of housing associations and other registered social landlords in (a) England and (b) Greater London in each year since 1989. [39340]

Rents covering the whole Registered Social Landlords/housing associations stock have been collected by the Housing Corporation since 1992. The average weekly rents for England and Greater London are as follows:

£
	at 31 March
	England	Greater London
1992	29.62	32.97
1993	34.34	39.90
1994	38.17	42.74
1995	40.71	46.25
1996	44.00	50.28
1997	46.74	53.12

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the average level of rent paid by tenants of private landlords in (a) England and (b) Greater London in each year since 1989. [39338]

The figures shown in the table are from the Family Expenditure Survey (FES) for years up to 1992 and from the Survey of English Housing (SEH), which has a larger sample, from 1993–94. The FES was run on a calendar year basis up to 1992, while the SEH has been on a financial year basis since it started in April 1993.

Average rents of tenants of private landlords, 1989 to 1996–97
£ a week
	England	Greater London
1989	31	45
1990	43	55
1991	51	77
1992	55	76
1993–94	65	97
1994–95	68	99
1995–96	74	105
1996–97	81	125

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to undertake consultation on matters relating to the private rented sector, with particular reference to houses in multiple occupation. [39337]

We are committed to introducing a national licensing system for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) where the worst housing conditions in the private rented sector tend to be found. We expect to consult on proposals later this year. I cannot say at this stage when we will have the opportunity to legislate. In the shorter term we propose to introduce a Code of Practice under existing powers covering fire safety and other amenity standards in HMOs. We expect to issue a consultation paper during the summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the applicability and enforcement of county structure plans in respect of transport policies in circumstances where they conflict with proposals within the forthcoming Government White Paper. [39585]

Section 54A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 requires all decisions on planning matters to be made in accordance with the adopted development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Where plan policies are superseded by new planning policy guidance issued by the Secretary of State, local authorities must have regard to the new guidance when taking planning decisions. They will also take account of the revised guidance when updating their development plans. The Secretary of State will have regard to any more recent guidance in determining called-in planning applications on appeals.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list the statutory provisions governing ex gratia payment in cases involving employment agencies. [39426]

There are no statutory provisions specifically ex gratia payments in cases involving employment agencies.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on funding for research and development into remediation technologies applicable to contaminated land.[39353]

There are a range of schemes to encourage R&D applicable to contaminated land remediation. The main ones are listed below.The Foresight programme brings together Government, industry and researchers to define a common agenda.The five year Link Biological Treatment of Soil & Water Programme provided £4.6m of Government funding; although it is now closed to new projects dissemination is ongoing.The Water Biotreatment Club is a forum established with DTI funding for those involved in environmental biotechnology research and development.The Biotechnology Means Business (BMB) Initiative is a package of measures aimed at increasing awareness of the opportunities biotechnology presents and encouraging implementation of biotechnology within industry.URGENT is a £9.7m programme of urban environmental research launched in February of this year, which will include research into the costs involved in recovering and developing contaminated land.CONSEPT will be a series of land remediation technology projects—some to be underway by the Autumn. The Steering group is chaired by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions. It aims to take forward remediation technologies from the scientists' bench to workable, marketable solutions by getting research bodies and industry together to establish test sites. The budget is c.£10k per year for approximately 3 years.The SMART scheme provides grants to assist with technical and commercial feasibility studies into innovative technology and to develop, up to pre-production prototype, new products or processes which demonstrate significant advances on existing technology.Finally there is the Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme: contaminated land remediation is not a priority area at present but could be considered if industry put forward a case.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations she has received on the recent increase in the level of postal charges to Europe above that for inland post; and if she will make a statement. [39483]

The Post Office consulted the Government and the Post Office Users National Council (POUNC) about the proposed increase, who have accepted the need for it. Handling costs have risen and the Post Office was not fully covering its costs. It is still one of the cheapest rates in Europe.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what comment she has made of the effect on British industry of substituting the 20 per cent. reduction in the greenhouse gases specified in the Kyoto Protocol for the Government's target for the 20 per cent. reduction in carbon dioxide. [38955]

The Government plan to publish a consultation document in the summer on a new Climate Change Programme. This will focus on policy options for meeting our legally binding target from Kyoto, but also look at measures that would move beyond that towards our aim of a 20 per cent. reduction in CO² emissions. We are inviting views from all sectors throughout this consultation process.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to restructure Post Office Counters Ltd., with particular reference to plans to allow the separation of the Logistics Business Unit from POCL. [39456]

Decisions relating to the day-to-day running of the postal businesses, such as the internal structure and organisation of constituent business units, are the responsibility of the Post Office Board and management.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the Omani British Offset Programme was agreed; and if he will list specific defence sales agreements which it contains. [39243]

I have been asked to reply.I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave her on 21 April 1998,

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects the review on the National Curriculum in Wales to report. [38817]

The Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority (ACCAC) are due to report on the review of the National Curriculum in June. The report will deal with proposals for the year 2000. Additionally, I have now received the Authority's advice on how best to reduce overload in the primary school curriculum. I wrote to all schools to announce my response to this on 23 April.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the level of literacy rates within each county and county borough in Wales. [38603]

In July 1997 The Basic Skills Agency published the results of a 1995 survey of people aged 16 to 64 which showed the following (see table) levels of reading skills in the old county council areas.The available information for school pupils relates to performance in National Curriculum Tests in English and Welsh at age 7, 11 and 14. The latest information was contained in the National Curriculum results booklets published last November. Copies are available in the Library of the House.The White Paper "Building Excellent Schools Together" set out our proposals for improving standards of literacy so that by the year 2000 between 60 and 70 per cent. of our 11 and 14 year olds should attain the expected levels in the core subjects including English and Welsh; and by the year 2002 this should be raised to between 70 and 80 per cent.

percentage
	Good reading skills	Average reading skills	Very low1and low2
Clwyd	358	30	13
Dyfed	57	26	17
Gwent	35	45	21
Gwynedd	47	39	14
Mid Glamorgan	48	35	17
Powys	49	40	11
South Glamorgan	51	36	13
West Glamorgan	65	23	12
1 Serious difficulties with reading.
2 Relatively poor reading skills.
3Figures do not always add up to 100 per cent. because of rounding.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on prospects for the tourism industry. [39431]

Tourism in Wales has enjoyed particular success in recent years and prospects look good for the future.It is estimated that in 1997 spend by tourists in Wales will total £1.9 billion including £234 million from overseas tourists.The European summit in June and the Rugby World Cup in 1999 provide further opportunities to raise the profile of Wales world-wide. The Wales Tourist Board in collaboration with other agencies and the Tourism Industry itself is working to ensure that Wales derives maximum benefit from these events.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assistance his Department provides for deaf and autistic children; and if he will make a statement. [39436]

Local education authorities and schools are responsible for identifying and making appropriate provision for children with special educational needs (SEN), including children with sensory impairment and specific learning difficulties associated with autism. In making appropriate provision, schools and LEAs are required to have regard to the guidance contained in the `Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of SEN', a copy of which is in the Library of the House.The Department is undertaking a comprehensive review of SEN policy, practice and guidance in the light of responses to the recent Green Paper on SEN 'The BEST for Special Education' (Cm 3792). The Green Paper places greater emphasis on earlier identification and more appropriate intervention and highlights the importance of stronger regional planning in the provision of effective SEN support, particularly in relation to children with low incidence disabilities such as sensory impairment and autism.SEN provision in schools in Wales will benefit from the additional £50 million revenue funding being provided for schools this year, and the additional capital funding being provided for school buildings over the lifetime of this Parliament.The Department also makes some £1.3 million available each year under the Grants for Education Support and Training (GEST) programme to support the effective implementation of the Code of Practice and for SEN teacher training. The training of teachers of pupils with sensory disabilities and autistic children are specific priorities under the GEST programme.In addition to grant aiding a number of voluntary SEN/disability support organisations, the Department has made £500,000 available to local authorities in Wales for the period 1996–97 to 1997–98 under the Schools Access Initiative. This initiative is designed to improve access to schools and the curriculum for pupils with physical and sensory disabilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 20 April 1998, Official Report, column 440, and 30 March 1998, Official Report, column 399, if he will make a statement on the compatibility of the figures quoted for the cost of the void office space to be covered by the accumulated figures for the reserves of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority with the figures quoted for the actual reserves accumulated in the last five years. [39692]

The level of reserves at each financial year end varies depending on several factors including provisions for void space, capital cash flow and supplies stock levels.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what performance targets have been set for the Meteorological Office for 1998–99. [40004]

The Chief Executive of the Meteorological Office is responsible for providing meteorological services and weather forecasts for a wide range of customers, including the Armed Forces, government, civil aviation, shipping, emergency services, media, commerce, industry and the public. It also undertakes research related to meteorology and climate. During 1998–99 the Meteorological Office will be set the following challenging targets:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what dates the programme officers and the requirements officers of the 1980 Memorandum of Understanding on chemical and biological defence between Britain, the United States of America and Canada have met since 1 January 1995; and where these meetings were held. [38611]

The dates and locations of the meetings of the Programme Officers and Requirement Offices of the 1980 MOU and CBD since 1 January 1995 are as follows:

Date	Location
6–7 March 1995	US Army Chemical School, Fort McClellan, AL, USA
19–20 September 1995	CBD Porton Down, UK
19–20 March 1996	Defence Research Establishment Suffield, Medicine Hat, Canada
17–18 September 1996	US Naval Coastal Systems Station, Florida, USA
13–14 March 1997	CBD Porton Down, UK
16–17 September 1997	Defence Research Establishment Suffield, Medicine Hat, Canada
10–11 March 1998	Natick Research, Development and Engineering Centre, Natick, USA

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the reductions in total spending at DERA in Shoeburyness in consequence of the transfer of work to Eskmeals; and what will be the additional costs involved in carrying out this work at Eskmeals. [36388]

[holding answer 26 March 1998]: There is currently significant overcapacity on the DERA test and evaluation land ranges. The proposals made by DERA to match the capacity of the ranges to the needs of the Ministry of Defence involve concentrating work at the Eskmeals range, thereby using capacity at that site, with the range at Shoeburyness and Pendine operating only as required. The environmental test centre and the demilitarisation facilities at Shoeburyness would remain fully operational. The cost of operating the Eskmeals and Shoeburyness sites in this way is assessed as about £15.8 million per year; were the Eskmeals site to be closed and all of the work concentrated at Shoeburyness, the annual cost would be £16.8 million. Currently, the two sites cost some £23.9 million to operate each year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of spending on sewn and knitted products for service personnel is purchased from (a) UK-based companies, (b) EU-based companies and (c) non-EU-based companies. [36818]

The bulk of procurement of sewn and knitted products for service personnel is carried out through the Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency and I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the gross value of textile and knitwear contracts placed with Remploy was in (a) 1993–94 and (b) 1997–98. [36820]

The bulk of the MOD contracts placed with Remploy for procurement of textile and knitted products are carried out through the Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency and I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member. In addition there may be some local purchase of items from Remploy for which we do not hold records centrally and which could be identified only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent in each of the last five years on the purchase of sewn and knitted products for service personnel. [36816]

The bulk of the procurement of sewn and knitted products for service personnel is carried out through the Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency and I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member. In addition there is some expenditure by individual MOD budget areas on local purchase of clothing services, which includes non-centrally supplied items, footwear repair and supply of cleaning cloths. Records on the procurement of these items are not held centrally and to identify expenditure on them would involve disproportionate cost.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 6 April 1998, Official Report, columns 68–69, when the Government review on quangos will be completed. [38815]

My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster published a consultation paper on 11 November reaffirming the Government's commitment to keep the number of quangos to a minimum and setting out proposals for making those which remain more open, accountable and effective. We are currently evaluating the 400 or so responses to the consultation paper, which we have received from a wide range of individuals and organisations, and propose to publish the results of the consultation when it is completed later this year.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the legality and enforcement issues raised by the outcome of the case known as Procurator Fiscal v. Sutherland. [39661]

The Sheriff in Selkirk in the case of the Procurator Fiscal v. Sutherland held that Regulation 3(2) of the Beef Bone Regulations is defective. This judgment, which was based on legal argument and not food safety issues, is not binding on any other UK Courts, including those in Scotland. The Procurator Fiscal was granted leave to appeal and has now done so. The Regulations thus remain in force and the controls on the sale, use and disposal of beef bones, including those in respect of bone-in beef, continue to be valid and will remain so unless the judgment is confirmed on appeal.The requirements of these Regulations are essential for the protection of public health and the Government expect them to continue to be observed and enforced throughout the country. Advice has been issued to all food law enforcement authorities to make this clear—copies are being placed in the Library of the House.In addition, the terms of the judgment should not affect the normal refrigeration of meat which should continue to be transported, stored and sold at the appropriate temperature.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he plans to take to compensate restaurateurs for loss of trade regarding sales of beef on the bone following the outcome of Procurator Fiscal v. Sutherland. [39662]

None. There could be no justification for compensation, and we have in any case received no such claims.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list those organophosphate-based treatments currently licensed by his Department, indicating in each case what they are licensed for and which licences have been revoked in the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [39330]

Organophosphorus-based sheep dips currently authorised are:

• Diazinon-based:
• Coopers All Seasons Fly and Scab Dip
• Diazadip All Seasons Sheep Dip
• Osmonds Gold Fleece Sheep Dip
• Paracide Plus
• Top Clip Fly and Scab Dip

• Propetamphos-based
• Flyte 1250/Seraphos Scab Approved
• Ectomort Centenary

Some of these dips may be marketed under alternative names. Details are given in the list of all sheep ectoparasiticides, which is published every six months and a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.Other OP-based veterinary medicines are:

OP-based veterinary medicines
Species	Product	Active substance
Salmon	Aquaguard Sea Lice Treatment	Dichlorvos
Dogs	Baccara Insecticidal Collar for Small Dogs	Diazinon
Cats	Beaphar Flea Collar for Cats	Diazinon
Dogs	Beaphar Flea and Tick Collar for Dogs	Diazinon
Cats	Beaphar 3 Month Flea Collar for Cats	Diazinon
Dogs	Beaphar 3 Month Flea and Tick Collar for Dogs	Diazinon
Cats	Catovel Pretty Care Elast. Insect. Collar for Cats	Diazinon
Dogs	Cyflee Tablets 30mg	Cythioate
Cats	Cyflee Tablets 7.5mg for Cats	Cythioate
Dogs	Cyflee Tablets 30mg for Dogs	Cythioate
Dogs	Cyflee Tablets 7.5mg for Small Dogs	Cythioate
Cats	Hartz Rid Flea Long Life Collar for Cats	Tetrachlorvinphos
Dogs	Hartz Rid Flea Long Life Collar for Dogs	Tetrachlorvinphos
Dogs	Hartz Rid Flea Collar for Dogs	Tetrachlorvinphos
Cats	Hartz Rid Flea Collar for Cats	Tetrachlorvinphos
Cats	Hartz Rid Flea Powder for Cats	Tetrachlorvinphos
Dogs	Hartz Rid Flea Powder for Dogs	Tetrachlorvinphos
Cats	Nuvan Top	Dichlorvos
Dogs	Otello Insecticidal Collar for Dogs	Diazinon
Cats	Otello Insecticidal Collar for Cats	Diazinon
Pigs	Porect	Phosmet
Cattle Poron 20	Phosmet

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will implement the recommendations made by the Farm Animal Welfare Council in 1992 for a legislative requirement for a twice-daily inspection of flocks of broiler chickens; and if he will make a statement. [37779]

We intend to implement the Farm Animal Welfare Council recommendation for twice daily inspection in the new welfare code for broiler chickens which is currently in preparation. Changes to the current legislative requirement for inspection at least once a day are, in our view, best pursued at EU level. The effectiveness of the new code will be kept under review.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will implement the recommendation made by the Farm Animal Welfare Council in 1992 that stocking densities for broiler chickens should be controlled by regulations; and if he will make a statement. [37774]

The new welfare code for broiler chickens which is currently in preparation will repeat and reinforce the current recommendation for a maximum stocking density of 34 kg per sq metre. Implementation of a statutory limit is, in our view, best pursued at EU level. The effectiveness of the new welfare code will be kept under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 12 March 1998, Official Report, column 292, and the subsequent letter from Highlands and Islands Enterprise, (1) if Highland and Islands Enterprise's appraisal of the proposed funicular railway on Cairn Gorm assessed the likely increase in (a) the number of tourist days and (b) visitor expenditure; [38597](2) what was the projected impact on the winter and summer businesses of

These are operational matters for Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I will ask the Chairman of that organisation to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 12 March 1998, Official Report, column 292, and the subsequent letter from Highlands and Islands Enterprise, if he took into account the contents of HIE's economic appraisal in approving the expenditure by HIE on a funicular railway on Cairn Gorm; and what independent assessment of this appraisal his Department sought. [38596]

The economic appraisal of the proposed funicular railway project was one of the factors which my right hon. Friend and I took into account in deciding to approve the financial contribution of Highlands and Islands Enterprise to the project.My right hon. Friend and I do not usually seek an independent assessment of the economic appraisals carried out by or for Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Professional advice on the contents of such appraisals is available from Departmental officials.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has received from SEPA in respect of their recent assessment of the total radioactive inventory put into (a) the access shaft and (b) the storage silo at Dounreay. [38884]

The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has recently revised its assessment of the total inventory of radioactive material disposed of to the shaft. I understand that this report has not yet been issued to SEPA but it is expected in the near future. With regard to the silo, the regulatory responsibility rests with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). An inventory of the contents of the silo does exist and is currently the subject of refinement by the UKAEA.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Saudi Arabia in connection with their detention of Sarah Jane Dematera. [39352]

Our Embassy in Riyadh has requested information about the case of Ms Dematera from the Saudi government. We await a response.The Embassy is also in touch with the Philippines Embassy in order to monitor developments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the arrangements made for the importation of radioactive nuclear material from Georgia; what plans have been made for reprocessing this material; what steps are being taken to safeguard the public during transportation and reprocessing; and if he will make a statement. [39586]

I would refer my hon. Friend to the oral statement I made on 22 April 1998, Official Report, columns 821–27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Georgian highly-enriched uranium has arrived in the UK. [40073]

The Georgian uranium arrived in the UK on US military aircraft in the early hours of this morning. It has now arrived safely at Dounreay where it is being handled by the UK Atomic Energy Authority.In line with the oral statement I made on 22 April 1998,

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to reply to the letters to him dated 12 January, 13 February and 18 March from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Miss G. Shabeen, 26 Tagove Close.[39478]

Inquiries into the facts of this case have been completed and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will write to my right hon. Friend as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement identifying which articles of which international human rights agreements to which the UK is a signatory are breached by countries where adults and children are used as bonded labour. [39356]

We regard bonded labour as an intolerable form of labour akin to slavery, forced labour and compulsory labour. The international human rights instruments to which the United Kingdom is a party and which specifically prohibit or require the suppression of slavery, forced and compulsory labour are as follows:

(a) The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Article 8 of the Covenant states that no one shall be held in slavery; that slavery and the slave trade in all their forms shall be prohibited; that no one shall be held in servitude; and that no one shall be forced to perform forced or compulsory labour;

(b) The United Nations Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery. Article 1 of the Convention requires States parties to take all practicable and necessary legislative and other measures to bring about progressively and as soon as possible the complete abolition or abandonment of, among other institutions and practices, debt bondage, serfdom and any institution or practice whereby a child or young person under the age of 18 years is delivered by either or both of his natural parents or by his guardian to another person, whether for reward or not, with a view to the exploitation of the child or young person or of his labour.

(c) The International Labour Organisation Convention (No 29) Concerning Forced Labour. Article 1 of the Convention requires each State party to suppress the use of forced labour or compulsory labour in all its forms within the shortest possible period;

(d) The International Labour Organisation Convention (No 105) Concerning the Abolition of Forced Labour. Article 1 of the Convention requires each State party to suppress and not to make use of forced or compulsory labour.

Any State which ratified these human rights instruments would be in breach of its legally binding obligations if it did not fulfil its undertakings in respect of these Articles.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy towards the proposed new international convention banning the worst abuses of child labour to be discussed at the International Labour Organisation meeting in June; and if he will make a statement. [39676]

We strongly support the development of a new International Labour Organisation Convention to eradicate the most intolerable forms of child labour. We will be participating very actively in the discussions to draw up the new instrument and we will seek to ensure that when adopted in 1999 it will be effective in terms of the progressive elimination of all extreme forms of child labour.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which aspects of the Government's human rights policy are his Department's responsibility. [39678]

This Department has overall responsibility for the Government's international human rights commitments. It works in partnership with other departments in Whitehall including the Department for International Development, which is responsible for the rights of poor and disadvantaged peoples in poorer countries; DfEE, which has lead responsibility within Whitehall for the UK's policy within the International Labour Organisation; DTI; the Home Office; and the Lord Chancellor's Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the legislation recently passed by the Provisional Legislature in Hong Kong exempting Chinese state organisations from the territories' laws with Article 22 of the Basic Law; and if he will make a statement. [39680]

It is reasonable that the Hong Kong SAR Government should adapt references to the British Crown in Hong Kong's laws. We share the concerns expressed in Hong Kong about the implications of the way in which this legislation has been drafted, including the extent to which Chinese state bodies will be bound by local laws.The question of the Ordinance's compatibility with Article 22 of the Basic Law involves interpretation of Hong Kong law, and would therefore be a matter for the Hong Kong courts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) if he will list, for each education authority the number of (a) A to C and (b) A to E GSCE grades achieved per 1,000 (i) in total, (ii) normalised against an index of social deprivation across the authority catchment area and (iii) normalised against an index of achievement by pupils in the authority catchment area at the age of 11 years; [38296](2) if he will list for each education authority the number of A-level successes

Information on the GCSE and A/AS Level performance of pupils in each LEAs maintained schools as shown in the 1997 Performance Tables, copies of which I have placed in the Library.Also shown are estimates of the attainments which LEAs would have achieved if their performance had been in line with the national pattern for authorities with a similar

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what consultations his Department initiated prior to the development of the literacy strategy; and with which bodies.[39151]

I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 7 April 1998, Official Report column 227, and to my answer of 22 April 1998, Official Report, column 660.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the members of the Skills Task Force indicating the criteria governing their appointment.[38869]

I am very grateful that those listed have agreed to be members of the Skills Task Force. They were chosen on the basis of their knowledge and experience and ability to bring different perspectives to the issues which will be addressed by the Task Force.

To ask the President of the Council if she will list the benefits and the monetary value of benefits granted to each opposition party, including details for both Houses of Parliament and both Short Money funding and other allocations, with special reference to (a) salaries of the Official Opposition Leader and whips, (b) salaries and costs of civil servants attached to the Official Opposition Whips' Office, (c) the provision of a car and driver to the Leader of the Opposition and (d) the supply of newspapers and other services to the Official Opposition Whips' Office for (i) 1996–97, (ii) 1997–98 and (iii) 1998–99. [38950]

1996–97
	£
Financial Assistance to Opposition Parties (Short Money):
Labour	1,530,190.51
Liberal Democrats	316,480.64
SNP	36,782.68
Plaid Cymru	22,040.36
Ulster Unionist	46,357.18
Democratic Unionist	15,954.37
SDLP	23,134.12
Total	1,990,939.86

1997–98
	£
Period: 1 April 1997 to April 1997 (pre General Election)
Labour	129,017.97
Liberal Democrats	26,677.05
SNP	3,100.65
Plaid Cymru	1,858.35
Ulster Unionist	3,908.76
Democratic Unionist	1,345.23
SDLP	1,950.53
Total	167,858.54
Period: 1 May 1997 to March 1998 (post General Election)
Conservative	986,762.82
Liberal Democrats	371,997.98
SNP	46,167.90
Plaid Cymru	21,210.96
Ulster Unionist	47,580.34
Democratic Unionist	11,618.90
SDLP	18,553.51
Total	1,503,892.41

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security which Minister took the final decision to proceed with the advertising campaign for the winter fuel payments. [39716]

The advertising campaign for Winter Fuel Payments was approved by Ministers in the normal way. We were determined that pensioners should not be fearful of turning up their heating if a cold spell occurred. We also considered it important that pensioners knew as quickly as possible how much they would receive, as well as how and when it would be paid.We explored the simplest and most cost-effective ways to let them know that a payment would be made. A publicity strategy was developed, which took account of views expressed by three of the pensioner welfare organisations, on the most effective ways to get the necessary information to as many of the eligible pensioners as possible. We found that a multi-media package, costing an estimated £1.7 million, was likely to reach and inform around 80 per cent. of the ten million eligible pensioners. In approving the package, I considered the cost reasonable, given that this was an unprecedented exercise providing help to over seven million pensioner households, at a total cost of £400 million over two years.Following the announcement of the detail of the scheme in January, a campaign was swiftly launched in conjunction with Help the Aged, Age Concern and the National Association of Citizen's Advice Bureaux. It included advertisements in the press and on television, leaflets, posters and a dedicated telephone Helpline.

All work test—total
Quarter		31 December 1996	31 March 1997	30 June 1997	30 September 1997
1. Total	Number	13,958	13,307	17,382	16,950
In appellants favour	Number	6,459	6,003	7,543	6,641
	Per cent.	46.27	45.11	43.40	39.18
2. Total	Number	4,885	4,513	5,467	4,734
In appellants favour	Number	2,499	2,297	2,844	2,419
	Per cent.	51.16	50.90	52.02	51.10
3. Total	Number	244	229	302	279
In appellants favour	Number	125	121	145	111
	Per cent.	51.23	52.84	48.01	39.78
4. Total	Number	5,181	4,937	5,863	4,875
In appellants favour	Number	3,502	3,247	3,934	3,346
	Per cent.	67.59	65.77	67.10	68.64
5. Total	Number	3,648	3,628	5,750	7,062
In appellants favour	Number	333	338	620	765
	Per cent.	9.13	9.32	10.78	10.83