To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate how many employees earn between £81 and £450 a week. [39773]

[holding answer 27 April 1998]: 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 (1) what estimate he has made of the cost of making historic registration records available by means of microfilmed copie; [39720](2) what proposals he has to make historic registration records available by means of microfilmed copies; [39721](3) what proposals he has to make historic registration records more than 75 years old open to public scrutiny. [39722]

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 if he will make a statement on the progress of the Commonwealth Debt Initiative laid out in his Mauritius speech in September 1997, indicating which countries have received, or are to receive, relief, the level of that relief and when it will be applied. [39669]

The Government have made considerable progress in securing international agreement to the Mauritius Mandate and will continue to press for its speedy and determined implementation.To date, decisions have been made on the timing and level of relief to be granted under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative to six countries. Uganda has actually completed the process and bilateral creditors signed an agreement to give it 80% relief on its stock of debt on April 24 in Paris.The table illustrates how much additional debt relief the countries that have had decision points under the HIPC initiative will receive after all other debt relief mechanisms have been applied (ie after a reduction in their stock of debt of 67% by Paris Club creditors), and when they are due to receive that relief (assuming that they stay on track with their current IMF programmes).

Country	Completion point	Amount of HIPC debt relief (USD million)
Bolivia	September 1998	448
Burkina Faso	April 2000	115
Cote d'Ivoire	March 2001	345
Guyana	December 1998	253
Mozambique	Summer 1999	1,487
Uganda	Completed April 1998	347

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much is owed to the European Union by countries identified under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries initiative; and how much it has already agreed to write off. [39667]

The total exposure of the EU to the 20 countries that are presently thought likely to get debt relief under the HIPC initiative is about 5% of the total debt owed to all multilateral creditors by HIPCs. This amounts to approximately $1 billion.The EU has agreed to put 40 million ECU of interest on European Development Fund assets towards financing the first part of the EU's component of HIPC debt relief to these countries.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the benefits of using a share of increased revenue of the insurance premium tax for a neighbourhood risk reduction fund for areas where a high proportion of residents have difficulty in affording home contents insurance. [38173]

No. I am sure, however, that the Home Office would be interested to hear about any ideas my hon. Friend has for better targeting public expenditure at areas where the risk of crime is high.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings have taken place or are planned between ministers of Her Majesty's Government and (a) the Moroccan Government and (b) Polisario to discuss the implementation of the UN Peace Plan for Western Sahara. [39951]

I propose to visit Morocco on 19 and 20 May and while there to meet ministers of the new Government. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will meet Mr. Filali, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Morocco, at Palermo during the Euro-Med ad hoc Ministerial on 3 and 4 June.Ministers have not yet met any representatives of Polisario. At present, no meetings are planned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what percentage of the (i) paid and (ii) unpaid appointments which he has made to non-departmental public bodies since 1 May 1997 were women. [39406]

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has made or approved 2 paid and 11 unpaid appointments of women to non-departmental public bodies since 1 May 1997. These appointments account for 50% and 58% respectively of the total made in the same period. We are committed to increasing the representation of women in public life. In support of this, we are currently drawing up an action plan for increasing the number of women and ethnic minorities holding public appointments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what new exceptions there have been to the embargo on Argentina. [40345]

We have recently granted an exception to the embargo to allow the sale of a further 110 NBC suits and 110 pairs of boots for use by the Argentine contingent of the UN task force in Kuwait. This is an exception but not a change to the embargo.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 6 April 1998, Official Report, column 73, if he will list the occasions on which he has promoted and supported British companies abroad. [38553]

[holding answer 20 April 1998]: As a Prime Minister concerned with ensuring we have a prosperous and competitive economy, I have taken and will continue to take formal and informal opportunities in meetings and visits both in the UK and overseas to promote British business interests.

To ask the Prime Minister (1) how many white papers published since May 1997 have been considered and approved by the full cabinet prior to their publication; [39255](2) if the submission of a draft white paper to the full cabinet for consideration and approval is a matter determined by the sponsoring Minister; and what factors are taken into consideration in determining if the drafts are so submitted. [39256]

[holding answer 20 April 1998]: Paragraphs 90–93 of the Ministerial Code set out guidance for Ministers and Departments on the handling of White Papers. The guidance is exactly the same as that applied by the previous administration.Collective consideration of draft White Papers is generally appropriate where major policy issues are raised or the proposals can be expected to be of critical importance to the public. The detailed policy contained in White Papers is normally considered and approved by members of the relevant Cabinet Committee.

To ask the Prime Minister if the proposed White Paper on industrial relations and employment law will be considered and approved by the full cabinet prior to publication.[39257]

[holding answer 20 April 1998]: The White Paper will be considered in accordance with the normal procedures for White Papers.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list those individuals and organisations he has consulted on the legal basis of his Government's claim that there is no constitutional bar to United Kingdom participation in economic and monetary union. [39756]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer to my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 17 November 1997, Official Report, column 18.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 29 April. [39226]

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 29 April. [40182]

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 29 April. [39787]

This morning, I had meetings with Ministerial colleagues and others. I also did a live video broadcast on the Internet. In addition to my duties in the House, I will have further meetings later today.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many and what percentage of the (i) paid and (ii) unpaid appointments which he has made to non-departmental public bodies since 1 May 1997 were women. [39408]

Since 1 May, 1 have made a total of 80 appointments including reappointments. Of these, 24 (30 per cent.) were women.Women were appointed to 8 (36 per cent.) of the 22 paid appointments and to 16 (28 per cent.) of the 58 unpaid appointments.The Government are committed to increasing the representation of women in public life. In support of this, my Department is currently drawing up an action plan for increasing the number of women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds holding public office.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many and what percentage of the (i) paid and (ii) unpaid appointments which his Department has made to non-departmental public bodies since 1 May 1997 were women. [39398]

Of the non-judicial appointments made to our non-departmental public bodies since 1 May, 3 (or 33%) of the paid appointments have been women and 91 (or 36%) of the unpaid ones have been women.The Government are committed to increasing the representation of women in public life. In support of this, my Department has drawn up an action plan for increasing the number of women and ethnic minorities holding public appointments.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will review the small claims court procedure as it operates in respect of prisoners serving custodial sentences; and if he will make a statement. [40117]

Prisoners have the same rights of access as other persons to civil procedures, including small claims.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much of the regional settlement grant remained unclaimed by the London boroughs of (a) Hackney, (b) Islington, (c) Lambeth and (d) Southwark in each of the years 1990 to 1997. [38239]

[holding answer 8 April 1998]: There are no grants of that name.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what statistical analyses of the usage of footpaths designated under rights of way legislation he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated; and if he will publish the results of the latest available. [39891]

Highway authorities have statutory responsibilities for recording and maintaining public rights of way, including footpaths, in their areas. My Department does not hold records of footpath usage, nor have we commissioned or evaluated any statistical analysis of usage.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what assessment he has made of the amount of brownfield land available for development (a) in each region and (b) in each county; [40098](2) if he will take into account the amount of brownfield land available for development in each region and county when setting regional and county targets for housing provision. [40099]

The Government's policy statement "Planning for the Communities of the Future" proposes that regional planning conferences, not the Government, should set targets for their regions for the provision of new homes on previously-developed land.To help assess what is feasible in each region, the Department is 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. We already monitor land use change, including the degree to which new housing is being built on previously-developed land, and this should enable the regional planning conferences to assess what has been achieved. Both these sources will provide information both at regional and county level and will help ensure that the targets set by the regional planning conferences are both challenging and realistic.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on progress towards implementing the proposal in "Planning for the Communities of the Future" to establish a task force to examine the use of recycled land for housing. [40243]

I am pleased to announce that the membership of the Urban Task Force, to be chaired by Lord Rogers of Riverside, has now been finalised. The Task Force is:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many and what percentage of the (i) paid and (ii) unpaid appointments which he has made to non-departmental public bodies since 1 May 1997 were women. [39397]

The Secretary of State has made 180 paid and 153 unpaid appointments to non-departmental public bodies since 1 May 1997 of which 39 (22%) and 27 (18%) respectively are held by women.The Government are committed to increasing the representation of women in public life. In support of this, my Department is currently drawing up an action plan for increasing the number of women and ethnic minorities holding public appointments.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what tests of dioxin levels at the site of the former Avenue Cokeworks at Wingerworth in Derbyshire he has commissioned; and if he will make a statement. [40172]

No tests of dioxin levels have been commissioned at the site of the former Avenue Cokeworks at Wingerworth in Derbyshire as the activities at this site are not considered to be significant sources of dioxins. While all combustion activities are likely to generate some dioxins, the Environment Agency report that the levels detected in or on the ground within the site would be expected to be similar to those which have been detected in urban areas. The Environment Agency and its predecessors have undertaken extensive dioxin monitoring in the river sediments in and around Chesterfield since the early 1990s. There have been no significant dioxin levels in the sediments of the River Rother upstream of its confluence with the River Doe Lea indicating that there have been no significant inputs of dioxins from the Avenue site. In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) has been monitoring dioxins in cow's milk from farms in the Derbyshire area since 1991; these results have been published.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects the location for the headquarters of the Regional Development Agency in the West Midlands will be announced. [39784]

The location of the offices of the West Midlands RDA will be a matter for the Agency itself to decide. I expect that the RDA Board will be appointed by the autumn.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress his Department is making in identifying good practice among the Local Agenda 21 Groups. [39871]

In partnership with the Local Government Management Board, the Department funds the 'Local Agenda 21 Case Study Project' which aims to identify and disseminate examples of best practice by Local Agenda 21 Groups. The project is managed by a cross-sectoral Steering Group of organisations concerned with Local Agenda 21 implementation, including representatives of the LGMB, DETR, the Worldwide Fund for Nature, the Environment Council, the Community Development Foundation, Shell Better Britain Campaign, UNED-UK, Community Matters and Groundwork. During the first year, thirty five case studies were published and disseminated and a further sixteen are to be published shortly. The case studies can also be accessed via the Internet either through the DETR website (http://www.environment.detr.gov.uk) or through the Local Sustainability pages of the European Good Practice Information Service (http://cities21.com/europractice).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 29 January 1998, Official Report, column 327, if he will provide a revised figure for the representations received by his Department from residents of Fernhill Heath, Worcestershire. [40163]

In total, over 90 representations have been received in respect of Wychavon Local Plan but having examined our records carefully I can now confirm that the actual number received from residents of Fernhill Heath amounts to 30.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what research has been (a) carried out and (b) commissioned by his Department on the problems of coastal erosion, the causes, and costs of necessary repairs. [39985]

I have been asked to reply.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the average cost in (a) the 1996–97 financial year and (b) the 1997–98 financial year of members of (i) the Territorial Army and (ii) the regulars. [39633]

The information requested is as follows.The capitation rates show the average cost of Army personnel. They include all pay, allowances, earnings-related national insurance contributions and benefits, as well as allowances for support, accommodation, individual training and higher formation costs.

	Capitation rate regular army1		Capitation rate territorial army2
Rank	1996–97	1997–98	1996–97	1997–98
Colonel	91,780	97,820	12,174	14,169
Lt Colonel	82,763	88,027	8,015	8,988
Major	62,495	66,819	6,578	6,784
Captain	49,119	52,588	4,521	4,769
Lieutenant	39,878	42,755	2,787	2,762
2nd Lieutenant	30,416	32,401	1,089	1,288
WO1	50,461	·52,375	7,016	7,658
WO2	46,369	48,138	7,855	8,428
Staff Sergeant	41,951	43,701	7,214	7,437
Sergeant	39,777	41,489	6,303	6,587
Corporal	35,585	37,252	5,250	5,394
Lance Corporal	29,858	31,387	4,114	4,211
Private	24,069	25,747	1,372	1,228
1Based on 365-day liability for duty.
2Based on the following average training days achieved at each rank:

Colonel: 61Lt Colonel: 45Major: 42Captain 36Lieutenant: 262nd Lieutenant: 15W1: 58W2: 67Staff Sergeant: 61Sergeant: 57Corporal: 50Lance Corporal: 44Private: 14

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what pay codes and definitions were used relating to working in a radiation environment at Chatham Dockyard; [39578](2) if he will make a statement on codes 37 (obnoxious condition) and 38 (extremely obnoxious conditions) as applied for industrial employees at Her Majesty's Naval Base, Chatham; [39580](3) what the definitions were for the permanent allowance codes

The pay and allowance codes referred to are no longer in use. It is not possible, without making further inquiries, to establish to which industrial allowances they related or to provide definitions.The circumstances in which Obnoxious Conditions and Exceptionally Obnoxious Conditions Allowances were payable at Chatham Dockyard are also being investigated. Both allowances are currently payable generally to Ministry of Defence industrial staff where conditions include work in an enclosed environment, where the ambient temperature is above 32°C or below 0°C and the work is undertaken in a confined space.I will write to my hon. Friend on both aspects when these inquiries are complete.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which British embassies and high commissions have a military attaché; what are their ranks; what staff they have; and what is the cost of the military department in those embassies and High Commissions. [39940]

The following British Embassies and High Commissions have a resident military attache: Abu Dhabi, Accra, Amman, Ankara, Athens, Bangkok, Beirut, Belgrade, Berne, Bogota, Bonn, Brasilia, Bratislava, Bridgetown, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Canberra, Caracas, Colombo, Copenhagen, Damascas, Dhaka, Doha, Dublin, Guatemala City, The Hague, Harare, Helsinki, Islamabad, Jakarta, Kampala, Kathmandu, Kiev, Kingston, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait City, Lisbon, Madrid, Manila, Mexico City, Moscow, Muscat, Nairobi, New Delhi, Nicosia, Oslo, Ottawa, Paris, Peking, Prague, Pretoria, Rabat, Riga, Riyadh, Rome, Santiago, Seoul, Singapore, Sofia, Stockholm, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, Vienna, Warsaw, Washington, Wellington, Zagreb. A further 70 countries are covered by non-residential accreditations. The military attaches are provided by the three armed services and comprises of, 1 Major-General, 2 Commodore RN, 17 Captains RN, 8 Commanders RN, 2 Lt Commanders RN, 9 Brigadiers, 33 Colonels, 17 Lt Colonels, 2 Majors, 3 Air Commodores, 12 Group Captains, 9 Wing Commanders, and 2 Squadron Leaders. They are supported by 3 Commissioned Officers, 66 Senior Service Non-Commissioned Officers, 45 Civil Servants (Personal Secretaries/Administrative Officers) and 125 Locally Engaged civilians.The cost to the Defence Budget is £20.8m. The direct cost to the FCO budget is estimated at around £10m.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons his Department stopped exposing service personnel at the defence nuclear biological and chemical centre at Winterbourne Gunner to mustard agent; and what health and safety guidelines applied to such exposure. [38615]

I regret that surviving records reveal very little about the exposure of personnel to Mustard Agent at the Defence Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Centre (DNBCC). It is known, however, that, between 1966 and 1980, students at the Centre were exposed to a small amount of the Agent, about the size of a pinhead, on their wrist as part of Confidence Training. The intention was to prove and give confidence to the chemical agent decontamination process which was taught by the Centre and which the students were expected to teach to members of their parent units on their return. The practice was stopped on advice from the Chemical Biological Defence Establishment at Porton Down because it was not compatible with emerging health and safety guidelines.Procedures for the conduct of the test were laid down in a NBC Defence Training Pamphlet and were explicit in their instructions as to the safety precautions to be observed, but no specific health and safety guidelines were extant at the time covering these specific types of test. I regret that no further details are available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if British veterans of nuclear tests received different lengths and degrees of exposure to radiation in the course of the tests; and what was the extent of such variations. [39427]

Of the 21,358 test participants included in the study carried out by the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), only 1,716 (8 per cent.) had non-zero recorded radiation doses. To determine the length of time over which the doses were accumulated could be done only at disproportionate cost. The NRPB report, published in 1993, contains (on page 12) details of the collective dose and other relevant information. A copy of the report is in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the establishment targets for (a) the High Readiness Reserve and (b) the Sponsored Reserve; and if he will make a statement. [39635]

Since the Reserve Forces Act 1996, which introduced the concepts of High Readiness and Sponsored Reserves, came into force on 1 April last year, the Services have been developing these concepts. Although some initial estimates have been produced, there is at present no formal establishment target for High Readiness Reservists. The use of Sponsored Reservists will depend on a detailed assessment of the costs and operational risk in each particular case, and the proposals that we receive from Industry for meeting our requirements. It would, therefore, not be appropriate for us to set overall establishment targets for Sponsored Reservists.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list by (a) unit, (b) strength and (c) purpose, deployments of Territorial Army units in 1997 in military aid to the civil community (MACC) tasks, stating in each case the costs, if any, to the civil authorities. [39626]

I have placed a list of incidences of military aid to the civil community undertaken by Territorial Army units during 1997, together with the costs charged to local authorities (note 1) or other clients (note 2) in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of the (i) paid and (ii) unpaid appointments which he has made to non-departmental public bodies since 1 May 1997 were women. [39410]

Since 1 May 1997, to date, women have been appointed to 2 paid and 1 unpaid appointments to the Department's Non-Departmental Public Bodies, representing 2.5% and 3.8% respectively of the total appointments and reappointments made in that period. The Government are committed to increasing the representation of women in public life. In support of this, my Department has drawn up an action plan for increasing the number of women and ethnic minorities holding public appointments.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what targets he has set for the Forensic Science Service Agency for 1998–99. [40529]

I expect the Forensic Science Service (FSS) Agency to continue to improve its efficiency and effectiveness during 1998–99.The financial targets for 1998–99 are to recover full economic costs; to achieve a unit cost efficiency improvement over the three years ending 1998–99 of 9 per cent.; to meet 90 per cent. of delivery dates agreed with customers; to maintain accreditation to the National Measurement and Accreditation Service and the International Organisation for Standardisation 9001 standards and to audit customer satisfaction through a biennial external survey.The FSS is looking to increase output by 32 per cent. over the next two years to improve further its service to the criminal justice system. This will mean the creation of around 300 jobs.The FSS will also continue its pioneering research programme. Over the last two years, around £6 million has been invested in new developments, mainly in DNA services.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures were followed to establish the availability of appropriate treatment in Nigeria for people with mental illness prior to a decision being made on Emmanuel Ekpo's immigration case; and what assessment he made of the treatment available for people with mental illness in Nigeria. [39364]

It is normal practice, when the Immigration Service receives representations on medical grounds against the removal of a person who is here unlawfully, for inquiries to be made about the availability of suitable treatment in the destination country. These inquiries are normally made through the British diplomatic post there. These were the procedures followed in Mr. Ekpo's case.It was established that the medication Mr. Ekpo has been taking is readily available in Nigeria. Psychiatric treatment is also available, albeit less widely than in the United Kingdom and at a cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the conduct of prison officers and Group 4 officers who removed Emmanuel Ekpo from HMP Rochester's hospital on 31 March, indicating for what reasons (a) he was not given a health check prior to removal from the hospital, (b) he was not allowed to use the telephone to ring his solicitor, Member of Parliament or family members, (c) the usual exit was not used to remove Mr. Ekpo and (d) he was not allowed to collect his personal belongings prior to removal. [39366]

Mr. Ekpo was located in the Health Care Centre at Rochester prior to removal and was seen daily by a medical officer. He was under constant observation by staff and a full running medical observation was recorded on him. Mr. Ekpo had access to a telephone throughout the morning period and immediately after the lunch time meal. He was refused a request to use the telephone at the time of departure of the escort as it would have delayed his removal. It was decided to remove him direct from the Health Care Centre and not from Reception to reduce the opportunity for Mr. Ekpo to attempt to harm himself. His personal belongings were placed into sealed bags and handed to the escorting staff, according to standard procedure.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the conduct of Group 4 officers on the arrival of Emmanuel Ekpo at their headquarters in Harmondsworth, with particular reference to toilet facilities not being available to him. [39365]

Mr. Ekpo resisted removal from Her Majesty's Prison Rochester and twice attempted self harm en route to Harmondsworth. On arrival at Harmondsworth, a decision was made to keep him in the cellular van with three members of staff in attendance at all times, while arrangements were made to find suitable accommodation for him. This decision was made both in the light of his disruptive behaviour at a time when visitors were visiting the centre, and also in his own interests as it was considered that the opportunity for further self-harm was minimised while he remained in the van. Group 4 informed the Immigration Service that at no stage while in the van did Mr. Ekpo request toilet facilities. If staff had been made aware of such a request all possible steps would have been taken to arrange this. Mr. Ekpo was escorted to a Harmondsworth building and was examined by a doctor who declared him fit to be detained. Mr. Ekpo was offered, but declined to accept, both food and medication. He was finally detained at Northside Police Station, Heathrow Airport.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who authorised the removal of Emmanuel Ekpo from HMP Rochester's hospital on 31 March and his planned deportation the next day. [39367]

In accordance with authority received from the Deportation Section of the Home Office, removal directions were set by the Immigration Service at Becket House for Mr. Ekpo to be removed from the United Kingdom at 11.35 am on 1 April from Terminal 4, Heathrow Airport. Arrangements were made for Mr. Ekpo to be accompanied by escorts from a security company. This information was then passed to the Harmondsworth Detention Management Unit, which made arrangements for Mr. Ekpo to be transferred out of Rochester on 31 March 1998 and for him to be accommodated overnight in a police station near to Heathrow Airport, pending his deportation on the morning of 1 April.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the number of criminally-active drug users who were convicted of offences in England and Wales in the last year for which figures are available. [40137]

The information requested is not available. However, the Home Office has a research programme designed to shred further light on the links between drugs and crime. A study conducted by the University of Cambridge of drug use by samples of people arrested by the police in various English cities was published recently (Home Office Research Study 183—Drugs and crime: the results of research on drug testing and interviewing arrestees), a copy of which is available for consultation in the Library. Key points to emerge were that:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were imprisoned for drug-related offences (a) nationally and (b) in the North-West in each of the last five years. [39370]

[holding answer 23 April 1998]: The available information is for England and Wales and is given in the table. Information on receptions of drugs offenders into prisons in England and Wales is published in successive volumes of "Prison statistics, England and Wales" (tables 3.9, 4.6 and 5.6 of the 1996 edition, column 3732), copies of which are in the Library.

Receptions under sentence1 into Prison Service establishments in England and Wales for drugs offences, 1993–1997
Year	England and Wales	North West Region2
1993	3,139	685
1994	3,483	423
1995	4,729	743
1996	6,100	1,023
19973	7,074	1,203
1Excludes fine defaulters.
2Includes the Prison Service Areas of Mersey, Manchester and the North West.
3 Provisional figures.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will reduce the age of candidature for public elections to 18 years; and if he will make a statement. [40130]

The Working Party on Electoral Procedures, which I chair, will, as part of its review, consider what should be the minimum age for standing as a candidate for election.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable), of 20 April 1998, Official Report, columns 511–12, on Feltham Young Offenders Unit, how many of the self-inflicted deaths and incidents of self-injury between 1993–94 and 1997–98 involved 15 and 16 year olds on remand. [39757]

There were no self-inflicted deaths at Feltham among 15 and 16 year olds on remand between 1993–94 and 1997–98. Information on incidents of self-injury for each of the dates given is not recorded centrally according to age or status. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of the (i) paid and (ii) unpaid appointments which he has made to non-departmental public bodies since 1 May 1997 were women. [39405]

I have made 111 paid appointments to Home Office public bodies since 1 May 1997. Of these, 20 were women (18 per cent.). I have also made 42 unpaid appointments, of which 9 were women (21 per cent.).The Government are committed to increasing the representation of women in public life. In support of this, my Department is currently drawing up an action plan for increasing the number of women and ethnic minorities holding public appointments.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 20 April 1998, Official Report, column 515, if he will list the issues at stake in the 10 cases heard at small claims courts in Long Lartin prison in the last year. [40162]

The issues heard by small claims courts held at Long Lartin prison over the last year are listed in the table.

Small claims cases heard at Long Lartin prison March 1997-March 1998
Date	Details
25 March 1997	Claim for £250 plus costs for damage to property
25 March 1997	Claim for £300 for loss of property
25 March 1997	Claim for £209 for loss of property and income
12 August 1997	Claim for £178.92 for loss of property
12 August 1997	Claim against third party—no information
	available from county court
12 August 1997	Claim for £500 for loss of property. Claim settled prior to hearing
12 March 1998	Claim for £650 for loss of property
12 March 1998	No information available from county court on nature of claim but award to prisoner was £250 and £60 costs
12 March 1998	Claim for £200 for damage to property
12 March 1998	Claim for £224 for damage to property

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people in Scotland had been waiting over (a) one, (b) three, (c) six and (d) 12 months for cancer surgery in the year ended 31 March; and what was the total number of people in Scotland treated or waiting for cancer treatment in the same period. [37792]

[holding answer 6 April 1998]: The precise information is not available centrally since the waiting times data collected nationally do not explicitly identify patients waiting for cancer surgery.Cancer-related diagnosis covers a very wide range of surgical treatments, not all of which are of a serious nature. Information is collected nationally on the number of patients who were admitted to hospital from the waiting list with a cancer-related diagnosis and who were later discharged following a surgical procedure. The figures therefore do not relate to initial diagnosis nor the necessity for immediate treatment. The latest available information is provided in the table. It would be noted that, in the year to 31 December 1997, over 57% of patients who waited more than a month had minor surgical procedures for the bladder or for skin lesions.The total number of patients discharged from hospital following cancer-related treatment in the year to 31 December 1997 was 118,191.

Patients waited	Year ending 31 December 1997 (provisional)
over one month	5,906
over three months	961
over six months	201
over twelve months	18

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many deaths of people aged over 60 years in

Deaths to persons aged 60 years and over, Scotland: selected causes
	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996
(a) Accidental poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances
	2	1	2	1	1	1	4	1	1	1
(b) Suicide and self-inflicted poisoning (and poisoning undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted) by drug or medicament
	64	41	52	48	38	45	45	49	39	45
(c)Drug dependence and nondependent abuse of drugs
	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many deaths in each of the past nine years in Scotland resulted from the use of (a) heroin, (b) temazepam, (c) cocaine/crack, (d) LSD, (e) solvents, (f) amphetamines, (g) ecstasy, (h) paracetamol, (i) co-proxamol, (j) khat, (k) alcohol, (1) tobacco and (m) cannabis. [38355]

[holding answer 8 April 1998]: The information is given in the table.

	1993	1994	1995	1996
(a) Heroin	11(2)	19(1)	49(4)	32(10)
alone	3	8	25	11
with other drugs	8(2)	11(1)	24(4)	21(10)
(b) Temazepam	49(8)	84(20)	68(12)	48(19)
alone	12	12	4	1
with other drugs	37(8)	72(20)	64(12)	47(19)
(c) Cocaine/crack	2(1)	2	3	3
alone	0	2	1	1
with other drugs	2(1)	0	2	2
(d) LSD	0	1(1)	0	0
alone	0	0	0	0
with other drugs	0	1(1)	0	0
(e) Solvents	8	7	6	9
(f) Amphetamines	4	3(3)	3(1)	5(1)
alone	4	0	1	0
with other drugs	0	3(3)	3(1)	5(1)
(g) Ecstasy	0	4	3	6
alone	0	4	2	0
with other drugs	0	0	1	6
(h) Paracetamol	59(8)	59(17)	82(15)	56(14)
alone	38	32	24	24
with other drugs	21(8)	27(17)	58(15)	32(14)

[holding answer 8 April 1998]: The information available is given in the table.

	1993	1994	1995	1996
(i) Co-proxamol	19(8)	27(11)	26(10)	35(11)
alone	11	13	15	20
with other drugs	8(8)	14(11)	11(10)	15(11)
(j) Khat	0	0	0	0
(k) Alcohol	421	513	599	709
(1) Tobacco	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
(m) Cannabis	0	0	6(2)	2(1)
alone	0	0	0	0
with other drugs	0	0	6(2)	2(1)

The figures correspond to the number of deaths where the substances were mentioned on the death certificate or were identified following investigation. Where, for example, both heroin and temazepam were involved, each will be counted in the table; once under 'heroin with other drugs' and once under 'temazepam with other drugs'. The figures in brackets are those deaths with a mention of alcohol and are included in the non-bracketed figures. None of these cases is included in line (k) which covers deaths certified as due to alcoholic psychoses, alcohol dependence syndrome, non-dependent abuse of alcohol, alcoholic cardiomyopathy, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, and toxic effects of alcohol.Data for years prior to 1994 are available but there are undercounts of the types of drugs involved due to the methods of data collection and processing in use at the time. From 1994, a new method was introduced which gives a more accurate count of drug deaths. Data for 1993 are not directly comparable and are provided for information purposes only.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what expenditure by health trusts in (a) Scotland and (b) the Argyll and Clyde area was on agency nurses in the last financial year. [39563]

The information required to answer this question is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the (a) number and (b) percentage of children's wards and departments in Scotland which had two registered specialist children's nurses or equivalents on duty 24 hours a day for each of the years 1992 to 1998. [39930]

The information is not held centrally.The NHS in Scotland Management Executive issued Guidance on the care of children and young people in Scotland to the NHS in Scotland in 1993. This advised Health Boards and NHS Trusts to take account of a number of standards including the provision of at least 2 Registered Specialist Children's Nurses (RSCN) on duty 24 hours a day in all hospital children's departments and wards. The guidance also advised that a RSCN should be available 24 hours a day to advise on the nursing of children in other departments.I have asked my Department to undertake a review of the Patient's Charter in Scotland that will begin soon. Children's services in particular will be looked at as part of this review including the provision of children's nurses in hospitals in Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the (a) number and (b) percentage of child admissions to all wards, including those on adult wards which had access to appropriately skilled nursing care for each of the years 1992 to 1998.[39929]

The information is not available in the form requested.The available information on the number and percentage of discharges of patients aged less than 18 years from non-psychiatric and non-obstetric hospitals for the year ending March 1998 is set out in the table. All NHS patients are cared for by appropriately skilled nursing staff.

	Discharges	Percentage
Children's hospitals	38,655	32.0
Children's units in non-children's hospital	18,296	15.2
General facilities1	63,735	52.8
Total	120,686	100.00
1Children's wards not separately identified

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the (a) number and (b) percentage of

	1993–94	1994–95	1995–96	1996–97	1997–98
Dundee Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Income	108,288	114,524	119,624	128,675	135,900
Expenditure	106,946	113,534	116,509	127,181	138,335

The information is not available in the form requested.The number of children discharged from hospital, having been admitted with a psychiatric disorder, who were treated in settings specifically designed for children and young adults from 1992 to 1996, the latest year for which figures are available, and total discharges for that group are set out in the table.

(a)	(b)	(c)	(d)
Year	Total discharges from all settings	Discharges from settings for children and young adults	Percentage (c) to (b)
1992–93	599	263	43.9
1993–94	463	248	53.6
1994–95	485	302	62.3
1995–96	557	354	63.6

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the (a) number and (b) percentage of children who were treated on adult wards in Scotland for each of the years 1992 to 1998. [39928]

The information is not available in the form requested.The available information on the number and percentage of discharges of patients aged less than 18 years from non-psychiatric and non-obstetric hospitals for the year ending March 1998 is set out in the table.

Discharges of patients under 18 from non-psychiatric and non-obstetric hospitals—year ending March 1998
	Discharges	Percentage
Children's Hospitals	38,655	32.0
Children's units in Non-Children's Hospital	18,296	15.2
General facilities1	63,735	52.8
Total	120,686	100.00
1Children's wards not separately identified

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the income and expenditure of each of the five NHS healthcare trusts in the area of Tayside Health Board in each financial year since their establishment. [39781]

[holding answer 28 April 1998]: The information requested is provided in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will lay before Parliament the instruments adopted at the 84 (Maritime) Session of the International Labour Conference 1996. [40465]

The texts of the instruments have today been laid before Parliament.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will announce the outcome of the quinquennial reviews of the Construction Industry Training Board and the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board. [40464]

Against the background of the established practice of carrying out quinquennial policy and financial reviews of non-Departmental Public Bodies, the Department conducted a thorough review of the Construction Industry Training Board and the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board during 1997–98.The first stage was a policy review of the continued need for the Boards and resulted in approval for their statutory status and levy raising powers to be extended for a further 5 years, subject to implementation of a number of recommendations to improve their strategic capability, operational effectiveness and responsiveness.Stage 2 consisted of an update to the main recommendations from Stage 1 and a financial management survey of both organisations.The policy review updates noted that both Boards had made significant progress in implementing many of the recommendations from Stage 1 and made a number of further,specific recommendations, including: measures to strengthen their strategic capabilities as National Training Organisations, eg publication of full labour market assessments at both national and regional level, and dissemination of the more strategic elements of the Board's work; promoting the take up of the IIP standard among companies, encouraging employers to take more responsibility for their own training and involving clients more closely in promoting and encouraging training; and moving to reduce (CITB) or eliminate (ECITB) the differential levy rate between direct employers and those using labour only sub-contractors, and establishing whether there is a consensus within the respective industries for a move to a longer levy period.The financial management surveys, carried out for the Department by external consultants Pannell Kerr Forster, concluded generally that both Boards were adequately managed organisations, but made a number of recommendations for improvement in the areas of: planning and budgeting; financial and management control; staffing and organisation; and development of a hierarchy of key performance indicators and targets to measure progress towards achieving objectives and ensure value for money.All recommendations from the Quinquennial Reviews will be included in timed action plans drawn up by the Boards. Implementation will be monitored and reviewed by the Department within a reasonable period.The Policy Review Updates and Financial Management Surveys for both CITB and ECITB are published today and a copy of each is being placed in the library. Further copies can be obtained on request from: Pat Simpson, Department for Education and Employment, National Training Organisations Division, Level E4c, Moorfoot, Sheffield S1 4 PQ.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many clients have been interviewed in the Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire New Deal Pathfinder Area at the latest available date; and what percentage of that number have been allocated (i) unsubsidised jobs, (ii) subsidised jobs, and (iii) full-time education and training. [38657]

As at 9 April, 714 New Deal clients had been interviewed in the Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire New Deal Pathfinder area. Of these, 468 are still in the Gateway, receiving advice including help with basic skills etc. Of the 157 who have left the Gateway, 34 (21.6 per cent.) have been placed into unsubsidised jobs. Of the 123 taking up New Deal options, 80 (65 per cent.) are on the employment option, 27 (22 per cent.) are on the full-time education and training option, and 16 (13 per cent.) are on the voluntary sector and/or environment task force options.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list for each education authority (a) the prevalent type of secondary education offered and (b) the number of (i) secondary, (ii) grammar, (iii) secondary modern or high and (iv) comprehensive schools. [38297]

The number of maintained secondary comprehensive, grammar and modern schools in each local education authority is shown in the table.

The number of secondary schools for each LEA2 (April 1998 and the percentage of pupils in grammar schools (January 1997)
	Number of schools
LEA	Comprehensive1	Grammar	Modern
Camden	11	0	0
Greenwich	14	0	0
Hackney	9	0	0
Hammersmith and
Fulham	8	0	0
Islington	9	0	0
Kensington and
Chelsea	4	0	0
Lambeth	10	0	0
Lewisham	13	0	0
Southwark	13	0	0
Tower Hamlets	15	0	0
Wandsworth	9	0	0
City of
Westminster	8	0	0
Barking	8	0	0
Barnet	18	3	0
Bexley	8	4	4
Brent	13	0	0
Bromley	15	2	0
Croydon	21	0	0
Ealing	12	0	0
Enfield	15	1	0
Haringey	9	0	0
Harrow	10	0	0
Havering	18	0	0
Hillingdon	15	0	0
Hounslow	14	0	0
Kingston upon
Thames	0	2	8
Merton	11	0	0
Newham	14	0	0
Redbridge	13	2	0
Richmond upon
Thames	8	0	0
Sutton	9	5	0
Waltham Forest	16	0	0
Birmingham	70	8	0
Coventry	19	0	0
Dudley	22	0	0
Sandwell	20	0	0
Solihull	13	0	0
Walsall	18	2	0
Wolverhampton	17	1	0
Knowsley	11	0	0
Liverpool	34	1	0
St. Helens	12	0	0
Sefton	22	0	0
Wirral	12	6	5
Bolton	16	0	0
Bury	14	0	0
Manchester	28	0	0
Oldham	15	0	0
Rochdale	14	0	0
Salford	18	0	0
Stockport	14	0	0
Tameside	18	0	0
Trafford	3	7	8
Wigan	21	0	0
Barnsley	14	0	0
Doncaster	17	0	0
Rotherham	17	0	0
Sheffield	27	0	0
Bradford	82	0	0

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what measures he will take to ensure that young people in care have their education, employment and training needs met. [40114]

The Department is examining urgently ways to secure that the education, employment and training needs of young people who are looked after by the local authority are met more effectively. We have set up a national forum, including representatives of leading statutory and voluntary agencies, to look at a range of possible initiatives. These include issuing statutory guidance to authorities and schools, providing better information on, and setting targets for, educational outcomes, and promoting advocacy schemes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many and what percentage of the (i) paid and (ii) unpaid appointments which he has made to non-departmental public bodies since 1 May 1997 were women. [39404]

The total number of appointments and re-appointments to Non-Departmental Public Bodies sponsored by this Department since 1 May 1997 is 83, of which 20 have been women. Of these (i) 3 have been paid appointments (this represents 27 per cent. of all paid appointments and re-appointments), and (ii) 17 have been unpaid (this represents 24 per cent. of all unpaid appointments and re-appointments).The Government are committed to increasing the representation of women in public life. In support of this, this Department is currently drawing up an action plan for increasing the number of women and ethnic minorities holding public appointments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what progress is being made, with Britain's partners in the European Union, towards establishing an integrated approach to job creation measures across Europe. [39788]

The key elements of the Conclusions at the Luxembourg Special Summit on Employment, held in November 1997, included agreement on a set of Employment Guidelines. The Guidelines are designed to focus member states' efforts to tackle unemployment across Europe through, among other things, fostering the macro-economic and labour market conditions that will allow companies to create more jobs.All member states have produced National Employment Action Plans which set out how they intend to implement the Employment Guidelines. These are now being assessed and will be discussed at the Cardiff European Council in June.Copies of the UK Employment Action Plan are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what assessment he has made of the incidence of osteoporosis; and what estimate he has made of the cost of osteoporosis to the NHS in Wales in the last 12 months; [37312](2) what estimate he has made of the cost of treating osteoporotic fractures in the last 12 months; [37319](3) what percentage and number of

[holding answer 6 April 1998]: Information on the incidence of osteoporosis or the number of accidents caused by osteoporosis is not available centrally. It is estimated that around 0.1 per cent. of the 56,000 hospital admissions in the specialty of "Trauma and orthopaedics" during 1996–97 were attributable to osteoporosis. No estimate has been made of the number of osteoporotic fractures which are likely to occur during the next 12 months but 35 cases were treated as in-patients or day cases in NHS hospitals in Wales during 1996–97, accounting for 586 bed-days. Of these, only three cases were treated in beds in the specialty of "Trauma and orthopaedics", accounting for 78 bed-days. No information is available centrally concerning the cost of treating osteoporosis or osteoporotic fractures.