To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of the staff of all grades employed by his Department were eligible to claim a car mileage allowance on 31 March in each year since his Department was created. [40434]

All of the staff in the Department (including the Royal Parks Agency) were eligible to claim a car mileage allowance in respect of official travel in each year since the Department was created.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations his Department has received from (a) artists, (b) musicians, (c) dancers, and (d) related bodies, regarding the designation of (i) art, (ii) music, (iii) history, (iv) geography, and (v) physical education including dance as non-core subjects of the National Curriculum for primary schools; and if he has been consulted on the proposals by the Department for Education and Employment. [40158]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, as the responsible Minister, announced on 13 January the Government's proposals to give primary schools greater flexibility in the delivery of the primary school curriculum. The mechanisms for policy development within Government are of course well established and understood. My Department has received a number of representations from performing and visual artists, arts education bodies and members of the public, covering the four curriculum subjects in which my Department has an interest: art, physical education (including dance), drama (through English literature) and music.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of (a) the number of family-run hotels in the United Kingdom and (b) the percentage of the foreign earnings attributable to United Kingdom hotels arising from the family-run sector; and if he will make a statement. [39991]

A 'family-run hotel' is not a category identified in the statistics available. However, the English Tourist Board estimate that there are around 30,000 family-run hotels, guest houses and bed and breakfast establishments in the UK out of a total of approximately 44,500. Expenditure by the 26.2 million overseas visitors in 1996 was £12.37 billion. Of those visitors, 21 million stayed in serviced accommodation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of his Department's energy usage was from (a) renewable energy and (b) combined heating in each year of its and its predecessors' operation. [40412]

My Department does not at present use renewable energy or a combined heat and power system.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will assess the effectiveness of (a) Messrs Continua Timebomb Disposal Kit and (b) other marketed equipment for dealing with millennium compliance. [38531]

I know that Action 2000 is conscious of the need to provide a focus for support services and tool kits related to the Millennium Bug. To address this, it plans to contract with a data base provider to list all services and tool kits, together with any available independent assessment, and to signpost this in its literature.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to (a) ban or restrict the importation of goods which have been made with forced labour and (b) to increase public knowledge and awareness of such goods and their origins. [39236]

The Government are committed to the elimination of abusive labour practices, including forced labour. We fully support work currently under way in the International Labour Organisation on a new declaration committing members to respect core labour standards. We encourage companies to adopt voluntary codes of practice incorporating core labour standards.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list the specialised equipment for military training licensed for export to Indonesia within the 3 ML14 export licences and the specific military unit that received the equipment. [40384]

Inquiries are being made under the Code of Practice on Access to Government information relating to the information requested. I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible and place a copy of that letter in the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to improve the transparency of arms exports. [40383]

I have been asked to reply.We are committed to increased transparency in the field of arms exports. We will publish an annual report on the state of UK Strategic Export Controls and their application, thereby providing for parliamentary

consideration of the application of the criteria announced by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 28 July 1997

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on the recent changes in procedures to appoint lay members to industrial injuries tribunals; and what factors have led to such changes being made. [36821]

I understand that the question refers to the industrial tribunals.I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East (Dr. Kumar) on 10 March 1998,

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the breakdown by (a) year and (b) country of the amount of export credits in pounds sterling granted for defence-related business between 1990 and 1997 to all low-income countries and highly indebted poor countries; and what percentage of total ECGD cover that represents. [39670]

From information readily available the only ECGD support granted for defence-related business to countries defined by the World Bank as Low Income and/or Heavily Indebted Poor Countries between these years was as follows:

Country	£ million	Year
India	23	1992
Pakistan	7	1994
Zimbabwe	11	1994

This represents 0.15 per cent. of total ECGD cover in the period 1990–97. This analysis includes all ECGD supported business with defence buyers in these countries including the sale of non-lethal equipment.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will introduce legislation to indemnify those selling cruises, holidays and other services advertised (a) to celebrate the millennium and (b) using similar terms, which refer to dates one year ahead of the arithmetical millennium. [40313]

There is no evidence of consumers being deceived, so no legislation is planned.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on the Government's policy on the licensing of trusted third parties. [40362]

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for South Thanet (Dr. Ladyman) on 27 April 1998, Official Report, columns 26–27.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many licence applications for the export of goods covered by the category PL5001 have been denied since 1 May 1997 by category, and country of intended destination. [40017]

The Export Control Organisation's computer databases have been interrogated and the following results were obtained. Between 2 May 1997 and 3 April 1998, one application for an individual licence covering the export of goods with the rating PL5001 was refused. This was an application for a Standard Individual Export Licence on which the consignee and end-user were both stated to be in Kenya.This information should be considered in light of my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint) on 30 October 1997,

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many licence applications for the export of goods covered by the category PL5001 to (a) Jamaica,(b) Jordan, (c) Malaysia, (d) Saudi Arabia, (e) Singapore, (f) South Korea, (g) Sri Lanka, (h) the United Arab Emirates and (i) Bahrain have been (i) granted, (ii) refused and (iii) revoked since 1 May 1997. [40015]

The Export Control Organisation's computer databases have been interrogated and the following results were obtained. Between 2 May 1997 and 3 April 1998 eight Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs) and no Open Individual Export Licences (OIELs) were issued covering the export to the specified countries of goods with the rating PL5001. In the same period, no such licences were revoked and no applications for such licences were refused.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on the meeting between her Department and the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, to discuss MAI on 21 April. [40174]

Ministers and officials from the Department are in constant contact across Whitehall on the Multilateral Agreement on Investment. The meeting of 21 April covered the current position of MAI negotiations. The Government will continue to press for strong language on the environment and labour issues in the MAI and would not support an MAI which failed to address these issues adequately.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade on what date the Office for National Statistics informed her of its support for new NUTS 2 maps for (a) Cornwall and (b) Wales; and on what date her Department proposed to Eurostat the adoption of these new definitions. [40358]

No new maps for Cornwall and Wales have been agreed. Changes to the NUTS 2 boundaries in the United Kingdom are currently being discussed by Eurostat and the UK Government Statistical Service. Proposals for changes to the UK NUTS structure were sent to Eurostat by the Office for National Statistics in July 1997.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps her Department is taking to lift trade barriers between South Africa and the European Market. [39768]

The Government strongly support the conclusion of a free trade area between the EU and South Africa. We believe that comprehensive market opening over a period of time in line with WTO rules will boost two-way trade and help economic development in the wider southern Africa region. As Presidency, we are supporting Commission efforts to complete negotiations with South Africa by the end of June.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what factors underlay each of the 18 ex-gratia payments made by her Department under the Employment Rights Act 1996. [40419]

Of the eighteen ex gratia payments made under the Employment Rights Act 1996, eight were made to compensate for service delay beyond the Redundancy Payments Service's Charter service standards. The remaining ten payments were made to compensate redundant fishermen who lost their entitlement to take claims to an industrial tribunal as a result of misdirection by officials in the 1970s.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the number and percentage of employers employing part-time workers, broken down by size of firm; and what are the number and percentage of firms in which (a) at least 25 per cent. and (b) at least 50 per cent. of the workforce is part-time. [38855]

I have been asked to reply.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will set out the rules governing disclosure of information derived from the ballistic history of seized weapons. [37809]

It is not the general policy of the RUC for the ballistic history of seized weapons to be routinely disclosed, either because of the evidential relevance in court proceedings or because such disclosure could be of use to terrorists. In exceptional circumstances, where deemed to be in the public interest, consideration may be given to disclosure of such information in individual cases.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made with the decommissioning of terrorists' weapons in Northern Ireland; what steps she is taking to accelerate that progress; and if she will ensure that comprehensive decommissioning is achieved within six months. [39380]

The Government, together with the Government of the Republic of Ireland have put in place all the mechanisms to enable decommissioning to happen. In signing up to the Good Friday Agreement, the two Governments and the parties reaffirmed their commitment to the total disarmament of all paramilitary organisations and confirmed their intention to use their influence to achieve the decommissioning of all paramilitary arms within two years following endorsement of the Agreement. As part of the Agreement, the two Governments have undertaken to bring the relevant decommissioning schemes into force by the end of June.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the total number of cases of Court Users bovine spongiform encephalopathy to have occurred in cattle in Northern Ireland; and how many animals have been culled as a result of BSE in Northern Ireland to date. [39911]

1,770 cases of BSE have occurred in Northern Ireland to date.1,461 cohort animals have been slaughtered under the BSE selective cull and 297,500 animals have been slaughtered under the Over Thirty Months Scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list each information, promotional, marketing and opinion survey contract, with its value, concluded by his Department and its agencies for the years (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000, (d) 2000–01 and (e) 2001–02. [32018]

[holding answer 11 March 1998]: Information on surveys is not held centrally by my Department. Such information as is available is as follows:

Surveys	£
1997–98
Information surveys
The Scottish Office
Referendum Reminder to Vote	27,000
Child Pedestrian Concept Research	2,300
Children's Panel Recruitment	1,200
Scottish Parliament at Holyrood: Transport Analysis	10,000
Marketing Surveys
Historic Scotland
Advertising Effectiveness	10,000
Friends of Historic scotland	8,000
Opinion Surveys
The Scottish Office
Evaluation of 20mph Speed Reduction Initiative	13,500
Evaluation of the Impact of Subsidised Ferry Fares on the Northern and Western Isles of Scotland	69,000
An evaluation of the Scottish Road Safety Campaign's Safety Workbook Diaries	13,650
Evaluation of the "keep Warm This Winter" Campaign	15,000
Regional Selective Assistance—Customer Awareness	13,000
Newbridge Interchange—Business Users	1,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many representations he has received about the proposed funicular railway on Cairngorm; and how many of these opposed the plan. [39439]

[holding answer 29 April 1998]: My right hon. Friend received 2,868 letters up to the stage when The Highland Council granted planning permission on 27 March 1997. Of these 2,689 opposed the development proposal. Since that date, a further 7,969 letters have been submitted, the majority of which result from a postcard campaign by lobby groups. Of these, 7,947 have raised objection to the detail of the proposal or have suggested that alternatives to the funicular railway should be considered.

To ask the Secretary of state for What records (a) he and (b) the Scottish Environment Protection Agency Keep of (i) applications and (ii) authorisations for international shipments of radioactive Waste; if he will place a copy of such records in the Library; and if he will make a statement. [39932]

Records of applications and approvals and authorisations are maintained by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. These are in the form prescribed by the Transfrontier Shipment of Radioactive Waste Regulations 1993. I am arranging for copies of these records to be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has for (a) lifelong learning in Scotland and (b) the University for Industry in Scotland; and on what date he will publish the relevant papers. [40255]

[holding answer 30 April 1998]: The Government will set out their plans and priorities for progressing lifelong learning in Scotland in a consultation paper before the summer.We announced on 25 February that there would be a distinct Scottish University for Industry, building on the strengths of the distinctive Scottish education system and taking advantage of the many successful working partnerships between education and industry. Resources totalling £1.3 million have been allocated to help finance the launch of the Scottish UfI by the year 2000. The next step will be to establish a series of development projects. A Pathfinder Prospectus which set out in general terms how the UfI will operate across the UK was published on 31 March. Further details about the Scottish UfI will be set out in the forthcoming Lifelong Learning Paper.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if it his policy (a) to increase the number of learning support teachers in Scottish schools and (b) that all such teachers should have at least two years experience as a classroom teacher; and what proposals he has to improve the current system of training for such teachers. [40254]

[holding answer 30 April 1998]: It is for education authorities to determine the number and deployment of teaching staff, including learning support teachers, necessary to meet their statutory obligation to make adequate and efficient provision for education in their area including provision for special educational needs.For specialist training courses candidates must have qualified via a Bachelor of Education degree or equivalent degree and Post Graduate Certificate in Education and normally have at least 2 years' teaching experience.The Scottish Office funds a project based at St. Andrews College to identify and co-ordinate education authorities' in-service training requirements in special educational needs and to match these with provision or where there is an unfilled need, to create appropriate provision.Additional financial support of £1.5 million per annum is made available to authorities under the In-Service Special Educational Needs Training Specific Grant Scheme. In addition £0.5 million per annum is being made available for special educational needs training under our Early Intervention Programme and my right hon. Friend announced on 30 April that from April 1999 this will increase to £1 million per annum for the duration of the Programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the early intervention scheme providing for extra tuition for young children with literacy and numeracy difficulties; and how additional funding for this scheme will be allocated. [40253]

[holding answer 30 April 1998]: My right hon. Friend announced on 30 April additional funding of £36 million to extend the Government's Early Intervention Programme.The Government's contribution will double from £7 million per year to £14 million per year from April 1999 and the additional finance will permit the Programme to be extended from 3 years to 5 years.I intend that all education authorities will benefit from these additional resources. I will consult with the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities over how the additional funding will be allocated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to avoid duplication between Scottish Enterprise, the Commercialisation programme, the Technology Venture programme, the Connect programme, the LINC programme and other programmes in respect of commercialising and exploiting research in Scottish universities and research laboratories; and what steps he is taking to publicise these initiatives. [39480]

Scottish Enterprise is responsible for the Technology Ventures initiative. It is not responsible for the CONNECT Programme, which is administered from the University of Edinburgh Management School, or LINC Scotland which is a network of private business investors. Members of the Technology Ventures team maintain regular contact with CONNECT and LINC Scotland on issues of mutual interest.The Technology Ventures initiative has been publicised through a Ministerial launch of the strategy and other Ministerial engagements, various publications including an Annual Review and a quarterly newsletter, a website and events such as Technology Enterprise Shows and Commercialisation seminars. Members of the Technology Ventures team are in regular contact with and visit universities and research institutes in Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions Scottish Office Ministers have met the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds since 2 May 1997; and what plans he has to meet them in the future. [40835]

Scottish Office Ministers, particularly my noble Friend the Minister for Agriculture, the Environment and Fisheries meet the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds frequently during the course of their Ministerial duties. We have no plans to meet the RSPB in the immediate future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his oral answer of 21 April 1998, Official Report, column 579, what response he has had from the Lord Advocate about the interrogation of Mr. Mesbahi. [40833]

My noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate has indicated that there is nothing that he can properly add to what has already been said.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 30 March 1998, Official Report, column 381, if he will alter the format of the School Census to disaggregate provision for autism; and if he has requested other information from local authorities as to their educational provision for children with autism. [40605]

In light of increasing interest in special educational needs issues the Scottish Office are considering, in consultation with education authorities and other relevant professional bodies, proposals to identify more detailed categories of special educational needs provision in the School Census. A decision on which categories of special educational needs such as autism should be included is likely in June and will be implemented for the September 1998 census. Data on educational provision for children with autism are not obtained in any other way.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many prosecutions have taken place in Scotland under the Litter Act 1983; and what amounts have been levied in total as a result of such prosecutions in each year since 1983. [40571]

The available information is set out in the table.

Persons proceeded against where the main offence is an offence under the Litter Act 1983 or related legislation1, Scotland 1983–1996
Year of disposal	Number of persons proceeded against	Number of persons fined	Total amount of fines levied (£)
1983	262	228	4,141
1984	205	178	4,835
1985	214	181	5,915
1986	253	220	7,040
1987	198	175	6,105
1988	311	278	8,659
1989	229	206	7,920
1990	181	153	6,665
1991	122	101	4,970
1992	83	67	3,280
1993	56	51	2,415
1994	48	43	2,730
1995	30	26	1,485
1996	29	20	1,260
1The figures shown include offences under any of the following acts: Litter Act 1958, Litter Act 1983 and the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (sections 87(1), 88(1), 91(9), 92(6) and 94(9) only).

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if commercial fishing will be allowed to take place in Holy Loch once the clearance programme is completed; and if he will make a statement. [40393]

There is no fisheries legislation currently in place which would prevent the commencement of commercial fishing at an appropriate stage; nor are there any current plans for that. I understand, however, that the clearance programme which began earlier this year is to be spread over a number of years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what decisions he has reached about the allocation of resources for 1998–99 under the New Housing Partnership initiative. [40932]

Twenty three councils are to be allocated a share of the £35 million which is available in 1998–99 under the New Housing Partnerships initiative for a range of projects to tackle Scotland's housing needs.In December 1997, all councils were invited under the initiative to submit proposals which met certain key criteria. The bids received were first assessed by an advisory group involving the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, Scottish Homes, the Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland and the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations. Allocations for 1998–99 are in line with the group's recommendations. Some earmarked funding is being held back for a number of councils whose proposals met the criteria but for which further information has been sought. The balance is being held back for distribution later in the year.The amounts being allocated are set out in the table.

£000
Council	Amount awarded in 1998–99
Aberdeen City	330
Clackmannanshire	780
Dumfries and Galloway	100
Dundee City	1—
East Ayrshire	1,261
East Dunbartonshire	1—
East Lothian	2,945
East Renfrewshire	25
Edinburgh City—three projects	7,718
Falkirk	200
Fife	125
Glasgow City—three projects	8,350
Highland—two projects	600
Inverclyde	33
North Ayrshire—two projects	402
North Lanarkshire—two projects	1,792
Perth and Kinross	187
Renfrewshire	93
Scottish Borders	135
Shetland	200
South Lanarkshire	1—
Stirling—two projects	310
West Lothian	2,600
1 Amounts to be finalised following further development of proposals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on what occasions since 1 May 1997 receptions have been held on behalf of the Scottish Labour Party in Government buildings in Scotland. [40327]

No such functions have been held in office buildings used by my Department since 1 May 1997. In that period I have hosted two receptions for the Scottish Labour Party at Bute House, my official residence, in line with paragraph 63 of the Ministerial Code.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people were provided with continence services in each Scottish health board area, in (a) 1995–96, (b) 1996–97 and (c) 1997–98; and what was the cost to each Scottish health board in Scotland for the provision of continence services in (a) to (c). [40864]

The information requested is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will waive tuition fees for part-time students on lower incomes at further education colleges. [40573]

The Further Education Colleges themselves decide whether or not to waive tuition fees for part-time students. The methodology used to distribute Government grant-in-aid to Colleges already takes into account and compensates Colleges for the fees they waive.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what information is passed to judges and magistrates concerning the re-offending rates of those individuals they have sentenced; and if he will make a statement. [40079]

No information is routinely passed to judges or magistrates about the re-offending of individuals they have previously sentenced. When sentencing, however, the court is given a list of the defendant's previous convictions. This shows when they were convicted and of what, and the sentences passed.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to increase the funding of the National Mediation Service; and if he will make a statement. [40128]

There is no National Mediation Service. There are, however, a number of national organisations, to which local services are affiliated, of which some have recently received grant in aid funding for projects which will be overseen by the Legal Aid Board. These projects are essential to the development of quality assured mediation services across England and Wales. They also support the UK College of Family Mediators and National Family Mediation in their role of advancing public awareness of family mediation, and in setting, promoting and maintaining the highest standards of professional conduct and training among family mediators.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for South Derbyshire (Mr. Todd) of 22 April 1998, Official Report, column 610, on legal aid for personal injury claims, what arrangements he proposes to introduce to enable children to enter into contracts to pursue cases involving personal injury by way of conditional fee arrangements. [40010]

Children through their next friend or guardian ad litem presently retain the services of lawyers, including through the use of conditional fee agreements. I am not aware of any need to make special provision but if my hon. Friend has any particular concern in mind perhaps he will write to me.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the reviews which have been (i) completed and (ii) initiated but not yet completed by his Department since 1 May 1997, specifying, in each case, the cost or anticipated cost of the review; and when it will be completed and reported to the House. [40869]

In his answer of 27 April 1998, Official Report, columns 14–17, the Prime Minister gave details of the reviews announced by the Government since 1 May 1997. Those reviews initiated by this Department and their completion (or planned completion dates) are listed below. Costs (including the cost of around £75,000 for the review of civil justice and legal aid included in Lord McIntosh of Haringey's answer of 7 July 1997, Official Report, House of Lords, columns 51–55) are being met from existing Departmental budgets.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what action he intends to take in relation to media coverage of the person formerly known as Mary Bell and the High Court injunction of 30 July 1984. [40810]

It is not for the Government to take action. Any party to the injunction may refer the matter to the court if it is thought that there has been a breach of its terms.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what procedures are used by her Department to assess the economic efficiency and environmental and social impact of projects funded which fall below the one million ecu value threshold where approval by the ALA Committee is required. [40342]

Although the European Commission's own internal project cycle management guidance stresses the importance of environmental issues in the project cycle, continuing efforts are required to ensure this is always fully reflected in the design and implementation of projects and programmes. DFID continues to seek improvements in this area through:

taking an active role in management committees and our informal dialogue with the Commission;

our participation on the Commission's Scientific Environmental Monitoring Group and the forestry and water expert groups;

providing a project leader to prepare an EC/Member States strategy for bio-diversity conservation;

seconding a forestry specialist to work for the Commission on the management of tropical forestry programmes;

working closely with the European Commission to develop procedural guidelines on the integration of social and environmental issues into development projects.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when the European Development Fund is due to be replenished; and how much the UK will be contributing. [40341]

The European Development Fund finances development co-operation under the Lomé Convention. The current Lomé Convention expires at the end of February 2000. Discussions on future financial co-operation will form part of the negotiations for a successor to Lomé which are expected to begin in September 1998 and be completed before the expiry of the current agreement.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what are the (a) percentage and (b) amount of the UK's financial assistance to developing countries administered through (i) the European Commission and (ii) the European Development Fund in (1) the past two financial years and (2) the present financial year. [40340]

The European Commission administers development funds from both the European Community Budget and the European Development Fund. The percentage and the amount of the UK's financial assistance to developing countries administered through the European Commission in (1) financial year 1995–96 and (2) financial year 1996–97 and a breakdown of which of these sources it came from is detailed in the table. Figures for the present year are not yet available.

UK assistance to developing countries administered by the Commission
%from EC budget	Amount from EC budget	% from EDF	Amount from EDF	Total %	Total amount
(1) 11	301,733	8	223,064	19	524,797
(2) 13	323,961	6	150,832	19	474,793

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she proposes to take to strengthen the roles of (a) the UN Commission on Human Settlements and (b) the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements. [40153]

The 17th Session of the Commission will be held in April/May 1999. Our aim at that meeting will be to agree realistic priorities for the work of the Centre for Human Settlements that will help meet international poverty eradication target. Our specific objectives for the session will be discussed with interested parties in the UK. I discussed the work of the UN Centre for Human Settlements with the new UN Under Secretary-General responsible, Klaus Töpfer, earlier this year. The Government support his intention to focus the Centre's work more tightly in order to provide effective help to developing countries in tackling poverty in urban areas.My Department is providing £300,000 of programme support to the Centre in 1998–99, and continuing our voluntary contributions to the Habitat Foundation. We also intend to provide new institutional strengthening capacity for Dr. Töpfer to carry out his reforms.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what procedures are used by her Department to assess the economic efficiency and environmental and social impact of Stabex projects. [40343]

The UK does not in general consider STABEX an effective instrument for development co-operation. We are concerned that it is not focused on the poorest countries, it does not encourage diversification and, because of implementation delays, it has been ineffective in its objective of mitigating the impact of fluctuations in export earnings.A recipient country's proposal for using its STABEX allocation is circulated by the Commission to all Member States for comments. My Department looks at these proposals in the same way as other Commission proposals, to see whether cross-cutting issues such as environmental and social impact, gender considerations and poverty focus have been taken into account and we feed any views back to the Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the support provided by her Department for police services, broken down by country. [40612]

Our support for the police through the bilateral programme includes the strengthening of strategic planning, management and training capacity, the re-orientation of police services to community policing, equality of opportunity, the development of anti-drugs, fraud and corruption programmes, and strengthening of communications and record keeping. Future support will give greater priority to increasing the security of poor peoples in their communities and households and enhancing their access to justice.

To ask the Prime Minister when the report dealing with Al Yamamah that was made available to the Chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts was made available to officials in the (a) Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (b) Ministry of Defence and (c) Home Office. [38863]

[holding answer 20 April 1998]: The final draft of the National Audit Office report on the Al Yamamah programme made available to the Chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts was formally sent to officials in the Ministry of Defence in January 1992 and seen by officials in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in February 1992. The report was not made available to officials in the Home Office.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list with job titles each political appointment with (a) No. 10 Downing Street and (b) the Cabinet Office since 2 May 1997. [38472]

[holding answer 20 April 1998]: I refer the right hon. Member to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Mr. Hawkins) on 13 November 1997, Official Report, columns 615–17, and to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Mr. Corbett) on 14 January 1998, Official Report, columns 233–34.Since I gave those answers there have been two changes to the list of Special Advisers employed in No. 10 Downing Street. Ms Fiona Miller's appointment was made full time following the resignation of Ms Roz Preston on 30 February 1998 and Mr. Andrew Adonis was appointed as a Special Adviser in the Policy Unit on 20 April 1998.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 27 April 1998, Official Report, column 17, what response he received to his statements during his visit to the Middle East on the need for progress in implementing the UN Security Council resolutions relating to Lockerbie. [40303]

In my discussions in the Middle East on Lockerbie, there was agreement on the need to resolve this tragic case, and on the importance of justice being done and being seen to be done.

To ask the Prime Minister when he expects to answer the questions from the hon. Member for Gordon of 7 April on (a) the costs of the millennium bug (38140) and (b) budgets for tackling the millennium bug (38139); what factors underlie the delay in answering; and if he will make a statement. [40423]

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to him on 30 April 1998, Official Report, columns 173–74.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the aims, objectives and results of his visit to Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Israel. [40537]

My visit to the region was intended to reinforce our good bilateral relations with the countries visited, and also to help in the search for a way forward in the Middle East Peace Process. I believe my visit achieved those objectives.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many children in (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) special schools were taught in HORSAs in January (i) broken down by local education authority and (ii) overall; [40574](2) how much playground space in

The information requested is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answer of 30 March 1998, Official Report, column 403, if he will make a statement on the timetable for his Department's review of research findings on educational programmes for autistic children; what review she is making of educational provision for autistic children as a result of the Written Declaration of the European Parliament; and what action she has taken to draw the Declaration to the attention of local education authorities. [40606]

We have noted the European Written Declaration on the Rights of People with Autism; we believe that our policies on special educational needs are consistent with it; and we will take it into account as appropriate in our current review of provision for all children with special educational needs. The report of the autism research literature review will be published in the summer. Together with the findings of comparative research the Local Government Association is commissioning into the outcomes from some educational interventions for autism, this will help local education authorities to plan accessible and appropriate education for children with autism.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has received from the Further Education Funding Council of the likely number and category of job losses in the further education sector during 1998–99. [40762]

The Further Education Funding Council does not collect information from further education colleges on the number of staff they intend to employ in future years. It would not therefore be possible for the Council to estimate in advance staffing changes in the further education sector during 1998–99.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking concerning the future management and governance of Wakefield College following the ruling of the industrial tribunal in respect of the unfair dismissal of staff previously employed at the college; and if he will make a statement. [40542]

Further education colleges are independent bodies and as such are responsible for management issues.We are currently consulting on proposals for changes in college governance, including representation for staff, open decision making and accountability of senior management.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what were the teacher vacancy figures for (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) special schools on 1 January. [40572]

Teacher vacancy figures for 15 January 1998 will be published in a statistical press notice on 22 May 1998.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list all applicants to run education action zones separately identifying those applicants which are profit-seeking companies or subsidiaries of such companies. [39481]

We have received 60 applications from partnerships of various kinds and are arranging visits to most of them in May and early June. We expect to announce which applications have been successful later in June.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what policy reviews are currently under-way within his Department. [40591]

My Department continuously reviews its policies. The following reviews were outlined in my answer to the right hon. Gentleman's previous question on Tuesday 17 February 1998, Official Report, columns 615–16. These have been updated to reflect the latest position.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the members of the Countryside Commission and the criteria for their appointment. [40171]

I have been asked to reply.I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Sherwood (Mr. Tipping) on 6 April 1998,

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what plans he has to consult Russia in the process of NATO's review of its Strategic Concept; [40380](2) what plans he has to revise the nuclear paragraphs of the current NATO Strategic Concept; [40382](3) what plans he has to table proposals on the review of NATO's strategy; and if he will make a statement; [40381](4) when there will be a NATO military strategy review as outlined in MC 400–1; and if it will be a parallel process to the review of the Strategic Concept. [40387]

NATO Heads of State and Government have directed an examination, and update as necessary, of all aspects of NATO's 1991 Strategic Concept to: ensure that the Strategic Concept is fully consistent with NATO's new security situation and challenges; confirm the Allies' commitment to the core function of Alliance collective defence and the indispensable transatlantic link; preserve those aspects of the Strategic Concept that are consistent with the existing and foreseeable strategic environment and other NATO decisions and declarations since 1991; take account of the changes in the European security environment since 1991; and take into account the internal and external adaptation of the Alliance and its assumption of new roles and missions, including all relevant Ministerial decisions since 1991, while recognising that the process of transformation is an ongoing one and that the Alliance must be prepared to meet the risks and challenges of the future. The UK will play a full part in the work of the relevant political and military NATO bodies, the results of which will be presented to NATO Heads of State and Government when they meet next year. Changes in the Strategic Concept will be reflected in revisions of other documents, including the North Atlantic Military Committee's classified Directive for Military Implementation of Alliance Strategy (MC 400/1). Countries participating in the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council will be kept informed of progress in the process as appropriate, but will not be consulted, since the Strategic Concept is an internal NATO matter and decisions will be taken on the basis of consensus among current Allies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans the Government have to support visits to war graves by war widows. [39682]

Since 1985, The Royal British Legion have operated the War Widows Pilgrimage Scheme on behalf of the Ministry of Defence to provide financial assistance to any Service widow, whose husband died and was buried overseas between 1914 and 1967, to visit the grave. Although the scheme has been extended several times since its inception, current funding was due to end on 31 March 1999.Following a recent approach by The Royal British Legion, I have agreed to an extension of the War Widows Pilgrimage Scheme for a further two years, until 31 March 2001. The Government greatly appreciate the work of The Royal British Legion who administer the scheme on our behalf. To date, this subsidised scheme has enabled over 3,000 widows to visit their husbands' graves overseas. It is hoped that the continuation of the scheme will enable many other eligible widows to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 16 March 1998, Official Report, column 444, if he will place in the Library a list of the unclassified papers in the Hydrodynamics Department-Technical reports, R Series, giving the title of each paper and the date on which each was produced. [38987]

I am withholding the information requested under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, covering Defence, Security and International Relations. While the individual reports are unclassified, a composite list gives a broader picture of research activity and is classified.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what rules govern the discharge of a serving soldier who has been convicted of a serious criminal offence and sentenced to imprisonment. [38905]

[holding answer 22 April 1998]: Under the terms of the Queen's Regulations a soldier is to be discharged if he has been sentenced to imprisonment or to detention or to any other form of custodial sentence. However, the soldier's Commanding Officer has the option to apply through the chain of command to retain the soldier in exceptional circumstances.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department classifies Guardsmen Wright and Fisher as serving soldiers. [38906]

[holding answer 22 April 1998]: Army Board consideration of the question of discharge of Guardsmen Fisher and Wright has been deferred pending the outcome of appeal and judicial review processes initiated by the two Guardsmen. Guardsmen Fisher and Wright are, therefore, classified as serving soldiers although they are not entitled to any pay during their period of imprisonment, nor does that period count as reckonable service for pension purposes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many sea-going posts were available, by ship, to Royal Naval reservists in (a) 1993 and (b) 1998. [39629]

In 1993, the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) had its own dedicated squadron of nine River Class minesweepers, supporting a sea-training programme totalling 25,480 man-days per year.As a result of the restructuring of the RNR during 1994, this squadron of vessels was disbanded. Instead, it was decided to provide training opportunities to RNR personnel throughout the Fleet and alongside Regular RN personnel, thus providing them with exposure to a wider range of vessels and operations. This resulted in 33,284 man-days training at sea being available during 1997–98. Not all of these available days were taken up by Reserve personnel. It should be noted that the flexibility provided by the Reserve Forces Act 1996 permits greater deployment of RNR personnel in other capacities, shorebased as well as seagoing.

Dates	Submarine	Project	Collective dose
December 1966-January 1967	Valiant	Docking/survey	1—
June 1967-August 1967	Valiant	DDED	1—
March 1968-June 1968	Warspite	DDED	1—
July 1968-September 1968	Valiant	DDED	1—
December 1968-February 1969	Valiant	DDED	1—
May 1969-July 1969	Warspite	DDED	1—
August 1969-September 1969	Valiant	DDED	1—
April 1970-May 1972	Valiant	Refit/refuel	12
October 1970-December 1970	Warspite	DDED	1—
June 1971-October 1973	Warspite	Refit/refuel	18
October 1972-January 1973	Dreadnought	DDED	1—
April 1973-June 1973	Churchill	DDED	1—
July 1973-October 1973	Conqueror	DDED	1—
February 1974	Warspite	Docking	1—
December 1973-October 1975	Churchill	Refit/refuel	8
May 1974-October 1976	Dreadnought	Refit/refuel	17
October 1975-June 1977	Conqueror	Refit/refuel	8
November 1976-July 1978	Courageous	Refit/refuel	8
April 1977-January 1978	Sovereign	Special docking	1.5
January 1978-February 1980	Valiant	Refit/refuel	12
February 1979-May 1979	Dreadnought	DDED	1—
August 1979-March 1982	Warspite	Refit/refuel	13
January 1980-June 1980	Conqueror	DDED	1—
May 1980-September 1980	Couragous	DDED	1—
October 1980-May 1983	Churchill	Refit/refuel	6
March 1982-March 1983	Dreadnought	Decommissioning	1—
1The dosage for Dockings and Docking and Essential Defects (DDED) was very small, at approximately 0.1 man sieverts.

In addition, decontamination and closure of the refit facility contributed a further 0.085 man-sieverts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress he has made with the reconstruction of dosage records for ex-Chatham Dockyard workers announced in June 1997. [38786]

Circumstances requiring dose reconstruction have not yet arisen in any cases considered under the Nuclear Industry Compensation Scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence What Were the refurbishment costs of the India Office Records building at the Cut in Blackfriars Road. [40110]

The building referred to is not a Ministry of Defence Property and no record exists of any Contract being let for refurbishment Work by the Ministry of Defence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the nuclear-powered submarines Which berthed at Chatham Dockyard for (a) refuelling and refitting, (b)refitting, (c) Special dockings (d) dockings and essential repair and (e) decommissioning While the refit facility was operational, giving the dates on Which each boat was berthed and the estimated and measured collective radioactive dose transferred to the civilian workforce for each boat operation listed. [38788]

The list of Submarines is given. There was no requirement to keep statistics of dosage in the form requested and the figures are estimates. They are given in man-Sieverts (the result of adding the dose of each individual as measured by personal dosimeter)If a former radiation worker sought compensation under the Compensation Scheme and if the Ministry of Defence could find no dose records for him, it would calculate the maximum statutory level of exposure permitted for workers in his category. If this would justify a payment under the Scheme, the Ministry of Defence would then calculate the dose the claimant could be assumed to have received by reference to the dose records of other radiation workers who performed similar work in similar circumstances. This approach has been agreed with the Trade Union representatives on the Management Board for the Compensation Scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were employed in total at Chatham Dockyard on the nuclear refit facility while the facility was operational. [38787]

At a very rough estimate, between 2,000 and 3,000 civilian radiation workers worked on submarines at Chatham between 1983 and 1996. This is calculated on the basis that at any one time the numbers of classified workers and approved scheme workers are believed to have totalled around 1,500 and that there is believed to have been an annual turnover of about 150.To establish a reliable figure would require a search of all my Department's archived civilian personnel files, which are indexed only by name and date of birth. This could be done only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his Department's requirement for the Beyond Visual Range Missile for Eurofighter. [39660]

Tenders have been invited from industry to satisfy the requirement for a Beyond Visual Range Air to Air Missile to equip Eurofighter and are due to be submitted later this month.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Dunfermline, West (Ms Squire) of 5 February 1998, Official Report, column 763–64, if he will make a statement on the current status of the partnering arrangement between the Naval Recruiting and Training Agency and Flagship Training Ltd. [40996]

I have decided that, following the outcome of the formal consultation, the transfer of activities in the General, Administrative and Support areas of the Naval Recruiting and Training Agency to Flagship Training Ltd. should proceed. The transfer of activities and employees will commence in a phased manner on 22 June 1998.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (a) the countries to which military attachés are posted and (b) the military attachés by rank and service. [40773]

Military attachés are posted to the following countries; their rank and service are also indicated:

Country	Capital	Rank	Service
Argentina	Buenos Aires*	Group Captain	RAF
Argentina	Buenos Aires*	Colonel	Army
Australia	Canberra	Commodore	RN
Australia	Canberra*	Colonel	Army
Australia	Canberra	Group Captain	RAF
Austria	Vienna*	Lieutenant Colonel	Army
Bangladesh	Dhaka	Colonel	Army
Barbados	Bridgetown*	Captain	RN
Belgium	Brussels*	Colonel	Army
Brazil	Brasilia	Colonel	Army
Brazil	Brasilia	Captain	RN
Bulgaria	Sofia*	Colonel	Army
Canada	Ottawa	Brigadier	Army