To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the artillery units and sub-units of the (a) Regular Army and (b) Territorial Army equipped with MLRS, giving (i) the peacetime strength and (ii) the actual strength in each case. [40662]

The artillery units and sub-units of the Regular Army equipped with MLRS are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the Royal Navy will give formal recognition to the Maritime Volunteer Service; and if he will make a statement. [41376]

In line with the Royal Navy's policy of fostering links with maritime organisations in the civilian community, they have today formally recognised the Maritime Volunteer Service, MVS. This recognition reflects the contribution of the MVS to the education and training of young people in nautical skills. The Royal Navy will advise the MVS on various maritime matters, including RN career opportunities. The Royal Navy's closer association with the MVS will also contribute to the Government's "New Deal" initiative by enriching the pool of training opportunities in the community, thus assisting young people to gain employment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the ship repair contracts awarded to each United Kingdom shipyard in each of the last five years. [39304]

I am arranging for a list of the ship repair contracts awarded to each United Kingdom shipyard in the last five financial years to be placed in the Library of the House. I have restricted the list to those contracts with a value of £100,000 or more. Below this level, the contracts, estimated to be over 400 in number, tend to be for much smaller packages of work on small craft, some with a value as low as £100. The list includes contracts for work allocated to the Royal Dockyards at Devonport and Rosyth as well as those placed following competition.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what dates Iraqi military personnel entered the United Kingdom to attend training sessions at Astra Company training facilities. [38861]

[holding answer 20 April 1998]: I refer my hon. Friend to paragraph D7.92 of the right hon. Sir Richard Scott's Report of the Inquiry into the Export of Defence Equipment and Dual-Use Goods to Iraq and Related Prosecutions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list each of the countries in receipt of United Kingdom military assistance for each of the past 10 years and the annual cost of assistance to each country. [40388]

I will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the average percentage of soldiers who leave the TA within one month of joining; and if he will list the 10 TA units with the (a) best and (b) worst retention record over the last three years. [40924]

I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Chevaline warheads from Polaris submarines have so far been dismantled; by what date his Department expects to complete dismantling all the Chevaline warheads; and if he will make a statement. [40815]

Chevaline warheads are currently held in secure storage in a non-operational state. The Polaris missiles on which they were formerly deployed have all been destroyed. Dismantlement of Chevaline warheads will commence on completion of the current programme of WE177 dismantlement. I am withholding details of warhead dismantlement plans under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information relating to Defence, Security and International Relations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what dates (a) the Defence Council and (b) the Air Force Board have met since 1 August 1997. [40669]

The Defence Council has met on the following dates since 1 August 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to place in the Library the digest of the submission by Service and Ministry of Defence civilian personnel to the Strategic Defence Review. [40667]

A digest of submissions by Service and Ministry of Defence civilian personnel to the Strategic Defence Review is being prepared to support the White Paper which will set out the conclusions of the Review. The digest will be placed in the Library of the House when the White Paper is published. We shall also be offering copies of the digest to the same libraries to which we are offering copies of external submissions to the Review.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment his Department has made of the Ultra Light Transit Electric Railbus scheme recently introduced in Bristol in terms of its (a) cost and (b) environmental impact; and if he will make a statement. [41094]

No application has been made to my Department for funding, or for powers under the Transport and Works Act 1992, for this scheme and therefore no assessment has been done of its costs or environmental impact.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what action he is taking to ensure that Railtrack respond to the recommendations of the Health and Safety Executive's report on the Watford rail crash. [40904]

The Health and Safety Executive will follow up all the recommendations contained in its report on the Watford rail crash. HSE has asked Railtrack for a formal response within two months.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the benefits of the automatic train protection system. [40905]

My right hon. Friend the Minister for Transport has made it clear to the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that he should produce any formal proposals that he considers necessary on train protection systems. I understand that HSE officials are working on such proposals with a view to publication in the near future.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the report from the Southern Region Rail Users consultative committee on complaints for the year ending March 1998; and what action he intends to take to ensure services are improved. [40907]

The latest complaint figures from the Southern England Committee point to increasing passenger dissatisfaction with train operators' performance. It is clear that passengers are still not getting the best deal from the privatised railway. Our forthcoming White Paper on integrated transport will explain how we intend to improve the performance and accountability of the railway system.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will establish a public investigation into the near head-on collision between two commuter trains at Cannon Street Station on 30 April 1998. [40906]

The Health and Safety Executive's (HSE's) Railway Inspectorate commenced an independent investigation on the morning of 30 April, when this incident occurred. HSE's investigation is continuing and it is too early to speculate about the causes. HSE will make its findings and recommendations known in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if the caps on local authority expenditure will be adjusted to allow for the funding of local authority regional assemblies in England; [40848](2) if additional Government funding will be made available to cover the costs of local authority regional assemblies in England. [40849]

The Government have made it clear that 1998/99 will be the last year of crude and universal capping. A consultation paper on Improving Local Financial Accountability was published on 30 March and looks at what new arrangements may need to be put in place. We expect the costs of non-statutory regional chambers to be modest and to be met from within existing budgets. Funding for directly elected regional assemblies will be considered as part of any future proposals for them to be created.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will publish the terms of reference of the current Railtrack study of the crossrail project; [41003](2) when he expects Railtrack to complete their detailed study of the crossrail project; and if he will publish the results of the study. [41005]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what percentage of applications from women, in relation to his Department's research budget, were successful for (a) project grants, (b) programme grants, (c) special grants intended for new investigators, (d) studentships and (e) fellowships, in 1997 and each of the two previous years; [40882](2) what percentage of applications, in relation to his Department's research budget, were from women, for

The terms of reference for Railtrack's study of the crossrail project were broadly expressed, with Railtrack being asked in particular to consider what proposals they could put forward for reducing the size of the public sector contribution for the scheme, and on possible arrangements for private sector finance.It was originally hoped that Railtrack's reply would be received in 1997. This did not prove possible but a response is expected later this year.Any material received will be treated in line with the Government's code of practice on access to Government information.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of rough sleepers in London in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what forecasts he has made of numbers in future years. [40889]

In the context of the Rough Sleepers Initiative, voluntary sector homelessness organisations, co-ordinated by Homeless Network who receive some of their funding from my Department, undertake regular single night head counts in parts of central London where rough sleeping is a major problem. Other parts of London may have been covered by one-off-single night counts of people sleeping rough but no reliable data exist for those areas showing trends over time. The figures for central London areas where regular counts have taken place are as follows:intended for new investigators,

Research under the DETR Research Programme is carried out under contract and procured as far as possible by competitive tender. Contractors are generally teams with a principal investigator, rather than single individuals. Records often show only initials or professional titles of contract team members. It would entail unreasonable costs to inquire in retrospect about the sex of all contract team members for the last 3 years

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what has been the total cost of new road projects authorised by him since 1 May 1997 in (a) Devon and (b) Cornwall. [40834]

My Department has not accepted any major new road local authority road schemes for funding in either Devon or Cornwall since 1 May 1997. It is open to authorities to fund minor new road projects (those costing up to £2 million) using the resources allocated to them for transport packages. Information on the use they are making of these resources will not be available until they submit their Transport Policies and Programme bids in July. All resources allocated for local safety schemes are for use on road improvements at locations where there is a record of accidents. The following table summarises allocations made to councils in the Devon and Cornwall areas under those headings as part of the local transport capital settlement for 1998–99:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many miles of track have been electrified each year (a) in total and (b) broken down by region, for each of the last 10 years on record. [41058]

The information is listed in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many railway derailments have occurred in each year (a) in total and (b) broken down by region, for each of the last 10 years on record. [41051]

The total number of train derailment is shown in the table. Due to the changes in the organisation of the railways (including changes to boundaries) over the last ten years, information on derailments by region is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to publish (a) the Integrated Transport White Paper and (b) the Roads Review. [41078]

Work is nearing completion on the White Paper which we expect to publish in June. The Roads Review will follow.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of male and female Black Poplars in England; and what percentage are the subject of tree preservation orders. [40764]

This information is not collected by my Department. However, it is understood that current research being carried out at the University of Nottingham estimates that there are more than 5,000 Black Poplar trees in Britain, of which about 500 are female.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what are the maximum predictions for PM10 emissions in Egham (i) from the motorway and (ii) from all sources (a) in the morning peak and (b) as a 24-hour running average, in (1) 2000 and (2) 2010 if the M25 is widened to 10–12 lanes between Junctions 12 and 15; [40442](2) pursuant to his answer of 21 April 1998,

[holding answer 6 May 1998]: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Lawrie Haynes, to write to my hon. Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking to encourage the use of greenfreeze air-conditioning systems by (a) the Government and (b) the private sector. [40549]

Hydrocarbon refrigerants, such as the Greenfreeze technology promoted by Greenpeace, are one of a number of refrigerants which may be used in air conditioning systems as an alternative to ozone depleting substances and HFCs. The Government encourage the private sector to sign up to the declaration of intent which it has agreed with the refrigeration industry. This discourages the use of HFCs for any application where a risk of high emissions exists, by promoting the use of safe, reasonably practical, environmentally acceptable and energy efficient alternatives where available.The Government expect to announce soon a model framework for greening its own operations, which will cover best practice in air conditioning systems.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what policy he will adopt in respect of the greenhouse gas HFC 134a at the Fourth Conference of the Parties of the Framework Convention on Climate Change in Buenos Aires. [40552]

Specific discussion of policies and measures for emissions reductions of individual greenhouse gases, such as HFC134a, is not expected to be on the agenda at the Fourth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to be held in Buenos Aires in November.However, the Government are currently considering with other European Member States, how the European Union can meet the target that was set in the Kyoto Protocol, for reducing emissions of all greenhouse gases, including HFCs. The Government will be issuing a consultation paper in the summer on how the UK proposes meeting its commitments.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many and what proportion of his Department's appointees to non-departmental public bodies are (i) aged under 25, (ii) aged 25 to 30 and (iii) aged 31 to 35 years. [40749]

The appointments to non-departmental public bodies sponsored by my Department include appointments made by the Prime Minister, and myself. In addition, I also make appointments for a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Central Office of Information, which is a Department in its own right and which reports directly to me.None of the appointees to my Department's non-departmental public bodies are (i) aged under 25, (ii) aged 25 to 30 or (iii) aged 31 to 35 years.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what targets he has set Property Advisers to the Civil Estate for 1998–99. [41444]

I have set PACE the following targets for 1998–99:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what conclusions have been reached following the pilot of the central media monitoring unit; and if he will make a statement. [40677]

The pilot was considered a success by its users, and the Media Monitoring Unit was established permanently from 1 April 1998. Its daily summary is available in the libraries of the House, as promised by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in his answer to the hon. Member for Mid-Bedfordshire (Mr. Sayeed) on 4 February 1998, Official Report, column 668.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to paragraph 57 of the report of the Working Group on the Government Information Services, what guidance has been given in respect of how bad news can be dampened down. [40675]

Paragraph 57 of the Report concerns the inclusion in policy submissions of advice on presentational aspects, of which dampening "bad news" aspects is cited as one example. No central guidance has been given or is needed: it is the job of the Government Information and Communication Service to provide effective communication and explanation of Government policy and decisions.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which recommendations of the report of the Working Group on the Government Information Service have been (a) agreed and implemented, (b) agreed but not yet implemented and (c) dismissed; and if he will make a statement. [40678]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 27 November 1997, Official Report, column 604. The majority of recommendations are now being implemented and the remainder will be in due course.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the last internal VFM study into the Government Information Service was carried out; what were the results; and when the next study is planned. [40676]

Each department and agency is responsible for the VFM of its own information and communications functions; in the same way as for any other part of its activities.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what sums were recovered from fraudulent legal aid claimants in (a) 1992–93, (b) 1993–94, (c) 1994–95, (d) 1995–96 and (e) 1996–97. [40531]

The information requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Amounts recovered in respect of these cases are not recorded separately from amounts recovered by the Legal Aid Board from all assisted persons whose legal aid has been withdrawn for various reasons.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what estimate he has made of (a) the number of fraudulent legal aid claims, (b) the number of individuals making such claims and (c) the sums paid out for such claims in (i) 1992–93, (ii) 1993–94, (iii) 1994–95, (iv) 1995–96 and (v) 1996–97. [40536]

(a) Information is available only on the number of detailed investigations undertaken by the Legal Aid Board of firms of solicitors involving possible fraud or abuse of the legal aid scheme. The number of cases investigated are as follows:

To ask the Minister without Portfolio if he will list the proposed sites for the provision of car parking for visitors to the Millennium Experience; what assessment he has made of the impact of visitors travelling by car upon the availability of car parking spaces at London Underground stations; and if he will make a statement. [39419]

The New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) is reviewing its park and ride strategy with a view to making greater use of existing car parks where there is spare capacity or which are close to rail or underground stations. The availability of car parks is being discussed with London Transport, the rail companies and others and a list will be produced and made available as soon as the review is completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many deportation orders have been signed by Ministers since 1 October 1997; and how many removals have taken place in the same period; [40564](2) how many deportation orders have been signed by Ministers in each of the last six calendar years. [40565]

The numbers of deportation orders signed by Ministers in each of the last six years are given in table 1.The number of deportation orders signed between 1 October 1997 and 31 January 1998 was 370. Information on removals during this period is given in table 2.Data relating to 1997 and 1998 are provisional.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the percentage of crimes which were committed by people with mental and psychological problems in the last year for which figures are available. [38526]

The information requested is not available centrally. National statistics about offenders are categorised in terms of the type of offence committed rather than the mental and psychological problems of the offenders. The information that is held on those offenders relates to convictions and not crimes committed. No information is held on the perpetrators of crimes for which no one is convicted.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what investigations he is undertaking into the recent suicides at Norwich prison; [40247](2) what assessment he has made of those groups of prison inmates most prone to suicide attempts; [40249](3) how many suicides there have been at

[holding answer 30 April 1998]: Recent research has identified that the first 30 days into custody or after arrival at a prison, as a sentenced or remand prisoner, is a period of significantly increased risk of suicide. Thus a disproportionate number of suicides occur in local prisons. The Prison Service is, therefore, reviewing the reception and induction processes to examine how those at risk might be better identified and supported.Also, the range of people entering prison custody includes a high proportion of individuals known to be at increased risk of suicide. These include those addicted to drugs or alcohol, those who have committed serious sexual or violent offences and those with a history of self-harm. Unfortunately, not all self-inflicted deaths are preventable, as despite staffs best efforts, some prisoners will not disclose or convey their feelings and intentions. However, we are determined to do everything possible to try and reduce the number of self-inflicted deaths in prisons.The Prison Service actively encourages the involvement of family members in caring for those at heightened risk of suicide or self-harm wherever possible. Prison Service policy on caring for the suicidal in custody advises staff to consider carefully how families can be involved in working up a care plan for those who are considered at particular risk of suicide.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the terms of reference for the study of the asylum process under the comprehensive spending review require consideration to be given to the use of information technology in dealing with asylum casework. [40636]

As I said in my reply to the hon. Member on 28 April 1998, Official Report, columns 95–96, we shall be computerising the handling of asylum casework through the implementation of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate Casework Programme. More generally, in accordance with its terms of reference the inter-departmental study has been considering ways in which all aspects of the asylum process can be made more efficient and effective. The study team has now completed its work and we are considering its findings very carefully across Government. We shall be announcing our conclusions on the way ahead at the appropriate time.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 28 April 1998, Official Report, column 96, when he expects the casework programme system to be used to deal with asylum casework; and on what date it was expected to be available under the plans of the previous Government. [40632]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr. Allan) on 22 January 1998, Official Report, column 633. The dates to which I referred in that reply are being determined. I shall write to the hon. Member when a timetable has been agreed. Under the original proposal, the use of the system on asylum casework would have started before 30 April, but that date has proved unrealistic.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average number of electors per constituency in England on 16 February. [40860]

69,727. The figure is derivedfrom the parliamentary electoral registers which came into effect on 16 February 1998.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress is being made in reaching agreement with the member states of the EU regarding the establishment of a European co-operative statute; and if he will make a statement. [41081]

[holding answer 6 May 1998]: There has been little recent progress with the draft European Co-operative Statute, following earlier discussions which indicated there was insufficient support for the proposal amongst a number of Member States.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the net cost to the Exchequer in 1999–2000 of (a) increasing the personal income tax allowance to £10,000 per annum, (b) abolishing the 20 per cent. tax band, (c) abolishing the capital gains tax exempt amounts, (d) abolishing the age-related personal allowances, (e) abolishing the married couple's tax allowance, (f) abolishing mortgage interest tax relief, (g) starting the higher rate band of income tax at taxable incomes of over £22,000 per annum and (h) ending the zero-rating of international passenger transport. [40378]