To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will place in the Library copies of gender impact assessments which have been undertaken in respect of legislation introduced in this Parliament; if he will make it his policy to do so in respect of future legislation; and if he will make a statement. [47025]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Women on 24 June 1998, Official Report, column 557.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the initiatives undertaken by his Department since 1 May 1997 which have involved the establishment of (a) action zones and (b) pilot schemes limited to particular geographical areas, indicating the name of the programme and the action zone or pilot scheme areas covered in each instance. [47054]

The information requested is set out in the table.

Name of programme	Area(s) covered
Legal Aid Board pilot franchises for the provision of publicly funded mediation services. Pilots commenced May 1997.	Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Durham, Manchester, Birmingham, Coventry, Northampton, Cambridge, Peterborough, Bristol, Cardiff, Bromley and London.
Pilot to test the administrative arrangements necessary to implement S.9 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997. Pilots commenced January and June 1998.	Coventry, Southampton, Oxford and Carlisle
Pilot to test draft checklist in Crown Court cases involving children. Pilots took place June to September 1997.	Liverpool and Norwich
Information Meetings Project (pilot to test arrangements for S.8 of the Family Law Act 1996). Pilots commenced June 1997.	Birmingham and Coventry, East Anglia, Greater Manchester, Leicestershire and East Midlands, London, North East, South Wales, South West, South Yorkshire and North East Derbyshire.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list, for each of the last four years, all departmental inquiries and reviews instigated by ministers which have been chaired by individuals outside his Department; and in each case if he will give the date of establishment and the name of the chairman. [46837]

The information requested is set out in the table.

Inquiry/review	Date established	Chair
An inquiry into access to civil justice	March 1994	Conducted by Lord Woolf
Review of the Court of Appeal (Civil Division)	October 1996	Sir Jeffrey Bowman
Review of the law relating to profits of crime	March 1997	Professor Gareth Jones, Vice-Master, Trinity College Cambridge (sole reviewer)
Review of civil justice and legal aid	June 1997	Sir Peter Middleton

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of payments due in December 1997 to farmers (a) have not been paid to date and (b) were paid late; and if she will make a statement. [46946]

Under the Arable Aid Scheme in Northern Ireland, 96.74 per cent. of applicants received payments by 31 December 1997 (representing 96.84 per cent. by value).At 1 June 1998, all applicants had received payment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when she expects her review of electoral procedures to complete its work; when she expects to publish its report; and when she intends to publish her draft legislation. [46744]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State expects to receive the Elections Review Report in mid August which will be considered by Ministers, and published shortly afterwards.Thereafter, the Secretary of State will consult the Northern Ireland parties and legislation will be drafted and published as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the Ulster hospital, Dundonald was provided with a Union Flag; if it was flown on the occasion of Her Majesty's official birthday; what arrangements have been made to fly the Union Flag at the Ulster hospital on the appropriate dates; and if she will make a statement. [46727]

The Ulster Community and Hospitals Health and Social Services Trust has confirmed that it has always had a Union Flag and that it was flown on the occasion of Her Majesty's official birthday on Saturday 13 June 1998. Management of the Trust have passed the schedule of dates for flying the Union Flag to the reception porters based at the main reception of the Ulster Hospital who have responsibility for hoisting the Flag.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many sets of (a) twins, (b) triplets, (c) quadruplets, (d) quintuplets and (e) sextuplets were

Type	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	11997
Sets of
(a) twins	267	315	258	308	303	324	311	327
(b) triplets	5	6	8	9	6	7	11	6
(c) quadruplets	—	—	—	—	—	2	2	1
(d) quintuplets	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
(e) sextuplets	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Maternities	26,338	26,050	25,425	24,729	24,119	23,663	24,398	24,057
1Provisional

With regard to the number of multiple births conceived as a result of IVF and other forms of infertility treatment, the information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will place in the Library copies of gender impact assessments which have been undertaken in respect of legislation introduced in this Parliament; if he will make it his policy to do so in respect of future legislation; and if he will make a statement. [47020]

The Policy Appraisal for Fair Treatment (PAFT) administrative guidelines of 1993 require the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments to assess the equality impact of new policies, including legislation, in terms of gender and seven other categories. Such assessments are not published, but are covered by annual reports on the implementation of PAFT. A report for 1997 is in preparation. The White Paper, "Partnership for Equality", published on 11 March 1998, proposed replacing PAFT with a statutory obligation to promote equality of opportunity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total cost to public funds of each of the four area councils for health and social services in each of the last three years. [47115]

The table discloses expenditure on Health and Social Services Councils by the Northern Ireland Health and Personal Social Services Boards for 1995–96 and 1996–97. The information for 1997–98 is not yet available.

The information requested in relation to total maternities and total multiple births is set out in Table 1

Health and Social Services Councils expenditure 1995–96 to 1997–98
£000
	1995–96	1996–97	1997–98
Northern Board	100	127	Not available
Southern Board	175	155	Not available
Eastern Board	313	305	Not available
Western Board	81	87	Not available
Total	669	674	Not available

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the families of the (a) deceased and (b) wounded on Bloody Sunday have been informed of the number of counsel and firms of solicitors who will represent them at the Bloody Sunday Inquiry; and if they will have the solicitors and counsel of their choice. [47003]

[holding answer 24 June 1998]: I understand that these matters will be discussed at the preliminary hearing of the Inquiry which will be held at the Guildhall, Londonderry on 20 July as laid down in the list of considerations given in the Bloody Sunday Inquiry press notice of 18 June.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if data are available to enable her to make a statement on the religious affiliation of (a) applicants for grants and (b) applicants whose grants have been approved, in both cases by district council area, under the Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 1992. [47275]

This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, whose Chief Executive has advised me that to date, there are still insufficient data to make a meaningful assessment of the impact of the grants scheme on applicants of particular religious persuasions. The Commission for Racial Equality has recommended that a completion rate of 80 per cent. to the relevant question on the preliminary inquiry form is the minimum which would allow for meaningful monitoring. At present, only 63 per cent. of applicants are completing the question.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many of those aged (a) under 21, (b) 21 to 24 and (c) over 25 years and over, registered in Northern Ireland, applied through UCAS for admission to a course of higher education for the (i) 1994, (ii) 1995, (iii) 1996, (iv) 1997 and (v) 1998 entry cycles; what were the numbers of the population in Northern Ireland aged (a) to (c) for (i) to (v); and what was the proportion of those applying as a percentage of the appropriate population cohort. [47266]

The information requested is set out in the tables.

NI domiciled applicants through UCAS
	(a) Under	(b)	(c)
Year	21 years	21–24 years	25 years and over	Total
1994	11,915	1,164	867	13,946
1995	12,419	1,278	930	14,627
1996	12,537	1,188	821	14,546
1997	13,584	1,418	904	15,906
1997 as at 16 May 19971	13,282	1,254	789	15,325
1998 as at 16 May 19981	13,167	1,157	651	14,975

Population estimates (mid-year)
Year	(a) 18–20 years	(b) 21–24 years	(c) 25–39 years
1994	73,717	104,802	362,864
1995	72,096	103,125	366,664
1996	71,079	101,364	374,246
1997	69,805	99,736	377,190

Percentage
	Protestant	Roman Catholic	Other	Missing data1
Queen's University Belfast
Full-time undergraduate students who entered via UCAS	33	40	2	25
University of Ulster at Belfast
Full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students (1st year)	42	42	6	11
Part-time undergraduate and postgraduate students (1st year)	2—	67	2—	2—
University of Ulster at Coleraine
Full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students (1st Year)	42	48	3	7
Part-time undergraduate and postgraduate students (1st year)	33	44	2—	20
University of Ulster at Jordanstown
Full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students (1st year)	37	54	3	6
Part-time undergraduate and postgraduate students (1st year)	39	35	5	22
University of Ulster at Magee
Full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students (1st year)	12	69	4	16
Part-time undergraduate and postgraduate students (1st year)	11	64	3	22
1In these cases students have been asked the monitoring questions, but not answered
2Percentage not given if based in fewer than 5 students

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what equal opportunity monitoring is conducted of students in universities in Northern Ireland; who is responsible for undertaking the monitoring; what are the proportions of Protestant and Catholic students at (a) the Queen's University, Belfast, (b) the University of Ulster at each of its campuses and (c) the Open University; and if she will make a statement. [45821]

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), on behalf of the Department of Education Northern Ireland, gathers data on the gender, ethnicity, religion and disability of students in universities in Northern Ireland.The figures from the provisional 1997–98 data in respect of Northern Ireland domiciled students are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which battalion will be assigned for public duties in Scotland for the first opening of the Scottish parliament. [48033]

The 1st Battalion The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and the 1st Battalion The Black Watch will be assigned to public duties in Scotland during the summer of 1999. No decisions have been taken on which units will participate in the opening ceremony for the first Scottish parliament.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated regarding the causes of Gulf War Syndrome illnesses. [38601]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what research is currently being carried out on behalf of his Department into the effects of Gulf War Syndrome on servicemen; [44673](2) what criteria are used to select control groups in studies into Gulf War Syndrome; [44675](3) how many servicemen are currently participating in studies of Gulf War Syndrome. [44674]

In addition to our present work on the subject of illnesses suffered by Gulf War Veterans, I am today announcing that MOD will be funding an independent systematic literature review of worldwide published research relating to Gulf veterans' illnesses. This decision follows a recommendation from the Medical Research Council (MRC) who advise the Government on research aimed at addressing Gulf veterans' health concerns. The review will be carried by a team led by Professor Glyn Lewis at the University of Wales at Cardiff and will cost £75k over three years. The findings of the review will be published at regular intervals.The Government are already funding two major epidemiological studies to look at the health of Gulf veterans and their families. One study, under Professor Nicola Cherry at Manchester University, aims to determine whether Gulf veterans are experiencing greater ill-health than service personnel who did not take part in the conflict and will involve a total of 9,600 Gulf veterans, plus a control group of 4,800 personnel. The other study, under Dr. Patricia Doyle at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, will examine the reproductive health of Gulf veterans and the health of their children. Dr. Doyle aims to contact all personnel who served in the Gulf, some 53,000 in all, plus a control sample of the same size. Controls for these studies are drawn from personnel who were serving at the time of the Gulf War but did not deploy there.A further epidemiological study looking at whether service in the Gulf is associated with increased illness of UK veterans is being funded by the US Department of Defense and carried out by Professor Wessely at Kings College School of Medicine. Although this study is being carried out independently of MOD, the Department is co-operating with Professor Wessely by providing essential data to the study team. This study involves 4,250 Gulf veterans and two control groups: one of 4,250 non-Gulf personnel and another of 4,250 personnel who have served in Bosnia. The control groups have been randomly selected to form a sample similar to the Gulf cohort on the basis of Service, age, sex and Officer/Other ranks status. The Army and RAF samples are also selected according to Regular/Reservist status and fitness.The Government are also funding King's College, London to carry out a clinical study under Dr. Michael Rose and Dr. Mohammad Sharief. The study will focus on those veterans who have, according to their response to the epidemiological study carried out under Professor Wessely, significant neuromuscular symptoms.Control subjects for this study will be randomly selected through Professor Wessely's epidemiological study and will include Gulf veterans who do not exhibit any neuromuscular symptoms, Service and ex-Service personnel who were serving at the time of the Gulf War but did not deploy there and personnel who have served in Bosnia. In addition, a group of civilian patients will be used to validate the research methodology, although they will not be used for comparison as part of the study.The Government are also funding a programme of research to investigate the possible adverse health effects of the combination of vaccines and tablets which were given to troops in the Gulf to protect them against biological and chemical warfare agent. This research is based principally on animal studies, but it is also planned to monitor the health of staff at Porton Down who receive multiple vaccinations as part of their normal safety regime.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the performance of the MOD Police Headquarters; and how many cases relating to (a) grievance and (b) disciplinary procedures took (i) six months or more and (ii) 12 months or more to reach a conclusion in (1) 1996–97, (2) 1995–96 and (3) 1994–95. [46495]

The Ministry of Defence Police is an executive agency and therefore subject to the same review procedures as all other departmental executive agencies. I have made no specific assessment of the performance of the MOD Police Headquarters in addition to the normal agency reviews. The information requested on the duration of grievance and disciplinary cases is as follows:

(a)
Year	Grievance cases 6 months to 12 months to conclusion	Grievance cases 12 months or more to conclusion
1996–97	1	3
1995–96	0	2
1994–95	—	—

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of gender impact assessments which have been undertaken in respect of legislation introduced in this Parliament; if he will make it his policy to do so in respect of future legislation; and if he will make a statement. [47017]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Women on 24 June 1998, Official Report, columns 557–58.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the proposed closure of Divisional Headquarters in York. [47101]

No proposals have been put to Ministers for the closure of the Divisional Headquarters at York. Various options are under consideration as part of the study into the future divisional structure of the Army in the United Kingdom, details of which I set out in the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for City of York (Mr. Bayley) on 16 January 1998, Official Report, column 349.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department's inquiry into the retention of the death penalty in military law will be completed. [45740]

[holding answer 17 June 1998]: Consideration of the review is now in the final stages and I will advise the House of the outcome as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the implementation of long-term plans at the Greenwich Hospital site under section 26 of the Armed Forces Act 1996. [46650]

I assume the question refers to section 30 of the Armed Forces Act 1996. The section requires my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence to have regard to the heritage of the Royal Naval College site at Greenwich, the desirability of securing reasonable public access to it, and to prevent use out of keeping with its unique history and character. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence hopes soon to be able to conclude a head lease with the Greenwich Foundation, an independent charitable trust, whose intentions for the site are entirely consistent with Section 30(2). The plans for the future of the site, which include planned occupation by the University of Greenwich, are being developed by the Foundation in consultation with my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Culture, Media and Sport and for Defence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when is the anticipated delivery date of the C130-J aircraft; when it was originally due to be delivered; what compensation has been offered for its late delivery; and if he will cancel the order of C130-Js due to late delivery. [46822]

On current plans, the Ministry of Defence will receive delivery of the first aircraft for test and evaluation in mid 1998. It was originally due to be delivered in November 1996. We will be claiming liquidated damages from the company, currently estimated at £30 million, which will be used to offset the additional costs incurred by the MOD. We have no plans to cancel the contract.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the timetable is for the dismantling of RAF operations at RAF Stanmore Park and for the disposal of the site; and if he will make a statement. [46919]

RAF Stanmore Park formally closed on 1 April 1997 with units transferring to RAF Bentley Priory. However, until the necessary work to provide messing and accommodation at RAF Bentley Priory is complete, use will continue to be made of facilities at Stanmore Park. Although on current plans the site will not be vacated until 1 June 1999, a marketing strategy is already being prepared by the Defence Estates Organisation in order that an open market sale can take place as soon as possible thereafter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he proposes to make an announcement about the future roles of (a) the Parachute Regiment and (b) 24 Air Mobile Brigade. [46813]

A package of proposals, covering all our Armed Forces, has been submitted to the Cabinet. Once decisions have been taken, the results of the Strategic Defence Review will be published in a White Paper as quickly as possible thereafter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated cost of withdrawing and dismantling the WE177 weapon. [46824]

The estimated cost of dismantling WE177 is some £23m; withdrawal costs are not separately identifiable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many WE177 weapons were manufactured by his Department before the weapon was withdrawn from service; and in what years these weapons were manufactured. [46826]

WE177 was manufactured between 1966 and 1977. Regular servicing was carried out as necessary to ensure continued safety and reliability whilst in service. I am withholding information as to the number of weapons manufactured under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Government Information relating to Defence, Security and International Relations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which contractors and Ministry of Defence organisations designed each variant of the WE177 weapon; and when this work was carried out. [46825]

Design work for WE177 was started over 30 years ago with the design for the first variant completed in 1963, the second in 1965, and the last in 1972.The co-ordinating design authority for all WE177 variants was Hunting Engineering, with the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment as design authority for the warhead element. The Royal Ordnance Factories at Burghfield, Cardiff and Chorley, RAF Farnborough, and RARDE Fort Halstead assisted in the work, as did a number of other contractors. Given the age of the programme, it has not been possible to compile a full and accurate list.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 12 November 1997, Official Report, column 581, if the weights, sizes and yields of each type of the WE177 weapon are now declassified information. [47804]

Information on the size and weight of all three variants of the WE177 bomb is unclassified and is listed. Technical details relating to the performance of the weapons, including yield, which would reveal information about our design capabilities, or aspects of current operational systems, or be of assistance to proliferators, continues to be covered by exemption 1 of the code of practice on access to Government information relating to defence security and international relations.

Variant	Weight	Size
Type A	6001b	112 inches long
Type B	9501b	133 inches long
Type C	9501b	133 inches long

All variants had a diameter of 16.5 inches and a fin span of 24.5 inches.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the Commachio Group Royal Marines is based; how many companies it comprises; what is the function of each company; and what plans he has for their relocation. [46820]

Commachio Group is based at RM Condor, Arbroath, and comprises an HQ Company and 3 Rifle Companies. The latter rotate in protecting the UK's strategic deterrent assets at HMS Neptune, Faslane, the RN Armament Depot Coulport, and during related road movements. Following public consultation, I approved earlier this year the Group's permanent relocation to HMS Neptune by April 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 11 June 1998, Official Report, column 638, when he expects to receive details of the costs and the liability in respect of the damage to the tail shaft bearings of HMS 'Ocean'; and if the (a) costs and (b) inquiry conclusions will be made public. [47074]

The Formal Inquiry currently underway into the cause of the damage to HMS Ocean's port shaft "A" bracket bearing is expected to conclude in the autumn of this year. The Inquiry is being conducted by the prime contractor, Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Limited. The costs of, and liability for, the damage will be the subject of negotiation between MOD and the company following the Inquiry and is not expected to be resolved before the end of the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 11 June 1998, Official Report, column 638, what assessment his Department has made of the cause of the damage to HMS Ocean on her launch in October 1995; and what changes to operating arrangements have been made as a result. [47063]

The hull damage sustained by HMS Ocean during her launch on 11 October 1995 was attributable to the accidental collapse of a forward launch cradle. It is the responsibility of the prime contractor Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Limited to ensure that launch arrangements are safe and acceptable and, where necessary, adapted to reflect lessons learnt from previous experience. The damage will not require any change to the proposed operating arrangements of HMS Ocean once she enters service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the bullets used by British forces using (a) SA80 and (b) M16 rifles have tumbling action. [47044]

The large majority of bullets used by British Forces in SA80 and M16 rifles are known as ball or tracer rounds. Armour-piercing rounds are also used. These bullets are categorised as spin-stabilised, non-deforming bullets. All spin-stabilised bullets will tumble to some degree when they hit a human target.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role of RAF Brawdy, Pembrokeshire in the investigation of sightings of unidentified flying objects. [47318]

Brawdy ceased to be an RAF station on 31 March 1996 when the establishment was transferred to the Army.Generally, my Department examines reports of unidentified flying objects only to establish whether there is any evidence that the United Kingdom's Air Defence Region has been penetrated by hostile or unauthorised foreign military activity. Unless a report reveals evidence of a potential threat from an external military source, no attempt is made to determine the precise nature of what might have been seen.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the hydrophonic cables connected with SOSUS Network that extend from the ex-US Navy facility at RAF Brawdy, Pembrokeshire are currently used for underwater monitoring. [47319]

The sound surveillance system (SOSUS) cables extending from former US Navy Facility at RAF Brawdy are no longer used for underwater monitoring. The facility has now been passed to the Defence Estate Organisation for disposal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the effect on defence aviation of the sell-off of NATS. [47404]

The Government intend to sustain the principle of equal access to national airspace for all classes of user, and to maintain a joint and integrated civil-military system of air traffic control. We will, therefore, ensure that future arrangements for NATS can continue to accommodate the existing close working relationship with the Ministry of Defence, although there would of course be some structural changes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons he chose the Grob 115D aircraft in preference to the Slingsby Firefly as the aircraft to be used by University Air Squadron and Air Cadet Experience. [47321]

[holding answer 24 June 1998]: As I said in my announcement on 18 June 1998, Official Report, columns 265–66, the Grob 115D was selected in preference to the Firefly because it offered best value for money. The Grob is better suited to the particular requirements of the University Air Squadrons and Air Cadet Air Experience Flights and is both quieter and cheaper to operate than the Firefly. Furthermore, the Grob was the preferred choice of the Royal Air Force for this task.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the 5 Shropshire and Herefordshire Light Infantry and the Royal Mercian & Lancastrian Yeomanry Territorial Army battalions. [47681]

The future role of all arms and services within the Territorial Army will be decided as part of the Strategic Defence Review. An announcement will be made as soon as possible, but it may be some time before we can say how individual units will be affected by the outcome of the Review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take further steps to ensure that the projected multi-role armoured reconnaissance vehicle is delivered to the British Army on time. [47806]

We will continue to work with our French and German partners to make sure that the contract for development and initial production of the Multi-Role Armoured Vehicle, which is currently under negotiation with the preferred bidder, includes the conditions necessary to ensure that deliveries are made to meet the requirements of the British Army.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many exercises to test procedures for dealing with accidents involving nuclear weapons are to be held by his Department during 1999; when and where these exercises will be held; and what are the titles of these planned exercises; [46800](2) how many exercises to test procedures for dealing with accidents involving nuclear weapons are to be organised on British territory by the United States Government during 1999; when and where these exercises will be held; what are the titles of the planned exercises; and if his Department will participate in all exercises. [46801]

The following Grade A, B and C nuclear weapon accident exercises are planned to be held in the United Kingdom in 1999:

Nuclear weapon accident exercises—1999
Date	Exercise	Location
June 1999	Exercise Dimming Sun1	Norfolk
To be decided	Exercise Bowling	Coulport
To be decided	RAF weapon convoy Standardisation	To be decided
To be decided	RAF Station NARO team Standardisation2	To be decided
1Exercise Dimming Sun will be a joint UK/US nuclear weapon accident response exercise, the planning for which is being led by my Department. The exercise will test the response to an accident as described in the Local Authority and Emergency Service Information on Nuclear Weapon Transport Contingency plans
2RAF Station NARO teams provide immediate response forces for the air transportation of nuclear weapons

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department plans to publish the third edition of the Local Authority and Emergency Service Information on Nuclear Weapon Transport Contingency Plans. [46814]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 January 1998, Official Report, column 33.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the current security classifications of the newsletters produced for the staff of the (a) Defence Analytical Services Agency, (b) Defence Postal and Courier Agency and (c) Naval Manning Agency; how often each newsletter is produced; and when each was first produced. [46799]

This is a matter for the Chief Executives of the Agencies concerned. I have asked them to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the (a) number and (b) names of individual members of the armed forces killed while serving in Northern Ireland since 1982. [38405]

[pursuant to his reply, 20 April 1998, c. 462–65]: I should make it clear that the information given related only to those members of the armed forces killed by terrorist action while serving in Northern Ireland.

To ask the President of the Council if she will list each hon. Member who has had more than (a) one, (b) two and (c) three adjournment debates in the current Parliament. [46467]

The following statistics include ½ hour end of day, 90 minute and ½ hour Wednesday morning adjournment debates as at 19 June 1998.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to set a police key performance indicator to reduce the rate of death and injury on the road. [46922]

The Government recognise the important contribution which traffic policing can make towards promoting community safety. We regard traffic policing as a central part of the police's responsibility for maintaining law and order, preventing and detecting crime, and reducing death and injury on the roads.Traffic policing, however, is only one of the several types of policing which are crucial in tackling crime and disorder. The Home Secretary's national key objectives and key performance indicators are intended to reflect the Government's major initiatives and key priorities, and their number needs to be limited if priorities are to remain clear. Traffic policing should, though, be included in local objectives where police authorities consider that to be appropriate. Performance indicators for the police published by the Audit Commission include the number of road traffic accidents involving death or personal injury.In 1987, the Department of Transport introduced a target to reduce casualties by one third by the year 2000 compared with the average for 1981–85. As at 1997, fatalities were down 36 per cent. and serious casualties were down 42 per cent. despite an increase in motor traffic of 52 per cent. The Government will be setting a new road traffic target for Great Britain for reducing casualties by the year 2010. It will be incorporated into a coherent road safety strategy, reflecting the Government's work on an integrated transport policy. The objective is to have a new road safety headline target and sub-targets agreed and set during 1998.The Government are committed to reducing the number of fatalities and injuries which occur on our roads, and we are carefully considering a range of further measures to improve the safety of all road users against the background of our integrated transport policy.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes there have been in the funding of the Probation Accommodation Grants Scheme operated by the Inner London Probation Service since 1 May 1997. [47065]

Excluding grants for accommodation training, the Inner London Probation Service received £1,344,218 in 1997–98 and £1,308,742 in 1998–99 in Probation Accommodation Grants Scheme funding, which represents an improvement of £35,476 on what was originally envisaged in the previous Government's spending plans.Since 1 April 1995, local probation services, not the Home Office, have been responsible for the administration of grants to the independent sector for offender accommodation (the "Probation Accommodation Grants Scheme"—PAGS). Prior to that date, the Home Office paid providers directly, regardless of their area of location.When the grants were devolved, this was on the basis that payments to each probation service would be tapered over about five years until the proportion of the total accommodation grant paid to each service was in proportion to the total revenue grant paid to each service under the national cash limits formula. This has meant that some services have received stepped increases in their accommodation grants whilst others, including the Inner London Probation Service, have received decreased grants.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the provision of support for, and information to, the victims of mentally disordered offenders who by reason of their disorder are committed for medical treatment. [47010]

Both the Home Office and the Department of Health are committed to improving the level of support and information provided to the victims of crimes committed by people with mental disorders. Due consideration needs to be given to confidentiality of personal information, but I hope the first results of the work we are undertaking will be seen in the next few months, in the form of a Department of Health leaflet for victims about the care and discharge arrangements for mentally disordered offenders.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the initiatives undertaken by his Department since 1 May 1997 which have involved the establishment of (a) action zones and (b) pilot schemes limited to particular geographical areas, indicating the name of the programme and the action zone or pilot scheme areas covered in each instance. [47055]

No action zones have been established by my Department since 1 May 1997. The details of the pilot schemes we have set up in that period are:

1. Crime and Disorder Bill [Lords]:

(i) Youth justice measures (youth offending teams and youth justice services):

• London Boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, City of Westminster (jointly); Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Southampton and Portsmouth (jointly): Sheffield, Sunderland; London Borough of Lewisham, Luton and Bedfordshire (jointly): Wolverhampton; St. Helens; and Devon.

(ii) Reducing delay in the criminal justice system:

• Blackburn and Burnley; Croydon:
• Northamptonshire; North Staffordshire; North Wales; and Tyneside.

(iii) Live television links for preliminary hearings between courts and prisons:

• Bristol and Manchester Magistrates' Courts.

(iv) Drug Treatment and Testing Order:

• Liverpool; London Borough of Croydon; and Gloucestershire.

2. Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 (sections 35, 37, 39, 40 and 43):

• Greater Manchester and Norfolk
• Trials of electronic monitoring as a condition of bail and an alternative to remand in custody are included in the pilots and are taking place in Norwich Magistrates' Court, Norwich Crown Court, City of Manchester Magistrates' Court and Manchester Crown Court.

3. Ministerial/National Initiatives:

(i) Smart Telephone Technology:

• Her Majesty's Prisons Belmarsh, Manchester and Bedford

(ii) Welfare to Work

• Her Majesty's Prisons Cardiff, Deerbolt, Glen Parva, Highdown, Huntercombe, Lancaster Farms, Moorland, New Hall, Onley, Portland and Stoke Heath.

4. Private Finance Initiative:

(i) Police forces:

• Force Headquarters/Training Centre: Cheshire
• Joint Firearms Training: Cleveland/Durham
• Workington Divisional Police Station: Cumbria
• Derby Divisional Headquarters: Derbyshire
• Ilkeston Police Station (contract awarded): Derbyshire
• Divisional Headquarters and Police Station: Dorset
• Forcewide Property Review: Greater Manchester
• Ystrad Mynach Police Station: Gwent
• Communications System: Hertfordshire
• Force Headquarters: Norfolk
• Mounted Section Facility (contract awarded): Northumbria
• Area Traffic Wing: Nottinghamshire
• Area Headquarters and Sector Station: Thames Valley

(ii) Fire authorities:

• Avon, Somerset and Gloucestershire (jointly)
• Cornwall
• Lancashire
• London
• Greater Manchester
• Northumberland
• North Yorkshire
• South Wales

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reports he has received that police officers in Cumbria used incapacitant spray in an inappropriate way; what assessment he has made of such reports; and if he will make a statement. [47213]

We have not received any reports or representations on this subject. I understand from inquiries made with Cumbria Constabulary following the tabling of this question that, since the force introduced CS sprays, no complaint about use of CS has been substantiated, and that the force has seen a drop of 14.4 per cent. in assaults on officers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what initiatives his Department will take to promote Child Safety Week on 22 to 28 June. [47196]

I refer the right hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health on 25 June 1998, Official Report, column 582.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had over measures to combat hooliganism by UK citizens travelling to football matches abroad. [46317]

My right hon. Friend has had correspondence and discussions with the French Minister of the Interior, and there have been extensive discussions over many months between the British and French Governments, police and football authorities. In February, the Home Secretary hosted a European Union seminar on the policing of football, which was also attended by my hon. Friend the Minister for Sport and myself, at which 23 countries were represented. In March, we published the Government's strategy for the World Cup, a copy of which was sent to every hon. Member. The Government's aim throughout has been to ensure that every assistance is given to the honest and well-behaved spectator in France. Minimising hooliganism and ensuring a high level of co-operation with the French authorities are crucial parts of that.Police operations in France during the World Cup are a matter for the authorities there, but there have been extensive discussions between British police and their counterparts in France. Police officers from England and Scotland are in France assisting the French police, and I am satisfied that arrangements for the rapid collection and dissemination of intelligence on possible offenders are in place and working.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Under-Secretary of State expects to reply to the letters of 19 March and 12 May from the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed about the treatment of Mr. James by the Prison Service and the response given by the Prison Service to inquiries from his prospective employers. [47821]

Following my consideration of the correspondence, I understand that a meeting has been arranged on Wednesday 8 July for the right hon. Member to discuss Mr. James's case with Prison Service officials.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the public registers which his Department have responsibility for. [47351]

My Department has direct responsibility for the following registers:

Index of Exempted Dogs (Dangerous Dogs Act 1991)¹

Licensees and Certificate Holders under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986¹

Official Roll of the Baronetage

Register of Forensic Pathologists

In addition, the Home Office has limited responsibility, by virtue of our supervision of the relevant local services and/or the governing legislation, for the following registers:

Electoral Registers (Representation of the People Act 1983)

Coroners' Registers of Deaths Reported (Coroners' Rules 1984)²

Registers of Burials (and Records of Disinternments) (Local Authorities' Cemeteries Order 1977)²

Registers of Grants (Local Authorities' Cemeteries Order 1977)²

Register of Cremations (Cremation Regulations 1930)²

¹Not accessible to the public

²Information available to the public subject to approval of individual authority holding register.

The Data Protection Registrar, a Home Office Non-Departmental Public Body, is responsible for making available the Data Protection Register.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what progress has been made on the Code of Practice as defined in section 122 of the Police Act 1997; [47375](2) what plans he had to implement the Criminal Conviction Certificate. [47376]

We have decided to implement Part V of the Police Act 1997 which provides for the establishment of a Criminal Records Agency. When established, the Agency will be responsible for the issue of Criminal Conviction Certificates and other forms of certificate provided for in the Act. Many of the practical issues were not addressed at the time of legislation, but consideration is now being given to the options for phasing in the provisions of the Act and the timetable for implementation. As part of this process, and in full consultation with interested groups, further consideration will be given to the Code of Practice intended to inform the use of information provided by the Agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many subject access requests were received by the Metropolitan Police in (a) 1995–96, (b) 1996–97, (c) 1997–98 and (d) 1998 to date; and if he will make a statement; [47373]

The information requested is given in the table.

	1995–96	1996–97	1997–98	1998 to date
Total number of applications	35,100	54,530	71,963	13,754
Number of subject access requests received by the Metropolitan Police Service	9,461	15,036	19,962	3,923

The number of applications received which involve retrieval of personal data on the Police National Computer is not recorded.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons the Interpretation of the Second Principle of the Data Protection Bill 1998 creates a link to the notification requirements of that Bill. [47364]

Notification to the Data Protection Commissioner is one way in which the purposes for which personal data are obtained may be specified in accordance with the second data protection principle.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons the provision with respect to medical purposes in Schedule 3, paragraph 8 of the Data Protection Bill 1998 differs from the corresponding provision in Article 8(3) of the Directive 95/46/EC. [47363]

The Data Protection Bill [Lords] is intended to make clear how the general provisions in the Directive should operate in the United Kingdom. Paragraph 8 of Schedule 3 sets out the circumstances in which sensitive data may be processed for medical purposes. It is fully consistent with Articles 8.3 and 8.4 of the Directive.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those who have (a) been asked to contribute to his review of the financial regulatory system in the Channel Islands and Isle of Man and (b) offered contributions; and if this review will hold public evidence sessions. [47726]

The detailed conduct of the Review is the responsibility of Mr. Andrew Edwards, in consultation with Home Office officials and the authorities in the Channel Islands and Isle of Man. Mr. Edwards has had extensive consultations with the Island authorities, with private sector practitioners and with others in the Islands. In addition, he has consulted widely within the United Kingdom and elsewhere.I understand that he has no plans to hold sessions open to the general public; but in the early stages of this Review Mr. Edwards issued statements to the media in the Islands inviting anyone who felt they had something to contribute to the Review to write to him at the Home Office. I understand that firms and individuals in the Islands have responded positively to this invitation.Although this is an internal Review, the Home Secretary announced to the House on 20 January 1998,

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in prison in Wales are classified as mentally ill. [47845]

The information is not available in the form requested. However, applying the percentage from the two studies of the prevalence of mental disorder in prisoners undertaken for the Prison Service by the Institute of Psychiatry to the population of the four prisons in Wales would suggest that some 900 people in prisons in Wales could be diagnosed as suffering from some form of mental disorder, including substance dependency or abuse.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 18 June 1998, Official Report, columns 322–23, concerning key cutting, what the terms of reference are for the review process; and on what date the review will take place. [47297]

It is anticipated that a review of the Vehicle Key Cutting Code of Practice will take place in September 1998, six months after its launch, involving representatives of the police service and the key cutting industry bodies. This review would consider whether the existing monitoring procedures adopted by local beat

Proposed structure
	Type of area				Number of areas
Level	England		Scotland1 and Wales	Northern Ireland
1	Government Office Regions		Countries	Country	12
2	Counties (some grouped)		Groups of unitary authorities	Country	37
3	Upper tier authorities (counties)	Groups of unitary authorities	Groups of unitary authorities	Groups of districts	133
4	Lower tier authorities (districts)	Individual unitary authorities	Individual unitary authorities	Individual districts	443
5	Wards		Wards	Wards	About 11,000
1In Scotland, Levels 2, 3 and 4 areas are combinations of unitary authorities, LECs or part thereof

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to commission research comparing recidivism rates of prisoners leaving privately and publicly managed prisons. [46241]

The Home Office Offenders and Corrections Unit monitors reconviction rates for each prison. The latest survey covered prisoners discharged in 1994, and included the privately managed prisons in operation at that time.The present data are based solely on the prison from which a prisoner is discharged, irrespective of the time they have spent there. In many cases, the bulk of the total sentence will have been spent in establishments other than that from which a prisoner is discharged.The Prison Service is currently examining ways of constructing more effective forms of measurement to improve our monitoring of recidivism.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the progress being made in agreeing a new classification of United Kingdom areas for European statistical purposes. [48267]

Following extensive discussions, the Government Statistical Service has reached agreement with Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union, on a revised classification. The Nomenclature of Units of Territorial Statistics (NUTS) provides a breakdown of the European Union's territory for producing regional statistics which are comparable across the Union. It has five hierarchical levels, and is built up from administrative units such as local government areas in the member states. A summary of the newly agreed UK structure is give in the table.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total value of Private Finance Initiative contracts signed since 1 May 1997; and if he will place a list of those contracts in the Library. [48268]

Contracts with a total value of £2.085 billion have been signed since May 1997. A list of those contracts, with their respective capital values, is shown in the table which has been placed in the House Library today.

Projects signed as of June 1998
	Capital value
Defence
Army Personnel IT System	£150 million
Defence Fixed Telecoms	£70 million
Helicopter Simulator	£100 million
Hawk Simulator	£10 million
Tidworth Water	£6 million
Joint Service College	£68 million
Department for Education and Employment (PFI/PPPs)
Clarendon College	£16 million
Colfox School	£15 million
Falmouth College	£3 million
UCL	£14 million
Kings/UMDS	£142 million
Employment Service IT System	£150 million
Department of the Environment Transport and the Regions
Harrow (IT) (LA)	£1 million
Isle of Wight waste management (LA)	£13 million
Surrey CC residential homes	£29 million
Kirklees Waste Management	£33 million
LB Westminster	£5 million
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
2 small vehicle service contracts	£3 million

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the impact on unemployment of a one per cent. increase in average earnings. [47542]

[holding answer 29 June 1998]: The impact on unemployment would depend on why wages increased, and how employers, employees and others in the labour force responded to the increase in wages. For example, an increase in wages reflecting higher productivity need not have any effect on unemployment.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate for each year from 1978–79 to 2001–02 the expenditure by the Government on public sector net investment (a) in real terms in 1997–98 prices and (b) as a percentage of gross domestic product. [46387]

[holding answer 18 June 1998]: Figures for public sector net investment can be found in Table 4A.1 or Table 4.5 (for years beyond 1998–99) of the Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report (EFSR). Projections for the GDP deflator and money GDP can be found in Table 4.1 of the EFSR. Historical figures for GDP can be found in Table 2.1 of Economic Trends. These publications can be found in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update Table 318, page 128, of the Financial Statement and Budget Report March 1998, to include information published in the Economic and Fiscal Strategy report (June 1998); and if he will make a statement. [46380]

[holding answer 18 June 1998]: There has been no change to the outturn information for 1996–97 since the Financial Statement and Budget Report March 1998. Provisional outturn information by department for 1997–98 was published in the Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper (Cm 3988) on 19 June. There have been no changes to the 1998–99 Control Total, with the exception of those noted in Table 3A.1 of the Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report 1998 (Cm 3978).

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date the Bank of England was first notified of the new plans for public spending and borrowing, as set out in the Economic and Fiscal Strategy report (June 1998); and if he will make a statement. [46384]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England was informed of the Chancellor's statement on public spending prior to reaching its decision to raise interest rates on 4 June; [46533](2) if the Governor of the Bank of England was informed of the Chancellor's statement on public spending prior to the Monetary Policy Committee reaching its decision to raise interest rates on 4 June. [46534]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if the Treasury representative present at the Monetary Policy Committee's meeting on 3 and 4 June was informed of the plans set out in the Economic and Fiscal Strategy report; [46853](2) if his Department informed the Monetary Policy Committee of the plans set out in the Economic and Fiscal Strategy report at or before its meeting on 4 June. [46852]

[holding answers 18, 19 and 22 June 1998]: I refer to what the Chancellor of the Exchequer said in response to the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude) at Treasury Oral Questions on 25 June 1998, Official Report, column 1153.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the annual real terms growth of (a) total Government expenditure, (b) control total expenditure, (c) current expenditure and (d) capital expenditure, for (i) 1978–79 to 1982–83, (ii) 1982–83 to 1986–87, (iii) 1986–87 to 1991–92, (iv) 1991–92 to 1996–97 and (v) 1996–97 to 2001–02. [46386]

[holding answer 18 June 1998]: Figures for current expenditure and capital expenditure can be found in Table 4A.1 or Table 4.5 (for years beyond 1998–99) of the Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report (EFSR). Total Managed Expenditure is the sum of current spending and net capital investment. Figures for the Control Total up to 1996–97 are given in the Table B24 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report (March 1998). The figure for 1997–98 was published in the Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper (19 June) and the 1998–99 figure was given in the FSBR, with the revisions noted in Table 3A of the EFSR. Figures for the Control Total are available on a consistent basis only from 1984–85. This concept is not applicable beyond 1998–99, as from 1999–2000 a reformed control regime will be introduced. Projections for the GDP deflator and money GDP can be found in Table 4.1 of the EFSR. Historical figures for GDP can be found in Table 2.1 of Economic Trends. These publications can be found in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in which departmental areas, and for what reasons, there was underspend in 1997–98, compared with the spending plans as set out in the Financial Statement and Budget Report, March 1998; what was the size of the underspend; and if he will make a statement. [46403]

[holding answer 18 June 1998]: Reasons for individual departmental underspends are matters for the departments concerned. Provisional control total outturn by department is shown in Table 1 of the Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper (PEOWP) (Cm 3988) published on 19 June.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate what the financial markets would have charged for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link guarantee. [46969]

[holding answer 22 June 1998]: The Government believe that the amount of finance required for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link is such that the financial markets would have been unable to provide the credit support which Government are to give.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the basis of the valuation of the Government's participation in the Channel Tunnel Rail Link; what is that value; and who prepared the calculations on behalf of the Government. [46858]

[holding answer 22 June 1998]: The information requested was set out in the statement by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister on 3 June 1998, Official Report, columns 367–70. The Government's participation in the Channel Tunnel Rail Link was assessed using a model of London and Continental Railways' future finances prepared by the company and independently reviewed by external consultants.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he plans to classify expenditure on hospital repairs as current or capital spending. [46849]

[holding answer 22 June 1998]: Expenditure on hospital repairs will follow the classification rules for the national accounts.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in what form the results of the Comprehensive Spending Review will be published; and if he will make a statement. [47862]

A White Paper setting out the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review will be published before the summer Recess.