asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, following the recent Microcredit Summit in Washington, they will explain their policy towards microfinance as a means of poverty reduction.

Microfinance—i.e. savings as well as credit—can be a powerful tool able to benefit large numbers of poor people in a manner which is financially sustainable. Since 1990, we have provided increasing support for projects and institutions engaged in microfinance, notably through our bilateral programmes in Africa and Asia. Total commitments to date are approximately $100 million and it is a field where we anticipate continuing to deploy significant resources. But experience shows that it is important to assist microfinance institutions (MFI) over time to achieve full financial self-sustainability.In addition to direct support for microfinance institutions, the Overseas Development Administration is involved in many other related areas. For example, we are active members of the World Bank-based Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest (CGAP); ODA chairs the working group on management information systems and reporting standards for microfinance institutions. ODA is also the major source of funds for a study by the MicroFinance Network, an association of leading MFIs, on the critical subject of the regulation and supervision of MFI, looking at recent experiences in Latin America, Asia and Africa.We are concerned to assess the impact of microfinance. The results of a major research project on Finance Against Poverty was published last year. Currently ODA is supporting a study, in collaboration with ten leading UK NGOs, on the degree to which women are empowered through microfinance.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What information they have about the numbers and conditions of persons arrested by the Palestinian National Authority and held without charge or trial and what information they have about deaths in custody and the use of torture.

Since the creation of the Palestinian Authority, some hundreds of Palestinians have been held without charge or trial. In the same period, 12 Palestinians have died in custody in circumstances which suggest that torture cannot be ruled as a contributory factor in the cause of death. I made plain our concerns to President Arafat when we met on 23 January.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have protested or intend to protest to Israel concerning recent approvals for an exclusively Jewish development near the village of Jabal al-Mukater, Jerusalem, and for 132 housing units at Ras al-Amoud, East Jerusalem; and whether they will seek a concerted démarche by the European Union on these issues.

The Israeli Government is well aware of the position shared by the UK and EU: settlements, including those planned at Ras al-Amoud and Jabal al-Makater, are illegal and an obstacle to peace. Ministers will continue to press their Israeli interlocutors to stop settlement expansion. I made clear our firm opposition to settlements when I met Israeli officials on 23 January.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Following the Overseas Development Administration's most recent monitoring mission to Afghanistan, what evidence they have to support their claim that refugees have returned as a result of the British aid programme.

UNHCR indicate that in 1995 77,000 Afghan refugees returned from Pakistan, assisted with repatriation packages consisting of cash and food. A further 92,000 refugees returned from Iran.The projections for 1996 were that a further 30,000 refugees would be assisted in returning to Afghanistan from Pakistan and a further 30,000 would return from Iran with UNHCR help.Upon return to Afghanistan, refugees have been assisted by the establishment of 400 quick impact projects funded by UNHCR in safe areas.We are a major contributor to UNHCR and have responded to various appeals for Afghanistan. Since 1992 we have provided nearly £12 million for the work of the UNHCR in Afghanistan and a further £3.6 million to the International Red Cross. Additionally we have spent £11 million on a number of NGO projects in the same period for the benefit of Afghans generally.It is our belief that the assistance provided contributes to the safe return of Afghans to their home country in an environment which enables them, with all the known difficulties, to re-establish their lives.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have any new evidence that the Taliban Government in Afghanistan are modifying or re-interpreting their new regulations to take account of internationally agreed standards of human rights for both men and women.

We have heard of a few cases where local commanders have modified the rules but in general the Taliban appear still to be enforcing their restrictive regulations. We will continue to impress upon them the need to respect the principles of the UN Charter and internationally agreed human rights standards.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the purpose of the visit to Britain by the Crown Prince of Bahrain with several of his ministers; what discussions they are holding with him; and whether the visitors will be received by the Foreign Secretary or the Prime Minister.

We have excellent relations with Bahrain and took the opportunity of the Crown Prince of Bahrain's recent private visit to discuss all areas of mutual concern. My right honourable friend Mr. Jeremy Hanley, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs had a useful meeting with the Crown Prince and Foreign Minister on 11 February. The Crown Prince did not meet the Prime Minister or Foreign Secretary on this occasion.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the sale of ADAS has been agreed.

My right honourable friends the Secretary of State for Wales and the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food are pleased to announce that, following independent financial advice from PA Strategy Partners Ltd. we have selected the Management and Employee Buy Out (MEBO) team led by the current Chief Executive, Phillip Needham, as the preferred bidder for ADAS.The deal which has been agreed meets all the objectives which my right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food announced on 4 November 1966

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress is being made with the use of whisper concrete, porous asphalt or other materials to reduce road noise.

This is an operational matter for the Highways Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive, Mr. Lawrie Haynes, to write to the noble Lord.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What, in the various "particular circumstances" referred to in the Written Answer by Baroness Chalker of Wallasey on 3 February 1997

No particular circumstances have arisen which have caused us to define the vertical limits of United Kingdom airspace.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many goods vehicle operators were successfully prosecuted for operating vehicles without authorisation under the Goods Vehicle Operator Licensing Regulations in 1995 and 1996 respectively; andHow many goods vehicle operators were found to be operating without proper authorisation under the Goods Vehicle Operating Licensing Regulations during roadside checks in 1995 and 1996 respectively.

I have asked the Chief Executive of the Vehicle Inspectorate, Mr. Ron Oliver, to write to the noble Lord.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have any evidence that the Gerber, Mead Johnson, Nestlé, Nutricia and Wyeth companies have breached the 1981 International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, as alleged by UNICEF and others; and, if so, whether they will reduce and, if possible, stop, their purchasing from these companies.

The Government are concerned about possible breaches of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. The Government are not aware of any breaches of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes in the United Kingdom.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Who is responsible for deciding on the bail application made on behalf of Miss Roisin McAliskey, on remand in HMP Holloway following a request for extradition to Germany; whether a decision has yet been made; and if so, on what grounds.

Decisions on bail in extradition cases are taken by Bow Street Magistrates' Court, in accordance with the Bail Act 1976. Under that legislation, a fugitive offender has no general right to bail, and magistrates are not obliged to give reasons for refusal of bail in extradition cases.There is no one final decision; applications for bail on Roisin McAliskey's behalf were made in hearings at Bow Street Magistrates' Court on 4, 13 and 20 December, and on 3 and 16 January. They were not granted. The grounds are a matter for the Bow Street Magistrate.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their estimate of the number of persons who are still alive and who have a conviction or convictions obtained in the High Court in Scotland for any offence listed as a "qualifying offence" in the list of "Qualifying Offences" contained in Part 1 of the proposed Schedule 5A to the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, which would be inserted into that Act if Clause 1(2) of the Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Bill (H.L. Bill 76) were to be enacted.

Information supplied by the Scottish Criminal Records Office (SCRO) indicates that at November 1996 there were some 3,300 people for whom SCRO had a schedule of previous convictions which included a qualifying offence as defined under Clause 1 of the Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Bill and where the conviction was in the High Court.The number above excludes those convicted of robbery with a firearm who were not also convicted of another qualifying offence. The information held by SCRO does not identify whether the robbery involved a firearm. Many of those convicted of robbery with a firearm are also convicted under one of Sections 16–18 of the Firearms Act 1968, which counts as a qualifying offence. Information on persons known to be dead is deleted from the SCRO database.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they plan to publish the Government's revised Planning Policy Guidance Note 7 on the countryside.

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Environment is today publishing revised Policy Planning Guidance Note 7 on the countryside.This new guidance note carries forward our commitment to a living countryside. It will help to ensure that the countryside is increasingly a place in which communities and businesses can thrive, while maintaining the unique qualities which make the English countryside such an attractive place in which to live and work.The revised note fulfils important commitments in our Rural White Paper by giving greater encouragement to business diversification in the countryside while ensuring that necessary development is of a good quality, complementing and respecting the character of the countryside around it.The majority of the over 400 responses to the consultation draft welcomed the revised PPG7's comprehensive coverage of planning in the countryside and felt it struck a fair and realistic balance between environmental protection and the need to stimulate rural economic activity. There was particular support for its coverage of sustainable development principles; its recognition of the interdependence between urban and rural policies; its acknowledgement of the value of rural strategies; and its increased emphasis on good design.The new guidance note restates and clarifies policy on protecting from development the best agricultural land as a national resource. This means that we will maintain a stock of the best agricultural land, with its versatility and efficiency for farming, while making it clear that a more flexible approach may be adopted where there is an overriding need for development and any alternative land has a recognised, high environmental value or there is little suitable land of lower agricultural quality available.In addition, the guidance note clarifies policy on the reuse of rural buildings, allowing greater discrimination in favour of reuse for business rather than residential purposes; it stresses the importance of thoroughly checking the lawfulness of developments to be carried out under agricultural permitted development rights; advises on the possible removal of new buildings which abuse permitted development rights, without placing unnecessary additional burdens on genuine farmers; and advises local planning authorities on the scope for making planning permission conditional on the removal of unused ugly or derelict buildings in certain circumstances.My right honourable friend is also pleased to announce today that Charles Nunneley, Chairman of the National Trust, has agreed to chair a small working group on the possible introduction of a rural business use class. This proposal, also included in the Rural White Paper, is designed to encourage enterprise in rural areas by giving local planning authorities an additional control, where needed, over the intensification of new businesses. The working party will consider how best to achieve the implementation of this proposal taking account of the various practical issues and difficulties identified during our recent consultation exercise.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Secretary of State for National Heritage has asked the Association for Business Sponsorship of the Arts to undertake a study of individual donations to the arts in the United States and, if so, what were its conclusions.

My department has not asked the Association of Business Sponsorship of the Arts to undertake a study of individual donations to the arts in the United States.