asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the amount of the research budget allocated to Her Majesty's Inspectorate for Pollution to underpin its regulatory role.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution (HMIP) was one of the bodies which came together in April 1996 to create the Environment Agency. The HMIP research budget was fully integrated within the agency's research and development programme. For 1996–97 the estimated outturn figure for research and development carried out by the agency in fields previously handled by HMIP is about £3 million. In 1997–98 it is expected that a similar allocation will be made for the same purpose.The agency also continues to carry out activities which HMIP used to classify as research and development and for which it recovers costs from third parties. These have a value of approximately £3 million per annum.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they propose to publish a Green Paper on preventing children offending.

A Green Paper setting out the Government's proposals for preventing children offending will be published tomorrow.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the conferring of powers upon the police to carry out electronic surveillance, contained in the Police Bill, gives effect to the Memorandum of Understanding on the Legal Interception of Telecommunications between the governments of the member states of the European Union; and(a) Whether they will publish the Memorandum of Understanding on the Legal Interception of Telecommunications, referred to in correspondence with Ministers,

On 17 January 1995 the Council of the European Union adopted a Resolution by written procedure concerning the Lawful Interception of Telecommunications. The Resolution endorsed certain specified international user requirements for the lawful use of interception by the law enforcement agencies, and called on signatories to take account of them when developing national policies. A Memorandum of Understanding, which covered the same international requirements, was signed on 23 November 1995 by all members of the European Union and Norway. I am arranging for a copy of the Memorandum of Understanding to be placed in the Library.Part III of the Police Bill is not concerned with the interception of communications, but with authorisation for police operations involving entry on, or interference with, property.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In what manner the United Kingdom can ensure that it does not bear any part of the expenditure on propaganda concerning the European Single Currency proposed by Commissioner Oreja to be conducted through regional and local authorities in the European Union member states other than the United Kingdom.

The European Commission has decided that it would not be appropriate for it to organise a publicity exercise for the euro in the United Kingdom at present, either through the Committee of the Regions or by other means. Publicity in other member states is being financed by a number of sources, including the private sector, national and local authorities, and the European Community budget. All member states contribute to the Community budget and their contributions are not allocated to specific programmes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What consideration they have given to alternatives to the ACE scheme in Northern Ireland which would meet the needs of those who have benefited from the training and employment offered by this scheme but who now face an uncertain future so far as employment and training are concerned.

Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Training and Employment Agency under its Chief Executive, Ian Walters. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will announce the membership of the Advisory Board on Family Law.

On 10 December 1996, in response to a question from my noble friend, Earl Alexander of Tunis [HL Deb., WA 87], I set out the remit of the Advisory Board on Family Law, which will provide independent advice on the implementation and operation of the Family Law Act 1996.I have now appointed Sir Thomas Boyd-Carpenter to be the chairman of the Advisory Board on Family Law and the following people to be members of the board:The Honourable Mr. Justice Wall

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made with the action plan objectives and proposed targets for species-rich hedgerows set out on page 244 of Volume 2 of

The group which will review progress and take forward the hedgerow action plan is expected to meet for the first time in April. Increased grant rates for the planting and restoration of hedges under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme were announced on 17 February.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the breakdown of the £23.5 million net present value to the taxpayer from the sale of the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service (ADAS) between the consideration for the business, savings flowing from the pricing structure for future services for MAFF and the Welsh Office and rents for the properties occupied by ADAS.

The £23.5 million net present value to the taxpayer comprises £4 million cash consideration for the business, £7.5 million in savings on MAFF and Welsh Office contracts and £12 million in rents.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether in the sale of ADAS any part of the liabilities for pensions and other employment contractual obligations have been left with the Government.

Employees may choose to leave intact their accrued pension entitlement in the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme, but must transfer to the purchaser's pension scheme at the point of the sale. Other employment obligations (including any redundancy liabilities) transfer to the purchaser.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they agree with the finding by UNICEF-UK that only 7 per cent. of mothers initiate breast feeding in Glasgow, compared with an average of 63 per cent. in the United Kingdom as a whole; and what steps they will take to bring Glasgow up to the national average.

We are not aware of any UNICEF-UK findings on this matter. A Scottish Needs Assessment Programme report, published in 1994, measured breast feeding rates in Scotland by postcode district. It found that rates at the end of the first week of life varied from 9–77 per cent. with the average for the Greater Glasgow area at 32 per cent.We recognise the problems of low uptake of breast feeding in Scotland. My right honourable friend the then Secretary of State announced in November 1994 the following target for the Scottish diet:

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will explain the reasoning behind the Secretary of State for Defence's statement in his speech of 3 February 1997 in Kiev that "our concern for Russian sensitivities cannot be a reason not to admit new members" to NATO, when he also stated that "we do feel a moral obligation to consider seriously the legislation ambitions" of other countries; andWhether, at paragraphs 22 and 23 of his speech of 3 February 1997 in Kiev, the Secretary of State for Defence was inviting the Government of Ukraine to participate in United States proposed Anti-Ballistic Missile defence procurements; whether he discussed this matter with the Ukrainian Government, and, if so, to what effect.

As my right honourable friend said in his speech in Kiev, NATO's aim is to enhance security for all countries across the Euro-Atlantic region, taking into account the aspirations

	Surgeon Lt/Capt/Flt Lt	Surgeon Lt Cdr/Major/SqnLdr	Surgeon Cdr/Lt Col/Wg Cdr	Surgeon Capt/Col/Gp Capt	Surgeon Cdre/Brig/Air Cdre	Surgeon Rear Adm Maj/Gen AVM	Surgeon Vice Adm/Gen Air Marshal
General Duties Medical Officer	205	157	86	26	4	4	0
Public Health Medicine and Occupational Medicine	0	20	23	8	4	1	0
Aviation Medicine	0	13	6	3	1	0	0
Anaesthetics	21	28	25	2	1	0	1

of those countries which wish to join NATO, as well as the sensitivities of those which do not.My right honourable friend did not address the issue of anti-ballistic missile defence either in his speech or in his discussions with the Ukrainian Government.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which of the defence equipment projects that they have announced, and to which they are committed, are vulnerable to the developments in "information warfare" and "electronic warfare" which the US Department of Defense's Defense Science Board Task Force has recently drawn attention to.

The Ministry of Defence takes into account the potential impact of developments in information warfare and electronic warfare and ensures that, in meeting our equipment requirements, systems are designed with appropriate safeguards. It would not be appropriate to comment on the extent to which particular equipments might be at risk.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which government Ministers have primary responsibility for matters relating to the Constitution.

The responsibilities of government Ministers are a matter of public record, set out in the list of ministerial responsibilities which is published by the Cabinet Office (Office of Public Service).

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many medical officers are regularly serving in each rank and professional grade of the Armed Services; and how many of these who have applied for premature voluntary retirement (PVR) have now been accepted and under what conditions.

The number of regular Service medical officers in each rank and professional specialisation as at 14 February 1997 is set out below. The figures include trainees in the particular specialisation.