asked Her Majesty's Government:What funds and other resources they will make available for humanitarian mine clearance operations.

The UK has committed over £31 million, including our share of European Commission activities, to humanitarian de-mining operations since 1991. We remain committed to an active programme of humanitarian mine clearance, focusing on the needs of the most vulnerable. We wish to help develop de-mining capacity in affected countries as part of our efforts to support poverty eradication.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether their sponsorship of a visit by Sayed Al Khatib, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the National Congress of Sudan, is consistent with the spirit of the UN Security Council sanctions against the Government of Sudan; what encouragement the visit will give to the Government of Sudan; and whether this is in keeping with Her Majesty's Government's commitment to a foreign policy which upholds human rights.

The proposed visit to the United Kingdom of Sayed Al Khatib will not now be taking place.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they agree with the estimate by the Iraqi National Congress, that Massoud Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party is making at least $1 million a day from the illegal exports of oil products from Iraq, contrary to Security Council Resolution 986; and, if so, whether they will seek to include this traffic, and the gas oil being smuggled out through the Gulf, in the $1 billion limit on the export by Iraq of oil products permitted by the resolution.

We have insufficient information to be able to verify the quantity of experts referred to by my noble friend. We take seriously all reports of violations of sanctions against Iraq. We remain committed to maintaining these sanctions.

asked Her Majesty's GovernmentWhether they will encourage OFTEL to consider whether it would be appropriate for BT to reduce the current prices charged for residential ISDN lines in order to make them a competitive option for domestic Internet access.

BT has commercial freedom as to how it prices its ISDN services provided they are not offered on anti-competitive or unduly discriminatory terms or conditions. Although BT has gone some way towards lowering its prices, encouraged by OFTEL, there remains scope for further reductions. OFTEL will therefore continue to encourage BT in this direction. ISDN provision in the UK is set to become more competitive with the introduction of radio-fixed access services and emerging competition from the cable companies.

asked Her Majesty's GovernmentWhether they consider that, subject to national constitutional guarantees of human rights and fundamental freedoms, the elected representatives of the Scottish people in a proposed Scottish parliament should be entitled to enact criminal legislation for Scotland, including legislation prescribing the conditions in which pregnancies may lawfully be terminated.

The Government's proposals, including those for criminal and other legislation, will be set out in the White Paper to be published on 24 July.

asked Her Majesty's GovernmentWhat progress has been made on the recently promised independent review of the science of the assessment of noise induced sensorineural hearing loss for the purposes of claims to War Pensions.

The Government are pledged to an independent review of the medical evidence behind the approach to the assessment of noise induced hearing loss in War Pensions. We hope that the review will provide a conclusion which is clear and unambiguous.The review will be chaired by Sir Kenneth Caiman, the Chief Medical Officer. The other members of the review team will be Professor Adrian Davis of the Medical Research Council Institute of Hearing Research, Professor Mark Lutman of the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, Professor Linda Luxon of the Institute of Laryngology and Otology at the University College London Medical School and Dr. Guy Lightfoot of the Department of Clinical Engineering at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital. Dr. Anne Braidwood of this department will serve on the team and act as Secretary.The review team is expected to meet in September.

asked Her Majesty's GovernmentWhether the Polluter Pays Principle has been applied and continues to be applied throughout the Greenwich project.

Yes.

asked Her Majesty's GovernmentIn relation to the Millennium site at Greenwich, to what depth below original ground level polluted soil extends, what is the minimum depth being treated and where the excavated soil is being dumped.

The depth of contamination on the site to be occupied by the Greenwich Experience varied widely. The majority of contamination was contained within the surface layer, which varied between 2 and 4 metres in depth. In isolated instances the contamination extended up to a maximum of 14 metres. The treatment applied to each part of the site has depended on the type and depth of the contamination. No part of the site has been treated to a depth of less than 2 metres and in places the treatment has extended to 14 metres. In order to minimise the quantity of material that requires off-site disposal, techniques such as screening, and possibly soil washing, are being used to reclaim materials which are acceptable for reuse on the site. A limited amount of excavated soil is being taken to a variety of licensed waste disposal sites.The approach to the treatment of the site has been approved by both the Environment Agency and the Environmental Health Department of the London Borough of Greenwich. It is also consistent with government policy on contaminated land and its commitment to the "suitable for use" approach as part of a sustainable development strategy.

asked Her Majesty's GovernmentWhat was the purchase price of the Greenwich Millennium site by English Partnerships from British Gas; andWhether they will list any current rights or obligations of British Gas in respect of the Greenwich Millennium site both now and after the Millennium.

English Partnerships acquired British Gas's interest in the Greenwich Peninsula for £20 million. An average payment equating to 7.5 per cent. of the gross proceeds of any land sales is also payable to British Gas. In respect of the southern third of the site, the minimum payment due is £4.3 million.British Gas's principal rights and obligations under the conveyance of the land are:

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much has been spent at the Greenwich Millennium site on dealing with contaminated land, and what were the sources of funds for this work.

As at 30 June 1997, English Partnerships' expenditure on reclamation and servicing totalled £8.6 million met from public funds.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the number of London bus route contracts, by year of award and length of contract.

I am advised by London Transport Buses that the information, based on the date tenders that were submitted for current live contracts, is as follows:

Year of tender	Number of contracts
1987	1
1988	2
1989	19
1990	33
1991	34
1992	12
1993	181
1994	27
1995	63
1996	105

Contracts are normally awarded for five years. Some older contracts were extended when a full tendering programme was compiled prior to the privatisation of London Transport's bus operating subsidiaries.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many London bus route contracts are let on single routes.

I am advised by London Transport Buses that, at present, 410 contracts are let as single routes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which are the London bus route contracts, by route and operator, let in groups of routes.

I am advised by London Transport that 67 contracts are multi-route. These are mainly area networks which, although put out to tender as individual routes, were awarded to a single operator under a joint contract option in order to secure best value for money. Details of routes and operators involved are commercial matters for London Transport.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish the 1996–97 annual report and accounts of the Medical Devices Agency.

We have received the report and accounts of the Medical Devices Agency and copies have today been laid before both Houses of Parliament in accordance with the requirements of Section 5(2) and 5(3) of the Exchequer and Audit Departments Act 1921. Copies have also been placed in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have any plans for the quinquennial review of the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work.

The Department of Health will conduct a thorough review of the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work on behalf of the United Kingdom sponsoring departments. The review, which is now due as part of the regular five yearly examination of non-departmental public bodies, will take the form of a prior options study. It will assess the extent to which the functions of the council are necessary for the achievement of the Government's policies and whether there is scope for rationalisation, market testing, privatising, contracting out or transferring all, or part, of its functions to another body. We will consult widely with all parties who have an interest in the work of the council.The review will have regard to and take account of:

asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the recent Budget increased tax at all.

The revenue effects of the Budget tax measures are shown in Table 2.2 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report, July 1997.

asked Her Majesty's Government:With reference to the reply "None" given by Lord Simon of Highbury on 7 July 1997

An individual may claim exemption in respect of his or her "principal" private residence. A couple living together would each have to be able to show that the property on which exemption was being claimed was in fact his or her principal private residence. However, the presumption would be that the place where they lived was their principal residence. A married couple living together may claim exemption on one residence only. However, if they are separated, each may claim in respect of a different residence.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will reconsider their decision to exclude university museums from the current review of admission charges to national museums and galleries; and if not, what steps they will take to ensure that university museums are not closed or dispersed through lack of funding.

The Government's review of admission charges, which is already under way, is confined to the national museums and galleries. Evidence about admission charges at university and other non-national museums will be included in the research by Glasgow Caledonian University which has been commissioned by the Museums and Galleries Commission. The emerging findings of that research will inform the Government's review of admission charges at the national museums and galleries. However, the decision on whether or not to charge for admission to museums and galleries is for the governing bodies of each one to make. Universities themselves are responsible for funding university museums.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the best estimates of which they are aware of the number of wild mammals killed annually in the United Kingdom by (a) domestic cats, (b) dogs, (c) birds, (d) other wild mammals or (e) humans.

The information requested is not collected centrally and we are not aware of any such estimates. The Scottish Office and Northern Ireland Office similarly have no knowledge of the numbers requested.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they expect to make a decision on the asylum application of Mr. Mohammed Raya, recently convicted and jailed at Harrow Crown Court for fraud of £1.7 million on British Telecom.

We will take a decision in Mr. Raya's case once we have completed consideration of it in the light of the requirements of the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. The aim will be to do this before the applicant's release from prison.