asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they are taking to strengthen the 10 regional offices in England, where the activities of various departments of the Civil Service in the regions are co-ordinated.

At present, the 10 Government Offices for the Regions are part of the Departments of Environment, Transport and the Regions; Trade and Industry; and Education and Employment. The House Office is also represented in each. The Government continue to keep under review the contribution of other government departments to the work of the Government Offices.The Government are keen to move quickly to implement our manifesto commitments on the regional agenda in England. We recognise that the interests of the English regions have been neglected in recent years, and we aim to reverse that neglect.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What information they have on the dangers of wearing a seat belt with too much slack.

A poorly adjusted and positioned seat belt can result in unnecessary injuries in the event of an accident. Unfortunately, data on the incidence and nature of such injuries is extremely limited due to the difficulties in assessing how the seat belt was being worn prior to the accident. We do, however, offer advice on how to wear seat belts correctly in the Choosing Safety and Seat Belts and the Law publications

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will start the dialogues on the proposed benchmarking of industrial performance.

The Government will be publishing an audit of the UK's competitive position in the autumn. This will offer a benchmark of UK performance, including strengths and weaknesses. The content of the audit will be informed by the views of business represented at a Business Summit hosted by the President of the Board of Trade on 23 July, and of the President's Advisory Group on Competitiveness announced on 23 July.Following publication of the audit, there will be extensive dialogue and consultation with business on policies and priorities to improve the UK's competitiveness. In particular, a number of business-led working parties will advise on specific aspects of this agenda. This process will help inform the development of policies for a White Paper on Competitiveness to be published next year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What technical questions prevent the provision by e-mail of personal copies of Answers to Questions for Written Answer; and whether steps will be taken to resolve these before the end of the summer recess.

The technical questions which arise include the implications of the variety of word-processing formats used by government departments, and the feasibility of e-mailing attachments to answers.The Government are ready to discuss these issues with the House authorities so that the service can be tested after the summer Recess.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Answer by the Lord Privy Seal of 15 July 1997

No. The entitlement of a member of the Judicial Committee to publish a dissenting opinion is determined by the Judicial Committee (Dissenting Opinions) Order 1966.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many people were waiting for NHS treatment at the latest date for which figures are available; how long they had been waiting; and whether the Labour Party manifesto contains any commitment to reduce the absolute level of either of these figures over the course of this Parliament.

The latest available information about patients waiting for admission to National Health Service trusts on either an in-patient or day case basis is contained in Hospital Waiting List Statistics: England, at 31 March 1997, copies of which are available in the Library. Questions relating to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for my right honourable friends the Secretaries of State for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively. Our manifesto commitment is to treat an extra 100,000 patients from waiting lists. We feel it is equally important that patients with the greatest need should get quicker access to hospital services when they need it and this is why as a priority we are focusing on ending waits for cancer treatment, especially breast cancer.

Prevalence of smoking by sex and type of product smoked amongst adults aged 16 and over
Great Britain, 1984 to 1994						Percentages
	1984	1986	1988	1990	1992	1994
Men
Cigarettes1	37	35	33	31	29	28
Pipe	¨	6	4	4	4	3
Cigars	10	10	9	8	7	6
All smokers2	433	44	40	38	36	33
Women
Cigarettes1	32	31	30	29	28	26
Cigars	0	1	0	0	0	0
All smokers2	33	31	31	29	28	26
All persons
Cigarettes1	36	33	32	30	28	27
Pipe	¨	3	2	2	2	1
Cigars	5	5	4	4	4	3
All smokers2	373	37	35	33	32	29

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the so-called smoking-related diseases from which they estimate 120,000 people die each year and at what age in each case death occurred and what percentage were smokers at the time of death; andHow many men and how many women who died of a so-called smoking-related disease were above the average age of life expectation when they died, and how many were smokers at the time of death: andWhat percentage of total annual deaths is represented by the number of deaths from so-called smoking-related diseases.

It is estimated that 120,000 people died as a result of smoking in the United Kingdom in 1995. The diseases attributed to smoking and used to estimate the total number of deaths are:Cancers of lung, upper respiratory, oesophagus, bladder, kidney, stomach, pancreas and myeloid leukaemia

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their latest estimate of the percentage of the population who indulge in all forms of smoking.

It is estimated that in 1994 in Great Britain, 29 per cent. of the population aged 16 and above smoked.The following table shows trends from 1984 to 1994.Ischaemic Heart DiseaseCerebrovascular DiseaseAortic AneurysmAtherosclerosisMyocardial degenerationChronic obstructive pulmonary diseasePneumoniaUlcer of stomach and duodenumThe following table shows the estimated age at death.

	Number of deaths1
Age	Male	Female	Total
35–54	6,000	2,000	9,000
55–64	12,000	5,000	17,000
65–74	27,000	15,000	42,000
75+	32,000	21,000	53,000
Total	78,000	43,000	121,000
1Rounded to nearest thousand deaths.
Totals may not sum due to rounding.

The proportion of the 120,000 people who died who were smokers at the time of death is not known: such information not recorded on the death certificate and analysis is not available at individual death level.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer given by Baroness Blackstone on 15 July

It is for employers, not the Government, to decide what targets for the proportions of women and men they employ are appropriate. Only the employers can judge this in the light of their circumstances, following the principle of recruitment on merit.As indicated in my previous reply, the Equal Opportunities Commission will review its target and progress towards it after two years.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they have taken in response to the allegations against Huntingdon Life Sciences broadcast on television on 26 March 1997.

I was extremely concerned about the events shown in the Channel 4 programme "Countryside Undercover: It's A Dog's Life", and I know these concerns are shared by members of the public, and by scientists and animal technicians, the vast majority of whom are responsible and caring towards animals.The Home Office took prompt and firm action. On the morning after the programme was broadcast, the Home Office asked the police to investigate possible offences under the Protection of Animals Act 1911 and, as a result, two individuals have been charged with such offences. In replying to this question, I cannot therefore comment, at this time, about these two individuals or their actions, as this might prejudice the prosecutions.The chief inspector who heads the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate has also carried out a comprehensive and detailed investigation into the allegations arising from the programme and into the management and control of animal work at the establishment. I understand that in excess of 250 man-hours of time were spent in viewing more than 20 hours of unbroadcast video material, studying journals and company records, visiting the establishment and interviewing staff (both present and ex-employees). A report detailing his findings and recommendations was submitted to me last week and I commend the Chief Inspector for the speed and thoroughness of his investigation.The investigation has shown breaches of two of the standard conditions which apply to all Certificates of Designation. Shortcomings relating to the care, treatment and handling of animals, and delegation of health checking to new staff of undetermined competence demonstrate that the establishment was not appropriately staffed and that animals were not at all times provided with adequate care.My right honourable friend therefore proposes to revoke the Certificate of Designation for this establishment, subject to the consideration of any representations made under Section 12 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. However, if the proposed revocation took immediate effect, we estimate that up to 1,000 dogs; 10 baboons; 200 marmosets; 450 macaques; 13,000 mice; 35,000 rats; 2,000 rabbits; 4,000 guinea pigs; 3,000 birds; 4,000 fish; and smaller numbers of various other species undergoing scientific procedures would have to be destroyed. In addition, any ongoing work might need to be repeated; this would require the use of more laboratory animals. It is therefore proposed that the revocation will take effect on 30 November 1997.Revocation would shut down the company, with the consequent loss of 1,400 jobs. While the failures and omissions at the establishment are extremely serious, this outcome would not necessarily be warranted. An application for a replacement certificate could, therefore, be considered if my right honourable friend can be assured that measures have been put in place to prevent any recurrence of the events shown in the television programme. Sixteen stringent conditions have been set which must be met before any new application can be considered.In addition to the two individuals facing prosecution, my right honourable friend proposes to revoke the personal licence of a third animal technician (again, subject to the right to make representations) and it has been decided that letters of admonition should be sent to two other technicians.The Home Office, and specifically the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate, was criticised for having missed alleged mistreatment, for failure to implement the requirements of the

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Answer given by Lord Williams of Mostyn on 3 July (

The contract for Cookham Wood, which is in the Library, allows changes of use of the centre, including widening the age range, subject to notice being given to the contractor and agreement being reached on the price. The contract specifically excludes change of use for offenders detained under Section 53 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 or for those over the age of 17.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Answer given by Lord Williams of Mostyn on 3 July 1997 (

My right honourable friend wrote to members of the Home and Social Affairs Committee, which includes my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Health, on 18 June, seeking their approval to his proposals to implement the secure training order, and to continue with the contract for Cookham Wood and with plans for four other centres.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Answer given by Lord Williams of Mostyn on 3 July 1997 (

The signed contract for Cookham Wood was a legacy from the previous government. We decided to continue with the contract to avoid the waste of public money that would be involved in withdrawing from it and because the contract provides an early opportunity of ensuring that the courts have the appropriate powers to deal with persistent young offenders aged 12–14 years. Fast track punishment for persistent young offenders is one of our key priorities.The provision of 40 places at Cookham Wood alone would be insufficient to meet national demand, and would concentrate resources in one part of the country. This would inevitably mean some children serving the custodial part of their sentence some considerable distance from their families. The five planned secure training centres will fulfil the need for more secure accommodation across the country for these offenders. The centres will provide positive regimes with high standards of education and training.My right honourable friend has commissioned a review of the secure accommodation currently available for young offenders. Our decision to proceed with the procurement of four further secure centres will not preclude the implementation of any changes which we decide are necessary in the light of this review and we will ensure that plans for the four further secure centres are sufficiently flexible to be consistent with this.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Answer given by Lord Williams of Mostyn on 3 July 1997 (

Suitable sites for the development of the three centres have been found at Gringley in Nottinghamshire, Onley in Northamptonshire and Medomsley in County Durham. A site is also being sought in the South West of England. All the centres are expected to be operational by the end of 1999.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether Article K7(7) of the draft Treaty of Amsterdam will give the European Court of Justice the jurisdiction to interpret conventions in a way that is binding on all member states, including the United Kingdom; and, if so, whether Article K7(7) will apply to the Europol Convention.

Article K7(7) of the draft Treaty of Amsterdam provides that the European Court of Justice shall have jurisdiction to rule on any dispute between member states regarding the interpretation or the application of acts adopted under the new Article K6(2) whenever such dispute cannot be settled by the European Council within six months of its being referred to the Council by one of its members. The Court will also have jurisdiction to rule on any dispute between member states and the European Commission regarding the interpretation or application of conventions established under the new Article K6(2)(d). Such rulings will be binding on the parties concerned.These provisions do not apply to instruments, such as the Europol Convention, which were concluded under Article K3 of the Treaty on European Union.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will review the policy introduced by the previous government whereby prisoners categorised as exceptional risk Category A are, save in exceptional circumstances, required to have all legal and family visits in closed conditions.

The policy of mandatory closed visits for exceptional risk prisoners will be kept under review to ensure that it remains the appropriate response to the threat posed by such prisoners.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will report on the resources available to the Prison Service.

In order to ensure that the Prison Service can accommodate the projected numbers safely, the Prison Service will be able to spend up to an extra £43 million during this year and next. This will create 290 new places on top of the existing building programme, and provide additional staffing and funding for regime activities to support the placing of an additional 1,830 prisoners in existing accommodation, 630 of whom are already being detained.We will tomorrow place in the Library a report of the findings of the audit of Prison Service resources which has been carried out in accordance with our manifesto.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the definition of "Education, Net Lending to the private sector (GTGG)" in table 9.4 in United Kingdom National Accounts 1996; and why the figure rose from zero in 1988 to £639 million in 1995.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the recent strength of sterling relative to other European currencies is a result of government policy

Sterling is affected by a range of domestic and external factors which are not within the direct control of the Government or the Bank of England. The appreciation of sterling since last August against other European currencies largely reflects the strength of the UK economy relative to the German and French economies, and also speculation about EMU.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have given consideration to compensation for people who were given false or misleading advice at the general election since when their prospective pensions have been devalued.

In our manifesto we promised to make economic stability a priority and promote greater long-term investment. The Budget and the monetary framework we have put in place start to fulfil those promises. Pension funds should benefit over the long term from the improved company performance resulting from a strong and stable economy.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will introduce legislation to require all public authorities to give reasons for their administrative decisions.

The giving of reasons for administrative decisions is good practice and is a principle to which we are committed in the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. The forthcoming White Paper on Freedom of Information will address the question of whether, and how, this principle might feature in the proposed Freedom of Information Act.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will follow the example set by the New Zealand Parliament in promoting wide public access to public information at competitive, fair and reasonable prices by enacting an equivalent of Section 27 of the New Zealand Copyright Act 1994, which provides that no copyright exists in: (a) Bills; (b) Acts; (c) regulations; (d) bylaws; (e) parliamentary debates; (f) reports of select committees; (g) judgments of any court or tribunal; and (h) reports of Royal Commissions, commissions of inquiry, ministerial inquiries or statutory inquiries; and, if not, whether they will introduce other effective measures to promote wide public access to such public information.

The former Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster announced in November 1996 that a formal review of Crown Copyright was to be undertaken. Consultations with other interested parties are taking place and it is anticipated that a Green Paper on the subject will be issued later this year.Reports of the proceedings of Parliament, Bills of Parliament and select committee reports are subject to parliamentary copyright protection and are therefore a matter for the two Houses. Parliamentary copyright is administered on behalf of the two Houses by Her Majesty's Stationery Office with the object of securing the widest dissemination of parliamentary copyright material consistent with the good name and dignity of Parliament.With a view to promoting public access, parliamentary copyright material, Acts, statutory instruments and other government papers are increasingly being made freely available on the Internet.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the information and evidence provided by the cattle feed industry upon which the regulatory authorities allowed new manufacturing processes and which (in the view of the Government's Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee) allowed BSE to emerge in cattle, give grounds for legal action against any part of the industry.

The changes which took place in the rendering industry, which are now believed to have led to the origin of the BSE epidemic, did not require explicit permission from the regulatory authorities. They were taken in good faith on the basis of scientific understanding at that time and we are not aware of any grounds for legal action in respect of action taken at that time.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they believe that angling involves cruelty to fish.

We are aware of the findings of research into the experience of pain by fish. It is clear from these that great care must be taken in attributing to fish sensations similar to those experienced by humans or other mammals. Nevertheless, those involved in angling are aware of the need to avoid unnecessary harm and minimise any stress caused to fish.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What decision they have made following the review of deductions made from the pay of officer Prisoners of War and Protected Personnel in German and Italian hands during the Second World War.

The MoD has conducted an extensive review of the issue of pay deductions from officer Prisoners of War and Protected Personnel in German and Italian hands during the Second World War and the subsequent arrangements for repayment. Overall, the review found no evidence of lack of care, of significant injustice, or grave financial disadvantage. The long and detailed report accepts that there were real difficulties, but these were recognised at the time and reasonable steps were taken to minimise them. Accordingly, there is no basis for reopening the issue. I have placed a copy of the full report in the Library of the House.My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State is writing to those individual right honourable and honourable Members who have a constituency interest. Former officer Prisoners of War and Protected Personnel covered by the review and their families who have written direct to the MoD will also be contacted to let them know the result of the review. I know, and very much regret, that those people who have had their hopes raised will be very disappointed. We must conclude that the contemporary evidence does not support the claims which have been made.Copies of my honourable friend's foreword to the report are also being placed in the Printed Paper Office.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the commissioning of Trident will involve an increase, decrease or standstill in the size of the United Kingdom's nuclear arsenal in terms of the number of warheads deployed.

The previous government announced that each Trident submarine would deploy with no more than 96 warheads and possibly significantly fewer. It also announced that Trident will assume both the strategic and sub-strategic roles, allowing the withdrawal, without replacement, of our WE177 free-fall bombs. We are considering our future warhead requirements in the light of current circumstances as a part of the Strategic Defence Review.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in light of evidence from the Americans and the Czechs that chemical weapons were deployed during Operation Granby, they maintain that they were not.

Analysis of the information available to the Government, including that provided by other countries, has produced no evidence that chemical weapons were issued to operational Iraqi forces during the Gulf War. We shall of course examine carefully any new information which might emerge on this subject in future.Our view remains that there is no confirmed evidence of the use of chemical weapons during the Gulf War. Such detections that did occur during the conflict were subject to follow-up at the time and were not substantiated. However, in view of public concern, the department is reviewing specific events during the Gulf War in response to reports from British veterans.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have investigated further the contents of a tank found at Sabahiyah Girls High School and whether this substance was correctly identified as nitric acid.

As described in the policy statement Gulf Veterans' Illnesses: A New Beginning, the Ministry of Defence is reviewing all available information relating to the tank of liquid found at the Sabahiyah Girls' School in August 1991. When this review is completed the results will be published.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What evidence was found from the samples collected by the Sandfly air sampling system of the presence of biological agents during Operation Granby.

During the Gulf War, nine biological detection system vehicles were operated by the 1st Field Laboratory Unit (1FLU). Samples collected by the Sandfly air sampling system on the vehicles were tested for the presence of biological material. In the course of operations, 1FLU did not record any instances of biological warfare agents being detected. As previously announced, the activities of 1FLU will be reviewed by the MoD as part of the new work on alleged biological agent detections during the Gulf War.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they considered conducting a review of the use of anti-personnel land mines before making a statement in May.

The use of anti-personnel landmines was carefully considered by the Government's military advisors prior to the policy statement of 21 May 1997.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether authorisation for the use of anti-personnel landmines would be given to individual commanders on the ground or as a general authorisation; andUnder what circumstances of threat to British forces they would authorise the use of anti-personnel mines.

Authorisation for the use of anti-personnel landmines would be promulgated through the rules of engagement for a specific operation. The nature of the authorisation would depend on the operational circumstances existing at the time.Such authorisation would be given only where we were satisfied that, for a specific operation, the security of our Armed Forces would be jeopardised without them. It is impossible to predict what such exceptional circumstances might be, but Ministers would wish to be satisfied that it was not feasible to provide adequate protection for our Armed Forces using other means. As we have made clear, in such exceptional cases, Parliament would be informed of the decision and the reasons behind it.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many British mines are still on the Falkland Islands.

As my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence said in answer to an oral Question in another place on 14 July 1997 (Official Report, cols. 14–15), one anti-personnel mine laid by UK military personnel on the Falkland Islands remains unaccounted for.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the plutonium that arises from reprocessing operations at Sellafield, including reprocessing of magnox fuel and reprocessing in the new THORP reprocessing plant, is capable of being made into a crude but powerful nuclear weapon; andWhether building a crude bomb with an assured yield of one kiloton from reactor-grade plutonium would be no more difficult than building one from weapons-grade plutonium.

It is technically possible that a nuclear device could be constructed from plutonium which had been recovered from the fuel from nuclear power reactors. It should be emphasised, however, that it is technically difficult to produce weapons using weapons grade material. It would be even more difficult to use this reactor grade plutonium to produce a reliable weapon giving a predictable yield.