asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to improve market access to Africa and speed the reduction in debt to countries demonstrating significant economic reform.

The European Union already provides generous access to those African countries which are members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group, under the Lomé Convention. The EU is currently looking at ways to improve preferential access for least developed countries, most of which are in Africa. The EU is also looking at ways to improve and simplify the rules of origin in order to allow developing countries to make better use of preferential access.The Government believe that relief should be granted as quickly as possible to the poorest countries which are heavily burdened with debt, once they have demonstrated their commitment to significant economic reform.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish a list of the countries to which the United Kingdom gave bilateral aid in the form of training of police or military training respectively, giving in each case the cost in 1996–96 and 1996–97.

New commitments in 1995–96 and 1996–97 of development aid for policing are listed below. They include commitments of £100,000 or more; smaller commitments are not recorded centrally. The objectives of the projects that were approved include the strengthening of strategic planning, management and training capacity, the reorientation of police services to community policing, equality of opportunity, the development of anti-drugs, fraud and corruption programmes, and strengthening of communications and record keeping.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How the Department of Trade and Industry will be consulted in advance of the White Paper on International Development.

The Department of Trade and Industry is represented on a White Paper steering group comprising officials from the Department for International Development and other Whitehall Departments. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for International Development is also consulting the President of the Board of Trade and other ministerial colleagues on the contribution of their departments to the paper.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will provide a new definition of "development education" as distinct from "public affairs" within the Department for International Development.

The Department for International Development is currently carrying out a fundamental rethink of its communications strategy. This will include a scrutiny of the means used to raise public awareness of international development issues as well as the department's public affairs function. The term "development education" is widely regarded as inadequate to describe the process by which people's awareness of and engagement in development issues is increased. We will be looking to strengthen our capacity for involving adults as well as educating school students and other young people.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will place in the Library of the House a list of all the documents that were taken by the Procurator Fiscal from the Callander Rifle and Pistol Club in respect of the Dunblane shootings

It would not be appropriate to place such a list in the Library, but lists of the documents which were taken into possession on behalf of the Procurator Fiscal will be made available to the club at its request.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made on the proposal to refurbish the Treasury building in Great George Street under the Private Finance Initiative.

At a time when all departments are undertaking comprehensive spending reviews and are subject to tight expenditure controls, my right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer was unwilling to embark on a major construction project of this scale, which would have involved substantial expenditure and significant financial risks for the other government occupants of the building in terms of the disposal of property elsewhere. The plans to refurbish the main Treasury building under the Private Finance Initiative represented good value for money in their own terms, but Ministers judged they had to have regard to wider considerations.My right honourable friend the Chancellor has therefore decided to terminate negotiations with our private sector partner, Exchequer Partnership plc.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in pursuit of their policy of open government and freedom of information, they will publish all correspondence, notes, minutes, memoranda and submissions concerning the consultations between Ministers, officials, advisers and regulators relating to the likely effect of the "windfall tax" upon the companies upon whom it is to be levied.

No. In line with normal practice, the Government will not publish the regulators' advice to Ministers. This was confidential and contained some observations that are commercially confidential. Similar considerations apply to other written material.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What, in percentage terms, the gaming industry in the United Kingdom (including bingo, betting shops and gaming machine arcades, but excluding the National Lottery) contributes to the United Kingdom's GDP.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics, who has been asked to reply.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have for the future of the deregulation initiative.

We are committed to ensuring that regulations are simple, helpful and fair. We aim to deliver responsible and responsive regulation for business, particularly small firms, and the citizen. My right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has appointed Chris Haskins to chair a new Better Regulation Task Force and the Deregulation Unit has similarly been renamed the Better Regulation Unit to reflect the fact that our priority is to get regulation right.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are considering legislative or other action to prevent asset-stripping of public museum and galleries collections.

The Government have no plans for legislation to prevent such action. The terms of the Museum Registration Scheme operated by the Museums and Galleries Commission strictly control any disposals. The Museums and Galleries Commission has also issued guidelines on the legal status of museum collections in the United Kingdom and on the safeguard of items within them.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they noted Section 14(8) of the Republic of Ireland's National Cultural Institutions Act 1997 during their internal review of entry charges to public museums and galleries, and whether they will consider the incorporation of a similar provision into future United Kingdom legislation.

I am aware that the statutory provision referred to has the effect of providing that the fixing of charges in respect of entry to national museums or libraries is subject to the consent of the Irish Parliament. The statutory position in the United Kingdom is that responsibility for deciding whether to charge for admission at the national museums and galleries rests with the Trustees of the institutions. The Government have no plans to change this through legislation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What would be the health effects of taking NAPS tablets at the prescribed dose over a prolonged period whilst being exposed to repeated low-level doses of carbamate and organophosphorus pesticides and nerve agents in a tropical climate.

Taking Nerve Agent Pretreatment Set (NAPS) tablets could be expected to provide considerable protection against exposure to nerve agents, which is why they were issued to British Forces during the Gulf War.The Government are not aware of any specific research into the health effects of the combination of exposures and circumstances described in the Question.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether a fusion weapon of about 0.1 grammes of deuterium-tritium would produce a yield equal to about 10 tons of high explosives; and whether the testing of such a weapon is, in their opinion, permitted under the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

The principle of developing a weapon employing only pure fusion has not, as far as we are aware, been proven feasible. The UK is not conducting any research on this and we have no plans to do so. Our understanding is that, were such weapons to be developed, their testing would be prohibited by the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Were it possible to effect the complete fusion of 0.1 grammes of deuterium-tritium, then it would produce a yield equivalent of up to 8 tonnes of high explosive.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they consider pure fusion explosions to be permitted under the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty; andWhether small fusion explosions ignited by laser or particle beam driven implosions are permitted under the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

We believe pure fusion explosions would be prohibited under the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Experiments involving controlled thermonuclear fusion, such as those with lasers or particle beam accelerators, do not constitute an explosion and are not prohibited by the Treaty. These experiments are important to civil nuclear research into future energy sources, and to the responsible management of nuclear weapon stockpiles over time in the absence of nuclear testing.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many people by rank or grade are employed in the Defence Secondary Care Agency central office in London and what are the total annual costs of the agency central office broken down into:

The numbers of military and civilian personnel at the Defence Secondary Care Agency (DSCA) Headquarters in London from August 1997 will be as follows:

	Number
Service Personnel
Brigadier	1
Group Captain	2
Colonel	1
Surg Commander	1
Commander	1
Lt Commander	1
Major	1
Sqn Ldr	1
Staff Sgt	1
Total	10

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many blood samples were taken from what number of the members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces who were vaccinated with anthrax/pertussis prior to and during Operation Granby, and where these samples are stored.

The Government have no information concerning the totality of blood samples taken from British troops during the Gulf War, nor is it clear how many personnel were vaccinated with anthrax and pertussis. However, it is known that 216 blood samples were specifically collected by the Royal Army Medical Corps at stages during the anti-biological warfare immunisation programme, which include the use of anthrax and pertussis. They were sent to the then Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment, Porton Down and tested. What remains of these samples following that assessment is currently in storage at CBD Porton Down.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the new US expert awareness of the improbability of a ballistic missile only attack on US and allied territory or forces, coupled with the availability of stealth cruise missiles launchable from a wide variety of platforms, have rendered out of date the studies of ballistic missile only defences conducted in recent years in NATO and in the UK by a British Aerospace-Lockheed Martin consortium.

The United Kingdom's Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) carried out by a consortium led by British Aerospace, examined options, costs and timescales of potential BMD systems for both UK national needs and those of deployed forces. Its conclusions, together with those of other studies, are currently being assessed in the context of the Strategic Defence Review. The UK continues to support work within NATO on the potential threat from both ballistic and cruise missiles.

asked The Leader of the House:Further to the Answer given by Lord Simon of Highbury on 16 June (

No. There is no obligation to declare those interests in the Register of Lords' Interests. Declaration of interests when speaking in the House is a matter for the Lord concerned.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have issued a new edition of

My right honourable friend the Prime Minister has issued to colleagues a successor document to Questions of Procedure for Ministers called the Ministerial Code—a Code of Conduct and Guidance on Procedures for Ministers. I expect all Ministers to work within the letter and spirit of this code, in order to uphold the highest standards of honesty and propriety which the British people fairly expect of those in public life. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.My right honourable friend the Prime Minister has also issued to ministerial colleagues

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will announce the composition of the United Kingdom delegation for the September 1997 Part-Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

The September 1997 Part-Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will be opened in Strasbourg on 22 September. The delegation from the United Kingdom for the session will consist of 23 members of the Labour Party, nine of the Conservative Party and four members from the minority parties. The delegation will serve in place of the current delegation from the opening of the September 1997 Part-Session.The appointments of representatives and substitutes have been made on the basis of nominations by the parties concerned, in accordance with the resolution of the House of Commons on 22 May 1992,

asked Her Majesty's Government:How often, since his appointment as Minister for Trade and Competitiveness in Europe, Lord Simon of Highbury has made himself available for questioning by Parliament and how often he has given interviews to representatives of the media.

Since 14 May I have answered two starred questions and participated in three debates.I have been, and will continue to be, available to speak to the media when appropriate opportunities arise.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Minister for Trade and Competitiveness in Europe, Lord Simon of Highbury, has attended any meetings concerned with energy policy or the oil and gas industries since his appointment.

The Minister attends meetings where they are relevant to his responsibilities and do not give rise to conflicts of interest. The Minister for Science, Energy and Industry is responsible for energy policy and the oil and gas industries.

asked Her Majesty's Government:From how many meetings of Ministers or with officials in the European Commission the Minister for Trade and Competitiveness in Europe, Lord Simon of Highbury, has absented himself since his appointment in order to avoid conflict of interest.

None.

asked Her Majesty's Government:From how many meetings within government the Minister for Trade and Competitiveness in Europe, Lord Simon of Highbury, has been excluded or absented himself in order to avoid a conflict of interest since his appointment.

The arrangements in place ensure that the question does not arise.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the White Paper on International Development will necessitate policy changes at the Department of Trade and Industry, and if so, whether such changes will be described in the White Paper.

My department is currently working with the Department for International Development and others to consider the ways in which UK trade and commercial policies can promote sustainable development. The Government's forthcoming White Paper on International Development will set out the detail of policies designed to achieve that objective.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Minister for Competitiveness in Europe will play any part in negotiations or European Council meetings to secure a gas liberalisation directive.

The Minister for Science, Energy and Industry will lead these negotiations in the Energy Council, which I would not expect to attend.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the estimated cost to the NHS and to schools of introducing via the EU Social Chapter a right to parental leave, expressed in terms of (a) money and (b) time.

The precise costs and benefits of the Parental Leave Directive will depend on how it is implemented in the United Kingdom. The timetable for implementation has not yet been finalised, but the Government intend to consult on the best way to implement the directive.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What percentage of monies overdue to businesses defined as small businesses by their criteria is from other small businesses.

Recent work undertaken on small and medium sized businesses by Grant Thornton showed that 34 per cent. of those surveyed identified large enterprises as having the longest payment periods in the UK compared to small enterprises at 28 per cent. This is supported by a Lloyds Bank survey which found that 52 per cent. of those surveyed stated that large enterprises were the worst late payers compared to 38 per cent. for small businesses.The Government are determined to promote a more ethical payment culture in the UK and that is why we have responded to the calls from small businesses and announced a new package of measures to tackle late payment, including the introduction of The Fair Payment of Commercial Debts Bill.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How they intend to ensure that the European Commission pays British companies promptly; and what is the current record of such payment.

The Government are committed to changing the payment culture that exists in the UK. We will work closely with the European Commission and other member states to ensure that small businesses are paid promptly both in domestic and European markets.The European Commission has since 1991 a target of paying all bills within 60 days. For 1996 the average payment time by the Commission was 43.1 days.I understand that, in order to improve its payment performance, the European Commission decided on 10 June 1997 to pay interest on all payments which are made after more than 60 days. This is in line with the recommendation on payment periods in commercial transactions issued by the European Commission to member states of 12 May 1995.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is still lawful to possess soft-nosed ammunition for the purpose of the humane killing of animals and, if not, whether legislation will be prepared to allow such possession.

Yes. Section 10 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 allows expanding ammunition to be held on a specially conditioned firearm certificate or visitor's firearm permit for use in connection with shooting of deer or vermin; other wildlife in connection with estate management; the humane killing of animals; or the shooting of animals for the protection of other animals or humans. It also provides an exemption for registered firearms dealers who possess expanding ammunition in the ordinary course of their business.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What arrangements have been set in place to deal with Questions and correspondence on prison matters in England and Wales.

I announced on 15 May that in future all parliamentary Questions about the Prison Service in England and Wales will be answered by a Home Office Minister and not by the Director General or another senior Prison Service official. I made clear that this will enable Ministers to answer personally to Parliament for what is done in our prisons rather than leave it to their civil servants.The Government have made clear that we have no plans to end the Prison Service's status as an executive agency. It has been the practice, since the service became an agency in April 1993, for the Director General to deal with correspondence from Peers and honourable Members on matters which fall within his delegated responsibilities. Peers and honourable Members have been encouraged to write directly to the Director General on such matters, or where they see fit, to governors of individual establishments. In this way day-to-day management matters, often concerning the case of an individual constituent, can be dealt with more efficiently and expeditiously.Where it is appropriate, Peers should continue to write directly to the Prison Service in this manner.Correspondence to the Director General should be sent to:

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will confirm the arrangements for the public consultation exercise on the intrusive surveillance code of practice required under part III of the Police Act 1997.

Further to the Answer I gave to my noble friend Lord Carmichael of Kelvingrove on 16 July (WA 114), we have now decided that the public consultation exercise should begin on 12 August.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will establish an inquiry into matters arising from the death of Stephen Lawrence on 22 April 1993.

My right honourable friend has decided to establish an inquiry under Section 49 of the Police Act 1996. The terms of reference of that inquiry will be:

• to inquire into the matters arising from the death of Stephen Lawrence on 22 April 1993 to date, and to identify the lessons to be learned for the investigation and prosecution of racially motivated crimes.

My right honourable friend has appointed Sir William MacPherson of Cluny, formerly High Court Judge of the Queen's Bench, to conduct this Inquiry. He will be supported in carrying out this Inquiry by: Mr. Thomas Cook (former Deputy Chief Constable of West Yorkshire); the rt Reverend John Sentamu, Bishop of Stepney; and Dr. Richard Stone (Chairman of the Jewish Council for Racial Equality). Under Section 49, the inquiry will have the powers to summon any person to give evidence, to require the production of documents and to take evidence on oath.The handling of this case by the Metropolitan Police is the subject of complaints made by the Lawrence family which are currently under investigation in accordance with police complaints procedures. That investigation is being supervised by the Police Complaints Authority. The authority expects the investigation to be completed in September and to report the outcome in October. Under Section 97(2) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, the authority may make a report to the Secretary of State on any matters coming to its notice to which it considers that his attention should be drawn by reason of their gravity or of other exceptional circumstances. The authority intends to produce a report on this case under that special provision. Under Section 97(5) of the 1984 Act that report must be laid before Parliament and published.The inquiry under the Police Act will begin when the Police Complaints Authority report has been completed. That will allow the inquiry to consider any issues emerging from the investigation supervised by the Police Complaints Authority. The inquiry's statutory powers will also allow it to require the production of any evidence gathered during the course of the Police Complaints Authority investigation. My right honourable friend the Attorney General has also confirmed that the full co-operation of the Crown Prosecution Service will be given to the inquiry.We believe that the establishment of this inquiry following the completion of the investigation supervised by the Police Complaints Authority will allow the concerns of the Lawrence family and others to be fully addressed, and will identify the lessons to be learned from this tragic case which will be relevant to the future handling of racially motivated crimes by the criminal justice system.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have to implement the recommendations of Law Commission Report No. 218:

The Law Commission's report No. 218, published in November 1993, is a major contribution to the development of the criminal law. It was warmly welcomed by many involved with the criminal justice system as creating a clearer and more coherent statement of the law of violence against the person. The Government have considered the Law Commission's recommendations with great care, and accept the principle of its proposals for reform of those offences contained mainly in the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.This is a complex and difficult area of the law, and case law has evolved since the Law Commission's report was first published. It is important that any proposals to reform offences that come before the courts so frequently, and have been in existence for 136 years, are robust, well thought through and well supported. Following a detailed consideration of its report, done in close collaboration with the Law Commission, we have decided to publish a draft Bill in a consultation paper later this year. This will set out our initial proposals for reforming the law in this area based on the Law Commission's report and seek views on some of the difficult issues around the technical legal changes proposed by the Law Commission, such as definitions of intent, recklessness and intoxication, or whether the intentional transmission of disease should be included in the Bill. The proposals will apply to England and Wales.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many offenders in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland received community service orders and custodial sentences respectively in the most recent 12-month period for which such information is available and what plans they have to increase the number of offenders who are sentenced to community service orders rather than custodial sentences.

Information is given in the table below.Within the statutory framework set by Parliament, it is for the courts to decide the appropriate penalty. Non-custodial penalties play a vital role in punishing offenders for whom prison is not the most appropriate response. The Government are determined to ensure that community punishments are tough and effective so that they command the confidence both of sentencers and the public.

Offenders sentenced for all offences by disposal
Country	Year	Total sentenced	Community service order	Immediate custody
England	1995	1,267,268	45,312	74,608
Scotland1	1995	153,921	5,133	214,907
Wales	1995	87,026	3,025	4,529
Northern Ireland	1995	32,972	607	2,313
Northern Ireland	1996	30,676	645	2,168
1 To improve comparability excludes sentences imposed following breach of probation or breach of community service orders (normally included in Scottish figures).
2 Includes custodial sentences imposed following a sentence deferred for good behaviour.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What consideration they are giving to using empty psychiatric hospital accommodation for the care and treatment of mentally ill offenders now in HM Prisons; and, if so, when they expect to reach decisions.

The Prison Service is considering a number of redundant psychiatric hospitals as possible sites for new prisons, but does not propose to use any which it might acquire solely for the care and treatment of mentally ill prisoners. The Government's policy is that prisoners who need medical treatment for mental illness which can only satisfactorily be given in hospital should be transferred there as soon as that can be arranged.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether previous medical records are always supplied to the Prison Medical Service when required; and, if not, what action they are taking to ensure that records are so supplied; andWhether records of medical care and treatment provided to prisoners in custody are regularly sent to the National Health Service when prisoners are released, and, if not, what action they are taking to ensure that records are so supplied.

Prison health care staff are not required, as a matter of routine, to obtain the previous, non-Prison Service medical records of all prisoners committed to custody. However, staff may request individual records or other medical reports from the National Health Service in cases where that is considered necessary and with the prisoner's agreement. Information about the number of such requests is not collected centrally.Medical files raised during a prisoner's time in custody are retained by the Prison Service after the prisoner's release. Where there is a need for continuing treatment, medical information is transferred from the prison doctor to the prisoner's general practitioner. The Prison Service plans to issue a new health care standard on continuity of healthcare which will give additional advice to establishments on exchanges of information about healthcare matters between the Prison Service and other agencies.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the cost of the Scotland Yard investigation into the complaint of blasphemy against the Gay Christian Movement's website; whether they are aware of any other such investigations since the beginning of 1995, and, if so, whether they will give the cost in each case.

The Commissioner informs me that the cost of the investigation is assessed at £6,800. This is based on an approximate assessment of time spent on the investigation by the officers involved. No other similar investigations have been carried out.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether an adult is legally required to take up membership of a club or association before entering into any of the following activities: (a) buying a National Lottery ticket; (b) betting on a horse race in a betting shop; (c) playing an amusement—with prizes—machine in a licensed public house; or (d) playing bingo.

Of these activities, membership of a club is legally required for the playing of bingo in licensed bingo clubs. To play bingo in these premises, a person must be 18 and a member of the club or a bona fide guest.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many people are employed by (a) bingo halls, (b) betting shops, and (c) gaming machine manufacturers and suppliers.

We do not collect such figures but the trade associations estimate that in Great Britain approximately 27,000 people are employed by licensed bingo clubs, 36,000 by off-course betting shops and 2,445 by gaming machine manufacturers and suppliers.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What information they have on the number of car drivers who have had a handbag or other possessions stolen from the passenger seat whilst the vehicle is caught in traffic.

No statistics are available centrally. The recorded crime (Notifiable offences') series does not separately identify these offences—they are included in the 'theft from vehicles' offence classification. The British Crime Survey also counts such incidents as theft from vehicles and cannot separately distinguish incidents in which the driver was in the vehicle.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether a travel insurance policy provided in conjunction with the Post Office imposes a 100 per cent. increase in premium on elderly people, even when travel is confined to the EU and despite the mutual recognition which entitles United Kingdom citizens to healthcare in other EU countries; and whether they consider this to be reasonable.

Post Office Counters Ltd (POCL) offer travel insurance in partnership with General Accident at post offices. This is a commercial matter for the Post Office who advise that the premiums are based on the intended destination and the duration of the visit. The premium is doubled in the case of people aged 65 to 79 reflecting the increased underwriting risk. I understand that it is standard practice within the travel insurance industry to increase premiums for over 65s in view of the claims history of this age group.The medical cover for Untied Kingdom citizens in other EU countries under the E111 scheme is only for the standard free health cover in the country visited and varies widely from country to country. The POCL policy offers comprehensive medical cover including repatriation costs.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the criteria and procedures for admission to the World Trade Organisation.

Once an application for accession from a potential new member country has been accepted by the WTO's General Council, a working party is established. The first task of the working party is to examine all the rules and regulations affecting trade in the applicant country. Once the information-gathering stage is complete, negotiations begin on the terms and conditions of accession. The objective of these negotiations is to ensure that the WTO rules for trade in goods, services and intellectual property rights are fully applied. Save for transitional periods on a case-by-case basis, application of the fundamental WTO principles of non-discrimination and transparency, there is scope for negotiations. In parallel with negotiations on the rules, WTO members negotiate market access commitments in goods (tariffs) and services bilaterally with the applicant country. There is no set timetable for any part of this process; it depends largely on the pace set by the applicant country, for example, in providing information and making offers. On final agreements being reached, the outcome, in the form of a working party report, a protocol of accession, and schedules of market access commitments by the applicant country, are forwarded to the General Council for adoption. Once adopted, the applicant country becomes a WTO member 30 days after it has cleared any relevant internal ratification procedures.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many arms sales licences to foreign countries have been granted since they came into office.

From 2 May 1997 up to and including 18 July 1997, 1,630 export licences were granted for the export of military, security or para-military goods, arms ammunition or related material, controlled under Group I of Part III of the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994: 1,602 were standard individual export licences and 28 were open individual export licences.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, as recommended by Foresight (Progress Through Partnership) 16 Marine, published by the Office of Science and Technology, they intend to "appoint a lead Department to act as the United Kingdom authority for co-ordinating and sponsoring marine policy in support of industry" and, if so, which.

This is one of several recommendations which seeks to improve co-ordination within government of issues affecting the marine sector and is currently under consideration.

asked the Chairman of Committees:Further to his reply of 17 July (

Child care vouchers are issued to enable a parent to come to work at the House; they are not therefore issued when there is no requirement to attend. The Establishment Office is aware that some nurseries may require continuous payment but does not consider that this in any way invalidates its child care voucher policy and no further extension is proposed.

asked the Chairman of Committees:Whether he is aware of any hardship caused to staff of the House by the non-availability of child care vouchers on days in which they do not work during Recesses.

No.

asked the Chairman of Committees:Whether there has been any change in policy this year as to the availability of child care vouchers for staff of the House not required to work during the summer Recess.

No.

asked the Chairman of Committees:Whether child care vouchers are issued to staff of the House who fall sick; and, if not, whether assistance will be provided to staff who can produce a doctor's certificate to the effect that they are medically unfit to look after a child and therefore require the services of a nursery or childminder.

Child care vouchers continue to be issued to eligible staff who are absent through sickness, on the same basis as for other staff, provided their doctor testifies that they are unable to look after their child.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they propose to take to counter the smuggling of CFCs and, in particular, whether they favour the banning of sales and stockpiles of CFCs.

The Government continue to be vigilant in trying to prevent illegal imports of CFCs, and Her Majesty's Customs and Excise has carried out a threat assessment to identify the risk from such trade and methods of combating it. A seminar on international environmental crime held in October 1996 also examined ways of tackling this problem. The Government support the proposal put forward by the European Union to the Open-ended Working Group of the Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol for a ban on the sale of virgin CFCs.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they expect to publish the study they have undertaken into the total and cumulative environmental impact of the National Roads Programme.

Under the previous government the department commissioned the Transport Research Laboratory to carry out a feasibility study into this subject. We have now received the study report, copies of which have been placed in the Library. The report highlights a number of practical difficulties about the way in which the total environmental impact can be defined and measured. As recommended, we are now seeking the views of interested statutory bodies and others. We will consider how best to proceed in light of those consultations, taking account of the Strategic Roads Review which my right honourable friend the Minister for Transport announced on 19 June (Official Report, cols. 278–79).

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will consult on their commitment to regulate London's minicabs.

We have today published a consultation paper on how best to regulate London's minicabs. Copies have been placed in the Library. Comments are invited by 15 September.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much money the UK has spent since 1972, and how much it should expect to spend in the foreseeable future (a) as a result of European Water Directives; and (b) on water storage, infrastructure and supply; whether they can supply similar statistics for the other 14 member states of the EU; and, if not, whether they will ask the European Commission to supply them.

Full information on spending since 1972 is not available. Some of the existing European water directives were agreed more than 20 years ago and it is not possible to separate historic costs associated with individual directives. Current best estimates for the most significant directives in terms of costs are: Bathing Water Directive £2,000 million; and Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive £8,000 million.The cost to the water industry in England and Wales of meeting the requirement of the Water Quality Regulations for drinking water between 1990–91 and 1994–95 was £2,600 million. Further improvements to the quality of drinking water planned for the period 1995–2005 would cost in the region of £3,900 million.In setting price limits for the water and sewerage companies in England and Wales in 1994, the allowance made by the Director General of the Office of Water Services for capital expenditure from 1995–96 to 2004–05 was £24,000 million. Of this, £12,000 million was for the maintenance of assets and £1,000 million for improving water resources and to reduce the risk of flooding from sewers; £11,000 million was for quality improvements in response both to national priorities and to the requirements of European Community directives.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they consider that each United Kingdom port has a sufficient number of pilots for its safe operation; and, if not, whether they are satisfied by the action being taken by the relevant harbour authority to rectify the situation; andWhy the United Kingdom exemption from compulsory pilotage rules is less stringent than the exemptions of other European countries; and whether they propose to review the situation; andWhether, in progressing towards risk analysis in the marine environment, they will require competent harbour authorities to consult with their pilots; andWhether they will review the process whereby competent harbour authorities obtain revision orders under the Pilotage Act 1987 so as to ensure that all relevant parties and experts are consulted.

I refer to the Answer I gave to the noble Lord, Lord Gallacher, on 16 July, relating to publication of the report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch on the "Sea Empress", in which I referred to the Deputy Prime Minister's decision that the department should undertake a review of the Pilotage Act 1987. The Act places upon the competent harbour authority a duty to keep under review the need for pilotage in their harbour areas, to ensure that they have sufficient pilots and to regulate the issue of pilotage exemption certificates: these are operational matters for those authorities. The procedures for making harbour revision orders to amend an authority's pilotage jurisdiction already include provision for all interested parties to make representations and for public inquiries where there are objections.

asked Her Majety's Government:Why a lane was closed on Queen Elizabeth II bridge at Dartford on 27 July 1997 when no work was in progress.

There were no lane closures on the Queen Elizabeth II bridge at Dartford on Sunday 27 July 1997. Cones have been placed between lanes 3 and 4 of the bridge as part of a contingency plan should works to the adjacent tunnel require traffic to be diverted. This contingency has never been implemented and traffic continues to have normal access to all four lanes of the bridge.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the reduction in VAT on domestic heating fuels will, by reducing the increase in the RPI, negate any potential gain for those dependent for their income on index linked benefits.

We have cut VAT on fuel to the lowest possible level as part of our commitment to reducing poverty. This will have only a minor effect on the retail prices index and people in receipt of index linked benefits will remain better off after uprating.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, since the introduction in January 1997 of increased court fees, there has been a reduction of claims brought; if so, what are the figures in:

The question concerns a matter which has been assigned to the Court Service under the terms of its Framework Document. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to respond.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much the proposed charges to university students in the form of a contribution to their tuition fees will raise in a year; andHow much the proposed abolition or reduction of maintenance grants to university students will save in a year.

The following table shows the estimated savings associated with the introduction of tuition fees and the replacement of grants with loans, along with the associated costs of extending loans, under the Government's preferred approach to the future funding of higher education announced on 23 July. Figures are shown for the financial years 1998–99 to 2000–2001 and are at 1995–96 prices. The net savings are therefore notional and have been derived independently of current expenditure plans. They are also dependent on the phasing of the introduction of the new loans arrangements.

£ millions
	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01
Additional loans expenditure1	(400)	(750)	(1,100)
Grants savings	250	600	850
Tuition fee savings	150	250	400
Net savings	0	100	150
1 Costs are shown in brackets.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the report of the National Committee of Inquiry was published by the Stationery Office, and why it has not been made available to Peers through the Printed Paper Office.

Higher Education in the Learning Society, the report of the independent National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education, was published by the committee itself on 23 July 1997. Copies of the report were placed in the Printed Paper Office on the day of publication and, in the light of heavy demand for the report, additional copies were made available at the earliest opportunity.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why the Report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education, "Higher Education in the Learning Society" ("The Dearing Report"), which was the subject of a Ministerial statement on Wednesday 23 July, was not laid before Parliament as a Command Paper.

The National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education was set up as an independent body. Decisions on how its report should be published and distributed were therefore a matter for the committee itself. However, in order to inform the parliamentary debate on how the recommendations should be taken forward, we made copies of the report available to noble Lords through the Printed Paper Office on the day of publication.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they consider that the recent judgments

Part IV of the Education Act 1996 (which consolidates earlier education law including the Education Act 1993) contains extensive provisions relating to special educational needs. The "Gloucestershire Judgment", does not relate to this Act, and whether the judgment affects special educational provision is for the courts to determine.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What savings were made in NHS spending as a result of market testing in the last financial year for which data are available.

No reliable information on savings arising from market testing is available.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What NHS services are (a) market tested and (b) what proportion of these services are now with outside contractors.

Over 80 individual services as shown in the following list have been market tested in the National Health Service in England—although in many cases only one or two trusts have market tested a particular service. On the basis of information supplied by health authorities and trusts to the NHS Executive market testing database on the outcome of market testing exercises since 1992, just over 50 per cent. of contracts by value have been awarded to the commercial sector where market testing has taken place.HOTEL AND NON-CLINICAL SUPPORT—Accommodation, Car Parks, Catering, Courier, Creche, Domestic, Environmental Health Management, Facilities Management, Gardening, General Patient Services, Hotel Services, Laundry/Linen, Pest Control, Portering, Security, Supplies, Switchboard/Reception, Transport, Waste Disposal, Interpreter.ADMIN, INFORMATION AND FINANCIAL—Advertising and Recruitment, Agency Staffing, Audit, Banking, Clerical and Secretarial, Computer, Consultants, Financial, Human Resources, Insurance, Legal, Management Services, Micro-filming.CLINICAL AND CLINICAL SUPPORT—Anaesthetics, Bio-Engineering, Chiropody, Clinical Coding, Continuing Care for the Elderly, Central Sterile Supply Department, Hospital Sterilizing and Disinfecting Unit, Dental, Clinical Genetics, Haematology, Infection Control, In-Vitro Fertilisation Services, Lithotripsy, Medical Physics, Mobility Provisions, Medical Photography, Nuclear Medicine, Ophthalmology, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Occupational Health, Orthotics, Occupational Therapy, Oxygen Therapy Units, Prosthetics, Pathology, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Patient Appliances, Radiology, Speech Therapy, Termination of Pregnancy, Perfusionists, Mobile Cardiac Catheterisation.BUILDING AND ENGINEERING—Building and Engineering, Design, Electrical, Energy Management, Estates Management, Fire Systems, Flooring, Repairs and maintenance, Gas Supply, Glazing, Lighting, Painting, Water Services.BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT/SYSTEMS MAINTENANCE—Building, Building and Engineering, Estates, Equipment/Systems.TRAINING—Education, Fire, Staff.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What share of GDP the NHS has received in each financial year since 1970.

The information requested is set out in the table.

UK National Health Service expenditure as a proportion of Gross Domestic Product 1970 to 1996–97
Year	Proportion of Cross Domestic Product Per cent.1
1970	3.9
1971	3.9
1972	4.0
1973	4.1
1974–75	4.8
1975–76	5.1
1976–77	5.0
1977–78	4.8
1978–79	4.7
1979–80	4.7
1980–81	5.3
1981–82	5.5
1982–83	5.5
1983–84	5.3
1984–85	5.4
1985–86	5.2
1986–87	5.1
1987–88	5.1
1988–89	5.1
1989–90	5.1
1990–91	5.2
1991–92	5.7
1992–93	6.0
1993–94	5.9
1994–95	5.8
1995–96	5.8
1996–972	5.7

asked Her Majesty's Government:What have been the average earnings of nurses, in real and cash terms, for each year since 1970.

Nurses receive a wide range of earnings, dependent on factors such as grade and length of service. New Earnings Survey information for the period is, however, shown in the following table.

Average gross weekly earnings of nurses and midwives: full-time employees on adult rates
	Cash £	Revalued to real terms at 1996 prices using RPI £
1970	18.9	156.9
1971	21.3	161.5
1972	23.7	169.0
1973	24.8	162.1

asked Her Majesty's Government:What has been the qualified nurse:patient ratio in United Kingdom intensive care units for each year since 1970.

The number of qualified nurses working in intensive care can be identified from 1981 to 1994: however corresponding information about numbers of patients is not collected.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In view of the increases in the number of abortions in 1996 against 1995 of 8.6 per cent. for women resident in England and Wales and 15.2 per cent. in the age group 16 to 19 and 11.3 per cent. under 16, what action they propose to take to warn women considering having an abortion of the possible health consequences of doing so.

To assist them in making their decision on any medical treatment including abortion, patients are entitled to receive sufficient information, in a way that they understand, about the proposed treatments, the possible alternatives and any substantial risks. A pregnancy may only be terminated if two registered medical practitioners are of the opinion, formed in good faith, that an abortion is justified within the terms of the Abortion Act 1967 as amended.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish the criteria for withdrawing food and fluids from patients with severe brain damage drawn up in February 1996, which were relied on in the cases of Miss "D" and re H in the Family Division of the High Court this year; and whether these criteria should be revised in the light of evidence that such patients can experience thirst if the hypothalamus has not been damaged.

I assume the noble Lord refers to the criteria for withdrawing food and fluids drawn up by an international working party and published by the Royal Hospital for Neuro-Disability in February 1996. However, I understand that these were not referred to in the judgment in the case of Miss D. Whether the criteria should be revised is a matter for the Royal Hospital.The noble Lord may be aware that following a recommendation of the House of Lords Select Committee on Medical Ethics the Royal College of Physicians published guidelines in March 1996 entitled

asked Her Majesty's Government:What assessment they have made of the numbers of women who experience debilitation as a result of pre-menstrual tension; whether they have any information about the numbers of such women who supplement their diet with higher dose vitamin B6 supplements; and whether they have any evidence to suggest that in the last 10 years any such women have either died or otherwise suffered serious consequences from taking such supplements.

The Government have no information on either the numbers of women who experience debilitation as a result of pre-menstrual tension or the total number of women supplementing their diet with high dose vitamin B6 preparations. Figures for prescribed medicines may be obtained but the number of women using vitamin B6 products without a prescription in unknown.In the years 1987–96 the UK yellow card adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting scheme administered by the Medicines Control Agency has received a total of 42 reactions associated with products containing only vitamin B6. Of these, for five women the indication for vitamin B6 was pre-menstrual tension, none of whom received more than 100 mg. per day. With the exception of one case of congenital malformation, all recovered.Adverse reaction data from the UK's Yellow Card adverse drug reaction reporting scheme are provided voluntarily by doctors, dentists and pharmacists and indirectly by pharmaceutical companies. ADR reports relate to suspected adverse reactions associated with medicinal products. Officials have no information on the use of vitamin B6 as a food supplement. The inclusion of a reaction on the ADR database is not considered evidence that the medicine caused the reaction. Other factors such as the temporal relationship between medicine and reaction, any concomitant medication and the possibility of underlying disease should also be considered.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they consulted about the ban on higher dose vitamin B6 either Dr. Ian Munro or other scientists who participated in recent trials involving high dose supplementation of dogs; and, if so, whether those scientists supported or opposed the introduction of the ban.

Higher doses of vitamin B6 have not been banned. The MAFF independent Food Advisory Committee (FAC) recommended, on the basis of advice from the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT), that the level of vitamin B6 in dietary supplements sold under food law should be limited to 10 mg. per daily dose. In addition, on the basis of the COT's advice, the Medicines Control Agency's Committee on Safety of Medicines reviewed vitamin B6 medicinal products and recommended that those vitamin B6 preparations sold on the General Sales List (GSL, i.e. those freely available to the public) should be limited to 10 mg., while those above 10 mg. but below 50 mg. should be available under the supervision of a pharmacist. Those of 50 mg. and above should be available under the supervision of a doctor (prescription only medicines).

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which scientific papers were taken into account by the Committee on Toxicity and the Food Advisory Committee in making their recommendations relating to vitamin B6 supplementation, and which of those papers have conclusions which have not been challenged elsewhere in the scientific literature.

The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) has considered the toxicity of vitamin B6 on two occasions. A list of the scientific papers published in national and international journals which it considered on the first occasion has already been placed in the Library and a further list of the scientific papers considered on the second occasion has now been lodged in the Library. The COT considered the totality of the literature on vitamin B6 toxicity, in excess of over 100 papers, and its conclusions were passed to the Food Advisory Committee. Although the COT was aware of specific instances where conclusions of scientific papers have been challenged, it is not possible to give a list of all such papers.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many psychiatric hospitals and psychiatric wings of hospitals in England and Wales are currently disused and empty (and not the subject of contracts for sale).

Data are only held centrally on those "water tower" hospitals which had more than 100 beds which are open. We do not collect centrally information on which psychiatric hospitals and psychiatric wings of hospitals are currently disused and empty.