Written Answers

Tuesday, 14th October 1997.

Welsh Assembly

asked Her Majesty's Government:What evidence they have that the "Say no to a Welsh Assembly" campaign is a Conservative "front organisation".

The right honourable Member for Devizes has been reported as having instructed Conservative Party members not to run a Conservative Party campaign but to work through the "Say NO to Wales" campaign.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What public expenditure is being incurred in promoting the campaign in support of Welsh devolution.

No public expenditure is being incurred.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in the interests of democratic balance, public money is being made available to the "Say No to a Welsh Assembly" campaign; and, if so, how much.

As no public money is being made available to any campaign organisation in respect of the Welsh Assembly it would not be in the interests of democratic balance to pay money to any "Say No to a Welsh Assembly" organisation should one be established.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many Welsh quangos will remain after a Welsh Assembly has been established.

There are 87 public bodies in Wales at the moment, made up of 45 executive and advisory non-departmental public bodies, 36 NHS bodies and six Training and Enterprise Councils. The Government would take action by the time the Assembly is established to abolish nine of these bodies (five executive NDPBs, two special health authorities and two TECs) and an as yet undecided number of NHS trusts. The Assembly would be able to abolish most of the bodies that remain if it so wished: that would be a matter for it to decide. It is thus not possible to give an exact answer to the noble Lord's Question.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How they envisage the business community will gain "easier access to key decision makers" in the Welsh Assembly, as promised in paragraph 2.20 of the White Paper,

A Voice for Wales; and how this access can be insulated from the activities of professional lobbyists.

The Assembly's standing orders will be published. It will therefore be clear who is responsible for taking particular decisions, including those relating to matters of interest to the business community. In addition, the 60 members of the assembly will be based in Wales, whereas Welsh Office Ministers spend most of their time in London when Parliament is sitting. It will be for the Assembly, by means of its standing orders, to decide how it should regulate contacts between its members and professional lobbyists.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will ensure that there will be no victimisation or discrimination against any member of a public body in Wales who does not endorse the statement of support for a Welsh Assembly included in a letter of 2 July issued by the "Yes for Wales" campaign and intended to constitute a "list of Quango Members for an Assembly".

The Government believe that members of public bodies should be appointed and serve on the basis of individual merit.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they consider that the four signatories of the letter from "Yes for Wales" of 2 July, addressed to other members of public bodies in Wales giving their public positions beside their signatures, are behaving in a manner compatible with the guidance from the Welsh Office of 21 July to Chief Executives on the involvement of staff and non-executive members or directors in the referendum campaign.

The letter of 21 July to Chief Executives from the Welsh Office made clear that non-executive members or directors of NHS bodies are free to engage in political activities provided that they express their views in a personal capacity. The letter of 2 July was sent out before the guidance to the NHS became available. But, as the letter makes no claim that its authors are writing on behalf of the bodies of which they are members, it would not in any event seem to be inconsistent with the guidance issued.

"Paedophile": Definition

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the legal definition of the term "paedophile", and which Acts define offences committed by paedophiles.

There is no legal definition of the term "paedophile". The Oxford English Dictionary offers the following definition: "a person with paedophilia, i.e. an abnormal especially sexual love of children". The main sexual offences against children are listed below:(i) offences under the following provisions of the Sexual Offences Act 1956:

(a) Section 1 (rape)

(b) Section 5 (intercourse with a girl under 13)

(c) Section 6 (intercourse with a girl between 13 and 16)

(d) Section 10 (incest by a man)

(e) Section 12 (buggery)

(f) Section 13 (indecency between men)

(g) Section 14 (indecent assault on a woman)

(h) Section 15 (indecent assault on a man)

(i) Section 16 (assault with intent to commit buggery)

(j) Section 28 (causing or encouraging prostitution of, intercourse with, or indecent assault on, a girl under 16)

(ii) an offence under Section 1(1) of the Indecency with Children Act 1960 (indecent conduct towards young child)

(iii) an offence under Section 54 of the Criminal Law Act 1977 (inciting a girl under 16 to have incestuous sexual intercourse)

(iv) an offence under Section 1 of the Protection of Children Act 1978 (indecent photographs of children)

(v) an offence under Section 170 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 (penalty for fraudulent evasion of duty etc) in relation to goods prohibited to be imported under Section 42 of the Customs Consolidation Act 1876 (prohibitions and restrictions); and

(vi) an offence under Section 160 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (possession of indecent photographs of children).

Prison Educational Provision

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the number of education hours provided at Holloway, Highpoint, Albany and Wandsworth prisons in 1995–96 and 1996–97; and what is the planned number in 1997–98.

Hours of education (defined as daytime education, vocational training courses, construction industry training courses and evening education) at these establishments were:

Holloway
1995–96 (actual): 90,200 hours
1996–97 (actual): 87,500 hours
1997–98 (planned): 130,000 hours
Highpoint
1995–96 (actual): 194,600 hours
1996–97 (actual): 97,000 hours
1997–98 (planned): 313,000 hours
Albany
1995–96 (actual): 100,600 hours
1996–97 (actual): 56,400 hours
1997–98 (planned): 57,000 hours
Wandsworth
1995–96 (actual): 118,500 hours
1996–97 (actual): 57,400 hours
1997–98 (planned): 38,176 hours

The reduction in the hours of education at Albany reflects a redirection of the prison's focus towards more industrial activities.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What percentage of prisons and young offenders' institutions reduced their educational provision in 1996–97, and what percentage plan to do so in 1997–98.

The time inmates spent in education (defined as daytime education, vocational training courses, construction industry training courses and evening education) fell between 1995–96 and 1996–97 in 71 per cent. of prison establishments. Plans for educational provision made by individual establishments are not collated centrally, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the average weekly number of hours spent in education per prisoner in June and December in 1995, 1996 and 1997.

The information requested about the average weekly number of hours spent in education per prisoner is detailed below:

June 1995: 1.8 hours per prisoner
December 1995: 1.4 hours per prisoner
June 1996: 1.6 hours per prisoner
December 1996: 1.3 hours per prisoner
1997–98 to end June (provisional figure): 1.5 hours per prisoner.

Firearms Dealers: Expanding Ammunition

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is necessary for a registered firearms dealer to have an authorisation under Section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 in order to deal in soft-nosed rifle ammunition used for the humane killing of animals.

No. Registered firearms dealers are exempt form the need to have authority where they possess, purchase, acquire, sell or transfer expanding ammunition in the ordinary course of their business. Section 5A(7) of the Firearms Act 1968 (as amended by Section 10 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997) refers.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is necessary to have an authorisation under Section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 in order legally to transport or carry soft-nosed rifle ammunition used for the humane killing of animals from (a) a manufacturer to a dealer; or (b) from a dealer to a legally authorised user.

Under Section 3 of the Firearms Act 1968 a person who manufactures, sells or transfers any ammunition by way of trade or business must be registered as a firearms dealer. Dealers are exempt from the need to have Section 5 authority in respect of expanding ammunition which they possess, purchase, acquire, sell or transfer in the ordinary course of their business. In these circumstances, transfers from manufacturer to dealer and from dealer to authorised user can take place without authority provided they are undertaken in person by the transferor or his servants.

Expanding Ammunition: Transfer Authorisation

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is necessary to have an authorisation under Section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 in order legally to transport or carry soft-nosed or expanding rifle ammunition to be used for compliance with the various Deer Acts and for the humane killing of animals in respect of the following transfers: (a) manufacturer to dealer; (b) importer to dealer; (c) dealer to carrier; (d) carrier to user; and (e) dealer to a legally authorised user.

A person who manufactures, sells or transfers any ammunition by way of trade or business must be registered as a firearms dealer by virtue of section 3 of the Firearms Act 1968. Under Section 5A(7) of that Act as amended dealers can possess, purchase, acquire, sell or transfer any expanding ammunition without the authority of the Secretary of State provided that they do so in the ordinary course of their business.

In these circumstances, any of the transfers under (a), (b), and (d) above can take place without authority provided they are undertaken in person by the transferor or his servants. Transfers from carrier to user as at (d) will require the necessary authority under Section 5.

Gambling Prizes

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is (a) the maximum prize that can be won from an all-cash amusement-with-prize machine within a betting shop from a single stake; and (b) the maximum prize that has ever been paid out by the Tote to a customer from a single bet.

The maximum prize that may be won from an amusement-with-prize machine in a betting shop from a single stake (currently 25p) is £10.I am informed by the Tote that the largest payout to a customer from a single pool bet (in this case, a stake of £5) was £242,000. This was as a result of an entry in the 1995–96 "Ten to Follow" National Hunt Competition.The biggest ever Tote jackpot dividend was £357,000, but this was only part won. A punter won £35,000 for a lop stake.The largest pool was over £2 million in March 1995 but this was shared among several winners. In October 1993, £123,000 was paid to a customer from a jackpot pool bet.

Gaming: Liberalisation

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they plan to introduce steps to liberalise the gaming sector further.

This is a matter to which we are giving careful consideration. We will make our views known in due course.

Prison Staff/Prisoner Ratio

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the ratio of prison staff to prisoners in each year from 1993 to 1997.

The information requested is listed below:

Year	Staff:Prisoner ratio
1993	1: 1.17
1994	1: 1.24
1995	1: 1.26
1996	1: 1.33
1997¹	1: 1.50
¹ Figures as at 30 June 1997.

Prison Service Staff: Early Retirement

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many prison staff members have accepted offers of early retirement or severance under the Voluntary Early Retirement and Severance Scheme.

One thousand, one hundred and thirty-four members of staff accepted offers of early retirement or severance under the Prison Service Voluntary Early Retirement and Severance Scheme (VERSE).

Carbines Of Pistol Calibres: Certification

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many certificates in each constabulary in Great Britain in each of the last three months are or have been awaiting grant, renewal or variation for carbines of pistol calibres; and how many such applications in each such month have been refused or subsequently withdrawn by the applicant.

The annual statistical bulletin which gives details about the issue of firearms and shotgun certificates is based upon an annual aggregate return from individual police forces. The most recent figures, for 1996, were published on 31 July 1997. The information does not, however, contain specific information about carbines of pistol calibres; there is no clear legal or technical definition of these calibres.

Prisoners: Time Out Of Cells

asked Her Majesty's Government:What proportion of prisoners were out of their cells for

(a) more than 10 hours per day and (b) more than 12 hours per day in 1995–96 and 1996–97.

The Prison Service monitors the time that is available for prisoners to spend out of their cell, based on normal prison routine, rather than the actual time that prisoners spend out of their cell.In 1995–96, on average 70 per cent. of prisoners were held in prisons where the average time available for prisoners to spend out of their cell was more than 10 hours. In 1996–97 the equivalent figure was 63 per cent.In 1996–97, on average 28 per cent. of prisoners were held in prisons where the average time available for prisoners to spend out of their cell was more than 12 hours. In 1996–97 the equivalent figure was 24 per cent.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the average daily time spent out of cells by prisoners in 1995–96, 1996–97 and in each month since April 1997.

The Prison Service monitors the time that is available for prisoners to spend out of their cell, based on normal prison routines, rather than the actual time that prisoners spend out of their cell.The average time available for prisoners to spend out of their cell for 1995–96, 1996–97 and each month since April 1997 was:

1995–96: 11.4 hours
1996–97: 11.2 hours
April 1997: 11.0 hours
May 1997: 11.1 hours
June 1997: 11.0 hours

The data for the current financial year are subject to final validation.

Prisoners: Constructive Activity

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the average weekly number of hours spent in constructive activity by (a) all prisoners, (b) remand prisoners and (c) sentenced prisoners in 1995–96, 1996–97 and in each month since April 1997, nationally and in each London prison.

The Prison Service is only able to provide constructive activity data relating to all prisoners, because prisons are not required to monitor constructive activity for sentenced and remand prisoners separately.The average weekly number of hours spent in constructive activity nationally, in 1995–96, 1996–97 and each month since April 1997, is set out in the table below:

Average weekly number of hours spent in constructive activity	National performance
1995–96	25.2
1996–97	23.8
April 1997	24.4
May 1997	23.0
June 1997	24.0

The average weekly number of hours spent in constructive activity in each London prison is set out in the table below:

Average weekly number of hours spent in constructive activity	1995–96	1996–97	April 1997	May 1997	June 1997
Brixton	7.9	16.0	15.8	15.7	16.7
Feltham	23.6	20.0	19.5	19.2	19.5
Holloway	17.8	17.6	11.7	12.1	^*
Latchmere House	61.6	72.1	71.9	69.4	72.8
Pentonville	14.3	17.8	19.7	19.7	20.7
Wandsworth	23.3	23.5	23.3	22.5	23.5
Wormwood Scrubs	19.0	14.4	^*	^*	^*
^* Data not currently available.
Data for the current financial year are subject to final validation.

Prisoners: Health Care

asked Her Majesty's Government:What consideration they are giving to making the National Health Service available to all people held in prison.

Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons, Sir David Ramsbotham, has set out his views about the organisation of prisoners' health care in the discussion paper Patient or Prisoner. This recommends transferring responsibility for health care to the National Health Service. Officials are currently exploring ways, with the National Health Service, the Department of Health and other interested parties, of improving the quality of health care in prison and how to make its delivery more effective and efficient.

Ministers' Official Residences

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which Ministers are currently occupying houses, flats or apartments owned by or leased to the Government, and what notional rent has been assessed by each of these.

The following Ministers are currently occupying properties owned or leased by the Government:

Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary
President of the Board of Trade
Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Defence
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Paul Murphy Esq MP
Adam Ingram Esq MP
Tony Worthington Esq MP
Lord Dubs

Ministers are not charged rent but are liable to tax on the value of services provided up to a limit of 10 per cent. of their ministerial salary.

People's Panels

asked Her Majesty's Government:From what source their proposed people's panels will be funded and what will be their estimated annual budget.

We are currently looking at ways of consulting and involving citizens more in decisions about the delivery of public services. Ideas are at an early stage and I am therefore unable to give estimated costs; but costs to the Cabinet Office would be met from within existing budgets.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What impact they anticipate that their proposed people's panels will have upon the framing and determination of government policy.

We are considering ways of consulting and involving citizens more in decisions about the delivery of public services. We will use the results of consultation and research to shed light on areas that need improvement.

Broadcasting: Consultation On Events

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many bodies and organisations responsible for promoting and staging non-sporting events they are consulting formally as part of their consultation on events under Part IV of the Broadcasting Act 1996.

As part of his review of listing under Section IV of the Broadcasting Act 1996, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State is consulting interested parties about the criteria which might guide the listing process. At this stage the review is concerned with the listing of major sporting occasions, and we have not sought the views of those specifically responsible for non-sporting events. Sports events are the focus of public attention in this context and it is in respect of them that the most pressing issues arise.

National Lottery And 49S Game

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether National Lottery sales have been affected by the introduction of the 49s game in some betting shops.

The 49s game was launched by the bookmaking industry in December 1996. The Government have conducted no research on the impact of the 49s game on National Lottery sales.

National Lottery: Rollover Draws

asked Her Majesty's Government:How, in percentage terms, the last six National Lottery rollover draws have affected sales of lottery tickets.

This is an operational matter for Camelot Group plc. I have, therefore, asked the Director General of the National Lottery to write to the noble Lord and copies of his response will be placed in the Library of the House.

Disability Living Allowance And Attendance Allowance: Taxation Effect

asked Her Majesty's Government:What would be the revenue effects of taxing disability living allowance and attendance allowance (a) at the lower rate of income tax; (b) at the standard rate of income tax; and (c) at the higher rate of income tax.

Information for 1997–98 is given in the following table.

Maximum tax charge on benefit	Yield in a full year from taxing benefit £m
Disability Living Allowance:
(a) lower rate (20 per cent.)	275
(b) basic rate (23 per cent.)	300
(c) higher rate (40 per cent.)	¹300
Attendance Allowance:
(a) lower rate (20 per cent.)	230
(b) basic rate (23 per cent.)	240
(c) higher rate (40 per cent.)	¹240
⁽¹⁾The yield for each benefit from a maximum tax charge of 23 per cent, is approximately the same as from a maximum tax charge of 40 per cent. Although it is possible for an individual receiving benefit to be liable at the higher rate, detailed information on such individuals is not available.

Vat Reduction On Domestic Fuel: Effect On Benefits

asked Her Majesty's Government:To what extent they will recoup the loss of revenue consequent upon the reduction in VAT on domestic fuels by its effect on the RPI and thereby upon index-linked benefits.

The reduction of VAT on fuel and power for domestic users from 8 per cent. to 5 per cent., will cost around £500 million per annum in lost revenue. The lower RPI that results means that in cash terms total benefit spending will rise roughly £100 million less in 1998–99 than it would have done. But benefits are uprated to reflect the changes in prices paid for goods and services, so the real value of benefits is not affected.

Task Forces

asked Her Majesty's Government:(a) how many task forces they have established in the period from 1 May 1997 to 29 July 1997; (b) what is the remit of each; (c) what is the membership of each; (d) how each is to be funded; (e) to whom or to which government department each is to report, and (f) to whom or to which government department each is accountable.

As at 29 July, we had announced the following task forces:

Task Force on Youth Justice
MEMBERSHIP
Mr. Norman Warner, Senior Policy Adviser, Home Office (Chair)
Mr. William Atkinson, Headmaster, Phoenix High School, Shepherds Bush
Mr. Jonathan Black, Magistrates' Clerk, Hampshire
Ms Cathryn Bowker, Youth Court, Prosecutor, Brighton
Mr. Tony Butler, Chief Constable, Gloucestershire
Mr. Paul Cavadino, Penal Affairs Consortium
Ms Anne Fuller, Lay magistrate, Outer London
Mr. Cedric Fullwood, Chief Probation Officer, Manchester
Mr. Ian Johnston, Assistant Commissioner, Metropolitan Police
Mr. David Norgrove, Marks and Spencer plc
Ms Denise Platt, Local Government Association
Ms Teresa Reynolds, Victim Support
Ms Joan Webster, Chief Superintendent, Gwent
Mr. Geoffrey Wicks, Stipendiary magistrate, Inner London
Mr. Andrew Williamson, Director of Social Services, Devon
Mr. John Lyon, Home Office
Mr. Tom Luce, Department of Health
Ms Jenny Rowe, Lord Chancellor's Department

The remit of the task force is to advise Home Office Ministers on government proposals for the development of youth justice policies and, in particular, to provide advice on taking forward an action plan as agreed by the interdepartmental ministerial group on youth justice.Costs will be met from planned departmental running costs. The task force reports and is accountable to Home Office Ministers.

The President of the Board of Trade's Competitiveness Advisory Group
MEMBERSHIP
The right honourable Margaret Beckett MP, President of the Board of Trade (Chair)
Sir Jeremy Beecham, Chairman, Local Government Association
Mr. C K Chow, Chief Executive, GKN plc
Sir Terence Conran, Chairman, Conran Holdings Ltd
Mr. John Edmonds, General Secretary, GMB
Dr. Chris Evans, Director, Merlin Scientific Services Ltd
Sir Richard Evans, Chief Executive, British Aerospace plc
Mr. Ian Gibson, Managing Director & Chief Executive, Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd.

Mr. Anthony Greener, Chairman, Guinness plc
Ms Jan Hall, European Chief Executive, The GGT Group plc
Mr. Terry Leahy, Chief Executive, Tesco plc
Ms Judy Lever, Director, Blooming Marvellous Ltd
Dr. Tony Marchington; Chief Executive, Oxford Molecular Group plc
Mr. John Monks, General Secretary, Trades Union Congress
Ms Rosemary Radcliffe, Head of Economics, Coopers & Lybrand
Mr. Bryan Sanderson, Managing Director, BP plc
Mr. Cob Stenham, Chairman, Arjo Wiggins Appleton plc
Sir Richard Sykes, Chairman and Chief Executive, Glaxo Wellcome plc
Mr. Adair Turner, Director General, Confederation of British Industry
Mr. Perween Warsi, Managing Director, S&A Foods Ltd.

The group's remit is to advise the President of the Board of Trade on the needs of business at home and abroad so that they may be taken into account by Government when developing and implementing policies to improve UK competitiveness.

The members of the advisory group receive no payment. The group reports to and is accountable to the President of the Board of Trade.

Interdepartmental Task Force on Competitiveness in Europe
MEMBERSHIP
Lord Simon of Highbury, Minister for Trade and Competitiveness in Europe (Chair)
Ministerial and official representatives of:
Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
HM Treasury
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Home Office
Department for Education and Employment
Department of Trade and Industry
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Scottish Office
Ministry of Defence
Department of Social Security

The remit of the task force is to advise on the implementation of the Government's manifesto objectives to complete the single market and promote flexible labour markets across the EU.

Costs will be met from planned departmental running costs. The task force will report to Cabinet Ministers and is accountable to DTI Ministers.

Low Pay Commission
MEMBERSHIP
Professor George Bain, Principal, London Business School (Chair)
Mr. David Metcalf, Professor of Economics, London School of Economics
Ms Stephanie Monk, Director of Human Resources, Granada Group
Mr. Paul Gates, General Secretary, Knitwear, Footwear and Apparel Trades Union
Mr. John Cridland, Director of Human Resources Policy, Confederation of British Industry
Ms Rita Donaghy, National Executive Council, UNISON
Mr. Lawrence Dewar, Chief Executive, Scottish Grocers' Federation
Mr. Bill Callaghan, Head, TUC Economic and Social Affairs Department
Mr. William Brown, Professor of Industrial Relations, University of Cambridge

The commission's remit is to recommend to the Government the initial rate at which the minimum wage might be introduced and other matters referred to it by Ministers.

Costs will be met from planned departmental running costs. The commission will make its recommendations to the Prime Minister with the DTI acting as its sponsoring department.

Export Forum
MEMBERSHIP
Mr. Tom Harris, Department of Trade and Industry (Chair)
Sir Andrew Burns, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Alternative Chair)
Mr. Peter Godwin, British Overseas Trade Board
Mr. Robert Beresford, Overseas Project Board
Mr. Ken Jackson, Trades Union Congress
Mr. Tony Bastock, Chemical Industries Association
Ms Glenys Goucher, Business Link, North Derbyshire
Mr. Ron Taylor, British Chambers of Commerce
Mr. Ian Campbell, Institute of Export
Mr. Emmanuel Cotter, North London Business Development Agency
Mr. Richard Brown, Aston Fittings Manufacturing Ltd
Ms Dorothy MacKenzie, Dragon International Consulting
Mr. Garry Campkin, Confederation of British Industry
Mr. Ted Dilley, Cable and Wireless
Mr. Hector Munro, British Council
Mr. Roy Leighton, British Invisibles
Mr. Victor Lunn-Rockcliffe, Export Credits Guarantee Department

Mr. David Orchard, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Mr. Richard Wood, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Mr. Mark Conaty, HM Treasury
Mr. Martin Briggs, Government Office for the East Midlands
Mr. David Fawcett, Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The forum's remit is to carry out a full assessment of how well the UK's export programmes work, by looking at the strengths and weaknesses of official support for trade fairs, trade missions, identifying leads, export market research, UK firms bidding for overseas projects, and other export promotion activities; and examining the current arrangements for interdepartmental consultation, the current arrangements for consultation with business, the interface between the overseas trade services and business links, the present system for establishing market and sectoral priorities, and the marketing and branding of official export promotional services.

Costs will be met from planned departmental running costs. The forum will report and is accountable to DTI and FCO Ministers.

EU Presidency Task Force
MEMBERSHIP
The right honourable Robin Cook MP, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Chair)
Ministers of State from other government departments, with the flexibility to invite others with an interest in presidency business.

The remit of the task force is to ensure a co-ordinated and coherent policy approach to the UK's presidency of the European Union (1 January to 30 June 1998); to maintain the right balance between the achievement of UK national objectives and chairing the EU's business in an efficient and impartial way; to set a presentational strategy for the presidency; and to respond rapidly to the unexpected during the presidency.

No extra costs are involved. The task force reports and is accountable to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

New Deal Task Force
MEMBERSHIP
Sir Peter Davis, Group Chief Executive, Prudential
Mr. Shami Ahmed, Joe Bloggs Jeans Ltd.
Mr. Christopher Haskins, Chairman, Northern Foods plc
Mr. Ian McAllister, Chairman, Ford UK
Ms Stephanie Monk, Group Human Resources Director, Granada Group plc
Mr. John Roberts CBE, Chief Executive, The Post Office and member of TEC Assessors Committee
Mr. Michael Wemms, Managing Director, Operations, Tesco plc
Mr. Rodney Bickerstaffe, General Secretary, Unison

Sir John Harman, Leader, Kirklees Metropolitan Council
Ms Jenny Shackleton, Principal, Wirral Metropolitan College
Ms Helen Edwards, Chief Executive, NACRO
Mr. Tom Shebbeare, Director, Prince's Trust
Dr. Alison Millward, Chair, Groundwork Black Country
Mr. Victor Adebowale, Chief Executive, Centrepoint
Mr. Bill Morris, General Secretary, Transport and General Workers' Union

The remit of the task force is to give advice to the Cabinet committee on welfare to work, chaired by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on the key issues of programme policy and design; to market the new deal, particularly to the business and voluntary sectors and to stimulate action and commitment in their sectors; to receive regular reports on, and advise on, progress implementation of the new deal, to flag up emerging issues and to advise on their resolution.

Costs will be met from planned departmental running costs. The task force reports through and is accountable to DfEE Ministers.

Scottish Advisory Task Force on the New Deal
MEMBERSHIP
Mr. Ian Robinson, Chief Executive, Scottish Power (Chair)
Mr. Jim Stretton, Chief Executive, Standard Life
Mr. Fred Goodwin, Chief Executive, Clydesdale Bank plc
Mr. Bill Neish, Manager, Marks and Spencer, Argyle Street
Mr. Hugh Henry, Leader, Renfrewshire District Council
Mr. Keith Geddes, Leader, City of Edinburgh Council
Mr. Michael Leech, Principal, Stevenson College
Mr. Alan Sinclair, Chief Executive, The Wise Group
Mr. Raymond Young OBE, Director, Forward Scotland
Mr. Martin Sime, Chief Executive, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations
Mr. John Rafferty, Director, National Lottery Charities Board (Scotland)
Ms Anne Clark, Executive Director, Highland Community Care Forum
Ms Carmen McAteer, Regional Officer, Manufacturing Science and Finance Union
Mrs. Avril Ross Dewar, Chief Executive, Ross Campbell Consultants
Mr. John Gallacher, Managing Director, Cruden Estates Ltd.
Mr. Archie Bethel, Managing Director, Motherwell Bridge Holdings Ltd.

The remit of the task force is to give advice to the Secretary of State for Scotland on the key issues of programme policy and design of the new deal in Scotland; to promote the new deal in Scotland, particularly to the business and voluntary sectors, and to stimulate action and commitment in their progress on the implementation of the new deal, to flag up emerging issues and to advise on their resolution.

Costs will be met by the employment service. The task force reports and is accountable to the Secretary of State for Scotland.

Welfare to Work Task Force for Wales
MEMBERSHIP
Mr. Graham Hawker, Group Chief Executive, Hyder Plc (Chair)
Mr. Graham Benfield, Director, Wales Council for Voluntary Action
Ms Sheila Drury, Chief Executive, Kemitron Ltd.
Dr. Haydn Edwards, Principal, Coleg Menai, Bangor
Ms Margaret Evans, Director, Prince's Trust Volunteers, Cardiff
Mr. Gareth George, Wales Director, Barclays Cymru/Wales
Ms Jane Hutt, Director, Chwarae Teg
Mr. David Jenkins, General Secretary, Wales TUC
Mr. Roger Jones, Managing Director, Penn Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Mr. Paul Loveluck, Chief Executive, Countryside Council for Wales
Mr. John Newton-Jones, Chief Executive, Farmworld
Ms Anne Poole, Director, NIACE Cymru
Mr. Adam Price, Executive Manager, Menter a Busnes
Ms Sue Price, Executive Director, Groundwork
Mr. Huw Vaughan Thomas, Chief Executive, Denbighshire County Council
Rev. Kevin Watson, Representative of CYTUN (Churches in Wales Together)
Ms Wendy Yates, Director of Personnel, City and County of Swansea

The remit of the task force is to help promote the welfare to work programme to business and other organisations in Wales and to monitor progress. It will also advise the Secretary of State for Wales on how the programme can be tailored to Wales' needs.

Costs will be met by the employment service. The task force will report and be accountable to the Secretary of State for Wales.

National Schools Standards Task Force
MEMBERSHIP
The right honourable David Blunkett MP, Secretary of State for Education and Employment (Chair)
Mr. Stephen Byers, School Standards Minister, Education and Employment (Deputy Chair)

Prof. Tim Brighouse, Chief Education Officer, Birmingham (Vice Chair)
Mr. Chris Woodhead, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, OFSTED (Vice Chair)
Prof. Michael Barber, Standards and Effectiveness Unit, Department for Education and Employment (Secretary)
Sir David Puttnam CBE, Chair, Enigma Productions
Mr. John Baker, Chair, National Power
Ms Anthea Millet, Chief Executive, Teacher Training Agency
Dr. Nick Tate, Chief Executive Designate, Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
Mr. William Atkinson, Head, Phoenix High School, Shepherds Bush
Ms Carole Evans, Head, Priory School, Slough
Ms Sue Pearson, Head, Lache County Infant School, Chester
Ms Janet Warwick, Head, Rhyn Park School, Oswestry
Dr. David Winkley, Head, Grove Primary School, Birmingham
Ms Carol Adams, Chief Education Officer, Shropshire
Mr. David Bell, Chief Education Officer, Newcastle upon Tyne
Ms Chrissie Garrett, Assistant Principal, Banbury School, Banbury
Prof. David Hargreaves, School of Education, University of Cambridge
Prof. Stephen Heppell, Ultra-Lab, Anglia Polytechnic University, Chelmsford
Ms Jill Kieran, Deputy Head, Whiteheath Infant School, Ruislip
Prof. Simon Lee, Liverpool Hope University College, Liverpool
Ms Janet Major, Teacher, Bungay High School, Bungay
Dr. Heidi Safia Mirza, South Bank University, London
Prof. John McBeath, Strathclyde University
Mr. Peter Owen, Schools Directorate, Department for Education and Employment

The remit of the task force is to unite the various educational interests in the new drive to raise standards in schools; be advocates for the spread of good practice to achieve higher standards; advise the Secretary of State for Education on the development and implementation of policies to improve school standards; keep the Secretary of State abreast of best practice nationally and internationally; and work with national agencies and others to achieve the national targets for literacy and numeracy.

Costs will be met from planned departmental running costs. The task force reports through and is accountable to DfEE Ministers.

Numeracy Task Force
MEMBERSHIP
Prof. David Reynolds, Professor of Education, University of Newcastle (Chair)
Mr. Martin Armstrong, Deputy Headteacher, Marlwood School, South Gloucestershire
Prof. Margaret Brown, Professor of Mathematics Education, King's College, London
Prof. David Burghes, Professor of Education, Centre of Innovation in Mathematics Training, University of Exeter
Ms Margaret Dawes, KPMG
Mrs. Patricia Petch, Chair, National Governors Council
Ms Carol Robinson, Headteacher, William Ford Primary School, Barking and Dagenham
Prof. Christopher Robson, Professor of Pure Mathematics, University of Leeds
Mrs. Anita Straker, Director, National Numeracy Project
Mrs. Ann Waterhouse, Headteacher, Asmall County Primary School, Lancashire

The remit of the task force is to review the existing international and national evidence about achievement in mathematics, teacher effectiveness in mathematics and school effectiveness in mathematics; to investigate the educational and social factors which are determinants of that performance; propose appropriate policies for all parts of the education service to tackle under-achievement including classroom teaching, whole school practice, teacher training and development and action by local and national government and its partners.

Costs will be met by business sponsorship and from planned departmental running costs. The task force reports through and is accountable to DfEE Ministers.

NHS Efficiency Task Force
MEMBERSHIP
Mr. David Fillingham, Chief Executive, North Staffordshire Hospital NHS Trust
Mr. John Flook, Executive Director of Finance, County Durham Health Authority
Mr. Peter Homa, Chief Executive, Leicester Royal Infirmary NHS Trust
Mr. Philip Hunt, Chief Executive, NHS Confederation
Mr. Lionel Joyce, Chief Executive, Newcastle City Health NHS Trust
Mr. Peter D. Lees, Senior Lecturer and Director of R&D, Southampton General Hospital
Mr. Mike Marchment, Chief Executive, Warwickshire Health Authority
Dr. Ian Rutter, Westcliffe Surgery, Shipley
Ms Christina Edwards, Director of Nursing and Quality, Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust

The task force is working with the Minister of State for Health to explore more efficient and effective ways of delivering high quality patient care. It has no formal terms of reference but is being used to generate ideas, particularly about areas which are likely to produce benefits over the next couple of years. The task force will not produce a formal report: members have been asked to prepare papers on a number of topics which will be taken forward by Ministers and officials through the normal channels.

Costs will be met from planned departmental running costs. The task force reports to the Minister of State for Health.

Football Task Force
MEMBERSHIP
The right honourable David Mellor QC (Chair)
Representatives of:
The Football Trust
The Football Association
The FA Premier League
Professional Footballers Association
Commission for Racial Equality
Local Government Association
University of Liverpool, Football Research Unit
English Sports Council
Football Supporters Association
National Federation of Football
Supporters Clubs
National Association of Disabled Football Supporters
League Managers Association
Association of Premier and Football League Referees and Linesmen

The remit of the task force is to investigate and recommend new measures to deal with the public's concerns on issues such as racism, ticket prices, access for the disabled and the increasing commercialism in football.

The Football Trust will provide the secretariat to the task force. The task force reports and is accountable to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Creative Industries Task Force
MEMBERSHIP
The right honourable Chris Smith MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Chair)
Mr. Peter Mandelson MP, Minister without Portfolio
Ministerial representatives of:
Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
HM Treasury
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Department for Education and Employment
Department of Trade and Industry
Scottish Office
Northern Ireland Office

Welsh Office
Representatives of:
The British Council
No. 10 Policy Unit
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Industry advisers:
Lord Puttnam
Mr. Richard Branson
Mr. Alan McGee
Mr. Paul Smith
Ms Gail Rebuck
Mr. Eric Salama
Ms Janice Hughes
Mr. Waheed Alli

The remit of the task force is to maximise the economic and employment potential of the creative industries.

Costs will be met from planned departmental running costs. The task force reports and is accountable to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Ministerial Task Group on the home-buying process
MEMBERSHIP
Mr. Geoff Hoon MP, Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (Chair)
Ms Hilary Armstrong MP, Housing Minister, Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions
Mr. Nigel Griffiths MP, Minister for Competition and Consumer Affairs, Department of Trade and Industry
Departmental officials

The Group will direct parallel cross-departmental efforts to identify the problems in the home-buying process and to develop detailed proposals for solutions in the interests of everybody involved. Costs will be met from planned departmental running costs.

Better Regulation Task Force
MEMBERSHIP
Mr. Christopher Haskins, Northern Foods plc (Chair)
Ms Teresa Graham, Baker Tilly (Deputy Chair)
Other members will be announced in due course.

The remit of the task force is to advise the Government on action which improves the effectiveness and credibility of government regulation by ensuring that it is necessary, fair and affordable, and simple to understand and administer, taking account of the needs of small business and ordinary people.

Costs will be met from planned departmental running costs. The task force will report to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Task Force on Tax and Benefits
MEMBERSHIP
Mr. Martin Taylor, Chief Executive, Barclays plc (Chair)
Official representatives of:
HM Treasury
Department for Education and Employment
Department of Social Security
Inland Revenue

The remit of the task force is to examine the interaction of the tax and benefits systems so that they can be streamlined and modernised to fulfil the objectives of promoting work incentives, reducing poverty and welfare dependency, and strengthening community and family life.

Costs will be met from within existing running costs of the departments concerned. The task force will report to the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Private Finance Task Force
MEMBERSHIP
Projects arm
Mr. Adrian Montague (Chief Executive of Projects)
Up to eight members representing the private sector will be announced in due course.
Policy arm
Mr. Peter Wanless (Head of the Treasury Private Finance Unit)
Mr. Ben Prynn, Price Waterhouse
Mr. Tony Whitehead, Coopers & Lybrand
Official representatives of HM Treasury

The remit of the task force, which comprises a projects and a policy arm, is to advance the private finance initiative and public/private partnerships across government. The projects arm, which is structured as a limited company under Treasury guarantee, will assess and support departments' efforts in securing good quality new transactions in the PFI field and help to deliver significant existing projects. It is envisaged that the company will have a limited life of two years, by which time expertise should be sufficiently well spread across the public sector. The policy team provides key policy advice to Ministers on the private finance initiative and public/private partnerships, and has lead responsibility for developing rules and promoting best practice in these areas.

Costs will be met from planned departmental costs. The task force reports and is accountable to the Paymaster General.

Government Policy: Announcements

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they propose to take to ensure that their policies are reported first to Parliament rather than being widely disseminated in the media.

The Prime Minister has recently issued the Ministerial Code to his colleagues. Chapter 3, which gives guidance on Ministers and Parliament, begins by drawing attention to the desire of Parliament that the most important announcements of government policy should be made, in the first instance, in Parliament. Copies of the Ministerial Code are in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.

Security Memory Chip

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to specify Security Memory as a standard purchase in its procurement of computer hardware.

The Security Memory chip is one of a number of security systems currently on the market. It offers no particular advantage over other marking systems that aim to deter rather than prevent theft. Such systems are only of value when stolen property is recovered and rely on the accuracy of the registration and management of the serial numbered items. Security systems are selected according to the particular needs of a department or organisation. Government would not wish to promote specific proprietary branded products but might identify particular strengths or weaknesses in generic security techniques.

Public Bodies: Appointments

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which appointments made to public bodies and agencies during the last three months did not result from the response of the appointee to a public advertisement.

Public appointments are the responsibility of individual Ministers and their departments. Information on individual appointments is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The Commissioner for Public Appointments' guidance on appointments to executive non-departmental public bodies and NHS bodies encourages the use of advertising and other means to obtain a wide field of candidates for such appointments.

Government Survey Material: Availability

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in pursuit of their policy of open government, they will publish all details of questions put to, discussions with and results from opinion and attitude surveys conducted by them at taxpayers' expense.

The presumption is that, unless there are particular reasons why confidentiality is necessary, the material referred to will be publicly available.

Voluntary Bodies: Withdrawal Of Funding

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 30 June (

WA 5), in respect of each of the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust, the MAFF nine regional panels, the Citizen's Charter Panel of Advisers, the Northern Ireland Citizen's Charter Advisory Panel and the Agricultural Advisory Panel for Wales, when they were notified of the intention to terminate government grant, when the final grant payments were made, what grant provision was made to help meet their obligations for staff redundancies, and what arrangements Her Majesty's Government have made to avoid staff redundancies.

The Scottish Historic Buildings Trust were informed on 29 May 1997 of the decision not to offer grant for 1997–98. I should explain that although the offer of grant made to the trust on 1 March 1996 had offered funding for both 1996–97 and 1997–98, the latter was an indicative sum which was subject to the trust meeting the conditions attached to the award. In the event, the trust failed to meet certain conditions and, in view of there being a history of non-compliance with the rules of the Special (Environmental) Grants Programme (SPEG), Ministers agreed that grant should not be offered for a further year. The decision was not a result of any policy change by the new Government.With regard to the timing of the final grant payment, grant for the first half of the financial grant 1996–97 had been withdrawn because of the trust's non-compliance with the rules of the SPEG scheme. A restricted payment for the third and fourth quarters was made in March 1997 with the proviso that any additional grant, which might have been due to the trust because of a claimed higher pattern of expenditure in the second half of the year, would be considered when audited accounts were available for 1996–97 and an auditor's certificate had been provided in respect of the expenditure incurred in undertaking SPEG-related activities. A certificate is still awaited. No staff redundancies have been caused by this decision.The remaining bodies were all advisory non-departmental public bodies consisting of boards of public appointees. They were funded directly from their respective sponsor departments' votes, and did not receive any grant or grant-in-aid. They were supported by civil servants from within their respective sponsor departments, and did not employ their own staff. In each case, board members were informed of the Government's intention to stand them down and wind up the body in advance of any public announcements.

Government Policy: Presentation Guidance

asked Her Majesty's Government:What guidance is given to Ministers who wish to publish personal comments on government policy when those comments do not reflect government policy, and how they intend to ensure that the public can know which ministerial views so expressed do reflect government policy and which do not.

The new Ministerial Code, copies of which were placed in the Library of the House today, provides guidance to Ministers on the presentation of government policy.

Parliamentary Costs: Comparisons

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the costs of maintaining the European Parliament, the House of Commons and the House of Lords, including:

(a) salaries, pensions, travelling allowances, secretarial expenses and other expenses for Members;

(b) salaries, allowances and pensions, etc. of support staff;

(c) accommodation, including rent, operating costs and security; and

(d) all other administrative costs such as stationery, office equipment, publications, payments to parliamentary bodies and any other relevant outgoings,

and whether they will indicate the per capita cost per Member as well as the average number of sitting days for each institution over the past five years.

As Lord Henley made clear in his answer on 19 January 1995 Official Report, (WA 60–62) providing this information for 1990–91 to 1994–95, precise comparisons between the costs of the European Parliament and the Houses of Parliament are difficult. However the updated information is as follows:

£ million
Total costs	1994–95	1995–96	1996–97
House of Lords	37.4	39.8	38.5
House of Commons	167.6	195.6	202.3
European Parliament¹	473.4	564.9	575.0
of which cost to UK is	53.9	73.8	65.4

£000
Per capita cost per member	1994–95	1995–96	1996–97
House of Lords²	36	38	37
House of Commons	257	300	311
European Parliament³	835	902	918

Number of sitting days	1994–95	1995–96	1996–97
House of Lords	142	146	145
House of Commons	158	156	152
European Parliament⁴	60	60	60
¹ Based on average £/ecu exchange rate for the relevant year.
² Per capita costs based on number of peers eligible to sit in the House of Lords at the beginning of each year.
³ The number of European Parliament seats increased from 518 to 567 on 9 June 1994 and has increased since to its present total of 626.
⁴ It is not possible to give an exact figure for the number of European Parliament sittings. The European Parliament generally holds a five-day plenary session every month but there have been occasions when those plenary sessions have been held over of mini-plenary sessions in Brussels, 70 days of committee meetings and 57 days of group meetings, giving an additional 141 days.

Money Laundering

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they are taking regarding the allegations that Turkish banks in England are being used to launder the proceeds of drug smuggling.

Her Majesty's Government take very seriously the whole question of money laundering in the financial sector. Allegations of criminal activity are, however, a matter for the police. It would be inappropriate to comment on the details of any particular case.

Betting Duty

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the total annual amount which accrued to the Treasury as a result of betting duty (a) before 28 November 1995; and (b) in the following year.

The table below shows receipts for calendar years 1995 and 1996, the periods which correspond most closely to the accruals periods requested.

£ million
Years	General Betting Duty	Pools Duty	Total Duty
1995	501.3	242.1	743.4
1996	448.5	130.9	579.4

For general betting duty, the figures shown for each year represent duty on monies staked for the year to end November. The rate of duty was 7.75 per cent. prior to 1 March 1996 and 6.75 thereafter. For pools, the 1995 figure represents duty on moneys staked from late December 1994 to late December 1995. Because of a change from weekly to monthly payment, the 1996 figure represents duty on stakes for late December 1995 to end November 1996. The rates of duty were 37.5 per cent. from August 1991; 32.5 per cent. from 6 May 1995; 27.5 per cent. from 3 December 1995 and 26.5 per cent. from 5 May 1996.

Government Contracts: Prompt Payment

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are their requirements of contractors to departments with regard to prompt payment, and how these can be enforced.

Since April 1992 it has been a requirement that government contracts should require contractors to include clauses in their contracts with sub-contractors requiring them to be paid promptly, normally within 30 days of receipt of a valid invoice. Where a contractor fails to comply with the terms of its sub-contracts, sub-contractors may enforce payment through the courts in the normal way.

Census Returns: Preservation

asked Her Majesty's Government:What decisions have been or are to be taken by the Public Record Office, in conjunction with the Office for National Statistics, to decide the form in which the census returns for the 20th Century are to be preserved as public records; and where they will be retained.

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

Letter to Lord Teviot from the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics, Dr. Tim Holt, dated 12 August 1997.

I have been asked to reply, as Director of the Office for National Statistics, to your recent question concerning the form in which census returns for the 20th century are to be preserved and retained.

Census records are subject to two main pieces of legislation. The first is the Census Act 1920, as amended by the Census (Confidentiality) Act 1991, which gives protection to personal information given by the public at the time of the census. The second is the Public Records Act 1958. Lord Chancellor's Instrument No. 12 of 1966, made under Section 5(1) of the Act, closes census returns for 100 years, because the information they contain is given under a pledge of confidentiality.

The census returns for England and Wales for the years 1901 and 1911 are in the custody of the Public Record Office. The 1901 census returns are being microfilmed to enable researchers to have available the same facility as for the censuses of 1841–1891.

The Public Records Act 1958 Section 3(4) permits the retention by the person responsible for them, of those public records selected for permanent preservation after they are 30 years old, if the Lord Chancellor gives his approval. In the case of census returns, I am the person responsible as Registrar General, and permission is sought from the Lord Chancellor for the retention of census records by my departmental records office every 10 years. The census returns for 1921, 1951 and 1961 are retained under this provision. There are currently no plans to deposit records from these censuses with the Public Record Office by a specified date. The returns for 1931 were destroyed by fire during the Second World War and there was no census in 1941. The returns for the later censuses of 1971, 1981 and 1991 are of course not yet 30 years old and are held in my custody.

Discussions are currently taking place between the Office for National Statistics and the Public Record Office on the issue of how census returns will be preserved but no decisions have yet been made.

Census Returns: Viewing

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the public including local and family history researchers, will be able to consult the census returns of 1911, 1921, 1951, 1961, 1971, 1981, and 1991; and whether they plan to review the prescription of closure periods of the census returns; andWhether they intend to destroy the original census material presently held by the Registrar General; and, if the decision is taken to microfilm the original records, whether the originals will nevertheless be retained and preserved.

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.

Letter to Lord Teviot from the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics, Dr. Tim Holt, dated 12 August 1997.

I have been asked to reply, as Director of the Office for National Statistics, to your recent questions concerning viewing census returns and microfilming original records.

The census returns for the years 1911, 1921, 1951, 1961, 1971, 1981 and 1991 are subject to the provisions of the Lord Chancellor's Instrument No. 12 of 1966, made under Section 5(1) of the Public Records Act 1958. They are closed from public inspection for a period of 100 years. The Economic Secretary to the Treasury has recently considered the case for the early release of census records for the purposes of genealogical research, but is of the opinion that, whilst it is recognised that the release of such information would be of both historical interest and commercial value to researchers, the maintenance of public confidence in the census is paramount. It would be unwise to amend retrospectively the period of closure as the credibility of assurances about recent and future censuses would be affected if the Government is seen to be departing from previous assurances.

No decision on the microfilming of the census returns currently in the custody of the Registrar General or on the permanent retention and preservation of the original records has yet been made.

Tobacco Products: Tax Revenue

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the latest total of taxes including VAT paid by (a) smokers, (b) the tobacco manufacturing industry, (c) wholesale distributors of tobacco products and (d) tobacco retailers.

Information is not available in the form requested. The total of excise duty and VAT on tobacco products and of income and corporation tax paid by tobacco manufacturers was some £10 billion in 1996–97.

Nhs Intensive Care: Nursing And Midwifery Staff

asked Her Majesty's Government:What has been the number of whole-time equivalent NHS hospital and community health services qualified nursing and midwifery staff working in (a) general/coronary intensive care and (b) paediatrics intensive care for each year since 1970.

The numbers of qualified nursing and midwifery staff in England, working in general/coronary intensive care and paediatric intensive care areas of work, between 1981 and 1994, are shown in the following table. These staff

	1989–1990	1990–1991	1991–1992	1992–1993	1993–1994	1994–1995	1995–1996	1996–1997
England	³1,051	³5,554	⁴14,142	⁵23,810	⁵31,097	⁵32,619	³33,764	⁵36,215
Wales	—	—	—	1,871	2,062	1,798	¹—	¹—
Northern Ireland	—	—	463	1,102	1,653	1,545	1,308	1,117
Scotland	—	—	—	2,048	3,969	5,608	5,830	5,933

Notes:

— no data collected at this time.

¹ no data yet available.

² From ENB Annual Report 1989–1990.

³ From ENB Annual Report 1990–1991.

⁴ From ENB Annual Report 1991–1992.

⁵ From ENB Annual Report 1996–1997.

ENB = English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting.

Data for England and Scotland is collected at 31 March while data for Northern Ireland and Wales is collected at 30 September.

Data for Scotland includes midwives.

Nhs Nurses: Training

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the number of nurses entering training in each year since 1970.

are not separately identified from other hospital nursing staff in England before 1981 and after 1994, and not separately identified in figures for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) nursing and midwifery staff (excluding agency) working in specific intensive care areas in England as at 30 September of each year
Whole-time equivalent
Year	General/coronary	Paediatrics intensive care
1981	3,420	160
1982	4,130	220
1983	4,640	240
1984	5,190	300
1985	5,630	340
1986	5,880	360
1987	6,090	400
1988	6,240	440
1989	6,580	510
1990	6,900	560
1991	7,300	640
1992	7,750	690
1993	7,960	650
1994	8,190	760

Notes:

A new classification for non-medical NHS staff was introduced in 1995 which does not separately identify nurses in intensive care areas of work. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten whole-time equivalents.

Source:

Department of Health non-medical workforce census.

Nhs Project 2000: Statistics

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the number of Project 2000 students in each year since the scheme was introduced.

The information requested is set out in the following table.

The information requested is not held centrally. I refer the noble Baroness to the national boards for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for the information that is available on the number of nurses entering training in each year since 1970.

Nhs Nurses: Staffing

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the total number of whole-time equivalent hospital and community health services qualified, and general medical services practice nurses for each year since 1970;What was the number of (a) qualified, (b) unqualified, (c) learners and (d) other whole-time

NHS hospital and community health services (HCHS) and General Medical Services (GMS)
Nursing and midwifery staff Great Britain as at 30 September of each year
whole-time equivalents
	HCHS qualified staff	HCHS unqualified staff	HCHS learners	Other HCHS N&M staff	All HCHS nursing and midwifery staff	of which Bank nurses¹	Agency nurses²	GMS practice nurses
1970	—⁶	—⁶	—⁶	—⁶	—⁶	—⁶	—⁶	—⁶
1971	175,840	73,610	94,200	—⁵	343,640	—⁶	3,000	—⁶
1972	183,390	81,560	99,490	—⁵	364,440	—⁶	3,290	—⁶
1973	185,120	84,250	101,230	—⁵	370,600	—⁶	4,160	—⁶
1974	189,570	90,220	97,850	—⁵	377,630	—⁶	4,990	—⁶
1975	202,460	103,680	97,670	—⁵	403,820	—⁶	4,240	—⁶
1976	213,230	98,820	101,910	—⁵	413,960	—⁶	1,860	—⁶
1977	219,900	99,680	96,120	—⁵	487,700	—⁶	2,480	—⁶
1978	—⁶	—⁶	—⁶	—⁶	—⁶	—⁶	3,780	940
1979	—⁶	—⁶	—⁶	—⁶	—⁶	—⁶	4,230	1,050
1980¹	253,700	116,280	87,390	—⁵	457,370	—⁶	4,480	1,130
1981	255,510	121,060	97,310	—⁵	473,880	—⁶	4,010	1,310
1982	264,660	119,520	97,100	—⁵	481,280	350	3,160	1,630
1983	270,290	117,080	94,980	—⁶	482,350	2,430	2,480	1,840
1984	275,990	114,300	91,150	—⁵	481,440	3,110	3,830	2,160
1985	282,730	115,950	86,050	—⁶	484,730	3,710	4,200	2,480
1986	287,200	116,400	82,870	—⁵	486,480	4,220	5,590	2,800
1987	290,830	118,550	78,840	—⁵	488,220	4,910	6,330	3,110
1988	293,960	117,390	77,070	—⁵	488,420	5,830	6,470	3,880
1989	297,780	116,310	76,120	—⁵	490,220	5,910	7,420	5,200
1990	295,700	114,390	72,430	3,730	486,250	6,230	7,020	8,780
1991	296,840	114,660	60,260	11,050	482,810	8,540	4,190	9,950
1992	300,120	115,680	44,680	6,630	467,110	10,020	3,480	10,340
1993	295,020	116,830	27,130	6,620	445,610	12,030	5,040	10,910
1994	290,970	117,507	13,580	6,620	336,720	12,900	4,650	10,450
1995⁴	298,910	117,604	5,460	6,270	335,700	14,870	6,210	11,180
1996⁴	299,980	108,954	3,390	4,390	324,340	15,610	6,730	11,330

Notes:

¹ England only.

² England and Scotland only.

³ Figures before 1980 are not directly comparable with those for later years due to a reduction in nurses standard working hours in 1980–81 from 40 to 37.5 hours per week.

⁴ A new classification for the non-medical workforce was introduced in England in 1995 and in Wales from 1996. Information based on this classification is not directly comparable with earlier years.

Figures for Project 2000 students are excluded from the table.

Figures are rounded to the nearest ten, consequently figures may not equal the sum of components.

⁵ denotes zero.

⁶ denotes not available.

NHS hospital and community health services (HCHS) and General Medical Services (GMS)
Nursing and midwifery staff United Kingdom as at 30 September of each year
whole-time equivalents
	HCHS qualified staff	HCHS unqualified staff	HCHS learners	Other HCHS N&M staff	All HCHS nursing and midwifery staff
1970	—⁴	—⁴	—⁴	—⁴	—³
1971	—⁴	—⁴	—⁴	—³	—⁴
1972	—⁴	—⁴	—⁴	—³	—⁴
1973	—⁴	—⁴	—⁴	—³	—⁴
1974	—⁴	—⁴	—⁴	—³	—⁴
1975	—⁴	—⁴	—⁴	—³	—⁴
1976	—⁴	—⁴	—⁴	—³	—⁴
1977	—⁴	—⁴	—⁴	—³	—⁴
1978	—⁴	—⁴	—⁴	—³	—⁴
1979	—⁴	—⁴	—⁴	—³	—⁴
1980¹	263,530	—⁴	—⁴	—³	—⁴
1981	266,160	124,250	101,860	—³	492,270

equivalent hospital and community health services nursing and midwifery staff in each year since 1970;

What was the number of general medical services practice nurses in each year since 1970; and

What was the number of nurses on bank or agency contracts in each year since 1970.

The information requested is shown in the following tables.

NHS hospital and community health services (HCHS) and General Medical Services (GMS)
Nursing and midwifery staff United Kingdom as at 30 September of each year
whole-time equivalents
	HCHS qualified staff	HCHS unqualified staff	HCHS learners	Other HCHS N&M staff	All HCHS nursing and midwifery staff
1982	275,850	122,630	101,510	—³	499,990
1983	281,830	120,110	99,270	—³	501,210
1984	287,830	117,210	95,220	—³	500,260
1985	294,850	118,740	89,590	—³	503,180
1986	299,440	119,140	86,050	—³	504,630
1987	303,050	121,310	81,850	—³	506,210
1988	306,460	120,170	79,940	—³	506,570
1989	310,280	119,140	78,840	—³	508,260
1990	308,150	117,340	75,080	3,730	504,300
1991	309,350	117,850	62,310	11,050	500,560
1992	312,520	118,960	45,830	6,630	483,940
1993	307,240	120,170	27,490	6,620	461,520
1994	303,070	117,507	13,630	6,620	440,830
1995²	310,920	117,604	5,500	6,270	440,290
1996²	311,790	108,950	3,430	4,390	428,560

Notes:

¹ Figures before 1980 are not directly comparable with those for later years due to a reduction in nurses standard working hours in 1980–81 from 40 to 37.5 hours per week.

² A new classification for the non-medical workforce was introduced in England in 1995 and in Wales from 1996. Information based on this classification is not directly comparable with earlier years.

Figures for Project 2000 students are excluded from the information provided in the table.

Figures are rounded to the nearest ten, consequently figures may not equal the sum of components.

³ denotes zero.

⁴ denotes not available.

⁵ denotes not applicable.

Nhs Hospitals: Waiting Lists

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the number of patients waiting over one year for NHS treatment each March since 1970; andWhat was the number of patients waiting over one year for NHS treatment each year since 1970.

Position as at:	31 March				31 December
	Total number waiting more than 12 months				Total number waiting more than 12 months
	Ordinary Admissions	Day Cases	All In-patient Cases	Total Number Waiting	Ordinary Admissions	Day Cases	All In-patient Cases	Total Number Waiting
1976	147,247			583,851
1977	147,951			595,490
1978	149,011			603,240
1979	185,195			752,422
1980	196,983			664,919
1981	180,774			628,333
1982	175,554			822,480
1983	198,546			726,186
1984	194,614			692,945
1985	171,197			674,453
1986	161,326			673,107
1987	162,273			687,945	185,396	25,265	210,661	873,130
1988	182,161	25,764	207,925	876,246	195,411	28,232	223,643	931,495
1989	193,952	29,359	223,311	922,676	186,112	32,831	218,943	971,845
1990	175,777	32,083	207,860	958,976	158,567	29,248	187,815	965,520
1991	145,109	24,652	169,761	948,243	110,049	20,520	130,569	950,098
1992	69,000	11,585	80,585	817,717	59,450	13,428	72,878	977,189
1993	45,195	11,682	56,877	994,974	55,955	19,152	75,107	1,065,782
1994	45,404	18,104	64,508	1,065,369	38,956	15,878	54,834	1,070,492
1995	21,750	10,444	32,194	1,044,051	14,647	5,839	20,486	1,054,948
1996	3,686	890	4,576	1,048,029	15,337	6,824	22,161	1,104,983
1997	20,732	10,476	31,208	1,158,004

Such information as is available in respect of patients awaiting admission to National Health Service hospitals in England is given in the following table. Information on the length of time patients have been waiting, as opposed to the total numbers waiting, was not collected prior to 1976. The first available information on day cases was for 30 September 1987. Waiting time information was initially collected twice yearly. Quarterly information has only been collected since September 1987 and therefore the first information available for December is for 1987. Directly comparable information for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is not available.

Nhs Hospitals: Admisions

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the number of general and acute ordinary admissions in the NHS in each year since 1970.

The information is shown in the following table.

Table: Number of general and acute ordinary admission FCEs in
NHS hospitals (000's)
Year	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Yearly Total
1970	-¹	563	254	—	817
1971	-¹	573	259	—	832
1972	-¹	593	266	—	859
1973	-¹	576	260	—	836
1974	4,351	592	271	—	5,214
1975	4,178	572	264	—	5,014
1976	4,464	605	283	—	5,352
1977	4,560	617	288	—	5,465
1978	4,552	613	292	—	5,457
1979	4,529	604	290	—	5,423
1980	4,755	630	303	—	5,688
1981	4,875	647	313	204	6,039
1982	4,830	657	308	—	5,795
1983	5,113	614	336	213	6,276
1984	5,246	675	350	214	6,485
1985	5,385	686	362	227	6,660
1986	5,429	698	368	222	6,717
1987–88	5,608	704	387	220	6,919
1988–89	5,572	728	388	215	6,903
1989–90	5,677	743	404	220	7,044
1990–91	5,685	756	410	221	7,072
1991–92	5,913	768	427	225	7,333
1992–93	5,987	775	431	230	7,423
1993–94	6,127	797	434	235	7,593
1994–95	6,210	813	440	238	7,701
1995–96	6,396	822	441	241	7,900

Notes:

Finished consultant episodes (FCE's) are not the same as the number of patients treated because a hospital spell can consist of more than one FCE, and patients discharged too early who are subsequently readmitted as emergencies count as another FCE. Further more, an FCE count cannot by itself serve as a valid measure of productivity

General Dental Service: Number of courses of treatments from 1970 to 1996–97
United Kingdom
England and Wales¹		Scotland²		Northern Ireland^2,3		United Kingdom
Year	18 and over	Year	18 and over	Year	18 and over	Year	18 and over
1970	13,150,440	1970	1,060,272	1970	387,348	1970	14,598,060
1971	14,137,750	1971	1,168,328	1971	397,197	1971	15,703,275
1972	14,652,250	1972	1,211,172	1972	411,056	1972	16,274,478
1973	15,519,720	1973	1,263,014	1973	409,564	1973	17,192,298
1974	16,219,270	1974	1,261,789	1974	416,699	1974	17,897,758
1975	17,159,960	1975	1,384,967	1975	427,667	1975	18,972,594
1976	17,371,290	1976	1,391,732	1976	425,995	1976	19,189,017
1977	17,888,780	1977	1,441,538	1977	419,286	1977	19,749,604
1978	17,805,290	1978	1,415,729	1978	420,545	1978	19,641,564
1979	18,184,780	1979	1,479,553	1979	426,407	1979	20,090,740
1980	19,493,030	1980	1,563,046	1980	459,004	1980	21,515,080
1981	19,883,030	1981	1,673,365	1981	479,709	1981	22,036,104
1982	20,689,000	1982	1,769,044	1982	489,265	1982	22,947,309
1983	21,318,000	1983	1,827,990	1983	515,407	1983	23,661,397
1984	21,912,720	1984	1,887,305	1984	540,633	1984	24,340,658
1985	22,413,410	1985	1,827,375	1985	553,979	1985	24,794,764
1986–87	23,097,970	1986	1,925,730	1986	567,162	1986–87⁴	25,590,862
1987–88	23,560,890	1987	1,971,598	1987	555,688	1987–88⁴	26,088,176
1988–89	25,292,450	1988	2,059,874	1988	604,927	1988–89⁴	27,957,251
1989–90	24,001,190	1989	2,126,915	1989	593,257	1989–90⁴	26,721,362
1990–91	23,748,634	1990	2,078,513	1990	586,970	1990–9l⁴	26,414,117
1991–92	25,600,269	1991–92	2,325,243	1991–92	669,072	1991–92	28,594,584

since it is not standardised over the time for any changes in the quality of treatment.

England:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1987–88.

¹ Figures for FCEs in these years are available only at disproportionate cost.

Scotland:

Figures for 1970–75 are year ending 30 September.

Wales:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1983–84.

Northern Ireland:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1989–89. Complete information is not available for 1982 due to an industrial dispute. Information before 1981, if available, can only he provided at disproportionate cost.

Nhs Hospitals: Average Inpatient Cost

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the average cost of treating an NHS patient on the waiting list.

Inpatient expenditure is not broken down by type of admission. The average cost for all acute inpatient episodes in England, was estimated to be £995 in 1995–96.

Nhs Dental Service: Adult Treatments

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many courses of adult dental treatment have been performed by the NHS since 1970.

The number of adult courses of treatment carried out in the General Dental Service in the United Kingdom is shown in the following table for the period since 1970: by calendar year up to 1985; and by financial year from 1986–97.

General Dental Service: Number of courses of treatments from 1970 to 1996–97
United Kingdom
England and Wales¹		Scotland²		Northern Ireland^2,3		United Kingdom
Year	18 and over	Year	18 and over	Year	18 and over	Year	18 and over
1992–93	26,539,062	1992–93	2,384,681	1992–93	711,861	1992–93	29,635,604
1993–94	26,246,565	1993–94	2,440,782	1993–94	725,018	1993–94	29,412,365
1994–95	26,282,292	1994–95	2,500,820	1994–95	740,281	1994–95	29,523,393
1995–96	26,101,226	1995–96	2,519,719	1995–96	742,569	1995–96	29,363,514
1996–97	25,936,347	1996–97	2,478,760	1996–97	763,350	1996–97	29,178,457

Notes:

¹ Calendar year until 1985 and financial year from 1986–87.

² Calendar year until 1990 and financial year from 1991–92.

³ Figures for 1970 to 1990 are estimated from combined adult and child treatments using the 90 per cent. of claims which involve examinations.

⁴ Includes figures on a calendar year basis for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Nhs Psychologists

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the number of psychologists in post each year since 1970.

The number of clinical psychologists employed by the National Health Service in each year since 1970 is shown in the following table.

NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): clinical psychologists Great Britain and United Kingdom as at 30 September each year
whole-time equivalents
	Clinical psychologists¹
Year	Great Britain	United Kingdom
1970	470	—
1971	520	—
1972	600	—
1973	690	—
1974	730	—
1975	780	—
1976	910	—
1977	960	—
1978	1,030	—
1979	1,150	—
1980	1,210	—
1981	1,300	—
1982	1,400	—
1983	1,520	—
1984	1,590	—
1985	1,760	—
1986	1,870	—
1987	1,970	—
1988	2,260	—
1989	2,390	—
1990¹	2,310	2,350
1991	2,710	2,750
1992	3,090	3,130
1993	3,280	3,320
1994	3,520	3,570
1995²	3,720	3,770
1996²	3,960	4,020

Notes:

¹ Figures for 1990 exclude Wales.

² A new classification for non-medical NHS staff was introduced in 1995; information based on this classification is not directly comparable with earlier years.

Figures are rounded to the nearest ten whole-time equivalents.

Nhs: New Attendances At A&E Departments

asked Her Majesty's Government:What has been the number of new attendances at accident and emergency each year since 1970.

The information is shown in the following table.

Table: Number of New Attendances at Accident and Emergency in
NHS hospitals (000's)
Year	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Yearly Total
1970	7,772	688	438	—	8,898
1971	7,873	716	446	—	9,035
1972	8,008	814	457	—	9,279
1973	8,372	867	477	—	9,716
1974	8,258	842	467	—	9,567
1975	8,370	845	474	—	9,689
1976	8,779	849	508	—	10,136
1977	8,904	912	512	—	10,328
1978	9,170	917	533	—	10,620
1979	9,197	932	533	—	10,662
1980	9,222	949	534	—	10,705
1981	9,464	990	550	358	11,362
1982	9,667	976	570	—	11,213
1983	9,950	1,013	599	395	11,957
1984	10,213	1,059	617	417	12,306
1985	10,403	1,074	612	423	12,512
1986	10,532	1,088	624	437	12,681
1987–88	10,880	1,106	653	455	13,094
1988–89	10,984	1,141	665	455	13,245
1989–90	11,207	1,185	708	467	13,567
1990–91	11,204	1,193	693	465	13,555
1991–92	11,035	1,193	699	470	13,397
1992–93	10,993	1,221	716	480	13,410
1993–94	11,365	1,264	727	485	13,841
1994–95	11,943	1,340	763	512	14,558
1995–96	12,404	1,362	804	551	15,121

Notes:

England:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1987–88.

Scotland:

Figures for 1971 are estimates based on data for 8 months ending 31 March 1971. Due to the changes in coding classifications, certain year-on-year comparisons may not be strictly comparable.

Wales:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1983–84.

Northern Ireland:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1988–89. Complete information is not available for 1982 due to an industrial dispute. Information before 1981, if available, can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Nhs: Total Attendances At A&E Depts

asked Her Majesty's Government:What has been the number of total attendances at accident and emergency each year since 1970.

The information is shown in the following table.

Table: Total number of attendances at Accident and Emergency in
NHS hospitals (000's)
Year	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Yearly total
1970	13,322	997	761	-	15,080
1971	13,130	1,062	756	-	14,948
1972	13,047	1,169	745	-	14,961
1973	13,356	1,229	768	-	15,353
1974	12,291	1,184	747	-	14,222
1975	12,792	1,175	755	-	14,722
1976	13,077	1,181	796	-	15,054
1977	13,123	1,238	793	-	15,154
1978	13,360	1,232	808	-	15,400
1979	13,219	1,249	799	-	15,267
1980	13,053	1,246	798	-	15,097
1981	13,308	1,239	815	597	15,959
1982	13,482	1,284	858	-	15,624
1983	13,603	1,253	887	656	16,399
1984	13,769	1,279	905	687	16,640
1985	13,804	1,304	872	687	16,667
1986	13,776	1,304	864	669	16,613
1987–88	13,904	1,910	887	686	17,387
1988–89	13,821	1,323	891	676	16,711
1989–90	13,935	1,372	954	672	16,933
1990–91	13,717	1,431	924	653	16,725
1991–92	13,305	1,423	935	641	16,304
1992–93	13,070	1,407	929	628	16,034
1993–94	13,289	1,406	948	617	16,260
1994–95	13,812	1,425	961	640	16,838
1995–96	14.234	1,468	996	673	17,371

Notes:

England:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1987–88.

Scotland:

Figures for 1971 are estimates based on data for 8 months ending 31 March 1971.

Wales:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1983–84.

Northern Ireland:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1988–89.

Complete information is not available for 1982 due to an industrial dispute.

Information before 1981, if available, can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Hiv/Aids Treatment: Drug Trials

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many Phase III clinical trials of the new protease inhibitor combination drug therapy for HIV/AIDS that have been fully completed have shown statistically significant survival benefit: and, if there are any, where and when were the findings published.

Clinical trials involving protease inhibitors as part of combination drug therapy for HIV/AIDS are either on-going or have only recently been carried out. Therefore full results of such trials have not yet been published.

Chelsea And Westminster Hospital Operations: Waiting Times

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why the fully staffed operating theatres in the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital are not being fully used because the local purchasing authority has decided that patients of non-fund-holding general practitioners must wait 18 months for non-urgent surgery.

We understand that Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare National Health Service Trust does not offer preferential treatment to the patients of fundholding general practitioners. Waiting times have risen for some patients from Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow Health Authority—and some operating theatre sessions cancelled—to ensure that services are available for emergency and urgent cases.

Diabetes: Research

asked Her Majesty's Government:In what ways they contribute to and what progress is being made in research into diabetes, and the improvement of care provided for children diagnosed as having insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council. The council is an independent body which receives its grant-in-aid from the Office of Science and Technology, which is part of the Department of Trade and Industry. The council spends approximately £3 million a year on research directly into diabetes. In 1996–97, the Department of Health's Policy Research Programme spent £272,000 on research into diabetes. The department is currently funding three studies, at a total value of some £1 million. A wide range of research projects related to diabetes is also being carried out under the centrally funded National Health Service research and development programmes. The Scottish Office Home and Health Department is currently funding two studies into diabetes, at a cost of £75,000 in 1996–97. The total cost of these studies will be £176,000. A further two studies are being funded by the Welsh Office. These cost £180,000 in 1996–97 and have a total value of £600,000. The Government's substantial support for diabetes research will help improve understanding of the condition and its complications and so contribute to the improvement of care for all people with diabetes, including children diagnosed as having insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. We shall also shortly be issuing service guidance to the National Health Service on the key features of a good diabetes service.

Consultant Psychiatrists Working In Mental Illness

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the number of consultant psychiatrists working in mental illness and associated specialties each year since 1970.

The latest available information is shown in the following table.

Hospital medical consultants by psychiatry group 30 September 1970 to 1996. Whole-time equivalents, rounded to the nearest 10
Year	GB	UK
1970	1,130	—
1971	1,190	—
1972	1,250	—
1973	1,330	—
1974	1,390	—
1975	1,440	—
1976	1,520	—
1977	1,530	—
1978	1,590	—
1979	1,630	—
1980	1,690	—
1981	1,740	—
1982	1,820	—
1983	1,860	—
1984	1,900	—
1985	1,930	—
1986	1,980	—
1987	2,010	—
1988	2,090	—
1989	2,130	—
1990	2,200	2,250
1991	2,200	2,260
1992	2,210	2,270
1993	2,240	2,300
1994	2,270	2,330
1995	2,440	2,500
1996	2,470	2,550

Source:

The medical and dental workforce census 30 September 1970 to 1996.

Notes:

1. Northern Ireland data are consultants working in mental illness, psychotherapy and child and adolescent psychiatry.

2. Scotland data exclude consultants working in community psychiatry.

3. GB data available from 1970 onwards, but UK data only available from 1990.

4. The census is a snapshot at 30 September each year.

Meningitis: Research

asked Her Majesty's Government:In what ways they contribute to, and what progress is being made in, research into meningitis, particularly the meningococcal virus, in view of the number of fatalities it causes among the young.

The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body which receives its grant-in-aid from the Office of Science and Technology, which is part of the Department of Trade and Industry. The council is always willing to consider for support soundly based new scientific proposals in competition with other applications. As regards research into meningitis, the MRC is currently providing support for two MRC units and funding 12 research grants at a cost of £2.3 million in 1995–96. The Department of Health's Policy Research Programme (PRP) recently commissioned a study entitled Phase 2 evaluation of meningococcal and pneumococcal vaccines in UK children. The study is being carried out by the Public Health Laboratory Service at a total cost of over £1 million. In addition, the PRP has funded studies entitled Phase 2 clinical trial of candidate meningococcal vaccines (£197,581) and Acquisition of meningococcal in marine commando recruits (£93,478).The National Health Service Research and Development Programme is currently funding, at a cost of £80,000, a study in North Thames Region entitled Neurodevelopmental examination at nine years of age of children who suffered neonatal meningitis.Following its recent research review, one of the objectives of the Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research (CAMR) is to identify and characterise antigens that may have potential for inclusion in vaccines against group B meningococcal disease and pneumococcal disease or for the diagnosis and immunotherapy of these diseases. The Department of Health is currently funding two studies within this objective, Meningococcal antigens and pneumococcal antigens, at an estimated cost of £185,000 in 1997–98. Other studies within this objective are being taken forward by the National Meningitis Trust and the World Health Organisation, in collaboration with the Department of Health.

Meningitis: Advice On Diagnosis

asked Her Majesty's Government:What procedures the NHS has in place to ensure the effective and speedy diagnosis of meningitis, particularly in young children.

Guidance on the diagnosis of meningococcal disease was published by the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) in 1995 Control of Meningococcal Disease: Guidelines for Consultants in Communicable Disease Control and, Control of Meningococcal Disease: Guidance for Microbiologists. This gives details of the various methods for diagnosis, including new methods under evaluation by the PHLS. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) investigation is now routinely provided by the PHLS Meningococcal Reference Unit. Attention is drawn to the importance of close communication between clinicians, microbiologists and consultants in communicable disease control. Advice on the diagnosis of meningitis is contained in the memorandum Immunisation against infectious disease which is provided free to all doctors. Additionally, the chief medical officer writes annually to all doctors alerting them to the expected winter rise in cases of meningococcal infection and reminding them of the value of early treatment with penicillin.

Nhs Cancer Patients: Cost

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the average cost of NHS treatment for a patient suffering from cancer.

The average cost to the National Health Service of treating a patient suffering from cancer cannot be identified separately. Overall, expenditure on cancer services accounts for an estimated seven per cent. of NHS resources.

Nhs Cancer Patients: Waiting Lists

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many patients suffering from cancer are on NHS waiting lists.

Information collected centrally on patients currently on a waiting list at hospitals in England is specialty based and does not separately identify patients by their prospective diagnosis. Information on patients actually admitted is available by diagnosis and in 1994–95, the latest year for which data are available in England, 364,000 people with a diagnosis of cancer were admitted for surgical or non-surgical treatment from a waiting list. Information on patients currently on a waiting list at hospitals in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is collected on the same basis as in England. The latest information on admissions available for Wales is for 1995–96 and shows that during that year 33,000 patients with a diagnosis of cancer were admitted to Welsh hospitals from waiting lists. The latest information for Northern Ireland is also for 1995–96. There, 15,000 patients with a diagnosis of cancer were admitted from a waiting list during that year. Comparable information for Scotland is not available.

Nhs Heart Bypass Surgery

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many NHS coronary artery bypass grafts have been carried out each year since 1970.

The information is shown in the following table.

Table: coronary artery bypass grafts performed in NHS hospitals
Year	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	yearly Total
1970	—¹	—	—	—³	0
1971	—¹	—	—	—³	0
1972	—¹	6	—	—³	6
1973	—¹	26	10	—³	36
1974	—¹	23	8	—³	31
1975	—¹	67	14	—³	81
1976	—¹	113	27	—³	140
1977	—¹	187	29	—³	216
1978	—¹	223	24	—³	247
1979	—¹	244	38	—³	282
1980	—¹	265	37	—³	302
1981	—¹	337	66	—³	403
1982	—¹	392	71	—³	463
1983	—¹	425	155	—³	580
1984	—¹	646	163	—³	809
1985	—¹	814	222	—³	1,036
1986	—¹	1,058	206	—³	1,264
1987–88	—¹	1,295	212	—³	1,507
1988–89	9,655	1,426	184	—³	11,265
1989–90	10,611	1,544	249	—³	12,404
1990–91	11,797	1,364	144	—³	13,305
1991–92	12,837	1,612	410	39	14,898
1992–93	14,488	1,687	472	60	16,707
1993–94	15,863	2,209	535	493	19,100
1994–95	17,136	2,298	560	719	20,713
1995–96	—²	2,268	629	764	3,661

Notes:

England:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1987–88.

¹ Method of data collection prior to 1988 means that coronary artery by-pass grafts are not separately identifiable. No data available.

² Data not yet available.

Scotland:

All operations relate to those carried out in NHS hospitals as principal operation.

Wales:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1983–84.

Northern Ireland:

³ Adequate data prior to 1991–92 is not available.

Nhs Cataract Operations

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many NHS cataract operations have been carried out each year since 1970.

The information is shown in the following table.

Table: eye lens operations (mainly cataracts) performed in NHS hospitals
Year	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Yearly Total
1970	30,980	—	1,942	—³	32,922
1971	33,960	—	2,009	—³	35,969
1972	35,530	4,270	1,940	—³	41,740
1973	34,360	4,123	2,049	—³	40,532
1974	34,640	3,709	1,678	—³	40,027
1975	31,890	3,887	1,973	—³	37,750
1976	35,090	3,879	2,384	—³	41,353
1977	37,580	4,215	2,216	—³	44,011

Table: eye lens operations (mainly cataracts) performed in NHS hospitals
Year	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Yearly Total
1978	35,400	4,355	2,217	—³	41,972
1979	40,380	3,980	2,524	—³	46,884
1980	46,140	4,626	2,649	—³	53,415
1981	46,890	4,957	2,711	—³	54,558
1982	44,360	5,060	2,380	—³	51,800
1983	50,820	4,335	3,135	—³	58,290
1984	56,440	5,653	3,021	—³	65,114
1985	59,810	6,740	3,747	—³	70,297
1986	—¹	6,740	4,253	—³	10,993
1987–88	—¹	7,162	4,465	—³	11,627
1988–89	82,306	7,469	4,495	—³	94,270
1989–90	92,165	9,047	5,111	—³	106,323
1990–91	98,275	9,476	5,643	—³	113,394
1991–92	110,601	10,660	6,102	2,668	130,031
1992–93	118,697	10,686	8,619	2,437	140,439
1993–94	131,068	12,706	8,279	3,402	155,455
1994–95	151,785	13,695	9,132	4,295	178,907
1995–96	—²	15,117	10,027	5,062	30,206

Notes:

England:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1987–88.

¹ Transition period following introduction of new data collection system means data for these years is not of sufficient quality.

² Data not yet available.

Scotland:

All operations relate to those carried out in NHS hospitals as principal operation.

Wales:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1983–84.

Northern Ireland:

³ Adequate data prior to 1991–92 is not available.

Nhs Hip Replacement Operations

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many NHS hip replacement operations have been carried out each year since 1970.

The information is shown in the following table.

Table: hip replacements performed in NHS hospitals
Year	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Yearly total
1970	12,020	—	—	—³	12,020
1971	16,440	—	—	—³	16,440
1972	18,460	1,217	—	—³	19,677
1973	18,160	1,575	—	—³	19,735
1974	20,220	1,740	142	—³	22,102
1975	21,480	1,777	1,014	—³	24,271
1976	24,340	2,020	1,240	—³	27,600
1977	25,160	2,204	1,363	—³	28,727
1978	25,760	2,465	1,408	—³	29,633
1979	29,210	2,496	1,539	—³	33,245
1980	31,620	2,974	1,638	—³	36,232
1981	32,260	3,063	1,546	—³	36,869
1982	33,220	3,488	1,543	—³	38,251
1983	36,610	3,265	1,815	—³	41,690
1984	37,410	4,060	1,841	—³	43,311
1985	36,760	4,074	1,854	—³	42,688
1986	—¹	4,574	1,934	—³	6,508
1987–88	—¹	4,867	2,149	—³	7,016
1988–89	46,490	5,170	1,945	—³	53,605
1989–90	50,370	6,402	2,010	—³	58,782
1990–91	49,647	5,513	1,697	—³	56,857
1991–92	55,399	5,615	2,500	1,328	64,842
1992–93	57,381	5,793	3,116	1,542	67,832

Table: hip replacements performed in NHS hospitals
Year	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Yearly total
1993–94	58,643	6,093	3,233	1,740	69,709
1994–95	62,510	6,221	3,647	1,940	74,318
1995–96	—²	6,531	3,611	2,264	12,406

Notes:

England:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1987–88.

¹ Transition period following introduction of new data collection system means data for these years is not of sufficient quality.

² Data not yet available.

Scotland:

All operations relate to those carried out in NHS hospitals as principal operation.

Wales:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1983–84.

Northern Ireland:

³ Adequate data prior to 1991–92 is not available.

Nhs Hospitals: General And Acute Day Cases

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the number of general and acute day cases for each year since 1970.

The information is shown in the following table.

Table: number of general and acute day cases in NHS hospitals (000's)
Year	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Yearly Total
1970	—	—	—	—	0
1971	—	—	—	—	0
1972	—	—	8	—	8
1973	—	—	13	—	13
1974	417	—	18	—	435
1975	391	—	16	—	407
1976	460	55	19	—	534
1977	517	66	23	—	606
1978	543	72	27	—	642
1979	570	77	31	—	678
1980	649	84	35	—	768
1981	690	92	36	10	828
1982	685	89	34	—	808
1983	787	92	36	12	927
1984	872	115	36	14	1,037
1985	938	118	49	16	1,121
1986	1,020	131	67	21	1,239
1987–88	861	135	76	27	1,099
1988–89	1,005	139	83	43	1,270
1989–90	1,152	148	84	44	1,428
1990–91	1,251	155	98	48	1,552
1991–92	1,535	171	130	58	1,894
1992–93	1,785	178	160	66	2,189
1993–94	2,080	210	198	76	2,564
1994–95	2,439	253	235	90	3,017
1995–96	2,813	292	256	95	3,456

Notes:

England:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1987–88.

Figures for 1987–88 were compiled from the KP70 return. As this was the first data collection of the new return, there may have been a degree of undercounting.

Scotland:

Wales:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1983–84.

Figures for 1970 and 1971 are not available.

Northern Ireland:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1988–89.

Complete information is not available for 1982 due to an industrial dispute.

Information before 1981, if available, can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Nhs Hospitals: General And Acute Outpatients

asked Her Majesty's Government:What has been the number of outpatients (general and acute sector) each year since 1970.

The information is shown in the following table.

Table: Total number of outpatient attendances (general and acute) in NHS hospitals (000's)
Year	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Yearly Total
1970	26,917	3,107	1,393	—	31,417
1971	27,660	3,068	1,425	—	32,153
1972	27,947	2,993	1,445	—	32,385
1973	28,082	2,989	1,447	—	32,518
1974	28,272	3,261	1,491	—	33,024
1975	26,024	3,229	1,401	—	30,654
1976	27,434	3,263	1,478	—	32,175
1977	28,248	3,325	1,489	—	33,062
1978	28,647	3,311	1,494	—	33,452
1979	28,643	3,339	1,509	—	33,491
1980	29,635	3,389	1,587	—	34,611
1981	30,063	3,482	1,651	938	36,134
1982	30,257	3,505	1,649	—	35,411
1983	31,171	3,397	1,771	1,012	37,351
1984	31,702	3,617	1,817	1,056	38,192
1985	32,088	3,680	1,888	1,106	38,762
1986	32,414	3,752	1,946	1,119	39,231
1987–88	31,880	3,783	1,987	1,128	38,778
1988–89	31,420	3,833	1,985	1,092	38,330
1989–90	31,612	3,856	2,015	1,110	38,593
1990–91	31,400	3,912	2,014	1,108	38,434
1991–92	32,258	3,943	2,063	1,129	39,393
1992–93	33,048	4,009	2,134	1,147	40,338
1993–94	33,821	4,083	2,238	1,157	41,299
1994–95	34,932	4,115	2,287	1,215	42,549
1995–96	35,874	4,182	2,296	1,217	43,569

Notes:

England:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1987–88.

Scotland:

Figures for 1971 are estimates based on data for 8 months ending 31 March 1971.

Wales:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1983–84.

Northern Ireland:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1988–89.

Complete information is not available for 1982 due to an industrial dispute.

Information before 1981, if available, can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Nhs Hospitals: Bed Availability

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the number of beds in NHS hospitals each year since 1948.

The information is shown in the following table.

Table: average daily number of available beds in wards open overnight in NHS hospitals
Year	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Yearly Total
1949	—¹	—²	23,503	—	23,503
1950	—¹	—²	24,234	—	24,234
1951	—¹	—²	24,435	—	24,435
1952	—¹	—²	25,056	—	25,056
1953	—¹	—²	25,675	—	25,675
1954	—¹	—²	25,747	—	25,747
1955	—¹	—²	25,992	—	25,992
1956	—¹	—²	26,265	—	26,265
1957	—¹	—²	26,498	—	26,498
1958	—¹	—²	—	—	—
1959	—¹	—²	26,436	—	26,436
1960	447,457	—²	26,258	—	473,715
1961	442,343	—²	27,086	—	469,429
1962	440,316	—²	27,212	—	467,528
1963	439,176	—²	27,381	—	466,557
1964	438,404	—²	27,374	—	465,778
1965	437,408	—²	27,124	—	464,532
1966	434,846	—²	26,840	—	461,686
1967	434,378	—²	26,841	—	461,219
1968	432,140	—²	26,734	—	458,874
1969	428,737	—	26,563	—	455,300
1970	423,621	62,888	26,110	—	512,619
1971	419,612	62,990	25,868	—	508,470
1972	412,664	62,642	25,622	—	500,928
1973	403,526	62,121	25,044	—	490,691
1974	396,235	61,850	24,707	—	482,792
1975	387,632	60,701	24,256	—	472,589
1976	383,132	60,411	24,059	—	467,602
1977	375,926	59,707	23,993	—	459,626
1978	369,235	59,081	23,708	—	452,024
1979	361,670	58,788	23,456	—	443,914
1980	355,978	58,334	23,203	—	437,515
1981	351,669	58,150	22,940	17,203	449,962
1982	348,104	57,928	22,441	—	428,473
1983	343,091	57,119	22,412	16,976	439,598
1984	334,513	57,342	22,295	16,715	430,865
1985	325,487	56,802	21.999	16,595	420,883
1986	315,714	55,955	21,565	15,962	409,196
1987–88	297,338	55,338	21,103	15,410	389,189
1988–89	282,897	54,487	20,504	14,684	372,572
1989–90	270,309	53,448	19,855	14,154	357,766
1990–91	255,479	52,121	19,414	13,487	340,501
1991–92	242,677	50,640	19,640	12,600	325,557
1992–93	232,201	48,738	18,078	11,712	310,729
1993–94	219,476	46,731	17,475	10,878	294,560
1994–95	211,812	44,186	16,834	10,356	283.188
1995–96	206,136	42,351	15,951	10,054	274.492

Notes:

England:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1987–88.

¹ Information can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Scotland:

² Information can only be provided at disproportionate cost. Information on average available staffed beds in Scotland indicates the average daily number of beds which are staffed and available for the reception of inpatients and day cases. Borrowed and temporary beds are included. Figures are shown from 1970-figures for earlier years are not readily available.

Wales:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1983–84.

Northern Ireland:

Moved to counting over the financial year than calendar year from 1988–89. Complete information is not available for 1982 due to an industrial dispute. Information before 1981, if available, can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Nhs Hospitals: Inpatient Cases

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the number of inpatient cases per available bed each year since 1970.

The information is shown in the following table.

Table: number of inpatient cases per available bed in NHS hospitals
Year	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Yearly Total
1970	—¹	11.1	12.2	—	23.3
1971	—¹	11.3	12.5	—	23.8
1972	—¹	11.6	12.8	—	24.4
1973	—¹	11.4	12.8	—	24.2
1974	14.5	11.6	13.3	—	39.4
1975	14.3	11.5	13.2	—	39.0
1976	15.3	12.2	14.1	—	41.6
1977	15.8	12.5	14.3	—	42.6
1978	16.2	12.5	14.7	—	43.4
1979	16.6	12.6	14.9	—	44.1
1980	17.7	13.1	15.8	—	46.6
1981	18.3	13.5	16.4	15.2	63.4
1982	18.3	13.7	16.5	—	48.5
1983	19.5	13.0	17.8	15.9	66.2
1984	20.5	14.0	18.6	16.5	69.6
1985	21.7	14.5	19.5	17.5	73.2
1986	22.6	15.0	20.2	18.2	76.0
1987–88	24.8	15.2	21.6	19.1	80.7
1988–89	25.9	16.0	22.3	20.7	84.9
1989–90	27.7	16.5	23.9	21.9	90.0
1990–91	29.5	17.2	24.9	23.3	94.9
1991–92	32.0	18.0	25.5	26.1	101.6
1992–93	33.7	18.9	27.9	29.3	109.8
1993–94	36.4	20.2	29.1	33.9	119.6
1994–95	38.1	21.6	30.5	37.5	127.7
1995–96	40.6	22.7	32.3	39.8	135.4

Notes:

Finished consultant episodes (FCE's) are not the same as the number of patients treated because a hospital spell can consist of more than one FCE, and patients discharged too early who are subsequently readmitted as emergencies count as another FCE. Further more, an FCE count cannot by itself serve as a valid measure of productivity since it is not standardised over the time for any changes in the quality of treatment.

England:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1987–88.

¹ Figures for FCE's in these years are available only at disproportionate cost. In England the number of inpatient FCE's per available bed differs from information published in table 2 of the Statistical Bulletin NHS hospital activity statistics: England 1985 to 1995–96.Figures in the bulletin exclude well babies while the above figures include well babies. This is to ensure comparability as it was not possible to calculate figures excluding well babies back to 1974.

Scotland:

Wales:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1983–84

Northern Ireland:

Moved to counoting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1988–99.

Complete information is not available for 1982 due to an industrial dispute.

Information before 1981, if available, can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Nhs Hospitals: Acute Bed Availability

asked Her Majesty's Government:What has been the average daily number of available acute beds each year since 1970.

The information is shown in the following table.

Table: average daily number of available acute beds in NHS hospitals (000's)
Year	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Yearly total
1970	162	33	13	—	208
1971	162	33	13	—	208
1972	162	33	11	—	206
1973	160	33	11	—	204
1974	160	33	11	—	204
1975	157	31	11	—	199
1976	157	32	to	—	199
1977	154	32	10	—	196
1978	152	32	10	—	194
1979	149	32	10	—	191
1980	146	32	10	—	188
1981	145	32	10	10	197
1982	144	32	10	—	186
1983	142	31	10	10	193
1984	139	32	10	10	191
1985	136	32	10	10	188
1986	133	31	10	9	183
1987–88	128	31	9	9	177
1988–89	123	31	9	9	172
1989–90	121	31	9	8	169
1990–91	117	31	9	8	165
1991–92	115	30	9	8	162
1992–93	113	29	9	7	158
1993–94	110	29	8	7	154
1994–95	108	28	9	7	152
1995–96	108	27	8	6	149

Notes:

England:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1987–88.

Scotland:

Wales:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1983–84.

Northern Ireland:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather calendar year from 1988–89.

Complete information is not available for 1982 due to an industrial dispute.

Information before 1981, if available, can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Nhs Hospitals: General And Acute Cases

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the total number of general and acute cases for each year since 1970.

The information is shown in the following table.

Table: total number of general and acute cases in NHS hospitals (000s)
Year	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Yearly total
1970	—¹	563	254	—	817
1971	—¹	573	259	—	832
1972	—¹	593	275	—	868
1973	—¹	577	273	—	850
1974	4,768	592	289	—	5,649
1975	4,569	572	280	—	5,421
1976	4,924	660	302	—	5,886
1977	5,077	684	311	—	6,072
1978	5,095	686	319	—	6,100
1979	5,099	681	321	—	6,101
1980	5,404	714	338	—	6,456
1981	5,565	739	350	213	6,867
1982	5,515	755	342	—	6,612
1983	5,900	706	372	225	7,203
1984	6,118	790	386	229	7,523
1985	6,323	804	411	243	7,781
1986	6,449	830	435	243	7,957
1987–88	6,469	839	464	247	8,019
1988–89	6,577	867	470	258	8,172
1989–90	6,829	691	488	264	8,272
1990–91	6,936	911	508	269	8,624
1991–92	7,448	939	556	283	9,226
1992–93	7,772	953	591	295	9,611
1993–94	8,207	1,009	631	311	10,158
1994–95	8,649	1,088	675	328	10,740
1995–96	9,209	1,115	697	336	11,357

Notes:

England:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1987–88.

¹ Figures for these years are available only at disproportionate costs.

Scotland:

Due to the changes in coding classifications, certain year-on-year comparisons may not be strictly comparable.

Wales:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1983–84.

Northern Ireland:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1988–89.

Complete information is not available for 1982 due to an industrial dispute.

Information before 1981, if available, can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Nhs Hospitals: General And Acute Admissions

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many admissions per available bed there have been each year in the general and acute sector since 1970.

The information is shown in the following table.

Table: number of admissions per available bed (general and acute sector) in NHS hospitals (000s)
Year	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Yearly Total
1970	—¹	17	17	—	34
1971	—¹	18	18	—	36
1972	—¹	18	18	—	36
1973	—¹	18	18	—	36
1974	20	18	19	—	57

Table: number of admissions per available bed (general and acute sector) in NHS hospitals (000s)
Year	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Yearly Total
1975	20	18	18	—	56
1976	21	19	20	—	60
1977	22	19	20	—	61
1978	22	19	20	—	61
1979	22	19	20	—	61
1980	24	20	21	—	65
1981	24	20	22	22	88
1982	24	21	22	—	67
1983	26	20	24	23	93
1984	27	21	25	24	97
1985	28	22	26	25	101
1986	29	22	27	26	104
1987–88	31	23	28	27	109
1988–89	32	24	29	30	115
1989–90	33	24	31	32	120
1990–91	35	25	32	33	125
1991–92	38	26	34	37	135
1992–93	39	27	35	41	142
1993–94	42	28	36	46	152
1994–95	43	30	37	50	160
1995–96	45	31	38	53	167

Notes:

England:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1987–88.

¹ Information prior to 1974 can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Scotland:

Due to the changes in coding classifications, certain year-on-year comparisons may not be strictly comparable.

Wales:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1983–84.

Northern Ireland:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1988–89.

Complete information is not available for 1982 due to an industrial dispute.

Information before 1981, if available, can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Nhs Hospitals: Outpatient Attendances

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the number of outpatients (all specialties) in the NHS in each year since 1970.

The information is shown in the following table.

Table: total number of outpatient attendances in NHS hospitals (000s)
Year	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Yearly Total
1970	32,355	3,633	1,655	—	37,643
1971	33,129	3,582	1,690	—	38,401
1972	33,243	3,557	1,699	—	38,499
1973	33,318	3,540	1,694	—	38,552
1974	33,352	3,877	1,743	—	38,972
1975	30,947	3,825	1,647	—	36,419
1976	32,396	3,866	1,728	—	37,990
1977	32,282	3,914	1,740	—	38,936
1978	33,950	3,905	1,762	—	39,617
1979	34,100	3,957	1,803	—	39,860
1980	35,243	4,023	1,900	—	41,166

Table: total number of outpatient attendances in NHS hospitals (000s)
Year	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Yearly Total
1981	35,571	4,131	1,962	213	41,877
1982	35,651	4,150	1,959	—	41,760
1983	36,520	4,025	2,083	225	42,853
1984	37,043	4,240	2,128	229	43,640
1985	37,440	4,289	2,203	243	44,175
1986	37,728	4,364	2,268	243	44,603
1987–88	36,846	4,383	2,315	247	43,791
1988–89	36,118	4,445	2,295	258	43,116
1989–90	36,305	4,443	2,315	264	43,327
1990–91	36,112	4,494	2,320	269	43,195
1991–92	36,894	4,546	2,369	283	44,092
1992–93	37,527	4,598	2,440	295	44,860
1993–94	38,202	4,680	2,546	311	45,739
1994–95	39,306	4,720	2,588	328	46,942
1995–96	40,118	4,773	2,570	336	47,797

Notes:

England:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1987–88.

Scotland:

Figures for 1970–75 are year ending 30 September.

Attendances at consultant outpatient clinics. Excludes Accident and Emergency attendance.

Figure for 1971 based on data for six months ending 31 March 1971.

Wales:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1983–84.

Northern Ireland:

Moved to counting over the financial year rather than calendar year from 1988–89.

Complete information is not available for 1982 due to an industrial dispute.

Information before 1981, if available. can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Nhs Patients: Direct Care Staff

asked Her Majesty's Government:What proportion of staff have provided direct patient care in each year since 1970.

Estimates for National Health Service staff, comprising hospital and community health services and general medical services as a whole, are not available before 1990. Figures showing the proportion of staff employed by the hospital and community health services classified as direct care staff from 1970 to 1996 are shown in the following table. This includes some staff not directly involved in patient care, for example some technical staff, and excludes some staff who were directly involved in patient care, for example ambulance paramedics. The figures are not comparable over time because of, in particular: changes to nurses' standard working hours in 1980–81; the exclusion of staff working in contracted out services; the changes resulting from the transition from traditional pre-registration nurse training to Project 2000 nurse training; and changes to the classification of non-medical staff from 1995.

NHS hospital and community health services (HCHS) Proportion of direct care staff
United Kingdom and Great Britain as at September each year
Year	United Kingdom Per cent.	Great Britain Per cent.
1970	—	—
1971	—	57
1972	—	57
1973	—	58
1974	—	58
1975	—	58
1976	—	58
1977	57	58
1978	—	—
1979	58	59
1980	59	59
1981	60	60
1982	60	61
1983	60	61
1984	62	62
1985	63	63
1986	64	65
1987	64	65
1988	65	66
1989	64	65
1990	66	67
1991	66	67
1992	65	66
1993	65	66
1994	65	66
1995	65	66
1996	66	67

Notes:

1. Figures before 1981 are not comparable with those for later years due to a reduction in nurses standard working hours in 1980–81 from 40 to 37.5 hours per week.

2. Figures for Project 2000 students and staff employed by independent contractors are excluded.

3. A new classification for non-medical NHS staff was introduced in 1995; information based on this classification is not directly comparable with earlier years.

4. Figures are based on staff numbers expressed as whole-time equivalents.

— not available.

Nhs: Patient Access To Healthcare

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why all hospital patients are not afforded the same quality of care available to the patients of fund-holding GPs and whether equal speed of access to surgery and operating theatres would enable the hospitals to function at full capacity and at full cost effectiveness.

The Government's aim is to provide access to healthcare for all patients where no one is disadvantaged. The focus will be on delivering high-quality healthcare which reflects local population needs and operates as fairly as possible. It is for individual hospital trusts to ensure that they provide an efficient and cost effective surgical service. We have issued guidance to the National Health Service requiring general practitioner fundholders to agree common waiting time standards for non-urgent patients with their health authorities with effect from April 1998. We have also reinforced previous guidance that hospitals should already be operating common waiting lists for urgent patients regardless of whether their commissioner is a GP fundholder or a health authority.

Nhs Prescription Charges

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will give an assurance that, in view of their manifesto commitment, they have no intention of imposing charges for prescriptions on old age pensioners during the life of this parliament.

We will be examining prescription charges as part of the Government's comprehensive spending review. The Government remain committed to the historic principle of the National Health Service that health services should be available to all and access be based on need not on ability to pay.

Nhs Funding

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the percentage real terms and cash increase for 1996–97,1997–98 and 1998–99 in NHS funding for each health authority.

The figures for 1996–97 and 1997–98 will be placed in the Library. An announcement will be made about 1998–99 allocations in the Autumn.

Northern Ireland Partnership Board: Strategic Aim

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will give effect to the strategic aim of the recently published 1996–97 annual report of the Northern Ireland Partnership Board, "to reinforce progress towards a peaceful and stable society, and to promote reconciliation by increasing economic development and employment, promoting urban and rural regeneration, developing cross-border co-operation and extending social inclusion".

The strategic aim quoted is that of the EU Special Support Programme for Peace and Reconciliation through which the Northern Ireland Partnership Board is responsible for the management of the District Partnerships Sub-programme. Further funding for the programme for the years 1998–99 is now being negotiated with the European Commission and every effort is being made by Her Majesty's Government to ensure the continuation of the programme for a further two years.

Northern Ireland: Social Economy Contribution

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the development and practical application of the concept of "social economy" would help the people of Northern Ireland to co-operate in the resolution of the political and economic problems of the Province.

The Government recognise the value of the social economy in delivering services that might not otherwise be provided and in promoting local economic and community development. The community and voluntary sector is instrumental in developing the social economy and makes a significant contribution to social, economic and political life in Northern Ireland through creating employment, increasing social cohesion, strengthening democracy and helping to build a sustainable peace. The Government acknowledge the potential contribution of the social economy to political and economic progress and is working to strengthen its relationship with the community and voluntary sector.

Northern Ireland: Guardsmen Wright And Fisher

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress there has been towards the release from prison in Northern Ireland of Guardsmen Wright and Fisher.

Following Mr. Justice Girvan's judgment of 2 July 1997, the cases of the guardsmen are being considered afresh. Concurrently Mr. Justice Girvan's judgment is being appealed and this is scheduled to be heard on 4 August 1997.

Devolution Referendums: Dates

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 advisers and others which led them to the conclusion that the devolution referendum should be held one week earlier in Scotland than in Wales.

The Government explained in some detail why it wished to hold the referendums on separate dates during the passage of the Referendums (Scotland and Wales) Act 1997. Parliament accepted these reasons in agreeing that the separate dates for the referendums should be written into the legislation.

Collision Warning System For Fast Jet Aircraft

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress is being made with development and production of a Collision Warning System for RAF fast jet aircraft.

A Technology Demonstration Programme (TDP) was completed at DTEO Boscombe Down last year. The TDP concluded that a Collision Warning System based on aircraft Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) systems would be technically feasible in the low-level fast-jet environment. MoD is now considering the way forward. No decisions have yet been taken.

Helicopters And Military Aircraft: Collision Risks

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action is being taken to minimise the risk of collision between helicopters conducting pipe and powerline surveys and low flying military aircraft; andWhether consideration has been given to affording protected airspace to helicopters operating under the Pipeline Inspection Notification System.

On 18 August measures were introduced to improve the accuracy of Pipeline Inspection Notification System (PINS) information available to military aircrew. These will include the issue of a revised map which refines the areas notified on the PINS chart to depict daily activity more accurately. Given these changes, we currently see no requirement to afford protected airspace to helicopters operating under PINS. We have a wide range of measures in place, which are kept under continuous review, to minimise the risk of confliction between civil and military aircraft, including those conducting power and pipeline inspections.

Commercial Helicopter Air Proximity Reports

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many air proximity reports were filed by commercial helicopter operators in areas for which a CANP notification had been submitted between September 1996 and April 1997.

None.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many air proximity reports were filed by commercial helicopter operators engaged on pipe and powerline survey inspections between September 1996 and April 1997.

Four.

Civil Aircraft Notification: Infringements By Military Aircraft

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many notifications under the Civil Aircraft Notification procedure (CANP) from commercial helicopter operators in the United Kingdom were received by the Tactical Booking Cell at RAF West Drayton in the first six months of 1997; andHow many infringements of the CANP were reported in the first six months of 1997 and how many of these infringements were confirmed as breaches of the procedure by low flying military aircraft.

Six hundred and sixty-three Civil Aircraft Notification Procedure (CANP) notifications were received by the MoD from commercial helicopter operators between 1 January and 30 June 1997. Twenty-five alleged infringements of CANP notification by low flying military aircraft were reported over this period, 19 of which were confirmed by RAF Police investigations. One alleged infringement was withdrawn and one was not substantiated. Four cases are still under investigation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What consideration has been given to upgrading airspace covered by Civil Aircraft Notification procedure (CANP) to "prohibited" status.

Entry into airspace surrounding commercial activity notified under CANP is already prohibited to all fixed wing military aircraft flying at low level at speeds faster than 140 knots. We believe that existing flight safety measures adequately minimise the risk of confliction between commercial flights and other categories of military aircraft activity (specifically those flying slower than 140 knots, those operating in a Military Air Traffic Zone and all helicopters); and between military low level flights and other non-commercial civil activities notified under CANP.

Mid-Air Explosion, Isle Of Lewis

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the military involvement in the search for the unidentified object that witnesses believe exploded in mid air, before crashing into the sea off the Isle of Lewis on 26 October 1996, and what liaison took place with the US authorities with regard to this incident.

Following media reports of an explosion, initially attributed to a mid-air collision north of the Butt of Lewis, an extensive search of the area was carried out by RAF and Coastguard Search and Rescue assets, but was later abandoned after it became clear that no aircraft had been reported overdue. HQ US 3rd Air Force were also approached at the time. They confirmed that there had been no US military activity in the area.

Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt: Memorandum

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Ministry of Defence replied to the 1981 memorandum from Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt, which reported the presence of an unidentified craft that had landed in close proximity to RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge, witnessed by United States Air Force personnel; and if not, why not; andHow the radiation readings reported to the Ministry of Defence by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt in his memorandum dated 13 January 1981 compare to the normal levels of background radiation in Rendelsham Forest.

The memorandum, which reported observations of unusual lights in the sky, was assessed by staff in the MoD responsible for air defence matters. Since the judgment was that it contained nothing of defence significance, no further action was taken.There is no record of any official assessment of the radiation readings reported by Lieutenant Colonel Halt. From a Defence perspective some 16½ years after the alleged events, there is no requirement to carry out such an assessment now.

Joint Services Command And Staff College

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the site at Camberley, in favour of which the Greenwich site was rejected for the JSCSC, is to be cleared of asbestos, and, if so, at what cost; why was the presence of asbestos not ascertained before plans to move the JSCSC there were finalised and then changed; and what plans do the Ministry of Defence have for the Camberley site once it has been cleared of asbestos; andWhy, given that the consultation document on the future location of the JSCSC that was issued in January 1995 did not address the possibility of setting the college up on a greenfield site, there has been no consultation on the Shrivenham option; andWhat is the anticipated total cost of the interim accommodation for the JSCSC until the work on Shrivenham is completed, and what date is being required for completion; andWhether the anticipated overall cost to the taxpayer of the PFI scheme currently being considered for the new site of the JSCSC will be declared to Parliament; andFurther to the Written Answers by Lord Gilbert on 21 July (

WA 147–148) on the future of the Joint Services Command and Staff College (JSCSC), whether apart from the provision of married accommodation, the Greenwich site would be at least £200 million cheaper than accommodation at the proposed greenfield site at Shrivenham; and whether the cost of the Shrivenham site is expected to be around £500 million.

I am advised that the asbestos identified at the Camberley site presents no threat to health if left undisturbed. Its removal would be required if buildings were to be demolished, which was the case when the JSCSC was to have been based at Camberley. At that stage it was estimated that survey and removal together would cost no more than £87K. The presence of asbestos was not the reason for exploring a PFI solution for the JSCSC. Until a decision is reached on the future use of the Camberley site, it is not clear whether action will be needed to deal with the asbestos. It remains our intention to identify a fitting and appropriate military use for the historic Staff College building at Camberley and work is currently under way to this end.Although the January 1995 Consultative Document did not consider greenfield sites for the permanent JSCSC, for the reasons given in paragraph 9 of the Document, the two further Consultative Documents of March 1996 and July 1996 indicated, inter alia, that interim arrangements would last for two years, that proposals for the permanent site would be dealt with separately, and that work in hand "to determine the best way of providing (a permanent JSCSC), on a site yet to be identified, includes a development under Private Finance Initiative (PFI) arrangements". Since then, the trades unions have been informed of the choice of a PFI Preferred Bidder and provided with extracts from the Invitation To Negotiate which are currently under discussion. In accordance with normal procedures, staff will be consulted again, after a contract has been placed, about the possible transfer arrangements for civilian staff working at interim sites.The anticipated total cost of the JSCSC in its interim accommodation is approximately £70 million over the period 1996–97 to 1999–2000. The required completion date for the permanent JSCSC, as given in the published Statement of Requirement, is September 1999.The estimated total, undiscounted and VAT inclusive, cost of the PFI contract over a 30-year period is approximately £500 million at current prices. This information was widely reported at the time of the announcement of the Preferred Bidder, and given out in another place on 26 February in response to a specific question. This estimate excludes the ongoing costs of MoD-provided teaching and directing staff of around £10 million per annum.The last time that Greenwich costs were subjected to formal assessment was around the end of 1994. The results of this assessment were published in the Consultative Document of January 1995. These showed the Greenwich option, leaving aside the cost of providing the necessary married accommodation, to be more than 25 per cent. more expensive than the Camberley option. There is no evidence to suggest that, if the costs of the Greenwich option were revisited, they would prove anything other than significantly more expensive than both the Camberley option and the Preferred Shrivenham Bid submitted in the course of the PFI competition.

Future Large Aircraft Programme

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the current status of the Future Large Aircraft programme.

The importance of an air transport capability in the new strategic environment has been demonstrated in numerous recent operations such as the Gulf conflict and Bosnia.The department has been closely involved in discussions with European partners on the Future Large Aircraft programme, which is a potential solution to our future air transport requirements. I have now decided that the UK should join partners in issuing a Request For Proposals to Airbus Military Company for the Future Large Aircraft, and formally endorse the European Staff Requirement and Statement of Principles governing the commercial management of the programme.The programme offers an important opportunity for European industry. The Government believe, however, that there is a need to maintain competitive pressure to ensure best value for money. We shall, therefore, be encouraging our partners to join us in seeking bids from other aircraft manufacturers.We expect the replacement aircraft to come into service early next century. Precise costs for each aircraft will be provided in response to our Request for Proposals.

No 32 (The Royal) Squadron Helicopters: Replacement

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have to replace the service currently provided by the Wessex helicopters of No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron.

The two Wessex aircraft used by No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron are nearly 30 years old and are becoming increasingly costly to maintain and operate. At the request of the Royal Household, we will therefore shortly issue invitations to tender to UK helicopter operators to provide a service based on a single helicopter. The cost of the new service will be met by the Royal Household from the Royal Travel grant-in-aid and should provide significant savings.

Volunteer Reserve Forces: Service 1996–97

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many members of the volunteer Reserve Forces have been employed by each of the Armed Services between 1 January 1996 and 30 June 1997 for more than three weeks continuously on full-time service of a kind which would otherwise have required a call on the Regular Forces; and to give the figures broken down into under three months, three to six months and more than six months.

The total number of members of the volunteer Reserve Forces who have served continuously for more than three weeks between 1 January 1996 and 30 July 1997 and within the specified periods is below. Individual reservists who have served more than one continuous three week period have been counted only once.

Royal Naval Reserve
Less than 3 months	139
Between 3 and 6 months	30
More than 6 months	27
Royal Marines Reserve (from 1 April 1996 only)
Less than 3 months	66
Between 3 and 6 months	35
More than 6 months	76
Territorial Army¹
Less than 3 months	216
Between 3 and 6 months	151
More than 6 months	1,648
Royal Auxiliary Air Force and Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Less than 3 months	56
Between 3 and 6 months	8
More than 6 months	68
¹ These figures represent only members of the Territorial Army who have been called out for permanent service.

¹ These figures represent only members of the Territorial Army who have been called out for permanent service.

Trident Submarine Programme

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the position on the Trident submarine programme, in particular the next UK order for Trident missile bodies.

Construction of the fourth and final Trident submarine is proceeding well at the yard of GEC Marine at Barrow in Furness. I was privileged to be present last week at two Trident missile test firings successfully carried out by HMS "Vigilant", the third vessel of the class, which will be entering service on time in the fairly near future.Consistent with our policy of maintaining a four-boat Trident fleet, we have concluded that the planned US Fiscal Year 1998 order for seven further Trident missile bodies should go ahead. This will bring the number of Trident missiles purchased or ordered by the UK to 58.It remains our policy to work towards verifiable global disarmament. For the present, however, we are committed to the maintenance of a minimum level of deterrence, and this missile order is consistent with that aim. Our future missile and warhead requirements remain under consideration in the Strategic Defence Review.

Ec Water Directives: Cost-Benefit Analyses

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they consider that the European Commission has issued adequate cost-benefit analyses for each of its water directives, in accordance with Article 130r of the Treaty on European Union.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions

(Baroness Hayman)

The Government attach great importance to assessments of the potential benefits and costs of action or lack of action as regards all Community environmental legislation. The Commission is committed to the principle that all proposals for legislation should be accompanied by economic analyses and the Government expect these to be of an adequate standard to allow proper consideration of the proposal by member states consistent with Article 130r. The Government have some concern that this is not always the case, for example, in respect of the proposal for a water framework directive.

Rear Seat Belts

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have to publicise the benefits to passengers of wearing seat belts in the rear seats of vehicles.

The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions provides leaflets on seat belt wearing to local authority Road Safety Officers and the Police. The department is currently considering plans for future publicity campaigns.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What estimate they have of the total number of injuries and deaths prevented through the compulsory wearing of rear seat belts.

An estimated 880 lives and 11,200 serious injuries have been saved since July 1991 through the introduction of compulsory wearing of rear seat belts.At current wearing rates, rear seat belts are saving an estimated 140 lives and 1,800 serious casualties per year, compared to no belts worn. With full compliance, an estimated further 120 lives and 1,100 serious injuries could be saved per year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have to ensure that Section 14 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (compulsory wearing of seat belts) is more strictly enforced.

Enforcement of the vehicle seat belt regulations is a matter for individual chief officers of police. Offenders are commonly issued with a fixed penalty notice, or warned, but prosecutions are also undertaken.

Prior Options Reviews: Policy

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to continue the previous administration's policies on the prior options review recommendations, with regard, in particular, to the appointment of senior staff in public sector research establishments who are sympathetic to prior options policies.

Ministers are considering how to approach the results of the programme of prior options reviews of public sector research establishments (PSREs), which were announced by the previous government in January 1997. In doing so, they will bear in mind the need to minimise any continuing uncertainty within these establishments, and the importance of sustaining the morale and commitment to their staff. Appointments of senior PSRE staff are carried out in accordance with the rules on public appointments, based on the principle of fair and open competition.

British Geological Survey: Appointment Of Director

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the appointment of the new director of the British Geological Survey is to be carried out according to the implementation of prior options reviews policies.

The post of Director of the British Geological Survey (BGS) was advertised earlier this year. Following a rigorous selection process, Dr. David Falvey has been appointed to the post. He will take up the post in Janaury 1998 following the retirement of the current Director, Dr. Peter Cook.The appointment was carried out in accordance with the rules on public appointments and based on the principle of fair and open competition.

Dr Tony Wright

asked Her Majesty's Government:When Mr. Tony Wright MP was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Lord Chancellor.

Dr. Tony Wright was appointed as my Parliamentary Private Secretary on 14 May 1997.

"Goodwin" Judgment

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer given by the Lord Chancellor on 22 July (

WA 153), whether they consider that United Kingdom courts are under a duty to give effect to the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Goodwin v. United Kingdom in interpreting Section 10 of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 notwithstanding the decision of the House of Lords in that case or the judgment of the High Court on 4 July 1997 in Camelot Group plc v. Centaur Communications Ltd.

The Goodwin judgment itself is still under consideration by the Committee of Ministers pursuant to Article 54 of the Convention.

Lord Chancellor's Residence: Refurbishment

asked the Chairman of Committees:Whether the contract for the proposed refurbishment of the Lord Chancellor's residence has been let; when the work is expected to start; and what is the anticipated date of completion.

The first contracts for the refurbishment of the Lord Chancellor's residence have been let and work has begun. An anticipated date for the completion of the project will not be available until the remaining contracts have been let.

Lord Chancellor's Residence: Contracts For Refurbishment

asked the Chairman of Committees:Whether the contract for the proposed refurbishment of the Lord Chancellor's residence will be put out to tender, and whether it will be a fixed price contract.

All the work to refurbish the Lord Chancellor's residence will be undertaken in accordance with the House's policies on competitive tendering. This will not be one overall contract, but several covering specialist works and the supply of furnishings.

Grant Maintained Schools Advisory Bodies: Government Grant

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 30 June (

WA 5), whether the Grant Maintained Schools Foundation and the Grant Maintained Schools Advisory Committee have been notified of the termination of government grant; and if so, when they were notified, when the final payment was made to each organisation, and what grant provision was made to help meet their obligations for staff redundancies.

The Grant Maintained Schools Foundation is a company limited by guarantee, not a voluntary organisation or non-departmental public body. It was notified on 14 May that government grant would cease as from the end of June, and the final grant payment in respect of June was paid in June. It is for the foundation in the first instance to consider the consequences for its employees. The department has been in discussion with the foundation about the arrangements for winding up the foundation following the termination of grant.The Grant Maintained Schools Advisory Committee has not had its grant terminated, although the grant has been reduced from its previous level. The committee was informed on 3 June that the department was prepared to make further grant available up to a maximum of £15,000 during the remainder of this financial year, as part of a wider commitment to support communication and consultation between the department and the grant maintained schools sector.

Church Of England Curates: Protection Against Sex Discrimination

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they consider that the curates of the Church of England are protected against sex discrimination in employment by European Community law, even though they are not in a contractual relationship with the Church of England.

The noble and learned Lord will be aware that this is a complex matter and that it is ultimately for the European Court of Justice to rule on the interpretation of European Community law. The directives covering sex discrimination are worded in very general terms. The Court of Appeal has recently confirmed that a curate holds an ecclesiastical office under the law of the Church of England and has no contract of any kind. On balance, therefore, the Government consider it likely on the current state of the law that a curate is not a worker falling within the Equal Treatment Directive (76/207/EEC).

Dental Students: Tuition Fees

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will consider the inclusion of dental students in any bursary scheme that they establish to lessen the impact of tuition fees.

The Government are considering carefully the need for appropriate measures for some health care professional courses. We intend to make a fuller statement in the autumn about our proposals for the funding of higher education.

Disability Benefit Recipients: Position In Income Distribution Table

asked Her Majesty's Government:Where recipients of disability living allowance or attendance allowance appear in calculations of income distribution across the United Kingdom population.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Social Security

(Baroness Hollis of Heigham)

The information is not available in the format requested. The latest available information is in the table.

Position in the household income distribution of individuals in families—in receipt of disability living allowance or attendance allowance—Great Britain 1994–95
Per cent.
Benefit	0 to 30	30 to 50	50 to 70	70 to 100
Disability Living Allowance (DLA)	25	37	22	16
Attendance Allowance (AA)	18	38	29	15

Source:

Households Below Average Income dataset, based on Family Resources Survey (FRS) 1994–95.

Notes:

1. The measure of income used is household equivalised net income before housing costs (BHC). Measured income will include the value of the AA and DLA received.

2. Incomes are equivalised to adjust for household size and composition. No adjustment is made to household income to reflect any additional needs that people with disabilities might have.

3. Recipients in institutions are not covered by the FRS.

4. The FRS is a sample survey and all estimates must be treated as approximate.

5. Up to date estimates are only available for Great Britain as neither the FRS, nor any other equivalent survey, covers Northern Ireland.

Disability Benefit Recipients: Numbers

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the latest figure for the number of recipients of (a) Disability Living Allowance; and (b) Attendance Allowance.

The information requested is in the table:

Recipients of Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance in the United Kingdom
	Number
Disability Living Allowance	1,998,000
Attendance Allowance	1,243,000

Source:

5 per cent. data for Great Britain and 100 per cent. data for Northern Ireland.

Note:

Figures rounded to the nearest thousand and relate to the position as at 31 May 1997.

Quebec

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether in the event of the secession of Quebec from Canada, they would make representations to protect the position of the Inuit population of Quebec.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office

(Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)

Any secession by Quebec, and the terms for it, are hypothetical.

Women's Citizens' Juries

asked Her Majesty's Government:From what source their proposed women's "citizens' juries" will be funded and what will be their estimated annual budget; andWhat impact they anticipate that their proposed women's "citizens' juries" will have upon the framing and determination of government policy.

Women's Citizens' juries are just one of a number of options we are considering for opening up a new dialogue with women. Any panels of this kind that are set up by Government would be funded with money voted by Parliament in the usual way. Our thinking is still at a preliminary stage and we are costing various alternatives. No annual budget has been set.Panels including members of the public have already been used by health authorities to find out people's priorities for hospital spending and other health issues. The role of Womens' Citizens' juries would be to assess the impact of proposals and legislation on women and help to create a bond of trust between women and Government. We want to ensure that the views and experiences of women are taken into account when drawing up legislation.

Mr Radovan Karadzic And General Ratko Mladic

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they are now pursuing together with NATO allies towards the arrest and trial of Mr. Radovan Karadzic and General Ratko Mladic for their alleged abuse of human rights and war crimes.

The mandate of the NATO-led Stabilisation Force (SFOR) allows troops to detain indicted persons with whom they come into contact in the course of their duties, provided the tactical situation permits. This applies to any indictee, including Karadzic and Mladic.

United Nations Deputy Secretary-General

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether a job description will be drawn up before any selection process begins for a Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations; and what criteria will be used for choosing the best possible candidate.

The creation of the Deputy Secretary-General slot was announced by the Secretary-General on 16 July as part of his track two reforms. We await the Secretary-General's detailed proposals on what functions the Deputy Secretary-General should perform. We would expect the Secretary-General to consult member states on the qualities and skills required for the position.

International Criminal Court: Operational Arrangements

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress is being made at the United Nations on the development of operational arrangements for an International Criminal Court; and what are their own recommendations for such arrangements.

The arrangements for the proposed International Criminal Court are being discussed in the Preparatory Committee in New York, the next meeting of which begins on 4 August. Our delegation will be taking an active part in the discussions.

Overseas Civil Service

asked Her Majesty's Government:How they intend to mark in Parliament the passing of Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service (the former Colonial Service), which ceased to exist on 30 June 1997, in view of the part it played in the political and economic development of Britain's former overseas territories.

We are aware of plans by the Overseas Service Pensioners' Association, and others, to mark the end of the HMOCS with commemorative events in 1999. We will wish to be associated with these events.

Unita

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are instigating any of the following preparatory measures in the event of a second package of sanctions against UNITA: (a) the investigation of uses being made by UNITA of their office in London, with a view to its closure; (b) the investigation of uses of UNITA bank accounts in the United Kingdom; and (c) the monitoring of requests for entry to the United Kingdom by UNITA officials.

As a Permanent Member of the Security Council and in line with the Presidential Statement made on 23 July, we are ready to consider further measures against UNITA, including trade measures and travel restrictions, as set out in paragraph 26 in United Nations Security Council Resolution No. 864 (1993).

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are prepared to consider support for the second package of sanctions against UNITA, as mooted earlier by the United Nations Security Council.

I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave on 30 July.

Hong Kong: Report To Parliament

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they plan to publish the first of the reports to Parliament on Hong Kong and the implementation of the Joint Declaration.

The first such report, covering the period January—June 1997, was published yesterday and a copy has been placed in the Libraries of the House. The report includes a foreword written by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.I commend the report to the House.

Business: Short-Term Overseas Attachments

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether there will be an increase in the number of businessmen on short-term attachments at posts overseas.

We made a commitment in our Business Manifesto to improve the focus of our efforts to back British business selling abroad, to enhance the co-ordination of government trade and investment promotion, and to promote business secondments with this department.The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs was pleased to announce that we have secured a commitment from a number of leading companies to lend members of their staff to this department to work on specific promotions or projects overseas for periods of a few months. These people will provide valuable expertise to support and promote the activities of the commercial sections of our overseas posts. Each attachment will have a specific focus, such as privatisation projects, inward investment promotion, management of commercial promotions, marketing of UK financial services, or identifying market opportunities in specific sectors.The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs welcomed the wholehearted support for this initiative of the CBI. They have encouraged a number of their members to participate from the outset, including British Airways, BOC, ICL, Wimpey, British Aerospace, BT, British Steel, BNFL, BUPA, HSBC and Glaxo Wellcome. Other companies have expressed a strong interest, and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs is confident that more attachments will be arranged in the coming months.This is a commitment to a rolling programme of attachments to strengthen our partnership with business. In the longer term we hope that companies will be able to second suitable staff to serve as part of the established commercial teams in overseas posts, and in return provide opportunities for this department's staff to hone their business skills by hosting secondments.

Council Of Europe Centre For Global Interdependence And Solidarity

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to join the Council of Europe's partial agreement for a European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity.

We are considering whether the United Kingdom should participate in a variety of international bodies in the context of the comprehensive review of expenditure. Once that review has been completed, we shall be better placed to take a decision on United Kingdom membership of the Council of Europe's partial agreement for a European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity (North/South Centre).

Council Of Europe Social Development Fund

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will now apply on behalf of the United Kingdom to join the Council of Europe's Social Development Fund.

We are considering whether the United Kingdom should participate in a variety of international bodies in the context of the comprehensive review of expenditure. Once that review has been completed, we shall be better placed to take a decision on United Kingdom membership of the Council of Europe's Social Development Fund.

North Atlantic Assembly: Uk Delegation

asked Her Majesty's Government:Who is on the United Kingdom delegation to the North Atlantic Assembly.

The following will represent the United Kingdom at the North Atlantic Assembly:

Mr. Donald Anderson MP (Leader)
Mr. Hugh Bayley MP
Mr. Menzies Campbell MP
Mr. Harry Cohen MP
Mr. Frank Cook MP
The Rt Hon Sir Peter Emery MP
Mr. Bruce George MP
The Lord Gladwyn of Clee
Mr. Mike Hancock MP
Mrs Sylvia Heal MP
The Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith MP
The Lord Kennet
Alice Mahon MP
Mr. Michael Mates MP
Mr. John Smith MP
Rachel Squire MP
Mr. Peter Viggers MP
The Rt Hon Alan Williams MP

International Criminal Court

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they support the creation of an International Criminal Court able to prosecute any individual for genocide, aggression, war crimes and other crimes against humanity without incurring a veto by national governments.

We support the creation of an International Criminal Court. Our policy on various detailed matters relating to the jurisdiction and functioning of the court is still under consideration.

Sudan: Peace Initiatives

asked Her Majesty's Government:What practical steps they have taken (a) to support and (b) to encourage the implementation of the April 1997 General Peace Agreement signed between the Government of Sudan and six rebel factions in Sudan.

We are in regular contact with all parties to the conflict and continue to stress the need to resolve the civil war through a comprehensive negotiated settlement. We note that the 21 April Peace Agreement contains positive elements, notably the provisions on respect for human rights and self-determination for the south, but that the main opposition groups fighting the government are not party to the agreement. We have also welcomed the news that the Sudanese Government have accepted the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development's Declaration of Principles as the basis for talks with the SPLA and look forward to early negotiations. We fully support IGAD's efforts to bring peace to Sudan and are ready to consider any way to help that process.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they have taken to discourage the external military escalation of the Sudanese conflict.

We welcome efforts by the OAU and regional states to resolve the conflict in Sudan through dialogue. With our European partners, we have encouraged regional leaders, particularly President Moi, who currently chairs the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), to pursue these efforts.

Turkey: Uk Diplomatic Visits To Emergency Region

asked Her Majesty's Government:When was the last occasion on which an official from the UK Embassy in Ankara visited the emergency region; which places the official visited; whether the official was able to converse directly with people in Kurdish or Turkish; whether those conversations were held in the absence of Turkish officials or members of the security forces; and whether any attempt was made on this or any other visit to the region to assess the destruction of villages and parts of larger towns.

The last visit to the region under emergency rule in Turkey was made by our Ambassador in November 1996. He visited Diyarbakir, Mardin and Midyat and was able to converse with contacts in Turkish. He was accompanied to some, but not all, calls by a Turkish security escort. The subject of village clearances is one which every visit to the region addresses. The next visit to the region is planned for early September, again by Turkish-speaking staff. Our Embassy is in regular contact by telephone with human rights and other organisations in the region.

Turkey: Heroin Traffic

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are taking any special measures, in co-operation with other EU states to prevent the importation of heroin from Turkey; and whether they will ask the Turkish authorities for details of investigations of links between prominent members of the True Path party and the drug barons.

We are deeply concerned about the flow of heroin to the UK, the great majority of which is produced in or transits Turkey from opium poppy grown in South West Asia. We work closely with our EU partners and are also developing valuable collaboration with the Turkish authorities to tackle drug trafficking and target the criminals behind it. We are following with interest the Turkish investigations into alleged links between parliamentarians and people involved in the illicit drug trade.

Cambodia

asked Her Majesty's Government:How the European Union intends to encourage Cambodia to comply with the 1991 Paris accords.

The EU has condemned the use of force in Cambodia and pressed for a return to constitutional government. It has called on the Cambodians to reaffirm their commitment to hold free and fair elections in May 1998. The EU is undertaking contacts with King Sihanouk, Prince Ranariddh and Hun Sen, and supports the mediation initiatives of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Asylum And Immigration Appeals Act 1993: Independent Monitor's Report

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they intend to lay before the House the 1996 Report entitled

The Independent Monitor (Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993) by Dame Elizabeth Anson.

The report was laid on 31 July 1997. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs welcomes the Report and notes Dame Elizabeth's recommendations, which will receive careful consideration.

British Embassy, Berlin

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they expect to announce the preferred bidder for the Private Finance Initiative contract for the British Embassy in Berlin.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have selected Bebcon, a consortium of prominent German contractors and financiers, as the preferred bidder for the new British Embassy offices in Berlin.The Embassy will be built to a design by Michael Wilford and Partners, winners of the 1995 Embassy Design Competition, on the site of the pre-war British Embassy in Wilhelmstrasse. Under the eventual contract, Bebcon will finance, construct and then manage the building for 30 years. Building work will start around the end of this year, and the Embassy staff will move into the new building in autumn 1999.This is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's pathfinder Private Finance Initiative overseas estate project. EU competition procedures and British Government Private Finance Initiative (PFI) guidance have been followed throughout.

Eu Council Programme

asked Her Majesty's Government:To detail the forthcoming business in the Council of the European Union for August, and to list major EU events for the next six months.

The information is shown below.This calendar is primarily concerned with European Union matters, but certain other relevant events are also included. Events and dates quoted are based on the information available on the date of issue.

European Calendar: August 1997–January 1998
Date	Location	Event
August 1997
There are no events scheduled for August.
September 1997
4	Brussels	Political Committee
5	Kiev	EU/Ukraine Summit
7–9	Echternach	Agriculture Council (Informal)
12–14	Mondorf	Ecofin Council (Informal)
15–16	Brussels	General Affairs Council
15–19	Strasbourg	European Parliament Plenary
22–25	New York	Political Committee
22–23	Brussels	Agriculture Council
29	Brussels	Political Committee (reserve date-tbc)
October 1997
1–2	Brussels	European Parliament Plenary
2	Luxembourg	Telecommunications Council
3–4	Echternach	Internal Market Council (Informal)
6–7	Luxembourg	General Affairs Council
7	Luxembourg	Social Affairs Council
9	Luxembourg	Transport Council
9–10	Mondorf	Justice & Home Affairs Council (Informal)
10–11	Strasbourg	Council of Europe Summit
13	Luxembourg	Ecofin Council
16	Brussels	Political Committee
16	Luxembourg	Environment Council
16–17	Luxembourg	Possible European Council
20–21	Luxembourg	Political Committee
20–21	Luxembourg	Agriculture Council
20–24	Strasbourg	European Parliament Plenary
24–27	Edinburgh	CHOGM
25–26	Mondorf	Foreign Ministers (Informal)
30	Luxembourg	Fisheries Council

European Calendar: August 1997–January 1998
Date	Location	Event
November 1997
3	Brussels	Consumer Council
3	Brussels	Political Committee
5–6	Brussels	European Parliament Plenary
10	Brussels	Research Council
10	Brussels	General Affairs Council
13	Brussels	Industry Council
17	Brussels	Ecofin Council
17	Brussels	Political Committee
17–18	Brussels	Agriculture Council
17–21	Strasbourg	European Parliament Plenary
19	Brussels	Fisheries Council (tbc)
20	Brussels	Education Council
21	Brussels	Budget Council
24	Brussels	Culture Council
24–25	Brussels	General Affairs Council
27	Brussels	Internal Market Council
28	Brussels	Development Council
December 1997
1	Brussels	Ecofin Council
1	Brussels	Telecommunications Council
2	Brussels	Labour & Social Affairs Council
3–1	Brussels	European Parliament Plenary
4	Brussels	Health Council
4–5	Brussels	Justice & Home Affairs Council
8	Brussels	Energy Council
8–9	Brussels	General Affairs Council
10–11	Brussels	Transport Council
12–13	Luxembourg	European Council
15–16	Brussels	Agriculture Council
15–16	Brussels	Environment Council
15–19	Strasbourg	European Parliament Plenary
18–19	Copenhagen	OSCE Ministerial Council
18–19	Brussels	Fisheries Council
January 1998
1		UK Presidency commences
12	Brussels	Fisheries Council (tbc)
19	Brussels	Ecofin Council
19–20	Brussels	Agriculture Council
26–27	Brussels	General Affairs Council
29–30	(tba)	Justice & Home Affairs Council (Informal)

Men: Relations With Government

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Answer given by Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 14 July (

WA 91), and to avoid any accusation of sexual discrimination, what measures they intend to introduce to promote a new dialogue between men and the Government in order to build a new bond of trust; and in the light of the dearth of men's organisations, whether they will now consider the establishment of a Men's National Commission to facilitate dialogue between men and the Government.

We want to build a strong bond of trust between Government and the people—both men and women. We are currently looking at various ways of achieving this. One of the ideas being considered is setting up a People's Panel which would include a representative cross-section of the population.

It is widely acknowledged that women tend to feel more disconnected and alienated from politics and government than men. That is why we are looking at a range of options for opening up a new dialogue between Government and women; through more and better communications with women's organisations; and through reaching out to women across the country.

Women's National Commission: Review

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer given by Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 14 July (

WA 91–2), who they have commissioned to review the role of the Women's National Commission, and to what criteria.

This is an internal review which is being led by Joan Ruddock, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Women. We will publish the terms of reference once they are finalised.

Scrapie

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether requiring breeding rams to be R R homozygous for resistance to scrapie would eliminate that disease within a decade.

The Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

(Lord Donoughue)

Although genetic approaches may well have an important role in the reduction of the incidence of scrapie the genetic basis of resistance is not as well characterised in some breeds of sheep as in others. The Government are funding more research in this important area. The state of scientific knowledge at present therefore means that I am not able to give a categorical answer to this question.

Bse Surveillance By Eu Members

asked Her Majesty's Government:What other European member states are doing to provide suitabily qualified staff and services for scientific testing of BSE.

It is the responsibility of the EU Commission to ensure that member states meet their Community obligations. The Commission has recently reported on BSE surveillance and other aspects of control in other member states, except Portugal. Its findings include details of the laboratories involved in the diagnosis and testing for BSE and information on staff training. I will be depositing copies of these reports in the Library of the House.All member states inspected have sent at least one member of staff for training at the Central Veterinary Laboratory at Weybridge.

Bse: Diagnosis In France

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have any evidence to suggest that BSE cases in France have been classified as meningitis.

We have no evidence to suggest mis-diagnosis of BSE in France.

Bse: Moving Annual Total Of Cases

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answers by Lord Lucas on 23 January (

WA 68–70) and by Lord Donoughue on 29 July ( WA 32), what was the moving annual total of BSE cases reported in each 52-week period for each week so far this year.

The following table shows the moving annual total of BSE cases reported during each of the first 30 weeks of this year:

Week 1997	52 week total reported
1	10,475
2	10,309
3	10,145
4	9,930
5	9,715
6	9,521
7	9,329
8	9,195
9	9,037
10	8,883
11	8,730
12	8,524
13	8,266
14	8,156
15	8,094
16	7,975
17	7,855
18	7,740
19	7,653
20	7,534
21	7,412
22	7,305
23	7,250
24	7,167
25	7,084
26	7,044
27	6,972
28	6,
29	6,818
30	6,732

Note:

Week 1 is the week ending on the first Friday of the year.

Meat And Bone Meal Imports From Africa

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether meat and bone meal was imported from Africa between 1970 and 1985; and if so, what was the amount and origin of the imports.

UK imports of Greaves; flours and meals of meat, offals, fish, crustaceans or molluscs unfit, for human consumption¹
From Africa 1970–1985 (tonnes) as recorded in Official Overseas Trade Statistics.
Country	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977
Botswana	—	—	—	290	—	—	—	—
Egypt	—	—	—	—	20	18	—	—
Ghana	—	5	—	1	—	—	—	—
Ivory Coast	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Kenya	—	—	4	—	—	—	—	—
Mauritania	—	—	—	550	—	—	—	—
Mauritius	—	—	—	550	—	—	—	—
Morocco	—	—	—	—	—	—	798	—
Portuguese East Africa	—	—	472	—	—	—	—	—
South Africa	—	—	—	—	8,059	10,022	2,465	202
Republic of South Africa	73,560	39,535	19,619	25,634	—	—	—	—
South West Africa	—	—	—	—	14,797	13,972	322	—
South West Africa Territories	89,182	13,780	50,221	23,313	—	—	—	—

Country	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985
Botswana	—	300	—	—	—	—	—	—
Egypt	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Ghana	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Ivory Coast	—	550	—	—	—	—	—	—
Kenya	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Mauritania	—	—	15,451	18,908	2,311	—	—	—
Mauritius	—	—	751	—	—	—	—	—
Morocco	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Portuguese East Africa	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
South Africa	43	53	36	—	—	—	—	—
Republic of South Africa	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
South West Africa	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
South West Africa Territories	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
¹ Meat and bone meal are not specifically identified in the Combined Nomenclature. The classification used is that which approximates most closely with meat and bone meal.

Minister Without Portfolio

asked Her Majesty's Government:With which journalists and other representatives of the media the Minister without Portfolio, Mr. Mandelson, has had meetings since 1 May.

The Minister without Portfolio does not propose to disclose the details of conversations, meetings or other engagements undertaken in pursuance of his duties as Minister without Portfolio.

Government Policies

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether their policies are designed to bring about a socialist society.

Our policies are designed to deliver the promises we set before the people at the General Election.

Separate data on the imports of meat and bone meal are not available. For the period requested, data on meat and bone meal were collected under the Combined Nomenclature of `Greaves; flours and meals, of meat, offals, fish, crustaceans or molluscs, unfit for human consumption'. The following table is compiled from the Official Overseas Trade Statistics.

Cabinet Committee Proceedings

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in pursuit of their policies for open government, they will publish a full record of the proceedings of the Cabinet Committee chaired by the Prime Minister and which includes members of Opposition parties.

In accordance with long standing practice, papers or other information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet and Cabinet Committees are not made public.

House Of Lords

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will set out the criteria by which they judge whether a vote in the House of Lords contrary to the advice of Ministers is allowable, illegitimate or unconstitutional.

The Government will consider their response to any vote in the House of Lords on its merits.

Creation Of Life Peers

asked Her Majesty's Government:In the light of the reply by the Lord Privy Seal on 22 July (

WA 151), whether the Prime Minister will take account of the imbalance between the parties in

the number of creations when he makes any future nominations.

Her Majesty's Government is of the view that no one political party should seek a majority in this House. Our plans to remove the right of the hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House will still leave an imbalance in party representation. Following the removal of the hereditary peers, we have made it clear that, over the course of this Parliament we will seek to move to a House where those peers who take a party whip more accurately reflect the proportion of votes received by each party in the previous general election.

Written Answers

Volume 582: debated on Tuesday 14 October 1997

Written Answers

Welsh Assembly

"Paedophile": Definition

Prison Educational Provision

Firearms Dealers: Expanding Ammunition

Expanding Ammunition: Transfer Authorisation

Gambling Prizes

Gaming: Liberalisation

Prison Staff/Prisoner Ratio

Prison Service Staff: Early Retirement

Carbines Of Pistol Calibres: Certification

Prisoners: Time Out Of Cells

Prisoners: Constructive Activity

Prisoners: Health Care

Ministers' Official Residences

People's Panels

Broadcasting: Consultation On Events

National Lottery And 49S Game

National Lottery: Rollover Draws

Disability Living Allowance And Attendance Allowance: Taxation Effect

Vat Reduction On Domestic Fuel: Effect On Benefits

Task Forces

Government Policy: Announcements

Security Memory Chip

Public Bodies: Appointments

Government Survey Material: Availability

Voluntary Bodies: Withdrawal Of Funding

Government Policy: Presentation Guidance

Parliamentary Costs: Comparisons

Money Laundering

Betting Duty

Government Contracts: Prompt Payment

Census Returns: Preservation

Census Returns: Viewing

Tobacco Products: Tax Revenue

Nhs Intensive Care: Nursing And Midwifery Staff

Nhs Nurses: Training

Nhs Project 2000: Statistics

Nhs Nurses: Staffing

Nhs Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Nhs Hospitals: Admisions

Nhs Hospitals: Average Inpatient Cost

Nhs Dental Service: Adult Treatments

Nhs Psychologists

Nhs: New Attendances At A&E Departments

Nhs: Total Attendances At A&E Depts

Hiv/Aids Treatment: Drug Trials

Chelsea And Westminster Hospital Operations: Waiting Times

Diabetes: Research

Consultant Psychiatrists Working In Mental Illness

Meningitis: Research

Meningitis: Advice On Diagnosis

Nhs Cancer Patients: Cost

Nhs Cancer Patients: Waiting Lists

Nhs Heart Bypass Surgery

Nhs Cataract Operations

Nhs Hip Replacement Operations

Nhs Hospitals: General And Acute Day Cases

Nhs Hospitals: General And Acute Outpatients

Nhs Hospitals: Bed Availability

Nhs Hospitals: Inpatient Cases

Nhs Hospitals: Acute Bed Availability

Nhs Hospitals: General And Acute Cases

Nhs Hospitals: General And Acute Admissions

Nhs Hospitals: Outpatient Attendances

Nhs Patients: Direct Care Staff

Nhs: Patient Access To Healthcare

Nhs Prescription Charges

Nhs Funding

Northern Ireland Partnership Board: Strategic Aim

Northern Ireland: Social Economy Contribution

Northern Ireland: Guardsmen Wright And Fisher

Devolution Referendums: Dates

Collision Warning System For Fast Jet Aircraft

Helicopters And Military Aircraft: Collision Risks

Commercial Helicopter Air Proximity Reports

Civil Aircraft Notification: Infringements By Military Aircraft

Mid-Air Explosion, Isle Of Lewis