asked Her Majesty's Government:How many mentally and physically disabled people are left on Montserrat and what plans are in place to move them.

There are approximately 300 persons on Montserrat with physical or mental disabilities.Her Majesty's Government does not wish to remove people from Montserrat by force. On medical advice, approximately 20 people with special needs have been evacuated since August, and a specially chartered aircraft with 33 others will arrive in the United Kingdom on 7 November. In addition, we are contributing towards new facilities for the elderly and infirm on the island and improving the psychiatric care available.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many children and babies are exposed to ash on the north of Montserrat.

There are approximately 1,000 children under the age of 15 on Montserrat.Sir Kenneth Calman, Chief Medical Officer, noted in his recent report that there was no risk in the north of silicosis from past exposure. Ash levels are affected by rainfall. the level of volcanic activity and wind direction. Falls in the north have been increased since the beginning of August due to explosive activity.Her Majesty's Government have provided new ash-level monitoring equipment. The information obtained from it is made public on Montserrat, and monitored by air quality experts in the UK.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are content that the Bosniaks are now receiving new weaponry from the United States under the multi-million dollar United States Equipand-Train program; and what are the implications for the United Nations force in Bosnia (S-FOR).

The United States and other sponsors accept that equipment given under the Train and Equip Programme must be consistent with the agreements on transparency and arms control negotiated under Articles II and IV of Annex 1B of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We have underlined the importance of avoiding regional arms build-up and of not compromising SFOR's perceived impartiality or safety of SFOR troops.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Pocklington Canal Management Declaration dated 20 September 1995 and signed by English Nature and British Waterways will continue to underpin the future management of the Pocklington Canal.The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Baroness Hayman): Yes. The declaration identifies the objectives of the various interested parties. British Waterways, as navigation authority, is working hard to balance those interests by agreeing a comprehensive management plan with those that have an interest in the canal.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are concerned, following the recent incident involving the "Sand Kite" at the Thames Barrier on Monday, 27 October, where an experienced English speaking crew were present, that the Port of London Authority proposals for Pilotage Direction No. 5 will increase the likelihood of incidents elsewhere in the district by allowing poorly trained, inexperienced crews with little spoken English to navigate without a pilot; andWhether they will delay a decision on ratification of the Port of London Authority's proposals on Pilotage Direction No. 5 until after the review of the Pilotage Act 1987, as it could be seen that items in the proposals are relevant to the review; andWhether they are aware of the increased risk that the proposed Pilotage Direction No. 5 of the Port of London Authority will place upon the safety and environment of the Thames estuary, particularly in light of the recent incident at the Thames Barrier involving the "Sand Kite".

The Pilotage Act 1987 does not require directions proposed to be made by the Port of London Authority to be ratified by the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions. It is for the authority to decide when the directions should come into force. The accident involving the "Sand Kite" is being investigated by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch. The authority will no doubt consider whether it has any implications for the Pilotage Directions. I understand that this vessel is already subject to compulsory pilotage while in the authority's jurisdiction, and would continue to be if the new directions are made, and that its master and first mate have held exemption certificates from the authority for some years.The review of the 1987 Act by the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions is at a general policy level, and it is not intended to include case by case examination of pilotage directions.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What has been the cost of support over the last 10 years for the transformation of the environment and the promotion of economic recovery in those areas seriously affected by colliery closures and what was the average part of the total sum relating to each of the closed collieries.

The information is not available in the form requested.Colliery closure areas have benefited from funding from many government and EU regeneration programmes. In particular, the Urban Programme, City Challenge and the Single Regeneration Budget Challenge fund have made significant contributions to those areas seriously affected by colliery closures.Funding targeted particularly at former coalfield areas includes £120 million from the EU RECHAR programme, and the previous administration's £200 million package of training, employment and regeneration measures aimed at alleviating the effects of the closures announced in 1992. These projects are expected to generate substantial private sector investment.In 1996, English Partnerships, the Government's regeneration agency, took over 56 former British Coal sites and has announced a 10 year plan of area-wide regeneration, environmental improvement and long-term job creation. It is expected that this will generate over £1 billion of private finance.The Deputy Prime Minister has recently set up a Coalfields Task Force to take forward his initiative to help former mining communities in England hit by pit closures. The purpose of the task force is to identify and develop a specific programme of action to assist coal

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which category of Benefits Agency employees are not on performance related pay.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will review the effect of the changes in the regulations relating to safety in mines.

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) is carrying out a full review of existing mining health and safety legislation under Section 1(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Once the legislative review has been completed, HSC will evaluate the effect of the changes made as a result of the legislative review.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the average weekday number of vehicles crossing Hammersmith Bridge before its closure to traffic; where, in the opinion of the Traffic Director for London, that traffic has dispersed to since its closure; and in particular what has been the effect on traffic volumes on (a) Fulham Palace Road, Fulham High Street, Putney Bridge, Putney High Street and Lower Richmond Road; and (b) the A.4 Great West Road between Hammersmith Broadway and the Hogarth Roundabout, and the A.316 at Chiswick Bridge.

The average daily flow across Hammersmith Bridge prior to closure was around 30,000 vehicles.The Traffic Director's office is chairing a group to share traffic data on the effects of the closure. The indications are that traffic appears to have been displaced mainly to routes over the adjacent crossings. The group has found that there is only a limited record of measured flows before the closure. Some guide figures are set out below but information providing a similar comparison for the other specified roads is not available.

All staff in the Benefits Agency are on performance related pay. The system in operation is in line with current government policy, requiring all progression through the pay band to be dependent on individual performance.The running of the BA Performance Pay Scheme is an issue for the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, and I am asking him to write to you with further details of its operation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the annual cost of administering the All Work Test for Incapacity Benefit.

The information is not available in the format requested. Data are not held separately for the All Work Test element within the allocations for the administration of Incapacity Benefit.However, the total additional funding for the administration of Incapacity Benefit was £42,571 million for 1995-96 and £39,454 million for 1996-97. This does not include any funding for Sickness or Invalidity Benefits.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many chairmen or non-executive directors of NHS Trusts with terms of office to be completed by 31 October 1997 had not received letters of dismissal or reappointment by 30 September 1997.

None of the trust board vacancies arising on 31 October 1997 had been filled by 30 September 1997. Apart from exceptional cases, these appointments will be confirmed very shortly. Appointments have been delayed this year because of the introduction of new criteria for board membership, and the need to consider new candidates arising from over 1,800 nominations by Members of Parliament and local authorities.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they remain committed to those professional and governmental guidelines, including the recent Strategy Review of Psychotherapy Services in England, which state that psychotherapy should he provided by properly qualified practitioners as an integral part of comprehensive mental health services.

Health Authorities, Trusts and Consortia concerned with commissioning education and training are expected to take account of national guidance on good practice in the Review of NHS Psychotherapy Services in England alongside the views of professional and user groups and employers in health and social care. A wide variety of different professional staff are involved in the provision of the "talking therapies". The Government believe that all those who provide such therapies should be competent and appropriately qualified.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have any plans to replace the additional payments made to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge with scholarships and bursaries open to students at all United Kingdom universities.The Minister of State, Department for Education and Employment (Baroness Blackstone): We have asked the Higher Education Funding Council for advice on the mechanisms for setting future funding for universities and colleges at Oxford and Cambridge. We shall want to consider the options very carefully as soon as we receive their advice.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the introduction of self-assessment will affect the way in which expenditure on conservation by farmers and landowners is eligible for tax relief.

The introduction of self-assessment had no effect on the rules on expenditure which is deductible when computing trading profits from farming for tax purposes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many Grade 1, 2 or 3 listed houses have been vacated by private owners in the last seven years.

Under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has a statutory duty to compile lists of buildings of special architectural or historic interest. All list entries include a description of the building and the features that led to it being listed. It is intended principally to aid identification and holds no information about ownership or whether a building is vacant or not.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many Grade 1 or 2 listed houses in Great Britain are now hotels or conference centres; how many are still in private hands; and how many are owned by the National Trust or Government bodies.

For England our records indicate that there are currently 1,473 buildings listed as hotels or conference centres which have at some stage in their history been used as houses. Information on the ownership of these buildings is not held centrally. Listing in Scotland and Wales is the responsibility of the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Wales respectively but I understand that none of the information sought is held centrally for either of these countries.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many abortions were performed after the 24th week of gestation in each week of the last three years for which figures are available.

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

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Director Generals's review of management and organisation of the Prison Service has been completed, and if so, whether they will comment on its findings.

The Director General has now completed an internal review of the management and organisation of the Prison Service.The review has recommended, and we have endorsed. a programme of action with the following key elements:(i) measures to assert and reinforce ministerial responsibility for the Prison Service. The Government have already made clear their commitment to taking proper ministerial responsibility for the Prison Service. Parliamentary Questions are now answered by Ministers and not by the Director General. Further measures to be taken in the light of this review are as follows:

asked Her Majesty's Government:How they intend to implement the House of Lords judgment in

This judgment was concerned with the periods of imprisonment, known as the tariff, set by my right honourable friend's predecessor, the right honourable Member for Folkestone and Hythe, as being necessary to reflect the requirements of retribution and deterrence in the cases of the two boys convicted of the murder of James Bulger. The House of Lords concluded that the current arrangements for reviewing tariff in the cases of offenders under the age of 18, convicted of murder and sentenced to detention at Her Majesty's pleasure under Section 53(1) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, failed adequately to reflect the distinctive nature of that sentence. In particular, the judgment requires that the initial review of what is necessary by way of retribution and deterrence should be capable of reduction in the light of the offender's personal development while in custody, and that the offender's personal development should therefore be considered alongside the public interest in retribution and deterrence in keeping the tariff period under review.The House of Lords did not conclude, however, that the sentence of detention at Her Majesty's pleasure was purely reformative in character, nor that the Secretary of State's declaration of an initial view of what was necessary by way of retribution and deterrence was unlawful. The public properly expects the unique crime of murder to attract an appropriate punishment, regardless of the age or circumstances of the offender. It is in the interests of victims' families, public confidence, and of the individual offender that a clear indication should be given, relatively quickly following conviction, of the Secretary of State's initial view of the minimum period of imprisonment necessary to reflect the seriousness of the particular offence. My right honourable friend intends to continue to provide that initial view as at present, taking into account the advice of the trial judge and the Lord Chief Justice, any representations made on the offender's behalf, and the overarching requirements of public confidence in the sentence of detention at Her Majesty's pleasure. That initial view will continue also to reflect an awareness of the offender's age and personal circumstances at the time of conviction.Public confidence in the sentence will not be maintained if that initial tariff is curtailed lightly or as a matter of course. Rather, it should be reduced only where the balance between the public interest in punishment on the one hand, and the public interest in the offender's welfare on the other, has clearly shifted so as to justify such a reduction. Moreover, the more serious the circumstances of the offence, as reflected in the length of the initial tariff, the higher will be the threshold at which the public interest in the offender's welfare may outweigh the public interest in the offender's punishment.However, my right honourable friend has also to act on the House of Lords' conclusion that the law requires the sentence's effect upon the offender to be kept under review and that there may be circumstances in which the desirability of promoting the child's eventual reintegration into society may justify a revision of the initial view on tariff.Taking these considerations into account, this is the new procedure which my right honourable friend will adopt. He will continue to seek the advice of the trial judge and of the Lord Chief Justice in deciding what punishment is required in any individual case of a person convicted under Section 53(1) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933. He will then set an initial tariff with that advice, and the offender's personal circumstances, in mind. He will continue to invite representations on the prisoner's behalf and give reasons for decisions.Officials in the department will receive annual reports on the progress and development of young people sentenced under Section 53(1) whose initial tariff has yet to expire. Where there appears to be a case for considering a reduction in tariff, that will be brought to the attention of Ministers.When half of the initial tariff period has expired, my right honourable friend or a Minister acting on his behalf will consider a report on the prisoner's progress and development, and invite representations on the question of tariff, with a view to determining whether the tariff period originally set is still appropriate. In complex and difficult cases, my right honourable friend will seek the assistance of his right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Health in securing independent professional advice (that is to say, independent of those already charged with the care of the offender) on the young offender's condition and development.Any request for a review of tariff before it expires will be considered on its merits, whether that request is made by or on behalf of the offender or by one of the agencies or individuals responsible for his or her care.In considering requests, inviting representations, and in conducting reviews, my right honourable friend will look for evidence of:

asked Her Majesty's Government:How they intend to implement the House of Lords judgment in

This judgment concerned the discretion of any holder of the office of Home Secretary to increase a tariff once set for an adult convicted of murder. The majority of the House of Lords decided that it is lawful for the Secretary of State to increase a tariff previously set, as set out in a reply by my right honourable friend's predecessor, the right honourable Member for Folkestone and Hythe, in another place on 27 July 1993, Official Report, cols. 863-65. However, one of that majority found that that statement did not purport to apply to a decision to increase a tariff set before 27 July 1993, and so a different majority found that the increase of the tariff in the Pierson case was unlawful.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, for 1992–96 and 1997 to the latest convenient date, they will publish a table showing (a) the number of applications by Turkish nationals for asylum given full consideration; (b) the number recognised as refugees or granted exceptional leave to remain; and (c) the number of appeals allowed against refusal.

With the exception of refusals on safe third country grounds and some refusals on non-compliance grounds, all asylum applications are given full consideration before an initial decision is made. The available breakdown of initial decisions and appeal outcomes is given in the tables.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether additional funds will be made available for higher education in Wales in line with the increases already announced for England and Scotland.

On 5 November my honourable friend Mr. Peter Hain announced that an additional £10 million will be available for higher education in Wales for 1998-99. This new investment will match proportionately the package recently announced for England by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment.