asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in the light of the decision of the United States Government to impose wide-ranging economic sanctions on the National Islamic Front (NIF) regime in Sudan, they will support a stronger line against the NIF within the forum of the United Nations Security Council.

We will look at any proposal for further UN Security Council action against Sudan on its merits, taking into account the Government of Sudan's non-compliance with Security Council Resolutions 1045, 1054 and 1070 and the likely attitudes of other Security Council members.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they are taking to ensure access to human rights monitors under the direction of the United Nations Special Rapporteur into every area of Sudan to investigate the allegations of slavery and other gross violations of human rights.

We have consistently supported UN resolutions calling for UN human rights monitors for Sudan. We are in touch with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva about an appeal for funding of monitors, which they hope to launch in due course.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made in the peace process in Sudan; and what support they are giving to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in this context.

Talks between the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Government of Sudan were held under the auspices of the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development in Kenya from 29 October-11 November. The next round of talks is scheduled for April 1998. We welcomed the talks and urged both sides to approach them constructively. We are also in touch with the National Democratic Alliance, of which the SPLM is a major part, but we are not providing them with material support. We urge both sides to continue progress towards a comprehensive negotiated settlement and to allow humanitarian aid to reach those in need.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether Japan has yet signed the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; and, if not, whether they will use their best endeavours to persuade Japan to sign and ratify.

Japan has not yet done so. At the last session of the UN Commission on Human Rights the United Kingdom co-sponsored a resolution urging all states to become party to this convention.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they agree with the President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Judge Antonio Cassese, who told the United Nations General Assembly on 4 November that "our most crucial and urgent problem is the need for more arrests of military or political leaders"; and, if so, what additional power or resources they believe S-FOR should have to enable them to speed up the arrests.

We fully support the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and have always stressed the importance of bringing to justice all those responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law in the former Yugoslavia. We demand that the responsible authorities surrender all indictees to The Hague.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will propose to the Security Council of the United Nations that the Conakry Accord of 23 October between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Committee of Five and the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) regime in Sierra Leone be endorsed.

I refer the noble Lord to the statement issued by the President of the Security Council on 14 November 1997. This statement makes clear that the Security Council welcomes the Conakry Communiqué of 23 October 1997 and gives its full support to ECOWAS' efforts to seek a peaceful settlement.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will propose to the Security Council of the United Nations that the Nigerian troops in Sierra Leone be replaced by a multinational force made up of troops from other ECOWAS states.

It is for ECOWAS to decide the composition of the ECOMOG forces in Sierra Leone. A United Nations assessment team is currently visiting Conakry and Monrovia, and is considering what support the United Nations should offer ECOWAS.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will propose to the Security Council of the United Nations that the United Nations Secretary-General, in consultation with ECOWAS and the OAU, should facilitate the convening of a national conference in Sierra Leone to decide the structure and composition of the transitional government which is to replace the AFRC at the end of the six-month period agreed under the Conakry Accord.

No. The Conakry Communique, which was signed by ECOWAS and the AFRC and is supported by the UN Security Council, provides for the restoration of the democratically elected government of Sierra Leone by 22 April 1998, not a transitional government.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will propose to the Security Council of the United Nations that the United Nations fulfil its earlier promise under the Abidjan Peace Accords of 20 November 1996 to provide neutral monitors to ensure effective disarmament of all combatants apart from state forces.

The United Nations Security Council is already giving this matter its full consideration. A United Nations assessment team is currently visiting Conakry and Monrovia, and is considering what support the United Nations should offer ECOWAS.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will propose to the Security Council of the United Nations that the embargo under Security Council Resolution 1132 be confined to weapons and ammunition only.

No. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1132 stands as adopted on 8 October 1997.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of all documents to be discussed or referred to at the meeting to be held from 1 to 12 December of the Preparatory Committee on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court; a note on the matters to be decided at this meeting; and a statement of the United Kingdom's position on each of them.

Copies of the relevant UN documents and a copy of the preparatory committee's work programme have been placed in the Libraries of the House. The UK delegation will be working with others to consolidate the proposals to be placed before the Diplomatic Conference in June 1998, with the aim of ensuring a successful conference. Our policy on a number of the detailed issues due to be discussed at the preparatory committee is still under consideration.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they favour the recent increases in the height of traffic islands in the centre of main roads: and what studies they have made to establish whether this increases the risk of damage to vehicles, injury and loss of life if an island is accidentally hit.

There are no statutory requirements requiring kerbs to be at a specific height. It is for the local highway authority to determine the appropriate height according to the circumstances of the location.British Standard 7263: Parts 1 and 2: 1990 provide advice on the specification for precast concrete kerbs, and a code of practice for laying. The code of practice shows a typical section through a paved footway and kerb, which indicates a kerb height above the adjacent carriageway of 125mm. However, in older street layouts it is not uncommon to have kerb heights much greater than this.We have received no evidence that the use of higher kerb heights has increased the severity of accidents, and consequently have not undertaken any studies of the accident implications.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether RMC plc is the parent company of South Coast Shipping Company of Southampton, which was the owner of the sand dredger

I have asked Mr. Robin Bradley, the Chief Executive of the Marine Safety Agency, to write to the noble Lord.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many new sports stadia are at present planned to be constructed in the United Kingdom; when is each one to be built, in which regions they are to be built: and what percentage of the cost of construction in each case is to be met from public funds.

I regret that this information is not available centrally.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are aware of a "loose minute", dated 6 March 1996, headed "Attributable Benefits for Reservists" and signed by J. C. Robbs, and whether in the light of this minute, they can explain why no action appears to have been taken to rectify the anomaly in Army Rules at the time and why only three awards under this scheme have been made to members of the Territorial Army who were called to serve in Operation Granby and who are now ill as a result of that service; andWhether they will place in the Library of the House of Lords a copy of the instructions to be issued to all Territorial Army Units detailing the correct procedure for medical discharge of members of the TA who are ill or have been injured as a result of service and are deemed no longer fit to serve, and of their entitlement to Attributable Benefits for Reservists; andBy what date they intend to have contacted approximately 420 Gulf Veterans in receipt of War Pensions who may be entitled to benefit under the Attributable Benefits for Reservists Scheme and by what date they anticipate their awards will be processed.

Attributable invaliding benefits may be paid to members of the Reserve Forces under Part 6 of the Army Pensions Warrant 1977. Under the terms of this Warrant, entitlement is limited to reservists who have been medically discharged on account of a disability which has subsequently been accepted by the Department of Social Security in the context of the War Pensions Scheme as being attributable to their military service. Similar benefits exist for Royal Navy and Royal Air Force reservists.The Ministry of Defence has received a number of representations from Gulf veterans about their entitlement to invaliding benefits under these provisions. Claimants have questioned the status of members of the Reserve Forces for the purpose of determining eligibility under the rules; the circumstances and regularity of their discharges; and the attributability of particular disabling conditions to service.In two specific cases it was found that a defect in the drafting of the rules of eligibility in the Army Pensions Warrant was preventing recognition of entitlement in their particular circumstances. This was the anomaly identified in the document dated 6 March 1996 to which the noble Lady refers. It was corrected when the Warrant was amended in July 1996. So far, no other cases have been found which were affected by this anomaly.The Ministry of Defence is currently reviewing the rules and regulations which were in place at the time of the Gulf War in respect of medical discharges and entitlement to receive invaliding benefits. New guidance on these matters will be issued to all units in due course. This new guidance will also be published more widely and will be placed in the Library of the House.In consultation with the Department of Social Security, the Ministry of Defence is also attempting to identify any cases relating to Gulf veterans where a potential entitlement to attributable invaliding benefits may have been overlooked. It is not possible at this stage to determine how long this process will take. Once identified, any such cases will, of course, be dealt with as quickly as possible.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is the case that the £1,000 fee to be charged for tuition will be remitted in the case of students studying for the PGCE course who intend to teach in schools, but it will not he remitted for those students who intend to teach in a college of further education.

In recognition of the Government's interest in the effective training of teachers and in maintaining a healthy supply of teachers, we have announced that the tuition fee contribution of up to £1.000 to be introduced in 1998–99 will not apply to students on PGCE courses. We are currently considering the implications for PGCE courses which do not lead to qualified teacher status, including courses for further education teachers.

asked Her Majesty's Government:If the United Kingdom were to participate in the single currency, what is the maximum amount expressed in pounds sterling that could be levied as a fine under Council Regulation EC/467/97 for breaking the excessive deficit procedure.

According to Council Regulation (EC) No. 1467/97, of 7 July 1997, the maximum single fine cannot exceed an upper limit of 0.5 per cent. of GDP. Therefore, the maximum amount of any fine in pounds sterling is dependent on GDP. Fines would not apply to members states that do not participate in the single currency.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the statement in

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many prisoners who committed suicide in the prisons in England and Wales during the year 1996–97 were being monitored at the time of death under the Prison Service's F2052SH procedures, and what was the total number of F2052SH forms raised in that year.

Eighteen prisoners were being monitored under Prison Service F2052SH procedures at the time of their deaths, out of a total of 65 self-inflicted deaths during the year 1996–97. Of these 18, the following verdicts were recorded at the coroners' inquests: suicide (8), open (2), misadventure (3), accidental death (2). Three inquests remain outstanding. The total number of F2052SH forms raised during 1996–97 was 11,380.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they expect to bring into use the training centre at Cookham Wood for offenders aged 12–14; whether it will include provision for girls; and what area it will serve.

Under the terms of the contract, Cookham Wood is expected to be available for use in April 1998. The secure training centre will make provision for both boys and girls. The contract requires girls to be accommodated in facilities capable of being completely separated from boys. Sleeping accommodation will be physically separate.Cookham Wood will accommodate offenders sentenced to a secure training order. The order will he available to all courts in England and Wales and plans to procure four further centres are being taken forward. It is intended that the facilities at the planned secure training centres will be sufficiently flexible to be consistent with the outcome of the review of the whole range of secure accommodation for young offenders already announced by my right honourable friend.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will support legislation to abolish blood sports.

Two Private Members' Bills to ban the hunting of wild mammals with dogs and to outlaw hare coursing are now before Parliament. The Government made a manifesto commitment to allow a free vote on whether there should be a ban on hunting with hounds, and that will be honoured.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have made any representations during the last six months to the government of the People's Republic of China about coercive population policies; and if not, whether they will consider doing so.

We seek regular dialogue with People's Republic of China officials about allegations of coercive population policies.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What information they have received from the United Kingdom's Executive Director of the World Bank explaining why the bank has not responded to the submissions by Oxfam and other non-governmental organisations on the bank's current review of the resettlement guidelines for people compulsorily displaced by development projects, and whether they will make representations to the bank, (a) on the importance of the independence on its inspection panel procedure (which allows displaced persons to complain about alleged breaches of the Guidelines), and (b) on the need for transparency in the bank's affairs.

The Government have made representations to the World Bank on the need for openness and transparency in converting its operational directives (ODs), which are mandatory, to operational policies, bank procedures and good practices guidelines, and for wide consultation throughout the process. We understand that the bank will respond in due course to the large number of submissions it has received on the resettlement guidelines, explaining how these are being incorporated into the new guidelines. On the role of the inspection panel, the Government fully agree that its independence must be protected, and our Executive Director has made representations to the World Bank President, management and the panel itself to this effect.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will now discourage the use of petrocoke in British power stations.

Any power station proposal which requires consent under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 is considered on its merits against the background of concern to address local environmental issues and to ensure consistency with the objective of secure, diverse and sustainable supplies of energy at competitive prices and the meeting of environmental targets. Any operators proposing to change a fuel at a power station must satisfy the requirements of Integrated Pollution Control as operated by the Environment Agency. The first trial burn of petroleum coke at Drax is still under way and we do not know yet what its outcome will be.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the outcome of the Agriculture Council held in Brussels on 17–18 November.

My right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food represented the United Kingdom at a meeting of the European Union Agriculture Council on 17 and 18 November.The principal task of the Council was to reach conclusions on the proposals to reform the Common Agricultural Policy in the context of the Commission's Agenda 2000 initiative. Discussions on these proposals have gone on in the Council since September. After long negotiations, it was possible to reach agreement on conclusions that met the key requirements which my right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food had identified for the UK. These are, first, that there should be a rapid start to negotiating the necessary legislative changes to agricultural market regimes in order to give effect to CAP reform; second, that there should be recognition of the need for EU agriculture to be sustainable and competitive on domestic and international markets; third, that CAP reform should facilitate EU enlargement and allow the EU to take a positive negotiating stance in the next WTO round; and fourth, that there should be confirmation that the agricultural guideline imposes an absolute ceiling on spending in this sector. The Council confirmed the approach to reform along the lines he had advocated: namely, reduced price-support, compensated through direct aid and complemented by reinforced agri-environmental and rural development measures.The conclusions finally adopted fully achieved these objectives. They were endorsed by 14 of the 15 member states, Spain being unable to associate itself with the language reconfirming the unchanged nature of the agricultural guideline. The Council's conclusions will be passed to the General Affairs Council and ultimately to Heads of Government for consideration at their meeting in Luxembourg in December.This Council marked an important step in the process of reforming the Common Agricultural Policy, which is a key government objective in the EU. My right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food looked forward to beginning the process of detailed negotiation as soon as the Commission's formal proposals are available.Aside from Agenda 2000, the Council had a detailed report from the Agriculture Commissioner on BSE, in the light of the European Parliament's recent report; and on the need to amend the July decision on specified risk materials in order to provide derogations for the imports of necessary pharmaceutical products. A proposal to this effect is to be made very shortly. My right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food joined his Dutch and German colleagues in putting pressure on the Commission to bring forward proposals as rapidly as possible on battery cages for laying hens.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish in the

The following table shows the number of cases of BSE confirmed in Great Britain during each of the first 46 weeks of this year, together with the moving annual total of cases reported.