asked Her Majesty's Government:What arrangements have been made with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to promote inward investment to Scotland.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office promotes overseas all constituent parts of the UK as a location for internationally mobile projects, working with all the relevant agencies in the UK, including Locate in Scotland.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Who are the Vice-Presidents of the United Nations Special Commission.

The United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) does not have a Vice-President. Mr. Charles Duelfer (United States) is the Deputy Executive Chairman of UNSCOM.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether United States Marine Colonel Scott Ritter of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) has ever engaged in activities unrelated to UNSCOM' s business specifically relating to successive unsuccessful "searches" for "missiles" in presidential "locations," as alleged on Iraqi television on 13 November by the Iraqi Foreign Minister.

The activities of Mr. Ritter while taking part in UNSCOM missions are a matter for him and the Executive Chairman of the Special Commission.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the current level of United States debt to the United Nations; and whether they are currently contributing to the costs of the United Nations Special Commission.

As at 31 October, the United States owed the United Nations US$1.371 billion. The current operating costs of the UN Special Commission are met from the revenue from Iraqi oil sales under UNSCR 986. In addition, some states contribute personnel and equipment. The United States is the largest such contributor.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the status in international law of the No Fly Zones in Iraq; and whether the rules of war are applicable to any attacks the United States or the United Nations may make on Iraq in these or other areas.

The No Fly Zones were established in support of United Nations Security Council Resolution 688 (1991) because of the circumstances of severe humanitarian need and to prevent the repression of the civilian population by the Iraqi regime.Allied aircraft in the No Fly Zones have the inherent right to self-defence in response to any imminent threat to their safety. They would comply with principles of humanitarian law on any such occasion.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have been informed, or in any way given to understand, that the United States will not agree to the raising of sanctions against Iraq until Saddam Hussein has been removed.

On 7 November, the US Secretary of State's press spokesman made the following statement: "If Saddam Hussein complies with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, we will support a process by which sanctions can be suspended and lifted. There is no question about that. That has been our policy for some time."There is no obstacle to sanctions being lifted while Saddam Hussein is in power other than his own persistent refusal to comply with the relevant SCRs.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether as a Permanent Member of the Security Council, the United Kingdom has considered the Turkish military action in northern Iraq against the forces of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, and the reaction to these operations by the Arab world and Iran; and whether they will invite the Security Council to determine, under Article 39, the existence of any threat to peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression which may have arisen, and to make recommendations or decide what measures shall be taken in accordance with Articles 41 and 42 to maintain or restore international peace and security.

We have told the Turkish government that the involvement of its forces in the Kurdish inter-factional fighting in northern Iraq is not compatible with its role as co-sponsor of the Ankara reconciliation process. We have no current plans to raise this in the Security Council.A renewed UK/US brokered cease-fire between the two Kurdish parties was established on 24 November.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are their plans for commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1998.

Planning for this anniversary is still in progress. We are working closely with the United Nations Association and the United Nations Information Centre. We have provided £30,000 to the United Nations Association and Council for Education in World Citizenship to support commemorative, educational activities.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will ratify the First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1966.

We are reviewing the United Kingdom's position on the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which enables individuals to submit complaints to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, as part of the wider review of international human rights instruments announced on 3 July 1997. We will announce our conclusions in due course.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which member states of the Council of Europe and of the European Union respectively have not accepted the First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The Council of Europe members which have not accepted the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) are: Albania; Andorra; Greece; Liechtenstein; Republic of Moldova; Switzerland; the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; Turkey and the United Kingdom.Greece and the United Kingdom are the only EU members not to have accepted the Optional Protocol to the ICCPR.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the annual report of the Britain-Russia Centre and British East-West Centre will be available.

Copies of the Centres' annual report for 1996–97 have been placed in the Libraries of the House. The centres received a grant-in-aid from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of £237,000 to support their activities in 1996–97. In addition the centres secured funding in 1996–97 of £237,227 for direct expenditure on projects. Their priority areas for assistance have been Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The centres continue to make a valuable contribution to the strengthening of bilateral relations. Activities have included seminars and workshops; administering the British observer mission to the Russian presidential elections; work with the media in the republics of the Caucasus, and senior level visits from Georgia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will continue to impose an arms embargo on Afghanistan in line with the EU's common position of 17 December 1996.

We remain committed to the EU arms embargo against Afghanistan which the UK interprets as covering all goods and technology entered on Part III of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods Order 1994, as amended.Following consultation with this department, and the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Trade and Industry recently approved a licence for the export of bomb disposal equipment for use by the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan in its demining operations. The grant of this licence is for humanitarian purposes, and is consistent with the purpose of the embargo.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will report on the outcome of the General Affairs Council in Brussels which took place on 24–25 November.

At the General Affairs Council in Brussels on 24–25 November the nine A Points in Document 12483/97 were approved, and the European Parliament resolutions of 5–6 November in Document 11487/97 were noted. The texts of both documents will be placed in the Libraries of the House as soon as they become available.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the reply given by Baroness Hayman on 19 November (H.L. Deb., col. 566–7), whether they will confirm that no part of the railway system privatised by the previous government will be renationalised.

We have made clear that our aim is to improve the railways as we find them, not as we would have wished them to be. Renationalisation cannot be a priority for the Government, given other pressures on public spending.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether there has been a reduction in the number of sparrows in London; if so, to what this reduction is attributed; and whether steps can be taken to reverse this development.

There is little evidence to suggest a significant long term decline in numbers or range of house sparrows, but the Government understand that concern has been expressed over the numbers of sparrows in London. The Breeding Bird Survey, introduced in 1994, should, in view of its coverage of urban and suburban habitats, provide improved monitoring of the sparrow population.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What estimate they have made of the cost of confirming the location and identity of the trawler "Gaul".

The costs of confirming the location and identity of the trawler were met by the television companies involved and Her Majesty's Government has no knowledge of the costs that were incurred.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the Government of the day first became aware of the estimated position of the trawler "Gaul".

In 1974 a Royal Navy Report to the then Department of Trade, which was then responsible for marine safety, stated that three separate unidentifiable echoes had been recorded in the general area of the "Gaul's" disappearance.The then Department of Trade considered a number of proposals for searching for the wreck. Proposals from the Royal Navy and commercial sources were discussed, but were not pursued as it was decided then that the considerable resource implications of each proposal could not be justified.Departmental records show that the lack of a positively identified search area was an important factor in these decisions. It is important to consider that mid–1970s technology was less able than the technology available today to make positive identifications of underwater objects from the surface.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What proposals they have to prevent damage to the countryside in England and Wales by four-wheel drive off-road vehicles.

We have been considering the responses to last year's consultation exercise on managing vehicles on rights of way. We intend to make an announcement shortly. Local highway authorities already have powers under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to prevent or restrict traffic on rights of way where it causes damage.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they have taken or are considering to ban or control genetically engineered plants that produce protease inhibitors which have been found to cause intestinal problems in the honey bee; and what assurances they can give that this problem will not manifest itself in mammals which have ingested such feed products.

Under current legislation, all releases of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) require prior consent by the Secretary of State. Applicants are required to submit an assessment of all the potential risks to human health and the environment, including effects on non-target species such as other insects and mammals. In reaching a decision, the Secretary of State takes the advice of independent experts in the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment. If proposed releases of GMOs are considered to pose a risk to human health or the environment, a consent would not be granted.The Government are aware of the recently reported effects of genetically modified plants producing protease inhibitors on non-target insect species. My department was already funding research to investigate, under carefully controlled conditions, the potential risks of these GMOs to the environment. This work continues but it is too early to draw any conclusions.To date, no applications to market plants genetically modified to produce protease inhibitors which will enter the food chain have been forwarded for consideration by European Community member states.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which countries in the European Union charge VAT on equine sales and at what rate.

All countries in the European Union charge VAT on equine sales. The rates applicable in each member state are as follows:

Country	Per cent.
Austria	10
Belgium	6, 211
Denmark	25
Finland	22
France	5.52
Germany	7
Greece	8, 183
Ireland	3.3
Italy	10
Luxembourg	3
Netherlands	6
Portugal	5
Spain	16
Sweden	25
United Kingdom	17.5
Notes:
1 21 per cent. standard rate applies to horses for riding; otherwise reduced rate of 6 per cent.
2 With the exception of wild horses.
3 18 per cent. standard rate applies to racehorses; otherwise reduced rate of 8 per cent.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer given by Lord Donoughue on 13 November

Horses that are used primarily in agriculture in the UK are already treated as agricultural animals. There would be repercussions for planning and rating policies were other horses to be so treated, even though they are not used primarily in agriculture.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will comment on the Independent Commission on the Voting System.

:My right honourable friend the Prime Minister has today appointed the right honourable Lord Jenkins of Hillhead to be the Chairman of the Independent Commission on the Voting System. The other members will be Lord Alexander of Weedon, Lady Gould of Potternewton, Sir John Chilcot and Mr. David Lipsey.The Commission's terms of reference will be:"The Commission shall be free to consider and recommend any appropriate system or combination of systems in recommending an alterative to the present system for Parliamentary elections to be put before the people in the Government's referendum.The Commission shall observe the requirement for broad proportionality, the need for stable government, an extension of voter choice and the maintenance of a link between MPs and geographical constituencies."The Commission will begin its work early in the new year and has been asked to report within 12 months.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How long it takes from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders, and for other young offenders.

Information on the time between arrest and sentence for young offenders is not available from historical records, as the previous

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of (a) the 1969 Home Office Memorandum of Guidance to the Police on the administration of the 1968 Firearms Act; and (b) the Home Office working party report on the administration of the Firearms Act 1984–86.

Copies of these documents have been placed in the Library. They have been largely superseded by the more recent 1989 publication Firearms Law: Guidance to the Police, which will be updated in turn once the recent firearms legislation has been fully implemented. A copy of this document has also been placed in the Library.

asked the Chairman of Committees:How frequently the Union Flag which flies above Victoria Tower is renewed; what is the current cost of renewal; and whether a system could he adopted similar to that in the Congress of the United States of America, whereby the flag being replaced could be purchased by members of either House of Parliament as often as there was a demand for it.

The flag is replaced only when it becomes either very faded or is damaged beyond repair by the wind. There are two sizes of flag: the flag for winter flying costs £423 and the flag for summer flying costs £779.I understand that the flag that flies above the American Congress is replaced daily. A similar scheme in respect of the flag that flies above Victoria Tower could only be introduced in conjunction with the House of Commons.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will now publish position papers on future policy towards the World Trade Organisation, the United Nations System and the international financial institutions in the light of the recent White Paper entitled

The Government will be taking forward their dialogue with all the institutions in question to ensure that they contribute appropriately to the task of eliminating world poverty and take account of the interests of developing countries in their activities, in accordance with the policy directions laid down in the White Paper. I have no immediate plans to publish position papers, but further information about progress and future plans will be contained in DFID's departmental report to Parliament.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What specific arrangements have been made to ensure that developing countries (including both the poorest and the smallest developing countries) have a full and meaningful part in the negotiations at the OECD on the proposed Multilateral Agreement on Investment and to endeavour to ensure that the outcome will be demonstrably as much in the interests of developing countries as those of multinational companies and the industrial world.

Events have been held in Latin America, Africa and Asia as well as at the OECD in Paris to inform and involve developing countries in the MAI. I believe that the MAI represents an opportunity and not a threat for developed and developing countries alike.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will ensure that the proposed Multilateral Agreement on Investment is scrutinised and debated in Parliament before any commitments are made by them in the OECD negotiations.

The MAI will be subject to standard parliamentary procedures for treaties. It will also receive the additional scrutiny required for European Community business, as the EC will be a signatory to the MAI.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What arrangements have been made to ensure that the British negotiating position in the OECD negotiations on the proposed Multilateral Agreement on Investment is kept in line both with the policy objectives set out in the recent White Paper entitled

My department, which leads on the MAI, remains in constant contact with all relevant government departments in order to ensure that the UK's negotiating position remains consistent with overall government policy.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Answer by Lord Williams of Mostyn on 20 November 1997 (H.L. Deb., cols. 742–44), whether they consider that doctors have an ethical obligation to comply with advance directives, where the clinical circumstances are such as the patient has considered; andFurther to the Answer by Lord Williams of Mostyn on 20 November 1997 (H.L. Deb., cols. 742–44), whether they consider that a doctor who acts in accordance with an advance directive, where the clinical circumstances are such as the patient has considered, will not be guilty of negligence or any criminal offence.

It is a general principle of law and medical practice that any person with the mental capacity to make a valid decision may choose whether or not to accept medical treatment. The courts have held that an advance directive is as legally binding on the health care professionals as a current refusal would be, if it is validly made and clearly applicable in the circumstances.A valid advance refusal must be taken as seriously by a doctor treating an incapacitated patient as he would that patient's expressed views if competent. To ignore it would be a breach of ethical obligations and the common law. However, the British Medical Association states, "If a health professional is involved in the management of a case and cannot for reasons of conscience accede to a patient's request for limitation of treatment, management of that patient must be passed to a colleague".An advance directive cannot authorise a doctor to do anything illegal. A doctor who acts in accordance with an advance directive which is clearly valid in the circumstances presented, should not be the subject of any legal proceedings. If there is uncertainty about whether an advance directive is valid, the view of the courts should be sought.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether members of the reserve forces can serve with the UN Special Commission in Iraq.

A Call-Out Order is in force which permits members of the reserve forces to be called out under Section 54 of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 to support operations in the former republic of Yugoslavia and also in the region of Iraq. This includes service with the UN Special Commission in Iraq. Only suitably qualified volunteers are called out.

asked Her Majesty's Government:For each of (a) the Royal Air Force Museum, (b) the National Museum of Wales and (c) the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, in which year compulsory entrance charges and voluntary donations were introduced, how many people visited in the year before and the year after the introduction of such charges and donations, what percentage charge this represents and how many people visited the museum in 1996–97.

Of the four museums now forming the Royal Air Force Museum, only the original Royal Air Force Museum at Hendon did not levy entrance charges from the date of opening to the public. The Trustees introduced entrance charges for the original museum in 1988 and visitor figures for the preceding and subsequent financial years are given below:

Admissions 1987–88	Admissions 1988–89	Change
350,0001	189,199	–46%1
Note:
1Fully accurate visitor figures have only been maintained since the introduction of entrance charges and the 1987–88 figure is likely to be some 20 per cent. overstated as a result of double counting.

The 1996–97 visitor figure for the Royal Air Force Museum as a whole (including the former Battle of Britain and Bomber Command Museums at Hendon and the Aerospace Museum at Cosford) totalled 241,279 (135,270 for the Hendon site and 106,009 for Cosford).I am advised by the Welsh Office that the Trustees of the National Museum and Gally Cardiff introduced entrance charges in 1988 and that visitor figures for the preceding and subsequent financial years were:

Admissions 1987–88	Admissions 1988–89	change
447,542	267,146	–40%
The 1996–97 visitor figure was 243,022.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will give a breakdown of the costs incurred to date of the inspectors' investigation into the flotation of MGN plc.

The costs incurred to date of the inspectors' investigation into the flotation of Mirror Group Newspapers plc are £1,410,577 in respect of lawyers' fees and expenses and £5,796,352 in respect of accountants' fees and expenses.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the terms of reference for the inspectors appointed in 1992 to investigate the circumstances of the flotation of MGN plc.

The inspectors were appointed under Sections 432 and 442 of the Companies Act 1985 to investigate and report on the affairs and membership of Mirror Group Newspapers plc. They were asked to look, in particular, at the offers for sale of the company's shares in early 1991.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are satisfied that counsel appointed to investigate the flotation of MGN plc has adequate time to devote to this task in the light of his subsequent appointment as a judge.

Yes. It is for the judge, in consultation with his Head of Division, to determine his duties, including his obligations as a Companies Act inspector.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will list the percentage of the with-profits life funds held in cash, bank deposits or fixed-interest securities for each life insurance company as shown in the most recent returns made by the companies to the government.

The returns show segregated assets for life companies' long term business funds. Companies do not usually hold, or report in their