asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the total central government expenditure, individually for each of the last five years, for development agencies in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England; and how many new jobs were created in each of these areas for the same period.

This information could only be provided at a disproportionate cost to the taxpayer.In England, there are currently no agencies comparable to the development agencies for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. Government spending on economic development in England is disbursed through a number of organisations and departments. Total expenditure figures are not held centrally.However, the Government recently announced their plans to introduce regional development agencies. The necessary legislation will be presented in due course.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress is being made to end mixed sex hospital accommodation in the NHS and whether progress in this area has been speeded up by hospital trusts since the Minister of Health's Statement on 6 August "that progress had been too slow".

Progress continues to be made. The National Health Service Executive is in discussion with a number of health authorities on the scope for bringing forward target dates for eliminating mixed sex hospital accommodation. I will write to the noble Lord with more detailed information, which will be made publicly available shortly.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they were represented at the symposium on the safety of Vitamin B6 held at the Royal College of Physicians on 8 September; and whether they have responded to the recommendation of that symposium that Vitamin B6 supplements should be unrestricted up to levels of 200mg.

Government officials attended the symposium on 8 September and received an edited transcript of the proceedings. The Government have noted these recommendations. However the Government have every confidence in the advice of the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment and the Food Advisory Committee that retail sale of Vitamin B6 be limited to 10mg.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the terms of reference of the Committee on Toxicity; and under which of those terms the Committee was qualified to consider the safety of nutrients, such as Vitamin B6, in addition to toxins.

The terms of reference of the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment are set out in the 1995 Annual Report, which has been placed in the Library. The COT considered the safety of Vitamin B6 under the term of reference "to assess and advise on the toxic risk to man of substances which are…produced in industry".

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which pharmaceutical companies submitted comments to the Committee on Toxicity in support of the restriction of the retail sale of Vitamin B6.

No pharmaceutical companies have submitted such comments to the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment.

asked Her Majesty's Government:By what factor the Committee on Toxicity divided the daily dose of Vitamin B6 which it concluded could cause toxicity in order to reach its recommended dose of 50mg a day; whether they will indicate the safety levels which would be derived if an identical division was undertaken by toxicity levels of

The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) recommended that the maximum daily intake of Vitamin B6 as a dietary supplement should be restricted to 10 milligrams. It did not recommend doses of 50mg a day. The COT based its conclusions on evidence which showed the lowest dose to have adverse effects in humans is 50mg per day.The COT has not had occasion to identify the lowest doses of zinc, potassium or Vitamin D at which clinical symptoms of toxicity would occur in humans. Therefore it is not possible to make calculations equivalent to those used in its consideration of Vitamin B6.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many members of the Committee on Toxicity have declared financial or other links with pharmaceutical companies which would benefit from restrictions on the retail sale of Vitamin B6 supplements; and, if any, what assessment of those links was made when considering the recommendations of that Committee in relation to Vitamin B6.

The Government have no information as to which pharmaceutical companies would benefit, or be adversely affected by, restrictions on the retail sale of Vitamin B6 supplements. Such information was not relevant when the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment considered Vitamin B6 dietary supplements.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in considering the advice of the Committee on Toxicity (COT) on Vitamin B6 supplementation, they noted the assessment by Professor Andre McLean of University College, London (presented at the symposium on the safety of Vitamin B6 at the Royal College of Physicians on 8 September) that the paper by Dr. K. Dalton showed that "science was not her strong point" and that "fundamentally this is an uncontrolled study of anecdotal type"; and what role the Dalton paper played in the decision-making process of the COT; andWhether, in considering the advice of the Committee on Toxicity (COT) on Vitamin B6 supplementation, they noted the assessment by Dr. Ian Munro (presented at the symposium on the safety of Vitamin B6 at the Royal College of Physicians on 8 September) that the study conducted by Dr. K. Dalton "lacked any detailed neurological assessment of the individuals who were consuming Vitamin B6" and "was not done under clinically blinded conditions"; andWhether, in considering the advice of the Committee on Toxicity (COT) on Vitamin B6 supplementation, they noted the assessment by Dr. Allan Bernstein, Chief of Neurology at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Centre (presented at the symposium on the safety of Vitamin B6 at the Royal College of Physicians on 8 September) that the paper by Dr. K. Dalton referred to symptoms which were "not typical of neuropathy, but were typical manifestations of hyperventilation and anxiety."

The Government are aware of the assessments made by Professor McLean, Dr. Munro and Dr. Bernstein. The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) made its recommendation to the Government after considering over 100 scientific papers from national and international journals; the study by Dalton and Dalton was just one of this number.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they support the European Union's proposal to set minimum standards for the reception of asylum seekers; and, if so, within what timetable could these be implemented.

A draft measure on conditions for the reception of asylum seekers was proposed under the Spanish Presidency of the European Union in 1996. This was not progressed by the Dutch and Luxembourg Presidencies this year. We have no plans at present to seek agreement on such a measure under our Presidency next year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many responses to

Five hundred and forty-five responses were received, most of them warmly supportive of the Government's proposals. A summary of the main points raised can be found in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many responses to the consultation paper

One hundred and eighty-five responses were received. A list of the respondents and a summary of the main points raised can be found in the Library in a document entitled "Responses to the Home Office Consultation Document on Community Safety Orders".

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are their intentions regarding the payment of grant under Section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966, to provide additional support for ethnic minorities.

We fully recognise the value of work which Section 11 grant has supported, and the importance that local authorities and communities attach to this. We have commissioned a study to consider how such support needed for members of ethnic minorities can best be provided. The exercise is being conducted by the Home Office in collaboration with the Department for Education and Employment. We very much hope that local authorities and other interested parties will contribute views. The findings of the study, which are expected to be available in the spring, will inform our further consideration

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they support proposals to allow universities to impose fees on students in addition to Her Majesty's Government's proposed tuition fees.

We have made clear that access to higher education should be on the basis of academic merit, not ability to pay, and that top-up fees for home and EU full-time undergraduate and PGCE students play no part in the Government's plans. The Teaching and Higher Education Bill makes provision for a reserve power to control top-up fees, if necessary. We have undertaken to clarify the relevant clause through appropriate amendment at Committee stage with a view to ensuring that our intentions on the scope of the clause are clear.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea 1996 (which is not in force) does or does not provide for compensation to fishermen who are unable to fish by reason of the release at sea of hazardous and noxious substances; andWhether the Protocol of 1996 to Amend the Convention on Limitation on Liability for Maritime Claims 1976 (which is not yet in force) does or does not provide for compensation to fishermen who are unable to fish by reason of the release at sea of hazardous and noxious substances; andWhat are the implications, and for whom, of the exceptions referred to under Article 1.6(d) and Article4.3(a) and (b) of the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea 1996 (which is not yet in force); andWhy Article 3 of the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea 1996 (which is not yet in force) does not cover, apparently, damage on the seabed beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the [breadth] of its territorial sea is measured; andWhether Article 4 of the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea 1996 (which is not yet in force) would permit states to operate a non-commercial dumping service involving the dumping at sea of hazardous and noxious substances; andWhat are the implications for a party which has been subjected to damage under Article 12.8 of the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea Act 1996.

The aim of the Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) Convention is to provide adequate, prompt and effective compensation for loss or damage arising from the carriage by sea of hazardous and noxious substances. The UK was the first signatory to the convention. We are working with other states to co-ordinate ratification of the convention, with the aim of achieving its early entry into force and global application.Fishermen would be eligible to claim for compensation under the HNS Convention if the release of hazardous and noxious substances were to prevent them from fishing.The HNS Convention covers damage caused by a wide range of dangerous and polluting cargoes. It does not, however, duplicate the cover provided by existing international conventions (pollution damage caused by persistent oil carried in tankers and damage caused by radioactive materials).The HNS Convention extends many of the provisions of the existing international liability and compensation regime for oil pollution from tankers to hazardous and noxious substances, particularly as regards geographical scope.The HNS Convention deals solely with liability and compensation matters. Rules on dumping at sea are contained in the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter 1972 and its 1996 Protocol.Article 12(8) of the NHS Convention would allow compensation claims to be brought directly against insurers or other parties providing financial security for a shipowner. It also restricts the defences that such parties may invoke.The 1996 Protocol to amend the 1976 Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims would increase the limit of shipowners' liability for certain claims arising from the operation of their vessels. The UK was the first signatory to the Protocol. The Protocol would not, in itself, provide compensation to fishermen. It could, however, increase the compensation available for claims subject to limitation under the 1976 Convention.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the number of directly employed persons engaged on full-time and part-time contracts in Scottish local authorities in each of the past five years.

The available information, from the published results of Scottish Joint Staffing Watch surveys, is given in the table below. A revised Joint Staffing Watch survey was introduced following local government reorganisation in Scotland. Because of changes in definitions and coverage, these data are not comparable with staffing figures for earlier time periods. The footnote to the table identifies a major break in comparability in the data over the period. There was no survey in June 1996. The press release, Joint Staffing Watch—June 1997 Return—Scotland, a copy of which is available in the Library, describes the results of the survey in more detail and explains the differences between the revised surveys and earlier surveys.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Who will fund the cost of the special support covering proposed tuition fees beyond year four for Northern Ireland medical students studying at Scottish medical schools; andWho will fund the cost of the special support covering proposed tuition fees for medical and dental students studying at The Queen's University, Belfast.

Details of the funding arrangements are still the subject of discussion between the departments concerned.My honourable friend the Minister with responsibility for this subject, Mr. Tony Worthington, will write to the noble Lord, Lord Alderdice, when decisions have been taken.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will place in the Library of the House a list of all firearm and shotgun appeals to which notice of appeal was submitted by the appellants to (a) Swansea; (b) Merthyr Tydfil; (c) Cardiff; and (d) Newport (Gwent) Crown Courts for the last two years.

The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether their decision that legal aid should not usually be available to people claiming damages or financial compensation is intended to include those claiming damages or compensation for breaches by public authorities of their statutory duties (including the duties imposed by the Human Rights Bill) or misfeasance in public office or other abuses of public powers.

I will be consulting widely before I make any final decisions about changes to the scope of civil legal aid. It already appears to me that legal aid should probably continue to be available to bring proceedings for judicial review, housing matters or other social welfare issues, regardless of whether they include a claim for money or damages. It should also, probably, remain for the purposes of defending any proceedings currently within the scope of legal aid. More generally, however, it is my intention to move most money, or damages, claims out of the scope of civil legal aid.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the report by the Chief Inspector of Social Work for Scotland into the supervision of sex offenders will be published.

The report has been published today and a copy placed in the House Libraries, together with the Government's response. In response to one of the recommendations, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Scotland will be appointing an expert group to take forward action in this difficult area. I am delighted that the Hon. Lady Cosgrove has agreed to chair the group, whose remit and full membership will be announced shortly.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What statistics the Home Office collates on expenditure of candidates in general elections.

The total expenses of candidates in general elections between 1857 and 1992 are set out in the following tables. Table 1 shows the actual expenditure. Table 2 has the figures indexed to 1992 prices.The figures for the 1997 general election are not yet available.