asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish those written submissions to the Strategic Defence Review which have been made by individual Service and Ministry of Defence civilian personnel. [HL18]

Written submissions to the SDR from Service and MoD civilian personnel are part of an internal consultation process. We will therefore place a digest of these submissions in the Libraries of both Houses as soon as it is available.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What military contingency planning has been made in respect of recent events in Iraq. [HL188]

Iraq continues to obstruct the work of the United Nations Special Commission, whose purpose is to ensure that Iraq cannot again threaten its neighbours with weapons of mass destruction. The United Nations Security Council has repeatedly made clear that Iraq must co-operate fully and unreservedly with UNSCOM and comply with relevant Security Council resolutions. The United Kingdom is working with other members of the Security Council to secure Iraq's co-operation through diplomatic means. If these efforts fail, we may need to consider other measures, including the use of force. As a contingency, HMS "Invincible", accompanied by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary "Fort Victoria", will, therefore, sail to the Gulf to join other UK forces and those of our allies already operating in the region.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much money has been made available from the European Social Fund, in each of the past three years, for each of the London boroughs: and whether they will give details of each individual project which has received funds. [HL1]

London boroughs have in the past three years submitted successful bids for European Social Fund money which amount to £6,292,548.29 for 1995, £7,738,583.14 for 1996 and £4,309,100.49 for 1997. The following table shows how much money each of the London boroughs have either received or expect to receive as a result of their approved applications in 1995, 1996 and 1997. Documentation providing details of each individual project which has received funds has been placed in the Libraries.

London Borough	1995	1996	1997
Barking & Dagenham	35,875.00	91,096.00	22,692.20
Barnet	75,776.77	109,847.00	70,330.12
Bexley	47,626.92	59,84845	24,172.00
Brent	349,590.10	386,458.35	201,517.00
Bromley	21,638.00	27,925.24	0
Camden	267,872.14	269,185.00	84,706.00
Croydon	251,194.00	539,409.00	224,364.45
Ealing	321,079.91	455,010.05	361,620.76
Enfield	326,445.00	257,082.05	214,921.30
Greenwich	266,247.39	270,444.65	127,530.15
Hackney	243,173.13	312,123.48	331,265.55
Hammersmith & Fulham	117,615.00	170,616.19	105,425.27
Haringey	488,304.73	473,553.00	321,962.15
Harrow	15,067.80	49,397.35	0
Havering	55,642.00	179,321.00	64,915.00
Hillingdon	83,821.00	261,043.07	89,977.00
Hounslow	178,946.00	223,271.00	141,711.00
Islington	389,509.00	344,842.00	238,648.27
Kensington & Chelsea	142,421.38	192,521.00	130,200.00
Kingston upon Thames	45,267.00	46,452.00	7,306.00
Lambeth	133,341.50	196,642.00	111,759.45
Lewisham	146,971.51	193,266.53	57,100.47
Merton	12,579.00	57,339.85	0
Newham	97,543.00	60,121.00	0
Redbridge	52,512.90	129,995.76	82,485.45
Richmond upon Thames	133,687.10	145,364.30	149,564.75
southwark	363,561.00	372,672.00	124,812.00
Sutton	51,353.00	70,784.00	39,904.00
Tower Hamlets	706,237.00	701,185.08	151,809.40
Waltham Forest	434,275.44	716,537.69	561,507.56
Wandsworth	316,694.57	298,478.50	220,270.75
Westminster	120,680.00	76,750.25	46,622.44
Total (£)	6,292,548.29	7,738,583.14	4,309,100.49

asked Her Majesty's Government:What arrangements will be made for ethnic monitoring of the new orders proposed in the consultation paper

Ethnic monitoring of the new criminal disposals proposed in the consultation paper will be included as part of the new system of ethnic monitoring being developed for the criminal courts. A description of this system was included in the Home Office publication Race and the Criminal Justice System published in December 1997.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether an applicant for asylum who arrives at a port of entry suffering from illness, is granted emergency admission to hospital, and applies for asylum immediately on becoming fit to do so, should be regarded as a port of entry applicant or an in-country applicant; and what guidelines or precedents should be applied to this situation. [HL14]

To be classified as a "port" asylum application, the asylum claim must be made prior to the grant of leave to enter by an immigration officer. After that, the asylum claim would be classified as "in-country". In the situation described, the key issue would be whether the immigration officer had completed his/her examination and granted leave to enter prior to the asylum claim or not.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will improve the wording of the RON 58 renewal letter for those on exceptional leave to remain to make clear that the leave which is granted is exceptional leave to remain.[HL15]

There are at present no plans to change the wording. The letter is used when an extension of stay is granted to someone who is unable to provide a passport or other travel document. The stamp affixed to it specifies the duration of the extension and any conditions or restrictions attached to the leave. People given exceptional leave to remain are notified of this and any attendant conditions when such leave is first given.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What the correct procedure is for asylum seekers arriving at Waterloo International to make a port of entry application for asylum, and whether they believe this procedure is working well. [HL16]

The procedures in place for claiming asylum at Waterloo International are exactly the same as those operated at any of the ports of arrival in the United Kingdom. To make an asylum claim, the applicant has simply to tell the immigration officer that he/she wishes to do so. There is no indication that these procedures are not operating correctly at Waterloo International.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What proportion of their total aid and development budget is being used for loans, training and indirect support for the smallest businesses and service providers in developing countries (a) in 1997–98; and (b) in 1998–99. [HL31]

In 1997–98, DFID will spend about 1 per cent. or £20 million of our total expenditure on support to micro and small businesses in developing countries. It is difficult at this stage to confirm a figure for 1998–99 (since a number of large projects are awaiting approval), but the proportion of aid spent in this way is likely to continue to increase as our micro enterprise development programme scales up in India, east and southern Africa.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will announce their policy for the future of town and country planning in England.[HL167]

We have today placed copies of a policy statement in the Library of the House. This statement confirms that we shall retain the principles of the town and country planning system established by the post-war Labour Government. For 50 years, these have demonstrated their flexibility and served us well. There are, however, a number of missing dimensions that this Government will put in place to cope with the challenges they now face.These are:

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they intend issuing guidance to local authorities on the implementation of the Road Traffic Reduction Act 1997. [HL166]

Draft guidance to local authorities on implementing the provisions of the Road Traffic Reduction Act is being issued for public consultation today. Comments on the draft guidance are being sought by 20 April 1998. I am arranging for copies of the consultation documents to be placed in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the latest results of the research into rain penetration in cavity walls. [HC219]

On behalf of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, the Building Research Establishment (BRE) has undertaken research into water penetration in cavity walls filled with insulation.As part of the ongoing programme of research into rain penetration in cavity walls we have asked for precautionary checks to be carried out on the condition of galvanised steel wire wall ties in a representative sample of homes with cavity walls filled with insulation. This follows the preliminary results of research which indicate that there is a possibility that the life expectancy of green coloured galvanised steel wire wall ties might be shortened when used in conjunction with urea formaldehyde foam cavity fill. The tests were undertaken on dwarf walls without the protective features found in real houses. We wish, therefore, to establish whether the effects indicated in the BRE research occur in real houses.We want to stress that there is no conclusive evidence of a safety risk involving galvanised steel wire wall ties in cavity wall insulation. But it would be wrong if, as a result of the preliminary findings, we did not investigate quickly and thoroughly whether or not the possible problems with green coloured galvanised steel wire wall ties in some cavity fills were occurring in people's homes. This is a prudent, precautionary measure and we have asked that further research be carried out as soon as possible.The expert, independent, advice we have received from the BRE is that while they believe that their initial findings indicate the need for a wider study, they are strongly of the view that it would be premature to place any firm interpretation on their findings until it can be established whether they are representative of conditions in the UK housing stock.While the number of homes containing galvanised wire wall ties with a green film in cavity wall insulation is a small portion of the housing stock, it is prudent to carry out these precautionary checks which will be extended to examine other forms of galvanised wire wall ties in cavity fill.BRE's test results show:

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much money has been made available from the European Union budget, in each of the past three years, for transport infrastructure in the London area: and whether they will give details of each individual project which has received funds. [HL3]

ERDF funding of £2,954,500 was committed to transport infrastructure projects in London under the East London and Lee Valley Objective 2 Programme 1994–96, as follows:

Project title	1995	1996	1997
Stratford station subwayextension (LB Newham)	£170,000	—	—
Seven Sisters interchange(LB Haringey)	£125,000	—	—
Stratford Regional station(LB Newham)	£1,430,000	—	—
Tottenham Hale LULstation upgrade(LB Haringey)	£1,066,000	—	—
Cycle parking at railstations (LB Haringey)	—	£29,500	—
Lea Bridge Road buspriority measures(LB Waltham Forest)	—	£94,000	—
Access strategy for EastLondon and Lea Valley(LB Waltham Forest)	—	£40,000	—
Totals	£2,791,000	£163,500	£0

In addition, between 1995 and 1997 about £66 million was awarded from the EU's Trans-European Networks (TENs) budget to the development of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and initial stages of the West Coast Mail Line upgrading and modernisation. However, it is not possible to identify separately the proportions applicable to infrastructure in the London area.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the project to repair the Lowlands Canals is still viable; and whether there is a new problem with the funding of the project.[HL32]

Funding for this project, which is being led by British Waterways, has been sought from a number of sources. All the funding is in place other than a contribution from the European Regional Development Fund. Recommendations from the two Scottish Office chaired programme committees which appraise ERDF applications in Scotland would leave a funding shortfall of some £7 million. However, the final decision rests with the European Commission. BW would have to reconsider the project's viability in the light of such a decision.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What arrangements have been made with any company or organisation regarding the Millennium Dome, and in particular:

The New Millennium Experience Company Ltd (NMEC) has responsibility for building the dome and for developing and operating the Millennium Experience at Greenwich and an associated national programme of events and activities. The NMEC operates according to company law but it is also a non-departmental public body (NDPB) and follows the appropriate procedures for the procurement of works, goods and services.The grant memorandum between the Millennium Commission and NMEC provides for the Millennium Commission to oversee the procurement procedures implemented by the NMEC and, in certain cases, the Commission's or the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's approval is required before contracts are entered into. The Treasury has no role with respect to individual contracts.NMEC (then called Millennium Central Ltd) became operational in February 1997. Tenders for works, goods and services sought during the period between February 1997 and 19 June 1997—the date on which the Government made a final decision to proceed with the project—were made on the basis of an interim grant contract with the Millennium Commission which contained provisions to cover the project being cancelled following any review. In a few cases the NMEC took over procurement processes already begun by the Millennium Commission as part of its developmental work on the project prior to the Commission's formal award of grant to the NMEC.The only contract that NMEC has cancelled to date was that with Koch Hightex, which contained a cancellation clause to cover just such an eventuality.The NMEC is now party to over 90 works, goods, and services contracts. It does not hold details of the directors of each of the companies involved or when each of the companies was registered. The costs of compiling such details could only be done at disproportionate cost to the taxpayer.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will institute an inquiry into bovine spongiform encephalopathy and new variant CJD.[HL65]

Since the announcement by the then Secretary of State for Health and Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on 20 March 1996 of the probable link with a new variant of Creutzfeld Jakob Disease, there have been many calls for a public inquiry into Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. These calls come from consumer opinion and from the scientific community, as well as from the families of nvCJD patients, for whom the Government have the deepest sympathy. Comparisons have been drawn with the full investigations which follow transport accidents and major commercial failures affecting the public, whose human and economic implications are often much less.Further to the statement made by my right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on 22 December 1997, the Government have decided to invite Lord Justice Phillips to carry out a non-statutory inquiry with the following terms of reference:"To establish and review the history of the emergence and identification of BSE and nvCJD in the United Kingdom, and of the action taken in response to it up to 20 March 1996; to reach conclusions on the adequacy of that response, taking account of the state of knowledge at the time; and to report on these matters by 31 December 1998 to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Secretary of State for Health and the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland."In carrying out the inquiry, Lord Justice Phillips will be supported by a scientific assessor and by an assessor experienced in public administration.This will be a non-statutory inquiry, whose main purpose is to establish facts and the respective roles of a range of commercial players and public authorities, not to lay blame at the feet of individuals. The Government urge all concerned to co-operate fully with the inquiry; and will of course expect serving and retired public officials to do so.The inquiry will begin its work this month. Parties wishing to make representations to the inquiry can write to them at 3 Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2HH.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are satisfied that the experiments carried out on live cattle to ascertain the transferability of BSE replicated normal farm conditions with sufficient accuracy to ensure that the conclusions drawn are meaningful. [HL27]

The experimental animals were fed 100g of infected brain material. This was recognised at the time that the experiment was started (1991) to be potentially in excess of the natural challenge in most cases. Nevertheless, it was essential to ensure that cattle became infected otherwise the experiment would have produced no meaningful results. We now have evidence that 1g of brain tissue will transmit disease, but only six out of 10 cattle have died as a result so far. It is probable that most cattle became infected by consuming more than the equivalent of 1 g of heat-treated brain, as reflected by their relative incubation periods. A further range of experiments is planned that will examine the consequences of challenge with smaller quantities of brain.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the new requirements on the preparation of sheep carcases for sale were based on concerns about the transmission of BSE to sheep or on concerns about the incidence of scrapie. [HL28]

The requirements for the preparation of sheep carcases for sale are primarily intended to protect public health against the possibility that BSE exists in the sheep flock, even though there is, at present, no evidence that BSE occurs naturally in sheep.There is no evidence to suggest that scrapie presents a risk to human health.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the outcome of the Fisheries Council held in Brussels on 18 and 19 December 1997.[HL66]

My honourable friend the Parliamentary Secretary represented the United Kingdom at the meeting of the Fisheries Council in Brussels on 18–19 December, together with my noble friend the Under-Secretary of State at the Scottish Office.The council agreed by qualified majority, with Ireland voting against, the total allowable catches and quotas to apply in 1998 in Community waters.Throughout the negotiations the Government stressed the need to be guided by the advice of the scientists and to be cautious in our management of fish stocks while at the same time taking account of the practical realities and economic needs of fishermen. We believe that the final package struck that balance.In order to conserve stocks, TACs were reduced where necessary. In other cases, where the state of stocks justified it, TACs were increased. At the end of the negotiations, the total UK quotas agreed for the stocks of most importance to our fishermen were some 26,000 tonnes higher in cod equivalent terms than the quotas being discussed at the start of the negotiations. This increase is worth approximately £11 million to the industry and means our total quotas in cod equivalent terms for these stocks are 5 per cent. above the 1997 level. Higher quotas for some stocks combined with the fleet reductions which have been taking place should increase the profitability of our fishermen.The Government invoked the Hague Preference on all stocks where it was necessary to do so.We are very pleased to say that the agreement included a new TAC for sandeels and new allocations for five other North Sea stocks. These new controls will limit uptake in some sensitive fisheries and their establishment represents a significant advance in conservation. Moreover, the Government secured changes which greatly improved the UK's share of the TACs for North Sea sprat and herring by-catches.As well as for the first time introducing a catch limit on sandeels in the North Sea, the council agreed further restrictions on industrial fisheries by reducing the TAC set for herring by-catches in industrial fisheries.The Council did not agree the new North Sea TACs proposed for anglerfish, megrim, turbot, mixed flatfish, and skates and rays. It did, however, make a commitment to reach agreement on these TACs by 30 March 1998 and, in order to avoid irresponsible fishing, the council and commission agreed to our suggestion that no fish caught after 1 January 1998 will count towards track records under the new TACs.Within the package there was agreement to the allocation of the western waters horse mackerel TAC in which the Government secured an increase in the UK's share from 8.28 per cent. to 9.81 per cent.We also succeeded in securing an increase to 22.29 per cent. as the United Kingdom's share of the TAC for Atlanto-Scandian herring. This will replace the 19.85 per cent. share imposed on the UK at the April Fisheries Council.The council agreed unanimously to access and quota arrangements for 1998 with neighbouring non-member states. Declines in the stocks managed by Norway mean that Community and UK fishing opportunities have been reduced at North Norway. We have, however, retained our quotas in Faroese, Greenland and Iceland waters at the same levels as in 1997.The Council also agreed unanimously to the allocation of the Community's 1998 quotas in the waters covered by the North-West Atlantic Fisheries Organisation, together with technical conservation and control measures applicable to those waters, and to the allocation of the Community's redfish quota in the waters covered by the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission, together with management measures for those waters.In order to implement commitments made in the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, the council agreed unanimously to the introduction of TACs for bluefin tuna and swordfish.

United Kingdom: Decision on MAGP IV
Situation
						1 January 1997		Objective 31 December 1996				Objective 31 December 2001
			Catch composition	Pilot rate	Weighted reduction
Area/Stocks	Segment	Fishery	(per cent.)	(per cent.)	(per cent.)	GT	kW	GT	kW	GT1 x t ('000)	kW x t ('000)	GT	kW	GT1 x t ('000)	kW x t ('000)
	Small scale coastal <10 metres	—	—	—	—	20,120	286,367	21,901	286,154	—	—	21,901	286,154	—	—
		Sub total				20,120	286,367	21,901	286,154	—	—	21,901	286,154
EU waters Pelagic	Pelagic trawl and Purse Seines	North Sea Herring IV, VIId	DR: 69 OF:3 Others: 28	30	21.8	—	—	—	—	1,660	3,841	—	—	1,301	3,009
		Western Pelagic Vb,VI, VII ex VIId VIII	DR: 0 OF: 65 Others: 35	20	13.0	—	—	—	—	4,981	11,524	—	—	4,334	10,028
		External waters (Atlanto-scandian herring)	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	0	—	—	2570	21,036
		Blue whitting IV, VI, VII, VIII				—	—	—	—	0	0	—	—	2460	2644
	Segment totals3					37,453	71,876	34,876	82,168	6,641	15,365	34,876	82,168	6,665	14,717
EU waters Flatfish	Beam trawl	Flatfish IV	DR: 63 OF: 1 Others: 36	30	19.2	—	—	—	—	3,988	15,529	—	—	3,221	12,542
		Flatfish VII, VI	DR: 11 OF: 17 Others: 71	30	8.0	—	—	—	—	2,092	7,234	—	—	1,917	6,631
	Segment totals4					28,240	117,616	26,062	103,054	6,080	22,763	26,062	103,054	5,138	19,173
EU waters Demersal	Demersal trawls seines, Nephrops	Demersal IV, Vb, VI, VII, VIII	DR: 18 OF: 29 Others: 53	30	14.2	116,581	400,127	120,630	422,876	29,119	98,210	120,630	422,876	24,993	84,294

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the United Kingdom's objectives for the multi-annual guidance programme (MAGP IV) now adopted by the European Commission and announced on 17 December 1997. [HL64]

The Commission announced on 17 December that it had adopted the objectives for all 13 maritime member states, details of which are to be published shortly in a series of commission decisions addressed to the member states concerned.The full table applying to the United Kingdom which we expect to appear in the