asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they encourage the use of arbitration, where agreed procedures exist, in order to resolve disputes between employers and employees' representatives. [HL53]

It is good industrial relations practice for employers and trade unions to establish and use procedures to resolve disputes through discussion and negotiation. However, it is Government policy not to intervene in individual trade disputes between employers and trade unions.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will support an amendment to the OECD's Multilateral Agreement on Investment in order to stress the obligations and responsibilities of investors as well as their rights. [HL205]

We are pressing for the close association with the MAI of the OECD's Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, which lay down standards for the activities of multinationals. More generally, multinationals—like domestic enterprises—have to respect the laws of the countries where they operate.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the British Board of Film Classification's Annual Report for 1996–97 will be published. [HL336]

My right honourable friend the Home Secretary has today laid before the House copies of the Annual Report of the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) for 1996–97, which gives details of the board's financial accounts and activities over the past eighteen months. Copies of the report have also been placed in the Library.Under Section 6 of the Video Recordings Act 1984, the designated authority for the classification of video works (in practice, the President and Vice Presidents of the BBFC) is required to produce a report as soon as is reasonably practicable after 31 December. The production of the report for 1996–97 has been greatly delayed and my right honourable friend has expressed his concern about this very strongly to the new President, Mr. Andreas Whittam Smith. Mr. Whittam Smith has made it clear that he shares his concern and has assured him that he will be establishing a timetable for the production of the 1997–98 report to ensure that it is produced as soon as possible after the audited accounts are available.My right honourable friend has also made clear to Mr. Whittam Smith his serious concern at the unilateral action taken by the BBFC last year to relax the guidelines for the classification of videos in the R18 category (that is, videos which can lawfully be sold only in licensed sex shops). The BBFC's change of policy was brought to his attention by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, which was concerned that material had been classified which might otherwise have been liable to forfeiture under Section 42 of the Customs Consolidation Act and the subject of forfeiture proceedings under Section 3 of the Obscene Publications Act. It was entirely unacceptable that the board should have acted in this way. As a consequence of my right honourable friend's concern, Mr. Whittam Smith has enquired into the handling of this matter and is putting in place procedures to ensure proper controls on the formulation of policy. He is also taking steps to improve management accountability at the board.On taking up his post, Mr. Whittam Smith outlined his proposals for reviewing the board's classification policy and his intention to consult widely on this issue. My right honourable friend welcomes these positive steps towards greater openness and accountability at the board.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which applications for licences to grow genetically modified crops are awaiting the decision of the Minister of Agriculture. (HL2161)

Consents for the release of genetically modified crops in England are granted by the Secretary of State for the Environment and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, acting jointly. Consents for releases of genetically modified crops in Scotland or Wales are granted by the Secretaries of State for Scotland or Wales, as appropriate. All releases require the agreement of the Health and Safety Executive. Applications to place genetically modified crops on the market in the European Community are reviewed by the Competent Authorities of all Member States before a decision is made on the granting of consents.To date, 127 consents have been granted since the legislation came into force on 1 March 1993.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

The safety of all proposed experimental releases and marketing of genetically modified organisms, including crops, is reviewed on a case-by-case basis in making decisions on the granting of consents. Since 1 May, nine consents have been granted for the experimental release of genetically modified crops and a further 11 applications are under review. Five applications to place genetically modified crops on the European Community market are also under review. Also, the European Commission recently asked its expert scientific committees to undertake a safety review of six marketing applications which have already been reviewed by Member States under Council Directive 90/220/EEC on the release of genetically modified organisms into the environment.Since 1 May, seven new research projects have been initiated to support the risk assessment and decision making for the granting of consents. The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions have let the following research contracts:

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the names and business affiliations of the study team set up by Dr. Gavin Strang, Minister for Transport, at the time of the cancellation of the Salisbury bypass, to find alternative solutions to that city's traffic congestion. [HL259]

The Salisbury Transport Study is led by a Steering Group consisting of officials from the Government Office for the South West, Wiltshire County Council, Salisbury District Council and the Highways Agency.We shall appoint consultants with the appropriate skills and experience to carry out the main work of the study. A competitive tendering process will be carried out to decide which consultants to appoint and we hope to announce the name of the successful bidders in the spring.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which EC Transport Directives have not been ratified by them and in each case why not. [HL79]

Set out below is the information which is available centrally. Comprehensive information could only be collected at disproportionate cost. The list excludes directives the implementation of which is not yet required. If the noble Lord has a particular directive in mind, and indicates this, we would be happy to write with details.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the number and grades of staff employed on customs and immigration duties at Waterloo International Station. [HL80]

Customs employs 67 staff at Waterloo International Terminal. Their grades are:

• 1 band 9
• 5 band 7
• 3 band 6
• 33 band 5
• 25 band 4

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their response to the recent letter to the Chairman of the Committee on Toxicity, signed by the 47 Members of the House of Commons, questioning the validity of the Committee's recommendations on the safety of Vitamin B6 and urging a further review of the science. [HL233]

The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) has considered the safety of Vitamin B6 on two separate occasions and we are confident that it has reviewed all the relevant papers on toxicity of Vitamin B6 as well as those unpublished papers supplied by interested parties.The Government have every confidence in the rigour with which the COT reviewed the data and we have no plans to ask the COT to consider the issue for a third time.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What information they have about the effects of

We are not aware of any studies on the effect of passive smoking on the health of a female two year-old. However, we understand that the Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health (SCOTH), which will be publishing its report to the Chief Medical Officer in the spring, will set out the scientific assessment of the risks to children from passive smoking. The relevant section of the report will be based on Department of Health sponsored research overviews of passive smoking and childhood respiratory disease, and these papers are currently being published in the journal Thorax.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What information they have on the number of children suffering from asthma; and how this compares with five years ago. [HL182]

There are no comprehensive data on the number of children with asthma. On the basis of all the information available, it has been estimated that "the prevalence of asthma sufficiently severe to require regular medical supervision is from 4–6 per cent. in children". This estimate is quoted in Asthma: An Epidemiological Overview (Central Health Monitoring Unit, 1995), which brought together a broad range of the best statistics on asthma. Copies are available in the Library.According to the report of the Health Survey for England 1996, which was published on 12 January, 21 per cent. of children at some time in the past had been diagnosed as suffering from asthma. Copies of this report are also available in the Library. Similarly, in a study of asthma in Great Britain among children aged 12 to 14 years, carried out as part of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) and recently published in the

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their estimate of the number of children whose asthma was caused by their parents smoking. [HL184]

The Government have no basis on which to estimate the number of children whose asthma may have been caused by their parent's smoking. It is recognised that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke causes asthma attacks and exacerbates the symptoms of asthma. The scientific evidence to support environmental tobacco smoke being a cause of asthma is still being assessed, and this topic will be considered in the Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health (SCOTH)'s report to the Chief Medical Officer, to be published in the spring.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their response to the statement of the governing body of the Central School of Speech and Drama, following the recent decision to transfer responsibility from the Department for Education and Employment to the Department of Health, that as they will no longer be able to pool funds to meet costs they intend to discontinue future courses of Clinical Communication Sciences BSc (Hons) for speech and language therapists; and [HI,243]How they reconcile the closure of the speech therapy course at the Central School for Speech and Drama with their statement in the recently published Green Paper

The Department of Health values the contribution that speech and language therapy services make to the health and education of children with special needs and to the rehabilitation and support of people with disabilities affecting their ability to communicate.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer of Lord McIntosh of Haringey of 12 January

The available information is set out as follows. Where information is from different sources, it is not necessarily comparable.The department does not routinely collect information on the illness or injury that gives rise to a general practitioner consultation. The estimated rates of GP consultations that are presented come from a Morbidity Statistics from General Practice survey in England and Wales in 1992–92. This survey included 60 practices in England and Wales, covering about 1 per cent. of the population.The number of days in hospital are available for some illnesses and injuries. The estimates of the total number of days in hospital in England, for all the conditions except mental illness and accidents in the home, have been obtained from the hospital episode statistics database (HES). Information on the number of days in hospital taken from different sources may not be comparable.The department does not record the cost to the National Health Service of illness or injury, although estimates are available for certain illnesses and injuries. Costs are not directly comparable, as some are calculated on different bases.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will ensure that, when a refusal of asylum is found to be erroneous and withdrawn, the reinstatement of the claim also restores any rights to benefits which may have flowed from it. [HL18]

Eligibility for income support and income based jobseeker's allowance is reviewed and revised from the date of refusal of asylum by the Home Office. Where the Home Office decision is subsequently found to be erroneous and withdrawn in circumstances which mean the adjudication officer's decision was based on a mistake as to a material fact, the adjudication officer will review and revise the termination of benefit under Section 25(1)(a) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they accept the principle of Commissioner's Decision CIS/1067/1995 that habitual residence, once gained, is not lost after a temporary absence; and, if so, whether they will issue guidance to Adjudication Offices accordingly.[HL110]

Where a person spends time away from the United Kingdom, the adjudication officer should consider the frequency, length and purpose of absences abroad and decide whether habitual residence in the United Kingdom has been lost. Guidance to adjudication officers on the habitual residence test is contained in the Adjudication Officer's Guide at paragraph 20747 to 20748 and on temporary absence at paragraph 20940.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the habitual residence test should be applied to nationals of the Republic of Ireland. [HL111]

Citizens of the Republic of Ireland who claim income support, housing benefit, council tax benefit and income based jobseeker's allowance are subject to the habitual residence test in the same way as other claimants, including British citizens and nationals of other countries in the European Economic Area.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will undertake monitoring to establish how far the habitual residence test is being mistakenly applied to those who have EEA member status under Council Regulation (EEC) No. 1612/68; and [HL112]Whether they will review the way the habitual residence test affects those who have family links abroad. [HL113]

The Government are currently reviewing the operation of the habitual residence test. The principal aims of the review are to examine the test as it operates now and to consider the need and possible scope for reform. As part of this work, we are examining current monitoring of the test and the way it affects people with family ties abroad.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What percentage of British subjects taking the habitual residence test were unsuccessful; and what were the failure rates: (a) for white British subjects; and (b) for black British subjects. [HL114]

The information is not available in the format requested.Latest figures for the period April 1996 to March 1997 show that 12 per cent. of United Kingdom nationals taking the habitual residence test were unsuccessful.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What proportion of applicants pass the habitual residence test in: (a) Greater London; and (b) the rest of the United Kingdom; and how they explain any difference between the figures. [HL130]

The information is not available in the format requested.Latest figures for the period April 1996 to March 1997 show that 81 per cent. of those income support and jobseeker's allowance (income-based) claimants taking the test were successful.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What board meetings the Legal Aid Board has held since 1 January 1997, and in respect of each meeting:

The Legal Aid Board usually meets ten times each year. The information requested is as follows:

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether complaints from bodies representing user interests as well as from individual readers continue to be made to the Government or the Advisory Council on Public Records about the hours during which the Public Record Office is open to readers and the level of charges made for photocopying and other reprographic processes since the publication of the Report of the Committee on Modern Public Records (Cmnd 8204, March 1991). [HL81]

Cmnd 8204 was published in March 1981. Since 1991 the opening hours of the Public Record Office have been as follows:

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it remains the case, as reported by the Committee on Modern Public Records (Cmnd 8204, March 1991, paragraph 512), that photocopying charges are significantly higher at the Public Record Office than at comparable United Kingdom bodies or high by international standards. [HL82]

Since 1991 two surveys of the Public Record Office's reprographic prices have been undertaken. The first, carried out by Shreeveport Management Consultancy in 1995, as part of the Competing for Quality programme, concluded that the charges were not consistently high or low but varied by process; those for A3 size electrostatic copying were low by comparison with the other organisations benchmarked. The second, a June 1997 study by Public Record Office staff, found that, while there was some variation, the Public Record Office compared favourably with other analogous institutions in the United Kingdom on like for like processes. By comparison with similar bodies overseas, the prices were again broadly comparable where full cost recovery regimes operated, but those institutions which subsidised their reprographic services offered lower prices. The Public Record Office's charges are set on a full cost recovery basis.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it remains the case since the publication of the Report of the Committee on Modern Public Records (Cmnd 9204, March 1991, paragraph 512) that the pricing structure for the photocopying of records at the Public Record Office owes more to predetermined financial conventions than to public records policy; and if not, what is the current public records policy. [HL83]

The Public Record Office is required to make a full cost recovery from the reprographic products that it sells. In parallel it has been continuing, and will continue to film, as resources permit, its high-use records for preservation reasons and to improve ease of access: an example is the large project, currently under way, and part-funded by the Genealogical Society of Utah and the Heritage Lottery Fund, to microfilm the severely damaged service records of soldiers who served in the First World War (WO 363). The Public Record Office also retains archival master copies of film produced for customers. This in turn has enabled it to increase the amount of film available on open access for copying, thus reducing costs for many readers (the prices for prints from film are considerably lower than those for electrostatic copies). Work is currently in hand to introduce new copying techniques using scanning technology which are expected to reduce costs and to improve access further.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to implement their proposals for "taking control of the cost of civil legal aid" (H.L. Deb., 9 December 1997, col. 41) by legislation; if so what legislation, and if not, then by what means. [HL71]

I am proposing to implement my plans for changes to the scope of civil legal aid by regulations under Section 14 of the Legal Aid Act 1988; the introduction of exclusive contracting for advice and assistance under the provisions of Section 4 and regulations under Section 8 of the Legal Aid Act 1988; and the extension of conditional fees by an order under Section 58 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990. The exercise of the powers to make the regulations and order are subject to affirmative resolution of both Houses of Parliament. The other reforms I plan—for example, the introduction of block contracting for civil legal aid—will require primary legislation. which I will bring before Parliament in due course.