asked Her Majesty's Government:How many of the 222 British ambassadors and heads of mission, less those accredited to a nation where English is the main spoken language, speak the language of the nation to which they are accredited to the following standards:

Statistical information is not kept in the format which provides an explicit answer to the first part of this question. The FCO recognises the following levels of competence in a foreign language:

(a) survival

(b) functional

(c) operational

(d) extensive

There are 110 current heads of mission who speak the language of the post to which they are accredited. It has not been possible to break this number down by level.Diplomatic Service Regulation (DSE) 28 requires all officers to learn the principal language of the country to which they are posted.The Personnel and Security Command of the FCO have recently improved succession planning techniques and career management procedures in order to build in sufficient time for any necessary language training for ambassadors designate. Further, the FCO language training centre, known as the Diplomatic Service Language Centre, has in the last 12 months revised its training programme structures to allow, where necessary, significantly more intensive periods of language training than was previously the case.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they or the United States are seeking a Resolution in the United Nations Security Council which would find Iraq "in material breach of the ceasefire" that ended the Gulf War, and would legitimate attacks on Iraqi targets; and whether they are prepared to support United States unilateral action against Iraq in the event of such a Resolution not securing United Nations Security Council approval. [HL329]

We are still pursuing a diplomatic solution to the crisis with Iraq, but cannot rule out military action if Saddam fails to back down.Iraq's obstruction of UNSCOM is a clear breach of its obligations under SCRs. Iraq has threatened regional peace and security many times over the last 20 years. Its WMD programme is a clear threat to its neighbours in the region.The main purpose of the action we are promoting in the Security Council is to send a tough and united message to Saddam Hussein. If he fails to heed that, then the legal justification for the use of force would depend on the precise circumstances at that time.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will make representations to the Government of Bahrain about the exile for the last 16 years of the Bahraini citizens and former trade union leaders Hamid Awachi and Mohammed Abdul-Jallel Al-Morbati, and about the practice of exiling dissidents in general. [HL330]

We regularly raise human rights issues with the Bahraini authorities, including with their Ambassador in London. We will continue to do so. However we have been unable to trace any information relating to Hamid Awachi and Mohammed Abdul-Jallel. If the noble Lord could provide such information, we would be happy to pursue the matter.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will ask the OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities to report on the situation of the Meskhetian Muslims who were deported from Georgia by Stalin in 1944. [HL332]

The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, Mr. van der Stoel, plans to visit Georgia later this year, although a date has not yet been confirmed. I understand that the subject of the Meskhetian Muslims will be on his agenda.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in the light of the experience of British officers taking part in the United States Air Force's war game "Global Engagement", they consider the existing international instruments are adequate for preventing an arms race in space (Written Answer by Baroness Chalker of Wallasey on 20 March 1997,

The war game "Global Engagement 1997" does not affect our arms control policies. Work on prevention of an arms race in space is being discussed at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. As I told the noble Lord on 12 January, we have no objection to establishing an Ad Hoc Committee there on this issue. The position of Her Majesty's Government on laser weapons remains as in my Answer to the noble Lord on 9 December 1997.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they conducted a cost benefit analysis of the United States model, the New South Wales model, the New Zealand model or the European model when preparing their consultation document

A cost benefit analysis of copyright regimes overseas was not undertaken in preparing the Green Paper. Informal discussions, which are continuing, have taken place between departments and information industry bodies on how different models could be compared and contrasted. Such an analysis may be undertaken in the light of responses to the Green Paper.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they accept as applicable to the United Kingdom the premise of the United States approach to copyright protection that "government information is a national resource and that the economic benefits are maximised when it is available to all", as cited in paragraph 1.19 of the consultation document

The US Government have responded to the consultation document and will be providing further information about their approach to copyright issues. UK officials will be liaising with the US Government and will reach a conclusion at the end of the consultation process.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What will be the estimated cost to public revenues of abolishing or waiving Crown and Parliamentary copyright in (i) legislation; (ii) court and tribunal decisions; (iii) reports of Parliamentary debates; (iv) reports of Parliamentary Select Committees; and (v) Royal Commissions and statutory inquiries, and of limiting fees to recouping the cost of disseminating such material. [HL343]

Parliamentary debates and Reports of Parliamentary Select Committees are subject to Parliamentary copyright protection and so are a matter for the two Houses. The costs to public revenues of abolishing or waiving Crown copyright in the other categories of material and the mechanism for recouping those costs are factors which will need to be assessed once responses to the consultative document, Crown Copyright in the Information Age (Cm 3819), have been received and considered.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether The Stationery Office Limited has been authorised to sell

The Stationery Office Limited have not been authorised to sell Notes on Clauses to the public. These are currently prepared by departments for the Minister in charge of a Bill. They are sometimes made available to Members before the Committee Stage of a Bill begins but are not generally made available to a wider audience. It is envisaged, however, that the proposed new "Explanatory Notes" will be published with a Bill by The Stationery Office Limited.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many officers from the British Armed Forces took part, and in what capacity, in the United States Air Force's recent "Global Engagement" war game. [HL350]

Two RAF officers participated as part of a coalition cell in the "Global Engagement" war game conducted by the United States Air Force.

asked Her Majesty's Government:By whom nuclear weapons were deemed to have been used in the United States Air Force "Global Engagement" war game in which British officers participated. [HL352]

"Global Engagement 97" was a classified United States Air Force war game. Questions about its content are a matter for the United States Government.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What mechanistic research into the effects of exposure of humans to organophosphates (OPs) is being conducted at DERA, Porton Down; whether any of this research involves the many enzymes now associated with OP effects; and when the research is expected to be completed and the results published. [HL229]

The Chemical and Biological Defence Sector of DERA at Porton Down is not currently conducting any mechanistic research into the effects of exposure of humans to organophosphorus compounds.Some research into the mechanisms by which organophosphorus compounds affect living organisms is being conducted in animals, to look at the development of possible new medical countermeasures against nerve agent poisoning.Studies have been undertaken in the past to investigate the interaction between organophosphorus compounds and the enzymes acetycholinesterase, cholinesterase, carboxyesterase and neuropathy target esterase (NTE) in animal species and with some enzymes derived from human sources, e.g. blood samples. Most of these studies have been reported in the open literature and I have arranged for a list of them to be placed in the Library of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress is being made in reviewing the standard. [HL573]

We have today issued a consultation paper on the housing fitness standard to seek the views of the local government associations and other relevant bodies on a range of proposals and options for change. The proposals have been drawn up taking into account responses received to an earlier initiating discussion paper; the results of research undertaken by Warwick University and the Building Research Establishment; and discussions with practitioner bodies and housing professionals.It should be the aim of any housing fitness standard to provide a means of identifying, and thereby enabling action to be targeted on, those sections of the housing stock where the health and safety risks are the greatest. The main proposal, outlined in more detail in the consultation paper, is for a fitness rating approach to be developed and tested as a successor to the current standard. This would give an overall rating to a property based on an assessment of a range of housing characteristics, rather than the current pass/fail on one or more requirements. A fitness rating approach would surpass the existing standard by encompassing all the important health and safety risks in the home but also by distinguishing the varying severity of those risks. As a result it would have the potential for providing a more effective mechanism for the evaluation of the housing stock, both nationally and locally, and for the targeting of resources as well as for determining where intervention and public resources are needed most.I have arranged for copies of the consultation paper and the research to be placed in the Library of each House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What intentions they have for the future provision of emergency towing vessels around the United Kingdom; and when they will publish the trials report and the cost benefit analysis report on emergency towing vessels. [HL574]

The Government will continue to station, for winter periods only, three emergency towing vessels around the UK. Emergency towing vessels are stationed in the Dover Strait, the Minches and the South Western Approaches. Officials are arranging new contracts to cover the next few winters. These contracts will commence in October 1998.The report of the three-year trial (1994 to 1997) and the report of the cost benefit analysis on emergency towing vessels are both released today. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the total cost of government aid to Scottish farming. [HL391]

In 1997, direct payments to Scottish agriculture were worth around £490 million. Additional benefits accrue to the industry via other programmes. For example, in 1997–98, around £65 million will be spent on research, development, education and advisory services in Scotland. Farmers also benefit from market support measures which aim to keep EU prices above world market prices. The cost of such support measures for the UK as a whole in 1997–98 is estimated at around £540 million.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the cost of aid to crofting taken from the Scottish agricultural budget. [HL392]

Agricultural support which is available only to crofters totalled £8.5 million in 1996–97. Other support measures, such as livestock subsidies and agri-environment and structural payments, are available to both crofters and farmers. However, separate figures for payments to crofters under these schemes are not available.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they are proposing to restructure the Scottish fanning industry, and whether they plan to do so in advance of any change which may be imposed on other member states of the European Union. [HL349]

As was made clear in their statement on 22 December, the Government intend to consult the industry on the restructuring required to improve its economic sustainability. I have met the National Farmers' Union of Scotland on three occasions already to discuss these matters, both in the short term and in the context of the forthcoming changes to the CAP which will be set in train by the Agenda 2000 process.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Jay of 27 January (

The reply of 27 January (WA 25–28) presented information on the number of bed days in hospital for some illnesses and injuries. These were from different sources, which means that they were not all comparable. The estimates of the number of bed days in hospital from the previous reply that were comparable were obtained from the hospital episode statistics (HES) database. These are given (rounded to the nearest 1,000) in the table, together with the total number of bed days in hospital in England in 1994–95.The number of bed days in hospital for the conditions are very low when expressed as a proportion of the total number of bed days: the conditions each contributed to less than 1 per cent. of the total number of bed days in hospital in 1994–95, except alcohol related illness, which contributed to 1.5 per cent. of the total bed days.

Illness/injury	Number of bed days in hospital
Road accidents	300,000
Alcohol related illness	1,022,000
Drug related illness	190,000
AIDS	10,000
Food poisoning	190,000
All injuries and illnesses	69,167,000

Although estimates are available for the costs to the National Health Service for certain illness and injuries (and available estimates were given in the previous reply), the department does not record the cost to the NHS of specific illnesses or injuries. The estimated costs given in the previous reply are not directly comparable as they were calculated on different bases: for example, for treatment of AIDS the amount allocated to health authorities was given, whereas for treating diseases caused by smoking an estimated cost was given. In addition they are not directly comparable with total NHS spending. The total cost of the NHS in 1995–96 was almost £33.5 billion (gross) or £32.0 billion (net).

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will consider directly allocating to the organisation LIFE a modest grant to enable it to expand its care service and housing programme for homeless pregnant women. [HL300]

The Government currently pay a grant of £15,569 to LIFE (Northern Ireland) towards its central administrative costs under Article 71(2) of the Health and Personal Social Services (NI) Order 1972. We have not been approached by LIFE to extend grant aid payable to LIFE (NI). The closing date for applications for 1998–99 was 30 November 1997. Application forms for 1999–2000 will be available in September 1998.The main way in which the Department of Health provides grants to voluntary organisations is through Section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968. This annual grants scheme is always oversubscribed and the department receives many more good applications than it can meet. The Department of Health did not receive an application for the 1998–99 round of Section 64 funding from the national LIFE organisation. Application forms for 1999–2000 will be distributed in July this year. I will ensure that one is sent to LIFE.Health and local authorities have powers similar to the Department of Health, and they are in the best position to determine the allocation of funds at their disposal in relation to local priorities and competing demand. LIFE may wish to consider applying for funding there.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Consultation Document,

The performance framework is still at the consultation stage. It is too early to say whether any of the indicators proposed in the consultation document will be published in league tables.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Jay of Paddington on 2 February (

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has issued to all its Fellows and Members guidance on late abortions, which they define as abortions over 21 weeks gestation.In addition, private sector clinics and hospitals must receive the Secretary of State for Health's additional approval to carry out late termination of pregnancy (20–24 weeks gestation). Arrangements must be made with a neonatal unit on site or at a nearby hospital for the immediate transfer of any live born infant. The clinic/hospital is required to provide all the necessary emergency treatment for any live born infant, pending transfer to the neonatal unit. This requirement is contained in the Compendium of Guidance, key extracts from which were sent to all health authorities and National Health Service trusts in 1995.Clinics are monitored for compliance with the department's requirements.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What health benefits they estimate will accrue over the next five and 10 years due to improved exhaust emissions from road transport. [HL480]

The Government have successfully pressed for tighter standards on fuel and vehicle emissions in Europe for the year 2000 in the Auto-Oil programme and have started to look at further measures for 2005 to ensure that improvements in air quality are sustained well into the next millennium. The recent report by the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants estimated that the deaths of between 12,000 and 24,000 vulnerable people may be brought forward, and between 14,000 and 24,000 hospital admissions and readmissions may be associated with short term air pollution each year.While a reduction in air pollution would be expected to lead to a reduction in deaths and hospital admissions for cardiovascular and respiratory illness, unfortunately, at present, we are unable to estimate the extent of the health gains projected from reductions in air pollution from particular sources, as the science is not yet developed sufficiently to quantify this effect. As the science develops, we will be able to make better estimates of the impact of our policies.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they can give further details of membership of the Expert Group recommended by the Krebs Report on Bovine Tuberculosis in Cattle and Badgers. [HL510]

The membership of the independent Expert Group to oversee the experiment recommended in Professor Krebs' Report to assess the effectiveness of badger culling in reducing TB breakdowns in cattle herds has been announced. Professor John Bourne will chair the Group and Dr. Christl Donnelly will serve as Deputy Chairman. In addition, Sir David Cox, Professor George Gettinby, Professor Ivan Morrison and Dr. Rosie Woodroffe have all kindly agreed to serve as members.The terms of reference for the Group are:"To advise Ministers on implementation of the Krebs Report on bovine TB in cattle and badgers by:overseeing the design and analysis of the randomised experiment to test the effectiveness of badger culling as a means of controlling bovine TB:regularly monitoring the progress of, and outputs from, the experiment and assessing any important differences in results between the treatments;

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the Education (Student Loans) Act 1998 will come into force and when regulations will be made under it. [HL537]

Sections 1, 4, 5, 6(1) and 7 came into force on Royal Assent on 27 January 1998. Sections 2, 3, and 6(2) and the schedule to the Act will come into force on 1 March 1998. The Education (Student Loans) Regulations 1998 were laid before the House on Friday 6 February.The regulations protect borrowers and debt purchasers by fixing the key terms of all loans taken out under the Education (Student Loans) Act 1990 both before and after 1 March 1998. The regulations also provide for new repayment terms for disabled borrowers. These terms were formerly exercised at the discretion of the loans administrator.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many children with autism are currently not receiving the schooling or other educational provision appropriate to their special needs and are in the care of staff with no specialised training for teaching them; and [HL459]In respect of children with special educational needs and particularly autism, what is the current policy and provision for:

Schools and local education authorities are under a duty to identify children with special educational needs, including those with autistic spectrum disorders, and to make provision which the needs of individual children call for. In doing so, schools and LEAs must have regard to statutory guidance contained in the Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Children with Special Educational Needs. The Government do not collect centrally figures by type of special educational need.Placements of children with statements must be able to provide the facilities and equipment, staffing arrangements and curriculum required to meet their individual needs, as specified in the child's statement.There are no requirements for teachers of children with autism to hold specific qualifications, but training for such teachers is a priority in the current year's SEN element of Grants for Education Support and Training. Returns for previous years show that LEAs have been increasingly using GEST funding to support autism-related training, and that in 1996–97 some 1,155 teachers were trained under this programme.Parents have the right to appeal to the independent Special Educational Needs Tribunal against a wide range of decisions by LEAs in respect of their child's needs. The report by the President of the Tribunal shows that, in the year ended August 1997, 6 per cent. of appeals to the tribunal related to children with autism.The SEN Green Paper

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish a list for schools in England, derived from the results of National Curriculum tests for Key Stage 1 for 1997, showing for each school in each local authority the number of 7 year-old pupils obtaining Levels 3, 2A, 2B, 2C and 1, together with the number of pupils failing to achieve Level 1 for whatever reason and the average level attained per pupil for each of the tests for mathematics, reading, and writing, showing data separately for the reading task and reading comprehension test. [HL374]

My department collects and publishes annually national results for Key Stage 1 reading, writing and mathematics tests. The 1997 results were published on 25 September 1997. On 2 February 1998 we also published Key Stage 1 results for 1997 aggregated at local education authority (LEA) level. Copies of the national and LEA level Key Stage 1 results for 1997 have been placed in the Libraries. The Government have no current plans to publish school level results of National Curriculum assessments for Key Stage 1, but LEAs are free to do so if they wish and they have been encouraged to maximise the information they give locally.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish data for England showing for comprehensive schools, modern schools, grammar schools, state schools, independent schools and all schools separately, the percentage of all

GCSE achievements of 15 year-old pupils in schools
	1993–94			1994–95			1995–96			1996–97
	Boys	Girls	Total	Boys	Girls	Total	Boys	Girls	Total	Boys	Girls	Total
LEA Maintaintained Comprehensive
Number of 15 year-olds	155·1	150·4	305·5	168·1	163·5	331·6	172·6	168·5	341·1	169·2	164·7	333·8
Number of schools			1,950			1,934			1,928			1,915
Percentage acheieving grades A*—C in
Mathematics	35	35	35	34	34	34	35	36	36	36	37	36
English	37	56	46	35	54	45	36	54	45	35	53	44
English literature	32	49	41	34	51	42	34	52	43	34	52	43
Any science	36	36	36	37	37	37	38	38	38	38	38	38
Single award science	2	2	2	1	2	2	1	2	2	1	2	1
Double award science	34	33	33	34	34	34	35	35	35	35	35	35
Physics	1	1	1	2	1	1	2	1	2	2	1	2
Chemistry	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	2	2	1	2
Biology	2	1	1	2	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2
French	14	26	20	14	26	20	14	26	20	14	26	20
History	15	20	17	14	19	17	14	19	16	14	19	17
Geography	20	18	19	20	18	19	21	20	21	21	20	21
Voluntary Comprehensive
Number of 15 year-olds	30·3	31·5	61·8	32·9	33·2	66·1	32·9	34·1	67·0	32·9	33·8	66·7
Number of schools			428			425			419			417
Percentage acheieving grades A*—C in
Mathematics	42	41	41	40	39	40	42	42	42	43	43	43
English	47	64	56	45	63	54	45	63	54	44	62	53
English literature	40	56	48	42	60	51	41	60	50	42	60	51
Any science	43	42	42	43	43	43	44	45	44	44	45	45
Single award science	2	3	3	2	3	3	2	3	3	2	3	2
Double award science	38	37	37	38	37	37	37	38	38	39	39	39
Physics	3	2	2	3	2	3	4	3	3	4	3	3
Chemistry	3	2	2	3	2	3	4	3	3	4	3	3
Biology	3	2	3	3	2	3	4	3	4	4	3	3
French	18	32	25	18	31	25	18	31	25	17	31	24
History	18	24	21	18	24	21	17	23	20	18	23	21
Geography	22	20	21	23	20	22	25	23	24	24	23	23
Grant Maintained Comprehensive
Number of 15 year-olds	37·6	34·5	72·1	41·0	38·1	79·2	43·2	40·1	83·3	43·2	41·0	84·2
Number of schools			465			478			489			495
Percentage achieving grades A*—C in
Mathematics	42	42	42	41	41	41	43	44	44	45	45	45
English	44	63	53	43	62	52	43	62	53	43	62	52
English literature	37	54	45	40	59	49	41	59	50	41	60	50
Any science	42	41	42	44	44	44	45	45	45	46	46	46
Single award science	2	3	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	2	2	2
Double award science	38	38	38	39	39	39	40	41	40	41	42	41
Physics	2	1	2	3	2	2	3	2	3	4	2	3
Chemistry	2	1	2	3	2	2	3	2	3	4	2	3

The information requested in respect of GCSE achievements is shown in the following tables.