asked Her Majesty's Government:What changes they propose to make in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office cash limits and running cost limits for 1997–98. [HL659]

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate the cash limit for Class II, Vote 2 (Other External Relations) will be increased by £17,945,000 from £229,815,000 to £247,760,000. The increase is required to cover UK contributions to certain OSCE, United Nations and WEU Missions of £26,429,000. This will be partly offset by recoveries of £5,000,000 from the United Nations. There is a reduction of £3,788,000 because of a negative Overseas Price Movement. This will be partly offset by transfers in of £304,000, a total of £204,000 from the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Class V, Vote 2 and Class VI, Vote 3), Department of Trade and Industry (Class IV, Vote 1) and the Ministry of Defence (Class I, Vote l) in respect of their contributions to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea following UK accession, and a further £100,000 from the Ministry of Defence (Class I, Vote 1) in respect of their contribution to the grant-in-aid to the Atlantic Council of the UK.The cash limit for Class II, Vote 1 (Overseas Representation) will be reduced by £16,850,000 from £628,876,000 to £612,026,000. This reduction takes account of negative Overseas Price Movements of £20,742,000 (£10,095,000 running costs, £10,417,000 other current and £230,000 capital) which has offset a £4,000,000 running cost claim to cover major international conferences. There have also been three transfers to other government departments: £10,000 to the Cabinet Office (Class XVIII, Vote 2) for information work; £137,000 to the Department for International Development (Class II, Vote 5) for Know How Fund staff and £4,000 to the Privy Council Office (Class XVIII, Vote 3) to help fund the new UK Anti Drugs Co-ordinator and his Deputy. These have been partially offset by two transfers in; £25,000 from the Ministry of Defence (Class I, Vote 1) and £18,000 from the Northern Ireland Office (Class XV, Vote 1) for the Whitehall District Heating System.The gross running costs limit on Class II, Vote 1 will be reduced by £6,701,000 from £534,813,000 to £528,112,000. The Wilton Park section of the Vote has been increased by £498,000 gross running costs, £29,000 other current, £65,000 capital and £351,000 appropriations in aid. These increases have been fully offset by reductions in the Overseas Representation section of the Vote.The net running cost limit for Wilton Park has been increased by £149,000 from £638,000 to £787,000.The cash limit for Class II, Vote 4 (The British Council) will be reduced by £1,637,000 from £97,884,000 to £96,247,000 because of negative Overseas Price Movements of £1,637,000.The net decrease to the Vote will not add to the planned total of public expenditure.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they endorse the conclusions of the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict with regard to nuclear weapons that "governments should eliminate the practice of alert procedures (e.g. relying on continuously available weapons) and set an immediate goal to remove all weapons from active deployment—that is, to dismantle them to the point that to use them would require reconstruction"; and what steps they are taking towards this objective. [HL578]

In the Strategic Defence Review and elsewhere, the Government are examining all aspects of their nuclear policy. This examination includes measures advocated by the Carnegie Commission, such as de-alerting and related concepts.Several of the Carnegie Commission's recommendations are already government policy. The Government hope to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty this year and have committed themselves to support for a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What arrangements they have made to facilitate policy co-ordination between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development and to enable the respective Secretaries of State and other Ministers to meet regularly for this purpose; how many such meetings there have been since May 1997; and what arrangements have been made for wider co-ordination with other departments and Ministries, including Defence; Trade and Industry; Environment, Transport and the Regions; Health; Social Security; Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; and the Treasury. [HL579]

Ministers and officials of the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have regular meetings to discuss a wide range of policy and operational matters. Likewise, co-ordination with other departments is conducted on a regular basis by Ministers and officials as necessary.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What has been the cost to the United Nations of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM)'s activity in Iraq so far; whether in their view, or to their knowledge in the view of the United States, it will ever be possible for UNSCOM to certify, without the continuing military occupation of that country, that Iraq retains no capability to recommence its weapons of mass destruction programmes; and in the absence of any such certainty, what are the implications for the raising of economic sanctions in Iraq. [HL586] [10 February]

I refer to my Answers of 1 December regarding UNSCOM's operating costs. Iraq is not under military occupation. Security Council Resolution 687 makes it clear that, when the Security Council is satisfied that Iraq has fully complied with the requirement to eliminate its weapons of mass destruction and is co-operating fully with UNSCOM over Ongoing Monitoring and Verification, the restrictions on exports from Iraq will be lifted.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether United Nations Security Council Resolution 687 calls for ridding the entire Middle East of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs); and if so what steps are being taken to widen UNSCOM's remit to ensure the absence of WMDs in other Middle Eastern countries, and in particular those in Israel.[HL588] [10 February]

UNSCOM's remit under Security Council Resolution 687 (SCR 687) is to oversee, in conjunction with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the dismantling of Iraq's arsenal of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and to maintain a monitoring programme to ensure that it is never rebuilt. SCR 687 takes note that Iraqi compliance will represent a step towards the goal of establishing in the Middle East a zone free from weapons of mass destruction, a concept we have consistently supported.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they accept the United States interpretation of international law which would allow it to attack Iraq in the absence of either an immediate threat to its security or a specific Security Council Resolution; and whether this indicates a change in the British Government's interpretation of the Charter of the United Nations. [HL590]

The Government's interpretation of the Charter of the United Nations has not changed. Any use of force requires to be justified under international law, notably the United Nations Charter. It is well established that, under the Charter, force may be used in self-defence or under the authority of the Security Council.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Foreign Secretary's statement that he is exploring the possibility of granting British citizenship to all the citizens of the overseas territories includes the people of the British Indian Ocean Territory who were moved from Chagos Islands to Mauritius to make way for a United States military base. [HL604]

The Foreign Secretary's statement applies to all British Dependent Territory Citizens (BDTCs). In considering this matter further, the Government will take account of the unique circumstances of BDTCs from the British Indian Ocean Territory.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which countries have judgments of the International Court of Justice against them; and for each country what are the relevant judgments. [HL606]

There are about 63 judgments of the International Court of Justice. Copies of the UN Publication Summaries of Judgements, Advisory opinions and Orders of the International Court of Justice: 1948–1991, and of the Court's Annual Reports to the General Assembly for the following years are held in the House of Commons Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which countries have not paid their subscriptions to the United Nations; and for each country what is the outstanding amount due. [HL607]

According to the most recent complete data published by the UN, as at 31 December 1997, 85 member states owed a total of $474 million to the UN Regular Budget, and 170 member states owed $1,574 million to UN peacekeeping budgets. Complete data on the status of 1998 contributions are not yet available. The details are listed below.

Member States with outstanding contributions in respect of 1997 and prior years to the UN Regular Budget at 31 December 1997
	US Dollars
Afghanistan	144,635
Albania	106,508
Angola	215,278
Antigua and Barbuda	71,508
Argentina	4,112,379
Armenia	1,406,762
Azerbaijan	1,872,225
Belarus	4,654,034
Bhutan	106,508
Bosnia and Herzegovina	973,857
Brazil	16,703,941
Bulgaria	766,857
Burundi	250,255
Cambodia	106,508
Cape Verde	279,997
Central African Republic	581,887
Chad	277,723
Comoros	606,890
Congo	215,278
Costa Rica	83,341
Cuba	354,093
Democratic People's Republic of Korea	350,097
Democratic Republic of Congo	106,508
Djibouti	160,376
Dominica	322,514
Ecuador	277,328
El Salvador	106,508
Equatorial Guinea	140,902
Estonia	838,235
Gambia	369,062
Georgia	2,202,468
Ghana	106,508
Grenada	314,556
Guatemala	319,952
Guinea	128,904
Guinea Bissau	284,635
Guyana	37,105
Haiti	354,045
Honduras	154,886
Iran (Islamic Republic of)	3,718,316
Iraq	7,188,218
Israel	3,857,817
Kazakstan	1,000,000
Kenya	103,324
Kyrgyzstan	453,977
Latvia	1,738,191
Lesotho	85,019
Liberia	767,629
Lithuania	1,413,999
Madagascar	81,124
Mali	51,772
Mauritania	74,459
Mauritius	106,508
Morocco	9,276
Nicaragua	261,586
Niger	144,454
Panama	77,013
Paraguay	106,508
Qatar	396,968
Republic of Moldova	1,209,917
Rwanda	196,464
Saint Kitts and Nevis	23,353
Saint Vincent and Grenadines	242,759
Sao Tome and Principe	407,229
Seychelles	282,546
Sierra Leone	188,935
Solomon Islands	177,835

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which countries are not in compliance with United Nations resolutions; and what are the brief details of those resolutions. [HL608]

The UN Security Council has adopted 1,152 resolutions, the General Assembly over 8,600. These are publicly available. The information requested in the Question could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What aspects of the laws relating to abortion in Northern Ireland need clarifying and whether their desire to clear up the present uncertainty includes liberalising the law. [HL529]

The existing statute law in Northern Ireland is unsatisfactory. It simply prohibits illegal abortions but does not specify the grounds on which abortions can be legally performed. There is a lack of clarity with regard to who should decide on abortions and on what grounds High Court Judges and the Standing Commission on Human Rights have commented critically on this uncertainty.The Government have no plans to liberalise the law or to extend the Abortion Act 1967 to Northern Ireland. The Government recognise that this is a highly controversial and sensitive issue and wish to take a considered view before any decision on future action is taken. There would be full consultation with Northern Ireland elected representatives before any introduction of proposals for legislative change. Our strong preference would be for any legislation to be handled by a devolved administration or by way of a private Member's Bill from a Northern Ireland Member.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they anticipate that the provisions of Section 1 of the Land Registration Act 1997 will come into force under the terms of Section 5(2) of the Act. [HL540]

Section 1 of the Act, together with the associated parts of Section 4 and Schedules 1 and 2, will be brought into force on 1 April 1998 by the Land Registration Act 1997 (Commencement) Order 1997 (SI 1997/3036) which was made on 9 December 1997. The remaining provisions of the Act came into force on 27 April 1997.

asked the Chairman of Committees:What paintings and other works of art will adorn the Lord Chancellor's refurbished residence, and from which national, Government and public collections will they be borrowed. [HL698]

These loans have been arranged between the Lord Chancellor and the lending galleries and are not a matter for the House authorities.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What changes have been made to the Class 1 cash limits and the defence operating costs limit for 1997–98. [30412]

The Government have decided that, subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, an addition should be made to the defence budget to cover the additional costs of operations by UK forces in Bosnia in the current financial year. These costs are estimated to be £189 million. Some £11 million will be met from technical adjustments, leaving £178 million which will be met from the Reserve.A Spring Supplementary Estimate is, therefore, to be presented to Parliament to take on to Vote the additional provision of £178 million. The Supplementary estimate will also make adjustments between the defence operating costs programme (mostly Votes 1 and 2) and the defence equipment programme (Vote 3) to reflect the expected pattern of expenditure on the defence programme generally.Because of the adjustment between operating costs and the equipment programme, the additional funding will be drawn on to Class 1, Vote 3 and token increases of £1K will be taken on Votes 1 and 2. The cash limits on votes 1 and 2 will, however, be reduced and that on vote 3 increased by more than the amount of the additional funding to reflect the realignment. The cash limit changes will be as follows:

£'000s
	Current cash	Revised cash
Class 1 Vote	limit	Change	limit
1	10,096,130	-3,786	10,092,344
2	4,754,337	-59,263	4,695,074
3	6,112,530	241,068	6,353,598
Total	20,962,997	178,019	21,141,016

The impact of these changes on the Ministry of Defence Operating Cost limit is as follows:

£'000s
	Current cash	Revised cash
Class 1 Vote	limit	Change	limit
1	10,090,598	-3,786	10,086,812
2	4,754,337	-59,263	4,695,074
3	735,976	-1,720	734,256
Total	15,580,911	-64,769	15,516,142

Because the increase on the defence budget cash limit will be met from the Reserve, which is part of the Government Control total, it will not add to the planned total of public expenditure.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What health and safety category has been allocated to materials using depleted uranium technology; what is the relevant EU legislation; and whether they will place in the Library of the House of Lords a copy of the health and safety regulations issued to civilian and military personnel concerning the proper use, handling and transportation of DU munitions and other materials in the United Kingdom. [HL432]

Under the United Nations system of classification for dangerous goods, depleted uranium falls into Class 7, radioactive, as a material of low specific activity. The most relevant piece of EU legislation is Council Directive 80/836/Euratom, as amended by 84/467/Euratom, laying down basic safety standards for the protection of workers and the general public against the dangers arising from ionising radiation. This EU legislation was largely implemented in the UK by the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1985, a copy of which was placed in the Library of each House in that year. Other legislation contributed to full implementation of the Directive. A revised Directive, Directive 96/29 Euratom, which will repeal those of 1980 and 1984 with effect from 13 May 2000, was adopted on 13 May 1996. The Health and Safety Commission has recently agreed to the publication of a Consultative Document containing proposals for revising the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1985. Other relevant domestic legislation will be amended or augmented as necessary.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether any British troops were exposed to any of the products of combustion from depleted uranium (DU) ammunition from friendly fire; contact with enemy tanks, other vehicles or equipment damaged by DU munitions; or other contamination created by disturbance of sand by atmospheric conditions and troop vehicle movements; and, if they were, what measures they are taking to monitor their health status. [HL473]

Some British Service personnel may have come into contact with the products of combustion of depleted uranium during, or immediately following, the Gulf conflict. No specific measures are being taken to monitor their health, although some of them may have attended the MoD's Medical Assessment Programme, MAP. None of those veterans who have so far been examined by the MAP has to my knowledge displayed any symptoms consistent with exposure to depleted uranium.A very small number of British troops, who expressed concern that they might have inhaled DU dust during training in the Gulf before the start of hostilities, were subjected to Whole Body Monitoring in February 1991 by the Defence Radiological Protection Services, DRPS, at the Institute of Naval Medicine. This process failed to detect any DU contamination in these individuals.

asked Her Majesty's Government:To what extent their proposed restrictions on the retail sale of Vitamin B6 are consistent with the recent remarks of the Secretary of State for Health on Radio 4's

The proposed limit of 10mg per daily dose applies to the level of Vitamin B6 in dietary supplements sold under food law. Such products will also carry a warning about the risk of harmful effects from consuming high doses of Vitamin B6 over extended periods. Higher dose products licensed as medicines for the treatment of specific clinical conditions will continue to be available from pharmacies and on prescription for those who need them. These arrangements will ensure that consumers have access to information on the risks associated with Vitamin B6 that will allow them to make an informed personal choice about its use.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to review their plans for restrictions on the retail sale of Vitamin B6 in the light of the observation on 3 February by Dr. K. Dalton that her study on Vitamin B6 was a preliminary communication. [HL610]

The Government have no plans to review the proposed controls on the level of Vitamin B6 in dietary supplements sold under food law in the light of the observation made by Dr. K. Dalton.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How the Minister for Food Safety was able to determine which representations from scientists should be copied to the Secretariat of the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT), and whether they will now make available to COT copies of all 10,200 representations received since July 1997. [HL611]

Most of the representations received on the Government's proposed controls on Vitamin B6 in dietary supplements, many of which are in the form of standard letters, do not comment in detail on the scientific basis of the advice provided by the COT. The Chairman and members of the COT are already familiar with the criticisms of their review that are made in such representations. In these circumstances, there would be no benefit in copying all of the representations to the COT. Those representations which appear to present new information on the safety of Vitamin B6 and are supported by detailed scientific arguments have been copied to the COT secretariat as a matter of course.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the outcome of the Agriculture Council held in Brussels on 16 to 17 February. [HL660]

My right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food chaired the second meeting under the United Kingdom Presidency of the European Union Council of Agriculture Ministers on 16–17 February in Brussels. I represented the United Kingdom at that meeting.The Council had a presentation by the Agriculture Commissioner of the Commission's proposals for prices fixed under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the 1998/1999 year. These proposals were described by the Commissioner as broadly a standstill in present CAP support arrangements, pending the forthcoming negotiations on further reform of the CAP in the context of Agenda 2000. Ministerial colleagues in the Council commented on their key priorities within this set of proposals. My right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food agreed to take them forward as quickly as possible; that work will begin immediately.The Council also held a first debate on the Commission's proposals for reform of the tobacco regime, which also form an element of the Agenda 2000 strategy. On behalf of the United Kingdom, and with support from Sweden and Denmark, I expressed concern at the relatively modest nature of these reform proposals and urged more radical steps to reduce support for tobacco production in the Community, bearing in mind the inconsistency with EU efforts to limit tobacco consumption for health reasons. Detailed work on this proposal will now begin.The Council held a second full debate on proposed amendments to the EU banana regime in response to the recent findings of the WTO Appellate Body. My right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food concluded in the light of the debate that further detailed work should continue, and that the Council should resolve this issue quickly, both in order to meet WTO obligations and to give reassurance to EU and ACP banana growers about their futures.There was a further discussion in the Council of the Commission's proposals in respect of the Community's beef promotion scheme. Final agreement did not prove possible in view of the requirement to achieve unanimity on this proposal. My right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food undertook as Council President to consider the options for taking this proposal forward.The Commissioner gave the Council a full report on the exchanges he had had with the United States on the negotiation of an EU/US veterinary and phytosanitary equivalence agreement. The Council noted that there had been positive developments in recent contacts between the two sides, and expressed the hope that the terms of an agreement would be ready for endorsement by the Council at its March meeting.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the average weekly rents currently being paid by tenants in:

The most recent information available on average rents in England is:

	£ per week
(a) council tenants	41.18 (at 30 April 1997)
(b) housing association tenants	46.74 (at 31 March 1997)
(c) private tenants	76.00 (April 1996 to March 1997 average)

Council and housing association rents are from returns by local authorities and housing associations. The figure for the private rented sector is an estimate from the Survey of English Housing and, like all such estimates, is subject to sampling variability.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many vehicles have been registered in each of the last five years in the disabled class for first registration of vehicles in the United Kingdom. [HL662]

Statistics for the number of vehicles registered in each of the last five years in the disabled tax class are only available for Great Britain.Numbers for the last five calendar years are:

asked Her Majesty's Government:What representations they have received from the Disabled Drivers' Association in regard to the fee for first registration of vehicles in the United Kingdom in the Disabled class. [HL666]

The Disabled Drivers' Association have responded to the recent consultation exercise carried out by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Their views have been taken into account and vehicles first registered in the disabled tax class will be exempt from the fee.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many murders were committed in Glasgow, Cardiff, Liverpool, London and Belfast during the calendar years 1996 and 1997. [HL593]

The available information for Cardiff, Liverpool and London relates to recorded offences of homicide (i.e. offences of murder, manslaughter and infanticide) and has been provided by the appropriate police forces in England and Wales. In 1996, there were six homicide offences recorded in the Cardiff area, 14 recorded in the Liverpool City area and 144 recorded in the London area (covering the Metropolitan Police District and the City of London). There were 24 homicides recorded in Glasgow in 1996. There were 17 homicides recorded in Belfast in 1996 and 28 offences recorded in 1997.Comparable information for the cities other than Belfast is not yet available for 1997.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they are taking to ensure that First Step Agencies within the prison system are observing the Prison Service's guidelines, in the light of the shackling of a 30 year-old pregnant woman from Brockhill Prison, Worcestershire, to a radiator at Leek Magistrates' Court. [HL594]

The decision to secure the prisoner concerned to the radiator at the court stemmed from the lack of secure custody facilities there, but it was still wrong. The Prison Service and the escort contractor involved, Premier Prison Services, regret what happened. Premier's staff otherwise looked after the prisoner well while she was in their custody and the company has an excellent record of prisoner care generally.All escort contractors have been reminded in writing that prisoners should not be secured to fixed objects. In addition, the Prison Service will be reviewing with contractors their operational procedures to see whether, in the light of this case and the inadequate facilities at many courts, any further changes are necessary.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their estimate of the daily cost of providing high quality institutional child care for a nine-hour day for a child in its first, second, third, fourth and fifth years respectively. [HL645]

There are no centrally collected statistics in the form requested on the cost of providing institutional child care for young children. This is due in part to the huge diversity in the types of provision available. The gross cost per child per annum (excluding capital charges) of day care, mainly for children in need, provided by social services departments in England in 1995–96, as estimated by the Chartered Institute for Public Finance and Accountancy, was £6,293. Families in receipt of Income Support or Family Credit would not be charged for this service. It has also been estimated by the Daycare Trust that in 1997 the typical childcare costs for parents for a full time place for a child under 5 at a private day nursery were between £70 and £180 per week.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will ensure that the forthcoming Green Paper on public health strategy will contain a commitment to raising health standards of those over the age of 65; and whether specific health targets will be set for older people. [HL559]

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Health launched the Government's Green Paper Our Healthier Nation with a statement in another place on 5 February. The Green Paper sets out a new strategy for health in England. The strategy's two key aims are:

• to improve the health of the population as a whole by increasing the length of people's lives and the number of years people spend free from illness; and
• to improve the health of the worst off in society and to narrow the health gap.

Those two aims clearly apply to people over 65. The strategy also proposes four national targets for improving health. Two—for reducing accidents and suicides—are not couched in age-specific terms. The remaining two—for reducing mortality from heart disease and stroke and from cancers—are both proposed for people aged under 65. Death cannot be prevented indefinitely, so these targets have been set to recognise the fact that it is amongst younger people that the earliest signs of progress are likely to become apparent. The targets will therefore provide a sensitive early indication of progress overall. Efforts to reduce heart disease and cancer mortality will not be restricted only to those people aged under 65 years.My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Scotland published the Green Paper

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in discussions between Department of Health officials and the Commission for Racial Equality concerning the number of academic awards granted to medical consultants from ethnic minorities, persons of Jewish origin are regarded as members of an ethnic minority. [HL614]

People of Jewish origin are regarded as a racial group, and as such are protected by race relations legislation. However, the ethnic origin categories used by the Office for National Statistics do not include a separate Jewish category. Since these are the categories used for ethnic monitoring of the distinction awards scheme, it is not possible to identify the proportion of award holders who are Jewish. The discussions with the commission concerned a number of measures to be introduced in the 1998 awards round to secure better data, monitoring of outcomes, representation of ethnic minority consultants on awards committees, and some changes to the criteria for awards.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Chairman of the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) has yet replied to the letter which he recently received from Professor Arnold Beckett and 200 other scientists opposing his recommendations on the safety of Vitamin B6. [HL599]

The Chairman of the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) has replied to Professor Beckett's letter. A copy of the reply has been placed in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Chairman of the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) is able to review his previous recommendations on the safety of Vitamin B6 other than at the request of the Minister; and what steps would need to be taken to permit such a review to proceed. [HL598]

The Chairman of the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment could initiate a review of the Committee's previous recommendations on Vitamin B6 if he were convinced that this was necessary.To do so he would direct the Secretariat to prepare papers for the Committee.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In relation to their assertion on 30 October 1997 (

The Secretariat of the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) have not been provided with the search terms that Professor Beckett used and cannot directly verify his statement which indicated that "many address the issue of safety" and therefore presumably there are others that do not.The searches carried out by the Secretariat identified those papers critical to the COT's assessment.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the present financial allocations to the regional health authorities and what these represent in per capita terms in each area. [HL616]

As a result of the abolition of regional health authorities on 31 March 1996, allocations for 1996–97 onwards have been made directly to health authorities (HAs).The most recent allocations relate to 1998–99 and the table shows general allocation and general allocation per weighted head of population for each HA in England. Allocations per head of weighted population are being equalised over time.

1998–99 general allocations and allocation per weighted head of population for health authorities in England
Health Authorities	Allocation	Allocation per weighted head
	£000s	£
Bradford	229,200	450
Calderdale and Kirklees	272,948	459
County Durham	298,927	448
East Riding	261,793	454
Gateshead and South Tyneside	187,624	460
Leeds	339,927	457
Newcastle and North Tyneside	248,792	462
North Cumbria	144,729	463
North Yorkshire	318,712	464
Northumberland	141,701	461
Sunderland	147,757	450
Tees	269,175	451
Wakefield	152,248	471
Barnsley	110,005	440
Doncaster	138,789	447
Leicestershire	378,967	448
Lincolnshire	278,608	463
North Derbyshire	167,949	465
North Nottinghamshire	174,754	452
Nottingham	286,648	447
Rotherham	119,916	450
Sheffield	271,140	471
South Derbyshire	246,395	459
South Humber	145,527	477
Bedfordshire	224,367	448
Berkshire	310,601	446
Buckinghamshire	263,789	460
Cambridge and Huntingdon	170,382	454
East Norfolk	270,403	461
North West Anglia	180,010	451
Northamptonshire	252,747	466
Oxfordshire	234,530	454
Suffolk	280,922	476
Barking and Havering	190,213	468
Barnet	155,454	491
Brent and Harrow	239,173	496
Camden and Islington	251,800	500
Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow	359,671	479
East and North Hertfordshire	205,436	471
East London and the City	366,867	445
Enfield and Haringey	248,639	471
Hillingdon	118,252	464
Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster	212,220	443
North Essex	370,351	453
Redbridge and Waltham Forest	231,328	484
South Essex	303,047	450
West Hertfordshire	235,060	476
Bexley and Greenwich	222,784	493
Bromley	134,830	471
Croydon	152,812	464
East Kent	289,217	463
East Surrey	182,949	483
East Sussex, Brighton and Hove	372,547	469
Kingston and Richmond	156,580	496
Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham	442,521	466
Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth	322,343	487

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Chairman of the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) has yet replied to the letter which he recently received from 47 Members of the House of Commons opposing his recommendations on the safety of Vitamin B6. [HL612]

The Chairman of the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) has asked the Secretariat to reply on his behalf. Letters were sent out to Members on 17 February 1998.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will list those Ministers, by name and office, who occupied official living accommodation in London or elsewhere, giving in each case the address of the accommodation, in:

The information requested is set out in the table below.