asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will ensure that any increase in the oil-for-food programme in Iraq is not at the expense of the United Kingdom bilateral programme through British non-governmental organisations. [HL706]

The UK co-sponsored the new Security Council Resolution 1153 to implement the UN Secretary-General's recent recommendation to improve and expand the oil-for-food scheme. However, the UK does not finance the oil-for-food programme in Iraq, it is funded entirely from Government of Iraq oil revenues. We are supporting Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) which target the most needy people or carry out de-mining operations. We will be discussing future plans with NGO partners in the light of the proposed increases in the oil-for-food scheme.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When it will publish its response to the Report of the Scottish Committee of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education.

The Minister of State with responsibility for Education at the Scottish Office has today placed in the Libraries of both Houses copies of Her Majesty's Government's response to the report of the Scottish (Garrick) Committee of the National (Dearing) Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education.My honourable Friend the Minister of State and I would like to commend Sir Ron Garrick and his committee for their work in producing such a comprehensive report in a comparatively short time. Her Majesty's Government looks forward to working with the higher and further education sectors in implementing the agreed recommendations and the main Dearing report, to which it relates.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How far the purpose and terms of reference of the current review of the working of the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Acts are consistent with the health policy priorities set out in their recent White Paper,

The recent White Paper, The New NHS, includes a commitment to building on and strengthening the existing systems of professional self-regulation to ensure that they are open, responsive and publicly accountable, and recognises the key role of the regulatory bodies. The current independent review of the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act presents an important opportunity to stimulate debate on providing the nursing, midwifery and health visiting professions with an appropriate framework for professional self-regulation which provides protection to the public.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Jay of Paddington on 10 February (

All private sector clinics and hospitals approved by the Secretary of State for Health to carry out termination of pregnancy between 20 and 24 weeks' gestation must agree to comply with certain requirements of approval. One requirement is that arrangements must be made with a neonatal unit on site or at a nearby hospital for the immediate transfer of any infant born alive. The clinic/hospital is required to provide all the necessary emergency treatment for any infant born alive, pending transfer to the neonatal unit. This requirement is contained in the Compendium of Guidance, key extracts of which were sent to all health authorities and National Health Service trusts in 1995.Clinics approved by the Secretary of State are inspected by departmental officials. Arrangements for late terminations are checked as part of the inspection. Information on any live births is not collected.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are taking steps to reduce the number of abortions in Great Britain. [HL620]

The decision to seek a termination is a difficult and often agonising one for any woman. The Government are keen to find ways of reducing the number of unintended and unwanted conceptions which may, in some cases, lead to abortion.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many of the abortions performed on girls under 16 years in each of the last five years were performed without the knowledge or permission of a parent or guardian. [HL621]

This information is not collected centrally.An abortion should only be performed on a girl under 16 without the permission of a parent or guardian if, in the clinical judgment of the doctor concerned, it is in the patient's best medical interest and she has sufficient maturity and understanding to appreciate what is involved.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When and how each of the current methods of abortion used in British abortion clinics were developed; and by whom; and [HL646]Whether any abortion techniques developed in Nazi concentration camps have been, or are currently being, used in British abortion clinics and hospitals; and [HL647]Whether they will seek to obtain from Yad Vashem in Jerusalem documentation concerning abortion techniques developed in Nazi concentration camps using Jewish and gypsy prisoners; and [HL648]

Precise information on when and how each of the current methods of abortion used in British hospitals and clinics was developed, and by whom, is not available. We have no information on whether any abortion techniques developed in Nazi concentration camps have been, or are currently being, used in British hospitals and clinics.Clinicians are concerned to ensure that their practice is safe and acceptable, as judged by an authoritative and responsible body of professional opinion. The development and adoption of methods of treatment, including treatment for abortion, is informed and guided by continuing critical appraisal of the findings of research reported in authoritative journals.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they support the proposal of the Oxfordshire Health Authority to close the Burford Community Hospital, which serves both in-patients and out-patients in West Oxfordshire and where a major capital building programme to provide a day unit, costing £210,000, was completed and opened in April 1997. [HL669]

Oxfordshire Health Authority and Oxfordshire Community Health National Health Service Trust are currently reviewing community hospitals with the aim of providing a fairer distribution of resources across the county while achieving essential savings of £1.5 million over four years.The proposals will be considered at a joint board meeting on 25 February and the suggested options will then be subject to a three-month period of public consultation, when everyone will be able to make their views known.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Jay of Paddington on 12 November 1997 (

We will not now he finalising our policy on water fluoridation until we have considered responses to the Green Paper.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the current state of their consideration of whether diabetics using pen injection devices should be required to pay for needles; and what further consideration is needed before they can announce a decision. [HL667]

Department of Health officials are in discussion with the major suppliers on issues relating to cost. We should be able to make decisions when those discussions have been concluded.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What has been the level of government funding of the British Council of Organisations of Disabled People in each year since such funding began; what has been the real terms increase or decrease (expressed on a year-by-year basis); and whether they have any plans to increase government funding in the next financial year. [HL591]

The Department of Health has funded the British Council of Organisations of Disabled People since 1985–86. Total funding from the department for each year, together with the real terms increase/decrease year-on-year, is shown in the table. Funding for 1998–99 has yet to be decided.

Year	Amount (£)	Real Terms Increase/Decrease +/-
1985–86	9,000	—
1986–87	10,000	+7.85%
1987–88	6,500	-38.29%
1988–89	15,000	+116.30%
1989–90	32,000	+99.41%
1990–91	33,000	-4.51%
1991–92	37,000	+5.39%
1992–93	53,000	+37.47%
1993–94	88,000	+61.35%
1994–95	77,000	-13.80%
1995–96	53,000	-33.01%
1996–97	128,000	+134.99%
1997–98	123,000	-6.43%

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have undertaken to provide ground troops for a United States or United States-United Kingdom attack on Iraq or as part of a follow-up to a United States-United Kingdom bombing attack on that country; and if so what immunisations are being provided for British troops who may be sent to Iraq, in case the United States uses its new burrowing nuclear-armed weapon to destroy possible caches of biological weapons or their precursors in Iraq. [HL587]

We have no plans to provide ground forces for an attack on Iraq. We recognise, however, that Saddam Hussein has in the past made use of chemical weapons. A range of defensive measures are available to protect UK forces in the region against chemical and biological warfare agents. These include physical and medical countermeasures, the use of which is kept under constant review in the light of available advice.

asked Her Majesty's Government:To what establishment the daily morbidity reports compiled during Operation Granby were despatched, whether they are retained and, if they are, whether they would be made available to researchers investigating illness in members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces who served in the Gulf. [HL230]

During Operation Granby, daily morbidity reports were sent from British units in the Gulf to the Chemical Defence Establishment at Porton Down, now known as the Chemical and Biological Defence (CBD) Sector of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. The intention was to collect data which would alert MoD in the event that a CBW attack occurred which was not detected by other means. The raw data from these reports were analysed at CBD and reported to MoD at regular intervals. CBD's reports and some of the raw data are held at CBD Porton Down. CBD found no evidence that any undetected CBW attack had occurred; copies of their reports will be made available to the study teams carrying out epidemiological research on behalf of the MoD into Gulf veterans' illnesses and can be provided to other bona fide research teams on request.A separate morbidity reporting system, designed to detect outbreaks of infectious disease within the Army was also implemented. Reports were analysed by HQ 1 Armd Div in-theatre. Collated information relating to some Army units is still held by the MoD in hard copy. This information will also be made available to bona fide research teams.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is their intention to commission a clinical audit of the Medical Assessment Programme (MAP) for those suffering Gulf War illnesses in view of the adverse reports from several veterans who have attended the MAP; if so, when; and, if not, whether they will do so as a matter of urgency. [HL569]

The Ministry of Defence announced plans to conduct a thorough audit of the Medical Assessment Programme (MAP) during the course of this year in the detailed policy statement Gulf Veterans' Illnesses: A New Beginning, which was published last July. It remains our intention to commission an external body to carry out such an audit during 1998. The audit will focus on all aspects of patient care and the service provided and will address the range of tests and examinations currently undertaken at the MAP and the issue of whether treatments currently recommended are appropriate and benefit patients' health. The audit will form the basis of further work which we intend to have done in conjunction with the Department of Health concerning the general patient care of Gulf veterans.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will establish an independent review of military training requirements to assess the implications of the Strategic Defence Review for training in the United Kingdom, making particular reference to the effect on the National Parks of England and Wales. [HL584]

Military training requirements are being taken into account in the Strategic Defence Review. We have also sought the opinions of environmental and countryside groups, which will help to inform our conclusions. At present we have no plans to hold an independent review.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will publish the consultation paper on lifelong learning. [HL745]

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State is today laying before Parliament a Green Paper on lifelong learning, The Learning Age (Cm 3790). He is also placing in the Library copies of the Government's response to the report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education under the chairmanship of Sir Ron Dearing and the response of my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment to the report of the Further Education Funding Council's Widening Participation Committee under the chairmanship of Helena Kennedy QC, now Baroness Kennedy, all of which are being published today.Lifelong learning is at the heart of the Government's education and training policies. Higher education and further education play key roles in lifelong learning.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Donoughue on 12 January (

Under the conditions set out in UK fishing vessel licences, over-quota fish must not be retained on board, transhipped or landed. Such fish should be returned to the sea. Where the discarding of fish is prohibited in the waters of third countries, any over-quota fish should be discarded immediately on return to Community waters.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they regard the hooking, release and subsequent re-hooking of fish as a practice in coarse fishing on rivers and canals to be cruel. [HL688]

Research has shown that great care must be taken in attributing to fish sensations similar to those experienced by humans or other mammals. Nevertheless, we are keen to ensure that those involved in angling are aware of the need to avoid unnecessary harm and minimise any stress caused to fish. Guidance and advice on a wide range of aspects, such as how best to handle and hold fish is readily available from angling organisations and the Environment Agency.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they have taken to implement the recommendations in the SEAC (Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee) Review. [HL750]

The review recommended a number of additional appointments to the Committee, including an expert from the Institute for Animal Health and a representative of the public interest. My right honourable friends the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and the Secretaries of State for Health, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have made the following appointments to the Committee:

• Professor Adriano Aguzzi;
• Professor Roy Anderson FRS;
• Professor Anne Ferguson;
• Dr. Peter Goodfellow FRS;
• Mrs. Harriet Kimbell, Representative of the public interest;
• Dr. Christopher Bostock, Representative of the Institute for Animal Health.

The review recommended that members not on fixed term appointments who had served less than three or six years should be formally appointed up to the end of the third and sixth year respectively; and that those who had served more than six years should be put on a fixed appointment for one year, all with the possibility of extension in individual cases. The following additional terms on the Committee commencing on 1 January 1998 have been offered to, and accepted by, members:

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the review of the policy of care in the community is to be extended to Wales as well as England or whether there is to be a separate review in Wales. [HL691]

Wales has its own individual approach to mental health provision based on Mental Illness—A Strategy for Wales, issued in 1989. We are currently consulting with people who use mental health services, carers, service planners and providers in the statutory and voluntary sector to see whether our approach meets their needs. Any decisions for future new policies will take their views into account. We will, of course, keep in close touch with the Department of Health in their work.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will list those Commonwealth countries whose citizens require entry visas to the United Kingdom as part of the common visa regulations of the European Union. [HL708]

The following Commonwealth countries are included on the common visa list of the European Union:

• Bangladesh
• Cameroon
• Fiji^*
• Gambia
• Ghana
• Guyana
• India
• The Maldives
• Mauritius
• Mozambique
• Nigeria
• Pakistan
• Papua New Guinea
• Sierra Leone
• Sri Lanka
• Tanzania
• Uganda
• Zambia

asked Her Majesty's Government:What response they propose to make to the report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons on HM Prison, Canterbury, in which he expresses his concern about the number of managers holding acting rank without being promoted, some for as long as four years. [HL641]

The Government welcome the Chief Inspector's report on his inspection of Canterbury prison. While the Chief Inspector did not make any specific recommendations in his report about the number of staff on temporary promotion to managerial grades, the Prison Service has taken immediate action. A series of competitive promotion boards and assessment centres, which will run until August 1998, have been scheduled to fill these posts on substantive promotion.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will publish the consultation paper on Access to the Open Countryside. [HL804]

The Government have issued today their consultation paper setting out proposals for giving people greater access to the open countryside in England and Wales. Copies have been placed in the Library of both Houses.The consultation paper reflects the Government's determination to fulfil their manifesto commitment to give greater freedom for people to explore our open countryside.Our proposals have the potential to benefit the millions of people who already enjoy, or who will in future enjoy, walking in the countryside. Current arrangements for access to areas of open countryside, rather than rights of way, have not been used extensively and are not generally well understood. In many cases, people are understandably confused about the areas of land on which they are entitled to walk or the circumstances under which they may do so. We need to secure more and better quality access with greater clarity and certainty for all concerned.Our proposals are about giving greater access to open countryside, not to developed or cultivated land. Our first priority is to increase access to mountain, moor, heath, down and registered common land. In total these cover no more than 12 per cent. of the land in England and Wales. We also wish to see more access to other areas of open country such as woodland, cliffs and foreshore, and will introduce measures to encourage this if necessary.In developing our proposals, we intend to ensure that a proper balance is struck between the rights and responsibilities of those who will benefit from greater access and of others affected by it. We are determined that those who will enjoy greater access should be responsible: the countryside and people's property and livelihoods must continue to be respected and properly protected. The Government recognise the need for sensible restrictions on the freedom of access to take account of the genuine needs of owners and other users of the land. Similarly, we recognise that access to some areas or at some times needs to be limited for reasons of health or safety, nature conservation, or archaeology.We are prepared to consider all options, including voluntary arrangements, for achieving our objective of substantially greater access, and will consider carefully all responses to the consultation paper before reaching a decision on the best way forward. Assessment of the costs and benefits of different options will be a key part of our consideration. Costs to government (central and local), to owners and occupiers, and to the relevant statutory agencies will certainly be taken into account in considering how best to proceed. We do not expect that management of greater access will have major financial implications as, in most places, no changes will need to be made to accommodate walkers. We shall be making an environmental assessment and regulatory appraisal of our proposals, as necessary.We are keen to ensure that the consultation process provides a genuine opportunity for all those interested to put forward their own ideas and views. We shall be allowing three months for consultation, ending on Friday 5 June. As well as considering written responses to the paper, we plan to hold meetings with organisations representing walkers, farmers and other owners and occupiers, and others with an interest. We shall also be drawing on the experience and expertise of the relevant statutory agencies and local authorities in firming up our ideas, and may need to consult further on some issues before announcing our conclusions, which we hope to do later this year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What they estimate the annual yield will be to the Exchequer from imposing the fee for first registration on disabled people registering new vehicles. [HL665]

Vehicles first registering in the disabled tax class will be exempt from the fee.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the estimated annual cost to the government-funded Drivers Fund and Mobility Equipment Fund administered by Motability of introducing a fee for first registration of vehicles; and [HL663]How many disabled people who will have to pay the fee for first registration of vehicles had to seek help from the Drivers Fund and Mobility Equipment Fund to meet part of the cost of acquiring and adapting a vehicle in 1996–97. [HL664]

Access to the Drivers Fund and the Mobility Equipment Fund is open only to recipients of the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA).It is our intention to exempt from the fee any vehicle registered in the "disabled exempt" tax class, entry to which is open to disabled drivers (or appointed nominees) in receipt of DLA at the higher rate and in possession of a VED certificate of entitlement. Therefore, there will be no cost to the Drivers Fund and Mobility Equipment Fund.